by H. M. Wolfe
“Wait!” Alasdair took his jacket, putting it on. “I’m coming with you. I want to meet Bailey and greet him properly. Sorry I overreacted. I was an asshole,” the kid said in one go, looking at Ardan.
“You can come with me if you want to, but Bailey isn’t in the best of shapes, right now. I’m afraid the sight of him will affect you badly. I don’t want this burden on your shoulders too. I want you to be happy.” The man’s eyes became dull, his voice broken.
“If it’s a burden, I can’t let you carry it by yourself, so let’s go.” Alasdair’s voice was firm as he cast the man a determination-filled look.
Ardan nodded, gesturing for the kid to follow him. The two of them went into part of the building the redhead had never visited before. As much as he could figure out, it was connected to the infirmary, and it looked like an emergency center of sorts. They stepped into a large room, where, on a metal table covered with a sheet, a kid about Alasdair’s age laid in only his underwear.
His hair was blond, almost white, and he had light blue eyes with almost transparent pupils. They were open wide, two bottomless pits of fear. The body of the kid, lean but not skinny, was covered from head to toe in horrible scars of all sizes, from large bruises to cuts and welts. Every time Doctor Ross gently touched him, the poor soul flinched away, wincing in pain, strangled cries escaping from his throat.
Only after he looked at the tortured body lying on the examination table, did Alasdair understand what ‘damaged’ really meant, and he was shaken to the core. The redhead’s first impulse was to go to the boy, caress his face, take him in his arms and tell him that everything was going to be all right, that no one is going to hurt him anymore, but he knew better than that.
Most likely, the only thing that would have come from that would be an extremely panicked reaction with the kid kicking, screaming and probably begging Alasdair not to hurt him. So, instead of tightly hugging him, the redhead lightly touched the teen’s hand, making him to almost jump out of his skin.
“Come on, you’ve seen enough.” Ardan wrapped an arm around the teen’s shoulders, gently guiding him out of the room.
“Okay.” Alasdair nodded. He tried to mask the sadness and heart-stabbing pain he felt at the sight of the boy lying on the table, but the man next to him sensed it. “Are you going to take me to my room?”
“No, mine.” Ardan offered the redhead a shadow of a smile. “We have things to discuss and decisions to make, remember?”
Saying those words, the man gave Alasdair’s shoulders an affectionate squeeze, feeling his heart swelling with pride. The kid had managed a major crisis in a very clever way, keeping everything under control and reducing the collateral damages to zero. He did better than Ardan himself would have done.
“Sit down and start talking.” The man lightly pushed the teen to the bed’s edge while he took a chair, plopping down onto it.
“What do you want to know first?” Alasdair’s heart started to hammer against his ribcage, pumping the blood faster as he started to relive the events of the past week.
“Well, how about telling me everything from the very start?” Ardan bored his turquoise eyes into the redhead’s dark-green ones.
“After you left, I felt helpless and lost. Seeing how Landon was wasting away, more each day, made me angry and powerless. Plus, I couldn’t understand why you’d replaced him with that dumbhead who kept harassing Armand, in spite of my effort to keep him away.”
“When did you understand my intentions?” An amused smile was forming on Ardan’s lips, his voice laced with curiosity.
“The day Seymour came back, bringing Benji with him. Then, that bastard was very aggressive with Armand, intimidating him, calling my friend a lot of ugly names and, most likely, bringing back bad memories from his past. When I warned him, the dickhead didn’t try to deny it or back down, on the contrary. Then, I knew he was a weak link, just a moron with a big mouth.”
“And when did you discover that there was another mole? The strong link if I can say so?” Ardan spoke in a relaxed voice, but his heart was aching and bleeding. Never had he imagined that one of his closest collaborators could betray him so badly.
Alasdair examined the man from the corner of his eye, feeling the sadness that ate away at him. To know that one of your best, most trusted friends hadn’t hesitated to stab him in the back would knock even the strongest of men, and Ardan was no exception. That was why the redhead decided the way he had, considering that only the leader of the organization would appreciate the gravity of the offense.
