Letting the door thud closed behind her, Genevieve walked into Michael's house and strode into the living room where Merri sat on the couch.
Merri glanced up eagerly. "Did you get it?"
Gen turned and lifted the back of her shirt. "Yep. Did it yesterday and just took the bandage off an hour ago." She glanced over her shoulder, as if she could somehow see the tattoo on her lower back from that angle. "Whaddya think?"
"It looks perfect--just like the drawing you gave them."
Gen thought of the blue and green sunburst she had taken to the parlor and smiled. It didn't seem right to pick a random drawing--her tattoo should have meaning to her--so she spent weeks drawing different designs until she settled on one she liked. Meredith had been a big part of the process, instantly supportive of some funky body art.
"And now I have to moisturize it--don't mind me." Gen pulled a small tube of lotion from her pocket, put a dab on her finger, and ran it over the tender spot on her back.
"A tattoo?" Sage said with a touch of distaste. She left Michael by the punching bag, picked up a bottle of water, and sat on the couch with Merri.
"Yes. I saved up birthday money for it, so happy belated birthday to me."
"Your parents let you?"
Gen shrugged. "Trial separation has been like a month and a half now, and they're still not getting along. Dad
is quite committed, however, to pissing Mom off as much as possible, so he approved it. Isn't it cool?"
"You got a tramp stamp?" Michael said.
Gaze shooting his way, her jaw dropped. "What?"
He nodded at her back, eyes scanning the tattoo. "Tramp stamp. That's what a tattoo there is referred to when it's on a girl."
"I'm not a tramp!"
Michael shrugged. "Well, now you look like one. You just need a thong sticking out of your jeans, and you'll be set."
"I'll get right on that, thanks." She dropped her shirt and sank down on the couch next to Sage.
"I like it," Finn said from his perch on the chair opposite them.
"You would," Michael said with a roll of his eyes.
Michael went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water and Merri followed. Sage continued to discuss with Gen the pros and cons of body modification--which Sage fully put her vote in the "con" section.
"You can't get over the fact that one day your body will stretch and change and that'll look faded and hideous? And what if you decide you don't want it anymore?"
"It's a statement of who I am right now. Stop being a downer."
"What, and you're going to get another to show who you are next week? And the week after?"
Gen rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Next week I'm getting a nose ring."
"Oh, god." Sage shuddered.
"Relax, I'm kidding. I think I'd like an eyebrow ring. Maybe a bellybutton piercing. No nose, though."
While they talked, Gen glanced toward the kitchen. Merri and Michael argued in low voices that Gen couldn't make out. Whatever their exchange was about, it definitely seemed heated, and ended with Merri storming outside for a cigarette. Michael gestured for Sage to meet him once more at the punching bag, and the two of them went to work.
"Ya curious what that was about?"
Gen jumped a little at the sound of a voice over her shoulder. She glanced up to see Finn leaning over the couch behind her.
"Mer and Michael?"
He nodded.
"Haven't a clue. Do you?"
"Girl's been having visions about some local killings. She thinks they're connected."
"Michael doesn't?"
Finn shrugged. "Doesn't care."
"She hasn't said anything to me about it."
"She is talking about a murderer, love. Probably doesn't want you to be involved."
Genevieve thought on it for a moment. There was that argument Mer and Michael had a couple months earlier when the group of them went out for dinner.
Merri said she'd been having trouble with visions and that she needed to talk to Michael about it... "What murders?"
"Young lads, I think. Mentioned a club...don't recall the name."
"
On the Map?"
"That would be it."
Warren... So Merri knew something about who killed Warren Humber? And had there really been other killings since then?
Maybe I should start reading the newspaper.
"How do you know all this stuff?" Gen asked.
Finn gave her a small smile. "Have a listen when people don't think you hear them, and you'd be surprised what you learn." He walked around to the couch and sat next to her. "Pity Michael won't look into this."
"It would definitely be better than sitting around here doing nothing," Gen agreed.
"Especially when one of us has certain skills that would be of use in solving the case."
Her worried gaze going his way, Gen studied his expression. He knew about her and what she could do? Michael said he didn't, but--
"Lads died a violent death, there's a chance they're still around," Finn continued and realization dawned on her.
"Ah. 'Cause you're a medium, you could..."
"Right."
Genevieve and Finn looked to where Michael sparred with Sage.
"Yeah, it's too bad he nixed the idea of looking into this," Gen said casually.
"It might have been a good time," Finn said.
"Especially on a Saturday night when there isn't much to do in town."
