Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rex
I t’s been a few days since I had that first night with Dre.
That downright perfect, life-changing first night.
Not just because I finally got to feel how amazing it is to be inside him, and don’t get me wrong, I fucking enjoyed every single moment of that.
It was beyond my wildest dreams but also because of the conversation that followed.
I don’t know what I did to deserve such a fantastic person loving me, but you’ll never hear me complain or take it for granted.
I know I’m a lucky son of a bitch to have him.
I will forever thank my lucky stars that he entered my life and wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
The days that followed have been just as amazing as that night, just in an entirely different way.
We’ve spent time not only with both our families and The Reapers but also as a smaller family unit too.
We took some time for ourselves, despite everything that was waiting for us to deal with.
We deserved that. The rest of the world could wait.
It still hasn’t quite sunk in that I have a family of my own now.
It blows my mind each and every time I think about it.
Maybe one day, probably fifty years from now, it won’t feel like such a shock to me every time I think about it, but I very much doubt it.
Dre has gotten to know everyone so much better these past few days, and I can tell he just feels more comfortable around them all.
He seems to get on extremely well with Wraith and Seth.
I think on some level he knows they both need someone like him in their lives.
Even Micah, who had a shock when he got home to find there was now a baby in the house, seemed to fall into an easy rhythm with Dre.
I know after Dre found out the way Micah had been treated by his parents, he spent some time talking to him one-on-one, knowing his own experience could help the boy.
It was such a sweet thing for him to do, and I also know it wasn’t easy.
Their experiences might have been vastly different, but there was still a level of understanding the rest of us didn’t have with Micah.
I know Flash and Jake were extremely grateful for Dre’s actions, as we all saw the change in Micah that followed.
He just seemed to be more settled. There was no longer the constant feeling of him waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Don’t get me wrong, he’d settled amazingly into his new life, especially when you considered how far away from his norm it was, but he still had a wariness around us all.
Whatever Dre said seemed to help him tremendously, though.
There’s just a new air around him now, a calmer, more secure one.
It’s been the best time of my life getting to spend uninterrupted time with Dre and Immy, but that bubble we’ve been living in, the one where the outside world didn’t exist, has just popped.
Reality has reared its ugly head. I knew it was coming; there was no stopping my responsibilities, but still I’m not happy about returning to the real world.
I can’t put off what’s waiting for me in The Holding Facility anymore.
Not only do I want to deal with Beau and Annmarie once and for all, ending the lingering worry Dre has where they’re concerned.
He might not have said anything, but I can tell it makes him uneasy having them so close by.
I can’t blame him for that either, not after all the pain and suffering they’ve caused him.
They aren’t all that requires my attention, though; there’s also Richard for me to deal with.
Everyone else has spent at least a little bit of time over the past few days teaching him the errors of his ways.
Each and every one of them wants to make sure a message is sent loud and clear to anyone else considering betraying The Khaos Group.
I’m pretty sure that they’ve more than achieved that task if the cautiousness the rest of the Operatives are showing as I walk through The Holding Facility is anything to go by.
There’s no doubt in my mind that they’ve either seen or heard what has been happening to Richard, and I know they won’t be able to not spread the word around to the other operatives that work throughout the world.
This morning there was only one person other than me who hadn’t had their turn with Richard, and they’re currently in there with him now.
Richard’s condition was already deteriorating yesterday according to what Austin told me earlier this morning; I can only imagine the abysmal state he’s in now that Wraith has got her hands on him.
If I want a chance to get any additional information out of him and inflict my own brand of punishment, it’s going to have to be soon.
His chances of surviving much longer are slim to none.
Not after everything his body has been put through.
I’m not even remotely surprised by the sight that greets me when I round the corner to my workroom, where Richard is still being held.
Wraith looks like an extra from a slasher movie.
There is literally no other way to describe how she looks.
She’s covered head to toe in blood and doesn’t seem even remotely bothered by that fact at all.
It’s not the first time I’ve found her looking this way after she’s had her fun with someone, and I very much doubt it’ll be the last. Sometimes she enjoys playing with her food a little too much. Especially when they’ve pissed her off.
“Well, you look like you’ve had fun.” I say in greeting.
