Chapter 3
CASEY
“You know where I put my pink wig?” Kendra asks and I can barely keep my eyes open as I shuffle into the kitchen.
Maybe getting dicked down after every torture session for weeks isn’t the best idea.
Kendra looks up from rummaging around the makeup case she has poured open on the kitchen island.
“Damn, you look like death warmed over.”
“Thanks. I feel like it.” I slump against the kitchen island. “Think I just need some coffee.” I shuffle to the coffeemaker and pour a mug of steaming hot brew.
“Who are you and what have you done to my Casey?”
“Some days you need coffee, even if it’s evil.
” I stick my tongue out at her, then doctor my coffee with an obscene amount of sugar and creamer.
I take a sip and grimace. “So good.” I choke.
Maybe I didn’t add enough creamer. I grab the bottle and pour more in until there’s a hint of brown in my mug instead of mostly brown.
Another drink and I sigh. “Okay, that’s much better. ”
Kendra rolls her eyes. “You know, you might as well drink straight up creamer if that’s how much you like.”
“Maybe I will.” I grab the creamer, ready to do just that, when my phone vibrates in my pajama pants. “Who the fuck calls someone at eight in the morning?”
“I mean, a lot of people are at work at 8am. Answer it.”
I stick my tongue out again. The caller ID doesn’t give me a name or number I know, so I answer. “You’ve reached Casey.” Maybe I’m a little too cheery.
“Cute name.”
I can’t help the smile. “Darla!”
Kendra’s eyes go wide and she waves for me to put the call on speakerphone.
“I made a promise to you years ago. If I found Charles, I’d let you know.”
All the heat leaves my body. My hands tremble and I set my cell on the counter.
“Where?” The word comes out more of a growl than a word.
“He goes by Matt Brooks now. You might have heard of him.”
“I’m gonna throw up.” I fall onto one of the barstools around the island.
Kendra swallows back her feelings like usual. “He must have had work done, because Matt Brooks looks nothing like Charles at all. Not even close.”
“He sure did. And he’s gonna be at Influencer Con this year, which you probably already know. Wanted to let you know what I found out so you can deal with him accordingly.”
“How’d you figure out Matt is Charles?” We’ve been searching for so damn long.
“He slipped up, kid. If you don’t take him out, we will. But I’ll give you until Influencer Con to do the job. I’ll even pay you for it.”
“This is one job I’d do for free, but I won’t say no to the payment.”
Darla chuckles, and it sounds like she’s tapping her long nails on a table. “Thought you might. Kennedy still with you?”
“Yeah,” Kendra says tentatively. “Kendra now.”
“Sorry didn’t recognize the voice. Kendra’s a cute name, too. Anyway, it might take both of you to take this sonofabitch down.”
“We’re ready.” Kendra balls her hands and I want to smooth out her fingers.
“Good. I know you got each other’s backs, but if you need more backup, let me know. I’ll send you a team.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you know.” With our target being such a huge influencer I’m not entirely sure this is a two-person job, but I’m damn well gonna try. I don’t want to have to owe Darla again or her owe me.
“I like that show you two got going on in the dark web. Letting your audience dictate how you torture someone? Clever.”
“I thought it sounded like fun.” I grin at Kendra, who rolls her eyes.
“It is, but you’re getting sloppy on the surveillance. I taught you better.”
Kendra glares at the phone. “Excuse me?”
“You wouldn’t be offended if I were wrong. Are you making sure everything’s cleaned up every night?”
I snort. “Of course. But we have a crew do it.”
“You outsourced the most important part?”
“They have just as much to lose as we do if this shit gets out,” Kendra says.
“Who is it?” Darla asks. “You know I worry about my kids.”
I scoff. “I still think it’s weird you call us that.”
“What else am I supposed to call you? I raised you after you got away from that piece of shit.”
“You gave us skills no teenager should ever need to survive,” I say.
Darla sighs. “Sorry for trying to keep you alive.”
“See, this is why we had to leave the nest,” Kendra says. “Trying to make us feel guilty.”
“Awe, but it kept you fed and alive. I just wanted to keep good on my promise. We’re even now, right?”
“Yeah,” Kendra and I say together.
“Kisses.”
I stare at my phone once the call disconnects.
“Holy shit. We know where to find Charles.” I look up at Kendra. “We’re going to take him down.”
“I can’t fucking wait. That man has no business being an influencer of any kind.
” She uses quotes around influencer. “I never even heard of Matt Brooks until Influencer Con. I’m just not into the whole RV life.
