by C J Baty
Time passed so slowly. Damien pulled and stretched the leather cuffs at his wrists and ankles. They held tight. There had to be a way to get free.
Damien wasn't just going to lie here and let Tony kill Robert. Damien's mind flashed to Carter and the last time they had been together in that cold basement. A small spark of determination rose inside him. He had survived Carter Preston and he would not let Tony destroy him now.
The bedroom door opened and Tony walked in. His cheeks were red and snowflakes sparkled in his hair, wetting it down. He was taking in great gulps of air.
"That bastard weighs a ton," he said as he removed his coat and boots, tossing everything to the side. His words left a chill running through Damien. Robert?
Tony stripped before he returned to the bed. He straddled Damien and rubbed his cock against his stomach. Damien tried to rock him off.
"Get off me, you fucker," Damien shouted. "Where is Robert? What did you do to him?"
The slap to his face jarred his teeth, but it didn't stop him.
"I want Robert!"
This time it was a fist that connected with Damien's jaw. The iron taste of blood filled his mouth.
"Shut up! Shut up!"
Tony's face dropped when he saw what he had done to Damien. "Oh baby, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, baby. Don't make me do that again. I've waited so long to be with you." Tony ran his hands over Damien's chest. "I'm glad Carter didn't mark you here," he said as he kissed his way across Damien's chest.
Tony licked and sucked at Damien's nipples. They hardened, but not from excitement. Damien was cold and mad. Gooseflesh had popped out across his body and he shivered. Tony mistook every reaction. He thought he was turning Damien on. He moaned with delight as he pressed his cock against Damien's stomach again, rubbing it in circles and grasping Damien's shoulders as he humped against him.
"Damien," Tony moaned as he kissed his way up Damien's neck to his lips. "I love the way you taste."
Tony continued his attempts at turning Damien on but soon realized he was not getting the response he wanted. He sat up, straddling Damien's knees.
Touching Damien's limp cock, he growled in frustration.
"I didn't want to believe him." He slapped Damien hard across the face. "He said you couldn't make love like a normal person. I thought he was lying."
Tony was screeching. "If punishment is what it takes, then punishment is what you will get."
Tony got off Damien and reached for the open bag on the floor. He brought out a flogger. It had small leather straps gathered at one end. He swung it across the air over Damien's chest, then climbed back on the bed.
Damien knew what was coming next. He prepared for the feel that was familiar but unwanted. His body stiffened, though he knew it would be better if he relaxed. The pain would not be as bad.
Tony brought the flogger down hard against Damien's right thigh. The stinging pain wasn't anything new and Damien stayed quiet. Again, the flogger crossed the same portion of skin. Damien still didn't cry out. With his mouth and eyes closed tight, he would not give in to Tony. This was the only thing he could control.
Tony wasn't an experienced Dom. He didn't know what he was doing. It hurt.
The more frustrated Tony became, the harder he hit Damien. Over and over again in the same places until Damien's skin broke open and he bled. Tony's repeated strikes on Damien's legs, torso and arms left welts and open wounds on his body. Damien had lost track of the time. It could have been hours. At this point, it didn't matter, because all Damien could think about was the pain. The constant burning ran rampant through his body. His mind drifted someplace where he wouldn’t feel such agony. Damien was with Robert and they were lying in each other's arms close to the fireplace.
Robert was humming a random tune in his ear, and Damien felt safe. He hadn't felt safe in such a very long time.
There was noise. Wood being broken and crashing. Tony was moving over him. He lay across Damien's chest, pushing the air from his lungs. Damien couldn't move. More shouting and the sound of more breaking wood.
"You will always be mine!" Tony shouted in Damien's face.
Damien tried to open his eyes. He couldn't breathe. Something tight around his neck. He couldn't move his arms. Couldn't fight back. No, he didn't want to die like this. Didn't want to leave this world. He'd just found Robert.
