25. Chapter 25
My body was shaking again as the adrenaline wore off.
And with less adrenaline, I was faced with the diminishing of my innocence and morality.
I’d really been living in a bubble, despite my father being an addict.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be kidnapped with my sister, see all that death, and kill someone.
That was right up there with horror movies, if they were real.
We pulled into a parking garage underneath a building near the Capitol, and Easton parked the SUV.
“Are you sure you want to bring them here?” Sully asked weakly, clearly more injured than he let on.
“He’s mine,” he replied, as if that was the only answer needed .
“What about the girl?”
“She’s also mine because she belongs to Thomas.”
What were they talking about? My mind was all over the place, making it hard to focus. I was clearly missing something important.
Sully looked back at me, frowning and looking more pale than he had earlier. I withered from his stare, holding Annie’s hand. She’d fallen asleep not long ago.
“He’s skittish. He won’t understand.”
“He will,” Easton snapped. “Thomas understands me. Besides, Luca understood. Dalton understood.”
“Luca sees us as saviors after what he’d been through. Dalton had already been exposed to this world. Your Thomas here is pure innocence.”
“Stop talking about me like I’m not here!” I snapped, my eyes watering, the noise stirring Annie awake.
Sully’s frown turned into a broad smile, which scared me more. I shuddered inwardly, knowing what he was capable of.
Easton sighed and looked back at me in the rearview mirror, showing nothing on his face. “He understands me,” he said again.
What did they mean?
Sully scoffed and got out of the car. “If you say so.”
Easton also got out of the vehicle and opened my door, holding out his hand. I took it, and for a moment there, I thought I saw relief on his face. Then again, I was so hungry and freaked out, I could’ve imagined it.
Annie rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Where are we?”
“We’re at The District,” Easton said.
“What’s that? ”
“It’s where I work.”
“Okay. We’re not… going back home, are we? I don’t want to see Dad. I hate him.”
Easton’s hand tightened around mine as I got out. “You’re never going back.”
“Good,” she said, but I didn’t agree with her.
I was angry with my father, furious even, but he needed help.
Serious help. I knew deep down if we abandoned him, he’d die.
He also still loved us. That love just wasn’t strong enough to fight the addiction.
I needed to find a way to bring him back to us.
Would our relationship ever be the same?
No, but I didn’t want him to die, either.
Easton, who still held my hand, led us to an elevator, which brought us up to the ground floor of his office, or whatever this place was.
I suddenly felt naked. All I had on was Easton’s sweater and my underwear. Annie was in the same boat.
As if reading my mind, Easton said, “We have clothes for you both, along with some food and medical treatment.”
The first floor was traditional, with old wood and leather. There were bookcases filled to the brim with books flanking either side of a pathway. While beautiful, it looked out of place as a travel insurance company.
Don’t be stupid, Thomas. You know damn well Easton doesn’t sell travel insurance to the government.
He’s a killer , the thought niggled at me.
I wasn’t sure how that made me feel. Killing someone had been more traumatic than seeing death. I knew deep down that if Easton hadn’t been what he was, he never would’ve found Annie and me and saved us. We were alive because of him.
He was still my superhero. My Superman.
We were bound. That meant I had to accept all of him as he was, just as he accepted all of me.
I loved him, including his flaws and… moral ambiguity. In the end, I trusted him. He was always honest and straightforward.
But he lied about what he did for a living , my mind insisted.
He had to lie , I countered.
But did he lie? When we first met, he told me outright he was a killer. Holy shit. I let that new information sink in. He’d been honest all along. When I didn’t believe him, he made up a story about working for a travel insurance company.
Despite my internal battle, and loving Easton, a new sensation evolved toward him. Fear.
An older man with a black beard, wavy hair that fell to his jawline, and tawny skin appeared and instantly gravitated toward Sully. He took his arm and inspected it. “You were careless.”
Despite my fear of Sully, I bristled at that, as if Sully getting hurt was his fault. In reality, it was my fault. Before I could speak up, Sully leaned forward and kissed the man. “Don’t lie. I know you’re worried.”
