Dark Duet Platinum Edition

by CJ Roberts

  It was assumed the boy and his companion were part of the plot to hold Caleb’s slave for ransom and attempted rape, but they have since learned the boy is apparently innocent—of the rape, at least. It’s fortuitous for the young man. His female companion, on the other hand…she isn’t faring so well. Celia abhors rapists with a fervent passion, and she has no sympathy for women who turn a blind eye to the cruel lusts of men. And yet…she wants to subjugate this boy. Celia is a complex woman. Regardless, he won’t deny the young man is… alluring. “Do you know why you’re here?”

  5. Kid

  Kid can’t suppress his dry sobs. “I don’t know anything!” he yells. The words are barely audible. He’s screamed himself hoarse over the last however many…hours? Days? He thinks he’s been here at least a day or two. Time gets away from him between beatings.

  They’re going to kill him soon. He really doesn’t know anything. He’s less than useless—a burden. His kidnappers won’t let him live, not after they’ve already killed so many others. Abe. Joker. His mind shies away from the last name, but his heart throbs with loss anyway. Uncle Tiny.

  The man in the room is still speaking, but Kid is too lost in the maze of his frantic thoughts to behave with any bravery. He offers whimpers in place of words. Please don’t let me die like that. At first he’d thought Caleb’s absence a good thing, but Kid quickly learned the men they’d been left with were just as vile. Despite his fear, he attempts to open his eyes only to discover he can’t.

  He knows he’s dead already. Isn’t a man allowed to beg for mercy in his final moments? After all, there’s no one left to be ashamed of him.

  ***

  “Jair. Knife.”

  Kid can’t even scream. He’s trying. Every sound he attempts is trapped inside him. There’s a gun in his back and a fist in his hair holding him on his knees. His uncle Tiny is only two or three steps away, sprawled face-down on the shitty carpet, blood dripping from his broken nose.

  The words register the moment Caleb straddles Tiny’s back and yanks his head back to expose his tense neck. “Jair. Knife.”

  Uncle Tiny struggles. It’s over before Kid can scream.

  “I warned you, you motherfucker!” Caleb sneers. He’s full of rage and he proves it.

  Blood sprays across Caleb’s chest, neck, and face, but the psychopath has enough sense to close his mouth and turn away—but only for the first arch. As he turns back and keeps stabbing, ripping, and separating head from shoulders, Caleb’s eyes never leave their mark—as though he knows the blood will only continue to slow.

  Kid still can’t scream. Warmth runs down his left thigh as he watches his uncle’s blood spread out across the floor like living black ooze. You pissed yourself, his mind supplies. He’s surprisingly calm about the whole thing. He’s staring at his uncle’s head and it’s not on his shoulders. That’s so weird. He has a thought about horror movies. All the severed heads he’s seen are suddenly unrealistic. Then he wonders what those thick white pieces holding part of his uncle’s head on are called. Sinew? Where’ve I heard that before? Health class? Is someone screaming? It’s them; it’s all of them: Kid, Abe, Nancy, and even Joker, they’re all screaming.

  Caleb smells like hot copper and raw meat. The tip of his knife is suddenly poised beneath Kid’s chin. “Stop screaming or I’ll cut your tongue out.” Kid sucks his lips into his mouth and bites down to muffle himself. He’s dizzy with panic and lack of oxygen. “Now,” Caleb smears Tiny’s blood across Kid’s cheek with the flat side of the blade, “tell me again what happened.”

  Kid knows the moment he opens his mouth all he’ll be able to do is scream. Distantly, he acknowledges the rest of his friends are attempting silence as well. The attention is on him alone. His bladder clenches, but he’s already wearing his piss. He cries instead. His uncle is dead and he can’t spare him a thought. He’s too afraid of what comes next.

  It isn’t until Caleb takes hold of his hair and tilts his head that Kid’s survival instincts finally kick in. “I helped her! P-p-p-please,” he sputters. He pulls in gulps of air. It’s not enough. His world is dark around the edges. “I swear. I—”

  “—helped her. Right. You helped her after your buddies raped her, after they beat her and broke her bones!” He presses the knife under Kid’s chin hard enough to produce a trickle of hot blood.

