Chapter One
Opening her eyes, Hailey blinked against the slivers of light attempting to seep through the blinds. She looked around the darkened room with bleary eyes, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The hour was unknown to her, the light coming through the slats either from the morning light or mid day sun. Either wouldn't have surprised her. They'd all been too tired to care about the time they'd gone to bed. After the plane ride and then the five and a half day submarine trip that offered little in the way of comfort or sleep, was it any wonder they were all dead on their feet upon their arrival? Murdoc had been the worst off out of the three of them. He alone had been the only one who could operate the submarine, so it had been he who slept the least. And it had clearly taken a toll on him. Within moments of exiting the shower, he'd collapsed into the vacant side of the bed, snoring almost instantly. She'd fought against her exhaustion, unwilling to succumb to sleep but in the end it had been futile. Shortly after he'd exited the waking world, she had followed right on his heels.
Now awake, she had a chance to look around and figure out where she was. While she certainly had hoped to corner him and question him further upon their arrival at this bizarre place, she acknowledged that they were all tired and needed rest. Even in sleep, Murdoc still looked exhausted. She could be a complete asshole and attempt to wake him, but decided against it. He'd wake eventually and perhaps he'd be more willing to answer her questions after he got some much needed rest. She knew something was off with the story he'd given and her own troubling dreams had proven that. Still struggling with vague and blurred images of something taking place that she had no real memory of. Dreams of a struggle, dreams of fear. Something in the bathroom. Murdoc's own terrified expression swimming in her dreams. The thing in the bathroom, what was it? Laying in the bathtub, something that was nothing more than a dark shape. She shook her head, still confused at the images that once again seemed to fade more and more into the background of her mind.
With a groan, she pushed herself off the bed, crossing the short distance to the windows. Peering through the slats, she frowned at the miles of ocean before her. So where the hell were they anyway? She could see nothing beyond the vast expanse of water. Nothing that indicated they were close to land. It made sense though, didn't it? The trip in the little submarine had lasted five days or so. Where-ever it was he'd taken her was secluded and clearly nowhere near any country she could possibly think of. It was a peculiar little land-mass. Below on the beach almost looked like any other little beach. She could see the surf, what appeared to be rocks and a few other things that indicated marine living. But why was it this grotesque pink color? She'd never encountered anything like that.
Spotting the thread-bare pair of pajama bottoms he'd initially handed to her, she pulled them on quickly, grabbed the slippers that lay at the foot of the bed and ventured out of the room to the narrow little elevator. As much as she wanted to investigate the house, she figured the best option was to start at the beach and work her way up. Maybe exploring the beach would give her a clue as to where he'd taken her? If anything, it gave her the chance to investigate the matter without the million excuses he'd given her over the last several days.
When the doors slid open, revealing the narrow entrance, she looked around at the mess that surrounded her. He had all sorts of crap in here and only a narrow pathway that ran between the main door and the elevator. Aside from the pieces of the passenger plane, she also took notice of car parts, what appeared to be a tool box, bags filled with something, a bloated stuffed alligator that had sawdust coming from an open slash on its side. Someone lost their taxidermy project perhaps? She stepped carefully around things, opening the door that led to outside. The sun was out and horribly bright, Hailey covering her eyes a moment as she stepped onto the poorly made wooden porch that extended out from the door. It wasn't high enough to be noon. Without any sense of direction, she couldn't figure out if it was late morning or mid-afternoon. Without her cell phone or watch, time was elusive and unknown. Sighing, she made her way down the steps and small walkway, pausing at the beach itself and looking around. A dock extended out directly in front of her, the submarine still bobbing in the water where he'd left it. It occurred to her that all the things she'd seen from the window that she concluded were nothing more than uneven parts of the ground or rocks were in fact just pieces of junk covered in the same ghastly pink coating. Machinery parts, what appeared to be the stern of a boat, the side of a car even. The ground beneath her feet was spongy, bringing to mind the odd soft matting used in playgrounds. It was soft and somewhat bouncy.
