Chapter 7
Mason
I can’t believe the boss is letting me go on another mission. I thought he would tell me no when I asked him.
He wants me to keep an eye on Viv because of Blackmere’s letters, which state that, if she is ever alone and they came across her, they will take her as theirs. She will become property of Ricochet, Blackmere’s boss.
“Thank you, Sir,” was all I could say to him. Did he not see my blackouts as a weakness, or is this his way of trying to get me killed?
I am glad to be going out on a job again, but there is just something not sitting right with me on this one.
I know he worries about my blackouts, even though there haven’t been many, but I have a feeling that tonight is going to be different. The boss wants to make it known to Ricochet that he is messing with the wrong family. That he will never get his hands on any of us, let alone his daughter.
That’s why, when I glance down at the page in my hand, I see a familiar name. Carlos. He isn’t too well known within the Blackmere gang but he is part of the inner circle. Ricochet’s brother.
We get to Carlos, and we show the rest of Blackmere that no one is safe and we will protect Viv at all costs.
Sal wants her to stay cooped up in the mansion at all times. He wants her under his roof so that no one can get to her.
I can see how much he hates her leaving the place, but I know what she is like. She can’t stay hidden away forever, but maybe there is a way to free her from the Mafia chokehold– like I’m starting to want for myself.
I need out of this life, if only for my sanity, but I can’t get away without the monster wanting to rear his ugly head. There is no other way I can sustain the need than by being amongst it on the front line.
I need the hits to keep the monster at bay in my daily life. Which is why I am always the one to do the dirty work.
The monster became known to me the day Viv left. She was – and still is – the light in the darkness. She is the sun and I the sunflower, because, whenever she is near, I find myself facing her light.
When she left, there was only darkness. The dark that brought the monster I know today. It’s why I do the jobs; if I don’t, the monster controls me. The jobs are the only way I can satiate it.
I have to talk to Viv, but first, I have to deal with Carlos.
His brother Ricochet is dangerous, but not as much as I am. They don’t call me Viper for no reason.
I need to suss out Carlos before I do anything, but when it comes to jobs like these, Sal wants it done quickly. So they usually involve a day of observation, then the next day is spent planning the hit.
Heading up the stairs and to my room, I throw the pages onto my bed and turn to close and lock my door. I like my privacy. It is the only time I can be myself. The only time I feel normal, like I am my own person and not someone else’s pawn.
My room is painted black with a dark oak king-sized bed in the middle of the back wall. Red silk sheets and a red comforter cover the bed. The curtains are always closed. It is dark and quiet here, just the way I like it.
I need to shower and then get a few hours of sleep before I suss out the travels of Carlos. He is still young, early twenties, and I hear he loves spending time at Gravel and Grit. It’s the only bar in town where Blackmere and Murwood can co-exist without killing each other, but the moment I walk through those doors, it is just a matter of time before all hell breaks loose.
Stepping into the shower, with the water cascading down my back, my mind drifts to Viv. The times we spent together growing up: I remember her always following me around the mansion, her mother leaving her with me when she had something else to do. Only after I saw her ten years ago, on that chance meeting, and the way she reacted when she saw me then, were her feelings for me obvious.
Even just the time we spent today. She has gone from being a happy ball of sunshine to a cobra. Her fangs are constantly out. She seems to always be in fight mode.
Sal acts like he cares about her and her well-being, but I can see right through his charade. There is a darkness in him. He isn’t sleeping well, his agitation is rising, and I have a feeling I know the day she came back to the mansion because that had been the only day that Sal went outside the gates alone. He found where she had been hiding and he had dragged her ass back to Murwood.
Rhys was a good protector for her but the day I went back to see her, to leave with her and Marie, he was there instead, looming in the background, waiting for me to show up. That was the night I broke a promise to her. A night that I will forever be making up for. I want to be there to show her that she is safe, that she doesn’t have to be the one to fight everyone and everything that threatens her. I can see the worry in her eyes when I followed her to class earlier today, but she doesn’t have to worry about me telling anyone; her secret is safe with me.
I know Sal trusts me with her life. He is the one who began my training after all, but what he created from that training scares me. What if one of these days something in my head snaps and I turn on her?
I shake my head to clear my thoughts.
No, I can’t think of that now. I have to do everything I can to protect her, and the one person she needs protecting from the most is her father.