The older man softened and pressed a hand to Sully’s cheek. “I know one day I could lose you over this job, but today isn’t the day. And I still worry every time.”
I instantly relaxed at the lovers. I relaxed even more when I saw Sid and Dalton approach us. They were people I knew and liked .
Easton let go of my hand as they stepped up to him and checked him out to make sure he was okay, and Sid hugged him. Easton was stiff, but he briefly held him back.
“When we heard Sully had been shot, we started to get worried. It started poorly, too, with Maverick missing his shot,” Dalton said. “That should’ve been the first sign of things going south.”
“Where is Maverick?” Easton asked.
“We don’t know. After he wrapped up taking out the guards with Khai, neither returned, nor are they answering their phones. I’m assuming Mav is licking his wounds,” Sid chuckled. “Talk about a blow to his ego. The man who never misses… missed. He’ll get over it.”
It truly dawned on me how many people were involved in our rescue. While they may be killers, they saved those women, too, and they didn’t have to.
Annie held my hand and leaned close to my ear. “Who are these people? They aren’t cops, right? Cops don’t kill like that.”
“I have no idea, but I’m sure we’ll find out.”
She gripped me tighter when Sid and Dalton came up to us.
“Are you both okay?” Sid asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”
Dalton took my face in his soft and gentle hands, inspecting me. “Were either of you harmed beyond the very obvious beating you received, Thomas?”
“I’m fine… sort of. They didn’t seem to hurt Annie.” I looked down at her and nodded my head to the two men. “These men are Easton’s adoptive fathers, Sid and Dalton.”
“You know them?”
“Yes, they’re very nice. ”
“Okay.”
“Annie, I’m going to direct you to my office. Layla, the only woman who works for us, has some clothes for you to change into. Do you need a doctor for any reason?”
“Do you have a therapist on hand?” I chuckled humorlessly. I highly doubted these men sought therapy, but what the hell did I know?
Sid frowned. “I’m afraid not. We’ll need to discuss that further. For now, let’s get you cleaned up and fed.”
“W-What is this place?” I asked the two men.
They looked at each other, and then at Easton. “I’ll let Easton handle that,” Sid replied.
“A-are you going to kill us now that we know you?”
For some reason, Sid threw his head back and laughed. “Oh god… Well, so much for explaining things. But no, we aren’t going to hurt you. Even if we wanted to, Easton here would blow this building to dust, with all of us inside, if we look at you wrong.”
“Maybe it’s best if I explain it,” Dalton suggested.
“No,” I insisted. “I want Easton to do it. I trust him and only him, for now.”
Dalton nodded and smiled, taking no offence. “You got it.”
Easton took my hand again, and before we left, Dalton stopped him and whispered something into his ear. He looked back at me before nodding and walking me to a lounge area.
Meanwhile, a short woman, about Annie’s height, with short dark hair and glasses, took Annie back to an office to get her cleaned up and dressed.
When I sat down on the plush leather sofa, Easton laid a throw blanket over my legs .
“Eat first,” he said, sitting next to me.
Right when I got comfortable, a young man with long, blond curls came out carrying a tray of food. He smiled at me with shy blue eyes.
“Hello, I’m Luca.”
So, this is Luca.
“Hi, I’m Thomas.”
He set the tray on the coffee table and sat next to me with folded hands on his lap. “It’s not much, but it should fill you. There’s a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some potato chips, and a glass of orange juice.”
“Thanks. It’s… perfect. I’m not sure my stomach can handle more than that.”
The shy man beamed.
“Where is Angel?” he asked Easton.
“He’s dropping off several women at one of the safe houses for the police to retrieve. He’ll be back shortly.”
“Angel wasn’t hurt?”
“Someone clipped him in the face, but other than that, he’s fine.”
Luca’s relief was palpable. He seemed as innocent as I was. You could see he had a moral compass and empathy. Surely, he wouldn’t have if these men were all horrible, right?
Easton stood. “I’ll be right back. I need to scrub my hands and change my clothes. Eat, Thomas.”
