“Sash—it's a prop, all right?”Laurie grabbed the weapon, heldit out to him.He knew how to make a heavy object look light, justas he knew how to make a genuine prop look heavy.He knew Sashawouldn't touch it.Knew he would trust him.“Here.I don't know whythey had it.They were just a cheap outfit.They probably used itbecause it was there.”
Sashasat down on the bottom step.He pressed his fingers to his lips andlooked at Laurie in silence for almost a minute.The faint soundsof their ragged breathing scraped in the air.“Do you know,” hesaid at length, “how many people end up getting shot with their ownguns?”
“No, and I don't see how you do either.”
“I researched it as part of my study on Romanian gang warfare.People think it's a good deterrent, but they hardly ever learn howto use it.They don't learn the huge fucking range of self-defenceskills they'll need to hang on to it in a fight.”
“Surely if they've got a gun, they don't need...”
“Yeah.You'd think.But unless they're prepared to shoot anintruder dead—in cold blood, love, no matter what they'reprotecting—he's gonna take it away from them.He's a hardenedcriminal.They're just ordinary guys.”
“Okay,” Laurie said faintly.“I get the point.But all this isacademic, isn't it?It's a fuckingprop.”
“What were you about to do with it?Scare the crap out of ourpoor neighbour if he'd crawled home drunk again and tried to comein the wrong door?”
Laurieswallowed audibly in relief.Yes.That was probably what he'dheard.“I don't know.”He shivered, chilly in his T-shirt andpyjama bottoms.Sasha looked cold too.“I'm sorry, okay?Let's goback to bed.It's freezing in here.”
“Did you ask the landlord about the heating?”
“No.Slipped my mind.”
“Look, if you don't have time to do things like that, or youcan't be bothered, fine.But tell me, okay?Then I'll know to sortit out myself.”
Laurieblinked in surprise.Sasha never snapped or snarled about householdstuff.They'd lived together for two years now and had shaken downwell, or so he'd thought.He knew he wasn't the most observant ordomestic of souls, and it often fell to Sash to remember to paybills or wash up their cups from a late-night hot chocolate orround of teas.He'd never seemed to mind.Maybe Laurie had beendriving him mad all along.He drew a breath to ask, and insteadsaid, “I've got a new job.”
“A job?Don't be ridiculous.You'll be working all hours at theBarbican soon, and I've told you, my salary's good enough nowto—”
“I don't mean that.I mean I've got a film part, a massive one.Do you remember my last night at the Queen's, when the producerofBlood Moonturned up in the audience?”
Sasharemembered for other reasons.Arousal and shame tingled in hisspine.That night had been his first revelation of how Laurie couldcommand him, and how something inside himself could yield to thatcommand.He nodded.
“He contacted me.Invited me to an audition.I didn't thinkhe'd been too impressed, but...”Laurie tapped his phone, lyingincongruously alongside the gun on the table.“He's offered me thepart of Devlin Steele—the baddie in this film, but I'm pretty surehe'll turn into a hero in the next.Their main vamp's meant to beimmortal, but the guy who plays him is starting to look abit—”
“I swear, if you saylong in thetooth...”Sasha got up.“But that's it,isn't it?You're joking.All this is some crazy Fitzroy prank,something Mercutio wanted you to do.”He put his hands on Laurie'sshoulders.Questions boiled up in him, all the things he'd held offon asking because Laurie was so perfect to him, a creature whoexisted on another plane, and you didn't question your angels.“Whyare you talking like this, love?What's with the gun and the car?Is something wrong?”
“Sash, how many times...The gun's a prop.”
“Okay, but since when did you chase noises in the night with apistol, even a fake one?What's frightening you?”
Lauriepushed him away.He had never in his life evaded or rejectedSasha's embrace, and he caught a blood-chilling flash in those darkeyes as he did.“Nothing.I'm not frightened.This role's the breakof a lifetime.”
“Romeo's the break of a lifetime.What about your contract withSir Ralf?”
“I haven't signed yet.I can do what I like.”
“Christ...Laurie, when did youhearabout this?”
“Just now, I swear.I thought they weren't going to get back tome but I found an email from their LA office when I woke up.”Despite everything, Laurie had held a tiny hope of rejection,athanks but no thanksthat would shock him back into reality, into finding anothersolution.“They want me to start right away.”
“When was the audition?Tell me...”Sasha pulled out a kitchenchair and straddled it.He ran his palms across his skull.“Was itaround the time when you went to see Gunari?When you fired yourmanager, bought the Merc—started making other unilateral decisionsabout things that affect us both?”Sasha shut up.This was howother couples talked to one another, wasn't it?The ones who tookmad risks with one another, freely and loudly pissed one anotheroff.“I'm sorry.You can do as you wish, of course.Just...howlong will you be away?”
Coldrushed down Laurie's spine.This hitch had never occurred to him.It should have: hearing his acts of arrogance listed had broughtthem home to him for what they were, and this was the worst ofthem, wasn't it—assuming that Sasha would just up sticks and come.But he had to.That was the whole point.“Not just me.Us.You haveto come with me.”
Wrong choice of words, to a man who had been so often andbrutally coerced.Sasha looked at Laurie with a new darkness.“Justas you're free, so am I in my own way.I don'thaveto do anything.”
“I'm sorry.I didn't mean to put it like that.I mean—for God'ssake come with me, please.They want me on condition of animmediate start, but I can make conditions too.You should seetheir email, Sash—I can have pretty much anything I want.They'llget us a house right in West Hollywood, huge swimming pool andeverything.”He shivered, glanced out of the window.Ivory Gate hadno idea what else was coming to them by way of high-strung actor'sdemands.The house would be in a gated development.The pool wouldbe surrounded by high walls, and Mr Fitzroy, that brilliant butparanoid young newcomer to the Hollywood scene, would requirefull-on security.“No more London rain,” he said softly, scanningthe wet shadows of the plane trees for anything in the shape of aman or a grey ghost.“And the payout's so big that once I'm done, Iwon't have to worry about anything else than theatre work foryears.I can do my charity gigs, set up a drama-therapy group,anything.”
“Lovely.You're just overlooking one thing.”
