8 Mile & Rion

by K. S. Adkins

  “Why him?” he asks, touching my busted arm. At this point it hurts so bad, it’s nearly numb and he was too far gone to notice what he was doing. “None of the others got long term, why him? He’s an asshole.”

  “Why are you so hung up on him?” I groan out. “Yes, he’s an asshole but he’s my asshole.”

  “He doesn’t deserve you,” he mumbles. “You weren’t gifted to him. You were gifted to me! A bets a bet you said so yourself! You’re supposed to love me!”

  “Wait, was I supposed to love you before or after you kicked my ass? A bet is a bet, but not when my free will’s at stake. Sorry for the misunderstanding, let’s just shake on it with my good hand and I’ll be on my way.”

  “I don’t like your smart mouth.”

  “I don’t like your left hook.”

  “Shut your fucking mouth, Rion.”

  “Make me you little cunt,” I growl. “And you can call me Junior, only the asshole gets to call me Rion. Special privileges and all that.”

  “You’ve left me no choice.”

  “Oh I’ve left you all sorts of choices. You just aren’t capable of rational thought.”

  “You will love me.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or I’ll kill you,” he says, shrugging his shoulders like he just picked tuna instead of chicken.

  “You’re welcome to try,” I offer, “but I won’t go down without a fight.”

  “I expect nothing less from you.”

  “Funny, I don’t expect anything from you considering you haven’t crossed my mind since the day you left. Senior gave you a second chance and this is how you repay him? By agreeing to a meaningless bet because you can’t get laid on your own?”

  “If it were only that simple,” he says smiling. “Actually you don’t have all the facts. Your mother brainwashed my father into thinking she loved him then tossed him over for Senior. If not for my father, yours wouldn’t have ever met her. My father considered this a betrayal, of course, and saw an opportunity to right that wrong and took it. I’ve been the son he’s always wanted and you are my reward. Believe me, my father was a difficult man to please.”

  “What about your mother?”

  “Never had one. His wife died young and he never remarried. When I was adopted my father wanted me to have what he never had. I was cast aside just as he was. He took pity on me, wanted me to have the chance he wasn’t afforded.”

  “You’re adopted? What’s your birth name?”

  “Why does it matter?”

  “Just piecing it together is all. Clearly, I’m not leaving here alive because a healthy relationship is not in the cards for us, so what’s the harm? This is like a big game of Clue, or in your case clueless.”

  “My birth name was Honor James Hart.”

  “Christ,” I groan. “You’re the brother I’ve been looking for. He’s been searching for you for months, you little fucker.”

  “And here I am,” he laughs. “Fuck him, he’s not my brother. He let them take me.”

  “He was seven, Honor and he wasn’t given the chances you were afforded by being adopted out.”

  “He stole you from me.”

  “I told you, you can’t own someone. I’m his by choice.”

  “My father searched for years for the perfect son to make you happy, you selfish bitch! You have no idea how horrible he was!”

  “Who’s your daddy, Honor?”

  “My name is Henry!” he roars. “Henry James Sullivan!”

  “Hold up, Lucas is your dad? Hate to break it to you, but your pops was one taco shy of a six pack if you know what I mean. Well hello apple, meet tree. It didn’t fall far. This is like an acid trip in church, seriously.”

  “Don’t you dare speak ill of the man that saved me!”

  “I just did!” I yell back.

  Over the years, all the men in my life told me my smart mouth would get me into trouble one day. But back then I always had one of them by my side to shield me. Today my smart mouth was going to get me killed. I figured if I was going to go out, it might as well be because I didn’t back down from a delusional pussy.

  Nostrils flaring he stares me down with the coldest eyes I’ve ever seen. Staring back at him, he’s convinced himself I would love him based on a bet. He expected me to square up because I was raised to finish what I started, only I didn’t start this. Henry knows me pretty well and my refusal doesn’t make sense to him. It doesn’t make sense to him because he’s nuts. He’s also shown me I never knew him at all which makes him dangerously unpredictable. The Henry I knew would get up and leave the room if I even pretend wrestled with the guys for fun. If I hit the mosh pit he’d wait in the stands and when I got into a bar fights he hid in the booth. That Henry detested violence which made him a horrible enforcer. Instead of firing him, Senior had him shadow me to earn his keep. Otherwise, Henry just took up space and money.

