Chapter Eleven
Ireally didn’t fucking want her seeing this, but she was a strong woman, and clearly made her own decisions, and that meant it wasn’t my call.
I did my best to keep her back as far as possible, staying beside her in case she needed me, but her focus was intently on Has-Been.
My fucking strong as hell brother, who was finally taking his justice for something I’d never even known had happened to him.
Something I think we’d all figured out tonight, and honestly, I was so proud of every fucker in this room for backing him, standing strong with him, and none of them looking at him with pity or anything like that.
They looked at him with honour. With support, and with fucking fire fuelling them to help him take his retribution.
“You’ll both shut the fuck up now and listen to me,” Has barked loudly, and you know what?
Those two cunts fell silent, frowning up at him from their chairs as he leaned a little closer.
He clearly didn’t want to actually get near them, and that made a lot of sense.
I had a feeling others might have to be his fists for this one, and I was more than willing to take his place there.
“You were always going to pay, you know that, right? That cunt, Jacko, might have taken his route to hell already, and I really fucking hope it hurt, but that means the two of you get to feel every second of the pain he was due too. Aren’t you the fucking lucky ones?”
“Look-”
“Pretty sure he told you to shut the fuck up,” Torch snapped at the old fucker, slamming a fist into the side of his face, the dull thud filling the silence after he spoke, followed by the spitting of blood, and low groaning.
I fucking loved both those sounds at the best of times, but especially right now.
Especially as I watched them bleed for my brother.
Suffering was what they’d earned. I was glad to be here to see Has take revenge, and make them feel every second of it.
“As I was saying,” Has continued, quirking an eyebrow at Torch, “it’s retribution time, fuckers.
You preyed on me. You forced me, and abused me.
You fucking destroyed me,” his voice cracked then, and I saw a few of our brothers step up closer behind him, backing him, showing silent support, while never touching him.
No matter how dumb some of them could be, we all knew that touching him right now would be a bad fucking move.
Both men started spluttering, and trying to deny his accusations, but he stood there glaring at them as they both finally sagged in their seats.
“Ethan,” one of them murmured, “I thought you looked familiar, but you’ve grown so big.”
“Fuck you.”
The man smirked then, obviously realising he had nothing to lose, and choosing to be the asshole we already fucking knew he was.
“You’ll always be our Golden Boy though.”
“CUNT!” Has lunged forward, kicking the bastard’s chest and knocking the chair back with a crash, and a low groan of pain.
“Remember the plan, brother. Bloody them after the video,” Reacher urged, nodding at Torch and Micro to right the fucker’s chair, as the other asshole shook his head.
“I’m not admitting to anything on a video, and I’m not willing to acquiesce to any of your demands. Release us, or feel the full force of the law.”
The laughter that erupted in the room was bitter, and cruel, while tinged with real humour, because who the fuck did he think he was kidding? The law? They weren’t getting out of here alive, let alone going to the fucking cops.
V leaned closer to me, and despite the fact that she might gnaw off my arm, I wrapped it around her, pulling her against my side. I made sure not to jostle Nixie, who looked alert and excitable at the sudden laughter around us.
“I really think you should wait in the car,” I murmured to V as it quieted again, but she shook her head.
“I can’t. I… I’m invested. I saw how they affected Has-Been, and I need to see him take his power back. I need to see him do what I did, and get his revenge.”
Revenge? I knew she’d left her ex-husband before she moved here months ago, but what revenge did she take? Suddenly I was more than a little aware of the fact that I had my arm around a woman I barely knew, who was definitely more dangerous than anyone realised. Why was that so sexy, though?
“LIAR!”
We both turned to focus on the interrogation going on in the middle of the room, where Torch had one of the men in a chokehold, with a fucking blowtorch hovering over his eye. Jesus.
“This isn’t what we discussed,” Reacher cursed, turning away from them as the man started to scream. Fuck me. Even I don’t like watching that crazy fucker going at people with those things. Why did he enjoy the smell of burning flesh so much? The sick, twisted bastard.
“Oh my god,” V breathed, leaning closer to me, and burying her face in Nixie’s soft fur. I kinda wished I could do the same, but Torch pulled back before he actually did more than let the guy feel the heat.
