Agony, page 14
So, the kid had access to Erebus jobs—photos and statements of horrific crimes made by people who, in his own opinion, weren’t even human.
Great.
What a shit show.
A noise snagged his attention and Justice put a finger to his lips.
The scuff of shoes and then the rattling of keys sounded near the door.
“Stay hidden,” he hissed, and Azrael melted into whatever shadow he’d been in—the kid was that fucking good.
Justice sat in the office chair at the small desk, then quickly rolled until his back was to the wall, and placed his silencer on his lap.
A key sounded in the door and Gibson coughed when he entered the room. The man shut the door and flipped the deadbolt before yanking off his jacket.
Hitting the lights, some sixth sense must have alerted the predator of his or Azrael’s existence because Gibson pulled a gun.
Justice stood and fired his silencer, sending a bullet into the fucker’s head. A hole appeared in the middle of the man’s forehead.
Gibson’s surprised expression turned blank and he fell forward, half on and half off one of the queen beds.
Justice would have liked to confront the fucker and let him know why he was at death’s door, but this time, he didn’t have that luxury.
Tucking away his weapon, he picked up the shell casing and walked toward the body.
Azrael stood from the shadows and kicked Gibson off the bed. The dead body toppled over and landed on the floor.
Leaning over the guy, Azrael gazed at the blood pouring from Gibson’s head.
“Rot in hell, you sick fuck,” the boy whispered to the dead predator.
“Come on,” Justice murmured and pulled at Azrael’s arm to get him moving.
“That was a nice shot.”
“It was point blank so no biggie. Does Dave know you’re here?” He frowned.
“He’s not my dad.”
“So what? You going rogue?”
“I could.” That fearless chin tipped up and Justice found himself actually liking the kid.
“You’re too young.”
“I’m eighteen and I’ve probably killed more people than you could dream of.”
At the kid’s flat tone of voice, Justice heard the bitterness and a hollow-sounding void that was a bit concerning.
“You’re good kid, I’ll give you that. I didn’t even know you were in the damned room.”
“That’s the way I was trained. If I was seen, I was punished. I didn’t like getting punished.”
Having seen the cages where Azrael had been kept, Justice clenched his jaw. He had heard of how Echo suspected that Solomon had molested the boy. Azrael wasn’t talking about his life with anyone, so all that remained was a fucked-up mystery, but it wasn’t hard to guess.
Had Solomon molested Fisher? The thought sent his stomach roiling.
“Let’s go,” Justice croaked, stalking to the door.
“Where to?”
“My car first and then we’ll figure it out.” He shot a quick glance out the door and found the area clear. He drew Azrael out of the room and they made it to his car several minutes later.
“Where’s your brother?” Justice asked, remembering that Azrael had a twin.
“College, can you believe that shit?”
“Yeah, I can.”
Justice tucked the boy into his car and slid behind the wheel. He flipped on the overhead light and studied Azrael in the dim light.
“How did you sign into the Erebus website?”
The boy’s eyes darted away, lips pressed flat, and again that chin tipped up. Justice knew for a fact that Solomon’s login had been deleted by now, so he figured Azrael had probably stolen someone else’s access.
“Whose account login did you steal?”
The pretty boy’s lips twisted and his arms crossed.
Justice gave a pained sigh and started the car. Pulling out onto the road, he drove for several miles in silence.
It was going to take roughly two hours to get from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, so he figured he might as well stop for food. The least he could do was feed Azrael before the boy got his ass chewed out.
Dave’s place was lit up like a baseball stadium when he arrived at the front gate.
“Name?” the guard on duty asked, looking at a clipboard.
“Justice. I have Azrael with me.”
The guard stooped over and took a look at Azrael before hurriedly pressing the button for the gate to roll open.
“Oh goodie,” Justice said, rolling up his window. “They’re expecting you.”
Azrael huffed a half laugh and twisted his hands together in his lap, a sure sign of nerves.
When Justice parked the car, he noticed Dave coming down the front walkway. Behind Dave came Stone, and in the background stood Real along with several of Dave’s bodyguards.
Justice felt for the kid.
“Let’s get this over with,” he said with a sigh and opened the car door.
“You damn well know better!”
“You’re not my dad!”
The exchange had been going on for the past several minutes and Justice was trying to find the right time to get the hell out of there.
Stone and Azrael faced off in the entryway.
Real stood just off to the side and kind of tucked into an adjacent hallway. Justice had taken up a position next to Dave.
“Damned right, I’m not,” Stone growled back and advanced toward Azrael.
Real stepped between Stone and Azrael and Stone drew up short.
Real’s block was powerful, kind of like a tank suddenly plunking down in the middle of afternoon traffic.
It was also so unexpected that everyone, including Stone, froze.
Oh shit. Justice held his breath.
Were the two men going to throw down? He had no clue what the outcome would be if that happened. Nor if the furniture in Dave’s entryway would survive.
“Move,” Stone growled.
“I’ll handle it,” the Genesis commander growled right back.
They stood nose to nose until Dave stepped up and placed a hand on Stone’s arm. Stone went rigid and scowled at Dave.