  My walk down memory lane was cut short when he grabbed me by the shoulders, which got him a scream when the pain rocked me. Switching tactics he puts me in a headlock and drags me down the hall with my legs trailing behind me. The pain was all consuming and I couldn’t focus on my surroundings which wasn’t helping either. However, once he tied me to the bed then stripped me of my clothes and dignity, I realized death may be preferable to what he had in store for me.

  God dammit, Loyal where are you?

  ‘I have a feeling had we been raised together, you still wouldn’t have any use for me.’

  ~Honor

  In the next half hour several things happened. After surveying the neighborhood, the plan was to leave the truck parked with the keys in it around the block and approach on foot. Rio was to be the diversion while I entered through another exit that was to be determined upon arrival. He would knock on the front door and ask if Honor had seen Rion. I instructed him to use the name Henry as to not tip him off that we know his true identity.

  The moment the door was opened I would come in and finish the job, securing Rion. My main concern was Rio couldn’t understand how an extraction works. He isn’t trained for this, I am. The second he sees Rion, he’ll be a loose cannon and I not only have to cover her but him too.

  Not to mention, I’m about to come face to face with a man I haven’t seen in person since I was seven. He was too young to even remember me taking care of him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a threat. I wasn’t here to play the brother card; I was here to get my woman back. She’s been gone almost seven hours and that was six hours and fifty nine minutes too long.

  Rio signals he’s approaching the door and I run to the back avoiding windows. I can’t afford for Honor to see me or any neighbors either. I hear Rio banging on the door, but there is no movement in the house that shows he’s going to answer it. If that was the case, he was instructed to break the fucker down. A diversion was a diversion, I wasn’t picky. Coming alongside the house, I was about to breach a low window when I hear her screaming in pain. Seconds later, she was screaming my name and I almost lost it. Swallowing it down, I forced myself to focus.

  When she screamed again, I pulled myself up to the window and almost went insane at what I saw. She was naked, tied down to the bed by her wrists and ankles. He was covering her body with his, but her thrashing signaled he was hurting her and she was fighting him. Having no choice but to go through the window in back, her screaming would actually help me enter without him hearing me. Closing my eyes, I prayed for her to hold on a little longer. Grabbing my knife from my pocket, I cut the screen away then planned to pry the window open and crawl in.

  That was until Rio started screaming for Henry to open the door and give Rion back. No doubt he’d heard her screaming too and really lost it. “God dammit Rio,” I whisper, working faster. When her screaming stops, I take a chance by running back to the other window to see if he’s left. Pulling myself up, I see Rion fighting back hysteria. I also see she’s covered in blood but not where or why. The other window forgotten, I break this one with my el
bow and land in the room with a crash. Honor hears this and at that moment Rio engages him in the other room.

  Trusting that Rio can handle himself, I come to her bedside to free her and when I saw the damage for what it was. If I thought this shit couldn’t affect me anymore I told myself to ask the part of me that just died seeing it. She was covered in bite marks, her eyes were swollen shut, her shoulder was dislocated, her arm was likely broken and he carved his name in her god damned chest.

  “Rion listen to me,” I whisper. “I’ve got you, stay still so I can cut you loose.”

  “Loyal,” she croaks then silently cries as I work on freeing her.

  “Injuries,” I tell her while working on her hands first. “I need to know before I move you.”

  Rio and Honor were tearing the house apart right now, but I was running out of time. The last photo of him didn’t do his size justice. These days that prick was every bit my size. I needed her secure before I took him on. “My shoulder and arm,” she whispers.

  “What else?” I ask her knowing she was holding back on me.

  “The rest can wait,” she says “just cut me loose please.”

  “You’re safe,” I whisper kissing her cheek. “I promise you, I’ll get you out of here. Listen to my voice Rion, there’s rope and zip ties, I can’t cut through it all at once without cutting you. A little longer,” I beg her.

