14. Rory
RORY
“Hart invited us to dinner tomorrow night,” Brendan says.
I sit up straighter, and I’m about to shout from the rooftops how excited I am to see him again, but then I remember that I’m mad at both of them.
“Oh. Did you say yes?”
“Yes,” he grumbles between clenched teeth.
“You sound really excited.”
“I don’t like that he asked for you to come.”
He’s trying to talk to me through my brother. Sneaky. I haven’t responded to him, but I’ve been jumping for my phone every morning and there’s always a good-morning message, and he calls at night to leave a voicemail. His low sexy voice has me shivering and listening to them on repeat.
“Why not?”
“Because I think he knows you have a crush on him.” He glares at me.
“What? I— That’s not… Um.”
“That’s what I thought.” He wipes a hand down his face. “Rory—”
“Relax, Brendan,” I cut him off. “You told me he’s dangerous. I was just too dumb to see it.”
“Hey.” He turns me to him. “You’re not dumb.”
“You obviously think so,” I snap.
“What are you talking about?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?!”
Brendan’s face goes soft. “Rory.”
“Why would you do that?” I shout.
“The court system failed you, and they didn’t get into any trouble. What’s to stop them from doing it again?”
Violence breeds more violence, and I’m about to go commit some violence of my own!
“So you admit to it?”
“Yes. And I’m not sorry.”
“God, you fucking alpha males all think you know best.”
“Rory—”
“You know what? Go to dinner and tell Lex I said to fuck off too. Not that he’ll listen because everyone knows better than me.”
He steps closer and grabs my shoulders. “It’s not that. I was there. I watched you recover. I saw how much pain you were in, and I couldn’t do anything to help you.”
“Brendan.”
“And then you had to talk to the police and the judge and jury and endure the humiliation over and over again as their scumbag lawyer dragged you through the mud. Made it your fault.” He’s crying now.
So I pull him into my arms, and we slump to the floor.
“I saw how heartbroken you were when they got off, and the three of them were high-fiving each other like they just won a basketball game. I wanted to kill them right there, but I knew I couldn’t leave you all alone like that. ”
“Hey,” I try to soothe him. “It’s okay.”
“So I did what I could, and I’m not sorry about it. I’m sorry you’re upset by it, but Rory.” He looks down at me with tears in his eyes. “I caught Chad looking at you like he wanted to devour you, and he just winked at me.”
I shiver at the thought of Chad touching me again. He was the worst.
“Let me get in there.”
“Fuck you, it’s my turn,” Tanner whines and thrusts inside me.
“You don’t need to stop.”
“Yeah?”
“Just make room for me.” Chad’s weight joins Tanner, and that’s when I felt the tear.
“Hell yeah. That’s fucking tight.”
“I love when they’re so broken they can’t fight anymore. I can do whatever I want.” Chad pushes in farther, and I barely move. I can’t. There’s nowhere for me to go, and my jaw hurts too much to move, so I can’t even cry out in pain.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you go back there.” He hugs me tight. “Do you want me to call off the attack on Chad?” Brendan asks through gritted teeth, and I laugh at the look on face. “I don’t want to, but I will, for you.”
I’m about to say “call it off,” but then I remember the way Chad was leering at me in class, and in the courtroom.
“Where are you going for dinner?”
Brendan seems thrown off by the change in topic, but smiles when he realizes I didn’t tell him to call it off.
“Not sure, but knowing him, it will be hella fancy.”
Hopefully it’s an early dinner because I’m still scared to be alone. Brendan’s been going to work without me most days, and I told him I’m fine, but really, I’m not ready to be alone. And definitely not at night.
“Are you going to come?”
“No. You can give him my message, though.” But deep down, I don’t want him to fuck off.
I just hope he doesn’t find someone new to take his interest from me before I have a chance to call him Daddy.
But I need more time to come to grips with this whole thing.
“I’m not ready to be around a mob boss.”
“How did you know he’s the boss?”