“So much. Part of me wishes I’d have taken the first shot at him, though. He was so pitiful by the time I got my turn.”
“You’ll have to remember that for the next time someone pisses us all off.” I say, laughing. Sobering up, I continue, “Make sure you clean up here and not at the house. Dre will have a heart attack if he sees you like this.”
“I’d never let him see me like this, Rex. I don’t want to scare him and lose my new friend.”
“Cleo.” I say seriously. Using her legal name so she knows I’m being serious.
“Yes.” She says, staring over my shoulder instead of at me. It’s what she does when she is lost in her own head.
“There’s nothing you could do to ruin your friendship with Dre.
Even if he saw you like this, it wouldn’t change anything; he’d still want to be your friend.
He’d be shocked for sure, but that’s all.
He adores you. I only mentioned getting cleaned up here because Dre and blood aren’t a good combination, and you’re more than a little bit bloody right now. ”
“I can’t risk him seeing this side of me, Rex. You know how hard it is for me to make friends outside of those connected to my job.”
“I know. You haven’t had it easy, but it’s different with Dre. He’s a different breed. He’d never judge you for what you do. Maybe one day you’ll believe me.”
“Maybe.” She says as she strolls past me towards the locker room where she can wash up and change into some fresh, less bloodied clothing.
Rolling my shoulders back, I shake off my conversation with Wraith; there’s nothing more I can say to her to make her believe my words.
It’s just going to take time and Dre showing her that he’s not like everyone else.
Now it’s time for me to focus on the task ahead of me.
I easily fall into the mindset I have when I’m working.
The one where I become the ruthless and merciless man who is feared by most. It’s time to get down to business.
The state in which I find Richard isn’t at all surprising to me.
I can’t help but wonder how he’s still breathing, though.
It’s clear he’s been put through the ringer by everyone.
His body is littered with cuts and bruises, his clothing hanging off him where it was clearly just sliced away so whoever could get to his skin.
It looks like he might have a few broken bones as well; I’d say both kneecaps have been obliterated from the swelling and odd shape they now sit in.
The only thing that seems to be missing from his body is burns, and I plan on changing that shortly.
As I get closer, I catch the first glimpse of his hands.
It looks like I know where some of that blood on Wraith came from.
She’s sliced off 3 fingers on each hand; I can tell it was her by the fact they’re still bleeding.
She didn’t just slice them straight off at the base though.
No, on the floor I can see parts of his fingers, where she sliced away at each joint.
Making sure to prolong the pain and suffering Richard experienced at her hands.
“It looks like you’ve been having fun without me, Richard.” I say as I come to a stop in front of him.
He doesn’t speak, just tips his head back to look up at me. His eyes are clouded with pain, he has tear streaks and snot all down his face, he looks an absolute mess, and I couldn’t be happier.
“So Richard, are you going to tell me why you decided to betray us?”
“What’s the point? You’re going to kill me anyway.”
“You’re right, I am going to kill you, and I have ways of making you talk before then. You will give me answers whether you want to or not. You seem to be forgetting who you’re dealing with.”
Richard lets out a long whimper but doesn’t make any moves to answer me. That’s fine; I have my ways to make him talk, and it’s no hardship for me to inflict pain and suffering on him. If anything, I’m going to enjoy every minute of it after what he’s done.
Walking towards my table full of goodies, I pick up my blowtorch.
It’s not often that I use it, normally resorting to the thousands of other things at my disposal, but I can tell he hasn’t had the pleasure of being burned yet.
I might as well make sure he’s had a taste of everything we’ve got to offer.
Richard isn’t paying me any attention, more than likely lost in his own mind or maybe the pain. That doesn’t last though. As soon as I start the blowtorch and the distinct hissing sound of the gas releasing penetrates the room, I have his full attention on me.
“Please. No. Don’t do this, Rex.” The fool starts to blubber out. His tears and snot are running down his face once more.
I couldn’t care less about his begging and pleading for mercy.
I have no intentions of not following through with what I have planned.
Even if he chose this moment to tell me everything I want to know, my blowtorch would still be coming into contact with his battered and bloodied body.
I’ve officially run out of any patience I had where he’s concerned.
Though it’s not like I had much to begin with.