7. Jack #2
“Hello, Jack, I see you’ made it,” he says, his voice smooth, carrying that exact same chilling tone that used to make the walls of my old house feel like they were closing in.
My hands begin to shake. Not with anger yet, but with the sudden, terrifying snap of old conditioning, the ghost of straps and cold metal flashing behind my eyes.
“Made it?” My voice comes out hoarse, barely scraping past my throat.
Ray steps further inside, his shoes clicking against the floor. He looks around the cafe, his gaze sweeping over the place like an inspector grading property he thinks he might buy.
“Yes, Jackie. Remember, we saw you at the fight, then you disappeared after they dragged that guy off you. We couldn’t find you, so we asked around, that’s when we found you…
” He looks at me, a sinister smile curling at his lips.
“…in the ditch,” he says calmly, slipping off a pair of leather gloves and tucking them into his coat pocket.
“Guess a man can find a stray dog anywhere, especially when the dog leaves such a trail. We heard about this guy doing the rounds under Frank. Heard he was good. Really good, similar fighting style. And wondered if it might be you.”
His eyes lock with mine as I try to remember seeing him, but I don’t. The doc had said I could have memory loss, but I thought I had remembered everything.
His face wears the same cold appraisal he used to give me before a fight as he looks at me. “Then, we were sent a video, and well, that confirmed it. I must say, I was surprised you’ve still been fighting.”
My stomach twists as he takes slow, precise steps towards me.
“We’ve known you’ve been here since Finn’s father disappeared. And after what happened last month…” he continues, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve, “…your father and I thought it was about time we touch base again. You know, say hi.”
He steps up to the counter, casual in that calculated way that makes my skin crawl.
“We just had to figure out how to get to you without your big soldier around.” His smile sharpens, thin and knowing. “Son, you really should be more careful with who you associate with. Your soldier, he just put a big neon sign right above your head.” The word son hits like a physical blow.
He sits at the counter, adjusting his coat as his eyes travel up my body finally settling on my face.
“Now, Dog. How about a coffee for your uncle.” his voice slick and dangerous.
I’m frozen by that name.
I need to say something. Yell. Do anything. Tell him to fuck off, and leave, but all I can muster is one word.
“Finn!” My voice tremors as I call his name. It tears from my throat, my eyes not leaving my uncle.
Ray doesn’t even flinch. He just offers a thin, patronizing smile, leaning further over the counter. “Go ahead, call your little watchdog. Do you really think he can protect you from me, Jack?”
Before I can answer, the heavy office door swings open with a sharp bang.
Finn steps out, his eyes instantly locking onto my uncle sitting in front of me. The shift in him is instantaneous; the easy, relaxed man vanishes, replaced entirely by the fighter whose broken bones and didn’t flinch while doing it.
His eyes sweep from Ray to me, seeing the white-knuckle grip of my hands and the pale terror frozen on my face.
“Step away from him,” Finn says, his voice a low, lethal rumble that vibrates with fury.
Ray glances at Finn, unbothered, almost amused. “Ah. Finnegan. So good to see you again. I wondered when the stray would bark.”
Finn doesn’t hesitate. He crosses the distance between us fury etched on his face. He moves me out of the way, positioning himself squarely between my father and me.
The shaking in my hands doesn’t stop, but as Finn reaches for me, his fingers wrapping firmly around my wrist to anchor me, the ice in my chest breaks slightly.
“You’re trespassing,” Finn says, his eyes locked onto Ray’s, cold as Campbell River winters.
“Now, now, Finnegan. I’m just visiting family,” Ray replies smoothly, though his eyes narrow as he assesses the lethal threat standing in front of me.
Finn’s grip on my wrist tightens just a fraction, “He’s not yours anymore,” Finn says, every word a promise of violence if Ray makes another move. “And if you ever come near him again, you won’t walk out of Campbell River, I’ll make sure you’ll leave in a fucking box.”
Ray holds our gaze for one long, suffocating moment, then slowly raises his hands in a mock surrender, a sick smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“We’ll see about that,” he murmurs, climbing down from the seat. He turns on his heel and walks out of the building, out into the darkness as if he owns it.
I stare at the spot where he sat, my breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps, as Finn stands in front of me, “I’ve got you,” Finn whispers, his own breathing heavy. “He’s gone. You’re safe.”