"And by the time Michael wants to look into it, spirits could have moved on."
"Oooh, time sensitive--didn't think of that. So...in the interest of justice being done, want to go talk to a ghost tonight?"
Finn smiled. "Name the time."
Around ten o'clock, a cab pulled up in front of Gen's place. When she went to the door to leave, her father asked where she was going, but she didn't bother answering him. Life at home had become tense without her mom around and Genevieve was still resentful about it.
Mom'll probably be pissed when she hears about it tomorrow, she thought as she approached the cab. Still, it made life interesting.
Gen had called Merri earlier in the evening, but she didn't answer her phone. Sage had mentioned wanting to spend having dinner with her family. Michael, for obvious reasons, wouldn't be helping them, so Gen found Finn alone in the cab.
"Did you get the addresses of where the murders occurred?" Gen asked. The taxi driver gazed at her curiously in the rearview mirror, but she ignored him.
"One on the beach, one behind a motel, and one at that club. Which boy did you know?"
"The one at
On the Map."
"I guess we'll be heading there then."
Finn paid the driver once they reached the club parking lot, and he and Gen got out.
"Everything I read said that the lad's body was found around the back." Finn slung his arm over her shoulder casually, which he seemed fond of doing now and then at the house, as they moved toward the back of the busy club. Gen shrugged it off and continued walking.
A handful of police officers stood out in the parking lot--ones that definitely weren't there the last time Gen had been to the club some months ago. She and Finn made a point of avoiding the police by ducking behind cars and hugging the fence that ran from the side of the building to the back.
Though lights shone from bulbs along the rear of the building, it grew darker and darker the farther they walked. Pavement extended for several metres to where a chain-link fence separated it from a field.
"Shoulda brought a flashlight." Finn gazed up at the cloudy sky where no moon or stars lit their way.
I know I'm not supposed to do any magic around him, but... He was right--Gen could hardly see anything herself. She closed her eyes, muttered a few words, and conjured up a dim glow that floated near them. When she opened her eyes again, she found Finn staring at her, blond eyebrows raised in question.
"It's really easy--just like putting out a candle."
Finn nodded, as if he believed her explanation.
They paused about halfway between the back of the club and the fence. "So what do we do now?"
"What you did before. Relax and call your friend."
Friend? Christ, she'd barely spoken to Warren a handful of times since ninth grade.
And I doubt he'd want to talk to me now...
She had just opened her mouth to call his name when Finn put up his hand to stop her.
"I see someone," he said. "Lad about your age. Dark hair."
"I guess that's him."
Unless someone else died recently. Gen felt a slight chill as Finn stared at something she couldn't see.
"He's coming toward us...he said he recognizes you from school."
"Uh, hey there, Warren," Gen said weakly. A cold air brushed her skin.
"He's saying something...something about coming out here to meet...her."
"Her? Her who?"
"She said she'd be here...said she was meeting him... The new girl."
The new girl? Who, Peyton?
Finn shook his head and frowned. "He's moving away from us now." He started toward the field and the fence, and Gen followed.
"So he knows who killed him?"
"Not sure. He just keeps talking about the new girl."
Maybe it's Peyton's mother--she's definitely new in town. And evil.
Finn halted his step abruptly and Gen nearly ran into him.
"What is it?" she asked. His gaze seemed fixed on something in the distance, and though she tried to make out what he saw, there seemed to be nothing but darkness.
"Do you hear it?"
Gen listened. Noises came from within the club, there were cars crunching gravel in the parking lot, and wind blew across the field. Beyond that, she heard nothing in particular that she could make out.
"It's music..."
She gazed back at the building. "Uh, yeah, that's what you usually hear at dance clubs." Though hoping for a grin in response, Finn's expression didn't change. "Finn?"
He moved forward, as if in a daze. Cold air rushed over Gen and fear made her skin prickle. Something warned her away, paused her step, made her question what they were doing. Whatever drew Finn forward pushed Genevieve back.
"We have to get out of here... Finn!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt. "Finn!"
As his eyes met hers, the haze in their depths seemed to dissipate. He blinked a few times. "What happened?"
"Kinda hoping you could explain that one. Was it Warren? Did he say something or--"
Finn shook his head. "No...no, there was something else..."
"Another ghost? What's going on?"
"Don't rightly know. Didn't feel like I could control myself..." His voice trailed off as his gaze settled on something several feet ahead. "What is that?"
