Dare (The Dare Trilogy) (29 page)

“Look, Cam, I’m sorry about all this shit.” Johnny took a step forward and placed a hand on Cam’s arm, but the other man shook it away. “We can work something out. I’m still here for you, man.”

Cam still held that expression of sorrow as he stared back at Johnny silently. “Remember when we used to jam together?” he asked. “When we’d skip school to go and play guitar. We were going to be rock and roll heroes. Remember?”

Johnny gave a small, confused laugh. “Yeah, I remember. Good times, good times.”

“What the fuck happened?” Cam’s voice was bitter, causing Johnny to frown.

“We did it, man. We fucking well did it.”

“Did we? I mean, don’t get me wrong, Johnny. You hit the big time, and you sure act the part of being a rock and roll star but... but when was rape part of rock and roll, Johnny? We used to talk about girls all the time, shit! I remember that. Hell, we hardly needed the excuse—but rape?”

Again Johnny flinched at the word. “That’s not how it is...” he began to explain.

“Then what the fuck is it?” Cam shouted so loudly, bringing his face up to the others. Dianne could say nothing, watching him in awe. “Explain to me, Johnny. What the fuck is it?”

Johnny was partly afraid, but partly angry now. “Screw you, Cam! I stuck my neck out for you! You could have killed him back there!”

“Well, it’s a shame I didn’t finish the job!”

“You stupid asshole.”

Both men were gearing up to launch at each other now, their old friendship dust and tatters in that room. As Johnny grappled Cam, Dianne saw her love pull back his hand, clenching it into a fist that was only slightly reluctant. She could take no more.

“Stop it!” she screamed at the top of her voice as she stood up, causing both of them to stare at her in shock. “Please, just stop it!”

After the hectic voices that had filled the space barely moments before, everything was silent for what seemed an age now. Then there was a steady thump from the ceiling overhead as another irate tenant indicated his displeasure at the row building up below.

Johnny let out a low, caustic laugh. “Well, Cam, you fucked it up good and proper this time. We couldn’t play tonight, and
God alone knows when Darius’ll be fit enough to go on stage again. There’s no way you’ll be part of the tour—if it even continues,” he sneered. Dianne noticed that for all his bravado, as he turned to the door he avoided her eye, saving the better part of his ire for his former friend.

“You think I want to stay with you,” Cam shouted back, but Johnny was already leaving the room. “What the fuck happened to you, Johnny?” The thumping started again overhead and Cam glowered at the ceiling angrily.

For a long time Dianne stood next to the bed, saying nothing. “I’m sorry,” was all she could manage at last, her head bowed low.

Cam sighed. “It’s okay.” He came across to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. He was attempting to comfort her, but his muscles were stiff and awkward. “It felt good to let it out, I guess,” he told her, but she could feel that his words were a lie. “Just a shame it was Johnny.” This, let out with a sigh, was more heartelf.

She shook her head and lifted her face to his, her eyes glistening with tears. She opened her mouth to speak but he interrupted her, bending to kiss her and drinking up the moisture from those eyes as his lips then drifted softly across her face.

“I need to go,” she said.

He frowned. “What, now?”

She shook her head. “In the morning. I should... I should go back to London.”

For a long time he said nothing in reply and Dianne felt her heart starting to break in her chest. Then, at last, he nodded.

“I know. And I’m coming with you.”

Part 2 of the Dare Trilogy, Hope, is to be published in September 2013.