Alternate Universe of my own making. NC-17. Enjoy.
Chasing the Truth
Pushing away from the wall he was sprawled against, a lean scruffy-looking man bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. It was cold, he was bored and it had been a very long day. Running a hand through fairish hair, he finally stopped bouncing and resumed his former position against the cold brick wall. Shooting a glare at the broader man crouched behind a stack of crates nearby, he spoke.
�Your informant had better be right, or you won�t be getting any for a week. It�s fucking freezing out here.�
A stray bit of light from the streetlamp across the way briefly lit the tawny hair of the broad-shouldered man as he turned to smirk at his friend. �Don�t worry, we�ve got him. He won�t wriggle away from us this time. I�m quite looking forward to kicking his arse.�
�Shhh. There he is. I�ll be damned. We�ll finally be able to end this damn case.� Both men tensed at the movement across the street.
Raising a hand in a weary wave to the lone occupant of an old pub, a small figure stepped outside. He paused on the sidewalk and listened to the door click slowly shut behind him, pulling his frayed collar up to block out some of the biting wind with a sigh. It had obviously been a long, tiring day for him as well. The young man cupped his hands over his mouth and blew air through his fingers in an attempt to warm them. He seemed to freeze in that position for a moment before darting quickly across the street, hurrying after an older man with dark unkempt curls.
Watching all this from the shelter of the small shadowed gap between shops, the two strangers smiled as the young man and his quarry approached their hiding place. Two long years of searching were about to come to an end. The broader of the two flattened his body against the wall and waited for the curly-haired man to pass. Reaching out his hand, he snatched the man�s pursuer by the arm and pulled the young man into the gap.
Though much smaller than the other two, the young man put up quite a struggle, punching and kicking in a desperate attempt to get away. One more hard kick and a twist and the captive had very nearly freed himself. A powerful punch from one of his adversaries, with a lot of anger behind it, had him sagging against the wall. Only the firm grip from the second assailant kept him upright.
�Jesus, Viggo, why�d you hit him so hard? The poor wee bugger probably thought we were after his wallet.�
Viggo glared back at his partner as he shook his now sore hand. �You mean besides chasing his scrawny ass all over Great Britain? He kicked me in the balls, Sean. That might put a bit of a damper on the case-closing celebrations we had planned.�
Laughing softly, Bean gave the young man a shake to wake him up a bit but kept a good grip on him. �Wakey, wakey Billy Boyd. Finally caught your sorry arse, hey?�
Shaking his head to clear it, Billy stood a bit straighter. Finally getting a good look at the two men who�d grabbed him, he swore and gave his arm a twist in an attempt to get loose from Sean�s hold. The strong fingers simply tightened their vice-like grip making Billy grimace. Damn, he�d been so close. Two sodding years and it ended just when he finally had Andy bloody Serkis in sight.
Billy jerked his arm once more and shot both men a look of desperate pleading. �You�re letting Serkis get away. I was right fucking behind him. Just go catch the bastard and make him tell you the truth. I didn�t take that money!�
�That�s not what the court decided and that�s not what our evidence showed us.� Groin still aching, Viggo was not in the mood to debate the issue. �We�re taking you back to Glasgow.�
�No you�re bloody well not.� With a vicious kick to Sean�s kneecap, Billy bit down hard on his captor�s hand with his sharp teeth. A howl of pain, the hand released its hold, and Billy ran for the street.
Viggo lunged for Billy and managed to grab him by the wrist. Using Billy�s momentum against him, Viggo swung him against the brick wall. Smiling grimly at the satisfying thud of impact, he pressed his weight against the smaller man and wrenched one arm up painfully. �Try that again, and I�ll dislocate your shoulder. We�re taking you back to Glasgow whether you like it or not. What shape you�re in when you get there is up to you.�
Sagging against the wall in defeat, Billy rested his aching head against the cool brick and waited for the agonizing hold on his arm to be released. His old business partner must be paying those two quite a lot if they�d been looking for him for so long. He couldn�t even hope to offer the pair a bribe. He�d worked in that rundown pub for three months, simply because he�d had a tip that Serkis hung around that area. He barely had enough money to feed himself. And he refused to tap into his defense fund. Especially as he�d need that defense quite soon, it appeared.