Gen took a few steps forward and peered into the darkness. They stood near the fence now, so the light around them couldn't extend much farther into the field. Her eyes adjusted to the dimness and a shape took form several feet away in the barren field. The shape was long, narrow, and looked like...
Feet...legs...
A gasp escaped her lips. "Oh my god...is that a...a body?"
Fingers wrapped around her upper arm. "We have to get out of here," Finn said.
Gen nodded weakly and backed up in a hurry, though she couldn't tear her eyes from the corpse. Police had been patrolling the area--the body couldn't have been there for long.
So whoever killed him might still be around... Finn tugged harder on her arm, and at last she turned and fled the scene.
They slipped back around the building and through the parking lot, avoiding O.P.P. officers as they went.
"I can't believe this," Gen whispered. "There really is a serial killer...we have to tell Michael--we have to tell the police."
"Police are going to want to know what we were doing there," Finn pointed out. "I'd guess they'll find the body eventually."
"But if the killer is still around, 'eventually' isn't good enough! What if they have a chance to catch him?" She pulled out her cell phone and prepared to dial. "We can call anonymously--"
"They'll track down your phone, Gen."
She paused. He was right about that. "So what do we do, then?"
Finn glanced at the club. "I'll go in and call from a payphone. Just relax, love--it'll be fine."
She watched him jog through the front doors to
On the Map. He was right--she couldn't get involved with the police. There seemed too great a risk they might want to connect her with these murders after she was involved with Hayden's death too. And, as she was sure Michael would point out, they shouldn't draw any more attention to themselves than was necessary.
She was about to put the cell phone away when she thought the better of it. Whatever was going on, it definitely felt supernatural in origin. She couldn't explain why or how she knew it...she just had to trust her instincts.
And Michael will have to trust them too, she thought as she dialled his cell phone number. No one answered, and just as she finished leaving him a message on voice mail, Finn returned.
"Made the call," he said. "Got us a cab, too."
"So you don't want to wait around and see what's going on?"
Finn shook his head. "We should get out of here."
*~*~*
Across the bedroom, Michael's cell phone rang from within his pants pocket.
Should have put the damn thing on vibrate, he thought, making no move to rise and answer it. His voicemail picked up and the phone went silent.
Krysta came in then with a glass of wine and lounged on the bed, silky hair falling over her bare, creamy brown skin. "I was thinking we could go out for dinner tomorrow night."
He glanced at her as if she was on crack. "Excuse me?"
She took a sip of her wine and gazed at him over the rim. "Dinner."
"Right," he said with a derisive snort.
"Might be fun," she said, giving his thigh a playful slap.
"I'm not going out for dinner with you."
She continued on, as if he'd said nothing to contradict her plans, and began suggesting restaurants she liked and ones she'd like to try. He recognized half the names she mentioned, and they were all expensive as hell.
Once she added talk of going out to a theatre to the discussion, he decided to find out what that phone call was about and rose from bed.
And the interruption is even worse, he thought as he recognized the number. Why the hell would Genevieve call him on a Saturday night?
After glancing at Krysta and hearing her continue to talk about going on a fucking date, he decided to listen to the message after all.
"Michael," Gen said, her voice filled with worry. "I...okay, so we did something kind of stupid. Me and Finn went to
On the Map to talk to Warren's ghost--and don't yell at us, 'cause we wouldn't have gone alone if you had been willing to look into this--and we found a body. There are police here and everything and...and I really think this isn't a normal killing. Finn got all weirded out and..." She sighed heavily. "I don't know if we're staying here or leaving, but can you try to meet us if you get this soon? Something strange is going on... Bye."
Jesus Christ, he couldn't trust any of them alone for one night.
He slid his clothes back on, stuffed his phone in his pocket, and went for the door.
"Where are you going?" Krysta called after him.
He was already down the hall and near the front door before he responded. "Out."
"But we were--"
Michael didn't hear anything after that as he closed the front door behind him.
As he hopped in the front seat of his car, he dialled Merri's number. Several rings in and she picked up.
"Hello?"
"You busy?"
"Just getting ready for bed--why?"
"What the hell did you tell Gen and Finn about your serial killer theories?"
"Nothing," she replied, an edge to her voice.
"I'm not fucking around here. What did you tell them?"
"I told you: nothing. Haven't said a word about it. Why?"
"Apparently they decided to investigate and they're in trouble."
"Shit."
"My sentiments exactly. I'm right near your place--get dressed and I'll pick you up."
"I..." She paused. "I can't right now."
"You have five minutes."
"Michael, I can't--that's not enough time."
