by Sarah Monte
Rat took a deep breath and replied, “I apologize on behalf of Gunther and myself Sir, I admit it was our carelessness that led to the beginning of all these issues. The police have sent me back here Sir, because they have a message for you. My loyalties aren’t compromised Sir, make no mistake about that – but they have let me live in order to come give you a message. Donovan looked at him with widened eyes, calculating, as Rat knew whether or not he was speaking the truth.
Donovan knew that the man in front of him fully realized what would happen if he was lying or trying to deceive his boss, but he was also surprised and even slightly impressed by the cheek of the police in sending back a man to deliver the message. He sat on his desk, lighting another cigar and looking at Rat’s broken face, taking his own sweet time. Finally, as the fourth puff of smoke made the air around Donovan’s face denser, he said, “A message from the police? Oh how interesting. Please, go ahead.”
“Donovan, I bring with me a message from the police. They cracked Gunther and managed to get the location of your biggest drug warehouse. I’ve been sent to tell you that they’re going to set it on fire and there’s nothing you can do about it till your entire empire falls to pieces around you,” repeated Rat in a flat voice. He assumed that it had the desired effect on Donovan, who looked at Rat with a slightly weird expression that the former just couldn’t match with an emotion. He wondered what his boss was thinking, and just hoped that his head wasn’t roving somewhere around murder.
“They cracked Gunther? How come? Gunther was one of my most trusted men,” said Donovan, still smoking his cigar, something that didn’t strike Rat as the plan going the right way.
“Well as you can imagine from my condition, they tortured us a lot. It is unspeakable, and all I could hear in my cell there were loud screams from Gunther all the time, whether they were in his cell or not. I suppose he cracked one of those times. At first, I refused to believe it – because I knew my mate. He wasn’t like that at all, and he respected you with every last inch of him. But when I saw him saying it in front of my own eyes, I didn’t have a choice,” Rat trailed off.
Rat hoped that his act was convincing enough for Donovan, but his heart sank when after his story only made his boss’s eyes narrow even further. If Donovan wasn’t convinced, Rat would have to roll over to his side as fast as he could before he was killed for sure. Obviously, he hoped that it wouldn’t come to it.
Just as Donovan was about to say something, a man Rat knew by the name of Lyle walked in, signaling Donovan to come to the door. Rat wondered at the audacity of the man to beckon Donovan, and judging by the look on Donovan’s face he was thinking the same thing. It was something that wasn’t meant for Rat’s ears then, but that didn’t stop Donovan from roaring, “How dare you ask me to come to you like I’m your servant? Come here you little son of a bitch!”
Lyle trembled as he walked in, placing his hands in his pockets to cover his shaking fists. “That is not what I meant to do Sir, I merely meant to tell you that I didn’t want Rat hearing us,” said Lyle in a small voice, jerking his head towards Rat. It didn’t seem to faze Donovan much however as he replied, “I don’t care if you say it in front of this little rat, if he hears something he shouldn’t it would take me about a second to get you to blow his head out or a few less than that to do it myself. So I don’t see a problem.”
Lyle nodded and Rat swallowed a little as he said, “Umm boss, we looked all over for Liam as you asked us to, but we’re unable to find him and he isn’t answering his phone. We don’t know if he’s gone to kill David and even his family is unsure of his whereabouts.”
“Where the fuck is that little rascal? I know he’s had one successful killing of that Sinclair’s whore but that doesn’t mean he need not report to me anymore. I think it’s getting time to show Liam his place again,” said Donovan, more to himself than to Lyle. He looked up at Lyle and said, “Okay just keep me posted and keep looking for that piece of shit.”
Donovan refocused on Rat, and before he could resume the previous conversation – Rat decided to change the topic of conversation and buy himself some time.
“Boss, did you say something about Liam killing Jennifer?” asked Rat in a squeaky voice.
