Page 116 of Dead Serious: Case 3 Mr Bruce Reyes
“Tell me again how we got talked into this?” Danny mutters against my neck. He drops a gentle kiss on my skin now that we’re both showered and clean of Chaos goo.
Shifting carefully on his lap so I don’t bump his cast, I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing his mouth soundly.
I grin as I back away from those lips. “Because we can’t say no to Chan.”
“For god’s sake, don’t tell her that or who knows what will happen next,” Danny grumbles as I pick up my glass and take a sip, then offer it to him to do the same.
“Urgh, you two are still disgustingly cute.” Dusty rolls her eyes from across the kitchen, and I chuckle.
She’s leaning up against the counter and wearing a violent pink leopard-print catsuit and thigh-high boots. I didn’t think it was possible for her hair to get any higher, but it’s backcombed almost to the roof.
Bruce stands next to her, with a contented smile on his face and his arm around her waist. Gone are the shadows under his eyes and the slightly wrinkled old rugby uniform and tiny shorts—which, not gonna lie, I kinda miss. Looking tanned and gorgeous, he’s even got a healthy shine to his dark, curly hair. He’s wearing jeans and a t-shirt which is no doubt Dusty’s doing as it has giant glittery pink lips on it and says Property of Dusty Le Frey.
Like everything else he does, Bruce is laid-back and comfortable in his own skin as his shirt proudly proclaims his new relationship status. He doesn’t have any problem being claimed by Dusty; in fact, he seems inordinately pleased by the prospect. Not only that, I think he understands her in a way few people do, with the exception of myself and Chan.
As much as Dusty completely understood the situation with Bruce and Jack Miller, I think she’s still feeling a little vulnerable, so Bruce is doing everything he can to make sure she knows he’s all hers. It’s really quite sweet.
Suddenly, the kitchen door opens and the music in the other room gets louder. Maddie sticks her head around the door and her gaze lands on us. I can’t help the laugh that escapes. Being a redhead and obviously prone to burning, she clearly fell asleep out in the sun on her trip to Alicante with Sonia. Her face still has a pinkish glow to it, even though it’s more tanned than usual, but she also has a giant, white, sunglasses-shaped mask around her eyes and a tiny line across the bridge of her nose.
“Hey, you two,” she whispers, checking behind her quickly and then turning her attention back to us. “If Sonia asks where you got that bloody coffee table? For the love of god, tell her you don’t remember.”
Danny smirks. “Why, does she like it?”
“She’s bloody in love with it! She’s determined to find out where it came from so she can buy one!” Maddie scowls. “My mother would have a heart attack if she came around to visit and found a woman in her underwear with her legs spread masquerading as a coffee table.”
Danny snorts. “It’s not ours, it’s on loan.”
“Fine,” Maddie says. “Tell her you don’t know where it’s from.” She glances back through the door. “She’s talking to that tall drag queen holding the vape at the moment, maybe she’ll distract her.”
“Er, I don’t think so,” Danny says mildly. “That’s Brandy, the one who owns the coffee table.”
“Shit!” Maddie squeaks and disappears back through the door into the living room. The door swings closed and the music is once again slightly muted.
“You’re being ridiculous.” The door swings open again, and this time Harrison sails in, wearing a shirt and bow tie with a V-neck sweater, his trousers neatly pressed, his bright red hair blazing, and his cheeks flushed red.
“Oh, come on, Prickles.” Sam follows behind him, his eyes dancing merrily.
“No, absolutely not,” Harrison says primly as he opens the fridge and grabs a bottle of water.
“Come on, you might like it,” Sam cajoles, smiling so much that it crinkles the scar at the side of his face and reveals a dimple in his other cheek.
“I am not playing Twister… at all. But especially not in a room full of strangers.”
“I’ll bet I could bend you into some interesting positions.” Sam’s gaze does an appreciative slide over Harrison.
Harrison rolls his eyes so hard I’m surprised he doesn’t sprain something. He sweeps back out of the room with an air of righteous indignation, a chuckling Sam close behind him.
I did go and say hi to everyone in the other room earlier. Half of The Rainbow Room performers are in there, along with Benny and Ari, although they’ll have to leave soon to get back to the club. Maddie and her wife, obviously, who’ve just come back from their holiday. Chan even invited some of my work colleagues, Hen’s in there right now chatting with Benny, and Judy is looking somewhat bemused at all the colourful drag queens.
Madam Viv is still hiding in the spare room. She doesn’t like too many people at a time, but she’s staying here one more night until Evangeline has the bookshop tidied up for her to move back in.
There are also some of my new neighbours milling around. A rather sweet, shy young guy named Theodore and a couple of others whose names I can’t remember. In fact, one of them is standing in the kitchen, firmly planted next to the counters piled with snack foods and drinks.
My new neighbour is a middle-aged guy with thinning hair, a round smiley face, and a bit of a paunch, and standing next to him is Death.
Death, as always, is immaculate. Poised, aloof, a cool expression on that too-handsome face of his, not a hair out of place, and his suit perfectly tailored.
As if trying to blend in, he stiffly grips a paper plate holding a lone sausage roll in one hand and a cup of Ginger’s nuclear punch in the other. His piercing blue eyes track over to my neighbour— Peter, I think his name is. His eyes slowly trickle down to Peter’s plate, which is overflowing with junk food, and then back up to his face.