Chapter 29 #2
“We needed it more than he did. My parents paid for everything, and they were just borrowing some of it. They were gonna give it back until Colson flipped out on everyone.”
“Let me get this straight. You’ve been carrying a decades-long grudge against Colson because he defended himself against your parents, because he was forced into a family he didn’t want to be in, and because you had the hots for him but he didn’t reciprocate. Did I get that right?”
Bradley’s gaze hardens again. “Fuck you.”
“Yeah, no. You should’ve stayed under whatever rock you were living under because Colson is mine and I protect what’s mine. You fucked up coming after him.”
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t the storm of rage that suddenly twists his features as he claws at my hand around his throat. He unwisely swings at me, apparently finding his survival instinct, but that just makes this more fun for me.
I punch him again, landing a cross to his jaw hard enough that he stumbles, catching the wall, but Wraith is there to toss him back towards me.
“Defend yourself,” I spit out before slamming my fist into his face again, splitting his eyebrow open.
Bradley swings at me again, barely making contact at all, but I step closer to at least give him a shot. He tries once more, landing one on my chin, and I smile before punching him in the mouth and busting open his bottom lip.
“Say you’re sorry and I’ll go easy on you.”
Bradley spits blood, raising his fists, but he’s wobbly. “Fuck off.”
My eyes meet Wraith’s and he nods, winking at me before I unleash my fury. In a blind haze, I pummel Bradley, punching, kicking, reveling in the sound of his bones cracking under the assault. I could easily kill him, but I’m dragging this out so he has time to consider how he got here.
My thoughts flood with images of Colson as a scared and unwanted teen, finding out his own family members didn’t want him, stole from him, turned on him. A fresh wave of rage hits me and I lose it, going at Bradley like a mad man until I feel Wraith’s hand on my arm.
I blink, stumbling back and trying to focus. Bradley is huddled on the floor, his face and body completely covered in blood. Breathing hard, I bend over and rest my hands on my knees, catching my breath.
“I have a message from Colson,” I mutter, reaching down to roll Bradley over so he’s facing me. He can’t open his eyes due to the swelling, and he’s now missing several teeth. I lean in close so he can hear me. “If there’s a hell, he hopes you rot in it. I’ve made sure you will.”
“I got it from here, bror,” Wraith says. I stumble back and lean against a wall, letting a feeling of peace wash over me.
Bradley can’t hurt Colson anymore. No one can. Not while I’m breathing.
It takes me a few minutes to calm down. Wraith is wrapping Bradley in a comforter he found, the man still groaning in pain, but it’s weaker now. He’ll be dead soon.
I help Wraith carry Bradley outside and throw him into the back of the SUV, unconcerned about anyone in this neighborhood seeing anything. Even if they did, who would they tell? The cops sure as fuck don’t come here.
Minutes later, I’m seated in the car looking down at my bloodied and sore knuckles. I might have broken something. I try to squeeze my left hand into a fist but it fucking hurts.
“Fuck,” I mutter.
“What’s wrong?”
“My hand is killing me.”
“Not surprising. I’ve never seen you like that.” He pats my shoulder. “It was impressive.”
I chuckle. “That was rage. Nothing but. I don’t think he realized at any point that he wasn’t walking away from this.”
“Nah, he didn’t. He thought you’d let him go.”
“No chance.”
When we’re stopped at a light I hear Bradley’s rattling breath, and I know it hurts. There’s nothing worse than broken ribs. He’s got that on top of his face being bashed in. He can’t breathe.
“He calls Colson a faggot but wanted to rape him.”
“Internalized homophobia is a cancer.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Wraith glances at me. “I have wipes in the glove compartment. You have blood all over your face.”
Grinning, I lean back. “Good.”
Twenty minutes later, we drive through the house gates and my stomach flutters with pride and anticipation. I can’t wait to see Colson’s face. Wraith pulls around back to the cellar door and turns off the car.
“I’ll get him inside.” He squeezes my shoulder. “You go get your man.”
I nod, already opening the door. “Thanks, brother.”
After hurrying around front, I burst through the door and up the stairs to my bedroom, but it’s empty.
My stomach drops as I swing around and down the stairs again, heading for the rec room.
