Gilded Agony

by K. A. Merikan

  A shadow emerged from beyond the wall, seizing her with arms twice as thick as hers were. A large hand swallowed her scream, clamping on her face above a glint of steel.

  Blood seeped into the front of Lilli’s T-shirt, and within a few heartbeats, she was gone.

  Seth took a step back without a sound, his eyes wide open as the blade pulled back from her throat. He was unarmed.

  “So you do know the code to the bars,” Diego said, pushing Lilli’s lifeless body to the ground with a soft thud.

  Seth’s head spun with countless scenarios. Diego now knew Mark was in the house—wounded, sleeping, and defenseless. A botched job. Was Diego here to finish what he’d started in the jungle?

  Despite the heat inside him, Seth had cold shudders running down his back, and when his eyes brushed over the huge bloodstained hunting knife in Diego’s hand, he could already feel life drain out of him at a pace as rapidly as it had out of Lilli. The girl had been dead within moments, almost an afterthought in Diego’s insane march through their lives. A sixteen-year-old life wiped off the face of the earth just because Diego had needed someone who wouldn’t rouse suspicion.

  “I… I got it a-after last time,” he whispered, trying to keep his gaze away from the weapon yet already wondering if he could get his hands on it somehow. Possibly. But not in the tight entrance. His back beaded with sweat when he realized that Diego most likely also had a gun on him.

  Diego’s face had always been handsome, yet now Seth saw it for what it really was—a mask hiding a ruthless man who followed neither the law nor any moral code, and was guided only by impulse.

  Diego smiled.

  “I’m here. Come on, give me a kiss,” he said and touched Seth’s face, pulling him closer. His fingers were sticky, and the sharp tang of blood stabbed Seth’s nostrils, making nausea rise deep inside him. But this wasn’t about disgust. This wasn’t about Lilli, whom Seth could no longer help. And if survival lay in going with what Diego wanted, then so be it.

  He pressed against Diego, trying to get a sense of what else he should be wary of. There was no other weapon at the front of his body, but that meant very little. Everything within Seth balked at the touch, but before he could make a decision, Diego’s hungry mouth crashed into his, and all Seth could do was invite the kiss. If only he won enough time, he could survive this. He’d been through so much worse that in comparison Diego’s hands sliding all the way down to his ass were nothing.

  Diego pressed his fingers into Seth’s flesh through the jeans, and when his mouth finally let go of Seth’s, he stood there, breathing hard, already getting excited. The nausea was back in Seth’s throat.

  “You have no idea what I’ve been through to get to you. I’ll be fucking you for a week straight once we get out of here.”

  All of Seth’s senses went into panic overload when his mind swept him into a vision where he lay under Diego, carrying his unfamiliar weight, fucked time after time on some dirty mattress, but he took a deep breath. Domenico could be back at any moment and he’d take care of Diego, using surprise to his advantage. Seth only needed to win some time, and he would do so no matter how desperate he was to step out of the blood pooling at his feet.

  “Tell me more,” Seth whispered, stroking Diego’s back. The man was impulsive, so there was no predicting his next move. He acted on whims, unafraid of death, and that made him even more of a danger.

  Diego grinned, pulling his teeth against Seth’s lips. “Soon. I’m out of ammo. Show me where he keeps it, and we can wait for him together.”

  That was useful information. The hunting knife was now in the sheath at Diego’s belt. Would Seth be able to reach it quickly enough? He’d trained for this. He could try to disarm his opponent, but this was no rehearsal. He would only get one chance once Diego realized Seth wasn’t as ‘sweet’ and incapable as he let on. It was in times like these that he longed to be a cold-blooded animal like Dana, acting as if the threat of death to her or anyone else didn’t matter. But he did care, and so he was fucked.

  “He doesn’t want me around guns, so there’s none in the house. Sorry,” he added and gave Diego one more kiss, trying to switch off his brain and not cringe at the bitterness of the contact. How could he have ever considered this monster in a human suit was exciting? Even his mouth felt oddly cool to the touch, so very unlike the scorching heat of Domenico’s kisses.