  This is it, Kid thinks. He closes his eyes to wait for the pain. “I swear,” he whispers. “No rape. I helped her.” Abruptly, he’s caressed from one corner of his eye to the other. The gentle touch is a shock; something sinister lies beneath. The caress is followed by another; he can taste his own tears and his uncle’s blood across his bottom lip.

  “You swear,” Caleb says. He snorts derisively. “Kid, I’m going to take you and that little bitch over there with me, and when Kitten wakes up, she’s going to tell me what happened. Understand?” The younger man opens his eyes just in time to see the back of Caleb’s hand approaching. His cheek lands in a blood-soaked patch of carpet.

  “Jair,” Caleb’s voice is cold, “take this little pussy and the girl alive. Kill the rest and burn the house down.” Caleb drops the knife and doesn’t look back as he makes his way toward the bathroom.

  Kid is numb. His uncle is dead. Abe is bleeding out. Joker is going to burn. Kid doesn’t want to think about his and Nancy’s fate. As Caleb walks past with the girl cradled against his chest, Kid can see a familiar pain. They’re both about to lose everything.

  Caleb kisses her forehead softly, tenderly, as though he isn’t the same man who just decapitated someone with a knife. "Don’t worry, Kitten. I promise I’m going to make it better.”

  ***

  6. Celia

  Despite her new pet’s distress, he continues to shift closer to Celia. He’s a needy little thing; though honestly, he’s not little at all. He has to be over one and a half meters tall…taller than Felipe. The thought makes her smile inwardly.

  The boy’s body is wracked. He sobs incessantly and with good reason as his bruises will attest. Rafiq’s men are complete brutes, but neither Celia nor Felipe had a way of knowing whether or not the young man was dangerous or a rapist until earlier that day, so they were not predisposed to offer aid. Poor boy, she thinks, so terrified. Celia feels a tiny bit guilty for the ember of arousal taking shape in her belly. She can’t get enough of his naked vulnerability; Felipe would never be as open. She coos in the boy’s ear, soothing him with softly spoken words and gentle touches.

  “Felipe,” she says in their native tongue and fixes her master and lover with an admonishing glare, “you’re scaring him.” What had he been doing with such vile people? His companion, the blond woman, is retched, and Celia took great satisfaction in hearing her scream. Imagine! A woman holding another woman down while others attempt to take her virginity—Celia is furious every time she thinks on it. Perhaps some time with men of similar predispositions will teach her a valuable lesson about loyalty. Not only did she deny her involvement, she implicated the rest of the boy’s motorcycle club, effectively marking them for death. Rafiq does not allow for loose ends.

  Celia will not allow the young man in her arms to become another tied end, and neither will Felipe. The boy is valuable for more than one reason.

  7. Felipe

  Felipe smirks; Celia is smitten. “What is your name?” he asks the boy. He attempts to keep his tone free of judgment or disdain, not quite sure how he feels about Celia’s fascination with the other man, whom, Felipe admits, is quite beautiful and suited to both their predilections. However, there is a fine line between pet and partner, and Felipe won’t let anyone divide Celia’s heart.

  “Kid,” the young man says, mostly mouthing the word. “Water? Please?”

  “Did you rape the girl?”

  “No.” Kid clenches his jaw. Felipe knows he’s been asked the question ad nauseum, and it amuses him that the younger man continues to deny the allegations despite everything. “No,” Kid pleads. “I keep…I keep telling
you. Please. Where am I?” He sobs, too dehydrated to produce tears.

  “You’re still in Mexico. I have many homes, but this is my favorite. I’m a little disappointed they brought you here, to be honest. Torture is often necessary, but I prefer not to sully my home. Are you certain you’re not a rapist?” His words are spoken with all the gentleness of a hammer striking a nail.

  “Felipe,” Celia snaps, “stop toying with him! You’ll only make it more difficult.”

  Felipe laughs. “My Celia has taken a liking to you, boy. What do you think of that?”