Viggo felt the fight go out of his captive and sighed with relief. This would be a whole lot easier if Boyd would cooperate with them. �Glad to see you�ll be reasonable. It will go a lot easier for you this way.�
�Piss off, Mortensen.�
Okay, so not exactly cooperative. Just not combative. Smiling grimly, he reached into his back pocket for a pair of handcuffs. Clicking one end around the thin wrist in his grip, he let go of Billy�s arm and reached for the other hand. He was a bit surprised to feel no resistance as he secured the handcuff. Viggo started to push Billy towards Sean, but changed his mind. His partner was shaking his hand, glowering and swearing with pain. No, Sean was still very pissed off. Better to hold onto the lad himself.
Chuckling quietly, Viggo led Billy back out into the street with Sean limping behind. �Bet you don�t feel so bad about the black eye I gave Billy-boy now; do you Sean?�
�Fucking bastard.� Lengthening his stride, Sean drew even with the other two. He rubbed gently at his hand, scowling at the bleeding teeth marks. He reached over and slapped Billy on the back of the head. �You better not have any diseases you little fucker.�
Glaring up at Sean Bean, Billy resisted the urge to kick him again. �Let me go and I�ll tell you if I do.�
�Not a chance. I�ll just have the prison clinic check you out, won�t I?�
�You have to get me there, first.�
Smiling at the bickering, Viggo gave Billy a small jerk. He wondered what would be the bigger challenge. Getting Billy back to Glasgow, or keeping the two from killing each other?
It was a short walk, thankfully, to the car they�d hired when they traced Billy to London. Still muttering curses under his breath, Sean slid into the driver�s seat while Viggo settled their captive into the back. Reaching across Billy to fasten the seatbelt, Viggo narrowed his eyes. He could tell by the gleam in the crafty bugger�s eyes that he was planning something.
�I�ll sit in the back with Billy, Sean. Just to be safe.�
Viggo�s answer was another series of mumbles and an angry grinding of gears as soon as the back door was shut. Smiling, Viggo fastened his own seatbelt and cast a sidelong glance at Billy. �I do believe you�ve made Sean angry.�
�He deserved it. Do you know how long I�ve been looking for that bloody Serkis? I was near to catching him. He was right there. Right there.�
Watching the younger man close his eyes and lean to thump his head against the window, Viggo felt his first twinge of doubt. The utter despair that had crept into Billy�s voice in the last few words had seemed genuine. But was it because of not catching Serkis�or because he�d been caught himself?
They�d found evidence of wire transfers on Boyd�s home computer. It was clear-cut. Billy Boyd had embezzled nearly half a million pounds from the McKenzie-Boyd Printing Company. Viggo himself had been the one to find the transaction traces on the computer. They�d been well hidden, but not too terribly difficult to find. No, there was no reason for doubt. Boyd was guilty, then and now.
Of course, that still didn�t explain why Billy had doggedly pursued the company�s accountant across half of the UK. While effectively dodging the two private investigators hired to find him. That hadn�t exactly been great advertising for Viggo and Sean. Viggo couldn�t wait to wipe the sneer from the overbearing Alexander McKenzie�s face with the news that they�d finally caught his former partner.
Apparently the drive to their hotel had rid Sean of most of his aggression, because he brought the car to a smooth stop as they reached their destination. Viggo waited until Sean was out of the car before unbuckling himself and Billy. No reason to take chances.
He could�ve saved himself the trouble. Billy simply waited until Viggo was out of the car, then slid across the leather seat and climbed awkwardly to his feet. Pulling Billy along by the arm, Viggo was grateful their room was on the ground floor. It had been a long, tiring day. Besides, he was still a bit sore from Billy�s knee. Vicious little shit.
