by Sweet, Izzy
“It’s too fucking late for apologies now,” James growls as he spins Jacob around and pushes his back against the wall. “Too fucking late.”
Shaking his hand out, as if it hurts, James stares at Jacob for a moment. Then he tells Uriel to, “Keep him in place.”
Breath quickening, heart racing, I can’t help but worry about what James plans to do to Jacob.
Jacob tried to kill me, and he almost succeeded, but I still have this awful, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I want him to suffer and pay for his crimes, but I’m not sure if I want it to be like this…
Once Jacob’s arm is straight and pointing away from his body, James holds it in place with his left hand and reaches down to grab the stiletto from his belt.
I know what’s coming a split second before it happens. My brain putting the pieces together.
Yet when James slams the stiletto into Jacob’s palm, I still find myself painfully gasping in horror.
Jacob lets out a scream and tries to rip his arm away from the wall, probably out of instinct.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” James grins at him, his face lighting up with wicked delight.
“Uriel, give me your knife,” James says and holds his hand out to him, keeping his eyes on Jacob.
Easily keeping Jacob’s flailing body pinned against the wall with his shoulder and arm, Uriel reaches down to his belt and yanks a tactical knife out of his belt.
Unlike the stiletto, the blade of the tactical knife is thick with serrated edges, and my stomach churns at the thought of the damage it will do.
“Andrew, please pass me some antiseptic and gauze so I can clean Sophia’s wounds for her,” Lucifer says out of nowhere beside me, drawing my surprised attention.
I was so caught up in James, I completely forgot Lucifer was beside me.
The moment I turn my head to look at Lucifer though, Jacob lets out another scream.
There’s so much pain in the scream, all the hair on the back of my neck stands on end
Slowly, because my neck is still hurting, I turn back to look at Jacob. My eyes find him again just in time to see James stab a knife through his right palm, nailing it to the wall.
It’s not the same knife James was holding when I looked away though…
When James steps back to admire his handiwork, I see the handle of Uriel’s knife sticking out of Jacob’s groin.
Fuck.
Oh fuck.
My head starts to feel lightheaded and my stomach clenches so hard I’m dangerously close to being sick.
I really don’t want to puke though, so I do my best to hold it back.
“A crucifixion? Really, James?” Lucifer laughs beside me as if he finds what happened to Jacob hilarious.
Shrugging his shoulders, James grins at Lucifer. “He wanted to be a savior…”
Lucifer’s laughter grows, and it’s everything I can do not to throw up.
This is so fucked up…
“Who wanted to be a savior?” Johnathan asks as he comes through the door, carrying a black medical bag.
Johnathan takes two more oblivious steps into the room before he finally notices Jacob knifed against the wall. “Well shit…”
James turns his grin on Johnathan, his eyes lighting up with something close to excitement as he takes in the bag.
Shaking the surprise off his face, Johnathan almost pouts at James as he says, “You started without me.”
“Sucks being stuck on a roof, doesn’t it?” James chuckles at Johnathan.
“No fucking shit,” Johnathan heaves out then he lifts the bag. “You wanted this?”
“Yes,” James says eagerly and holds out his hand for the bag.
Johnathan hands it over then looks over the room. When his gaze falls upon me, he looks a little taken aback. “What the fuck did they do to Sophia?”
James glances at me and that murderous rage flickers in his eyes before snuffing out. “The piece of shit against the wall tried to strangle her to death.”
“Motherfucker,” Johnathan growls and takes a step toward Jacob like he’s going to punch him or something.
“I’ll deal with him soon,” James says, holding out a hand to stop Johnathan. “First, I need to deal with his piece of shit son. You can help me get him out of his vest and into position.”
Reaching across me, Andrew passes a bottle of antiseptic to Lucifer and a wad of gauze pads.
“Where else were you tased?” Lucifer asks as he accepts the bottle and gauze, setting them in his lap. “Just here?”
Lifting my sleeve, he examines the small puncture wound on my arm and the one higher up on my shoulder.
