Page 13 of Pain
Xander laughed. "Carter never was comfortable talking about that part."
Matthew paled. "If they can't rape anyone again, you…?"
Xander made a slicing gesture that had Matthew paling even more. "We take away their need, their weapon. We make sure they never find pleasure again."
Matthew stood, running down the hallway.
Xander jumped up, following quickly, making sure Matthew wasn't calling the cops, but he found him in the bathroom, the door wide open, with Matthew on his knees heaving into the toilet.
"Told you not to be so graphic. Most of us can't handle that shit," Carter said from a few feet away.
Xander flipped Carter off before stepping into the bathroom, finding a washcloth, and wetting it. He waited for Matthew to stop throwing up before handing him the cloth. "It's always a shock to hear about, but you'll get used to the idea."
"Thanks." Matthew flushed the toilet as he sat back on his feet. "You're serious, aren't you?" He glanced up at Xander as he wiped his face.
"Yep, sure am. I can't stand what these assholes do to kids." He stared right at Matthew, letting him see how serious he really was. "If they can cause the kids pain, I can cause them pain."
"Why not kill them?"
"Death is too good for them. They need to suffer a little. One day I'll tell you the side effects of eunuchism." He wiggled his eyebrows.
Matthew shook his head. "You're a sick fuck."
Not the least bit offended, he shrugged. "When you've seen what I have, you learn what sick really is. What I do is far from sick. It's deserved."
Matthew slowly stood, brushing past Xander to get to the sink. He stared at Xander in the mirror for a second, then turned on the water, cupping his hands and washing his face.
Xander had a towel ready for him when he straightened. He handed it to him, meeting his gaze. "I'm not going to lie to you about anything. If you are going to work with us, you need to know what we do. You need to be prepared for the things you'll see and hear. If you don't have the stomach for this—"
"I can't cut off someone's—"
"You won't have to," Carter interrupted from the doorway. "We are interested in your hacking skills. We leave the dicing and slicing to the others who can handle it."
"We'll give you a minute to collect yourself. When you're ready, come back out and we'll talk about everything." Xander gently brushed his fingers over Matthew's back as he turned and followed Carter down the hallway.
As they sat back down, Carter glanced over at him. "Did you have to be so blunt?"
"He needs to know what he's getting into. You can't sugarcoat the shit we do." Xander looked around the room. He wanted to go over and explore the computer, find out what exactly Matthew was up to, but the last thing they needed right now was to snoop and ruin what little trust they had earned, which wasn't much.
"Still, leave the bloody shit out of it. Let me talk." Carter glared at Xander.
"Right, because he was listening to you so well." He shrugged as he leaned back in the recliner again. "Fine, do it your way. Wake me when you're done." He closed his eyes, relaxing as if he was sitting home, ready for a nap.
Carter snorted. "You're so fucked up!"
Opening one eye, Xander smiled. "Don't forget it."
CHAPTER SIX
Matt braced his hands on the bathroom counter, trying to understand everything he'd been told. In less than fifteen minutes, his world had shifted, and he wasn't sure how to digest the information he was learning. He took a deep breath, before stepping out of the bathroom, but he paused in the hallway, trying to think what he would say to the two strange men in his living room.
When they'd first shown up and mentioned the dark web, he'd thought he was fucked. He was sure that they'd somehow tracked him and knew who he was. His life flashed before his eyes for a moment until they must have seen his fear and then tried to ease his mind.
He still didn't fully trust them. How could he? He was good at what he did, and his identity was well hidden. There shouldn't have been any way for anyone to figure out who he was or where he lived. If these two could do it, who else could?
The thought sent a chill down his back. He only wanted to get Faith home, not bring danger to the house where he wanted her to return to. No matter what, he needed more information from the two men. He couldn't even recall their names. He'd been too stunned finding them at his doorstep.
He was going to have to deal with whatever this was. There was no avoiding it now that they were in his house. At the very least, he needed to find out how they managed to find him, so he could protect himself better.
