6. Pathetic & Weak Looks Good on You
6
PATHETIC they’ve both got the art of charming people down to a perfected science.I’m smart enough not to fall for their bullshit.
Lock runs his hand through a young guy’s hair, attempting to console him while he cries about something that happened to his dad, but he looks over his shoulder and grins at me. Ain’t nothing sincere about his grin, and because of it, I can’t help but grin back. Submissive people are intriguing to men like us because we enjoy lording power, but our attention never lasts long.This nineteen-year-old showed up to demand answers about his missing dad, but honestly, if he wants the truth, he should go to Vile House. His dad is dead, and Director has a good way of conveying that message.
“Tom!” Yates shouts through the door. “Get your ass out here. Lock, let’s go!”
Tom is Yates’ son, and he’s as much of a lazy piece of shit as his dad. He comes outside with a gun and a beer, a loyal pup to his daddy.
Seeing me out here for this meeting has him envious. “You rise up in rank while I wasn’t looking?” Tom asks me.
“You grow a set while I wasn’t looking?” I fire back.
“Vile Boy has the hots for Sauder. Requested he be here,” Lock says, reaching his hand out to me for a smoke. “You fucking a Vile Boy?”
I hand him the smokes, trying to read everything about him. It’s not easy to hide a full back tattoo, and I’ve had my Vile House tat for over three years. When I fuck, I fuck them from behind. When I shower, I lock and barricade the door. When I sleep, I grip a knife in my hand and leave my shirt on. The only time I let my guard down is when I’m in Vile House. But Lock knows something about me. I don’t know if he’s seen my tattoo or if he just suspects something about my lack of nakedness when I have a body that deserves to be shown off. I’m not shy, and he knows it, so he’s suspicious. Riot being here earlier doesn’t help…
“Maybe.” I shrug, sparking another match for him. “They’re masked, so I wouldn’t know if I was, would I?”
He leans in, inhaling while his smoke lights. His dark and gold hair tickles my jaw, and his deceptive pale green eyes swirl with playfulness. “But you just admitted you fuck guys?”
No. I lick my lips at him as an answer.He’s curious about Killian, but I won’t confirm or deny anything because Vile House has taught me the power of mystery and secrets.
“No funny business tonight,” Yates says. “Let me do the talking. If he tries anything, fucking kill him.”
Over my dead body. When Killian Hallows dies, it’ll be either by my hand or when I drag him to Hell with me. He thinks he’s my god, but he’s just my hellhound, nipping at my heels as I taunt Death, my loyal little puppy who will follow me anywhere. I’ll lead him straight to her door without him even realizing it.
Yates and Tom walk down the steps, and Lock nudges me to get me moving. One of these days, I’m going to blow this gang up from the inside. As soon as I get Director the information he’s after, he’ll give me the green light to unleash on this fucked up place. Being with them keeps me up at night, and I’m done playing this part.
When Lock’s shoulder brushes mine as we walk across the dewy grass under the cover of nightfall, I look at him, and he looks at me. Yeah, I’ll get him out before I demolish this place. He’s hated it here ever since Yates took over, and I’ve never asked why he stays.On the other hand, the crew would do so much better under his rule. Maybe The Misfits can be salvaged.
Hades Park is surrounded by trees, with a small playground and a soccer field. It’s where Krypt and Riot found that kid’s dad’s body, but so far, Yates is denying he knows anything about it. I know one of his guys killed the dad, but I don’t know why he took the kid in. It’s where Riot demanded to meet, requesting that Soren Sauder be there.
So here I fucking am. Loathing that he gets to play the Vile Boy while I have to be the idiot at Yates’ side. My tether of restraint is fraying by the second.
“There he is,” Yates says, tossing his smoke butt and immediately lighting another one. Tom gives him a light this time, and I stand next to Lock, watching Riot approach the park from the woods.
His Vile mask is in place, white and black, stark and ominous. The way he walks compliments his god complex, and the energy that rolls off him makes my molars grind. He’s deranged because he’s so charming about it, but when he wants to be deadly, he has no trouble slipping into that role, too. Sometimes, I think serial killer is his base layer and everything else about him is the mask, but he’s hard to read when he doesn’t want to be read.All I know is that he exudes power and sex, and I hate him for both.
Yates stiffens in front of me, and Tom looks at his dad for direction. Lock shuffles from foot to foot, but he seems more amused than anything, and I watch my Vile House brother command attention and instill fear just by walking towards us. Fucking pisses me off. If I was masked, I’d be on par with him.
Dressed in black from head to toe, his boots come to a stop and his hands slip into his pockets. Casually lethal and powerful about it. “Talk,” is all he says, his voice deep and raspy, slightly modulated by a filter in his mask.I pay attention to Lock’s reaction, wondering if he’ll recognize the voice from earlier. If he does, he doesn’t react.