“Oh god. I’ll… keep him away from me, and I’ll fucking do it. I’ll say anything,” the man babbled, and Torch chuckled, releasing his neck and patting him roughly on the head.
“There’s a good boy.”
“I won’t,” the other declared resolutely, shaking his head at dickhead one. Look, I knew they had names, but they didn’t deserve to be thought of by names, when they should be thought of as the monsters they were.
“Get the video running,” the first guy demanded, and we watched as the other guy, the one arguing with his cowardly friend, was dragged away, gagged, and held in the furthest corner of the room by Ryder and Harley.
“Remember to name names. I wanna hear you singing like a fucking canary,” Has-Been gritted out, backing away from the camera, and the man who’d be on the feed.
“We’re rolling,” Ice said, gesturing at the cowardly fucker, who looked like he’d taken a hit or two, and wanted to cry yet again.
“I… Bill Savage… I’m… I have something to confess,” he glanced down and took a deep breath, and forced himself to look at the camera again. He was probably doing his best to avoid catching Torch’s eye, or witnessing the sick bastard flicking the blowtorch on and off and waving it at him.
“I did bad things… I… I preyed on the weak. On… on children… in my care.” He stopped to suck in a ragged breath and shook his head. He was playing the part of showing actual remorse, but we all know it was purely the horror of being caught, and held accountable, that was playing on him.
“I… I abused… children in my care. I abused… sexually… abused… children who worked on… my shows. I’m…
I’m an abuser. I’m… a rapist.” A few gasps filled the silence as he paused, and he cleared his throat, taking another fucking moment to drag this out.
Maybe because he knew he’d die after this.
Grease was working on a laptop, setting up whatever the fuck needed to happen for the bank transfers, but this was more interesting than that turncoat fucking pretender.
“I’m… I didn’t do this alone…” he proceeded to name the other asshole we’d captured, and the dead one, then four other fucking men.
Four other powerful men. I mean, I’d never heard of them, but they always are, right?
Abuse of power literally requires the person to be in a position of power over others first, and these cunts always were.
“It’s worse than I thought,” V whispered to me, “I mean, I know this stuff happens, with so much of it coming to light in recent years, but… they’re still getting away with it.”
I had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case for much longer, especially once this went viral, and those names that were named are everywhere.
Torch was gesturing at him to wrap it up, and practically fucking leering at him. Fuck me, don’t make us stay to watch him at work. I threw up the first time I witnessed it. And the second, and the third.
“They’re making me say it! Phoeni-”
The camera lowered as Torch jumped at the guy, and Micro grabbed his hair, as Torch pummelled him in the face.
Those two were a fucking tag-team again, and it burned in my chest to see it, because how the fuck do you forgive a guy who literally stabbed you in the back, and left you for dead?
Why the fuck were they all just letting him stay, giving him power, when he’d done those things?
I tried, I really tried to do the same, but it still pissed me off.
The amount of times they suspected me, accused me, and all along it was him.
It felt like he’d been working alongside that bitch to try and destroy me, destroy everything I held dear.
Nixie was fussing in V’s arms, and I knew what it meant. The little darling needed to pee. She was calm and well behaved most of the time, but when she needed to pee there was very little time to act before it was too late.
“Gimme,” I said, taking the little one from V, and heading for the door, but I’d only taken two steps when I reached back and grabbed V’s hand, tugging her with me.
She didn’t protest, and for once I was fucking relieved that she wasn’t putting on a front, and was listening to reason.
Outside, I found a small patch of safe looking ground, and let Nixie down, keeping a grip on the thin lead attached to her harness. The little sweetheart started sniffing and following a trail we humans couldn’t see, but I knew it wouldn’t be long. Small dog, small bladder, right?
“She just needs to pee,” I finally said to V, who I realised hadn’t moved since we stepped outside. Fuck me, she was more upset by all this than I’d realised. I should have pushed harder for her to leave, despite how savagely she’d have handed me my ass.
“V? Look at me, darlin’.”
She swallowed hard, lifting her eyes to mine, and fuck me, how much torment was there in that stare? How much fucking pain was she feeling right now?
“I’m sorry, V. I really didn’t-”