I stare at him in confusion at first. Jacob is knifed to the wall and he finds it hilarious… Yet he’s trying to take care of me?
What the fuck?
Did I suffer some brain damage while I was out? Because again, none of this makes any sense…
When Lucifer’s icy blue eyes lift to mine, demanding an answer, I reluctantly point at my back.
Frowning, Lucifer’s gaze roams over me then he says, “We’ll let James do that later.”
The reason why doesn’t click at first. But as soon as it does, as soon as I realize I’m still wearing nothing but James’s t-shirt, my cheeks burn like they’re on fire.
Yes, the shirt is as big as a dress on me, but still… This whole time, I’ve been in nothing but a t-shirt…
Lucifer twists open the bottle of antiseptic and I wrinkle my nose at the sharp smell. Even closer to puking everywhere now.
Grinning at my nose wrinkle, Lucifer says, “This might sting a little.”
I nod and brace myself for the pain that’s inevitable. Sure enough, as soon as the cold gauze touches the little puncture wounds, they immediately start stinging like crazy.
Hissing between my teeth, I try to focus on something else until the sting and burn fades away.
My eyes instantly search for James to see what he’s doing now.
Only to find him staring hard at Lucifer and me with a confused frown his face.
James starts to take a step toward us, then Trent lets out a low, gurgling moan.
Still bent forward, face against the floor, Trent was left alone. No one concerned he might try to get away or do something dangerous.
Jaw setting, James turns himself away from us and walks over to Trent with Johnathan and Uriel following behind him.
“Do you have any bandages in that bag of yours?” Lucifer asks Andrew, and I feel something dry dab against me.
“Of course,” Andrew answers and rummages around in his bag.
“Get him out of his vest and shirt then spread him out and keep him from moving for me,” James instructs Johnathan and Uriel.
Squatting down, James opens Simon’s surgical bag. Made of well-worn leather, the bag looks like it’s straight out of the 1800s.
“These should do the trick,” Andrew says and passes two Band-Aids over to Lucifer.
Trent lets out a hair-splitting scream as Johnathan grabs his left arm, the one still held together mostly by skin, to yank him upright.
Lucifer chuckles. “Hello Kitty, Andrew?”
“They’re Abigail’s favorite,” Andrew says tersely, sounding a little defensive.
“Fuck, he pissed himself,” Johnathan grumbles.
“Shit himself, too,” Uriel gags.
Holding my breath, I look away. Bile churns in my stomach like thick butter as the urge to vomit only grows stronger.
Lucifer carefully opens the Band-Aids, peeling them back as if he has a great deal of experience with them. “Evelyn’s favorite too, though she doesn’t own any other Hello Kitty things.”
“Abigail loves Hello Kitty,” Andrews says, more relaxed. “She had Amy and me redo her entire room in Hello Kitty.”
“Interesting,” Lucifer says as he applies the Band-Aids to my arm and shoulder. “No doubt Evelyn got her love for Hello Kitty from Abigail.”
“Ple
ase… please let him go… he didn’t hurt Sophia. He tried to protect her,” Jacob starts to plead from the wall. “I’m the one who tried to kill her. I’m the one who strangled her. Punish me.”
“You missed some stuff, Johnathan, while you were on lookout,” James says. “But did you know our boy Trent here was working with the Russians?”
“Yeah,” Johnathan answers, sounding like he’s trying not to breathe through his nose. “I remember you mentioning that with the whole laptop thing.”
“Ah, but did you know he knew about the Russians grabbing kids and women? Did you know he helped them do it?” James asks.
Again, my stomach drops, remembering that’s exactly what Dickers said in the car. He said Trent didn’t try to save anyone but me.
God, I still have nightmares of the other women. The women who weren’t saved.
I hear their whimpers of fear in my dreams… and at times, when I’m awake.
Sometimes, I wonder what happened to the red-haired woman beside me. A part of me wishes it could hope she made it out okay.