Venturing further along the beach, she dully noted that the island overall seemed to be constructed out of garbage. It didn't explain the bright pink coloring, but she began to suspect that maybe Murdoc had something to do with that. There was no sand, no rocks or any of the normal things one would find at a beach. Just spongy pink ground, pink coated junk and the occasional dead animal that had washed up. There was also the smell. The horrendous, eye-watering smell that seemed to be in the air and coming off the ground itself. She wasn't so sure she'd get used to the smell. The heat seemed to make it worse, smothering her and gagging her. Maybe it was time to go back up to the house? The smell barely managed to get past the walls. No doubt Murdoc had installed some sort of air filtering system to keep the smell out. She couldn't imagine him tolerating such a stench for more than a few days. Pausing, she shielded her eyes and looked up at the house itself. What had possessed him to take residency in such a place? And how the hell did he get a house built out here?
A tour of the house was in order. The island itself was small and her explorations yielded too little. Other than telling her she was on a floating island of garbage, she still was in the dark as to where she was or what had happened that brought her there. Sighing, she started the precarious trek back to the main entrance and into the main entry-way of the house. This had to be the only way in or out. She'd seen no other ways into the house. Hailey frowned in the dark passageway, shaking her head. The house's construction wouldn't have passed any fire safety laws and this led to more questions about the building of the house. How had he been able to get something this impression planted on top of a pink island of trash?
The kitchen was her first stop. It appeared to be no different than any other kitchen she'd seen in her life. A narrow fridge, counter-space, a sink and a dishwasher. Plenty of cupboards and various utensils laying about that indicated food most definitely was prepared there. Opening the cupboards revealed very little in the way of foodstuffs. Some cans of beans, a can of vienna sausages tucked away in the back, a bag of flour. The fridge was well stocked with some odd looking import beers and something in a container, but not much else. The familiar discomfort that indicated hunger could be felt and Hailey soon found herself rummaging through the cupboards and even the icebox in her effort to find something edible. The problem at hand was that there was very little food to be found and what could be found needed about a dozen other ingredients to make it work. She wasn't in the mood for a can of beans and the date on the can of vienna sausages was just too suspicious for her to take a chance. Couldn't live on beer, though she did wonder if Murdoc thought differently on that matter given the amount of beer he kept in the fridge.
Giving up on food, Hailey wandered down the hall to what appeared to be an extra bedroom of sorts. It was cluttered with furnishings and other items. His version of a junk drawer? Some of the items in the room appeared to have been simply thrown in there after he could find nowhere else to put it. Excess music equipment, a foot-stool, some boxes and possibly an extra bed. Had he set the room up for another occupant and it ended up not being necessary? Christ, all these little things that made absolutely no sense. And she was now part of this nonsense.
The next level was a study, a rather lavishly furnished study. Hailey stood there in awe, taking in the pictures, the dark wood furniture, the carpeting beneath her feet. The room was amazing. The desk was littered with paper. Some of it appeared to be mere scraps with small notes jotted down and others appeared more official. Legal documents perhaps? She hated prying into his personal business, but maybe some of it would tell her what exactly happened and where she now was. She sifted through the paperwork carefully, noting the legal documents were contracts of some sort. Record label stuff. Other documents were letters from fans, some correspondences with an accountant over in the UK, credit card bills and a few screen shots from various adult films. Unable to hold back, Hailey let out a snorting laugh as she shoved the screen shots aside. He probably had printed them off to use in his room and abandoned them for some reason or another.
Against the far wall, she noted the aquarium, her eyes settling on the ugly pink fish lingering at the bottom of the tank. Murdoc didn't seem like one who'd keep a pet of any kind, so seeing the fish was a curious thing. She inched closer to the tank, kneeling down slowly so that her gaze was level. My, it was an ugly little fucker, wasn't it? Pink like this disgusting island, its scales flaking off, bulbous eyes blind to her presence. It just floated there, the faint movement from its fins the only thing that indicated it was even alive. Wrinkling her nose, Hailey stood back up, examining the wall of portraits and other oddities that decorated the room. The massive globe near the slider door revealed itself to be a booze storage, all of the bottles opened and consumed to some point. One bottle had so little left, she wondered just why the hell he still had it. Maybe it was a super expensive brand he wanted to savor? Why not just take the last shot?
