32. CHAPTER 32
32
IVAN
I walk with Noah in silence down to the holding pen where the guys are standing outside talking.
“Jules, I think it's best you sit this one out and stay with Kai. Simon, you go stay out front and keep guard. We don’t know yet if anyone else is part of Tim’s plan.”
They both agree, and walk away to their given tasks.
“What's the plan?” I ask Dima, as I thought we were dealing with this shit tomorrow.
“I wasn’t expecting Tim to show up tonight, and with Noah here now I think we should just finish this tonight,” Dima says.
Noah remains still and silent next to me. Totally calm and focused. Lev keeps watching Noah out of the corner of his eye, and I briefly wonder if it's a good idea having Aaron join in like I suggested. Speaking of Aaron, he joins us a few moments later, Steve the knife in hand and a face of pure joy.
“Why are we standing out here?” Aaron asks.
“We’re just talking, doe. Are we ready to get started? I don’t wanna be down here all night?” Lev says, and Dima nods.
“Let’s go,” Dima says, and takes the lead as we follow him down into the pen.
As we walk in you can't miss the stench of piss. Tim is tied up on the floor where Jules and Simon left him when we got back. Kane is still sitting in his chair with the same irritating smug expression on his ugly face.
“You’ll regret this. If I don’t get back home, people will be looking for me,” Tim says.
“But they won’t be looking here as I doubt you’ve told anyone at work about your secret little mission, have you, Timmy?” I say, a step ahead of him. There’s no way this guy has told anyone, as he knows they would try to stop him. I bet he’s even lied about his whereabouts.
“Where's my daughter?” he shouts from the floor.
“Will you shut the fuck up about your daughter? She’s back at her college house with her friends, dickface,” Lev says, and it's true. Simon dropped her home and left to come back to Grinston straight after.
“We only threatened her to get you to fall in line, Tim. You should’ve just walked away and forgotten about us. But here we are. And now you will have blood on your hands by involving this piece of shit who you had working for you,” Dima says.
“Let him go, please. I’ll stay, just let him go,” Tim begs.
“I can’t do that,” Dima says, and looks over at Lev who subtly nods. It's time to work.
“Doe, you wanna go first?” Lev says, gesturing to Kane.
“What do I do?” Aaron asks, and Kane lets out a booming laugh.
“ What do I do? ” Kane mocks in a high pitched voice.
“How pathetic. He’s super scary, guys,” Kane says, continuing to laugh. This guy has lost his mind. I’m about to smack him around his face but Aaron beats me to it, rushing over to Kane and stabbing him with his knife into his thigh. Kane groans in pain, but tries to hold it in. Aaron kneels in front of the chair and gives Kane his best Joker smile.
“Pathetic? I’m not the one strapped to a chair, about to die, cuntface,” Aaron says, his giggle that follows sounds manic. This is the Aaron that resulted from trauma and this is the Aaron that needs to be fed to keep the demons at bay. I’m so proud of him right now, and the way Lev is watching him, he’s proud and turned on by his little monster.
My body begins to vibrate as we all watch Aaron stab different parts of Kane’s thighs, before moving on to cutting his face. This is what I fucking live for. There’s a distinct smell when you do work like this, the sharp stench of blood coats your taste buds in the metallic flavor as if you have just licked the knife clean. The smell of pheromones, you can genuinely scent the fear in the air like it's a solid thing. It encapsulates me, opens up that part of my mind where anything is possible, making me want to open their bodies and play with the parts I find inside. To touch the sticky warm blood as it pours from open wounds. I want to bathe in it. Enjoy the euphoric power of being the executioner. The decider of death.
“I want to watch Ivan kill him,” Aaron says, and I remember our conversation weeks ago where he said he wanted to watch. To see the true me. He doesn’t mean it in a sexual way. He wants to witness the art, feed his curiosity.
“Ivan?” Lev says, and I go over to my bag that's stored against the back wall.
“You fucking murderers! You belong in hell!” Tim screams, mortified by the little show we are putting on.
“Nobody gives a fuck what you think,” Noah says and walks over to him, kicking him in the stomach.
I ignore the commotion and pick out a new device that I’ve modified. I haven’t used it before but I hope it works swiftly like I planned, otherwise it’ll be a chore.
“Is that a pizza cutter?” Dima asks, his nose scrunches in confusion.
“Not just any pizza cutter, I’ve had it upgraded. The wheel is a thin blade. The sharpest thing you'll ever see. This fucker cuts through leather like butter.”
“Cool,” Lev says, walking over to it to have a look.
“You’re so fucking weird, Ivan,” Dima says.
“Kaney boy, do you know how lucky you are to be the first to christen this bad boy?” I say as I show Kane the pizza cutter. He’s not so smug now and is quiet as his head lolls to the side. I think it's the blood loss from all the stabbing. It’s not the reaction I was hoping for as I put a lot of money and time into this weapon.
“I don’t think he can hear you,” Aaron mutters as he comes up beside me, getting a front row seat. His face is sweaty but he looks happy, lighter. Not so haunted. I knew I was right about him and I will keep rubbing it in Lev’s face after we’re done.
I look down at Kane and start to zone out as he comes more into focus. I place the cutter on his forearm and roll the blade up his arm towards his shoulder. Holy shit, would you look at that? His skin opens like a ziplock bag and he isn’t quiet anymore. The shrill screams that come from him make me shiver, I lick my lips, needing more. When I get to the top of his arm, I glide it across his chest, just above his nipples, and concentrate, trying to make the perfect line. The screams turn to gurgles and grunts and the skin opens beautifully, you can see the sinew and muscle beneath the skin. So beautiful.