Sean headed for the front desk for the key while Viggo ushered their captive down the hall. They had every legal right to detain Boyd, but there was no sense in causing a scene. Luckily, no one passed by while they waited for the key.
Once inside, Viggo led Billy over to one of the double beds and pushed him to sit down. �Toss me your cuffs, Sean.�
Fishing around in his jacket pockets, Sean found them and tossed them across the room. Viggo released one of Billy�s wrists from his own pair, cuffed the two metal bracelets together then clicked the empty cuff around one of the rails in the bed�s headboard.
�That should hold you.�
�Didn�t realize you were into that kind of thing, Mortensen.� Billy gave a few half-hearted tugs on the handcuffs to test the strength of the rail.
�In your dreams, little man.�
�Bugger off.�
Chuckling softly, Viggo headed to the mini-refrigerator for a well-deserved beer, while Sean disappeared into the en suite bathroom. �Want a beer, Sean?�
�Two or three would be nice, Vig.�
Pulling two beers out of the refrigerator and shutting the door, he pressed one cool bottle against his temple. It had been such a long day. Setting one of the drinks onto the little bedside table, he sat down on the bed opposite Billy with a sigh of relief and opened his own bottle. He leaned against the headboard and stretched his long legs, smiling as Bean came back from the bathroom with a bandage wrapped around his hand.
�Feel better?�
Pausing long enough by the night table to hit the back of Billy�s head once more, Sean grabbed his beer. �I will be shortly.�
Billy rubbed the sore spot Sean had unerringly hit and made a rude gesture with his shackled hand. �Will you stop hitting me, arsehole? And where�s my beer, then?�
Snorting in disgust, Sean went to sit on the opposite side of the bed with Viggo. �You don�t get one, as much trouble as you�ve been.�
Kicking off his shoes, he wriggled his toes in relief. They�d been walking or standing all day and his feet were killing him. �Hey, Boyd. Rub my feet for me and I�ll give you that beer.�
�Not on your life. Or mine, either. Your toes can fall off for all I care.�
�Now was that really necessary? I simple �no� would�ve sufficed. Not very polite, is he Viggo?�
Draining his beer and getting up to throw away the empty bottle, Viggo shook his head. �You two settle it yourselves. I�m too tired.�
Billy shot them both a nasty look and tugged once more on the handcuffs, wondering how he was supposed to sleep that way. There was another little problem that was growing by the minute. �I have to piss.�
With a sigh, Viggo pulled the key out of his pocket and uncuffed Billy from the bed. Sean stood up and edged towards the door�just in case. Viggo led Billy to the bathroom and followed him inside.
Heading for the toilet, Billy frowned when Viggo stepped around him and stopped. �This room is barely big enough to hold me, the toilet and the shower. I�m a big boy, Mortensen. I can pee by myself.�
�You may be a big boy, but you�re small enough to fit through this window. If it�s all the same to you, I�d just as soon stay and make sure you don�t.�
It wasn�t all the same to him, but Billy doubted Viggo cared. He unzipped his trousers and froze for a moment. �I can�t do this with you watching.�
Trying to hide his smile, Viggo pretended to not understand. �What�s the matter?�
Billy�s response was ground out between gritted teeth. �I can�t piss with you watching me. Turn around.�
Sean, who�d gone to stand in the doorway, smirked at Viggo. �What�s taking so long?�
�Billy�s a shy pisser.� Turning around to face the window, Viggo smiled. �Turn around, Sean. He�s got an inadequacy problem.�
Clenching his hands for a moment, Billy fought the desire to jump one or both. He was boiling over with anger and frustration, and the two investigators weren�t making this any easier. Relaxing his hands with a bit of effort, Billy hurried to do his business and get it over with. Besides�he really had to go.
