Rage Against The Machine: Special Edition (Dan & Chloe Book 1)

by Flamank, Nathan L.

  Chloe bit her bottom lip; Dan had noticed she did this whenever she was thinking about something, Chloe finally shook her head. ‘No, Colin wouldn’t have had time to get to George last night; he’s been on our tail all night. George might not be there though, he could have done a runner, perhaps he realised something was going on and decided to ring you saying he was sick, he may well have scarpered by now.’

  Dan shook his head, ‘He wouldn’t have put me in danger; not on purpose anyway.’

  ‘Maybe you’re right, maybe he is ill and we’ll find him in bed with a “Lemsip”.’

  ‘Whatever, all I know is that we need some answers and some of them await us in Hertford.’

  Chloe took a sip of her coffee, her eyes looking over Dan’s shoulder. ‘The answers may be closer than you think.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘Don’t look now but we’re being watched. We’ve been followed ever since we got on the train into London.’

  Dan froze; a forkful of beans hovering near his mouth. He lowered the fork to the plate and concentrated on Chloe; fighting the urge to look over his shoulder.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Absolutely, do you remember that woman at the station; the one I said was staring at you?’

  ‘Sure, she smiled at me.’

  ‘Well, she’s across the street pretending to be window shopping, she’s not though otherwise she’d have realised that she’s been staring at the same shitty display for the last ten minutes.’

  ‘It could be coincidence. A lot of people shop in London and this is a popular area for shoppers.’

  ‘No, she’s following us. She followed us on the underground. I noticed her a couple of times but didn’t want to say anything to you until I was sure.’

  ‘Do you think she works for Colin?’

  ‘What else could it be? How else would he be able to find us; we ditched the car, his only means of tracking us. It would be impossible for him to locate us here in the city without help.’

  ‘Shit you’re right. He would have been able to work out which train we had caught, that wouldn’t have taken a genius to figure out. We left the car right there by the road, he’d have known that our only option was public transport.’ Dan snorted; angry at himself for being so stupid. ‘I should have parked the car somewhere less obvious.’

  Chloe reached across the table and squeezed his hand, ‘Baby it wouldn’t have mattered, she was there at the station before us, he probably pre-arranged it so that she was there encase we turned up so relax; you didn’t fuck up.’

  Dan pushed his plate away, he was no longer hungry but he did finish his coffee, ‘Mind if I finish yours?’

  Chloe shook her head and slid her half full mug across the table to him.

  ‘What should we do?’ Dan asked; he couldn’t believe that he was asking someone else for advice, there was a time, in the long ago, that he was the one people turned to for solutions. Had the years really softened him that much?

  Chloe smiled and he felt her bare foot nestle between his legs; her toes wiggled against his crotch. Dan jumped in his seat. ‘Fuck Chloe; is this really the time?’

  ‘No, but I don’t want her realising that we’ve clocked her. I need for you to act as normal as you can. The less she suspects the easier it’ll be when we make our move.’

  ‘Make our move? What if she’s armed?’

  ‘She can’t be, there are metal detectors all over the tube network, and she’d have never gotten through. I think she’s just paid surveillance.’

  ‘Think?’ Dan grabbed her foot with his hands and he massaged her toes; his thumbs pressing on each pad in turn. Chloe moaned softly, ‘That’s nice.’

  Chloe pulled her top out from her chest and blew downwards, ‘Jeez its sweltering already, and they said global warming would never affect us like this. My tits are covered in sweat already.’

  Dan’s cock hardened and Chloe’s toes rubbed against it through his jeans. ‘Hello big boy.’

  Dan laughed, ‘You’re insatiable.’

  ‘Don’t worry I won’t ravish you right here, but I do need to do something about how hot I am. I’d take my top off but...’

  Dan nodded, ‘So what do you want to do?’

  Chloe smiled at him and ran her tongue across her upper lip and winked at him. ‘Let’s go shopping.’

  The boutique had just opened and Dan and Chloe were the first customers of the day. On the stroll down the road to the boutique; a place that Chloe had often looked in but never bought from, she said to him, ‘I need a top, something less clingy, it’s too hot today.’