I can’t believe a guy like him is headlining the convention. ” She leans in and taps her bottom lip.
My mind has been reeling and I can’t think. “Can you find his current addy?”
“Of course. Should be easy.” She slides her phone from her bra. “Unless he’s smart and doesn’t post where he is when he’s there. If he posts a week later, then it’ll be impossible to figure it out.”
“He’s got a newsletter, which requires a physical address. We should start there. Maybe he’s using a PO Box or other address in the same state he travels the most.”
“Good call.” Kendra furiously types on her phone. “Fuck. There’s no way we could have figured out this is Charles.” She holds up her phone. There’s a huge picture of Matt Brooks aka Charles Orlov smiling back at us.
My stomach sours. Those familiar eyes are hard to forget.
Brown. There are the same crinkles in the corners.
The hard lines of his thin lips have been filled.
The nose is completely different and nothing else feels familiar.
“He has a great surgeon,” I say. “We’re so close I can taste it, but how many kids have we failed by not catching him years ago? ”
Kendra walks around the kitchen island to pull me into a hug. “We’ll fucking get him, Casey. We’ll avenge Dorian.”
I wrap my arms around her waist and just soak in the peachy scent of her shower gel.
Her and her scent are the only thing keeping me grounded in this moment and not the day our lives crumbled.
Not the day Dorian couldn’t take it anymore and took his own life.
Not the day Darla found us on the streets after we fought off someone trying to assault Kendra.
Not the day I killed that man that tried to assault Kendra and how I liked it.
Kendra rubs her arms down my back. “Do we need to have a torture sesh today?”
“No, we don’t have time before we have to be at the aquarium, but thank you for offering.” I pull back, then kiss her on the cheek. “I can wait until Friday. I don’t want people to expect random times. Plus, what if no one showed up?” I fake a pout. “I’d be devastated.”
She cracks a smile and swats at my shoulder. “You’ll always have an audience. You’re just that good.”
I scoff and roll my eyes.
“Just let me know if you change your mind. I can get someone for you to torture in like two hours.” She snaps her fingers.
“You’re the best.” I rub my head on her shoulder like a cat before standing to my full height. We’re evenly matched in the height department, both on the shorter side.
“I know.” She sighs and looks to the ceiling. “I know it’s been like a decade, but I still miss Dorian. He should be here. But everything they did to him, I get it.”
I squeeze my eyes shut to the memory lasered into my brain. I refuse to think about it anymore today. “Let’s make some muffins to honor him.”
“Sounds good to me.” She runs her manicured fingers through my hair and it interrupts all the haze in my brain.
We work together mixing ingredients for apple cinnamon muffins, Dorian’s favorite. It’s only been me and Kendra for so long we’ve learned how to make exactly enough dough for four muffins. We’re silent in our actions until I slide the tray into the oven.
“So, you’re going pretty steady with that Dallas guy. At least your asshole is.” Kendra fights off a smirk.
I sigh and press my hands to my heart all dramatically. “Three weeks of amazing fucking. He’s a keeper. Can’t wait for our next fuckening.” I grin and hop up onto the counter, letting my legs swing.
“The guy must be amazing. You never sleep with the same guy more than once. This is like a record for you.”
“It is, but he’s cute. Wait!” I grab my phone and scroll to the Influencer Con announcement page. “Dallas Runer. I knew he looked familiar.” I show Kendra my phone. “I just couldn’t figure it out. I should have picked it up instantly.”
“Ah! Yes! That gym guy. Doesn’t he jump rope or something?” She fans her face with a dishtowel.
“No idea, but he’s got a great dick and his body is beautiful.” I click the link to go to his website. “Oh, he’s one of those happy positivity do what you’re able kinda influencers.” He’s got pretty eyes and a great smile. He feels trustworthy. You can always tell it from the eyes.
“Better than a douchey gym bro.”
“Absolutely.” I shiver.
Our timer goes off and I drop to my feet and grab our flower shaped oven mitts to remove our muffins from the oven.
“Mmmmm.” I hum as I set the tray on top of the stove to let them cool.
Kendra grabs the butter from the fridge. Real butter, not margarine because that stuff ruins everything. Butter is where it’s at for flavor.
“You’re thinking about margarine again, aren’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“The little nose scrunch.” She imitates me and I stick my tongue out.
We slather our muffins in butter until they’re dripping.
“Damn, we’re good,” Kendra says around a mouthful. “Probably shouldn’t eat so much butter before a performance, but here we are.”
