Chapter 32 Kage
Kage
THE EXECUTIONER
“Ifucking knew there was darkness beneath that pretty little exterior.”
Wren’s eyes flick up to mine, a faint smile curving on her lips. She doesn’t look scared or intimidated. Instead, she looks…relieved. Like the weight she carried so long on her shoulders was finally lifted and she could breathe again.
Nox is still crouched beside her, his thumb brushing the back of her hand in a slow, steady rhythm. He’s gentle with her, letting her know she’s safe here with us.
“It started when I was four. My father, he would…touch me. My mom didn’t know what he was doing at first; he was always abusive towards her.
But she loved him…she loved him so much, she wouldn’t leave.
” Wren takes in a deep breath before continuing.
“When I was six, he started to do more. He raped me, over and over again. It continued until I was nine. I couldn’t handle it anymore.
He was supposed to love me, just not—not like that. ”
Nox’s hand darts out to wipe the tears that fall from Wren’s eyes, but I can’t.
I can’t move. My hands are clenched in fists, trying to keep it together, because knowing that he fucking hurt her when she was so young…
there is only one man I have ever hated just as much, but not even he holds a candle to Wren’s piece of shit father.
“When I told my mom, she turned him in. She saved me. But after that, she couldn’t handle it.
She drank, took pills, anything to numb the pain.
And she never fucking stopped. That’s why I had to leave.
That’s why I live at Chen’s. Because he and his wife took Olive and I in when all we had was each other. And now he’s fucking gone.”
I swallow hard, my throat tightening like it’s collapsing in on itself, because I know that feeling.
The feeling of betrayal from someone you’re told you can trust, or someone who’s supposed to love you.
It was a little different for me, but the end results are the same.
Our words were still both twisted into fear and shame.
When Wren talks about her father, memories I’ve buried claw their way to the surface.
My mom’s ex, Dan. The way he took advantage of me and made me feel powerless.
It may not be the same person, but it’s the same kind of darkness.
The same sick, consuming feeling that you’re trapped and no one will protect you.
No tears, Big Man. Take it like a man.
Dan's words echo in my skull, crawling out from the pit of memories I so desperately try to keep suppressed.
“I…I get it,” I whisper. “I know that feeling. That helplessness. I know what it’s like when someone who should protect you…doesn’t. And worse, hurts you instead.”
Dan isn’t someone who was supposed to love me, but he was supposed to respect me. He was supposed to earn my trust and be a decent human being. I wasn’t expecting him to be a father figure, I just expected him to keep his fucking hands to himself. It’s not that fucking hard.
“He used to call me Wrennie. Always with that fake, toxic sweetness. He would tell me I was his little secret and to stay quiet so my mom wouldn’t hear. His favorite time to…touch me…was when it stormed. You couldn’t hear my screams when it was storming.”
My entire body is stiff, crescent moons are embedded into my palms as I try my absolutely fucking best to contain the rage I’m feeling right now.
I hate that I didn’t know her. That I couldn’t be there for her in those moments to protect her.
I know that it’s not my fault, but I can’t help the guilt I feel deep in the pit of my chest.
“I…I hated him…every day,” she continues, her voice trembling. “But I also wanted it to stop…so I tried to be good. I tried to do what he wanted…to survive it. And still, he kept coming back. He’d tell me it was my fault, that I was being difficult and I was the one causing him trouble.”
Nox’s hand moves to her back, rubbing in small, steady circles, keeping her grounded and letting her know he’s there for her. I stay frozen, trying to swallow down the anger that’s clawing it’s way up my throat. It’s the same darkness I remember; the same disgusting manipulation I was given.
“I hated that little girl, you know? Wrennie. That scared little girl who couldn’t fight back.
Who hid in closets and hoped that maybe if she squeezed her eyes shut hard enough that she could magically make it all disappear.
” Wren's gaze moves up, locking heavy on mine. “If I ever see him again, he won’t get another fucking chance. I’ll kill him myself. ”
We stayed up all night talking about our pasts.
Wren told us everything, about her dreams, how Olive was her only friend that was there for her during all of her trauma.