Found something real for the very first time. He would not let Tony deprive him of this chance at love. With everything in him, Damien rocked back and forth, bucking up into the body holding him down. He pulled on his wrists and ankles as hard as he could. They wouldn't come undone, but Damien could move himself frantically under the weight on top of him.
Tony had a slighter build than Damien, though he had proved he was strong with a gun in his hand. He let go of Damien's throat to stop him from moving. Damien became a wild animal under Tony and would not stop.
"Stop moving, Damien. Stop!" Tony shouted, and then his weight disappeared.
Damien opened his eyes just in time to see Marcus break through the bedroom door. Something hard crashed into his temple. Gun shots rang out in the tiny bedroom, and then darkness was the only thing Damien could feel.
Chapter Twenty-One
Robert refused to leave Damien's side even when the rescue squad showed up. They rode to the hospital together in the back up the ambulance. No one would make him leave his man's side until he came to and Robert knew he would be okay. It didn't matter that the EMTs said Damien would be fine, or that the doctors had confirmed it at the hospital after they had arrived.
Robert wouldn't leave until Damien opened his eyes and looked at him.
His feet were in bad shape, but the emergency room doctor had experience with frostbite patients. He worked over Robert as soon as he was brought into the hospital. They wrapped his feet in so many bandages, they looked like giant balloons. It hurt like hell, but he had refused the pain medicine, knowing it would knock him out. Robert was lying in the hospital bed next to Damien's. Close enough, when he reached out his hand he could touch Damien. The nurses had pitched a fit when he told them to move him closer, but they complied when they realized he would not shut up.
Damien had a large patch on the right side of his head. Tony had hit him with the butt of his gun and Damien would have a headache when he woke.
The open wounds on his body would heal without leaving scars. Only a handful required stitches, but the doctor said, in time, those would fade.
Robert wondered how long it would take for the memories to fade. There was still so much that the two of them needed to talk about. Damien had
opened up to him, and Robert didn't want it to stop now. If Tony wasn't already in critical condition, Robert might be tempted to kill him himself.
Robert heard the rustle of sheets, and Damien moaned. He looked over to see Damien moving around in the bed. Robert pushed the call button for the nurse as he tried to calm Damien, so he wouldn't tear the IV needle from his arm.
"Damien, baby," he whispered. "Everything's okay. I'm here, right beside you. You're in the hospital and everything is all right. I'm here."
Robert kept speaking softly and repeating the words he knew would help Damien, if Damien would only listen to him. Damien calmed down while the nurse checked his IV and vitals. Damien's breaths slowed, and he had drifted to sleep again by the time the nurse finished with him. The RN smiled at Robert as she walked toward the door.
"You are fantastic at that," she said.
Robert dozed off after that. Sleep didn't last long because the pain in his feet wasn't letting him fall into a deep slumber. Robert hated to admit it, but he would soon need some of that pain medicine they had been offering him.
"It's about time you woke up," Damien said. His voice sounded scratchy.
"Damien." Robert looked over to see Damien smiling at him. "You're one to talk. I'm not the one who has been out for over a day."
Robert reached out and sighed when their hands joined.
"I'm
sorry, I wasn't—"
"It's not your fault." Damien lay back and looked up at the ceiling. "You couldn't have known it was Tony. I didn't suspect him. Let's not talk about it right now."
Robert felt a pang in his heart. It was as he had feared: Damien would shut himself off again. Robert refused to lose Damien now.
Damien turned his head to look at Robert. He studied him before he spoke.
"I didn't say I wouldn't talk about it, just not right now. Let's both of us get some rest, and later you can tell me what happened. I remember nothing after Tony hit me with the gun."
Robert smiled, but he winced when he tried to move in the bed. It wasn't a great idea to move his feet.
"What's wrong?" Damien ask. Concern flooded his voice.
"Nothing." Robert groaned. "Well, I have frostbite."
"What?"
"Remember, we'll talk later," Robert said, trying to laugh through the pain.
"But right now, I need to have one of those nurses bring me that pain shot I keep telling them I don't need."
