Chapter 13 Reid
REID
Reid spent the next morning walking around town and grabbing a few necessities that he didn’t have time to grab before dashing out of the apartment he was renting and fleeing LA.
Niko had been good enough to give him a spare toothbrush, but he kind of felt like a bum asking for deodorant and hair gel. He could get away with using some of Nikolai’s under the radar, but eventually, he would notice that he was going through double the amount of hair gel in no time.
He didn’t need to explain why he was traveling across America without his toothbrush and other essential hygiene products. That might raise questions—questions he’d been avoiding since he arrived. He was fairly sure that Niko was starting to get annoyed with him for constantly avoiding the issue.
It was just after two in the afternoon when he finally returned to Niko’s home.
The man lived in a one-story, ranch-style house, with the bedrooms located at one end and the living space located at the other. The style of home was common in this neck of the woods.
It took three rings before someone picked up on the other end of the phone.
“Yello?” the voice answered, seeming neither excited nor angered that someone was calling him instead of using the normal method of communication—sending a text message.
“Hey, it’s me,” Reid replied, glancing through the living room blinds to see what was happening outside. Niko was out for the afternoon.
“Hey! Didn’t think I’d hear back from you so soon.”
“Had a bit of time. Thought I’d check in.”
“Well, the good news is that the cleaners were able to get into your rental apartment and wipe it clean before anyone had a chance to find out where you were staying,” the man on the phone explained.
“And the bad news?” There was always bad news when it came to Simon.
“The bad news is that they pulled your image off the office security camera.”
“So they know what I look like.”
“Yup. And it’s only a matter of time before they put a name to that face. I can do what I can on my end to help slow down the process, but eventually, they will find a name.”
“Well, hopefully by then we’ll have what we need. Was your guy able to find anything on the laptop?” Reid asked, watching as a mother scolded her child, who seemed hell-bent on trying to cross the road without an adult.
Stupid kid. Just let the rodent cross, and then if it gets hit by a car, the world would be a better place. Natural selection and all that jazz, Reid thought to himself.
“We found a code name and a date.”
“Of course, because nothing says ‘classic bad guy’ like a code name and an ominous date,” Reid noted.
“No shit, Sherlock.”
Reid scrunched his face. Simon was always sarcastic when he was fighting with his wife.
“What did you do this time?” Reid asked, shaking his head and frowning into the phone.
“What do you mean?” Simon responded, sounding confused.
“Why is she mad?”
There was a long pause.
“I have no idea what you mean,” Simon finally let out.
“Is it flowers and chocolates? Or diamonds and a mini-vacation?” Reid asked, taking a seat on the couch as he waited for his friend to confess to his crimes.
“It’s barely an orchid. Okay, fine. It might be a weekend spa trip for just the Mrs.”
Reid smirked. The man always caved.
“I hear Passion Springs is very romantic. They even have couples massages if you feel like groveling.”
Simon groaned. “I’ll think about it.”
The man didn’t seem interested in talking about it, so Reid decided to let his buddy have his privacy.
“So what’s the code name?” Reid asked now that his friend’s life was back on track.
“Morning sun and September sixteenth.”
Reid had never heard the code name mentioned before with this group they were investigating.
“Never heard of it.”
“We’ll keep investigating on our side and see what we can dig up. We got a few weeks, so at least we have that on our side,” Simon noted.
“Yeah, it’s just that the longer this asshole goes unpunished, the more people are going to continue to get hurt.”
“I hear ya. But we’re just a small organization. We can only do so much,” Simon reminded him.
That was true. They had to make do with what they had.
“Let me know what I can do on my end to help. I have a bit of time before I have to go meet up with Niko.”
“Is this the same Niko from back in the day?” Simon asked.
Reid took in a breath, then slowly exhaled. He didn’t want to get into too much detail with Simon, but he knew that the man was going to keep probing. Not because he was nosy, but because he genuinely cared.
“Yeah, he’s the guy I used to live with.”
“Hmm, sounds like you’ve got a few things to look into while you’re down there.” Simon let out a chuckle.
“Shut up, man. I’m here to work, not…”
“What? Not there to rekindle an old flame? Not there to confess your undying love for the man? Not there to—”
“I’m hanging up now,” Reid blurted, not giving his friend a chance to finish his teasing.
He’d mentioned Niko a few times over the years, usually sharing funny stories or memories from their time working for Mikhail, but he never talked about having feelings or discussed any of the sexual acts they performed together while working with clients.
Any conclusions Simon had made were entirely his own.
Staring at the blank television, his mind drifted back to how it all started…
Reid stumbled again, this time hitting the brick wall in front of him and using it to keep himself standing upright.
The Earth had once again decided to do one of its sudden tilts to the side.
But this time, Reid was prepared. He had his trusty, solid wall to help him keep standing. Or leaning.