* * *
I leave the mansion around ten pm, only to now be sitting in the parking lot at the bar. The word on the street is that Carlos will be coming here tonight with a few others from his group. I will wait here until he shows up. Tonight, everything he does will give me an insight into his outer gang activities.
The parking lot has three or four cars scattering the area, which means there aren’t a lot of people in here yet, but the night is still young. I need to get inside and slide into my usual booth towards the back of the bar, the one booth that has a very dim light above the table and nothing else. People never sit on that side of the bar, which is perfect for me to sit and just watch.
Walking into the bar, I nearly bump into Viv’s regular, Gary. He stumbles over a rock and begins to fall toward me. Holding out my arms, I catch him just before he face-plants the ground. “Whoa, easy there, bud.” I help him stand. “Do you have a cab coming?”
He is slurring his words as he looks up at me. His eyes are glassy. “Yeth, one isss” — he hiccoughs — “coming.”
“Ok.” I watch as he stumbles his way to the taxi rank before I walk inside the bar.
Sitting down in the booth, I smile at Amber, the waitress from the other night, as she brings me my drink: the cheapest whiskey, neat. She is too sweet to be working in a place like this, but I nod my thanks and, as she walks away, a group of loud, obnoxious college students come in again. Why am I always the lucky one to be stuck in the bar with the rowdy asshole?
Taking a sip of my whiskey, I stare in the direction of the group that just came in. They are laughing and talking amongst themselves as they sit down near one of the pool tables. One of them walks up to the bar to get a round of drinks for everyone as two others set up the table to play a round of pool. One of them makes his way over to the dartboard for a game.
Watching them go about whatever it is they are doing, I realise something. These aren’t just any group of rowdy frat boys, they are Blackmere boys. More specifically, Carlos and his cronies.
Well, well, well, looks like Christmas came early for me. I take another sip of my whiskey, my eyes staying trained on Carlos.
I got so goddamn lucky tonight. From this vantage point, I can see everything that is going on in this place, from the bartender pouring drinks, Carlos eyeing the women in the bar, and the occasional person as they walk through the door and find their way to the bar or a booth.
I keep telling myself that tonight is just surveillance, I am watching his movements. That’s all. Just because Viv is the target in all of this doesn’t mean I can get sloppy and fuck it all up.
He glances over in my direction, but the booth is too much in the shadows for him to notice me.
A few hours go by and all they seem to be doing is drink and play pool. Fucking do something interesting already, I think to myself, I’m falling asleep just sitting here . They need to get out and live a little. I am getting close to calling it a night until I see one of them wave his hand in the air towards Amber, getting her attention.
I just watch and wait. What are they planning ? I place a hand on my lower back. Glock still in place. Amber takes out her notepad, scribbles something down and then makes her way towards the bar again. This time I notice Carlos watching her with a little more curiosity. What is this fucker up to?
My head tilts slightly to the right as I watch him. Where I am sitting I can see Amber whilst still watching Carlos. The notepad is still in her hands as she makes her way back over to the bar. The paper is handed over to who I can only assume is the owner and he sets about making the drinks on the page. He points to the trash bags that are near the doorway leading to the bathrooms and back door fire exit.
Picking the bags up, she makes her way to the back area where the dumpsters are located. Carlos stands, stretching his arms over his head. He turns to face his friends before walking towards the direction of the bathroom.
I hear the back door open and then a clunk as it hits a hard object. Carlos walks out to the bathrooms but instead of hearing that door open, the back door opens and closes again, this time clicking shut. Motherfucker! I’m not waiting for him to fuck shit up.
He is going down tonight.
As I get closer to the door I hear a scream. It’s Amber. “Not on my watch, cocksucker,” I whisper as I slowly open the door.
“Shut the fuck up bitch!” he yells, and the sound of his hand slapping her face rings out through the deserted area.
From my vantage point, I see Amber’s head whip to the side and her body follow as she falls to the ground. Carlos grabs a fistful of her hair, yanking her off the ground. “Turn around and face the garbage like the trash you are,” he demands.
Tears are falling down her cheeks. I’m not going to let anything more happen to her. Her body is shaking as she begins to cry harder. His hands move to the zipper on his pants, slowly lowering it.
That’s the first part I will cut off . It is almost time to strike, I just have to get the timing right.
The hand that he still somehow manages to keep the fistful of her hair in releases its hold as he brings both his hands to the button on his pants, with a few mumbled fucks as he struggles with the button. But, drunk or not, this shit is not on. Now is my time to strike.