“The same day, when Benji and I were heading to my room. I saw Carlin walking very quickly, almost running. Some seconds later, Derek followed, and I thought it was strange since the two of them didn’t work in the same sector.”
“Well done.” Ardan smiled, running his long, slim fingers through Alasdair’s silky curls. He was immensely proud of the kid, who proved to be a very fast learner, noticing even the most insignificant details, the smallest changes in the community members’ routine. “What then?” he asked.
“Since Benji started to help Armand at the lab, I was no longer needed. To avoid getting bored, I put myself in charge of supplying the infirmary with medicines and stuff. I also visited Landon every day since his room was on my way. One day, I barged in without knocking and saw him and Carlin kissing each other.”
“And what relevance did that kiss have in the grand scheme?” Ardan wanted to know as he didn’t have the answers. It was Alasdair who’d put two and two together, revealing the mole’s identity.
“They saw me, broke the kiss, and Carlin begged me not to tell anyone. I wouldn’t have told but promised anyway. Later that day, he came to my room, saying he wanted to talk to me, and begged me once again not to tell anyone about the kiss, especially if Derek’s around. At first, I didn’t pay attention to Carlin’s words, but later, it hit me.
“Hit you, what?” For Ardan, it was more than curiosity. He really wanted to understand how it was possible for him to be betrayed by one of his best friends, one of the boys he kept alive and protected at all costs.
Alasdair’s heart broke because he knew the hardest part was yet to come. The ugly words Derek said once he understood there was no way out for him, all the venom he spat in Ardan’s direction, all the hate he poisoned the atmosphere with... The redhead wished he could skip that part, but he knew the man would insist he kept going.
“Derek was in love with Carlin, or at least, he thought so, but in fact, the man was obsessed. On the other hand, Landon really cares about Carlin and wants what’s best for him, and his feelings are reciprocated. During the time I’ve spent here, I never saw Derek in the company of his obsession. On the other hand, I noticed on many occasions how Carlin desperately tried to avoid Derek.”
Ardan sighed heavily. If he had paid more attention to his friends’ feelings for each other, if he would have spent more time talking to them, none of this would have happened. “What happened then? When did you put everything together?”
“I had to talk to someone about the whole thing, so I went to Benji and Armand. When he heard my story, Benji started to curse and didn’t stop for about five minutes. Then, he took Armand in his arms as if he wanted to protect him from a great evil and started to talk about this guy Carter.
“Who the hell is he, and what does he have to do with this?” Ardan frowned, feeling as if he was surrounded by a dense fog, not being able to understand a thing from Alasdair’s story.
“He’s a psychiatrist who has everything to do with everything,” the redhead answered. “First of all, he’s the psychiatrist who messed with Armand’s mind, turning him into... well, whoever he was when you brought him here. After talking to Benji, I concluded that, at some point, Carter and Derek met each other, perhaps even as psychiatrist and patient.”
“That son of a bitch!” Ardan exclaimed, his fury threatening to get out of control. “When I get my hands on him, I’ll make him pay for all he put poor Armand th
rough, and for all the other evil things he’s done.”
“Brace yourself.” Alasdair cast the man a sympathetic look. “There’s more to this ugly story.”
CHAPTER 10
“Don’t spare me,” Ardan said. “I’m able to handle anything and everything life throws at me. What could be worse than finding out that one of your best friends was betraying you for who knows how long?”
“He was going to take over and destroy everything you and the others had built with so much effort. The first step was to get rid of those who were closest to you: Drew, Seymour, Landon, Anthony, and all the others, and make the blame fall on Armand. He planned to poison all the guys.” Alasdair’s eyes were filled with pain.
“Why did he hate them so much? I raised them to be like brothers, to care for each other... Where did I go wrong?” Ardan was devastated, pain stabbed through his heart with the force of a thousand knives.