  If he could only be sure his well-practiced move was to work, he’d start with taking Diego’s eye in revenge for Mark. But Diego was a cartel man, one deemed worthy of representing Moreno, one with no conscience, as evidenced by Lilli’s body at their feet. How could Seth’s boxing and gym exercise compete with this man’s skill? Once the pretense of attraction was dropped, Diego would step over Seth’s body and go straight for Mark, who defencelessly slept upstairs, then he’d wait for Domenico and slaughter him too, using surprise to his benefit

  Diego snarled and shook his head. “Never mind then. Let’s just go. I saw him in town.”

  That would be Seth's hell. His punishment. He’d spend the rest of his, most likely short, future under the man who’d hurt his son and had a fuse as short as Seth’s cut pinky. If Diego took him away somewhere into the jungle, Domenico would never find him. If he even wanted to after tonight.

  “Okay,” he whispered and stroked Diego’s side, but as soon as they took a couple of steps, he acted as if he only then realized something. “Your horse. Guerrero. I know where they keep him. Domenico wanted to shoot him, but I wouldn’t let it happen. It’s the most beautiful animal I’ve ever seen.” Both a tickling of Diego’s pride—since he was the one to groom the horse, and a pull on his heart strings, because if there was something the psycho loved, it was Guerrero.

  Diego stilled, his dark eyes trailing over Lilli’s still form. Seth looked up, not wanting to witness the expression of fear in her face again, just in time to see Diego’s features become more rigid. “There’s people everywhere. You’ll drive the car.”

  Seth nodded, surprising himself with how sturdy his knees were and how cool he managed to remain on the inside despite his heart rattling, and his hands getting clammy. His goal was to protect the ones he loved, and if he only won them all some time, he’d keep everyone safe. But staying both alive and around Diego could prove tricky, since he already knew the crazy sonofabitch was willing to attack Mark in front of Domenico. He’d have no qualms going on a suicide mission and stabbing Seth if his life was in danger.

  So Seth trod carefully and sent Diego an exasperated smile as he rushed to the small, old car parked outside the gate. His mind frantically searched for the last place where he’d had his cell phone on him, but when he realized he must have left it upstairs, he knew going back for it was not an option. His breath caught when through the windshield he noticed pink pom-poms dangling off the rear view mirror.

  Lilli’s car.

  “That’s what I like about you. You know where your loyalties lie,” Diego said, pushing Seth into the driver’s seat with decidedly more force than necessary. His lips followed, once again nipping on Seth’s flesh, leaving behind moisture Seth didn’t want anywhere near him.

  Diego got into the back of the car and as Seth wondered how he’d alarm people of his situation, and where he could drive to ‘by mistake’, the sharp tip of Diego’s knife pressed to Seth’s side through the T-shirt. A strong shove would be enough for the blade to penetrate Seth’s kidney and take him away from Domenico forever. And worse yet, it would leave everyone else at the mercy of a man who was way closer than they thought.

  “And this is just so you don’t forget.”

  Seth swallowed and shook his head. “You’ve seen what he did to my face. I want out. I want you.” The words came with suffocating ease. Lies, constant threat, and violence were the price he paid for his life with Domenico.

  Diego hummed. “I believe you. But I don’t trust you. A man dies the moment he puts trust in others. Now drive.”

  This was insanity. />
  Diego was out of his fucking mind.

  Seth put his foot down and started the car, but the horse wasn’t kept far away, and he couldn’t go too slowly if he didn’t want to arouse suspicion. The knife at his side was still dirty with the blood of an innocent girl whose only mistake had been working for the wrong man, and it might as well soon cover with his own. He needed to think, and fast. To make Diego think he was the savior, that he was winning.

  So Seth drove on along the dirt road in hope of catching someone’s eyes in the dark. To maximize the chances of alarming one of Domenico’s men, Seth took the winding road instead of traversing the lawn and heading straight for the barn. Each bump on the way was a threat, as unexpected movement kept pushing the piercing tip of the dagger into Seth’s flesh—not yet breaking skin but a fraction of a millimetre from doing so.