I stand back and take a look at the art that my new device has created. I think it's my new fave.
“Wow,” Aaron whispers, looking at me with awe.
I smile, because this is me. Totally bare in this room right now and you couldn't stop me if you tried.
I step forward, pull Kane’s head back, and with a harder pressure I run the cutter across his throat, ending this fucker’s life. The gush of blood reminds me of a waterfall, but bolder in its beauty. I run my finger across the gaping wound as he takes in his last breath, closing my eyes while I relish the sensation of the blood and flesh that is open to me.
“I want to use that next time,” Lev says, and I turn to him and laugh.
“Anytime,” I say. God, I feel high right now.
The sound of dry heaving turns our attention to Tim, who has his mouth full of the baseball bat handle that Noah has shoved into his mouth.
“What are you doing?” Dima says, and Noah keeps his eyes on Tim.
“He wouldn't stop moaning. It’s annoying.”
“Yeah well, you get one hit with Tim, then you can leave,” Lev says.
“I’m not leaving until I know he’s dead.”
Lev goes to argue, but before he can say anything, Dima speaks.
“One hit, but I don’t want him dead. Yet. You can trust us to finish this, Noah, but we have to be clever because of who he is, you understand that, right?” Dima says, and Noah takes a moment to process his words before he nods in agreement.
Noah moves Tim onto his back and places his baseball bat over his kneecap. He raises the bat above his head, and swiftly and accurately swings the bat until it connects with Tim’s knee. You can hear the crack of the bone against the wood and the deformed shape of Tim’s leg. The scream from Tim is as loud as the shrill screams from Kane had been. Before we know it, Noah does the same to the other knee, followed by another intense cry from Tim, just before he passes out.
“I said one hit,” Dima says.
Noah looks at him and shrugs, zero reaction to what he’s just done. Does he even enjoy it? He moves back across the room until he is standing next to me.
“What now?” Lev asks D as he watches Tim, who is still passed out.
“We’ll leave him down here until tomorrow as I need to come up with a solid plan. Ivan, can you get Jules and Si to come down and do clean up on the dead guy?”
“Sure,” I say as I place my weapon down on the table behind me. I can put it away later, but not before grabbing a knife off the back shelf to give to Tyler. He will carry a blade from now on, whether he likes it or not. I pick one of the smaller knives that we don’t really use, and walk over to Noah.
“Come on, Noah, I’ll take you back upstairs to Chase.” He grunts in response and follows in silence. I actually quite like the guy.
As we walk through the house, I prod Noah to find out more about him.
“So is this a hobby of yours?” I ask, and I’m expecting no response. But he surprises me with an answer.
“I like dead bodies. I enjoy the kill. It’s soothing,” he says in that deep voice that has goosebumps rising on my skin.
“I get it. There’s nothing like it. Would you ever consider moving to New York? I’m sure Dima would love an extra guy on the team.”
We stop in the hallway and I turn to face him. His handsome face expressionless. Deadly. I would totally call him the Grim Reaper.
“No. I hate people and being in the same place. Also I need to keep Chase close. I don’t want him disappearing.”
“He looks devoted to me.”
“I can’t risk anyone touching him.”
“I’m the same. I’m moving Ty here so I can have my eyes on him.”
“That's how it should be.”
“I like you, Noah. I think we’ll get on just fine.”
“I wasn’t inviting you to visit. This conversation already has me reaching my social limit.”
I laugh at that as he is so relatable. And I’m charming. He’ll come around.
“I can make your day even better. Why don’t you come with me to dispose of Timmy? A happy memory to take with you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Don’t mention it to Chase as I don’t think Dima or Lev need to find out.”
“Fine. Let me know where and when.”
I take Noah’s number and I text Jules about coming to the house for clean up. We continue to walk, and when we reach the entrance hallway, I see Simon standing against the wall, looking down at his phone.
“Hey Si, D wants you and Jules down for clean up,” I say, and he looks up in annoyance.
“Great,” he says, pocketing his phone away before looking down at my clothes and hands.
“Have fun? You probably should clean up before Tyler sees you,” he says, and I look down on myself. Shit. I didn’t think to clean myself up.
“It was so much fun, Si. But you’re right, I best go clean up,” I say before jogging up the stairs to my room.
I kick the door closed behind me so as not to get blood on the door, and disrobe in the bathroom, placing mine and Tyler’s knives on the counter. I’ll have to get the boys to dispose of my clothes with the body. I go to turn on the shower and wait for it to heat up. I walk back over to the mirror above the sink and look at the stained red on my naked body, loving how it looks. I remove the band from my hair and brush the tangles out of my mane when I see Ty walk up behind me, looking at the clothes on the floor before looking at me. This should be interesting.
“What are you doing up here?” I say, turning to face him. He looks at my hands and face, my neck where the evidence of Kane’s blood is on display.
“Chase just left with Noah and I was looking for you. That's not your blood, is it?” he asks.
“No. Not mine. Maybe you should leave until I’ve cleaned up.”
“No. I want to get used to this, I mean, not all of it, but seeing you like this. It somehow makes it all real,” he says as he steps closer, but I don’t make a move.
“Makes what real?”
“You. This is the real you, and it's something I don’t want to be hidden from me. I don't like it, and it's freaking me out a little that you’re covered in someone's blood, and believe me, I do not want details. But…I don’t know what I’m trying to say.”
“It doesn’t matter, Ty. You’re right, this is me and I’m not hiding it. I loved what I did just now, and I’m coming down from a major high.”
“Adrenaline?”
“Yes.”
Tyler starts to remove his clothes until he is naked too, and walks over to take my hand, guiding me into the shower.
No more words are said.