Closing the globe, she turned her attention to the pocket doors on the far wall. Was it another random bedroom turned into a junk room? Opening the pocket doors, she stood in the doorway a moment, her eyes traveling over the various musical instruments and hulking machines that could only be mixing equipment. A studio? It made sense, though. This could very well be where Murdoc, 2D and the others had made the album. She didn't linger long, closing the doors finally and crossing the distance to the elevator. This whole place was bizarre. Everything about it lacked any sense. The house itself was relatively normal by all accounts, but the location left her more and more curious. So far everything around her indicated that Murdoc and the singer were the sole inhabitants. What about the young guitarist? Hailey hadn't seen much of her outside of the concert itself, but she knew the young woman had been with them.
Inside the elevator, Hailey pushed the button that would take her to the level that contained Murdoc's bedroom, her head filled with more questions than answers. What little she remembered of the band itself told her they'd been an odd rag-tag group. Their bizarre storyline capturing the imagination of young and old alike. But it had all been a gimmick, right? A way to sell albums. The two men she'd met in the dusty lttle bar almost two weeks ago had been pretty normal to her. Well, normal as rock stars could be. Murdoc had seemed stressed and overly tired, but she'd felt nothing out of the ordinary about him that would make her think he was a serial killer or anything. If anything, once he dropped the act, he was as normal as any other guy on the street. He wasn't what one would call attractive, but there'd been something about him that seemed to draw her in. And for him, the same. Sure, their initial meeting had been all about the physical but she was keen enough to pick up something between them in the days that followed. Maybe she had agreed to go with and partied too hard? Though such an explanation seemed unfathomable, who's to say it didn't happen? A month ago, if someone had told her she'd find herself on the arm of a world famous musician, she'd have laughed at them and called them insane. And now her picture was circulating through the world, the unknown woman lucky enough to be Niccals' companion during his visit to the city.
Back in the master suite, Hailey took in the sleeping figure on the bed. Murdoc had sprawled out more with the vacancy opening up on the other side. Clad in nothing but a pair of briefs, his chest rising and falling with each wall rattling snore. Stepping closer to the bed, she peered down at his sleeping face. Most of his hair had pulled away from his face, exposing thick eyebrows that were well shaped and not nearly as shocking as one would think. There was the start of a receding hairline and part of her suspected this was his reason behind still sporting the odd and outdated cut. She could even see some patches of grey starting in some spots. Reaching out, she brushed some of his hair away from his face, smiling when he made a noise, his eyes flickering a moment. He didn't wake, rolling slowly away from her reach, burying himself deeper into the pillows.
Taking a few steps back, she slowly exited the master suite and made her way back to the elevator. Give him a chance to catch up on his sleep. Maybe 2D would be up and about eventually? It would be nice to have some sort of company while she made coffee and attempted to prepare some sort of breakfast.
Standing at the rails of the balcony, Murdoc smoked his cigarette in silence, watching the beach down below, his eyes following Hailey's progress as she combed the narrow beach. He'd awoken to find her gone from the bed. Momentarily panicked, he'd stumbled from his room in search of her, fearing she'd gone snooping or – worse yet – taken the sub in a desperate attempt to get away. He wasn't a fool. She'd come willingly only because she'd been disorientated, tired and confused. If she felt anywhere near as good as he'd felt upon waking, he knew the game was over. After rushing through the house in search of her, he'd found her in the kitchen, drinking coffee and reading an outdated copy of some entertainment rag. Breakfast set out before her, two additional plates set out flanking her own. Toast and jam, the only real decent thing he'd had in the small kitchen. Thank Satan the supply shipment was due any day.
She'd said nothing as he ate the few pieces of toast offered. As a matter of fact, she'd barely taken notice of his presence through the brief and sparse meal, still casually flipping through the magazine. He'd simply chewed his food in silence, washing the bites down with some coffee in between. He'd been expecting a barrage of questions from her. His mind had gone into over-drive, readying itself for whatever she planned on throwing his way. When he'd finally finished his third piece of toast, it had occurred to him that she had no intention of cornering him then. So when was it going to be? Surely she was dying to drill him further on what had happened and why there'd been so many holes in his story. Her eyes merely surfaced from the magazine, the smile barely noticeable. It hadn't brought any real relief to his frantic nerves and mind. If anything, it had made him more anxious over what might happen.
