CRASH (A Logan Brothers Novel) (16 page)

I took another gulp of wine, the
alcohol now truly loosening me up. Ray continued to chat away in the
background but my mind was taken on other things now. I nodded and
made the odd comment where appropriate, but really my thoughts were
set on Crash, my arm constantly delivering wine to my lips.

He'd infiltrated me completely
now. Not only had he saved me once or twice - the mugger and from
total solitude and potential embarrassment at the twins party - but
he'd also seemed so damn nice when doing so.

He was a total enigma. One
second making out with me and the next walking past me as if I didn't
exist.

I mean, what the hell was
this guys deal?!

I noticed Mr Lithgow walking off
from the table out of the corner of my eye and made a split second
decision. I don't know why I did it, but it just happened. Blame the
booze. That was the easiest option.

Without even considering how it
looked to Ray (frankly, by this point I didn't care any more), I
stepped up from my chair and marched over towards Crash in the
corner.

“
Right Crash, I want an
explanation, and I want one now.”

Holy shit what was I saying!

His eyes turned up towards mine
suddenly, a look of utter bemusement on them.

“
Elle, what are you doing
here?”

“
Don't pretend like you
haven't seen me. I've been sat just over there for the last 2 hours.”

The corner of his mouth raised
slightly in a smile, as if he found my exuberance and sudden lack of
sense comical.

“
Well I'm sorry Elle, I've
only just arrived. I must have missed you. Now, please, I'm in the
middle of an important meeting. Do you mind leaving?”

I stood there, my eyes set on
him, unmoving. “Not until you explain to me why you're so - I don't
know - inconsistent!”

“
Elle, please, just go.”

I stood firm.

“
Why did you just walk away
the other day? You treated me like shit Crash.”

I had totally lost it now.
Everything was coming rushing out like water from a broken dam.

“
Elle, I'm sorry. I will talk
to you later.” He was speaking through gritted teeth now, his eyes
darting around the place at the eyes on us. “You're making a scene.
Just go, now.”

There was a growing menace in
his words now. He wasn't asking me, he was telling me.

“
You can't order me around
Crash. I'm not one of your minions.”

“
Please Elle, for the last
time, just leave.”

At that moment a voice came from
behind me, old and dry. “Is there a problem Crash?”

“
None, Elle here was just
leaving.”

I
turned to see Mr Lithgow just behind me. He looked down at me with a
sneer, as if I was nothing.
Pompous
old bastard, who the fuck does he think he is?!

I felt an arm grab at mine,
pulling me away. It was Ray. I could hear him apologizing to them,
saying I'd been drinking too much.

The world began spinning as he
moved me through the tables, everyone looking on at me, staring at me
as I left.

Great Elle. Very good, you've
just broken your own record of the most embarrassing fucking thing
you've done when drunk.

Bra-fucking-vo.

Crash

I stared on as Elle was escorted
out of the restaurant by what I could only assume was her date.

I tinge of jealousy struck me
with the thought.

“
A friend of yours?” It was
Lithgow, that fucking degenerate, sitting back down at the table.

The fool had no idea why he was
really here. I hadn't yet revealed my true intentions. No, I had to
get him to meet with me first.

I'd spoken to Lithgow recently
to apologize for how I may have reacted when he told me he was
pulling his investment. I said that I had another potential project
he might be interested in and that I'd like to discuss it over
dinner.

It was a lie.

“
She's no one,” I said.
“Just a stupid girl.”

I could see Lithgow eyeing her
up as she was taken away, his sleazy eyes sliding over her like a
snake.
Keep your fucking gaze away from her.

I was telling the truth there
though. She was a stupid fucking girl. What the hell was she playing
at?! She was clearly drunk, her words completely unrestrained. She
was like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: quiet and reserved when sober but
completely fucking insane when drunk.
She has some balls, I'll
give her that.

“
Right Crash, let's cut to the
chase. What exactly is it that you've brought me here to discuss?”

I was finding it hard sitting
there with this man without telling him how I really felt, without
telling him exactly what was going to happen to him.

The man had murdered my father.
Everything inside my body was making me want to stand up right there,
grab the steak knife from the table, and saw his fucking head off.

But no, I needed him.

I'd managed to convince him to
meet, but had yet to reveal my true purpose. He'd help me secure the
investment I needed for my casino development. He'd do that, or his
public persona would be completely destroyed.

And when he'd served his
purpose, when he'd done everything I needed of him, then he'd face
the consequences of what he'd done to my father. Once my use for him
was spent, so was his life.

“
Mr Lithgow, I wanted to get
you here to talk about another proposal I have. As you know, my
family have always been enterprising and are always looking for
opportunities to expand.”

He nodded, his eyes filled with
memories of how he'd fucked over my father. He didn't know I knew.
But I did.

“
OK, lets hear it.”

I reached for my whiskey and
took a sip, letting a short silence fall between us.

“
My new proposal is simply
this: rethink your position on my original proposal.”

His face contorted into a deep
frown.

“
Your original proposal? I
told you already what my position on that was Crash. I haven't, and
won't, change my mind.”

I nodded. “I understand that,
but some things have come to light that might make you think again.”

“
I'm afraid the decision is
done. No changes to your proposal will alter my thinking, or my
decision.”