  Dan had said okay; not knowing what else to say. The whole scenario appeared dreamlike to him, when they should have been running for their lives from Colin and his watch-woman they were instead going shopping for clothes.

  Totally nuts.

  ‘She’s still following us,’ Chloe had said as they had neared the boutique, ‘Don’t let on that we’ve seen her but don’t act like you’re not looking for a tail; she’d expect us to be cautious, just don’t let her know that we know it’s her.’

  Dan nodded. He needed to talk to Chloe soon, there were things she needed to know, but he realised that right then wasn’t the time.

  As they walked down the street they occasionally looked around, as if checking for a tail but they never made it too obvious. Dan hadn’t been able to see the woman, but if Chloe said she was out there in the crowds then he had no reason to doubt her.

  Men had kept glancing at Chloe; their eyes always drawn to her large breasts on show in the push-up bra visible through the top. Dan could see that they had approved of what they saw.

  ‘I know the effect I have on men,’ Chloe had said with a big grin. ‘But trust me none of them stand a chance.’

  Now in the clothing boutique Dan felt totally out of place among the rails of short skirts, bikinis and very sexy lingerie. A store assistant, best described as a battle-axe gave him the daggers as his mum used to say. The woman obviously disapproved of what she saw. He was in his thirties, Chloe almost out of her teens, but he was beginning to no longer care what assumptions people came to.

  ‘Can I help you sir? Are you looking for something for your daughter?’ There was real venom in her voice; the last word spat out, every syllable emphasised.

  Despite what he had just been thinking Dan went red and struggled to say something but Chloe squeezed his hand. ‘Actually he’s my sugar-daddy and I’m about to max out his credit card. Have you got a problem with that?’ The look on Chloe’s face made it clear that the woman hadn’t better have or there would be trouble.

  The woman went as red as the blouse she was wearing and walked off muttering.

  Chloe turned to Dan, ‘Dried up old prune.’

  Dan nodded; what else could he do?

  Chloe moved through the store like a whirlwind plucking items off of various shelves and rails. She passed them to Dan as she went; he saw bikinis, lingerie, tight revealing tops and very short skirts; all inappropriate but Dan had learnt a long time ago never to question a woman when she was shopping.

  As Dan trailed after her Chloe was formulating a plan; the shopping was a ruse, an excuse to pass the time while she put the finishing details to the idea forming in her mind.

  ‘This’ll do me,’ Chloe led him to the changing booths and took the pile of clothes from his outstretched arms. Dan noticed the sour faced woman watching them and he offered her a smile, trying to build bridges, to be polite but the woman wasn’t interested and turned away. He saw her talk to a younger woman and she pointed over at Dan, the young assistant nodded; she appeared to be embarrassed and then the older woman disappeared into the store room.

  ‘Wait right there Dan.’

  ‘Um?’ Dan turned back to Chloe.

  ‘Stand there; don’t move. She closed the curtain. ‘Let me know what you think.’

  ‘About what?’ Dan asked.

  ‘The state of the middle east, what do y
ou think I mean, my outfits; you can give me your opinion.’

  ‘Oh right,’ Dan said and looked around the store; they were still the only customers. The young girl was at the tills and Dan smiled at her, she returned the gesture; perhaps she wasn’t bothered about Dan’s age.

  ‘Are you still there?’ Chloe asked from the other side of the velvet curtain.

  ‘Yeah.’

  Chloe pulled the curtain open; she was totally naked, her hands on her hips. ‘So, what do you think?’

  Dan laughed, ‘I think you’ll get arrested if you step out on the street like that.’

  Chloe laughed and pulled the curtain shut. Dan could hear her on the other side of the drape as she got changed. In his head he could still clearly see her sweat-streaked breasts and he felt himself grow hard; he was still thinking of her wet nipples when the curtain was opened again.

  Chloe was wearing her skirt but was still topless, she smiled, ‘Thought you may have missed something.’

  Dan went to speak but she closed the curtain once more. He heard her sweet laughter from the other side of the curtain and he smiled.