But nothing was said and two hours after the awkward and uncomfortable breakfast, he was taking a smoke on the massive balcony, watching her as she wandered along the beach. He truly was at a loss over how to go about the mess he'd created. Usually he could run from it, but rather hard to run when you drag your problems along for the ride. Chewing his lower lip, he took a heavy drag from his cigarette, his eyes still following her progress along the surf. He'd wanted her to accompany him back home. Wanted that softness and comfort she'd offered during those nights leading up to the concert. Maybe it made him selfish in that aspect. He'd never really felt the need for companionship, not in a while anyway, and the nights spent with Hailey had re-awakened a part of him he thought dead and gone. Made him aware of a peculiar need he hadn't acknowledged for quite a few years. Now back home, he wondered if it had more to do with the amount of stress he'd been under. It had been a chaotic tour with so much going wrong that her offer of companionship, even if originally thought to be brief, had helped him immensely. But it had left him too vulnerable obviously. Had he allowed her to get too close? Had he exposed too much of himself during those nights when her simple comforts eased his troubled mind? The same could be said for her, he reasoned. He had seen some of his own personality reflected in her. The same refusal to need, the same wall. And he'd seen those same flaws break away in her. Acknowledging their shared interests and her willingness to let him close.
Exhaling loudly, he shifted his weight a bit, tearing his eyes from the woman down below. He knew he needed to come clean and face whatever hell she'd bring down onto him. No doubt she'd be angry and most likely would demand he take her back home. This was something he'd have to consider, even if the idea of rejection was a foreign thing. No woman had ever rejected him. Even when he'd been a nobody, the women had seen drawn to him and after the fame, he couldn't keep them away. Sure, they were mostly one night shags who knew their time in his presence would be short-lived, but they had still flocked to him. He never questioned it, more than happy to add another notch in his bed-post or an extra notch in theirs. What bothered him more, the idea of being rejected by a woman or the idea of being rejected by someone he'd grown a bit fond of? He couldn't be sure. Both perhaps?
Lost in thought, he hadn't heard the slider open or 2D's shuffling steps. Too preoccupied with his troubled thoughts, the singer's presence didn't even register until the man was right beside him. Caught unaware, Murdoc snapped up with a grunt, glaring at 2D. This mess was more of a headache than he'd anticipated. The clumsy fool on his right had managed to practically sneak up on him and give him a bit of a fright. He shook his head, unwilling to give the dent-head the satisfaction of knowing he'd been caught off guard. "Whadya want?" he demanded gruffly, flicking the cigarette butt off the rails.
2D merely shrugged his narrow shoulders, casting a worrisome gaze down below. "When do you plan on tellin' her what really happened?" It was a straight forward question. The very question that Murdoc had been struggling with all morning as he watched Hailey go about her day. She wasn't pressing the issue, so why was this sorry fuck giving him a headache about it? 2D was oblivious to his internal gratings, flashing a sympathetic smile. "She might not react as badly as you fink."
"Tell me, Face-ache, would you jump for joy if you knew some bloke drugged you an' dragged you away from all you knew?" He met the taller man's gaze, his dark eyes unwavering. The dent-head was an idiot, so asking him such a question would be like asking a brick. Murdoc could tell by the stupid grin on the man's face that the concept went over his head. Nobody in their right fucking mind would want to stick around under such circumstances. "She's not a dullard like you," he grumbled bitterly. "As soon as she figures out what really happened, she'll be hijacking the sub herself an' gettin' the hell out of dodge, as they say."
"I dun' fink she would," 2D protested, shrinking back a bit when Murdoc's eyes narrowed. "We talked a bit durin' the sub ride. She's confused, but knows you're lyin'." His dark eyebrows twitched, a small smile just at the corners of his mouth. "She knows the drinkin' story is bullshit, mate."
"So why isn't she up here, tearin' me hide off an' tryin' t' get her answers?" Murdoc asked, lighting another cigarette. He knew that she was aware of something amiss. He'd been dreading the whole morning for Christ's sake. Any normal person would have cornered him first chance they had. Those few times they'd been face to face, there'd been nothing in her expression that indicated questioning or even hostility. She'd appeared calm, collected even. Made him acutely aware that there was more to her than he'd thought. He'd only gotten to know her for four days at the most and what little she'd allowed him to see and know had been a massive draw for him. Now he was realizing there was a lot more to the woman. He'd spent too much time helping himself to the fake little slags who threw themselves at him, those whose personalities were as bland and thin as cardboard. Hailey reminded him of someone else he'd once known. Not so much in physical appearance or personality as they couldn't have been further apart in those areas, but in her quiet. How she could wall him off, nothing in her expressions or gestures indicating whatever she felt within. Unable to tell if she was happy, uncaring or enraged. And this bothered him immensely because the last thing he wanted to deal with was waking up one morning to find her with a knife to his throat or his precious nether-regions, demanding to know what happened.