“He told me when we first met. Not that he was a mob boss, but that he was the boss.” Plus, he carries himself like the entire world is in his grasp. Confidence is so sexy.
“How many times have you talked to him?”
“How many times have we been to his tower? Do you think he owns the tower?”
“Probably.” Brendan shrugs.
“How hard was it for you to spend all his money on me?” I tease.
“Excruciating, but he kept texting me to spend more.” He gasps. “Wait, is he the one sending you all of these gifts?”
I sigh deeply. “Yes.”
“Why is Hart sending you presents?”
Double shit.
“Because I found out he’s in the mob and was beating the shit out of my attackers.”
“How did you find out?”
“He has a private doctor.” I tick off the list with my fingers. “He has a group of men who call him boss and answer his every command. He owns the largest building in the city. He carries a gun. He’s offered to kill people for me. I thought he was joking!”
“I should have told you, but I didn’t think things would get so out of hand. Fucking internet making you a human-interest story.”
“I don’t mind if it helps other people and makes them brave enough to speak out.”
“You’re amazing.” He pulls back to kiss my forehead, and then he just looks at me before narrowing his eyes in the “I’m thinking” way. “But it still doesn’t explain why Hart is sending you presents.”
Shit! Deflect.
I throw my hands dramatically into the air.
“How should I know! I’m not a mob boss. Maybe he doesn’t want you to be upset at him for upsetting me and then you’ll stop being his doctor?
” Brendan doesn’t look like he’s buying this.
Time to amp it up. “So this is your fault! I didn’t ask for the presents, or the revenge or the attack…
” I sniffle, and now I kind of feel like a dick cause I’m using my trauma to make my brother back off, but hey, it’s my trauma and I’ll use it however I want.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I just worry about you.”
“Everything I do worries you.” I pout.
“I want to say that’s not true, but it is. I want to help you heal, but I don’t know what’s normal and what’s trauma.”
“Neither do I.”
“Promise me you’ll tell me if something is wrong.”
“Promise me you’ll ask me before hiring any other mob boss.”
“Done.” We pinky promise. “How about we order pizza and watch a movie?”
“The one with the detective who becomes a beauty queen?”
“Whatever one you’d like, but I get to pick the next one.”
“Fine, but I’m limiting the number of deaths to twenty.”
“Twenty!” Brendan gasps, truly appalled. “We might as well watch another rom-com then. Thirty!” he demands with a smile.
“Twenty-five,” I counter.
“Sold!”
“Hello, rabbit. I miss you. Please come to dinner tonight. You don’t have to talk, I’ll just be happy to see your beautiful face.”
I almost cave and go to dinner, but I’m still not ready to talk with Lex. What am I supposed to say? “Hey, I like you, stop killing people?”
That’s insane!
Do I want him to stop killing people?
Yeah, I suppose I would prefer he doesn’t kill people, but I’m guessing they all deserve to die.
Jesus! Listen to me!
I’m trying to decide if I’m okay dating a murderer?
The answer to that is obviously no, but he’s everything I’ve ever wanted.
Strong, attentive, protective, sweet, thoughtful, possessive, and gorgeous.
Which brings me back to the one question I can’t answer. What does he want with me?
I’m a skinny damaged gay boy and he’s a straight, sexy mob boss.
Maybe I should have taken more time to think through what was happening instead of just ignoring the red flags and falling for the guy anyway.
And why am I falling for him?
He never said he likes me or wants to date me!
“I understand that you’re upset, but I’m not giving up on you.”
Ugh!
What does that mean?
He’s very protective of me, and likes to spoil me, and likes to snuggle me. But does he want to snuggle his dick inside my ass?
Do I want that?
Hell yeah, I do, but I’m nervous it might hurt or trigger me.
Maybe he just wants to adopt me like a pet? He can care for me, I can keep him company, and we can have a platonic relationship.
But I really want his dick.
It has to be big, a man that size… mmmm.
My mouth waters just thinking about it.
But can I have a relationship with a man who doesn’t want me physically? I mean, I love sex and I miss having it, but other than a few twitches when I hear big boss Daddy’s voice over the phone, it’s been basically dormant down there. So maybe I’d be fine without the sex?