She told us how Loretta, from the bar, took her under her wing and was the mother figure she needed after practically losing her mother to drugs and alcohol.
Her mother is still alive as far as she knows, but she isn’t present, and I can tell that was something that really bothered Wren.
After Wren opened up to us, I felt more than comfortable to do the same for her.
I told her all about Dan and the things he did to me.
I told her how he put me in the hospital, which resulted in me being in a medically induced coma for weeks.
The look on her face when she found out how broken I truly am only shattered my pieces even more.
I don’t want her to pity me. I want her to see me for who I’ve become and want to burn the world down with me.
Our long conversation ended in the three of us cuddling in bed, Wren holding onto us like we were the only thing keeping her sane. Nox and Wren have long fallen asleep now, but I’ve been up staring at the ceiling for hours, imagining all the ways I’m going to hurt her father.
Edward Daniels.
His name has been replaying on a loop in my head from the moment she said it out loud.
Wren said he went to prison when she was nine and hasn’t heard from him since.
Tomorrow I plan to find out where exactly he’s being held and maybe pay him a little visit, because no one touches what belongs to me and gets away with it.
Being in prison is just a slap on the wrist. What I plan to do is much, much more painful.
Whimpering noises come from beside me, soft at first, like the faint sounds of a wounded animal. My head snaps towards Wren instantly, my pulse spiking the moment I realize the noises are coming from her.
“Wren?” I whisper, trying not to wake Nox yet.
She’s tossing lightly, her fingers clutching the blanket as her face contorts in fear. Nudging her shoulder carefully in an effort to pull her from her nightmares, Wren’s whimpering grows louder. Broken, pleading sounds fall from her lips, slicing through my chest like a blade.
“No…stop, please,” she murmurs. “D-don’t touch me.”
Rage detonates inside my chest watching her toss around. I can’t fucking stand it. She’s not just dreaming, she’s fucking reliving it.
“Baby,” I whisper urgently, brushing my knuckles against her damp temple. “Wake up, little bird. It’s me. You’re safe.”
She’s not waking up. Wren begins to thrash around, kicking out violently and swinging her arms.
“NO!” she screams, her voice so sharp and broken it makes my blood run cold.
Nox jolts awake beside her, instantly alert. “Kage, what the fuck—” His voice cuts off the moment he sees her. “Wren!”
I grab her shoulders, careful but firm, and shake her.
“Wren! Wake up, baby, it’s over. Nobody’s touching you. You’re safe.”
Her entire body starts trembling, shaking so hard it feels like she’s seizing. Wren’s eyes fly open, wide and glassy with horror, and I already know she can’t see us. She only sees him.
“No,” she sobs, scrambling backwards, but she’s tangled in the blankets and can’t get far.
My chest fucking caves in at the sound of her cries.
“Wren, it’s Kage,” I rasp, reaching for her again. Not wanting to scare her more than she already is, I keep my tone light. “Me and Nox. We’ve got you, baby. It’s just a nightmare. Nobody can hurt you while we’re here.”
She blinks, her breathing hitching as reality finally starts to bleed back in. When she looks at me, she collapses forward and buries her face in my chest, clinging to me like she’s drowning.
“We got you, baby,” I whisper, wrapping her tight in my arms and stroking her hair.
“Where’s Mr. Teddy Bear? I want my bear…please, find it.”
“We’ll find it, little bird. Don’t worry.”
I lock eyes with Nox, his face telling me the same message my eyes are telling him. The man who continues to haunt her, the one who left her this broken…
We’re going to burn him to the fucking ground.
The streets of Chinatown are nearly empty as we drive through, the early morning fog laying low to the ground. Nox sits silently in the driver’s seat, his elbow propped on the door as he stares out at the road. Despite his silence, I could feel the storm brewing inside his mind.
“The way she was screaming last night,” I murmur. “I’ve heard her whimper before, but that…” My hand curls into a fist as the urge to hit something threatens to overwhelm my logical thinking. “That shit was different. It was like she was right back there in that fucking house with him.”
