Book 4: My Hands Are Tied (Axl Rose FanFic)

Ch. 7: Officer Stokes

"No I don't!" I was painfully aware of how much I suddenly sounded like a petulant child. For the first time in a long time, I felt myself blushing.

"You totally do!" Brett was way too cheerful about this discovery. His blue eyes were flashing as he studied my reddening face through the mesh. "You purposely got in trouble 'cause you wanted her to arrest you!"

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever-"

"Oh wow, that sounded kinda' kinky...are you maybe a masochist or something?" He was teasing me now. "Oh god, did it turn you on when I-?"

"This is starting to qualify as harassment, I think."

He laughed heartily, a laugh as big as he was, it nearly rocked the whole car. "You are totally into her!"

I rolled my eyes and settled back into my seat. "Pretty sure this counts as 'cruel and unusual punishment'. I still have my rights, you know...."

It took a while for Brett to stop chuckling to himself, but when his giggles finally died down he nodded appreciatively and shrugged. "Don't be so hard on yourself, kid. I was also super into Bernie-er, Cook-when I first met her."

"Shocker," I grumbled, glaring daggers at the back of his head. Of course he had been, who wouldn't be?

Finally, Brett set his notepad down on top of the middle console, turned the key in the ignition, and started off down the road. Through the window, I watched the crowd of gawkers grow smaller and smaller. Slash had been standing on the outskirts, staring after the patrol car with a blank expression on his face. Sherry had left long ago after a friend had helped her collect her belongings, get dressed, and offered to walk her home after she had completed a brief interview with Brett.

I couldn't shake the way that Sherry had glowered at me as I'd sat in handcuffs on the curb while Brett took down her testimony, tears still shimmering in her mascara-smeared eyes. They twinkled with an other-worldly glow as they caught the stray red and blue beams coming off of the cop car. I understood in that moment that something timid and soft resided in that glow, something that I had broken tonight. For not the first time in my life, I felt that overwhelming sense of power, the power to harm, the power to cause suffering. And like a lush drunk on their finest brew, I began to feel dizzy and sick.

The passing feeling of shame occurred to me, but I hurried to banish it from my thoughts. Sherry had just been a means to an end, a pawn in my plan. Besides, it wasn't like I had actually done anything that bad to her. So some people had seen her naked, so what? Way worse could've happened. I wasn't such a bad guy....

"She came in from another location, and she was a knock out." Brett was suddenly feeling chatty again, I guess. I hunkered down, ready to try and power through the longest, most vexing drive of my fuckin' life.

"She's so petite, a total babe...you'd think she was a delicate little flower or something, except she could totally kick my ass if she wanted to," Brett went on, a smile playing at his lips. "When we became a team, I thought that was my 'in', I thought we'd get so close so fast and naturally we'd fall in love or something. I at least thought we'd fuck. I dunno'."

I didn't know why he was telling me all this. It was just making me wish I could punch him even more than I already wanted to.

I tried to distract myself by staring out the window, watching as we passed the usual spots along the strip. There was the squat building with a bright yellow sign and big, block letters labeling it as "Tower Records". For a while I had been a manager there, but now I mainly used the parking lot to sleep or hang out in. Sometimes I'd use their bathroom. Passing along, I recognized a white brick building that used to be the Classic Cat, a strip club/burlesque venue where it was fabled Jim Morrison and Russ Meyer used to visit regularly. Now it was a University Stereo, which was way less interesting. Then, of course, there was the red and black corner building that was The Whisky a Go Go. It pulsed with rock music that was escaping from the inside, calling to me like a siren song. I ached a little extra tonight as we passed right by it.