The Cunning (18+)

56

Puss leaked from the corners of Harvey's mouth, the crusty wounds emanating a putrid smell. The debit card had torn the muscle, but it was his yell that did most of the damage, ripping the skin further up his cheek, stopping inches from his earlobe.

His phone vibrated with a message from Mitch to let him know they would pick him up in the next hour if he was able to talk. Harvey replied, telling them he would be ready. He winced, dabbing a wet cloth over the gruesome lesions, avoiding the mirror in an attempt to forget that Jase had permanently scarred him.

Mitch had taken Harvey's side, assuring he did well to tell them about the car bomb, and promising to make Jase pay. Harvey could only pray he would keep his word. Jase and his merry nutcases were not the kind of people he wanted to remain on the wrong side of.

Mitch was leaning on his car outside. He inhaled through his teeth at the sight of Harvey. Jase had hit him twice. The first had caused the most damage, and the second had broken his nose, leaving him with two glorious lavender eyes. Harvey was just grateful they weren't still swollen shut.

"Fuck me. You look like you're on your way to audition for the Joker in the next Batman," Mitch grinned.

Harvey wasn't ready to make jokes yet.

"Where are we going?" he mumbled, unable to move his mouth much.

Mitch flicked the butt of a hand-rolled cigarette onto the road, opening the driver's side door. "To see a friend. Come on, get in."

They drove in near silence, the radio on low playing an Elton John CD. About fifteen minutes later, they turned onto an estate Harvey didn't recognise. Mitch parked in the driveway of a semi-detached house. The curtains were closed and the garage door was covered in graffiti. Harvey knew a trap house when he saw one.

He was apprehensive to follow Mitch inside. He didn't feel it was particularly wise to blindly step into another house with another dangerous man when no one knew where he was. Not that there was anyone out there that would run to his aid anymore. Mitch turned to see Harvey still in the passenger seat.

"Are you coming or what?" he shouted.

The house opened into a dining room. There was a large rectangular table against the wall and a two-seater sofa beneath the window with closed curtains. From the front door, Harvey could see through into the kitchen and living room. Both rooms were empty. Three men sat around the table. Two of them were the ones that had caught Harvey following them.

"Fucking state of you," one of them said. Harvey didn't reply, lowering himself into the chair Mitch pulled out for him.

"Did Jase do that to you?" the third man asked.

"Him and his psycho girlfriend," Harvey muttered.

Mitch raised his brows, chucking a lighter into the middle of the table after lighting his cigarette. He sat at the head of the table. "Girlfriend?" He blew cigarette smoke directly at Harvey. "I've heard about him having a soft spot for one of the house girls but I didn't realise she was his girlfriend."

Harvey shook his head and then scrunched his nose up, flinching at the pull of his cheek muscles.

"Not really. She's just one of the girls that live there, but Jase has taken a shine to her."

"What makes her so different?" Mitch asked. Harvey looked at the table, specifically at the cigarettes. Mitch noticed and slid them over.

"I don't know. 'Cause she's a head-case with tits. This was her idea." He pointed to his lips. Mitch nodded slowly, inhaling from his cigarette, studying Harvey's developing scars. It was gruesome, the act and the aftermath of a Chelsea grin. It wasn't a sight for the faint-hearted.

Talking about Madison made Harvey nervous - as if she could hear him. Jase was terrifying in a confrontation but at least you knew when you were in trouble with him. Madison wasn't so easy to read, leading him into a false sense of security. He couldn't shake the look she'd given him. Those fake pitying eyes were there every time he closed his own. When he recalled how calm she'd been, like the whole thing was a game, he shuddered.

"She told him not to kill me and give me this as some sort of sick warning." He was shaking his head at the memory, still so clear he could feel the piss warming his groin. "Something's not right about her, she's fucking unhinged." He lit the cigarette. "At first, I thought she was helping me, turns out she's as fucked in the head as Jase is. And he seems to like it. It's like they live in this fucked up little space together."

Mitch cocked his head. Harvey wasn't the only one aware of the impact this girl had on Jase. He would put money on plenty of people in their inner circle being just as pissed about it.

"What's this girl's name?"