I find Colson on the couch with Bellamy, Shadow, Nimble, and his man, Joss.
They’re calmly watching a movie, and my heart swells with love, pride, and happiness.
Colson turns around, and when he sees me, he launches himself off the couch and into my arms.
“Careful. I’m bloody.”
“I don’t care.” He kisses my neck. “I’m just happy you’re back and you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.” I kiss the top of his head. “I brought you something.”
He pulls back to meet my gaze. “Is it…? Is he…?”
I shrug. “Should be by now. Do you want to see him? You don’t have to.”
He squares his shoulders and nods. “Yes.”
I brush my thumb across his chin. “I’m surprised you’re still awake.”
“I couldn’t sleep. Not knowing you were out there. I tried, but then I came down here and some of the guys were still up.”
“I’m sorry you worried. We’ll have to work on that though. This is common in my job. It’s not a nine to five.”
“I know, but this was different. This was because of me.”
“No, baby, it was because of Bradley. You didn’t do a damn thing to cause this.”
Shadow is behind Colson. “We have a disposal on-site?”
I nod. “I wanted Colson to see what I did.”
He smiles slightly. “Been a while.”
“Wraith is on it.” I grip Colson’s hand. “Ready?”
He nods, his expression schooled and calm. Fucking hell, he’s so beautiful and strong. I would’ve waited a lifetime to love him, but I’m glad I don’t have to.
I lead Colson through the house to the back stairs that are hardly ever used. In fact, we have to face several large cobwebs on the way down. It smells musty and unused, but the scent of burning wood soon fills my nostrils.
“We have an old-school incinerator,” I explain. “Some of our jobs require that no trace of a person be found. It’s not as common these days.”
“That’s what Shadow meant?”
“Yes.”
He grips my hand as we enter the smaller room where the burning pit is. Wraith has Bradley laid out on a table while he preps the pit. I feel Colson tense next to me, but he continues to step closer.
Bradley is definitely dead now, almost unrecognizable after the beating I delivered.
“You did this?”
“Yes.” Squeezing his shoulder from behind, I bend and press a kiss to the side of his head. “Do you want to know his reasoning?”
“Is it different from what I suspected?”
“Slightly.”
“Okay.”
“He definitely played the victim, saying your presence in his family’s life was their downfall, but he took no responsibility for it.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“No, but his plan was to…” I pause, having a hard time saying the words.
“Kill me?”
“No. Humiliate you. Take advantage of you.” I force myself to look at Colson. “He wanted you.”
Colson blinks quickly several times. “He was going to rape me?”
I nod even as my jaw ticks. “He had a thing for you when you were both younger.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “What?”
“He said you wouldn’t reciprocate.”
Colson looks truly confused for a few seconds until his expression morphs into one of understanding. “I thought that was an accident.”
“Accident?”
“He came home once after drinking with his friends and climbed into my bed. He was touching me and stuff but I was asleep. When I woke up, I shoved him away, and he acted like he was confused. Like he thought I was someone else. The next day he acted like nothing happened, so I did too.”
“He seemed to think you rebuffed him.”
Colson rubs his forehead, then a few seconds later, he nods. “The birthday party.”
“What?”
“He had a party at the house but I stayed in my room. He came up at one point and tried to get me to blow him. Again, he was drunk and so belligerent. He called me names and…” He shakes his head.
“He was awful. I told him to get out or I would tell his friends what he wanted. He never mentioned it again, but he was mean as fuck after that. He hated me. I assumed he was trying to get me into a sex act so he could beat me up or humiliate me somehow. Not that he actually wanted me.”
“Apparently he didn’t know how to manage his impulses or his attraction to you.”
He visibly shivers. “Disgusting. I never would have… Not with him.”
“He knew it. That’s why he was planning to take it.”
Colson’s eyes move back to Bradley’s bruised and bloodied body. He walks closer, and I can tell from his pained expression that he’s reliving past interactions.
“This is better,” Colson says. “He wasn’t contributing to society.”
“No. Far as I can tell he was an addict with an obsession.”
“He would’ve hurt me if it wasn’t for you.”
I nod, clenching my jaw.
“But he’s dead now,” Colson whispers, poking Bradley’s chest. “He’s dead. His mom, his dad, all dead. They can’t hurt me anymore.”