I took a small bite of my sandwich, testing out my stomach. All seemed fine, so I took another .
“I know it can be scary,” Luca said. “I was held as a prisoner and used for men’s pleasure for eleven years until my angel found me.”
“God, I’m so sorry, Luca. Easton told me a little bit about you. Three days were enough to break me, and they hadn’t even used me yet. I can’t imagine what you went through.”
“It was really hard sometimes. But I found… peace where I could find it. It’s… funny how we adapt to things when we have to.”
My eyes watered, and I nodded, taking another bite. “I killed a man today,” I said with my mouth full.
“I killed three. Once to save Angel, the second was my father, and the third was to save my own life. But… I didn’t want to kill anymore. I’m not a dark angel like my Dante. I liked helping everyone here better.”
I took a sip of orange juice, unsure what to make of it or what to say.
“All of us. Every single one has been hurt horrifically, one way or another. We all have tragic pasts. That’s what unites us.”
I guess I could understand a group of people finding understanding and solace together.
He stood and smiled sweetly. “Finish eating. I can’t wait to get to know you more, Thomas. You seem really nice.”
Not long after he left, Easton came back and sat down with me. He pressed the backs of his fingers to my cheek. Despite everything, I felt loved. Easton would do anything to keep me safe. I knew that with all my heart and soul.
I ate half of my sandwich and drank all my juice, leaving my bag of potato chips unopened .
I turned to face him and pressed my hand to his cheek. “Who are you, Easton?”
“I’m a hired killer.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you ask?”
I dropped my hand, resting it on his leg, smiling softly at his usual pedantry. It was always endearing to me. “I mean, who are all of you? What do you do exactly?”
“I trust you not to tell anyone beyond these walls.”
“I would never let any harm come to you, Superman.”
“Are you still calling me that?”
I huffed a laugh. “More so now. Yes.”
Easton looked away, his brow furrowed. “I would assume there would be a shift between us.”
“There definitely is. It’s hard to look back after what I’ve been through, right?”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
Instead of answering him, I pressed my hand to his face again because he always focused on me when I did. “Please tell me about this place.”
“We’re called The District, but only in the underground world.
We’re hired killers. Everyone here but me has been hurt or nearly killed for being queer, but Malik and Sid established The District for those who are from that community.
What started as outright killers for money, we ended up killing for righteousness when the judicial system fails us.
Some of us, like Dante, only kill those who deserve it. Others, like Sully, don’t care.”
“Sully scares me. ”
“And he should. He’s very dangerous and manipulative, but he won’t hurt you.
In the end, we only kill those who deserve to die.
Dalton, with his expertise within the FBI, helps us track sex traffickers, organized crime syndicates, and eliminate those who were never caught and have no function in society. ”
I took his fingers and played with them. “And who decides they deserve to die?”
Easton tilted his head and looked at me strangely. “We do, of course.”
I chuckled inwardly as my philosophical question went over his head. “I mean, why do you have a say?”
He thought for a moment, resting his head on his hand, his elbow on the back of the couch.
“These people have escaped the system. The system is intricately tied up in red tape. There are too many loopholes, and law enforcement is often overwhelmed by crimes that are easier to process. Organized crime requires money, time, effort, and substantial evidence that isn’t built around legal loopholes.
That’s where we come in. These are the dregs of society, Thomas.
They have no purpose. Sometimes people just have to die. ”
I was processing his words when he asked. “Why did you kill, Little Rabbit? You made a decision to end a man’s life today.”
I knew why, but I couldn’t answer him. I wasn’t ready to talk about that because I wasn’t sure he would understand how terrifying that had been for me, and it was something that I had to carry for the rest of my life.
“Can I get changed now? I need to clean up.”
He looked at me for a long time, and I knew he wanted me to answer, but I had to get away for a bit. My heart was hammering too much at the memory of feeling that knife go into that man’s body, and each time, it killed him a little more until he was dead.
My eyes watered, and I took a shuddered breath. “Please?”
He sighed and nodded. “Okay.”