“When Seymour and Landon interrogated him, Derek said a lot of horrible things. According to that bastard, a very powerful man supported his attempt to take over The Base, a man whose business suffered great losses because of your ‘stupid, illogical actions’ as he put it. He referred to that man as BB, telling the boys that once he became the leader, you would be handed over to his accomplice.”
Ardan closed his eyes, inhaling sharply. If it wasn’t for Alasdair’s presence, the man would have cried, cursed and yelled, letting everything out, but he couldn’t do that, not in front of the redhead, who expected him to be strong and fearless, determined to put an end to the evil lurking from every corner. “Let’s go,” he said, leaving his seat. “It’s time to hear what Derek has to say.”
The redhead nodded, following the man and closing the door behind them. Soon, the day would be over, and he could cuddle with Ardan, soothing the man’s pain and making him relax, even if just a bit and even for just a few hours. The thought that his presence offered the other one the comfort he craved so much made Alasdair feel important. It gave him a sense of fulfilment.
As they walked through the narrow, dark corridors of the facility, the redhead remembered the dilemma he and the others had after they caught Derek red-handed and put him under arrest. Since they built The Base, almost eleven years earlier, no one had committed even the slightest offense, so they hadn’t needed a place to put offenders. Eventually, Benji suggested locking the mole up in the safe room Armand used during his fits of rage.
“I’ll go with you,” Seymour spoke, catching them from behind. “That goddamn bastard is a beast unleashed. He could hurt you or Alasdair,” the man continued, worry pouring from his voice.
“I appreciate your offer.” Ardan bowed his head a little. “It’s not me who I’m afraid for. Derek would never stoop so low and attack me, but he could try to harm the kid.”
Seymour shook his head imperceptibly. The other man had a heart so big and pure, loved all of them so much, that even when he had all the evidence of the bastard’s ugly betrayal, he still trusted him, still saw him as a brother. “Okay, if that’s what you wish. I will protect Alasdair, but you should also pay attention to that rabid dog.”
Ardan nodded in approval. “Don’t worry, I will,” he said, although he considered any precaution useless. Derek was only confused, disoriented, his mind messed up by that pile of garbage who called himself a psychiatrist.
When the three of them stepped inside the room, the prisoner was sleeping on the mattress on his back, lightly snoring. As he laid there, smelling, sporting a thick beard with disheveled hair, the man offered a deplorable image.
Ardan looked at him, trying to detect the slightest trace of regret or repentance, but what he saw was only spite and contempt. Even in his sleep, his true nature prevented Derek from relaxing and enjoying the blessing of a deep slumber.
The man must’ve sensed the others’ presence because, after shifting several times, he opened his eyes, shooting daggers at Seymour and Alasdair. However, as soon as he spotted Ardan, Derek made him the target of his despise and hate.
“Hello, whore! Finally, you decided to show up your face after letting the minions do the dirty work, like the coward you are,” he said hatefully.
“Hello, brother.” Ardan raised his hand in an attempt to caress the other man’s cheek, only to be brutally rejected. “Insulting me won’t bring you anything. I thought you were better than that,” he spoke in a soft, almost pleading voice.
“I’m not your brother. Don’t call me that, slut,” Derek let out another round of venomous words. “Soon, you will return to your rightful owner, spending the rest of your worthless life at his feet, doing what those like you do.”
“Tell me,” Ardan whispered, “do you really think that BB will show you gratitude once you deliver me into his hands and take down the organization all of us, you included, put so much effort into building?”
“He’ll be as merciful as you,” Derek hissed. “C’mon, whore. Everybody knows you are a sick, twisted-minded bastard who enjoys torturing and murdering people. You find great pleasure in hearing their screams and cries of pain, in listening to the sound of their pleading voices.”
At that point, Ardan lost his composure, a spark of madness in his eyes. He crouched down, grabbing Derek by the shirt, twisting his hands into the fabric. After staring in his eyes for a few seconds, he let the man go so he stumbled back onto the mattress. “You’re right, we are not brothers. I should have left you to die all those years ago!” With a look of pure disgust on his face, Ardan turned his back on Derek, heading to the door.