“She was shaking so bad, I thought she was seizing,” He growls, fist clenching the steering wheel. “I could tell it was taking everything in you to not lose your shit, but it’s what needed to be done. We can’t let our anger get the best of us when she’s going through that.”
I whip my head towards him, eyes flaring with barely restrained fury. “And you think finding that damn bear is gonna fix it?”
“It’s not about fixing it,” he snaps, throwing me a sharp glare. “It’s about giving her something safe. Something that's hers. After everything she’s been through, she deserves one goddamn thing that gives her a sense of peace.”
I hate to admit it, but he’s right, and if finding that damn bear is going to give her peace, then I’m going to give it to her.
“Alright, let’s go find this damn bear.” I huff, as Nox and I step out of the SUV and walk toward the building.
Opening the back door to the restaurant, I can see that Jimmy’s crew was hard at work.
The space looks nothing like that night Nox and I came in here to get Wren.
All the broken glass has been cleaned up, the blood spatter wiped from the walls.
Walking in here, you wouldn’t even be able to tell that there was a struggle.
I take the stairs two at a time, Nox hot on my heels, wanting to get the bear and get out before anyone notices us here. Pushing open the door to Wren’s room, I scan the space, taking it all in. I didn’t get to look around last time, being too focused on Wren to care.
In the far corner is a tiny bookshelf, but it’s completely overflowing with books.
Some are stacked on the floor, while others sit in piles on the desk beside it.
Her bed sits on the opposite wall, all the blankets have been stripped from the mattress.
Must have not been able to salvage them after the break in.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I check all the crevices a stuffed bear could possibly be, but come up empty. There’s a good chance that Jimmy’s crew trashed it, not knowing the importance.
Pulling out my phone, I dial Jimmy.
“What do you want, Kage?”
“Jimbo Baggins, how goes it?”
“You have five seconds before I hang up,” he scoffs. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the sack this morning.
“I need to inquire about a bear.”
“A…bear?” he questions, as if he may have heard me wrong.
“Yes, of Teddy origin.”
“So, you’re looking for a teddy bear?”
“Yeah, Jimmy. Stay with me, pal, I thought you were smarter than this.”
“Kage I swear to—”
“Yeah so, your guys came through Wren’s place and it looks like they threw out her bedding. Any chance they found a teddy bear in here?”
“That’s not something they would have kept, but I’ll check in with the guys now. Is a bear really important enough that I have to stop my guys from working on another job to look for a stuffed animal?”
“It matters to Wren, so it matters to me. Which means it matters to you by association. Got it?”
“Sure, understood. I’ll find the bear.” Jimmy clears his throat and pauses for a beat before beginning again. “Anyway, I found something. There’s a building across the street from Sun Hong Kong with cameras. Took me some time to hack into their feed, but I’ve got access now.”
My pulse spikes. “Tell me you got footage from the night her apartment got trashed.”
“I did, sending it now,” Jimmy says, the sound of rapid fingers flying across keys comes through the phone. “Check your phone.”
“I will, and hey. Do some digging on a man named Edward Daniels for us.”
“Daniels, as in—”
“Wren’s father. He should be in prison. Dig up anything you can find, but most importantly, find where he’s being held.”
“You got it, Kagey Wagey.”
“...Jimmy. Was that supposed to be a joke?”
The line is silent for a beat until he finally clears his throat. “Well, I just figured—”
“Yeah, maybe let's not, bud.”
“Alright,” he replies before hanging up.
I check my phone and see the notification from Jimmy.
Swiping it open, I press play on the footage.
Nox leans over to watch it over my shoulder.
The timestamp matches the night of the break in.
Two figures move through the shadows. One smaller, moving quickly, the other much larger in comparison.
Once they turn, we notice a third figure being carried by the two.
Chen.
“Pause it,” Nox hisses.
I freeze the frame and zoom in. The smaller figure's face sharpens just enough for us to recognize it.
“Fucking Richard.”
The second man wears a hood, hiding his face completely.
“Who the fuck is that?” Nox asks.
“I don’t know, but Dick is gonna tell us before we gut him.”
We storm out of the building, the SUV doors slamming before we peel away from the restaurant.