Zipping up and flushing the toilet, Billy turned around to the sink to wash up. He cupped his hands under the cold water to rinse off the soapsuds and suddenly grinned wickedly. Letting the frigid water fill up his cupped palms, Billy suddenly turned and flung the double handful of water at Viggo. Doubled over with laughter, enjoying his little moment of revenge, he didn�t give Sean any trouble as the older man grabbed him roughly by the arm.
�Did you see the look on his face, Bean? Priceless.�
It was funny. But Sean knew better than to laugh. After all, he did have to live with Viggo. �You�re a pain in the arse, you know that? Now sit down.�
Billy dropped down onto the bed, laughter tapering off as Sean reached over for the handcuff. �Can I at least take off my jacket, first? It�s going to be hard enough to sleep like that as it is.�
Sean let him take off his belt, shoes, jacket and empty his pockets before once again cuffing Billy to the bed. He couldn�t help the involuntary snort of laughter when Viggo came out of the bathroom, frowning and rubbing a towel vigorously through his hair.
�Are you sure he�s worth the trouble, Vig?� Sean smiled and took the towel from his partner. He rubbed it gently over Viggo�s longish fair hair. �It�d be easier to tell McKenzie we couldn�t find him and to get himself another detective agency.�
�Aye, that has my vote.�
�Shut it, Billy. Your vote doesn�t count.�
�Communist.�
�Thief.�
�I didn�t take that money!�
All humor left as Billy wriggled one-handed under the duvet and turned his back to the two detectives, his small frame stiff with anger, handcuff pulling his arm awkwardly above his head.
Sighing, Sean tossed the towel onto a chair and shrugged. �Sleep sounds like a wonderful idea.�
Viggo and Bean took turns in the bathroom, stripped to their boxers and crawled into the empty double bed. It was a tight fit for two tall men, but luckily they both loved to cuddle. Though they kept the cuddling to a minimum with Billy in the other bed. Not that the younger man was looking in their direction anyway. Wrapping an arm around Sean�s waist, Viggo sighed softly and drifted to sleep.
~ * ~
He wasn�t sure at first what had woken him. Rubbing groggily at his sleep-crusted eyes, Viggo lifted his head from Sean�s shoulder and waited. There, that was it. A rhythmic sort of clanking.
Swearing softly, panic suddenly making his heart kick-start, Viggo reached across Sean to click on the bedside lamp. He slumped in relief when he spotted the shadowed form in the other bed. Their little thief was still there.
Slipping from the bed, he waved reassuringly at Sean when the man suddenly bolted upright at the disturbance to his sleep. �It�s okay, Sean. Just checking on Boyd.�
Now that he was closer, Viggo realized the rhythmic clanking was from Billy tugging at the handcuffed arm in his sleep. The younger man�s face was drawn into a troubled frown and he was making soft sounds of distress, his ginger hair curling damply onto his forehead.
�Ah, shit.� Viggo gently turned the secured arm and saw that Billy had rubbed his wrist against the handcuff relentlessly during his sleep, causing it to bleed.
�Sean, hand me the key.�
�What�s wrong?� Sean got up to get the key from his jeans pocket and handed it to Viggo. He made a sympathetic noise in his throat at the sight of the thin, raw wrist. �I can�t believe he slept through that. What are we going to do? We can�t just leave him loose unless we take turns standing guard. I don�t know about you, but I�m too tired for guard duty.�
Sean was right about that. He, too, was exhausted and didn�t relish hours spent watching their captive sleep. �Well, Billy was right about one thing.�
�And that was?�
�We are �into that kind of thing�.�
Grinning wickedly, Sean went over to rummage through one of their bags. �I don�t know if we have one to fit him.�
Sean found one that might work and went to hand it to Viggo. �I think this might buckle small enough.�
Careful not to wake Billy, Viggo lifted the uninjured wrist and fastened the soft leather cuff around it using the last buckle hole. �Barely, but it fits.�
Viggo then hooked the metal cuff around the leather, protecting Billy�s wrist from the unconscious tugging. It seemed to work. Though the young man still occasionally pulled against the restraint, the frown eased from his face. His high sounds of distress tapered off into soft whistling as he breathed, the sweet bow-shaped lips relaxing.