The nurse came in, and the effects of the medicine hit Robert almost as soon as she left the room. Robert was getting drowsy. He was sure he was wearing a goofy grin on his face and probably drooling too. Damien was laughing at him.
"Relax and let it work," Damien said, squeezing his hand.
"I have... I mean, I... not sure this is coming out right... but I..." Robert was getting more frustrated as he tried to speak. "Damn it, I love...."
Robert wasn't sure what he said after that. He kept thinking there was something else, but he couldn’t remember what it was. Dreams of Damien and the cabin and Tony made his sleep fitful, but after a while, there was a nothingness that felt so good, Robert just fell into it and let it cover him.
Days later, the four friends met in Justin's office at The Warfield. Life was getting back to normal, but Robert knew they still had a long way to go.
Damien had agreed to return to therapy, as long as Robert would go with him. And Robert had physical therapy of his own to attend. He had been fortunate that he had lost none of his toes, but two of them would always be numb. Skin grafts covered a small spot on his right foot. The doctors would watch his feet for months to come.
Damien got comfortable on the couch next to Robert before he spoke.
"I still don't understand what happened. And I'm not sure about the timing on some things. I only know what happened between me and Tony."
"The son of a bitch left me in the snow to die." Robert wrapped an arm around Damien's shoulders and hugged him.
"Tony didn't say what he did to you, just that he had taken care of the problem." Damien shivered.
"That's where we came in," Justin offered. "Marcus and I found Robert by the chopping block and carried him to the shed. It was the closest shelter around. I stayed with Robert while Marcus snuck back to the cabin to look for you, Damien."
"Thanks for trying to help me then," Robert offered to Justin. "The ER doctor said, your applied first aid might have saved my feet. It will be a while before I can put my full weight on them, but they will be okay. Until then, I'll be using crutches."
"Marcus," Damien looked at his friend, his eyes searching Marcus's face.
"What happened after that?"
Marcus took a sip from the glass he held. Robert was getting anxious about what he would tell them, and he could feel the tension in Damien's body too.
"I went to the front of the cabin first. Finding the door locked, I moved around the outside of the cabin, from window to window, until I came upon the bedroom. Tony was sitting on top of Damien." He hesitated and took another drink before he continued. "Tony was using a flogger on you. There was a lot of blood and I couldn't tell if you were alive or dead. You were so still and your eyes were shut."
Robert could tell that Damien was holding his breath. He gently shook him and kissed his cheek. "It's okay, baby. You are safe now," Robert whispered to him.
"I ran back to the front door and broke it open."
"I remember hearing the sound of wood breaking," Damien offered.
"That might have been when I burst through the bedroom door. The door shattered when it slammed against the wall," Marcus said. "I saw Tony hit you with the gun butt and I fired a warning shot over his head." Marcus rose and crossed the room to refill his drink glass.
"It's okay, Marcus," Damien choked out. "Go on."
"Tony turned to face me and threatened to shoot you if I didn't step back. He climbed off the bed, still aiming the gun at you. Then, he turned the gun at me instead and fired."
Robert looked at Justin and saw him wince when Marcus admitted that Tony had been willing to shoot him.
"Tony missed me and ran through the cabin. I fired at him as he reached the back door." Marcus finished the whiskey in his glass.
"That's when Justin and I saw the door open and Tony stood there, naked, with blood running down his body from a gunshot wound in his shoulder,"
Robert said, then asked Justin to get him a drink.
"But what I don't understand is, how did Tony find out where we were?"
Damien asked.
The look shared between Marcus and Justin worried Robert. They weren't telling them everything.
"Robert, I want you to stay calm and listen," Justin said. "Damien, don't let him get up."
"This is bullshit," Robert snapped. "Just tell me."
"First off, she's fine," Marcus said, then continued. "Krystal suspected where you might have taken Damien. Tony came to the hotel looking for him, and when he couldn't get any information at the front desk, he went to the bar.