  “Water,” Kid barks and subsequently flinches. “Mmmsorry,” he slurs, “thirsty. Needsomewater.” His tongue snakes out to lick his dry lips repeatedly until Felipe takes pity and goes to retrieve a bottle of water from the small Frigidaire he keeps nearby. The boy makes pleading noises at the sound of the cap being removed and groans lustily when Felipe holds the bottle to his lips. Felipe watches the long line of the younger man’s throat as he swallows with renewed energy and clear desperation. “More! More please,” he begs after the water is pulled away from his mouth.

  “It will make you sick,” says Felipe.

  “I don’t care,” Kid gripes.

  “I care.” Felipe’s tone has gone from amused to authoritative.

  Kid shuts his mouth and nods. He lets his head fall against the wooden beam at his back in defeat. “I’m sorry. Thank you.” He sounds better already.

  “Kid,” says Felipe, “what is it you want most?” He presses a finger to Kid’s lips before he can speak. “Out of life, I mean.”

  8. Kid

  Kid’s adrenaline spikes. Whenever anyone speaks to him about living, it’s a prelude to threatening to kill him. He’s always loved the club’s rides into Mexico. The food is incredible, the women eager, and bouncers never card him. Every month for the last two years, he and the rest of the Night Devils have come into Mexico to hang for a week, pick up their drugs, and head back across the border. Not this time. This time, Tiny fucked with the plan and it cost them everything.

  “You gonna kill me now?” He tries to sound unafraid. Death has to be better than the torture, he tells himself. He fears the knife though, is terrified of the fucking knife, and he hopes they’ll just shoot him in the head before he knows what’s happening. Quick and painless—that’s how he wants to die. Well, he wanted to die an old man on his bike, going ninety-miles-an-hour down a dark stretch of road, but a bullet will have to do. He tries to bury himself in the memory of his mother’s embrace—home—he wants that to be the last thing he thinks about.

  Abruptly, feminine lips press gently against Kid’s own. He pulls away in shock. Felipe’s laugh filters through his ears as an amused rumble. “I can kill you if you wish it. Though, I was going to suggest the opposite. Would you like to live instead? Would you like to get out of this room?”

  Kid licks his dry lips. He’s exhausted. He’s hurting. And he has no reason to lie—especially when he has no cause to believe he’ll be set free. “I want to go home.”

  9. Celia

  Celia presses against Kid’s side. “Where is home?” she says in English. Her voice seems to soothe Kid somewhat. She lifts the bottle of water to his parched lips, allowing him one large sip and nothing more.

  “With my parents,” Kid whines. He shifts in his bonds, craning his neck to tuck his head in Celia’s neck. She can’t resist nuzzling his sweat-damp hair with her cheek as she cords her fingers through his tangled hair. “They’re dead,” he whispers.

  Celia whispers her condolences while continuing to stroke Kid’s hair and quietly asks how they died. She never knew her mother and has always rejoiced in the death of her father, but she can still empathize with Kid’s heartache insofar as she understands love itself.

  “Car accident,” he replies in monotone. “Five years ago.” His lips brush Celia’s neck as he speaks; it makes her shiver. “I should’ve gotten a clue when I had to use my key to get in the house. Mama was usually home. She used to make me a sandwich, ask about my day, shit like that.” His stomach growls. “She wasn’t there. I remember the house felt weird. Empty. Turned out Dad had come home early to take her to lunch. They never came back.”

  The room is silent in the wake of the young man’s grief. Celia looks up at Felipe, asking him with her eyes if he’ll release the boy so she can hold him properly. She isn’t surprised when her master shakes his head. Felipe is much too cautious about Celia’s safety. What could this boy do to her really? She rolls her eyes, but her lips betray how charmed she is by her enigmatic lover. She’s come to respect his logic over the years; he’s a hell of a chess player.

  “Celia, give the boy more water,” Felipe voices gently.

  Kid drinks the few sips offered to him and barely manages to keep himself from begging for more. “Why are you being nice to me?”

  10. Kid

  Kid finds Celia’s presence oddly comforting, considering she’s made no move to free him. His mother had been a loving woman, always hugging and kissing him. He’d loved it as a boy, hated it as a teen, and aches for it as a young man. He shifts closer to Celia.

  His uncle Tiny had never been one for heart-to-heart talks, even if it was his own brother, Kid’s father, who’d died.