But I can’t.
Because I know in my very bones none of those other women are alive today. And the things they must have suffered before they died…
Trent shrieks before Johnathan says. “You don’t say…”
“Please, I beg you, please!” Jacob cries louder. “He’s a good boy, he doesn’t deserve this…”
James ignores Jacob. “He knew little boys and girls were being sold on the black market to sick fucking perverts, and he looked the other way for money. Probably even took a few missing kid reports himself and threw them in the trash. Fuck, for all we know, he could have done even more than that. I suppose we’ll see when we get into his personal shit.”
Johnathan growls. “Let me help you cut him open. For Beth and Charlie.”
At the sound of their names, my heart begins to break. Beth and Charlie… Amanda and me…
We were saved.
Saved by the very men surrounding me...
But we still paid a price.
Fuck, Amanda isn’t the same. None of us are the same.
Trent knew. He fucking knew about us and Charlie. My sweet, sweet Charlie. Charlie who would have endured the unthinkable if Johnathan hadn’t saved him.
Tears of pure fucking rage start to sting my eyes as that realization finally overcomes the initial shock of violence.
I no longer feel any remorse for what James is doing to Trent or Jacob. They deserve far, far worse than this. God willing, they’ll suffer in the afterlife too.
James snickers. “I’ll let you do even more than that. I’ll let you deglove his penis for me.”
“Shit,” Johnathan says. “I’ve never degloved a penis before. Usually, I just cut ‘em off and shove ‘em in their mouth or throw it away…”
“You’ll do fine. If you cut a little too deep, well, who the fuck cares? He won’t be using it again anyway.”
“True.” Johnathan grunts. “Alright, you talked me into it. Let’s do this shit.”
“Let me give him some of Simon’s go-go juice first, so he doesn’t pass out on us,” James says, and I just know from the way he says it he has a grin on his face.
“Dude… do I need to be a part of this whole penis degloving thing?” Uriel asks.
“I need someone to help keep him from bucking around too much,” James says.
A deep, gravelly voice speaks up.
“I’ll keep the Russian fuckboy still,” Gabriel offers, and I hear something popping. Probably his knuckles.
“Alright, man, my place is all yours,” Uriel says.
“I ain’t saying you’re a pussy,” Johnathan chuckles. “But I ain’t saying you’re not one either.”
“Fuck you, man,” Uriel says, but he doesn’t sound angry. “I like cock way too much to watch one get degloved. I’m hoping to get laid tonight.”
“Ah, I guess you’ve got a good point,” Johnathan says. “Sorry, my bad.”
“No problem,” Uriel says. “I’m gonna go check on Simon and see if there’s anything he needs.”
“Maybe you should take Sophia with you,” James says. “She doesn’t need to see this shit either.”
I jerk my head in his direction and immediately regret it as a flash of pain sears from my neck straight up to my brain.
Uriel looks at me then back to James and shifts on his feet uncomfortably. “If that’s what you want…”
James nods sharply.
I have no choice but to shake my head as Uriel takes a step toward me.
“Sophia, go with Uriel,” James says firmly, trying to order me.
It fucking hurts, but I shake my head again. I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying to see this through.
James meets my eyes, his softening and pleading. “Baby, you don’t want to see this. Trust me. Go with Uriel.”
Tears hit my cheeks as I shake my head once more, the pain close to being unbearable.
I’m not leaving, dammit.
I’m staying right here with him, where I’m safe.
Where I can see him and know he’s safe too.
“Sophia, please,” James nearly begs. “I don’t want you to see this shit. I don’t want you to see…”
He trails off, but I finish his sentence in my head.
He doesn’t want me to see him, the real James.
I’ve already seen him though and I’m not afraid.
When I just stare at him, I see that calm he’s kept cracking in his eyes. “Sophia, go with Uriel now!”
Lucifer places a hand on my shoulder and speaks up for me. “She wants to stay, James, so she should stay.”