“True, but at least this one is a Q&A about ocean conservation at the Aquarium. We don’t have to use the silicone tails if we don’t want to. The fabric ones have more breathing room.” I smack my stomach.
“Good point.” She boops my nose, leaving butter on it. “Come on, we should probably get ready for it.”
“We still have plenty of time, but for you, my mer princess, I’ll do anything.”
Another eye roll. “Last time we did this gig you forgot your wig and your natural hair clashes with like everything.”
“I know. I know.” I run a hand through my red hair. It’s more on the orangey red than red brown and I kinda sorta hate it.
“You know I love you and your hair, but the color is hard to work with if you want the colors you love.”
“I am aware.” I swipe a buttery finger across her forehead.
“Ugh. Go get ready.” She wipes the back of her hand across my mess.
I sashay away and lock myself in the bathroom to shower.
But pain floods my thoughts. Dorian was my life and every day without him hurts.
I’m aware that a lot of it has to do with how we were raised.
The cult, it fucked us up and I try not to think about it.
But Dorian was my Divine. My entire world for years.
Until I saw what Charles did to those he blessed as the Divine.
I ball my hands and shake my head, trying to rattle my thoughts away. Dorian’s been gone for so damn long. He held on as long as he could, but I wish he could have told Kendra and me his plan. We would have done better. There has to be something we missed.
A soft knock on the bathroom door startles me from my thoughts.
“Casey, take some deep breaths,” Kendra says loud enough through the door.
“I am breathing.”
“I know, babe, but you’re spiraling out of control in that pretty head of yours. Do we need to cancel the appearance?”
I shuffle to the door and open it to her concerned face. “No. I’ll get my shit together, sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I know Darla’s news is tough. That fucking bastard has been out there living his best life after destroying countless lives. It’s hard.” She wipes at my face. I hadn’t realized I was crying.
“Get in the shower and wash everything away.”
I nod again and kiss her palm.
The shower does not wash everything away. In fact, it makes things worse.
Reminding me about the first man I killed and, unfortunately, it wasn’t Charles Orlov. He got away. He ran. He hid. He changed his face. Changed his name. He’s in the mother fucking spotlight.
Can I turn my followers on him? If I show them proof? But what proof do I have other than my own memories? He doesn’t even look the same and I don’t have a picture of his face from before. I destroyed them all when we ran from the cult.
I turn the water as cold as it’ll get and grit my teeth to the shock. Sometimes it’s the only thing that gets me out of my head.
Should I go to therapy? For sure. Will I? Nah. What would I say? I grew up in a cult with my best friends. I killed the man I witnessed raping Dorian, then he killed himself.
Oh, and to blow off steam, me and Kendra torture then kill other rapists and traffickers via livestream.
Because I love having an audience. Oh, why am I a merfolk performer?
For funsies. No, but for real, after getting free from Charles, I kind of soaked up as much information about everything we were never allowed to learn about and became an ocean conservationist in a way.
I educate people, mostly kids, about the ocean and what they can do to protect it.
Being a merman helps sell the info. Plus, I love swimming.
I feel free in water, like there’s not a ton of bricks on my chest weighing my mind down.
Also helps my spicy brain in a way nothing else does.
If I feel a meltdown coming, I can usually stave it off with a swim.
Usually. A swim or a fuck and my normal choice is a swim.
I hop out of the shower and dry off. I wrap the towel around my waist and almost run into Kendra when I open the door.
“Uh, hello? Creepy much?” I say.
“You know how I get. I worried. If you were in there five more minutes, I was going to come in and—”
I squeeze her hand. “I’m okay. I won’t ever hurt you like Dorian hurt us.”
“I know. It’s just. I love you and—”
“I love you, too.” I pull her in for a hug and she squeals.
“Ew! You’re still all wet!”
We’re laughing again when I chase her through the apartment until she plops on the couch to catch her breath.
“Shoo. Get dressed, you pest.”
“Love yaaaa.” I sashay to my bedroom to pull on some clothes and pack one of my fabric tails for today’s job.
She’s on her phone when I rejoin her in the living room.
I plop next to her on the couch. “I think I’m gonna hit the pool tonight. I need a swim to clear my head.”
“Want company?” she asks.
“Nah, I’ll be fine. Go on and eat dinner without me.”
She looks up from the screen. “You’re gonna be gone that long?”
“Yeah. I wanna test a few new tricks too, so I don’t know how long I’ll be.”
“Alright. I might see if Danielle is down to play, so don’t worry if I’m not home when you get back.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Alright, so let’s go get our mer on.”