  Felipe laughs. “I’m not being nice, boy. I’m deciding what to do with you. The men who brought you have gone for a while. Your female companion has been found responsible, and her fate is out of my hands. That leaves me with you.”

  Kid shakes within Celia’s arms. “If you already know I didn’t do it, why did you ask me?”

  “I had to know if they’d broken you.”

  “Is Nancy dead?” He doesn’t want her to be dead. No matter what Nancy has done, she’s paid. They’ve all fucking paid.

  “She’s alive. Though, like you, she probably wishes for death. The two of you have angered very dangerous men.”

  “Caleb, you mean.” Kid’s stomach cramps a little more. He hasn’t seen or heard Caleb since being taken hostage. He has no interest in a reunion. He recalls with too much clarity their introduction.

  Felipe sighs. “Yes, Caleb is a dangerous man. Unfortunately, he is not the only man upset by this situation. Tell me—because I sense something else is in play—why do you suspect Caleb reacted so…passionately? Could it be he has affection for his captive? I’m curious.”

  Kid recoils sharply away from Felipe’s stroking thumb. The affection is unwarranted and reminds Kid of the taste of his own tears and Tiny’s blood. Caleb and Felipe are obviously cast from the same mold, perverts who like touching his mouth.

  Felipe chuckles and pats Kid’s bruised cheek, not ungently. “I’m an extraordinarily curious man…Kid.”

  “She ran away from him,” Kid manages to say. “Tiny said we were helping her escape.”

  “For a price,” Felipe accuses.

  ***

  Tiny walks to the door and makes sure it’s locked before he addresses the club. “I hope you assholes are ready to make some serious money. That girl is worth a hundred grand once we get her to Chihuahua.”

  Hog is the first to speak. “What the fuck, Tiny? You go out for a beer last night and come back with some girl? Who the hell is she?” he asks the last in an angry whisper.

  Kid keeps his mouth shut, as usual, while the other guys murmur in agreement with Hog. Kid is just as curious as everyone else, but Tiny is his only real family, so he tries not to piss the man off. Maybe the girl just needs a ride and is willing to pay a lot to get there. Kid shakes off his stupidity. No one pays a hundred grand for a damn ride.

  “What are you?” Tiny admonishes. “You a bunch of pussies now? I took a ride over to the bar after I hooked up last night, and the bartender let me drink. So, he’s bringing in crates and I’m sitting there, having a beer and minding my own damn business, when this half-naked girl runs in screaming for us to lock the door.” Tiny instantly commands attention. “Her and the bartender are shouting back and forth. Apparently, the girl’
s being chased by some guy named Caleb, who’s been keeping her locked up for weeks. Dude! She didn’t even know she was in Mexico! How fucked is that?!”

  Hog sits up straight and lifts his hand. “Wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me that girl has people looking for her? And you want to take her with us to pick up our shit? Are you crazy, man? Have you lost your goddamn mind?!”

  “I’m not done!” Tiny shouts and Hog falls silent. “The bartender freaks and leaves me there with this girl. She won’t stop crying and asking me to take her to the cops, which is stupid, because the guy who took her could easily bribe the cops. I’m in the middle of telling her this, when the fucking guy starts pounding on the door. Girl hides under the bar and I cover her with the crates the bartender brought in. Then, bang! The door gets busted in.”

  “Fuck!” exclaims Joker. “Man! I wish I’da been there!”

  “Right?” Tiny laughs. He starts pacing, engrossed in his story. “So in walks this pretty-boy—no offense, Kid.”

  “Fuck you.” Kid rolls his eyes and pretends—like always—not to be offended. The guys frequently like to remind him of his ‘cock-sucking lips’ and ‘bitch-looking’ face. It’s been old for a long time.

  Tiny laughs and keeps talking. “He’s already blown through the door, so I know the damn shotgun he’s carrying is loaded. I play it cool and pour myself a beer.” He grins. “Right away, he asks about the girl, and I tell him I ain’t seen her. We go through this whole thing, sizing up each other’s peckers, and then I pull my gun out. This fucking guy…he doesn’t even flinch. He tells me he’s willing to pay if I bring him the girl—he’s staying in that old plantation. And then he leaves, just like that. He even shows me his back, like he didn’t give a shit if I shot him.”