  In the dark, locked in the car that still smelled of the waxing Lilli must had given it after purchase, Seth hoped that Maybe Natalia would be outside. She would have recognized her daughter’s vehicle and likely realized something very wrong was going on, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  At this hour, hardly any girls could be seen outside, but as Seth approached the stretch of the road that led along the disproportionately long front of the main building. In the glow of the light streaming from open windows, a group of men smoked cigarettes while engaged in a lively conversation. Seth’s heart jumped, pumping blood to his cheeks as he discreetly made a face, trying to communicate his distress, but in the clouds of smoke, not a single pair of eyes turned his way. Disappointment quickly turned to hope once more when a slim arm rose in greeting, but when Seth saw it was only Felipe, the resident junkie whose purpose would forever remain a mystery, gloom settled into Seth’s muscles. With a feeling of doom, he left behind the lights of the fake Versailles and drove toward the far end of the enclosed land.

  By the time the car reached the lonely barn by the outermost fence around Toro’s property, Seth barely kept his hands from shaking on the steering wheel. He didn’t have the luxury of showing his fear, not with Diego watching his every move and with the bloodstained blade penetrating his thin T-shirt already, about to breach skin at the smallest transgression.

  Away from all the other buildings, the wooden construction seemed abandoned in the dark. No one would hear him if he screamed, and he had no means of alerting Miguel, or even doctor Quincy that they were all in danger. Sweat was yet another layer of skin by the point Seth left the car, led by the back of his neck.

  “Oh, Guerrero, let me introduce you to someone,” Diego called out, confident they were way out of range for someone to recognize his voice.

  The hand on Seth’s nape felt like a collar, and it made him imagine what a life of being treated this way by Diego would be like. He’d thought the home he shared with Domenico was a cage, but its golden bars were nothing like being sentenced to Diego’s whims.

  Seth smiled at the massive horse that he only registered because of the animal’s distinct scent. Thankfully, someone must have at least removed the past day’s dirty hay. “We have to feed him, I doubt anyone did that.”

  He needed more time. As soon as Domenico was back, he would find Seth, even if only to spite Diego.

  Diego hummed and pushed Seth toward the horse. For a moment, the absence of touch made Seth dream of escape. If he pushed his way past Diego and jumped into the car, he could be off within seconds. Diego might have no projectiles to send after him, but the truth of the matter was that Seth wasn’t sure of his own skill. He was strong—yes, but if Diego had gotten Mark, how could Seth just assume he’d have a chance against that human monster without ever seeing him in action for comparison? Taking a blind chance was too risky.

  White light flashed behind him and cast Seth’s shadow on the shiny coat of the animal, which snorted and made a cautious step toward its master. As if to reveal Seth’s lies, it was feeding on something, its calm dark eyes two beacons in the dark barn.

  “Oh, good. Someone did leave him food.” Which wasn’t good at all.

  How long would it take for Domenico to come back? For someone to find them here? An hour? Even that was way too long. Second by second, a new thought was forming in Seth’s mind.

  This was a lost case. He wouldn’t manage to alert anyone, and Diego would take him away. Seth would keep up the charade for some time, but could he live that way? He could attempt a risky escape once Mark’s life wasn’t on the line anymore. Somewhere in the jungle. Somewhere beyond the guarded entrance to Toro’s land.

  Diego stood a step away when he petted Guerrero’s head. For the briefest moment, Seth hoped the reunion could serve as distraction, but his blood went cold when he noticed the two coals of Diego’s eyes watching him even as he spoke to his mount. It was no trick of the dark—Diego remained wary of Seth, constantly searching for that one gesture that could betray real feelings.

  “You know, riding him always makes me think of men like you.”

  Seth forced his smile to widen, and it felt like prying his own mouth open with forceps. “Oh, yeah? How come?” He hooked a finger over Diego’s belt. He’d use any means at his disposal, no matter how much he’d hate himself afterwards. If the opportunity came, he’d use violence. For now, compliance had to do.

  Diego’s lashes fluttered over his cheeks. They were long, suitable for the man’s deceptively handsome front. “Getting horny already?”

  Was this really his entire value to Diego? Would no other distraction do? Diego’s gaze was peeling his skin, and Seth hated every second of it. “I’ve been horny for you from that first night we met.”