  “Henry is Honor,” she whispers through tears, “He’s…your brother.”

  “I know,” I whisper back, “I’ll handle him.”

  “He said he’s going to kill you,” she cries. Before I can answer and just as I free her right wrist she screams in agony at the same time Rio does. Working faster, I had no time to worry about her injuries. Cutting furiously at her left wrist, I see his shadow in my periphery.

  “Hello brother,” he says, standing in the doorway. Turning away from Rion to face him, I keep my knife in my hand foregoing the gun, ready for combat. I wasn’t wasting a bullet on this asshole. I wanted my hands on him, I wanted to make him hurt in kind.

  “Hey Honor,” I smile wide. “Miss me?”

  There was a saying that I memorized when I went out on my first op: Your enemies are going to make mistakes and it’s your job to let them. Slowly moving away so she wasn’t in the war zone I smile wide, winked then crooked my finger at him.

  Then the battle began.

  ‘I will always come for you. Only death could keep from it. Even then, I’d work something out.’

  ~Loyal

  Just as I had resigned myself to death because my body and mind could take no more, Loyal was there bringing me back to life. The pain had been too much, my senses were on overload and I had just wanted it to end. As much as I wanted him to find me, I didn’t want him seeing the condition I was in knowing it would haunt him. Loyal has seen enough to last lifetimes, he didn’t need to see this too. I did as he instructed, listening to his voice and it calmed me until he freed my right arm. Nothing could stop the scream that flew from my mouth from happening. I tried to bite it back but it simply wasn’t possible.

  In effort to free my left, he wasn’t as gentle and I didn’t care as long as I had my hands back. I wanted to tell him that I loved him, thank him for saving me and a hundred other things. The words were there all fighting to come out at once and it frustrated me. Staying perfectly still, I let him do what he did best until I heard Honor’s voice.

  The instant I heard it my lips started to tremble. If he touched me again, I’d break apart. If he hurt Loyal, I’d shatter. The only thing keeping me from being hysterical was the fear in Honor’s voice and the confidence in Loyal’s. My eyes were too swelled to see and having no choice, I relied on my ears to guide me.

  When they came together it was a sound I prayed I never heard again. Words couldn’t define it and I decided maybe I was lucky I couldn’t see it after all. A crash to my left startled me and then there was Loyal’s voice mocking Honor’s attempt to engage him.

  “Are you done yet?” he asks in a bored tone. “You ain’t keeping Rion. You come at me again, I’m gonna kill you, boy.”

  “She’s mine!”

  “No,” he growls, “she ain’t.”

  “You have everything! Why’d you have to take her too!”

  “Outside of her, I ain’t got shit and never have. Whoever fed you stories, fed you lies. We gonna finish this or what? You hurt my woman, can’t let that slide. You live or you die either way, she leaves with me.”

  “You walk in on me fucking your slut wife, and still she wanted you!”

  “That was you?” he laughs and I gag a bit. Jesus, is there anyone that woman hasn’t nailed? “Bro, who hasn’t fucked her? Probably should mention she wasn’t my wife and wouldn’t care even if she was. Stand down Honor, ain’t nothing you can do to hurt me.”

  “I can kill her,” he says and I can feel him staring at me from across the room. “You deserve to suffer for leaving me behind!”

  “No sense in explaining any of this shit to you, but I’m learning to be patient so listen the fuck up,” he says. “The state split us up, you idiot. You were a toddler, I was in third grade. No one gave a fuck about either of us, asshole. We were a dollar sign. You got a family try manning the fuck up and be thankful you made out. Granted, your old man was a piece of shit, but hey it’s better than nothing, right? You took what doesn’t belong to you, Honor now I’m taking her back. Whether you’re breathing afterwards or not is your choice. I’m done playing with you.”

  Honor gave a roar loud enough to hurt my ears, then there was the sounds of fists meeting flesh, then a grunt followed by total silence. Not knowing what else to do, I let the tears fall. Nothing made sense right now and the adrenaline was coursing through me only I couldn’t fight that either.