My therapist says it’s the trauma, but what if Lex wants me and I can’t do it?
Would he still want me?
Or would he kill me and then Brendan because he’s a mob boss?
No, he wouldn’t hurt me physically, I know it deep down, but emotionally?
That remains to be seen.
I throw myself down on the bed with a huff and try to unravel my thoughts.
Which door was it again?
My legs wobble as I walk to door number one, but it’s locked.
Door number two is so blurry that even on my knees I can’t see the handle.
The third door is solid as I crash into it and then roll through.
My whole body aches as I try to look around the room.
It’s dark, but I can see it’s a classroom.
The desk chairs are all up, and the floors smell like pine trees.
It’s so strong it’s making me nauseous. I try to get up but my hand slips and my head crashes back to the floor.
Fuck, that really hurt! Maybe I’ll just lie here for a while until my head stops throbbing, but the ground is hard.
I try to get up again, but my body feels like it’s trapped under a huge weight and I can’t breathe.
I’m gasping and struggling to get free to get air when suddenly the weight is gone from my chest, but it’s on my legs now.
I suck in a deep breath and holy fuck, that hurt!
I start to panic when I can’t fill my lungs with air and then realize that’s making it worse.
Taking little gasping breaths seems to be the only way to breathe without the crushing pain.
I’ve been so focused on breathing that I didn’t even notice my pants are being removed. I kick out, but my legs don’t move, almost like they’re tied down. I try to grab my pants but my arms are frozen too.
What’s happening?
Why can’t I move?
I can’t see anything.
No one’s here.
WHY CAN’T I MOVE?!
“Damn, you look good like this.”
Chad’s sitting on my feet with my pants in his hands.
“Get off me,” I shout, but nothing comes out. My jaw won’t move. A rough hand grabs it, and I almost black out from the shooting pain.
“Looks like his jaw is broken, man. You think I can still fuck it?” Tanner asks as my head lolls to the left, and I see his gorgeous brown eyes. Of course the stupid fuckers have to be handsome.
“Try it?” Mitch says.
“You try it.” My head flops to the right where Mitch rolls it back to Tanner. My stomach roils, and I’m going to puke.
“Fuck no, I’m not going to have him bite my dick off.” Tanner shoves me again, and I vomit all over Mitch.
“That’s it,” a soothing voice says. “You’re home, you’re safe.”
I puke again into a trash can.
I thought I was on the floor?
With those three fucks again.
“It’s me, Brendan, and you’re at home safe in bed.”
“Safe?” I ask.
“Safe,” he whispers, and my eyes open to see him sitting on the floor holding the trash can. “You done, pixie?” He brushes some hair off my forehead.
“Yeah, I think so.” I flop onto my back and huff a laugh when I see the cat poster Brendan put on the ceiling so I would wake up and know I was home.
“Let me get cleaned up and I’ll be right back.”
I want to beg him to stay with me, but the smell of vomit is making me even more nauseous.
“Okay.”
“I’ll be quick.”
When he comes back, he’s got a glass of water and a wet washcloth.
I take a small drink of the cold water and flop back down. Brendan sits beside me and places the cloth on my forehead.
“You want to talk about it?” he asks.
Normally I say no, but… “I was in the classroom on the floor, but I couldn’t see them. I just knew that I was hurt and breathing was hard. Then they appeared and started arguing about who was going to fuck my throat.”
Brendan’s eyes widen and burn with fire.
“I’m going to kill them,” he growls.
“No,” I remind him. “Death is too good for them.”
“God, Rory, I’m so sorry I failed you.” He pulls me tight and buries his face in my hair. “I should have been there.”
“There’s no way you could have known what was going to happen,” I try to soothe him, but he shakes his head.
“I should have done better.”
“You helped me through the healing process. I don’t think I would have made it without you.” I never told him, but I wanted to give up, I wanted to die.
“No, you’re strong. You’ll always make it.”