He spotted Krystal, luring her into a conversation. Tony told her he was Damien's assistant from the newspaper and said he had an urgent message that he needed to deliver to Damien in person."
"If that son of a bitch—" Robert shouted, but Justin stopped him.
"He didn't. She's fine. Krystal felt worried after he left and she hunted me down to tell me what had happened," Justin added. "Marcus was in Atlanta, following a lead on Carter. I called him right away and he headed back so we could go after you. The snowstorms had knocked out most of the cell coverage in the mountains and we couldn't reach either one of you."
"I haven't talked to Krystal since I got out of the hospital. You sure she's okay?" Robert asked. He couldn't stand the thought of that maniac hurting Krystal.
"Krystal's fine, except for complaining about covering your shifts." Justin laughed. "She said, you had better get your sorry ass back to work soon."
They all shared a relieved laugh at that. It was over.
Robert knew what happened after that, and so did Damien. Tony recovered from the gun shot and was moved to a county lockup, awaiting a pretrial hearing. All of them would have to go through all of this again when it came time for the actual trial in several months. Carter Preston died from the injuries Tony inflicted upon him. Marcus confirmed that Tony admitted to killing Michael Winehouse. Tony would stand trial for both murders and the attempted murder of Robert. The district attorney hoped to keep Damien and what happened to him out of the proceedings. Texas authorities wanted to extradite Tony for the murder of Winehouse, and he could get the death penalty there. Either way, he would be in prison for a very long time.
The only thing that mattered to Robert now was getting better and resuming his relationship with Damien. It was far from where it could be, but Robert had every intention of getting it there.
Epilogue
Later that summer
"Damien," Robert whined as he twisted the black bow tie at his throat in an awkward knot. "I can't do this shit. You know how I hate these things. I need your help over here."
Damien watched in the mirror as Robert struggled with the material. He laughed at the tension and determination on Robert's face. He understood that Robert's least favorite thing in the world was dressing in black tie, but it was a wedding, so, black tie it was. They were groomsmen, after all, and this groom deserved the best.
/>
"Come on, you two. We will be late if you don't hurry it up," Peter called from the doorway. "Marcus and Justin are already there."
"Let me fix Robert's tie and we'll be right there," Damien answered.
"You are helpless." Damien chuckled as he tied the tie into a perfect bow in seconds.
"I am not." Robert pouted. "You shouldn't laugh at me because I'm not as socially inclined as you are."
"Let's go. You are amazing." Damien gave Robert a quick peck on the lips.
Robert grabbed him around the waist and pulled him closer. "That wasn't enough."
Robert's lips caressed Damien's and his knees got a little wobbly. He would never tire of the way Robert kissed him. But there was a wedding to get to, so, with regret, he pushed his boyfriend away and shook his head at him.
"You'll wrinkle my suit. Let's go before someone comes looking for us again."
Hand in hand, they joined the others in the manager's office. Peter, Marcus and Justin looked handsome dressed in the same style tuxedos that Robert and Damien wore. The only difference being the red rose in Justin and Peter's buttonholes. All the others had white ones. Justin poured a drink for each man in the room.
"A toast to the groom."
Everyone answered, almost in unison, "To the groom." Glasses clinked, and all swallowed their drinks down.
The frosty white hair of the minister appeared in the doorway, asking if they were ready. All five men followed the minister down the hall into the main lobby.
Amazed at what the decorator had done with The Warfield, Damien looked around him as he walked. Family and friends filled rows of chairs facing a ribbon-covered arch. Tall vases filled with red and white roses sat around the room. The aisle between the chairs had red and white rose petals scattered about. The minister took his place behind the arch, and music played.
Everyone stood and turned to look at the two bridesmaids as they entered from the sitting room to the left of the lobby. Damien had met them at the rehearsal last night but couldn't remember their names. After the bridesmaids, Krystal followed wearing a red satin dress and carrying a single white rose. Only a few steps behind Krystal, Sally entered in a flowing white gown, carrying a bouquet of red roses. She looked stunning.