“Jennifer? Who the hell is that?” asked Donovan as Rat replied, “I meant Mr. Sinclair’s umm, side whore boss. Did you say something about her being dead?” Rat couldn’t believe, he was shocked and even a little upset that Jennifer had been murdered. As far as he had seen, she was one of the nicer people outside his world, someone who had extended some kindness and respect to him, someone considerate. In the time between him coming here and speaking to Donovan, he wondered how Liam had managed to kill her.
“Oh yeah, that chick,” said Donovan as he stubbed out his half smoked cigar, “Liam killed her yesterday or something. When you buffoons found Mike and kidnapped him before getting arrested, the one good thing y’all managed to do was snag his phone and destroy it. Liam retrieved the memory card and we found out about this girl, and I wanted to strike a nerve with killing her. Since they’ve sent you with a message threatening my empire’s destruction now – I suppose I did manage to get to genius billionaire little heartthrob Michael Sinclair. David’s next on the list, which will be slightly trickier I suppose but Liam has been missing ever since he said he would do it.”
Rat looked at Donovan with wide eyes, slowly piecing every last detail together and understanding what his boss Donovan did not know. If things went south, he could use this to remain alive a little longer. As a last resort though, for he wasn’t even sure if his theory held true. Donovan growled at him, “Don’t ask me questions you little shit, it’s my turn to do the questioning. So they cracked Gunther and got the address of my main warehouse. Where exactly did they tell you it was?”
“They didn’t Boss, they just made me learn this message and sent me back here,” replied Rat. “They’re going to be going to the warehouse any moment now Boss, I think we should get going too!” added Rat a little desperately.
Donovan chuckled and sat back in his chair as he said, “Rat, I don’t think there’s any point in you pretending and hoping that this little shitty plan of yours works. I’m not worried about Gunther cracking because that rascal doesn’t even know the addresses of my warehouses – nobody knows except Liam and me. And if the police thought that I would let you lead me into their trap, then it’s disgusting how much they underestimate me. Frankly, I’m insulted,” he finished in a mock hurt voice.
Rat’s blood turned cold as Donovan spoke, knowing right then that he was done for. He pretended to cough, doing it rather loudly and violently as he rocked over in his position. Trying to fall on one side while making it look natural was a hard task anyway, without the added pressure of having your cruel boss watching over you like a hawk. He did trip the transmitter off though, and sat up straight. Rat knew that he would be killed eventually, he had known that all along. The side villain gets beaten up the most and never, ever makes it out of a story like this alive. He knew that, and so decided to spend a little time fucking around with Donovan.
“Donovan, it’s good that you know now that the police are onto you. But there are certain things you don’t know, certain things that you might just be more wrong about than right,” said Rat in a snarky, raspy voice that shook from taking his boss’s name for the first time in his life.
His boss looked at him, a dangerous shadow crossing upon his face. He appreciated his guts to use his name, but wanted to kill him for the same reasons. Donovan wondered if Rat was simply messing around with him or if he really knew something. This man had been prisoner at the police station for way too long to not have picked up at least one significant detail.
“If you think this is going to help you, I don’t think you know your boss very well. I’ve shown you mercy in not gutting you alive right now Rat,” said Donovan with a jeer, “What can you tell me that I don’t already know or won’t find out soon enough?”
�
��I would tell you, ‘boss’, but valuable items and information always come at a cost,” replied Rat, clutching at straws and trying his best not to let his face betray the fear he felt. He watched his boss analyze the offer, a trade had always interested him. But not without making things dangerous.
“What’s your price?” asked Donovan
“My life, I want to be able to walk scot free from here once I give you my piece of information. I want your word,” said Rat, not sure how much it really counted for.
“My word eh? My, my, Rat, for a rodent you do have a high moral ground. Very well then. I have a disclaimer to add however. If the information you give me is irrelevant or something that I already know, then I’m going to kill you. Agreed?” asked Donovan.
