ELIANO #4
My arousal spikes like a barometer before a storm, a red haze creeping in. I realize I’m about to come, way too quickly, damn it, this is too good. I find his hard cock beneath his stomach and, yes, we’re completely in sync. He’s hard, leaking precum, and just as close.
Bam, bam, bam!
Maybe a minute later, I explode like a supernova, and he follows me. We climax together, at the exact same moment.
Now I understand what a quickie really is.
Did it even take more than two minutes? I doubt it. But there’s something about it, that fast release of tension, and Fate knows there was a lot of it built up after everything with Drax.
Now, just like that, we let it out. My tension drops sharply, and my head clears.
I pull back from him, stripping off the condom. He straightens up and pulls his pants back on. I toss the condom, rinse my hands, and grab my phone.
"And now it’s time to deal with the door issue," I say calmly as I unlock the screen.
Salt looks at me, eyes slightly narrowed, his face flushed and lightly damp with sweat.
I pause for a second. Then I suddenly lean down and kiss him hard, pushing my tongue inside. His mouth opens easily, wet and sweet. It almost takes my breath away how willing and eager he feels under my touch. Yeah, it’s dizzying, but I need to rein it in, there’s stuff to do.
I straighten, leaving him with closed eyes and an open mouth, lips red and swollen. Is he fighting the heat waves hard?
Focus, Eliano!
Only after letting out a long breath do I dial Storm’s number, glad it’s still during working hours.
He picks up after a few rings.
"Yes?"
"It’s me, Eliano Ferro. I’m calling about something urgent."
"Oh? Right. What happened?" His voice sharpens with surprise.
"Can you also connect Jordan Arnold so this can be a conference call?"
"As it happens, I’m in a meeting with him right now. I’ll put you on speaker."
I do the same so Salt can hear everything.
"Okay, listen…"
I do my best to stay coherent and factual as I summarize everything that’s happened recently, what went down with Jeff and Shane, then Bashir and Fred, and finally what happened today in the breakfast hall, ending with the fact that we’ve just been locked inside our module.
Storm exhales sharply.
"You won’t believe this, but we were just in a meeting about something that recently leaked from the island. A short video showing a beta having dub-con sex with one of their employees. Beta Activation claimed it was fake, but now I’m thinking this might actually be a serious lead…"
"Yes, it’s real. It’s my video."
"We’re concerned, as their business partner.
" I suddenly hear Jordan Arnold’s voice.
"One-third of the pairs in your sector are matched by Fate’s Choice; these people are our clients.
We’ve already taken a reputational hit with the bombing attack, and we can’t lose even more public credibility by sending our clients to facilities with such controversial methods of boosting fertility.
We may remove their offer from our portfolio. "
"Listen, I have something much better for you," I say darkly.
Storm cuts in, "Seriously?"
"Yes. I’m about to send it to you. I think it’ll be solid proof of what’s been happening here if you need leverage in negotiations.
We recorded an important incident in the dining hall.
I played a major role there, and now they’ve locked us in our unit as a form of punishment, I guess.
You can review it, and I really hope you’ll find a way to get us out of here. "
"Locked? Oh, wow. We’ll take a look. Send it to this email address. That inbox can handle large files. We’ll get to work."
I also hear Jordan Arnold’s voice.
"Eliano, from this moment on, don’t talk to anyone about this, and especially don’t mention that you contacted us.
For now, it’s best if you stay in the background and don’t participate in spreading any information outside.
That would be a direct violation of the rules, and they could use it against you if they had proof. "
"You’re right. Thanks, Jordan."
They disconnect. I quickly attach the file, which is massive, and start uploading it.
"Damn, at this connection speed it’s going to take like half an hour."
"I don’t think we need to rush," Salt says, peeking outside the window. "I’m guessing Sidorov is working on a plan right now, figuring out what to do and how to handle this. There are two options."
He drops onto the couch.
"One is that he believes he can contain it internally and keep it under control. The other is that if he thinks this got out and might catch the attention of the oversight board, he could try some twisted act of revenge as his final move here. Anything’s possible."
He studies me, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"So. Tell me. What video were they talking about?"
I sigh. "The day before yesterday, I saw Drax forcing himself on Fred against the wall of building number four.