"Look, I know you don't live where you said you live. And I don't give a fuck who you are or what you're hiding from--just tell me your damn address."
Silence followed and Michael's annoyance grew--he really didn't have patience for her shit that night.
"Don't tell the others," she said.
"I won't."
At last she gave him the address, which he recognized as one of the rougher areas of town.
"Be outside in ten minutes," he said. "And call Sage. Have her head to the house in case Finn and Gen go back there while we're at the club."
*~*~*
The cab pulled up at Michael's, and both Finn and Gen got out. Genevieve gazed up at the dark house as the taxi drove away.
"Looks like he isn't home," she said, wrapping her arms around her stomach and shivering. "Is he usually out on Saturday nights?"
"Often is," Finn said vaguely over his shoulder as he went to the front door and unlocked it. "I'm sure he'll be about in a wee bit." He held the door open and gazed back at her. "Coming in?"
In truth, she wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in her bed. But her legs were restless and she felt like she'd downed five cups of coffee and a can of Redbull--there was no way she could sleep just yet.
Might as well wait around and see what Michael has to say about this, she thought as she went on inside.
Genevieve took a seat on the couch while Finn went to the kitchen.
"Want a drink?" he called.
Still shivering though it was warm inside, Gen nodded. "Yeah. Michael has this chai tea thing I like, if you can find it." She tapped her feet nervously while she waited. "So you don't remember what happened? It was like you zoned out or something."
"Strange thing--I don't rightly know. I was speaking to the spirit and then you had my arm and were yelling at me."
"Did Warren say anything else about his killer?"
Finn shook his head as he walked over with their drinks. "Not a thing." He handed her a mug of tea and sipped a beer himself. "Sorry I couldn't be more helpful."
"It's cool. Michael's gotta listen to us now, though. So when will he be home?"
"Not sure."
He'd better get here soon, she thought, glancing at her watch. Pissing off her dad was fun and all, but strolling into the house at one a.m. would get back to her mom, and Gen didn't want to deal with her.
I'll finish my tea and get out of here.
She pressed the rim to her lips and took a sip. Gen tried not to make a face as a slight salty taste met her tongue. Finn was nice enough to make her tea and she didn't want to complain, but...god, it was terrible. She closed her eyes and gulped it down, attempting to keep the warm liquid from hitting her taste buds.
"I should probably get going," she began, preparing to rise.
"I'm sure Michael will be home at some point." Finn took her arm and drew her back down. "I could give him a call?"
"It's okay, I..."
I already did...didn't I? She couldn't for the life of her remember if she'd called Michael or not. She hadn't actually spoken to him--she would have remembered being yelled at. Had she left a message or something?
Why is my memory so hazy... "I can talk to him tomorrow, though."
Her legs wobbled as she tried to stand again. Slumping back onto the couch, she giggled suddenly as the whole situation seemed incredibly funny. Her head leaned against the back of the sofa, twin blonde braids hanging over her shoulders, and stared up at the ceiling. It seemed to move farther and farther away from her...or was she sinking into the ground and moving away from it? Genevieve laughed at the thought.
Something's wrong... Part of her knew something wasn't right--
she wasn't right. Why couldn't she stop laughing? Why was the room spinning?
A shadow moved over her. Gen tried to sit up, but found herself falling back again. A voice spoke words in a soft voice, though she couldn't make them out... Someone was telling her to relax?
"I...I have to go home." She tried to sit up again, but hands drew her back down, firmer this time. Fingers trailed over her bare arms, her sides...
Panic gripped her. Someone was on top of her, holding her down, pinning her arms to the couch. Her body felt weak and refused to follow her commands. More soothing words followed that weren't so soothing.
I have to get up--to get out of here... She gathered the last bit of strength she possessed and focused her mind, pulling forth familiar words and phrases, then pushing them past her lips.
The body atop of hers froze as she finished the spell.
Gen pushed him away and scrambled to her feet. She tried to direct her attention on the door. It seemed so far away...
Her legs gave out from beneath her and she slipped onto the hardwood.
As she fell on her side, her head spun. Her concentration broken, the spell wore off her assailant and he was on her once more.
*~*~*
"I hope to God they weren't any of the people the police took for questioning," Merri said as Michael drove them home from
On the Map. Cops had been milling around the place when they got there, and the buzz at the club when Michael went in said another body had been found. "Gen would crack for sure."
"And Finn would probably be deported." Michael turned the car onto the road that led to his house. "You're sure you didn't tell them that--"
"For the last time, no. Don't you think that if I'd told Gen about my suspicions, I would have insisted on going with her if she decided to check it out?"
