Page 43 of Sweet Vengeance
“Where are they?” I ask.
“I can’t. They’ll fucking kill me.”
“And we won’t?” This time, my foot connects with his ribs, the way Dean’s did, the way they’d done to Ollie over and fucking over again.
“Please,” he begs, face covered in tears, sweat, and blood. The metallic scent fills the air, familiar and strong.
Dean stomps on the guy’s balls, and even I wince, his screams echoing through my head. Did Ollie cry out like this when they hit him? But then, I know he did because I fucking heard him through the phone. Did he lie there and wonder if he was going to die, all because he was trying to do the right thing? Because he wanted to help someone?
I kick the guy again and again and again, both Dean and I letting loose on him. It’s not until I hear a stern, “That’s enough,” from Tiernan that we both stop, my breathing coming out in heavy, sharp pants. “He can’t help us if he can’t speak.” Tiernan walks over and kneels beside him. “I’m bored. Tell us what we want to know, or I’ll leave and let these two play with you all night…and you won’t like it. I can promise you that.”
“I don’t…I don’t know for sure.” His voice slurs. “They move around. They’re the fuckups of the crew, okay? They’re not as involved as the rest of them.”
“You better give us something,” I tell him.
He starts crying again, then pulls out his phone and gives us an address. Dean takes a photo of it with his own. Tiernan stands, his black hair hanging over his forehead, perfectly styled, and not even breaking a sweat. He gives me a simple nod before walking away. I pull my gun out and take aim.
“No! You can’t! I told you what you want to—”Pop.One round releases into him, and the guy slumps over, dead.
“Call for a cleanup,” Tiernan tells me, “and let’s go home.”
“Already on it.” One down, however else many to go, until I take out anyone who even associates with the motherfuckers who hurt my kitten.
*
It’s almost tenby the time we get back to campus. I cleaned up before we arrived so Ollie won’t have any idea what I was doing tonight.
At least we have an address now. We’ll have some reconnaissance done before we make a move and eliminate the threat for good.
“I’ll be home by tomorrow night, but you know I’m bringing him with me, right, T?” I say before getting out of the vehicle.
He sighs, but the resigned sound tells me he knows there’s no changing my mind. “He’s gonna make things difficult.” He’s not like Dean was. Even before we let Dean completely in our world, there was no denying he was different, that he would belong. Ollie isn’t like that.
“I know. I take responsibility for him—no matter what happens.” Which means if Ollie fucks up, I’m dead. Tiernan won’t want it to come to that, but he might not have a choice. There are a lot of parts at play here.
“You sure he’s worth it?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Yeah, sure, and Dean wasn’t either.”
Dean just sits back, watching the two of us. He’s probably wondering what the hell is going on with me and Ollie, and the truth is, nothing. It can’t. Not beyond sex, but I’m still not going to let anything happen to him.
“It’s not the same thing.” I get out of the car and close the door.
I use my stolen key card to get into Ollie’s building. I made a point not to message earlier because I knew Rory would have things under control. Even if Ollie is…well, Ollie, Rory would find a way to protect him, but there’s not a part of me that doesn’t expect Ollie to be pissed when I go inside. I left Rory with him, without talking to him all day, basically left him with a fucking babysitter as if he can’t take care of himself. It’s not that I don’t believe in him; this is just how I’m built.
What I don’t expect is to open the door to his room and see the two of them sitting at the table with a chess board between them and Rory saying, “Give me your queen, motherfucker.”
“You can’t move like that.”
“Why not?” Rory argues.
“Because you can’t.”
Rory drops back against his seat in frustration. “This game is confusing as fuck.” He looks up and sees me. “Oh, hey, Cil. Your boy is kicking my ass. Have you ever played chess? It’s fucking weird.”
I smile, my chest strangely light after what we did tonight. I don’t obsess over it the way Tiernan does, don’t feel the same emptiness he gets after taking a life. It’s not fun for me…it justis.