I posted it on my fan page, but the platform blocked it pretty fast. It still spread a bit, around five hundred shares.
Some people saw it. Maybe someone tipped off the oversight board, because Beta Activation posted a statement on their site denying the whole thing. "
Salt stares at me.
"Wow. You really went all in on this, Eliano. Do you care so much about… these people?"
There’s something almost probing in his voice. He bites his lip, then lifts his hand to his mouth and chews on his fingers. I know immediately he’s wrestling with something.
"Well. My brother Rocco, the current capo, weaponized rape. It was his… signature mark. And I don’t accept barbaric methods like that. No matter how," I make air quotes with my fingers, "medically useful stimulating betas with that monster’s hormones might be."
Salt’s eyes fix on me with a strange intensity, and something like hope? He says nothing, he just keeps rubbing his chin as if deep in thought.
◆◆◆
Being locked in, we of course can’t attend the photo classes. In any case, neither of us is in the mood to pretend the island is some blissful, postcard-perfect place where we can just go carefree for cute shots on the picturesque coastal rocks.
When I open my laptop to check the number of comments under my latest post, one username among the ones who liked it immediately catches my attention.
SantoroMalidittu.
I recognize it at once. It’s a handle my brother Mauro used occasionally when commenting on social media.
Santoro was our dad’s last name before marriage.
His family came from Sicily but had nothing to do with the mafia, they owned several large sawmills in North Carolina.
Malidittu means cursed in Sicilian. Mauro used to call himself that sometimes.
I notice the online icon is active, so on impulse I message him.
"Hey… how are you holding up?"
I stare at the screen for a moment. I’ve often wondered how Mauro’s life unfolded in the days after our escape. I know he’s calculated, always prepared. He must have figured something out. Maybe this is my chance to get an update.
The typing dots move.
"I’m okay. Stable. And you?"
"I’ve had some pretty crazy situations. But right now things are relatively stable too."
I pause, thinking about what to write next. Mauro is always cautious about sharing information online. My blog has never been hacked, thanks to the security set up by a hacker friend of mine, but I don’t know how much Mauro trusts that.
"So… I’ve got a burner. This is the number. It’s safe."
I type the number, then delete the message almost immediately.
There’s a short silence.
My brother is mute. When he makes phone calls, he uses an app that converts typed text into speech. A moment later, my phone rings.
Salt jumps at the unfamiliar sound.
"It’s nothing, nothing. My brother," I reassure him.
Salt stares at me in surprise but doesn’t comment as I step out of the living room and close myself in the bathroom.
"Hey, Mauro."
A mechanical voice from the app responds in my ear.
"Hey, Eliano. I’m glad you’re alive. You disappeared so fast, with nothing on you. I kept wondering how you were managing."
I hesitate for a moment.
"My story is honestly insane." I give him a summary of recent events, leaving out the name of the Beta Activation facility I’m currently at.
Then I turn the question back to him, curious what he’s been up to.
"I’m doing exactly what I planned years ago. I expected our family to blow up sooner or later. Anzo was never stable."
"What did you plan?"
"Do you remember our uncle, the ever-drunk Tommaso?"
"Yeah, a bit."
Tomasso was my dad’s alpha brother, and along with their other brother, a beta, Renato, they both inherited the family sawmill business. But after Anzo killed our parents, he only allowed us sporadic visits, so I can’t say I know this uncle well.
"I bought Tommaso’s land from him about six years ago. He’d mortgaged it into oblivion to cover his drinking debts. For now, Uncle Renato holds the property in his name, because I didn’t want Rocco or Anzo to know about the transaction."
"Wow. That’s some farsighted thinking."
"Over the years, I built year-round rental cabins there, funded with money I earned from cage fighting."
"Oh, damn, brilliant. You sneaky bastard!"
But, strangely enough, what Mauro did doesn’t surprise me. Out of all of us, Mauro hated Anzo the most. He witnessed our parents’ murder, and he never forgot what he saw. With his mindset, it was only logical he would create a plan B. Or even plan C.
Unlike me…
"If you ever want to visit, or find yourself in trouble, you’re welcome, Eliano. There’s always at least one cabin free. I’ve got twenty now, and more under construction."