“I’d rather have this meeting without them.” Yates hooks his thumb towards me and Lock, making me plot an entirely new way to murder him.Lock is his third, so why doesn’t he want him here?
“No,” Riot says.
“Why him?” Yates asks, pointing at me. “He’s low-ranking. He’s nobody.”
Holy fuck, I see red. There are four throwing knives in my jacket, and my fingers twitch to grab all of them and bury them in the back of Yates’ head. I’m fucking nobody? I can’t wait to show him how much of a somebody I really am.
“Which means he’s not full of shit. Start talking or I’m gone.”
“There’s outside trouble,” Yates says while Tom sets his beer down, reaching for a gun in his waistband. He grips the handle but doesn’t pull it free, and I look at Riot to let him know it’s there.
“Is there?” Riot asks like he doesn’t give a shit.
“Yeah. Group of homicide detectives looking into a string of murders. Leading them right here.”
He’s such a fucking liar. The unknown kid Lock was just comforting came to Moros with his dad, and his dad wound up dead. According to Director, Yates reached out to the kid’s dad—who happens to be a homicide detective—meaning he was the one that led them here. But why? To distract us while he lets Reaper Corp in the back door? Yates has never wanted a Vile House contact before, and this seems like such a small deal to finally make him reach out for one. He’s playing us, which is obvious, but I don’t know why, and I don’t know why the dad had to die.I’m pretty sure the whole homicide detective thing is bullshit anyway.
Silently, I move around to Yates’ other side, getting a look at his side profile. “Thought you didn’t know anything about the kid’s dead dad,” I say.
Yates looks at me for talking out of turn. “Couple locals found the kid and the body. The kid’s hysterical, doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but his story lines up with a few issues we’ve had. Wasn’t us who killed the guy.” Yes it was.
It was Krypt and Riot who found the kid and his dad, not a couple locals, but Yates doesn’t know that. Is this just some half-ass plan he let go unchecked and now he’s cleaning up his own mess?
“Get to the point, old man,” Riot says.
“Talk to my dad like that again and I’ll?—”
Lock disarms Tom before he even has the gun all the way out. “You’ll what?”
“Get your fucking hands off me!” Tom shouts, but Yates’ is already smacking his son, telling him to get the fuck back to the hall. “Give me my gun,” he snaps at Lock.
Lock throws it into the woods with a smile on his face. “Slipped,” he says.
Riot turns to leave, letting us know this is a waste of his time.
“Hold up,” Yates says. “I got word that there’s going to be an ambush in Moros on Saturday night. Wanted to, uh, work together to take care of the issue.”
“Got word how?” Riot asks.
“Just did.”
“Why would we work with you? You’re useless.”
Yates steps forward, but Riot flings a dagger. It embeds in Yates’ shoulder, and then Riot grabs me, and I have to goddamn go along with it. He spins me, my back to his chest, his arm around my throat and his mask beside my head.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he whispers. “I like this look on you. Pathetic and weak.”
Reaching back, I snug a throwing knife up to his inner thigh and ask, “Pathetic and weak?”
He groans. “This is how it’s going to go, Yates. You wanna work together, you’ll send this one.” He taps my chest with his palm. “Messages come through him. If he isn’t available, I’ll take that one.” He points at Lock. “But if you ever fucking talk to me again, I won’t miss your throat.”
Yates leaves the dagger in his shoulder. “Fuck Vile House,” he snarls. “This was a warning. But I’ll make sure Moros knows you turned your back on it.”
“Moros knows where to turn for help,” Riot says. “And it sure as fuck isn’t you. Why not put that one in charge?” he asks, nodding to Lock again. “I’ll kill you and your pathetic son tonight and set the balance right in Moros when he takes over. How’s that sound?”
Fuck, he’s dumb. He’s going to get Lock killed. I press my ass back to warn him to shut up, but all it does is draw another groan from his throat.
Yates looks at Lock. “You fucking betraying bastard.” Lock hasn’t betrayed anyone, but he doesn’t deny it. He’s done taking Yates’ shit, just like I am. “Get the fuck out and don’t come back.”
Lock barely reacts to being thrown from the gang he’s been in for fifteen years. Looking at me, he asks, “You good, Sauder?”
“Oh, he’s good,” Riot answers for me. “He’s Yates’ little bitch now, and with you gone, he just moved up in rank.” Riot presses his hard cock against my ass before pushing me away. “Next time you want Vile House to save your ass, send Sauder. I won’t look at you again.” Riot turns and strides out of the park. “Lockan Tate,” he calls. “Let’s go.”
Lock gives me a nod and a secretive smirk, and then he stalks off with Riot, turning to walk backwards long enough to give Yates the finger and a smile.
I’m trembling. With rage. Because Riot just fucked me over so hard.