Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
CASPER
A FEW MONTHS PRIOR
“Welcome to Briarwood! Just so you know, we have rules here. And despite the unusual circumstances that brought ya to us, you’re expected to follow ?em…
Don’t look at me like that. Do I seem like the sorta guy who likes rules?
No, fuck the man. But the man in charge has a certain way of doing things—don’t we all, right?
And, well, his flavor of punishment ain’t the fun kind. Trust me.”
I got a phantom shiver up my back at the thought.
“Anyway, he’ll tell you to call him Dr. Adrian Lambert.
But if ya really wanna get under his skin…
Big Daddy. That’s his office straight down that way.
Don’t touch anything unless you remember exactly where it went.
I find pictures work best and watch out for the dust lines. That’s what’ll get ya every time.”
I made a sharp left down the hallway before the neat freak in question could spot me. Brushing past the second door as I hitched out a thumb behind us.
“That’s Bugs’s room. Don’t go in there unless you wanna come out stickier than you started… I know. I know… Shouldn’t shame a guy for beatin’ off—we all do it. But even my dick’s got a limit.”
By the time we made it to the next stop on our tour, I hadn’t gotten anything more than a gurgle or two in reply.
“Not much of a talker, huh? That’s okay. Neither is Don-Don. He had his brain mashed into applesauce. But don’t you worry about that. We took care of the guy who did it. That was before the basement was cleared out and turned into Franks’s little love shack.”
I hit the button for the elevator and escorted my new friend inside.
Taking it all the way down till we reached the lowest level.
The entire cable car shook and then the doors screeched open to the dungeon turned daycare.
The old medical devices, dog collars, metal cages, and chains replaced with shit straight out of a pastel nightmare.
“If you think this is bad, just wait until ya meet the guy who lives down here. Wouldn’t call him ugly…
” I broke out in a loud laugh before I could even finish speaking.
“I’m lying. That’s exactly what I’d call ?em.
Imagine someone took a baseball bat to the side of your head—that’s Franks.
You’re cute, so you might be able to pull off the whole two-faced villain thing. He can’t.”
“What the fuck do you want?” I could already hear Two-Face stomping towards us.
“Brace yourself,” I whispered out the side of my mouth. “It ain’t gonna be pretty.”
The lights flicked on and we were both left staring into an empty eye socket, till a creak of a door had Franks turning to the side so he looked half normal again.
He waited until he heard the water running in the shower before looking back in our direction.
That was when a high-pitched wail had me covering my ear with one hand and passing the kid over with the other.
“Here, you’re on diaper duty.” I spun around and started walking towards the elevator, leaving Baby Lambert behind.
“Does Adrian know you brought AJ down here?” Franks called after me.
“Who do you think told me to do it?”
The real answer was me. I’d told me to do it. Just to see how long before the big guy realized his newly-adopted kid was missing. Also, Franks needed the practice and I needed to break out the tattoo gun without some brat screaming in the background.
Buzzzzipp… The vibration shot straight down to my dick as I sent the tip of my needle deeper into the already darkened flesh. Coulda been more gentle. I didn’t want to be. Pain was a good reminder that you were alive… for most people.
For me, it was an intangible concept.
“You’re digging into my skin, asshole.”
Asshole. I grinned. Bossman said it like it was a bad thing but we all knew it was as close to a pet name as any of us were gonna get.
Besides, I was his favorite. Least I was before he brought that brat home.
Adrian Junior. A leftover from a job. Our makeshift family was expanding one annoying toddler at a time.
“Turnabout’s fair play, Doc.” I grinned while touching up the letters on his chest for what had to be the millionth time.
He and the wifey went at it like street dogs fightin’ over the last piece of moskovskaya.
Were just as vicious too. “So, what’s with the kid?
Marriage life that boring you gotta bring in a third? ”
“Aw, someone upset they ain’t the youngest anymore, huh?” a familiar voice replied, and my glare shot over to the doorway. Following the black riding boots up a pair of thick jean-clad thighs, a pierced navel, and my favorite pair of tits sticking out of a cropped leather vest.
“Don’t gotta be the youngest when I’m the cutest, sweetheart.” I winked.
Danica Rossi was the only mouse to ever make it outta my trap. Not that I had any intentions of fucking her a few years ago. Just that I didn’t have any intentions of not fucking her.
“Here to finally let me stick ya?” I turned in my swivel seat, widening my legs and twitching my dick while buzzing the needle.
Myshka could have it any way she wanted. A jab was a jab in my book. And I fucking loved jabbing shit.
She dropped her eyes to my lap, then moved ?em up to the tattoo gun in my hand. “Yeah, no thanks to both.”
“Speaking of pricks…” I twitched my cock again. “Where’s yours?”
“Right here.” The Irish fucker with a dick much smaller than mine—trust me, I measured—popped up behind her quicker than the leprechaun at the end of the rainbow. Nixing my plans of having a taste of that golden pussy he didn’t seem keen to share. At least for now.
It was only a matter of time before our friendly neighborhood bounty hunter got bored of the same old shamrock-flavored cock. Everyone knew vodka was better. Lasted longer too.
I wiped the blood off Lambo’s chest as he stood from his chair and extended a hand. “Good to see you, Danica.”
“Not like you gave me much of a choice, now did ya, Surge,” she grunted.
“Deal’s a deal.” He shrugged, and I sat back to watch the chaos unfold. Maybe even create a little of my own.
“Just cut to the chase, Doc. What do you want and how much is it gonna cost me?”
“Won’t cost you anything, Rossi.” Bossman grinned or at least I thought he was grinning. His back was to me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo, and I leaned over his shoulder to get myself a peek. “I want you to find these women for me.”
“And do what?” Danica lifted a challenging brow, at the same time I raised a hand and yelled out, “I call dibs on the brunette! She looks feisty.”
He ignored me. Papa Bear was annoyed. “Hire ?em to put out a hit,” he told her.
“On who?” Danica pressed.
“Me,” Bossman replied, and I laughed so loud I had everyone turning my way.
Seemed like shit was about to get real interesting around here. Fucking finally.