He'd almost forgotten that 2D was standing there, watching him with thoughtful black eyes. There was only a faint smile to the other man's face, indicating that he'd picked up on something Murdoc had overlooked. "Look, mate, she finks the drinkin' tale is bullshit, but I doubt she's gonna go mental an' demand you take her back. She has nuffin' back in Seattle, said so herself..."
Murdoc frowned, watching Hailey suddenly turn around and backtrack towards the main entrance. "Her job, her best mate..." Even as those words escaped his lips, he realized that maybe they weren't as strong bonds as he'd originally assumed. He'd seen the friendship with her flat-mate burn to dust right before his eyes and he knew very little regarding her position at the ad agency she'd worked at. She had no family, no strong friendships and most likely just lived her life day by day until something else came along.
"So do you plan on tellin' her or not?" 2D asked suddenly, exhaling smoke through his nose. "You won't be able t' lie t' her forever. She knows your version of events is pure balls."
"I'll tell her when I'm good an' ready, brain-ache!" Murdoc snapped, fixing 2D in an acidic glare. "Tell me 'gain why you're here, man? Run 'long before my size nines connect with your narrow arse." He bared his teeth, still focused on the taller man. It was all the prompt the face-ache needed, the man nearly tripping over himself to get away. Once again alone, Murdoc turned his attention back to the beach below, noticing that Hailey was nowhere to be seen. He uttered a grunt of irritation, silently hoping he'd run into the lanky fuck of a singer so he could beat him within an inch of his life for tearing his attention away. Cigarette still clamped between his teeth, he stalked back into the house, hearing the lift. Most likely Tusspot making his great escape. All he could do was sit around and wait, more or less. Test the waters around him, so to speak. See how it all played out.
Opening the globe and revealing his stash, he examined the various bottles until he found something suitable, twisting the cap off with gusto. Screw using a glass. The bottle would work just fine. If anything, it would help ease his frazzled mind. He dropped into the chair by his desk, dully noting that the paperwork was more scattered across the desk. So she had been in here snooping around. Not that there was anything up here he was truly concerned about. What was so exciting about contracts and billing statements from maxed out credit cards? He cracked a grin, tipping the bottle back a bit and taking a drink. There was nothing in the house that would give her the answers she desired. He alone could give her that.
He pondered over this a bit as he took another drink from the bottle. There was no denying the weird range of emotions he'd felt in Hailey's presence during those nights leading up to the concert. She was an interesting woman with a personality and life outlook that mirrored his own. He'd had every intention of casting her out that first night after getting what he'd so desperately needed, but something weird sort of nagged within and for the first time in years, he allowed a woman to remain overnight. He figured they'd have some fun in the morning and then go their separate ways. Whether it had been the two years of unwilling celibacy or finding out the woman was a demon between the sheets, he didn't know. He just knew there'd been something about her that intrigued him enough to keep her around. She had no illusions about their little fling and initially, neither did he. He'd surprised himself when he decided to nick her number from her cell phone. What the bloody hell was wrong with him anyway? He'd only known the woman four days and the ease felt with her had been immense. He knew something was up when he actively sought her comfort. She didn't know all that troubled him, but had offered her softness and warmth regardless.
Of course, in perfect Niccals fuckery, everything had gone wrong and he was now faced with losing something good in his life once again. She wouldn't stay, not after knowing what had really gone down that night. Murdoc gritted his teeth, taking another hefty drink from the bottle. Did it make him stupid to want her comfort now to ease his heavy thoughts even when those thoughts centered around her and what he'd done? Maybe the dent-head was right and he just needed to come clean and play the next move from there. She might not be so quick to leave. Told Stu she had nothing back in the states. Had that been a hint indicating she would have agreed to return with him had he asked? The dent-head seemed to think she'd be more forgiving than Murdoc assumed she'd be. He needed to think on this some more. The dent-head was often too trusting and saw good where there was no good. Hailey may appear calm and accepting now, but Satan knows how quickly that would all fall apart once she found out the truth.