Two for Joy - Louise Collins Page 0,57

his nose, then grimaced at the smell of his clothing—stagnant water and mud. Before he could eat, he had to change. Romeo flashed a look at Neil, unconscious on the floor, and reasoned even if he woke, he wouldn’t be able to wriggle to freedom, then headed upstairs.

Neil had a taste for the finer things in life. His walk-in closet was the same size as Romeo’s cell. He ran his hand along all the shirts and pants kept in clear plastic bags. He picked one, threw it down on Neil’s bed, then unzipped the coat he’d borrowed from the shed. He climbed out of his stinking jumpsuit and flung it on Neil’s crisp white sheets. Neil’s clothes were tight, but made of a pleasant material, soft and cool against Romeo’s skin. He found shoes in the closet, a size too small, but dry, and free of mud.

When he stepped into Neil’s bathroom, he froze, then approached the mirror with caution. He didn’t look like himself, covered in filth, half his face double the size it should’ve been and shiny with tightness. He looked like a boxer after he’d gone twelve rounds in the ring, then snorted.

If Justin hadn’t had lost his temper and got banged up, he might have made it pro.

Romeo thought of his mugshot, no doubt on every news channel, and doing the rounds on social media. The police would say he was last seen in an orange jumpsuit, not the stylish and very expensive suit he’d borrowed from Neil. The public would be looking for a handsome man dressed in orange, not an ugly one in a suit.

Romeo washed his face, and hair in the sink, then patted himself dry. He couldn’t do anything about his cheek, he only hoped that eventually it would stop hurting, or he’d become accustomed to the pain.

****

Neil’s fridge was full of odd healthy take-out foods that smelled as if they were turning bad, but Romeo couldn’t be picky, he had to make his visit to Neil’s a fleeting one.

Neil started to stir, his eyes fluttered, he looked around, worked out where he was, and who he was with, then started to wriggle, shouting beneath the tape over his mouth. Romeo ignored him, microwaved his plate of food, then headed towards the sofa when it was done. He had a glass of wine in his other hand, ready to wash the odd-looking food down.

“Hope you don’t mind.”

He sat down on the sofa, putting his glass on the side table. Neil stopped fidgeting, and instead twitched his eyebrows, muffling something under the tape. Something soft, something tragic. Romeo suspected he was begging and tucked into his food while he watched.

It hurt to eat with his swollen cheek invading his mouth, but he managed it, chewing gently, and swallowing small mouthfuls. It was slow going, but his stomach appreciated it.

“I’ve been out almost twenty-four hours, but this is the first moment I’ve had to be still, to take stock.” He rested his feet on Neil. “To relax.”

Neil looked up at him with wide eyes, his chin was wobbling, and he was puffing air out through his nostrils.

“I’m gonna sit here, let my food go down, and have a nice glass of wine. If you behave, I might not kill you … understand?”

Neil nodded, then lay completely silent on the floor. Romeo smiled at him, then finished the rest of his meal. He took a big gulp of wine, then clutched his cheek.

“Did you hear that I’d escaped?”

Neil nodded.

“I’m not looking my best, probably a bit different to my mugshot, a punch to the face will do that to you.”

The skin was hot, and tight under his fingertips. His face felt heavy, like someone had stuck something to it.

“You know, Chad punched me once. I thought it was pretty hard, busted my lip, but it was a kitten swipe compared to this…”

He left his cheek alone, and waited for the painkillers to kick in.

“I’m gonna take that strip off your mouth, if you scream, I’ll have to hurt you. Understand?”

Neil nodded.

Romeo crouched down, ripped the tape off Neil’s mouth, then sat back on the sofa. Neil cursed, then licked his sore lips. Romeo kept a foot on Neil to keep him still.

He pointed at the movie he’d paused on the villain’s sneering face. “Chad’s not fond of action films, and he hates detective thrillers, he’s more of a sci-fi kinda guy.”

Neil didn’t say anything, he just stared up at Romeo, eyebrows twitching, bleeding lip shaking.

“He