James turns his attention to Lucifer and that black rage flickers across his face. “It’s not your choice, Matthew.”
Lucifer just grins at James, as if he finds him cute or amusing. “It’s not your choice either. It’s hers.”
“Um, I’m just gonna go to the car…” Uriel says and starts to back away.
Lucifer nods at him, giving him permission.
“Matthew,” James growls. “If she sees this…”
“I think you’re not giving Sophia enough credit, James,” Lucifer says and flicks an imaginary piece of lint off his pants. “And you’re wasting time. That older one you crucified could go from a heart attack at any second. Wouldn’t that be disappointing? Surely Sophia deserves to see him suffer a bit more…”
James continues to glare at Lucifer, his eyes growing darker and darker. “She’s already been through enough. She almost died!”
Lucifer’s grin stretches wider. “Andrew is right here if she needs assistance or medical attention. He’s been beside her the entire time. Plus, she’s got me.”
Lucifer motions at my Hello Kitty Band-Aids. “As you can see, my sister’s health and well-being are both a top priority for me.”
Sister?
I look at Lucifer in confusion. Wondering if he’s mistaken because I’m an only child, and I’d totally remember if he was my brother.
James growls, “Damn you, Matthew.”
Matthew… James has been calling Lucifer that the whole time. Is that his real name?
Is James…
Fuck.
James is Lucifer’s brother?
As if he can’t help himself and he’s back to the point of nearly losing control, James stabs the needle he’s been holding in Trent’s arm.
Trent doesn’t make a peep. The needle probably nothing compared to his other pains.
“Dude,” Johnathan points out, “you’ve got to do it in the vein.”
Making a vicious, angry sound, James rips the needle out of Trent’s arm then sets to work finding a vein.
“If it gets to be too much, Sophia, promise me you’ll look away,” James says and jabs Trent more carefully. “Promise me.”
Unable to deny him such an easy promise, I nod my head.
Letting out a breath, James seems to relax a little, then motions to Johnathan. “Okay, he should b
e good to go. Get started.”
“Fuck, this is gonna suck,” Johnathan grumbles. “Pissed his fucking pants.”
“Scared of a little pee?” Gabriel asks with a grin. “Pussy?”
Johnathan shoots Gabriel a sharp look. “Nah, not usually. But I don’t want to touch this fucker’s pee.”
Gabriel snickers, and Johnathan starts to grumble and curse under his breath as he undoes Trent’s pants.
Trent…
Trent just stares at the ceiling with wide, dilated eyes, as if he’s totally checked out of what’s happening.
“Please… Please, I’ll do anything. Please don’t do this,” Jacob pleads weakly.
If I could scream at him, I would.
Where was his mercy when I was begging him please?
Gabriel lets out a low whistle when Johnathan digs Trent’s flaccid cock out of his pants. “Fuck, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that small before.”
“Did ya make a habit of checking out cocks while you were in prison, Gabriel?” James asks with a smirk.
“Fuck you, James,” Gabriel snarls at him. “I haven’t forgotten about that shit you installed on my phone.”
“Man… Gabriel is right,” Johnathan groans. “This fucker is small. I’m gonna have to fucking tug on his cock… Fuck!”
Both James and Gabriel start snickering.
“Goddamn you, James,” Johnathan glares at him. “You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”
James shakes his head, his snickers growing louder. “Nope, but it’s definitely karma.”
Johnathan gives James a death glare and holds out his hand. “Hand me the scalpel, asshole.”
James hands the scalpel over, his eyes laughing at Johnathan.
“You’re next, motherfucker,” Johnathan grumbles as he drops his attention to Trent’s penis and reaches down.
At once, all the humor fades from James’s face.
“Next for what?” Lucifer asks, curious.
“Next to get a dad bod,” Johnathan says without looking up from what he’s doing.
“Oh… well, I do hope so,” Lucifer smiles at James. “A new addition to the family would be a welcome blessing.”
James mutters something softly under his breath then his eyes land on me, filling with love.