Stepping out from the shadows, I move behind him in one swift movement. Removing my gun from my back, I bring the grip of it down, hitting him across the back of the head. He goes down like a sack of shit.
Amber freezes and turns to look at me. Her eyes are wide with shock. I am focusing on Carlos and trying not to kill him where he stands. “It’s ok.” I place my gun back in the waistband of my pants. “You are safe now. Now go inside and finish your shift. Don’t tell anyone I was here. By the time you close, I will be gone. I will call a friend to come and help you with closing. His name is Atlas. He will be here in fifteen.”
She nods at me and runs back to the door. I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Atlas. I can feel a darkness clouding my vision as I turn my back to Amber. I close my eyes. I take a deep breath in to calm myself down before opening them again.
“Viper, what’s up?” he answers.
“Situation down at Gravel and Grit. Need you to help the woman lock up. I have work I need to finish. Are you nearby?” I look down at the unconscious body at my feet.
“Alright. I’m out, so I can be there in twenty.” There is a rustling sound, like he has just thrown on a jacket.
“Make it fifteen. I won’t be here when you arrive. Just go into the bar, ask for Amber, and tell her that you are there to keep her safe.” I end the call.
Now, what to do with you ? I look up from where I am standing over Carlos’s body. There is a road coming back here. Glancing around, I decide it is easier to get my car and bring it around.
Quickly walking back to where my car is parked, I open the door and climb in. Turning the key in the ignition, it roars to life, and I drive back around the back of the building. Carlos is still lying there, unmoving.
This is not like me. I am never this spontaneous, I always plan it out.
Leaving the car running, I pop the trunk and pick Carlos off the ground. Throwing him in the back, I notice a pair of handcuffs near where his head has landed. Perfect. I pull his hands behind his back and place the cuffs around his wrists.
Now we are off on a little drive over to the tunnels, another favorite place of Carlos. They aren’t so much tunnels, but long, water-stained holes underground. They are man-made passages that lead into small rooms. Some are built off of unused waterways connecting to an open bunker.
No one but rival Underbellies knows about them and we all know who frequents them the most.
It isn’t long into the drive that Carlos wakes up from his forced nap. From the trunk, I can hear yelling. “Let me out of here!” He begins kicking the lid of the trunk. I’ll have to be careful when I open it up.
The tunnels aren’t too far off now. Another five minutes or so. This one ends tonight, I am going to be damn sure of it.
As I pull up outside the tunnels, I cut the engine and just stare out the front window. Bang, bang, bang. “Let me the fuck out of here!” I hear yelling from the trunk again. “You don’t know who you’re messing with!”
Oh, Carlos. I do know, but you don’t . He is probably just collateral damage in this whole mess, but I’m not about to take chances, and a message needs to be sent. I need to get him underneath without being heard. Even though the tunnels are far outside the town limits, there is still the occasional house around the area.
Taking in a deep breath, I open my door and step out, making my way to the back of the car. My keys jingle in my hand as I stand at the back, looking down at the shiny black paint.
First things first though. I reach into my pocket, pull out my knuckle dusters, and place them on my right hand. Ok, now I am ready.
I double tap the trunk unlock button on the keypad just as Carlos kicks up again. The trunk flies open, his eyes wide. “What the fuck!” he screeches. “Who are you?”
“Your worst nightmare.” With that comment I crack him in the jaw with my right fist. His body goes limp and quiet. “Thank fuck for that,” I whisper.
The door that leads to the tunnels is about two metres from where I parked, so I haul his unconscious ass out of the trunk and towards the door.
Grabbing hold of the handle, I yank open the heavy steel. A high-pitched squeal echoes around me, my head turning to the side to listen for any other noise.
All quiet. Good.
I make my way inside, spinning around to close the door behind me. A thunk sounds as his head hits the door jam. “Sorry not sorry pal,” I whisper as the door clicks into place.
The moment the door closes behind me, a whirring sound of electricity catches my attention: a low hum of a generator coming from the far end of the tunnels.
Someone has made these tunnels a little nicer and more habitable since the last time I was here. Back then they were just dug out rooms of dirt. Now, there is lighting in place, even in the dark I can tell that much. There has to be a light switch around here somewhere.
My steps echo as my shoes hit each metal stair of the short flight. I can feel Carlos begin to stir over my shoulder. I need to get him into the closest room, tie him up and then wait for him to wake up completely. Then I will have a little fun with him.