Letting out a breath, he placed his face up against the surface and began to laugh.
How many times had he done this tonight? He’d lost count around six.
The number didn’t matter really. With each new one came a few more dollars in his pocket.
Around him, the world swayed.
A large, warm paw grabbed him by the back of the neck and pushed him further into the wall.
“There you go. Just like that,” the voice growled from somewhere behind him. His breath smelled like alcohol and cigarettes. Reid didn’t mind. As long as he got paid, they could smell like whatever they wanted.
Alcohol and cigarettes. That kind of reminded him of back home. His stepfather used to smell the exact same way each night before he took off his belt and decided it was time to teach him another lesson.
Cool air grazed Reid’s butt, reminding him of what was about to happen.
The man behind him pressed something cool and wet between his buttcheeks, taking a moment to spread it around his hole.
Reid hoped that the man would remember to put on a condom. He wanted to turn around and say something, but the cool brick against his face felt too good for him to bother. What was the difference? Three men had already fucked him bareback tonight; what was another one or two?
“Arch your back, boy,” the burly man, in a plaid shirt and dirt-stained jeans, ordered, gripping him hard around the waist.
Ow. That was going to leave a mark.
What was one more mark as long as he got paid?
Reid arched his back and tilted his head upward to stare at the moon.
It was such a nice night. Clear sky, cool breeze.
Oh! He grunted as the man pushed his cock inside him.
There was no warning. No gentle word of caution. Just hard dick, rammed deep inside him.
But what did he expect? They weren’t doing this for love… or romance.
Reid pressed his palms against the wall and tried to brace himself as the man behind him began to have his way with his body.
It would be over soon.
Five… six minutes, tops.
Guys, like the one currently fucking him, only lasted a few minutes.
They were the closeted, married men who went searching for cock before they went home to their wives.
They didn’t have time for foreplay, and didn’t have time to worry if their dick made you feel good.
They were there to bust a nut and then head home for the night.
And, to be honest, Reid preferred it that way. The sooner they came, the sooner he got his money, and the sooner he could go find Jerry, his drug dealer, and score some more coke.
It was nights like tonight when he preferred not to be sober. He didn’t want to be reminded of all the pain and misery he had endured while living at home with his mom and stepfather.
No. On nights like tonight, he just wanted to feel numb and let the cool air carry away all of his thoughts and feelings.
The grip around his waist tightened as the man’s hips slammed forward like he was trying to fuck him into the wall.
It was almost time.
The man let out a growl as his body plowed into him once more.
Reid could feel the man’s cock throb inside him as he shot his load.
The man pulled out without warning.
Nope. No condom. He could feel the cum as it slid down the inside of his thigh.
Not bothering to turn around, Reid pulled up his jeans and began doing up his fly.
“Thanks.” The man grunted as he tossed a fifty onto the ground before turning and making his way back down the alley.
Reid bent down and picked up the money.
He knew he should feel something. Anger? Disgust? But he didn’t feel anything. The drugs were doing their job and numbing the pain.
“You know, you could make so much more than a measly fifty,” a voice said from somewhere in the darkness.
Reid lifted his head, scanning the dark, until a figure emerged, stepping into the moonlight.
“A handsome guy like you should be working for me. Living in luxury and getting paid what he’s worth,” the man said in a thick Russian accent.
The man’s jacket collar was pulled up, hiding his face from anyone who dared to look.
“Thanks, but I don’t need a pimp,” Reid mumbled, shoving the cash into his jeans and starting to walk in the direction of the street.
“How does five hundred a night sound?”
Reid stopped for the briefest of moments.
It was that small moment of hesitation that would lead to the events that were about to unfold.
“Come. We’ll get you cleaned up and give you something warm to eat.” The man wrapped his arm around Reid’s shoulders.
It wasn’t until that moment that Reid realized he hadn’t eaten any solid food in the past three days. His stomach began to growl.
He’d been so focused on getting cash for drugs and finding a place to sleep that he hadn’t thought about making sure he ate.
What was the harm in hearing the man out? Perhaps having a pimp would make it easier to score tricks and get himself paid.
Looking back on that night, Reid realized that was the moment he handed himself over to the lion.
There was no five hundred dollars a night.
Yes, he had a place to stay and a fridge stocked with food, but he didn’t realize at the time how he and Nikolai had been manipulated into thinking they had a great life.
What twenty-year-old didn’t think their life was amazing when it was filled with sex, booze, and fancy gifts?
It wouldn’t take him long to realize that, with that style of life, came chains and control.
He was no longer free or able to leave, even if he wanted to. Mikhail and his guys controlled everything. Their bank accounts, their daily calendars, even when and where they went.
Mikhail and his crew were quick to remind them that New York was a dangerous place.
Accidents happen all the time.