“That little punk put you through hell,” Stone snarled.
Dave half-smiled at Stone and gently shook his head. Justice volleyed his gaze back to Real and the kid.
A muscle ticked in Real’s jaw and Azrael took a step backward. With a slight thunk, the boy’s boot hit the bottom step of the stairs leading to the upper levels.
Real advanced on Azrael.
The boy’s chin tipped up and fire spat from his.
It appeared that Real might be at the end of his rope. The big soldier’s hands clenched and Justice fully expected Azrael to run.
What he hadn’t expected was opposition. Clearly, he had underestimated Azrael.
Instead of running, the teenager poked Real in his muscled chest and glared up at the big intimidating man. The boy’s long black hair spilled down his slender back.
“Don’t you start bossing me around! You don’t get to ignore me and then show up here and—”
The rest of Azrael’s words were cut off with a squeak when Real tossed the slender boy over one shoulder and stomped up the stairs.
Azrael shouted a spew of curse words that blistered the stairwell.
A few moments later, an upstairs door slammed.
A minute after that, Real came back down the stairs.
“Let him calm down and then you can talk with him,” Real said and walked out the front door. It closed quietly behind him.
“I thought for a minute there, Real was going to hit him,” Justice told Dave.
Stone made a sound under his breath and walked out of the entryway.
“No, Real wouldn’t lay a hand on Azrael,” Dave said, walking to the door that led to his study.
“The kid’s having a rough time,” Justice said, following Dave into the room.
“Yeah, his whole world has been upended. Now his brother and Cash are living at the dorms and Azrael is lost,” Dave sighed.
“I take it that he doesn’t want to go to school?”
“No. I guess it was too much to hope that all of them would pick another way of life.”
“You rescued how many, nine?” Justice said, following Dave farther into his study. “And one refuses to change? I’d say you beat the odds.”
“Maybe.” Dave settled into one of two leather chairs that sat in front of the wide window. Beyond the glass lay a garden with wandering paths and blooming summer flowers.
“I don’t have time tonight,” Dave said. “But I want to go over with you what I have on Blue, Crow, and Tanis. Can you stop by tomorrow night? Say around twenty hundred?”
“Can you just text me the info?” Justice had stayed standing.
“I’d rather not,” Dave said. “Come for dinner.”
Dinner? That was odd. Were they having a meeting he didn’t know about? The soldier in him wouldn’t allow him to decline the former Secretary of Defense’s offer.
“I’ll be back tomorrow. I might not be able to stay for dinner, but I’ll try.”
Dave smirked and nodded.
“I won’t keep you,” Justice said, turning slightly toward the door.
“Have you spoken to Fisher?” Dave asked, preventing him from leaving. The man lifted a pair of reading glasses from the table before picking up a thick book.
“Yes, but nothing has been resolved.”
“Don’t give up,” the man murmured.
He wanted to assure Dave that he wouldn’t, but he couldn’t do that. The only thing he could give Fisher was space and a lot of it.
Justice gave a slight nod before leaving the room.
It was better all the way around if he just kept busy and didn’t think about the fucked-up shit he’d done.
Pulling his cell phone out, he shot Savage a text for another job.
The next afternoon…
Fisher left Boston waiting at the top of the brick wall surrounding Dave’s estate.
It was better the boy was out of harm’s way in case he came up against resistance. Not that he thought this would end badly, but he wasn’t one for trusting.
Once Boston was lying flat on the top of the wall, Fisher put a finger to his lips. Boston saw the gesture and gave a quick nod. He liked that about the kid. Boston was quiet when needed. The teenager acted so much like him that it was uncanny.
Guards made the rounds every ten minutes and he waited for an opening. Jumping from the top of the wall, Fisher landed lightly in the grass before he sprinted over to crouch down near the hedges that lined the luxurious three-story home. The inside was even more stunning with soaring ceilings and high-class modern amenities, all while maintaining the feel of a real home. At least it had felt that way to him the few times he’d been inside.
He hovered behind the hedge, lingering in the shadows. This was going to be the tricky part.
Not getting shot by Dave’s bodyguards.
Maybe he should have called ahead? Nah, that wasn’t his style. He was more of a shock-and-awe type of guy.
“What are you doing?” a young voice asked him from above.
Craning his head back, Fisher gazed up at a dark-haired teenage boy sitting on the roof, legs dangling over the side.
The boy had to be one of the young assassins from Solomon’s facilities, but fuck if he knew what the kid’s name was.
“I’m here to see Dave,” he said quietly, darting a glance toward the circular driveway and the guards standing there.
“To kill him?”
“Ah, no. I want to see if my friend can hang here for a few days.”
It was clear the boy didn’t trust him, but Fisher smiled anyway.
“And you are?” he asked.
The youth snorted a tad haughtily, which was very cute.
“I’m Azrael.”
“Ah, okay, I’ve heard of you.”
“Where’s your friend?”
Fisher pointed toward the wall and Azrael glanced over.
Boston waved.
“Boston,” Azrael hissed and scrambled to his feet.