The moment I hit the bottom step, the lights flicker on. Motion sensors, nice . I continue walking down the small hallway further into the rooms. Whoever’s down here frequently has turned this place into a bunker. There is a white tiled room to my left, a singular chair in the centre, and a steel tray in the corner. Perfect. I am going to take my time.
I drop him to the ground with a thud. He lets out a groan. I drag him across the room, his body limp as I roughly place him in the chair. There are leather cuffs on the arms and the legs.
How does this night keep getting better? Securing his legs and arms, I sit amongst the shadows in the corner of the room, waiting for him to wake up.
While I wait, I pull my phone out of my pocket. Better give the boss an update. I scroll until I find Sal’s name in my phone and hit the green call button.
“Viper? Everything ok?” I hear the click of his office door closing. He sounds annoyed that I am calling him because he knows tonight is only meant to be a recon mission.
“Yeah, peachy. I have Carlos secured in the tunnels.” I hear his chair creak over the speaker. “They have been updated since we last saw them. It’s like a bunker down here now.”
Carlos’s head lifts up slightly before falling limp again. I must have got him good with that punch.
“Mmm,” Sal says. “Are you going to do it tonight then? Why the rush to get him there?”
The way he talks sounds like I had interrupted him, like he is in the middle of something important.
“I was just going to watch and follow tonight, but when I caught the little asshole trying to rape the waitress, I had to do something tonight,” I growl. I can tolerate a lot of things, but a man intending to hurt an innocent woman is not one of them.
“Ok, so why the phone call?” He’s accepted what I am doing and why, but now he is curious because I never call in the middle of a job.
“Well, while I am waiting for him to regain consciousness, I need to call to see what we are doing with the body afterwards.” I pause. Carlos’s head is lifting again, his breathing picking up. “But I need to know quickly, he’s starting to wake up now.”
“Okay, okay. Well this is to send a message to Ricochet. Blackmere uses those tunnels frequently when they are trying to get into our territory, so, once you are done, leave the body there and get your ass back home.” I like the sound of his plan. “And Viper. Don’t get caught.”
With a click the line goes dead and I watch Carlos as his eyes flutter open, panic setting in as he realises where we are.
“What the fuck!” He begins to struggle against the leather restraints. “What do you want with me? Money? It’s money, right? I can give you money.”
He continues to struggle but the cuffs will only be cutting into his skin. The imbecile is still trying to free himself.
“I wouldn’t do that.”
He jumps at the sound of my voice.
“And I don’t need your money.”
He freezes, his eyes squint, trying to pinpoint where I’m standing. “Wh-who are you?” His knuckles become white as he holds a death grip on the arms of the chair.
“You’ll figure it out soon enough.” Even though I am still hidden in the shadows, I smirk in his direction.
“No, no, it can’t be. I did nothing wrong!” he yells, although his voice is shaky; he turns his head in all directions. Panic shows across his face. It is like he is an owl. Hoot Hoot, motherfucker.
“It was all my brother, get him, hurt him. Not me.”
I step out from my cover of the shadows. Rolling up the sleeves of my white dress shirt, my head tilts to the left, watching. As soon as he sees my face, his eyes widen. That only makes me smile harder than the smirk I am already wearing.
I love it when they recognise me. The monster inside thrives on this feeling.
“My reputation precedes me, I see?” I step closer to him.
He shakes his head. “No, no, no! Why me?”
“You’ve been a bad man tonight and we need you to send a message.” I lean forward, resting my hands on my knees so that I am eye level with him.
He starts nodding. “Ok, ok, just let me go and I will pass on the message you have,” he begs, but, deep down, he knows the message is going to be his body, lifeless.
“You and I both know that only one of us is walking out of here alive.” I click my tongue. “You not breathing is the message.”
He starts struggling against the restraints again. “No, no, please!” He shows weakness by crying now. “Please! You don’t have to do this!”
“Stop! You are not escaping. Stop trying!” My patience wears thin as he struggles frantically against the restraints.
I take hold of a scalpel that is sitting on the silver tray and regain my composure. “Young Carlos, you of all people know I have to because your brother has been a naughty boy.” I slowly circle him until I am standing behind him. Leaning forward, I continue. “He should know that he can’t just send threats to steal my boss’s daughter, to say that she will be his to do as he wishes, and not think that we wouldn’t retaliate.”