“No, my love.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
“I’m ready when you are,” Wraith says, leaning on the wall near the pit. He’s already stuffed the comforter inside it.
“You just shove him in there?” Colson asks.
“It’s not big enough,” Wraith says. “We usually cut the body up first.”
Colson blanches. “I think I’ll skip that part.”
“Me too. Wraith will handle it. He likes it.”
Wraith waggles his eyebrows at us with a huge grin on his face.
Colson smiles softly, glancing at Bradley one last time. “Did you tell him what I said?”
“I sure did, gorgeous.”
He exhales slowly, nodding. He touches my cheek, scraping off a smear of blood. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“And then?”
Colson lifts his pretty gaze to mine, smiling sweetly. “Whatever you like, mon tueur.”
I follow him upstairs to the bedroom, where he leads me into the bathroom.
It’s the first time I’ve seen myself, and I am indeed covered in blood.
My knuckles likely have some scrapes and cuts on them from how hard I went, but hopefully nothing too bad.
Fortunately, the pain in my hand seems to be improving too.
Colson starts the shower then turns to me and helps me get my clothes off. His eyes are soft, his touches gentle, like he’s afraid to hurt me.
“He barely got a single punch in.”
Colson nods, smiling slightly. “I thought you might…” He shrugs. “Shoot him or something.”
“Nah. Too much rage. I lost it. Wraith had to pull me off him.”
He visibly shivers, licking his lips. “Why is that hot?”
“Because it was for you?”
“That must be it.” He kneels and pulls my boots then my socks off while I work on my jeans. “Into the shower with you. I’ll be on the bed waiting.”
I do as he says. Even though I wish he was joining me, I don’t want any blood to get on him. I watch as he gathers my dirty clothes and dumps them in the tub to be dealt with tomorrow, then he leaves the bathroom and I hurry up and wash so I can get back to what I really want to be doing.
Him.
After a quick but thorough shower, I step out and dry off, eager to get to Colson. I find him sprawled out on the bed, his eyes closed.
“Babe.”
He opens his eyes and smiles, gesturing for me to come over. I slide onto the bed and between his legs, heading straight for his gorgeous mouth, sinking into his kiss when I get there.
Colson kisses like he needs it to live—deep and sensual, exploratory. Every kiss is better than the last, and I swear I could do this all night.
I reach for the lube, torn between all the things I want to do, but if I’m honest, the night’s events are catching up with me. It must be nearly three in the morning by now. Maybe later.
Making a quick decision, I pour a bit of lube between us, then I position my body so our cocks slot together.
“Yes,” Colson whispers just before I close my mouth over his again.
We move slowly, leisurely, simply enjoying the pleasure and heat our joined bodies create.
I slide my hand around to his ass, gently kneading and rubbing while our tongues tangle together.
This feels different. It feels like… more.
Like I really do get to keep this. I get to love this man and be loved by him in return.
Colson wraps his legs around my waist, humping against me as I tickle his hole, not pushing my way in, just increasing the pleasure.
“I love you,” I whisper into the kiss.
Colson moans softly, twisting his fingers in my hair. “God, I love you.”
My cock swells and I know I’m close, and even though I don’t want this to end, I can feel my body winding down. I want Colson to come though. I want to feel his release all over me.
“Oh fuck,” he whispers. “Yes, Specter.” He drags his fingers down my back, scratching lightly.
I thrust against him, my breath catching every time his cockhead bumps against mine. My balls tighten against my body and the tension in my belly grows.
“Come for me, Specter. I want to feel it on my skin.”
“Jesus,” I pant, attacking his mouth again as I grind my cock into his.
He tenses first, his nails digging into my shoulders as he arches his back, and when the first stream of hot liquid splashes against me, that’s it. I fall over the edge with him, rubbing and rocking together until I’m too sensitive to move again.
“Fuck,” he says after a few seconds. “That was intense.”
“I wanted…” I pause, trying to catch my breath. “I wanted to fuck you. Suck you. Do everything to you.”
“This was nice.” He kisses my cheek. “Really nice. And guess what?”
“What?”
“I’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Promise?”
When he stays silent, I lift my head.
His eyes are glassy, but he nods. “Promise.”