  One minute later and the curtain parted and Chloe smiled at him. She looked stunning in her zip-skirt and a very revealing black crocheted bikini top. Her large breasts were covered but there was plenty of cleavage on show and the black contrasted with the colour of her skin; the result was mesmerising. Chloe had also let her hair down. She turned in a circle.

  ‘So, what do you think?’

  ‘Stunning, but your nipples are playing peek-a-boo.’

  ‘That’s the whole point of crocheted bikinis.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘But do you like it?’ Chloe asked and he could see that she genuinely wanted his approval.

  ‘Yes, but I’m not sure when you’ll get the opportunity to wear it.’

  Chloe laughed. ‘Dummy, it’s to wear now.’

  Dan shook his head and laughed, ‘Are you nuts? On the streets of London; you’ll give more men heart attacks than this heat.’

  Chloe whipped the curtain closed, ‘Give me one minute.’

  She opened the curtain again. ‘How’s this?’ She was now wearing a black chiffon blouse over the bikini; it was unbuttoned and tied in a knot below her breasts. The slopes and swell of her breasts were clearly visible but at least her nipples were no longer clearly on show; though they did poke at the shirt’s thin material.

  ‘Better.’

  ‘Excellent.’

  Chloe stepped out of the cubicle. Dan pointed at the assortment of lingerie piled in her arms. ‘What about that lot?’

  ‘You’re buying the lot; I don’t need to try it on.’

  Dan took the lingerie from Chloe; a mixture of bras, knickers and packs of stockings. Chloe put her discarded bra and white top in her string bag and then ripped the tags from the clothes she was wearing. ‘The girl can just scan the labels at the till.’

  Dan just nodded.

  Crazy, this wasn’t how he should be acting, he wasn’t in a romance, he should be running, trying to clear his thoughts, to process and assimilate a plan of action, this was all too bizarre.

  The young salesgirl was the polar opposite to the sour-faced woman; she was polite, bubbly and flirtatious.

  She rang the purchases through. The young woman held the black all-in-one black basque. ‘With your tits and figure you’ll look stunning in this,’ the assistant said.

  Dan looked out the front; he was too embarrassed, were all young women this open?

  ‘Thanks,’ Chloe replied.

  The sales assistant continued to ring everything through, she smiled at Chloe when she scanned the package of hold-up stockings and she winked at Chloe. Men loved stockings and they both knew it.

  She bagged everything up. ‘That will be two hundred and ninety three pounds.’

  Dan turned back to the counter. ‘How Much?’

  Chloe laughed. ‘You can afford it; get your plastic out.’

  Dan handed over his credit card and whispered to Chloe, ‘Won’t this leave a trail?’

  ‘Yes; that’s the whole point.’

  ‘It is?’

  ‘Trust me baby, if Colin can access computers imagine his confusion and or rage when he sees we’ve been out shopping for lingerie; it’ll wind him up.’

  Dan smiled. ‘Clever.’

  ‘Would you like cash-back?’

  ‘Yes please, how much can we get?’ Chloe asked.

  ‘I’m authorised up to three hundred, above that I’ll have to call Wendy.’

  Dan shook his head. ‘Three hundred will be fine; we’ll leave the battle-axe out the back.’

  The assistant laughed quietly. They completed the transaction and Chloe picked up the carrier bag.

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘Please, make sure you come again.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure we will,’ Chloe said with a smile.

  They left the store and Dan said, ‘That was a lot of money.’

  ‘I figured that you could afford it; that’s not a mini you drive around.’

  Dan smiled, ‘It’s still a lot to spend on underwear.’

  Chloe laughed. ‘You won’t be saying that when you see me in it.’

  ‘Is that so?’ Dan asked with a sly smile.

  Chloe slapped playfully at his arm. ‘You’re jerking my chain.’

  ‘Yes, I don’t care how much you spent.’

  ‘You have that much huh?

  ‘Enough.’

  If only she knew.

  Chloe took the lead again; they were heading back towards Cecil Court. Dan walked beside her and she snuggled against his hip and he put his arm around her waist.

