Page 101 of Mercury Rising

Nick stopped in his tracks when he saw who was standing with Hassan.

“What is she doing here?”

“I came to talk to you,” Madeline said. “I got a bit sidetracked with this young man.”

Hassan beamed.

“You’d better come through as well then.”

Nick led them into the office. Gavin sat at the desk that used to be Mercury’s.

What a surprise. I wonder where else he’s tried to muscle in.

“Hello, Gavin,” Mercury said, forcing a sickly-sweet smile onto his face.

“Mercury. How nice to see you again. And surprising.”

He too froze when Madeline entered the room.

“Oh…”

Mercury had told Madeline all about Gavin. Even though she was on a mission to prove she wasn’t the biggest bitch in the land, she still flashed him a withering glare.

“Gavin, can you give us a minute?” Nick asked.

Gavin nodded. With an icy glare for Mercury, he left the room.

“He loves me,” Mercury said to Madeline. “It’s just hidden very well.”

Nick snorted. “Take a seat.”

Mercury sat. The chair was still warm from Gavin. Mercury managed not to grimace. Madeline took Nick’s chair and he stood by the window, leaning on the sill.

“So who goes first then?” he asked, folding his arms.

“I think I’d better,” Madeline said. “Nick, I owe you an apology and it’s long overdue. My behaviour at the dinner party was totally unforgiveable.”

Nick appraised her. “That’s true.”

He wasn’t going to make it easy for her and neither was Mercury. It wouldn’t hurt her to learn a bit of humility.

“Although this isn’t an excuse, it is a reason,” she continued. “Mercury’s father fucked me up in ways you could never imagine. When a man is in love with drugs, there isn’t any room for anyone else.”

Nick exhaled. “I don’t take drugs.”

“I know you don’t. I get it. But when I heard that you used to sell them, my mind went into overdrive. What if you tried to get Mercury into them? What if you went back to your old ways? What kind of man can get people hooked on that trash?”

Mercury looked at Nick. He appeared to be considering her words.

“For the record, I wasn’t much older than some of the kids through there,” he said. “I didn’t think about it that deeply. I had money and was pretending at being a grown up. As for getting Mercury into drugs, he’s been a mainstay on the London party scene for years. I think if he were susceptible, that would have happened by now.”

It was a rare occurrence when Madeline Morrison was lost for words. This appeared to be one of them.

“For what it’s worth, I accept your apology,” Nick said.

She visibly relaxed. “And you’ll forgive Mercury? It’s not his fault he has a neurotic mother.”

Nick looked at Mercury.