I hold the scalpel to his cheek, applying a slight amount of pressure to leave a little cut. A small bead of blood trickles down his cheek as he hisses at the sting. “And” — I walk around to his right side — “you are the perfect message to send him, because it just shows that even his own brother is so fucking stupid to go out without a proper security detail. You made this way too easy for me.”
Placing the scalpel on the tray, I assess what else is left to work with here. “Please! I will tell you anything, just don’t kill me, please!” A tear escapes his eye and mixes with the blood that is now running down his face, onto his shirt.
“We will see.” I take a small hunting knife in my hand and twirl it around. It is beautifully balanced. “I need to know what Rico is planning.”
“I-I don’t know completely.” He watches me, another tear rolling down his cheek.
“That’s too bad.” I hold the knife out, sliding it down his shirt, the fabric cutting with ease. The knife is sharp, not what I expected, but I like it.
The blade slides down his flesh as his breathing begins to quicken again. A red line of liquid giving into gravity, dripping on the tiled floor around his feet.
“Okay, okay. I know what he wants,” he pleads.
“Continue.” I pull the knife away from him, admiring the blade that now has a red tinge to the tip.
He starts to hesitate, as if trying to buy himself some time. I do the one thing I promised myself I would do back at that bar: the knife in my hand slides down the thigh of his pants. I may just have to take this blade home. I am in love with how it slices through his flesh and clothing with such ease.
I cut up to the waistband, leaving him with one pant leg still attached, the other in shreds. “Someone chose to go commando tonight.” My voice is dark. “Makes it easier for what I am about to do.”
With a quick flick of my wrist, the blade opens up the remaining section of his pants, exposing his pathetic little cock. Standing in front of him, my hand reaches forward, gripping his cock and pulling the knife back towards myself, the blade gliding along his shaft. He screams and blood runs down his balls.
“Want to save this pathetic excuse of a dick you have?” I ask.
His head bobs up and down.
“Okay,” I hum. “Tell me what Rico wants.”
His eyes become wide, but he keeps his mouth shut. I raise a brow as the blade swipes at another angle. “Please! Please,” he sobs.
“Tell me!” I yell, my face now in his.
He isn’t going to give me anything, so I have to up the ante. I don’t want to be holding onto his dick any longer than I have been.
Do it! the monster screams in my head. The voice taking over tells my hand to swing the blade down towards the floor.
Leaving me standing here holding his disgusting worm.
His scream echoes through the tunnels.
It looks like he is about to pass out as I throw his cock across the room — he doesn’t need it anyway. Once I get the information I need, he is as good as dead.
His head whips to the side and he empties the contents of his stomach onto the tiled floor.
I hold the blade under his chin, still dripping with fresh blood. “What does Rico want?” My voice echoes around the room.
“H-h-he w-w-wants t-t-to —” But, before he can finish his sentence, he throws up again, this time in my direction, almost covering my shoes in vomit.
“What does Rico want?” I wrap my hand around his throat, ready to kill him now.
“H-he w-wants to r-rule b-b-both Blackmere and Murwood!” he cries. His eyes start to flutter, but I will not allow him to pass out.
I move with speed until I stand directly behind him. “I fucking know that, but why?” I spit the words at him. The blade in my hand now presses at the base of his throat.
“I-I don’t know.” He begins to cry more noticeably now. Fucking pussy . He is not meant for this world. All of Rico’s close men would never cave under the pressure of torture, they would take it all to their graves. But Carlos is piss weak and a coward.
Glancing down at my watch, I am shocked to see it’s three in the morning. I’ve been down here for hours. I want to get back home, shower and sleep, and I am certain Rico would now have all his men out looking for his little brother.
“Well I guess that’s it then, you have no fucking idea what your cunt of a brother is planning, so you are no longer of any use to us.”
I pull my Glock out from behind my back and point it directly at his face.
I can see the full whites of his eyes as they open wider at the sight of the gun. “No, please! Y-y-you don’t have to do this! Please, please Viper, have mercy on me, you don’t have to do this.”
This little fucker trying to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do is starting to piss me off. I lift the hand that holds my Glock, scratching the side of my head. He lets out a long breath, thinking I have changed my mind.
I shake my head, my eyes closing. “See, that’s where you’re wrong.” I sigh and open my eyes, pointing the gun at his head again and pull the trigger.
“I do.”
It doesn’t take me long to get out of there. Carlos’s body will be left for whoever goes down there next.
It isn’t a pretty sight, but that is the whole point.
Now, it is time to get in my car and head back to the mansion for a shower and sleep.