Sean watched Billy sleep for a moment, wondering that such an angelic-looking lad could turn out to be a sneaky embezzler. �It�s a shame.�
Shooting his partner a puzzled look, Viggo crawled back into their own bed. �What is?�
�That such a beautiful young man could be so rotten inside. Robbing little old gaffers and gammers of their pensions.�
Viggo pretended to be hurt as Sean joined him in the bed. �So he�s beautiful, huh?�
Snuggling against Viggo, Sean smiled. �C�mon, Vig. Have you seen his arse? And that mouth. Good lord, what adorable lips.�
�I should be offended, but you�re right. He is beautiful. Even when he�s pissing me off, I can�t help but want to kiss him. Did you see the way his nose crinkled up when he laughed?�
�Mmm. And that leather looks lovely around his wrist, doesn�t it? I�d love to cuff him to the bed in a good way.�
�Dirty old man.� Viggo laughed when Sean pinched him playfully on the ass. �His eyes are near a match for yours�just a little more gold in the green.�
�Yes, well, we�re both dirty old men. He can�t be more than thirty.�
�Thirty one, actually.�
Sean lifted his head and gave his partner a look of amusement. Viggo shrugged. �I read the dossier McKenzie gave us. The kid finished school at seventeen, worked two or three jobs, saved his money, invested and bought into the partnership by the age of twenty-eight. A year later, he was on the run from us.�
�Doesn�t make sense, does it?�
�No, it doesn�t.�
And that was beginning to really bother Viggo. He wanted so hard to believe the evidence. To believe Boyd was guilty. But a small niggling doubt was starting to form, and Viggo buried it ruthlessly. If Billy Boyd had been telling the truth all along�they�d been hunting an innocent man.
~ * ~
Billy had awoken to odd noises before, but this was definitely out of the ordinary. The metal clanking that had drawn him from a fitful rest was, in fact, his own doing. Peering at the soft leather cuff with a puzzled frown, Billy gave his arm a slight tug.
�They are a pair of kinky buggers.�
Speaking of buggery. That other odd noise was now a familiar one. Moans, muffled words and the occasional yelp could be heard over the running water in the bathroom.
The combination of the need for his morning piss and the sounds of passion coming from the shower would certainly explain Billy�s raging hard-on. He thought briefly of relieving said problem, but the sound of the water shutting off had him snatching his hand out of his trousers. He hadn�t even realized his hand had wandered down there. Billy used the errant hand to rub sleepily at his face.
�Fucking hell.�
That�s all he needed to be doing�fantasizing about the two men intent on taking his arse to jail. Although he wouldn�t mind them taking his arse. Just not to jail. Shut up, Boyd. Think with your head, not your dick. First get away from this place, find Serkis and get him to confess, then you can think about those two incredibly sexy men handcuffing you to the bed and fucking you cross-eyed. Even if you could talk them into doing it in the first place.
Billy sighed and thumped his head against the iron headboard. That kind of thinking was clearly not helping his current situation.
His captors, laughing softly, stumbled into the bedroom followed by a cloud of steam. All three froze. Viggo and Sean were both dressed only in their shorts, chests still damp and flushed from the hot water. And hot sex. They were both obviously a bit surprised to see Billy awake.
Pulling his knees up and pushing himself into a sitting position, Billy automatically reverted to anger and sarcasm to hide his discomfort.
�Have fun, did you?� Giving the cuff a tug, making the metal rattle against the iron, Billy raised an eyebrow. �Thought you�d take advantage of me in my sleep? I hope you packed your Viagra. Not sure a couple of guys your age could get it up again so soon.�
Viggo could practically feel the heat of Sean�s anger and put a hand on his partner�s arm to keep him from doing anything violent. McKenzie�s file on Boyd had been thorough. As such, Viggo knew without a doubt that the young man was not a homophobe. Besides, he could see the defiance and sarcasm for what it was�a cover for Billy�s fear and uncertainty.
