Flirting With Danger

"What?"

Luke stepped around Charlie to peer into his car and she was right, there was indeed a dead body slumped in the back. Not just any dead body either, Luke was flabbergasted to see that the dead man was no other than Roberto Borelli! What the hell was going on?

"Oh this ain't good," Luke said, beginning to pace and run his hands through his hair as he wracked his brains, trying to figure out what to do.

"You don't say," Charlie replied sarcastically.

"I know that man."

"You know him?"

"He's one of the Borelli brothers," Luke informed her, as if that explained everything.

"Adams, dare I ask, who are the Borelli brothers?"

He stopped pacing for a moment and stared at Roberto's body. "Mafia," he replied.

Charlie threw her hands in the air. "Oh great! This day is just getting better and better. So you've brought Mafia back from New York with you," she stated.

"He's one of the guys I've been trying to bring down since I went back," he informed her, still staring at the body.

"Well, it looks like someone beat you to it," she replied.

Luke frowned. "But who, and why?"

Charlie sighed. "I don't know." She opened her bag and pulled out her mobile phone. Luke turned suddenly.

"What you doing?" he asked, looking suspiciously at the phone in her hand.

"I'm phoning the police," she told him, opening her phone.

"Are you kidding me? You can't do that; I'll be the number one suspect," he replied in a panic.

She looked down at her phone and then up at Luke. "What do you intend to do then?"

He moved around the car, as though searching for something. "I need time, time to figure out what's going on," he said, bending to take a look underneath the car.

She ducked to talk to him from the other side. "Right, and in the meantime, what on earth are you going to do about the body?" she asked.

He rose, as did she. "I'll have to hide it," he announced.

She laughed. "Are you mad?"

He swiftly walked around the car and over to her, grabbing her by the arms. "You don't realize Charlie; he's American, I'm American, they will extradite me back to the USA."

"It can't be as bad as having to hide a dead body for goodness sake; how guilty will that make you look?" she pointed out.

"It can be as bad... when they put me on Death Row!" he exclaimed.

Her eyes widened. "Death Row?" She snapped her phone shut.

He sighed deeply, dropping his arms. "Yeah, they don't take so kindly to murder in the US."

"Well they don’t exactly take kindly to it here," she commented, "Still, prison is better than... oh, never mind. Luke, I don’t know what to say to you... other than that, nobody has a life this complicated. Most people who find a dead body phone the police." What was she saying? "Most people don't find dead bodies!" she amended.

"Yeah well, I have, and I've gotta get it outta here quick," he said, reaching around her to open the car door. She stepped aside and watched him slide into the seat. "Get in." he said.

She laughed. "Err no Luke, I'm not coming with you."

"Charlie, you're implicated now too; you were at the crime scene," he pointed out. "Plus, if the Borelli's are here, you could be in big danger."

"Adams, there's no way I'm coming with you. I'm going back to find Richie," she replied adamantly.

"Look," he began in his most appealing voice, "can ya just get in so I can drive outta the way or something, ‘cause if someone sees this," he made a thumb gesture to the back seat, "it ain't gonna look too good. I'll put the stiff in the trunk, think about what I'm gonna do and then you can go back to Richie boy if that's what you want."

"No Adams, this has nothing to do with me. You don't tell me what to do anymore. If I want to go back to find Richie, I'll go back now."

"Fine," he barked out, "Go back now then. I don't need you. I'll figure out what to do without you. I've been through worse. Have a nice life," he said, slamming the car into reverse ready to speed off.

The words 'Death Row' popped back into her head. Damn him! He wasn't capable of sorting this out himself, not without ending up worse off. How was she going to just go back to the club as if nothing had happened, knowing that Luke was harbouring a dead body? She had to at least find out what he planned to do next, if only for her own peace of mind.

"Adams!" she called after him.

He sped forward, and for a moment, she thought that he wasn't going to stop. At the end of the driveway however, he changed his mind and pulled to a halt. She ran over to the car, opened the door and slid into the seat.

"There's an area of woodland about a mile from here. It's quite remote. We will stop there, you will tell me what exactly you intend to do, and then I'm coming back here," she informed him.

"Okay, fine," he replied, trying not to look or sound relieved.

"Okay," she confirmed.

She must be out of her mind.

"Adams," she began.

"What?" he said, accelerating out of the driveway.

"If I end up in prison because of this, I will be extremely upset with you!" she said, pointing a finger at him.

"What, you don't like the black and white stripe look?" he grinned.

She tutted and he sped down the road.