Rat weighed his odds, and most importantly on the reliability of what he thought was the truth. The way his boss had spoken however, he was almost sure that he was right. It was a gamble to take on his life, but he had seen enough pain at this point to care about such things anymore. He merely nodded at his boss, who smiled widely, revealing all of his yellowing teeth.
“All right then, you have my word. Speak,” said Donovan in a dangerous voice.
“Firstly, I wanted to confirm something with you Donovan,” said Rat, “Did you mention that Liam had killed that girl Jennifer yesterday or before that?”
“Aye, I did. Why do you keep talking about her? Did you know her or something?” asked Donovan, apparently nonplussed at the question.
Rat smiled with satisfaction, grateful that he wasn’t going to die after all as he looked his boss straight in the eye and said, “Jennifer is alive.”
The three words seem to take a while for Donovan to process. Because if he accepted that, he accepted that Liam had not only failed in the completion of his orders – but lied to Donovan’s fucking face about it. And had then disappeared in an attempt to save his slimy little ass. But Rat was probably lying to save his own ass, fucking around with Donovan for the sake of it.
“And why should I believe you, ya little runt?” asked Donovan with a smirk.
“You should believe me because I was at the police station up until a few hours ago. And she was right there in front of me. Hurt, yes, but not even grievously so. She spoke to me as well, that’s how I know she’s alive,” replied Rat firmly. Anticipating his boss’s rebuttal, “You’re probably going to tell me that I could be lying. But think about it, if you’re going to kill me in either scenario – buying a few moments of time while I’m bound like this serves me what purpose? If I’m lying you will find out one day and kill me right? So why would I lie?” he added.
If Liam came within a few meters of Donovan, then that man was going to see what exactly got Donovan the reputation that he had. He couldn’t believe that the only person he trusted had betrayed him, and he remembered why he had chosen to be solo all his life. One error of judgment had cost him his pride and ego, and those were priceless possessions of Donovan’s. But killing Liam just like that wouldn’t give him any satisfaction, nor would Rat walking away right now.
Rat on the other hand, was feeling a little guilty about possibly endangering Jennifer’s life. He knew however, that they wouldn’t be so lax about her security at the precinct now, not after Liam’s initial attempted attack. He looked at Donovan, praying with all his might that there was some way this story would turn out differently – that maybe in this version, the side villain would manage to walk away alive after all.
“Will you let me go now, boss?” asked Rat with a flicker of hope flitting through his eyes.
Donovan smiled at him widely as he replied, “Yes, Rat. I’m letting you go,” before firing the gun.
Chapter Twenty Five
Mike and Jennifer drove back home not speaking too one another, but rather allowing the soothing melodies of the jazz music engulf them. Jennifer couldn’t possibly imagine how she would express her gratitude to Mike, for actually agreeing to the leave the police station and go home with her.
Mike drove towards his place, knowing that it wouldn’t be the best thing in the world for Jennifer to go back home at this point and remind her of a wound still so fresh. He smiled at her, holding her hand with one of his as he looked ahead. They entered the house and Jennifer sauntered into the bathroom, while Mike entered the kitchen. He played some more tunes on his stereo system, hoping that the music would drown out any bad thoughts and hopefully even conversation. Because maybe talking about his feelings wasn’t the best idea at this point, but Mike knew that he would have to sooner or later.
Jennifer stepped out of the bathroom about twenty minutes later, her hair dripping a little from her shower and one of Mike’s robes wrapped around her body. The smell of good cooking and Mike’s familiar style of making eggs warmed her heart and almost gave her the feeling of normalcy. Like the past few days and the attack on her hadn’t happened and that she could be herself with him again. Safe.
“You must be so tired, you shouldn’t have bothered with all of this,” said Jennifer in his ears as she creeped up behind him. Mike turned around and hugged her, careful of the tiny bandage she had now put on her stitches and found his heart melting as he took in the sight of her. She looked so perfect to him even now, and just the feeling of being able to hold her and stand blissfully for a few moments was something he couldn’t possibly ever express in words.