Michael had to admit that she had a point there. If Merri had been involved, she would have at least made Sage go along with them.
He hoped to hell that Gen and Finn weren't picked up by the cops. The thought of how much money he'd have to use to bribe even small town O.P.P. officers made his head hurt.
As he swung the car into the driveway, dread touched his stomach. The front door lay wide open and lights were on in the lower floor.
"Something's wrong," Merri said, echoing his thoughts. She hopped out ahead of him and rushed for the door just as he cut the engine.
Michael popped open the glove box and took out the gun from within. As he approached the house, he heard shouts. His pace quickened and his grip tightened on the gun.
Sage had Finn pinned to the wall by the throat. His eyes were huge, his were hands up defensively, and he sputtered some kind of response to the threats she yelled his way. On the floor, by the couch, Merri knelt at Gen's side. His throat constricted; Gen's shirt was torn, tears streaked down her bright red cheeks, and her eyes had trouble focusing.
Merri helped Gen up onto the couch while Michael moved toward Sage and Finn.
"I got here a few minutes ago," Sage said, her voice tight with rage. She glanced at Michael from the corner of her eye. "He was on top of her. If I hadn't come in..."
"We had a rough night," Finn said. "It was just--"
Sage smacked him hard across the face.
Michael's gaze went to Gen again, then to Finn. His friend wouldn't meet his eyes.
"Check his pockets," Michael said.
Though she gave him a confused look, Sage didn't argue. She tightened her grip on his throat and thrust him harder against the wall, and then fished through his pants pockets with her other hand. Moments later, she produced a tiny bottle of white powder.
"What the...?"
Michael snatched the bottle from her and studied the contents. His gaze locked with Finn's. "G.H.B.?"
Finn shifted and looked away.
"Make a side trip into the club while you were there?"
"He drugged her?" Merri shouted from the couch.
"You son of a bitch!" Sage punched him again.
"Let him go," Michael said.
Both coherent girls looked his way sharply.
"What?" Sage asked in a low voice.
"Let him go."
Her eyes darkened. Reluctantly, she released her grip on him.
Just as Finn opened his mouth to speak, Michael gestured to the spare room. "Pack."
"But--"
"Pack.
Now."
Finn retreated to his guest room without another word.
"We should call the police," Sage said immediately.
"We should cut off his balls," Merri added.
"You need to get her home," Michael said. "Someone should probably stay with her overnight as well."
"I can call my mom," Sage offered. "Tell her that--"
"I'll stay with her," Merri cut in. "No explanations needed around my house."
Michael pulled a twenty out of his pocket and tossed it on the coffee table. "That'll cover a cab."
"A cab?!" Merri stood suddenly, glaring up at him. "You're not even driving her home?"
"No, I'm driving Finn to the airport."
"Make
him take the goddamn cab!"
Michael pulled out his cell phone and walked toward the kitchen. "Don't argue with me right now." Leaning against the counter, he dialled information and had his call directed to the airport. The earliest flight back to London left mid-morning, so he booked a room at a small motel as well.
Just as he left the kitchen, Finn exited the guest room, suitcases in hand. He didn't say a word when Michael told him to wait in the car, but instead did as he was told.
Michael waited until he heard the front door click shut behind Finn before he spoke to the girls at last.
"Sage, there's a small, hardcover book on the nightstand in my room. Go get it." Once she left to follow his instructions, he turned to Merri. "I want you to go outside and find a small rock."
"A what?"
"A rock."
"He just tried to rape Gen and you want me to bring you a goddamn rock? Are we going to beat Finn's head with it?"
"If we were, I'd suggest finding a large one rather than a small one."
"But--"
"Just do it."
She grumbled a few expletives under her breath as she stomped toward the front door.
Sage returned a few minutes later with the book. She handed it to Michael, and then perched herself on the arm of the couch where she watched Gen with worry. The witch herself stared straight ahead, eyes red-rimmed and shoulders quivering.
Michael thumbed through the book, scanning the pages until he came to the one he wanted. The front door slammed closed and he glanced up just in time to see a rock sailing towards his head. He caught it and looked it over.
This will do.
He knelt in front of Genevieve and held open the book. "Can you read this?"
She blinked a few times as her eyes met his. "What?"
"Can you read the damn book or not?"
"Stop yelling at me!" She broke into tears again.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Merri jumped in, taking a seat at Gen's side and putting a protective arm over her shoulders.
Michael took a deep breath and tried not to snap back. He thrust the book toward Geneveive. "Can you read the book or not?"