  How did these lies even come so easily? Maybe because he could see exactly what Diego wanted to hear?

  Heat flashed in Diego’s eyes in the very moment he pushed Seth at the nearest wall. “Go on, take it out,” he rasped, pulling Seth’s hand toward the front of his pants. He exuded heat and smelled of sweat that had been flushed off with water rather than washed, and the stench was growing more intense.

  With each second, Seth buried himself farther in his mind, dulling the senses and focusing on the mechanics of what he needed to do. No matter how revolting he considered this process, wasn’t this the simplest way to keep Diego distracted? The man wasn’t thinking clearly already if he wanted to engage in this instead of leaving as fast as possible.

  Seth gave Diego a playful smile and squeezed his dick through the jeans with a groan, as if doing so were the turn on of the century.

  “I’ve been dreaming of a man like you,” he whispered into Diego’s lips, feeding the bottomless ego.

  He stopped breathing when the long knife poked at his stomach once Diego shifted closer for a deep kiss that felt more like being consumed than caressed. The little nip at his still-swollen tongue only added to that dooming feeling.

  “So Toro can’t satisfy your appetite, huh? I have just the thing you need,” Diego whispered, rubbing his groin at Seth’s hand. His dick was hardening at an alarming pace that sent vapor out of Seth’s ears.

  No. He couldn’t do it.

  Maybe when trying to leave with the horse, they’d cause enough commotion for someone to notice them?

  “We’ll get caught. Let’s go.” Seth licked up the side of Diego’s jaw for good measure, and the stubble felt like sandpaper on his tongue.

  Diego barked in laughter. “No one’s gonna come here. Now that I have you here, I’m not gonna last long anyway.” He pulled at Seth, attempting to spin him around, and the edge of the blade whispered against Seth’s clothes, still touching him as he moved.

  A numbness spread through his muscles, and he instinctively clenched his ass. “No,” he whispered, and his stomach ached when the knife pressed harder, the threat it posed so obvious it didn’t need to be voiced.

  “No?”

  Seth cupped Diego’s cheeks, making the man look into his eyes. “I… Toro, he… puts this thing on me.” This had to be the most embarrassing lightbulb moment he’d ever experienced. He
led Diego’s hand to where his cock was trapped in a steel cage. At least this way him not getting hard wouldn’t give Diego any misgivings. “I can’t do it when it’s on me. It’s gonna hurt,” he said, wondering if Diego would even care for his comfort. “It’s not how I imagined you fucking me for the first time.”

  Anytime he’d envisioned Diego in brief fantasies, when he was getting really excited, the man produced by his imagination had always morphed into Domenico. Beautiful Domenico, who’d sacrificed his old life to be with Seth, with tobacco-scented fingers, smooth long hair, and a map of scars Seth was so intimately familiar with. No one could ever replace Domenico in Seth’s life, or even in his most secretive dreams.

  Diego stared at him, his face twisted in confusion as he grabbed the cage and pulled on the lock, painfully twisting Seth’s flesh in the process. “What the fuck?”

  Seth put his head on Diego’s shoulder to show how pliant he was, because that had seemed to be a turn on for Diego before’. “I know. He’s a monster. We’ll need tools to get rid of it, but when we do… Diego, I will be all yours for as long as you want me.” He nuzzled Diego’s neck for good measure and tried to breathe with his mouth rather than with his nose, because the scent of this unfamiliar man was only making it all worse. It didn't take long for Diego to process all the information he’d been given. He took a step back and pressed down on Seth’s shoulders in a universal sign that Seth usually met with enthusiasm, because he loved when Domenico added a bit of force to their sex.

  This time, it felt like kneeling for the executioner’s axe. With no hope for winning this race against time, he put his neck on the block and smiled up at Diego.

  He could do this.

  He could survive this.

  Chapter 17 - Domenico

  There were signs of tampering on the lock, grooves in the metal from the use of blunt force—likely made with the large stone lying a step away from the mausoleum that housed the secret passage into Toro’s property. But the grated door was thick and impenetrable without specialist tools, which Diego couldn’t have had on him when he tried to barge inside.