Free Good & Dead #1 by Jamie Wahl

Michael guessed it was a no-expense-spared kind of thing.  It was a beautiful space, but it was the kind of beauty that only impressed.  It did not invite.  There were several elaborately carved doors on each side, and paintings hung every few feet in between.  They portrayed various things—the English countryside, old photographs from when New York was young.  A large one pictured men on wooden scaffolding hanging the enormous numbers on ‘Big Ben’.
    They passed several people in the hall, drinks in hand, talking.  Michael tried his best to become invisible.  It seemed everyone gave him the same piercing, appraising look.
    The last painting on the wall was an oil portrait of a beautiful young girl.  She was dressed in a white and silver beaded dress with long strings of beads trailing from her ultra-short hem down to her knees.  Her flame red hair was cropped close to her jaw and styled in a perfect roaring twenties wave.  Michael stopped to stare at it.  He couldn’t help himself.  There was something very familiar about those eyes….
    “Is that…” He said aloud.
    “What do you think?” Tanish asked with a grin.
    “What are you guys talking about?” Chad asked, backtracking to get a better look at the picture.  “Woah!  Who’s the hottie?”
    Tanish’s smile evaporated.
    Michael didn’t know what to say.  Chad hadn’t seemed to notice that he was walking around with his foot in his mouth. 
    “That is someone who I would not disrespect,” Tanish said dangerously.
    Chad glanced at Tanish’s face and swallowed hard.  Tanish held his gaze as he had done with the large man in the bar.
    “You may be more trouble than you’re worth,” Tanish said after a few moments. He walked to the door at the end of the hall, and smoothed the wrinkles in his shirt.  He knocked twice.
    “Come in.”
    Tanish glanced at Michael’s mud-speckled shirt and wet knees, and Chad’s un-tucked shirt tails. He started to say something, then just sighed resignedly and opened the door.
    The room was furnished with fine leather sofas and tall, ruby-colored armchairs.  There was ornate woodwork all around, and the walls were painted a warm caramel color.  An enormous fireplace spanned half of the far wall.  It looked like an exceedingly well-furnished country club. 
    In front of the fireplace was an elaborately carved, glossy black desk.  There, in a wing-backed chair, sat Bell.   She was still wearing her smart business suit, but she had taken off her jacket.  The top three buttons of her blouse were undone, and she held a pale pink drink in her hand.  She looked very comfortable.
    “Tanish,” she said with a small smile, setting down her glass. “And Michael,” she added with a nod.
    She got up from her chair and walked around, gracefully sitting on the desk cross-legged.  Michael noticed she was barefoot.
    Her beauty was alarming even though he had already seen her once.  He couldn’t seem to look anywhere else.  He could swear she was glowing but shook himself.  It must be his imagination.  Again he was stuck staring somewhere near her mouth.  Chad was staring somewhere slightly south.  His mouth was actually hanging open. 
    “This is Chad?” she gestured to Chad’s gaping awe.
    “Yes it is,” Tanish answered with the tiniest hint of ridicule in his voice. 
    “And where is Joseph?” Bell asked.
    “He…lost his patience.” They shared a meaningful look which caused Bell to smirk deeply.  Chad’s eyes were completely glazed over, staring at her ample curves.
    She turned her attention to Michael.  “You look…” she searched for the right word, “less shocked.  Have you had time to sort things out since we last met?”
    “I think he slept the whole time,” Tanish said quietly.  Bell held a hand up.  She wanted Michael to speak for himself.
    “Um…I slept the whole time.”
    Bell smiled.  It was so unsettling.  Her mouth curved up in the same open-mouthed smile every