He made a move to stand, an
irritation in his words that I'd wasted his precious time.

“
Now, if that's all you've
brought me here for, I'll take my leave right now.”

“
Sit down,” I said, my words
drawing cold.

It was an order, something a man
like Walter Lithgow wasn't used to.

“
Excuse me,” he said, his
eyes narrowing on me. “Do you have any idea who you're talking to?”

“
Oh, I believe I know more
than you think.” I smiled as I spoke, a devious look spreading over
my face.

His eyes widened slightly at my
words, his brows still furrowed and deep.

“
What do you mean?” His
words were no longer inflected with indignation. Now he sounded
worried, the look on my face and the confidence with which I spoke
unsettling him slightly.

Yes Walter, I know your
secret.

....

It had been almost a week ago
that Jones had called me to his office once more. This time he had
the information I was looking for.

“
I've got the information you
want about Lithgow,” he'd said.

“
Is it good?” I'd asked
excitedly.

He'd nodded slowly, “Oh yes,
it's good.”

“
Tell me.”

He'd launched into it from
there, spilling Lithgow's dirty little secret, a secret he'd been
living with for years. A secret which, if revealed, could spell the
end for him. After they knew what he'd done, no one would want to
work with him, no one would want to be associated with him. He'd be
finished.

It was a long time ago, when
Lithgow was a younger businessman building his fortune. He had a
young wife and child, a family he was supposedly devoted to.

He'd built on that image his
entire career. The family man, the man with ethics and morals. A man
who would always make a steady return on any investment, always build
a strong business on firm foundations from nothing.

But back then, he also harbored
a need that he would see attended regularly. He hired attractive
secretaries who he'd fuck in his office. He'd cheat on his wife and
family, playing the family man in public, and abusing his power
behind closed doors.

It was a secret that he'd kept
carefully hidden until now. But nothing can be hidden from someone
like Jones. He had his methods of extracting information, and it
sounded as though he'd used those to full effect.

“
By any means.” That's what
I'd told him. He didn't need to be told twice.

But there was more.

One of the girls Lithgow cheated
on his wife with got pregnant and raised a son. He'd secretly
supported that woman and his illegitimate son for years in return for
their silence. One paternity test and word to the press and Walter
Lithgow's name would come crumbling down around him.

I knew that he'd do anything to
keep that secret safe in his vault. I knew I had him by the fucking
balls.

And now - now I'd get exactly
what I wanted as a result.

....

Lithgow sat back down into his
chair, staring at me like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
Fucking
coward. I'd see him give me what I want. Then I'd see him burn.

“
Correct me if I'm wrong
Walter, but you've built your name and your fortune on the back of
your reputation as a family man, a man with unimpeachable morals and
ethics, a man who will always do the right thing, no matter what. Is
that all correct?”

I was going to enjoy torturing
this old fuck.

He nodded suspiciously, still
wondering where I was going with it.

“
Interesting. I wonder how
your name and reputation will suffer if, suddenly, you had been shown
to be a fraud all this time. We wouldn't want that, would we?”

His eyes began narrowing, a
realization hitting him. He knew what I was talking about.

“
You know of Andrew?”

I nodded and smiled. I must have
looked like a smug cunt but I didn't care. In fact that's exactly how
I wanted to look.

“
Andrew? You mean your
illegitimate son who you've been trying to hide for 20 years? That
Andrew?”

I hailed the waiter and ordered
another whiskey, giving Lithgow time for the information to settle
in.

When he next spoke his tone was
dreary, defeated. He knew I had him.

“
What is it that you want?”

“
You know what I want Walter.
You're a smart man, I'm sure you can figure it out.”

“
Your casino? You want me to
back your casino?”

I clapped sarcastically. “Give
this man a gold star. Yes, you dopey old fuck, I want you to back my
casino. If you don't, then expect to wake up tomorrow with the press
all over your front porch.”

“
I can't do that. I've already
set the wheels in motion. I can't just do a u-turn, not now.”

My teeth gritted, my jaw
clenching. I leaned in closely, staring through fierce eyes.

“
You will do this Mr Lithgow.
Or be prepared to suffer the consequences.”

I leaned back and sunk my
whiskey.

“
I'll give you 24 hours to
make your decision and give me positive assurance that my project is
being put into action. 24 hours Mr Lithgow, no more.”

With those parting words I stood
and paced straight past him towards the exit of the hotel, leaving
the old shit to pay the bill.

In 24 hours I'd have my casino
back. In 24 hours, after Lithgow had corrected his wrongs, his days
would be numbered.

Elle

I lay, face down on my bed, my
head pressed hard against my pillow.

My head was throbbing, and not
only because of the alcohol. I'd never done anything so downright
reckless and stupid.
I mean, what the hell was I thinking?

Ray had ushered me into a cab
outside and sent me packing. I guess he wanted to make his own way
back without me in tow. I didn't blame him. I was an embarrassment.

I heard the door to the room
swing open fast but kept my head to my pillow. I didn't want to have
to field any questions from Alice right now.
Maybe I'd just
pretend to be asleep?

But no, it wasn't Alice. It
wasn't Tess either.

Oh shit, it was Crash.