‘That’s a good girl,’ Dalziell said, and cupped my breasts with his hands. He squeezed hard and I could feel his ragged fingernails dig into my flesh. ‘You know you want it, don’t you, you little… little whore.’ He paused and frowned, then glanced at his glass. ‘Bloody good stuff, that.’ He was still poised above me, but I felt his focus begin to shift. At least it was beginning, but too slowly to be of any use to me. I was going to have to help the process along.
I got my one chance when Dalziell knelt up to fumble at his fly. ‘Shall we start by seeing if you’re as good at sucking cock as your paddy friend, eh? See if you fucking choke on it like… like he did.’
I pulled against my wrist restraints and kicked upwards with both legs, catching him under the chin full force with my heels. Months of running over the roughest ground I had ever encountered paid off, and he gave a grunt of shock and tumbled backwards off the end of the bed, out cold.
I lay back on the pillow and shut my eyes. Now all I had to do was figure out how the hell to pick a lock on a set of handcuffs and find some clothes, and I was good to go.
Finn
God was still firmly on Blaine’s side, because nothing was going right. Coyle was not only still upright, but on patrol and deliberately idling outside Dalziell’s door. I should have guessed; he was meant to be checking that all was well with Blaine’s precious guests, but he was far more likely to be looking for an opportunity to catch a glimpse of some action.
There was no doubt that he’d been helping himself to the drink; Nat’s magic potion was kicking in, and by the look of vague panic on his ugly mug, it didn’t look like it was going to be the best of trips for the big fella. Still, even a half-stoned Coyle was not a good thing to meet down a darkened corridor and until the very second that bastard was flat on his back and snoring, he was a real threat. I turned to Gabriel. ‘Kiss me,’ I ordered.
‘What?’
‘Just fuckin’ kiss me, will you?’
‘Fuck off, no way! I’m not…’
I grabbed him by his collar. ‘Look, you stupid twat – that fella right there is capable of rippin’ the lot of us a new arsehole without breaking a sweat if he thinks there’s something the least bit dodgy going on. So, you’ve just paid thirty grand for a bit of cock, and that’s what he needs to see going on. Now!’
To give the lad his due, he cracked on with it. By the time Coyle clocked us, Gabriel was snogging me like his life depended on it – which wasn’t too far from the truth – as Nat stood and watched us with as much interest as he could possibly muster. ‘They fancied somewhere a bit more public,’ he explained to a clearly disgusted Coyle.
‘Fuckin’ pervs,’ he muttered, but didn’t stop in his shambling trajectory away from the door. He looked like he was about to topple at any second, but I waited until he was well out of sight before I shoved Gabriel away. He staggered backwards and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.
‘Dear God. Well, that was a first.’
He looked so shell-shocked that I nearly smiled at him. ‘Ach, not bad for a beginner.’ Then I pushed the fire in my knee to one side and ran the rest of the way to Dalziell’s room. With each step I prayed that he hadn’t hurt her, but I knew all too well what the man was capable of.
I was the first inside with Gabriel and Nat just a stride behind me, and my immediate thought was that I was too late because Lilith was already naked and handcuffed to the bed. Then I saw Dalziell, spark out on the floor.
‘Oh thank fuck.’ I lurched to Lilith’s side and grabbed the key on the bedside table. As soon as the cuffs clicked open she flung herself into my arms. ‘You stupid cow! He could have killed you! I’m not letting you out of my bloody sight again until we’re off this fucking island, you hear me?’ I pulled a sheet around her shoulders and held her close and I could feel her trembling against me. ‘What the hell were you thinking, Lili?’
‘They would have killed you, Finn. For definite,’ she said. ‘And I just need you to not say anything else and hold me very close right now, if that’s all right with you.’
Gabriel gave a polite cough. ‘Um, is it okay to turn around yet?’
Both he and Nat had been standing with their backs to Lilith since we came into the room, and there was something unexpectedly touching about their courtesy. ‘Yeah, she’s decent now. Thank you.’ I looked down at Dalziell, sprawled across the floorboards. ‘The stuff worked, then?’