Gen's eyes settled on the text and she nodded weakly.
Michael dropped the rock in her hand and folded her fingers around it. "Read the words on this page and try not to screw it up." Merri and Sage each gave him a sharp look, but he ignored them.
Gen spoke the words of the spell, stumbling and mispronouncing a hell of a lot of them, but at last she made it to the end. He took the rock from her and deposited it in his pocket.
This had better fucking work.
Outside, he found Finn sitting in the front seat of his car, the hood of the convertible down. His friend didn't say anything as Michael sat in the driver's seat. Just as he slid the key in the ignition, a body climbed into the backseat.
Michael's eyes went to the rearview mirror and locked with Merri's gaze.
"I'm coming with you," she said.
"You're going with Gen to her house."
"Sage is going to take her and wait until you drop me off later."
"I'll drop you
now. "
"Michael, I'm staying."
He muttered under his breath, but didn't argue as he pulled the car out of the driveway.
Time is tight as it is.
The vehicle's occupants remained silent as Michael drove Finn to a motel just outside of town. Every few minutes, Michael caught sight of Merri glaring at Finn. The source of her anger kept his gaze fixed ahead.
As the car halted in the empty parking lot of the motel, Michael expected his friend to make a hasty exit. Instead, Finn leaned back in his seat and turned his cocky grin Michael's way.
"You think you're so much better than me." His gaze shifted to Merri for a moment before returning to Michael. "Both of you. But for Christ's sake, remember who I am? I see who haunts you. You've done a bloody lot worse than me, Mike--you have the ghosts to prove it. The stories they tell? You should hear it sometime. And you..." He swiveled in his seat to look at Merri. "He hovers over you every second. Killing a bloke doesn't make him go away, love."
"Are you about finished?" Michael said coolly.
"I think so."
"Take your bags and sign in at the lobby. They put you in room five. I'll be there shortly."
Finn did as he was told, and Michael watched him leave in silence.
"I can't believe you're just letting him go like that," Merri said bitterly. "I know you don't like Gen, but he--"
"Stay in the car. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Going to bring him dinner too? Or just order him a hooker 'cause he got interrupted before?"
"Quit arguing and stay in the damn car!"
Merri slumped back in her seat, crossed her arms, and glared at him.
After watching Finn enter his room, Michael stepped from the car and retrieved a black bag from the trunk. As he crossed the parking lot, he was thankful both for the late hour and the location of the motel--the place was deserted.
The door to Finn's room lay unlocked and inside he found his friend sprawled on his stomach on the bed, glancing over the room service menu.
"You couldn't spring for a better place?" Finn said without looking up. "You can afford it. I don't think anyone here delivers past midnight." He glanced up and his smile fell to a look of annoyance. "You can fool them with this high and mighty act, but you're forgetting I know you. I know what you've done."
"I don't manipulate children into dangerous situations, then roofie them."
"Nah, a roofie would cut out all the fun for you, wouldn't it?"
"You knew they were off limits. I
told you they were off limits."
"Of course." Finn glanced back at the menu. "Wouldn't want anyone messing with the Children of the Apocalypse, is that it?"
Michael's throat constricted and his jaw tensed.
Finn looked up and smiled as he saw his words hit their mark. "Didn't think I knew about that, did you? Always did take it for granted that I have two ears and a brain that does work part of the time."
"How long have you known?"
Finn shrugged. "A few months. I also know there are a lot of people interested in those girls. It would be a shame if they found out where they were, what their weaknesses are..." He turned back to the menu once more. "So I definitely think it would be in your best interest to spring for a nicer place for me."
Michael lifted a length of rope from the duffle bag and tossed it on the bed. The rope struck the mattress and Finn glanced at it in confusion.
"What the...?"
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way."
Finn's blonde brows furrowed in confusion, then he paled as realization hit him. "Whoa, Mike--"
"You said it yourself--it would be a shame if certain people found out about the girls."
"Just a joke--I wouldn't say anything..." Finn pulled himself into a sitting position and backed up on the bed, holding his hands up defensively. "C'mon--"
Michael snatched him up by his shirt and thrust him into the wall by the bed.
Sweat formed on Finn's forehead. "We're friends! You can't--"
"You crossed a line tonight," Michael said in a low voice.
"You do this and you'll never be rid of me. I'll haunt you for eternity."
Michael shrugged. "From what you've said, it sounds like at least you'll have some company."
"But--"
"And for what I'm about to do...I'm not sorry."