“Bravo!” The man applauded, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “Finally, you let the mask fall, showing your true, twisted, control-hungry, sadistic self. I made you lose it in front of your little bed warmer, who now can see the monster you really are.”
“At least, I didn’t pretend I was someone or something else. You, on the other hand... I was going to be generous and put a bullet in your head, but you don’t deserve that. I will let you go, instead. Three men will escort you to BB’s headquarters and leave you there. He will see you, of course, but when you report the failure... For your sake, I hope he’s changed during the last ten years.”
“Hey, Ardan,” Derek said, making the man turn around for the second time. “Let me tell you a secret, my goodbye gift for you. Come closer, I want to whisper it in your ear.” He gestured, an unreadable expression on his face.
Seymour instinctively sensed the danger and wanted to leave his position so he could protect Ardan in the eventuality of an attack, but the man cast a look in Alasdair’s direction. Seymour caught its significance, moving closer to the redhead, while Derek scrambled to his feet and moved to Ardan.
When he got close enough, the man started to whisper, a look of pure evilness contorting his face, especially when he looked to the teen who was leaning against the wall. As Derek went on talking, Ardan’s expression changed too, shock and disbelief mixed on his face, eyes widening.
Suddenly, he stepped away from the traitor. “I don’t believe you!” He vehemently shook his head. “And why should I? You are nothing but a mole, a leech, a goddamn liar who wants to save his skin at the other’s expense! Well, I have a surprise for you: nothing you say is going to make me change my mind.”
“Do as you see fit.” Derek shrugged. “I don’t care. I just warned you, that’s all. It’s easy to check if I lie or tell the truth. You know what the marks are and where he likes to put them. You have them, too, don’t you?” The man grinned wickedly as he spoke the last part.
“Since this is the last time you and I will see each other, I would like to know where I went wrong to make you act like this? What did I not give you or do for you? What wasn’t enough or, on the contrary, was too much?”
“Do you really want to know? It’s everything about you, about how much you give for those little pieces of shit, how you coddle them, how they are all you care about, how you don’t learn anything, don’t want to listen to anyone. We could be rich, have everything
we ever wanted to if you had not spent the money we made from the casinos on those little, whining brats. I hate you for that. I always have!”
All the time Derek spoke, Ardan hadn’t said a word, staring into his eyes. Once the man spat the last words, he shook his head slowly. “Those little, whining brats... you were one of them, too.” Then, wrapping an arm around Alasdair’s shoulders, the man turned to Seymour. “Let’s go,” he said.
All the way to the redhead’s room was walked in silence, the noise their steps made on the tile floor reverberating through the empty, narrow, dark corridors. From time to time, Ardan gave the kid a reassuring squeeze, but other than that, he hadn’t reacted in any way, hadn’t said a single word since the three of them left the improvised prison cell.
A thousand thoughts and questions were running through Alasdair’s head, crashing into one another. Until a few minutes earlier, he had thought the man next to him and his friends were running an orphanage of some sort, a sanctuary for children who were running away from abusive parents or who were thrown out of their homes for various reasons. He wasn’t so sure about that anymore, not after what that bastard Derek threw in Ardan’s face.
“I’ll leave you for now. I have one more thing to take care of, and then I’ll be ready for the night. See you around, kiddo.”
“I think I’ll take a shower, then I’m going to start reading one of the books about the nervous system you guys got me as a birthday present.” Alasdair smiled.
The man returned the smile tiredly, then left with Seymour in tow.
The time passed by quicker than the redhead thought it would, especially since the medical book captured his interest from the first page. During the time he’d stayed at The Base, the teen had enrolled in an intensive study program that allowed him to graduate high school almost two years in advance. A lot of universities, including some of the most well-known, had sent positive answers to his application, but he hadn’t decided where to go yet.