Running across the roof, Azrael leaped the distance to the wall. Landing like a fucking cat, the teenager raced along the top of the wall until he reached Boston.
The boys grabbed each other and hung on tight.
“Don’t fucking move,” a voice snarled and something hard pressed against the back of Fisher’s head.
Well, shit.
“I haven’t seen you since the streets!” Azrael said on the verge of tears.
“I’m fine.” Boston wiped at his own nose with his long sleeve.
The two boys hugged each other tightly.
Dave turned toward him when the boys were led out of the room by the butler.
Fisher gave a small shrug. It was one of those moves that denied knowing anything, but he didn’t think for one minute that Dave bought into his bullshit.
“You’re just the man I want to see,” Dave said.
“Oh?” Surprise widened his eyes.
“Yes, stay for dinner tonight.”
“I’m pretty busy,” Fisher said, tucking his hands into the front pockets of his pants.
“Spare some time. Now, sit down, Fisher, and talk to me,” the SecDef ordered.
On the verge of telling the man to fuck off, Fisher rethought that idea. He didn’t want to piss him off.
Fisher shot a look toward Stone. The big hulk of a man stood nearby and gave him the stink eye.
Stone Michelson needed no introduction because they’d met before. Stone’s reputation of being a badass, take zero shit type of guy proceeded him.
Fisher sank into one of the chairs in Dave’s library that also served as the man’s office. The view from his chair faced a lavish garden and he tapped his fingers restlessly on his thighs.
He was hungry, so he’d take up Dave’s offer and stay just long enough to eat.
“So, what do you want to know?” Fisher asked.
The SecDef’s phone buzzed and Dave held up a finger to answer.
“Yes. I will. Thanks.” Dave hung up the phone and tapped on the screen for a few seconds and then placed it on a nearby table.
“Now, where were we?”
“We weren’t.”
“Right.” Dave drew a breath. “I know what happened between you and Justice. It was bad. But I want you know that he was given an order and he took action. The problem is that anyone called in to detain you might have done the same thing.”
“You think? Lock me in a cage?” Fisher glanced at the tranquil scene out the window.
“Maybe not exactly. Perhaps they would have just cuffed you to the water heater and left you. While Justice, on the other hand, placed you in a safe enclosure.”
Fisher squeezed the arms of the chair.
Safe enclosure. Was that what they were calling it nowadays? The fucker had locked him up like an animal. Granted, the place was a far cry from Solomon’s warehouse, but still.
“Justice didn’t know, Fisher,” Dave broke into his thoughts. “He honest to God didn’t know about your past.”
He knew that!
Out of all the fucked-up shit that had gone down, that was the only thing that had kept him sane. Justice had innocently done what he’d done and it hadn’t been to purposely torture him. He was smart enough to think about the circumstances.
It didn’t mean he wasn’t still pissed.
“So, I hope in time you can forgive him. If not, I’ll move him.”
“What?” That caught him off guard and he frowned, shooting Dave a squinted look.
Move him? Like Justice was a fucking object?
“I can’t have discourse in Erebus. It’s too volatile as it is.”
He glared at Dave.
Nobody was fucking moving Justice any fucking where.
“You won’t need to move him. I’ll see to it,” he snapped, then took a breath and tried to calm the fuck down. He’d been in the military and this man was the former SecDef. “Sorry, sir.”
“I’ll give you this one time to get it all out, but in the future, I hope your attitude changes.”
“I can’t promise that, but I can promise I won’t take it out on you,” Fisher said honestly.
“Fair enough. Let’s talk about something else for a minute,” Dave said.
Fisher squinted. “What do you want to know?”
“Why did Solomon tell Azrael that Boston was dead?”
Fisher rubbed at his face with both hands. Fuck, he was tired. He dropped his hands into his lap and simply told the truth.
“Because of Tanis.”
“Don’t you mean Blue?” The lines on Dave’s forehead crinkled with confusion.
“No.”
A couple of hours later, Dave’s large dining room table sat filled with enough food to feed an army, but with the number of hungry people gathered around the large vats of enchiladas, tacos, rice, and beans, it might not be enough.
Fisher had corrected Dave’s assumption that Blue was in charge. He told Dave that Tanis was an up-and-coming player in their world. The discussion about Tanis’ lucrative business had lasted more than an hour.
Dave had called in the boys and Boston had stumbled over his words about Tanis, not giving much, but it was something. Azrael had stood mute—refusing to say a word. It was clear to Fisher that Azrael had been owned by Tanis.
That motherfucker.
When Dave turned to him, Fisher shook his head. Now was not the time to tell Dave about his own history with Tanis.
Mainly because he wasn’t ready to talk about it. So, all that shit would have to come on another day.
And maybe not even then. There were parts of that past even he didn’t remember.
Forks clattered against dishes, bringing his attention back to his plate of food. The men gathered around consumed the meal with gusto and the low murmur of conversation filled the room.
A familiar voice swept in from the hallway and Fisher froze with a half-eaten taco in his hand.
“Excuse me,” Dave said, scooting his chair back and leaving the room.
The voice sure the hell sounded like Justice, of that, Fisher had no doubts.