  “Shh,” he says kneeling next to me, “it’s over, Rion.”

  Sobbing in earnest while he frees my left arm, it drops useless at my side and I cry about that too. “Be patient. The blood will come back to your arm,” he whispers. “Keep the right one still. I’m going to wrap it, okay?” When I don’t respond he uses his warrior voice. “Rion, pay attention. Deep breath and on three I’m wrapping my shirt under you shoulder then over your arm. One, two, three…” He was gentle enough that I didn’t scream and biting my cheek helped. “Good girl,” he whispers. “I’m going to sit you up now.”

  “No, no, no!” I hear Rio scream from the door.

  “Rio?” I whisper in shock.

  “Kill him or let me kill him, Loyal! What the fuck did he do to her! Jesus Christ!”

  Crying again over causing him distress, Loyal notices and tells him to secure Honor and call 911. It took several minutes and a few threats, but eventually Rio calmed enough to do what he was told. Loyal cut through the ties on my ankles, sat me up and covered my naked body with a blanket. Holding me close, he talked to me in hushed tones until the police and medics arrived. Honor regained consciousness long enough to start screaming and for Rio to knock him back out again. When the medics started looking me over, Loyal instructed one to also look at Rio.

  “You’re hurt?” I whisper because my throat hurts too much otherwise.

  “It’s just a scratch, Junior,” Rio says, reassuring me.

  “Loyal? Explain a scratch,” I ask not trusting Rio to be honest with me.

  “He was stabbed in the stomach, not deep but he’ll need stitches.”

  “Stabbed?”

  “Why’d you tell her that!” he yells then comes to my side.

  Leaning my head on his shoulder I whisper, “I’m sorry, Rio.”

  “You ain’t got nothing to be sorry for,” he whispers back. “Besides, I’ve had worse. A cheap knife ain’t got nothing on you kicking my ass.”

  “I think you need to teach me how to fight with my feet next time. Loyal finished him off, but that goose egg on his forehead was my doing, I want credit for that. I can’t see so take a picture of the damage for later okay?”

  “You did good, Junior
,” he whispers. “Won’t be a next time, you’re safe now.”

  “I love you, Rio.”

  “Yeah Junior,” he says kissing my forehead before standing up and walking away. “I know.”

  Then Loyal is there taking Rio’s place.

  As they prep me for transport, I feel Loyal’s struggle at his brother being led away in handcuffs. Hard not to be when the man is screaming his fucking head off. When he hides his face in my neck I do my best to hold him. My hand made it to his waist and I anchored it in his belt loop. “Thank you,” I whisper in his ear. “You saved me. I thought I’d never see you again.”

  “Wasn’t going home without you,” he mumbles. “Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  “First time anyone ever lived after meeting me,” he says more to himself than anything.

  Laying my head on his shoulder I tell him the truth. “Funny, I hadn’t lived until I met you.”

  “I’ll be there when they take you in but I gotta talk to Rio first. I’ll drive over in my truck.”

  “Okay warrior,” I whisper, letting go. The medic said it was time and though I couldn’t see him, I could feel him. He didn’t want to let me go. “I’m okay, Loyal.”

  He didn’t say anything more as they took me away.

  ‘The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have.’

  ~ Ring Lardner

  She may have been okay, but I sure as fuck wasn’t. Rio stayed back with me while they took her to the hospital. The medic said we had time to talk to the cops and settle things here first. He said they would assess her and manage her pain first but I still needed to hurry. Watching her drive off gutted me. My woman wasn’t okay but my next mission was making sure she would be. My body revolted at the idea of walking back into that house. The nightmare may have ended tonight but it wasn’t over. Because I didn’t kill him, she’d have to testify and endure legal bullshit. Then again, my woman was all about the legal bullshit but she shouldn’t have to relive this bullshit.

  Entering the room he kept her in, I was grateful she wasn’t able to see it. What I saw here made my blood run cold. If he decorated her apartment in her honor, it didn’t even come close to the wacked out shit I was looking at now. This sick fuck dedicated his life to watching her. Feeling my fists tighten, at that moment I truly regretted letting him live.