Sevastyan
The hotel Sevastyan chose for receiving Alexi had excellent service. Which was helpful as the man was arriving in a few hours. Sevastyan nodded to the staff dropping their bags on the bench in the new room. “Would you like us to unpack, sir?” the most senior staff member inquired.
Sevastyan shook his head. Ellisandre was staying with Lisa and Rei back at the Bolthole, which gave him time to prep the hotel room for Alexi’s visit and a several days’ stay.
His bruises were finally starting to hurt a little less and he could move more easily.
The bullet wound in his side was completely scabbed over.
It would be weeks before it was completely healed, and the skin stopped pulling with any major move, but it was mending without infection.
There was nothing to stop what needed to be done from getting done.
He started with a check for surveillance devices.
No one should have guessed he was going to take this room at the last minute, but caution was the winning choice.
There were cameras to install on his own network, tied to his phone, and with all traffic encrypted.
Food and supplies were delivered to the front desk of the hotel as ordered and were brought up by the valet service.
That stocked the fridge with Alexi’s favorite beer, enough food for almost a week, and added pillows and blankets to the floor in strategic places.
As a last touch, weapons were hidden in easy reach.
Dirk’s resources in the area probably hadn’t recovered from the loss of so many goons, but who knew.
While it was unlikely they’d gotten a lead on Sevastyan again, Alexi would be trackable.
His trip to Chicago would probably not go unnoticed.
Whether or not the wrong people would notice was another question.
Satisfied, Sevastyan threw on an entirely different coat and hat with an added beard and took the elevator to the lobby, heading back out onto the street. His phone buzzed as he approached the Bolthole. A text from Alexi: .
Sevastyan sent the address of the hotel.
Time was almost up. He took the elevator to the floor above the Bolthole and jogged back down one flight of stairs. Ellisandre was helping Rei get pants over the bandage on Lisa’s leg. Rei was already dressed. Both Lisa and Rei went to all fours and lowered their gaze as Sevastyan entered.
“Continue,” Sevastyan ordered. He went to Ellisandre and embraced them. “See you in a few days.”
“See that you do.” Ellisandre gripped him by the low ponytail at the base of his neck.
“I will.” His goddex’s eyes were beautiful and sharp with worry. He gripped their waist in reassurance. Everything that could be said was already said. Time to go.
It was expedient to allow Rei to use crutches for the trip. Carrying his boy would have been better, but it wasn’t wise to have his hands full when he could need to fight at any moment.
It was a short taxi ride from outside the Bolthole to the mall around the corner from the hotel. Then there was the walk inside and a back entrance to the hotel with the hotel keycard. Taking the secondary elevator up to the room would attract less attention.
Tension eased from his shoulders a little as soon as all three of them were inside the room.
“Clothes off.”
Rei obeyed at once. Lisa couldn’t. Sevastyan gave him a nod and let him lean against the wall while he removed his own coat and shoes.
Kneeling to remove Lisa’s shoes was both expedient and instinctual.
Every minute his charges were on their feet was another minute they were in pain.
Lisa’s breath was coming a little fast and his eyes were glassy.
There wasn’t time, nor was it likely to help, to bring attention to his panic.
They could only get ready as swiftly as possible.
Slavery was Lisa’s only refuge now. But he could try to make it more comfortable.
He stripped Lisa down to nothing but bandages and checked the pad over the wound in the slave’s thigh.
It was still good. The best place to settle both of his boys was in the living room on the pillows already laid out.
They would be out of sight of the door when it opened, but visible from a few steps inside.
Lisa went easily, following the pressure of Sevastyan’s arm around his waist, one arm over Sevastyan’s shoulder and hopping, breath coming in small pants.
Rei followed on his knees, folding up their clothes and setting them aside.
Without any instructions both slaves settled on the floor, knees on the pillows Sevastyan had left there.
“Rest. No postures,” he ordered. It was enough for their headspace to be naked in a new space and under speech restriction. Alexi wouldn’t expect any more, not with how injured they were. And speaking of injuries, it was time for medications.
The antibiotics were rough on the stomach without food.
Sevastyan swallowed his own pills in the kitchen, then ate a sandwich from the refrigerator cold while heating two more meals in the microwave.
When Rei and Lisa’s sandwiches were warm, the cheese just melted, he carried them over to the couch and sat.
“Rei,” he called.
Rei crawled to him. He spread his legs and Rei settled between them, sitting sideways, back against Sevastyan’s leg, leaning into the couch, injured ankle tucked to the side.
He was perfect, and brave, and soft. Sevastyan brushed his fingers through Rei’s hair and offered the pills, followed by water.
In the small moment of quiet, this was an oasis.
He could touch Rei as he liked, offer him something.
The weight of his boy against his leg grounded him against what was coming.
When Rei was finished, he stroked his cheek and signaled him to go back to the pillows, to make way for Lisa.
Lisa crawled over with less grace. He took the pills from Sevastyan’s hand with his lips without hesitation, but his back was a knot of tension and his arms were shaking.
Sevastyan swallowed down any verbal praise, though he allowed them both a moment with his hand against Lisa’s cheek, acknowledging the effort and the pain.
There was so much pride and terror running through the slave, but he was keeping his word.
Sevastyan fed him without requiring eye contact, then sent him back to the pillows with Rei.
“Sleep if you can,” he told them. Alexi hadn’t arrived yet. He could clean up the kitchen.
The mild sedative in the water he’d given them would let both slaves rest.
Alexi would appreciate the show, and it would give him and Sevastyan time to talk without being overheard.
Alexi was likely to be more frank. And Sevastyan would be able to control the stage, taking on the burden of setting the tone of the visit.
If he did his jobs well, Alexi would leave Lisa with them and throw his weight behind their next moves.
Lisa and Rei were asleep by the time the place was clean.
They’d curled in towards each other, face to face with arms under their heads and hands against their chests, so close they were almost touching.
If ever a reminder were needed as to why he was doing what he was doing, the marks on Rei would have been enough.
Both his and Lisa’s bare skin were a testament to recent events, scrapes, bruises and bandages on display.
On the other side of every deed he committed now was a world where Rei grew old, drank beers, and fed birds in a park. A world where he didn’t need a seven-step skincare program because it no longer mattered if he looked like a shattered angel.
Sevastyan’s phone buzzed. Alexi was in the foyer.
He slipped on his leather loafers, touched the gun under his suit jacket to confirm it was in place, and went out, locking the door behind him. The sensors on the doors and windows would tell him if anyone tried to enter.