�Leave it, Sean.�
�Did you hear what the little wanker said?�
�Just leave it. He didn�t mean anything by it, Sean. Trust me.�
Ignoring Sean�s muttering, �arsehole� and �little shit� making frequent appearances, Viggo went over to his suitcase. He pulled on a pair of clean trousers then grabbed two shirts. He slipped one on as he crossed over to stand next to Billy, who scooted further away from him with a look of suspicion. Viggo dropped the other shirt onto the bed and reached for Billy�s free hand.
�This is why we put the leather cuff on you, Billy.� Turning the small hand, Viggo could clearly see the scabbed over scratches and gouges in the pale skin of Billy�s wrist. �We didn�t want you to hurt yourself any more than you already had.�
Noticing the wounds for the first time, Billy felt like a complete idiot for being so nasty. He cleared his throat and looked uncertainly up at Viggo. �Thanks. Sorry for�well, you know. Just sorry.�
�You�re forgiven.� Unlocking the handcuffs, Viggo smiled and handed Billy the extra shirt. �Here�s a clean shirt. Not much we can do about the pants, unfortunately. Ours wouldn�t even begin to fit you.�
�That�s alright,� Billy murmured, fingering the hem of the shirt Viggo had given him. Looking up to see the kindness and sympathy in the older man�s eyes made Billy nearly desperate to prove his innocence to the two investigators.
�I didn�t take that money, Viggo. I know what it looks like, but I didn�t.� Seeing the disbelief flicker in Mortensen�s eyes, Billy sighed and clenched his fist in the borrowed shirt. Jaw tight with anger and frustration, Billy glared up at Viggo and growled, �Can I at least take a shower?�
Averting his eyes as Mortensen unlocked the handcuff, Billy slid from the bed and pushed his way past Sean Bean as the other man pulled on a clean jumper. Shoulders twitchy with unreleased fury, Billy flung the new shirt onto the counter. The creak of the door had him spinning around.
�Get the hell out, Bean.�
Shutting the door and leaning against it, Sean smirked. �You think I�m going to leave you alone in here so you can crawl out through the window?�
Billy glared at him. �You gonna to watch me bathe then, you pervy wanker?�
�No, just make sure you don�t try anything.�
They both waited for the other to make a move. Sean watched the smaller man stand by the shower, trembling from barely contained anger. He almost felt sorry for the bloke. Almost. Sean managed to hold back a satisfied smile as Billy finally gave in and stepped into the shower with one last glare at him.
�Are you gonna bathe in your clothes, then?�
The shower curtain was jerked closed, followed by the squeaking of bare feet on the shower floor. A few moments later one pale arm reached around the curtain to drop Billy�s clothes onto the floor. Sean laughed quietly as the water was turned on and Billy yelped from the cold.
They�d definitely used all the hot water with their love making that morning. A fact supported by Billy�s vehement shout of, �Buggering hell!�
Ignoring the younger man�s muttered curses and trying not to think of all that beautiful naked skin just on the other side of the shower curtain, Sean busied himself with picking up Billy�s discarded clothing. Holding up the pale blue boxers, Sean shook his head. He couldn�t believe how small they were. He folded them up and set them on the countertop by the sink. The worn trousers were laid on top. As he folded up the discarded shirt, Sean fingered the frayed sleeves and the small hole in one elbow. For a guy who�d stolen nearly 500,000 pounds, he sure had ratty clothes.
He was still pondering over the worn green shirt when he heard the water shut off. Looking up, he saw Billy poke his head around the shower curtain. Billy�s lips quivered with cold as he asked for a towel. Dropping the shirt by the sink, Sean grabbed a towel off the rod and leaned over to hand it to Billy. The younger man took the towel with a mumbled �thanks� and disappeared back behind the curtain.