“Nothing is too much of a bother when I do it for you, my princess,” replied Mike with a hint of his previous charm as he winked at her. He turned off the gas and fixed plates for both of them, leading her to the dining table. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being treated like this Mike,” said Jennifer with a laugh, as she dug into her food and moaned a little.
“Do you like it?” asked Mike with a little laugh. “Like it? I could, probably even will marry it. Or you, so that I can eat this every day,” she replied with a chuckle before stuffing her mouth again. They ate and made small talk for a while, and Mike eventually cleared the plates. He carried Jenny to the sofa, cuddling with her as they both sighed in contentment.
“Ted hasn’t called us yet, I hope everything is fine over there. Do you think Rat will be okay?” asked Jennifer with a hint of worry in her voice. “Calm down, I’m sure everything is fine. I don’t understand your sympathies with that blithering idiot anyway, not when he tried to harm David and me. He’ll be fine, for all I care. And listen, don’t talk about all this right now anyway,” said Mike as he nestled her closer to himself.
Jennifer nodded and leaned into him as well, inhaling his scent. They didn’t speak for a while before she said, “I’ve missed this” at which he squeezed her hand in response. Mike nudged her upright, turning her towards himself and looking her in the eyes as he gently probed, “Jennifer, are you okay my love?”
“I’m fine sweetheart, really, don’t worry about me. You can go freshen up now if you want, I’ll sit by the phone,” replied Jennifer with a smile that didn’t really reach her eyes. “When you wanted me to let you be there for me in my time of need, I failed to let you and paid the price for it. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt since all of this started – it’s that anything can happen unexpectedly and change your life as you knew it forever. I thought I had lost you Jenny, and those were the worst moments of my life, where I thought even death wouldn’t bring me peace. And that isn’t because of the guilt of not having protected you, but more because I regretted not sharing everything with you. Blocking you and keeping you away would have been worse things to live with, so trust me now and don’t do that. Just tell me what’s on your mind, let me be there for you,” pleaded Mike.
Jennifer looked at him, letting his words wash over her. She wasn’t one to hide her emotions, but in light of recent events also didn’t want to bother Mike any more than she already had. She knew he was right, and if she truly wanted the comfort he was offering then she was going to have to let herself be a little vulnerable. Her staunch feministic ideals tried to stop her from crying, but she knew th
is was the love of her life and more importantly – her friend. She could, and she would be herself in front of him, transparent as she expected him to be with her.
Her eyes welled up with a few tears as she said, “I know everyone thinks I was really brave at the time to have dealt with the man sent to kill me like that, and I suppose I was. But it’s only just starting to dawn on me what could have happened at that time. Someone wanted me dead, Mike, someone actually sent somebody to come kill me. And in that moment, all I could think of was the fact that when I had last seen you, you were upset. You were upset and moreover, you didn’t want me. If I had to die knowing that the man I loved didn’t want to share his sorrows with me, it would have been the worst way to die.”
Mike stared at her, speechless and completely unsure of what to say. Even at a moment like that, she had thought of him. Maybe his actions had a lot more impact on her than he thought. Clearly, she processed things in a more serious manner than he gave her credit for. He held her, letting her tears spill over as the magnitude of the previous day’s events washed over the two of them. They weren’t having the conversation the two of them really wanted to have, but they were communicating nonetheless. Holding one another tight, they savored what was now the privilege and pleasure of being able to.
It had been such a long time since they held each other starring into one another's eyes with just one thought on their mind. The sexual tension buzzing between them since the hospital came back, with a lot more force this time.
“I'm not sure if we even have enough time to enjoy this”, said Mike.
Jennifer gave him a deep kiss and made out with him very passionately after which she said, “I can't waste another second thinking right now. In fact, the more time we spend debating this is another moment wasted where you could be fucking me.”