Half an hour later my body still hasn’t stopped shaking. Finn sits beside me, talking quietly, as Silas and Deck return, laughing as they walk through the door, but their laughter dies the minute they see me.
“What happened?” Silas is at my side instantly.
I reach for him, and he pulls me into his arms, rocking me slowly while Finn explains about Rays’ visit.
The moment Finn says my uncles name, the shaking starts again. I’m a grown man, but I feel eight years old again, trapped in that house all over again.
“Come on. Let’s go home.” Silas murmurs. “Finn, can you finish up here?”
“Sure thing.” He looks at me, “You ring me, okay? I’ll come see you tomorrow.” Deck wraps an arm around him, steadying him as they watch us leave.
* * *
The house is dark and quiet when we get home. Hale is staying at a friends place and I take a second to just soak in the silence.
“Do you want something to eat. A drink?”
I shake my head, “Just bed.” I murmur.
“Let’s go.” He says, taking my hand, and leading me to his room. He heads to the bathroom as I kick off my shoes.
I start to move to the bed, but stop dead when his voice hits me from behind.
“Don’t move.”
I feel the second my body responds to his voice. That voice. He knows I need this tonight, and I didn’t even say anything. His voice is like a physical caress, as the edges of my world start to soften, my muscles loosen, and my thoughts quiet, and a small grateful smile pulls at my lips.
Tonight, I’m his.
I turn, and my breath catches as he approaches. He’s shed his shirt, the button of his jeans popped, the ink covering his skin stark under the low light. His piercings catch my eye, the small hoops hanging from each nipple.
My tongue flicks across my bottom lip as I drink him in. His presence alone fills the room, and I feel my body settle under him. My breathing stutters, not so much from desire, but from the sheer relief of having him nearby.
But then I see something in his hand, and my breath stops in my throat.
“Only if you want to, dove,” he says softly.
A red vibrator, handcuffs and black silk hangs loosely from his fingers. My pulse jumps. I know he will stop the second I safe word. And with everything that I’m feeling tonight, I know he’s offering me a way to let go.
So, I take a leap, I nod.
“Good boy.”
The words land like a jolt, a sharp static buzz snapping through my skin. It races through every nerve, locking my muscles in place and stealing the air from my lungs and heads straight to my cock.
He walks toward me, his voice low. “Keep your eyes forward, boy.” A single finger trails over my hand—feather-light, deliberate, as he moves past.
His body is a warm pressure at my back, and when I feel his lips brush the nape of my neck, a ripple of need races through my body, and I whimper at the touch.
He lifts the silk, letting it whisper against my skin. I pull in a sharp breath and start to move my head, but his gentle “Shh” stops me.
He lifts it over my eyes, soft and cool and I take one last look at the room before everything disappears behind black silk.
“I’m going to touch you, Jack. I’m going to remove each piece of clothing, and when I’m done, you will stand where you are until I tell you to move.
Do you understand?” His voice is soft and quiet, yet unmistakably commanding.
Warm breath brushes my skin, and a ripple of goosebumps rises across my skin in response.
I nod, swallowing hard as a heavy, electric ache settles deep in my stomach. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good boy.”
I feel him shift to stand in front of me, his fingers brushing the hem of my shirt. My body flinches automatically at the the first touch, heat rushing to my cheeks in a sudden vulnerability.
“Sshh. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Silas speaks so gently it almost breaks me. His voice is low, soothing me the way you’d calm a frightened child.
I let my mind go entirely, surrendering control as the material lifts, sliding up my skin, over my face, and off my head until if falls away somewhere in the quiet room.
He steps in behind me, close enough that his weight presses lightly against my spine. The cool bite of his nipple rings contrasts sharply with the heat radiating off his skin as his hands settle heavily on my arms.
He takes one elbow, his fingertips running a feather light touch down to my hand. A soft kiss lands on my shoulder, a reward, and I hear the clink of the first cuff. He repeats the same with my other arm, never rushing.
All the while, Silas keeps talking. His voice wraps around me in a stream of quiet reassurance, cutting through the white noise in my head and pulling me down into a place where I know, that I am safe and cared for.
I hand the control to Silas, letting myself fall into the space he creates for me.
Everything disappears, and I feel a profound peace as I wait there, blindfolded and half exposed to him, my chest heaving with every breath as he whispers against my skin, pressing kisses so light they seal his every word straight into my flesh.
And, finally, I am steady.
And I wait, wrapped in steel and silk.