  ‘Don’t lift my skirt; my knickers fell off in the changing room.’

  Dan laughed. ‘You’re not turning shy on me are you?’

  Chloe laughed, ‘Fine, show the world my ass, I don’t mind.’

  A male shopper overheard the comment and both Dan and Chloe laughed when the man looked back at Chloe’s backside.

  Dan settled for rubbing her ass through her skirt.

  ‘We still have company; she’s about three shops back.’

  ‘So, how do we lose her?’

  ‘We don’t, she may have all the answers we need; had you thought of that?’

  Dan conceded that he hadn’t. In fact he hadn’t done much thinking at all. He had grown used to his comfortable lifestyle; the lack of pressures and concerns, the years had numbed his senses; but he could feel them slowly coming back. He guessed it was like riding a bike; you never really forgot you just had to reacquaint yourself and that’s what he had been doing; slowly letting the old feelings and instincts back up from the darkness that he had buried them in a decade ago. The thing that concerned him most was whether he would be able to control them once they had fully surfaced and more importantly would Chloe be able to accept them.

  ‘I’m a little rusty,’ Dan said.

  Chloe looked up at him, ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘Later, another time okay?’

  Chloe nodded, ‘Sure.’

  They turned back into Cecil Court and as soon as they were out of sight of the woman following them Chloe said, ‘Run!’

  Chloe grabbed his hand and they ran through the cobbled mews and out into another busy street. Chloe pulled him to the right and they sprinted across the road. Dan could see her breasts bouncing as she raced along the pavement beside him. They weaved between pedestrians. Chloe cast a glance over her shoulder and could see the woman a hundred yards back chasing after them and Chloe smiled to herself.

  ‘There,’ Chloe shouted and pointed to an alley than separated two imposing Victorian buildings. They ran down the alley and as they ran Chloe removed the string bag from her shoulders and she wrapped the straps around one hand. The alley led on to another alley; this one darker, the tall buildings closing out most of the sun. Shadows crept down the sides of the red brick walls and it looked like dusk down here and there was a chill in the ai
r from lack of direct sunlight.

  They turned another corner and Chloe came to a sudden stop. She pulled Dan in behind her and held a finger to her mouth and whispered, ‘Quiet.’

  Dan took the carrier bag when Chloe held it out to him and he leant back against the brickwork and took a couple of deep breathes; he really needed to sort himself out.

  Soon they both heard rapid footfalls of someone approaching them; high heels click-clacking urgently on cobblestones.

  Chloe started to rotate the sports bag in her hand; spinning it around until it became a blurring windmill.

  The woman who had been following them turned the corner and Chloe smashed the bag into the woman’s face on its upward arc; the noise as the coke cans in the bag connected with the woman’s face was sickening to hear. Blood exploded from her mouth as her jaw was slammed shut; a tooth hit the wall and Dan felt drops of blood splash across his left hand. The woman’s eyes rolled up in her head and she crumpled to the pavement; knocked out cold by the force of the impact.

  Chloe slipped the bag back over her shoulder; and looked down at the sprawled woman. Chloe had a look of triumph on her face as she admired her handy work. Blood was flowing down the unconscious woman’s chin and pooled around her neck. Dan who had so far been too stunned to say anything managed to finally open his mouth. ‘Remind me never to piss you off.’

  Chloe kissed him quickly. ‘Never; now don’t just stand there, help me move her.’

  Together they carried the unconscious woman further into the shadows.

  ‘This will do,’ Chloe said when they reached a darkened doorway. The recess was six feet deep so if anyone happened to look down the alley they wouldn’t see Dan, Chloe or the woman lying prone at their feet.

  Chloe searched through her bag and found a can of warm coke.

  ‘Time for some answers.’ She popped the tab and took a quick gulp; she belched and smiled as she offered the can to Dan. He took a couple of sips and then handed it back to Chloe.

  Chloe upended the soda can and the brown syrupy liquid splashed all over the fallen woman’s face; she began to cough and splutter, her face now awash with coke and blood. She opened her eyes, saw Dan and Chloe and started to sit up; ready to make a move against them.