A moment later Sean hid a smile as Billy stepped out from the shower, hair sticking up damply every which way from a brisk toweling. A small pink tongue darted out to wipe away a drop of water from the cupid-bow lips, mesmerizing Sean. Billy held onto the towel tied loosely around his narrow hips with one hand and scratched idly at his morning stubble with the other. Wary green eyes met Sean�s own in the mirror.
�Mind if I borrow a razor?�
Giving himself a mental shake, Sean rested a hip against the counter, unzipped his shaving kit and slid it over to Billy. �Help yourself. Don�t slit your throat with it. We�ll get a pretty penny for delivering you to Glasgow, but only if you�re still alive.�
He wanted to slap himself as soon as the words left his mouth. Billy�s gaze narrowed in anger and Sean saw his posture stiffen. Hoping to defuse the situation before the Scot could get truly furious, Sean held out a placating hand. �I didn�t mean that, Billy. This isn�t exactly fun for any of us and it would go a lot easier on all three of us if we could just try to cooperate.�
Shoulders slumping, Billy avoided catching Sean�s gaze in the mirror but nodded jerkily. Letting go of the towel, Billy reached for his boxers and slid them on. Pulling the towel off, he dropped it to the floor and reached for the shaving kit.
Stepping back to lean against the wall and give Billy some much-needed space, Sean watched him shave. The way the young man�s hand trembled he was surprised Billy didn�t cut himself. Muscles shifted and bunched along Billy�s back and shoulders as he dragged the razor along his cheek. Sean felt a twinge of guilt at the bruises that dotted that pale expanse of skin, knowing he and Viggo had put them there.
His gaze slid down Billy�s back, past narrow hips to his delicious backside. Sean�s fingers itched to reach out and touch him. He frowned a bit at how thin Billy had become. He didn�t remember the lad being quite that skinny two years ago. For the first time, it occurred to Sean to wonder just what Boyd had been doing since he�d fled Glasgow.
Sean could hear the bewilderment in his own voice when he asked, �Why didn�t you run off to Australia or somewhere? Surely you knew you�d get caught if you stuck around here.�
Wiping his face of the excess shaving cream, Billy frowned at Sean�s gaze in the mirror. �I didn�t run, because I didn�t steal the money you fuckwit. I don�t have the money for next month�s rent, much less a ticket out of here.�
Ignoring Sean�s glare at the name-calling, Billy pulled on his worn jeans and buttoned the fly. Pulling up the zip, he reached for the shirt Viggo had loaned him. Slipping the shirt over his head and pulling it down, he looked in the mirror. Flapping his arms a bit, Billy sighed. The sleeves covered his hands and the shirt was a good two sizes too big.
Lips twitching, Sean stepped closer and reached for Billy�s right hand. He rolled the too-long sleeve up a few times so that it stopped at the lad�s wrist. Repeating the procedure with Billy�s left hand, Sean ignored the puzzled look on the younger man�s face. Sean let the hand go and stepped back to lean against the wall.
�You�ll find a comb in that kit, as well. Tame your hair so we can get going.�
A bit confused at Sean�s seeming change of heart, Billy dug through the kit to find a small black comb. He made a half-hearted attempt to put his hair in order then returned the comb to the bag. Having no toothbrush, he used the small hotel bottle of mouthwash. It killed the germs, if not the taste of fear and despair. Finished with his grooming, Billy took a hesitant step back and waited for Sean to give him some idea of what was expected of him.
Sean zipped up the kit and gathered up the discarded clothing all three had dropped on the floor or countertop. He nodded toward the door and said, �Your socks and shoes are at the foot of the bed. Hurry up with them so we can get checked out. We have to return the car and hop the train to Glasgow.�
Billy wandered into the other room, sat down on the end of the bed and reached for his socks, tucked neatly into his worn trainers. His mind raced with ideas. Sean and Viggo may have plans of going to Glasgow, but Billy certainly didn't. He'd given up a lot of things in his pursuit of Andy Serkis. Some things that he could never get back. He'd endured two years of fear, privation, loneliness and despair. He'd be damned if it was going to end with him going to prison for a crime he didn't commit.
Part 2
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