I walked back over to Richard. “Do you have another phone you use to contact Zia?”
“Of course. I can hear you two over there talking. You’re good, I’ll give you that. But I don’t ever mix my business with pleasure. I use burner phones because I know her number by heart. Once I make the call, I destroy the phone. I never leave a trail,” Richard half bragged, half informed.
“You know her number, but not her last name?”
“The less we know about each other, the better when you get higher up the ladder,” Richard stated.
That was helpful information to know… I guessed.
“Well, it’s a good thing we have a few burner phones available for you to use tomorrow.”
“Yes, that is good.”
“What’s the number?”
“Ah, ah, ah… that stays in the old noggin’, like I said. I’ll be telling you information on a need to know basis.”
I growled, because he was really pissing me off. “You better not be trying to pull any stunts, motherfucker.”
“Hey, you’ve already promised to give me a broken leg. I’m just trying to live and make sure that’s all I get from you. If you didn’t have the ability to look like anyone you wanted, I’d feel better about our little arrangement,” Richard pointed out.
“Yeah, yeah,” I scoffed, then put the gag back on his mouth. I walked into my bedroom and snatched up my noise-cancelling headphones and returned to Richard, placing them on his ears. That was going to have to be good enough for now. I walked over to Jordan. “Have you heard back from that Black Knight guy?”
“Not yet. He’s probably—oh, speak of the devil,” Jordan said.
“And he shall appear,” I added.
“Well, let’s hope that this guy isn’t evil. He just responded.” Jordan opened up the private message box and we both read the response.
I’m in, but I have stipulations, he said.
“Well, that was quick. For some reason, I didn’t think he’d take the bait,” I said.
“Well, when the bait is me telling you about a killing ring and showing you a small clip of a poor child being tortured to death, I would think it’d be hard for anyone with a soul to walk away from that.” Jordan looked up at me. “You couldn’t because you’re a good person. I just had to hope that Black Knight was just as decent and determined.”
“You never cease to amaze, baby.” I continued to watch the screen as Jordan worked.
What are your stipulations? he typed back.
Not over this line of communications. I want to meet face-to-face.
“Hmmm, not sure I want to meet when he has stipulations,” I grumbled.
“Are you willing to turn his help away if you don’t agree with his stipulations? He’s a hero just like you, how bad can those stipulations be?” Jordan asked me.
Here was the part where I had to learn how to play nice with others. I didn’t like anyone in my sandbox, but for this mission, I was willing to share my shovel and pail. We could build this castle together and when it was over and done, I would kick it down and storm off. Well, maybe I wouldn’t be that dramatic, but I didn’t plan to change how I did things on my own personal level.
“Tell him I’ll meet him at the Griffen Towers, top floor, at nine p.m.,” I said.
“Awwww, I’m so proud of you. Being a team player and all,” Jordan teased while he typed.
“For the time being, sure.”
We both waited for his response.
I’m flying out tonight and will meet you tomorrow evening on the top floor. If you don’t agree to my stipulations, then I’m out. It’s that simple, he said.
I read his words and snorted. “Tell him to just tell me what the fuck his stupid-ass stipulations are, and then I can tell him if I’ll agree to them. Save his ass a trip if I don’t like them.”
“What could he ask of you that you aren’t willing to do?” Jordan asked me as he typed my reply.
I had to think about that myself. Would I be willing to expose myself to the public like those other heroes? I hoped that wasn’t one of his dumbass stipulations, especially since he was working in the shadows just like I was. That would just be unreasonable on his part.
“Not much,” I answered.
I’ve already booked my flight. I’ll see you tomorrow night at nine p.m. After that, the connection was lost.
“Well, he’s a man of few words, that’s for sure,” I commented, and crossed my arms over my chest. “I wonder if he has any special abilities or does he just kick ass really well?”
“He’s handling his business in New York of all cities, so he’s got something going for him,” Jordan said, then rattled off a ton of information on the bastard that he’d gathered. I took it all in, filing it away.
“I wonder how he gets them to give him all that evidence to use against them.”
Jordan shrugged. “I’d like to know that too. The fact that he’s cautious might be a good thing.” He turned to face me and laughed as he looked me up and down. “Are you going to wear your costume all night?”
I looked down, seeing I was still dressed. I hadn’t even noticed. “Just haven’t had time to take it off. I will now, want to get comfortable.”
“All that leather ain’t comfortable? I like it,” Jordan teased.
I smiled and pointed at him. “Don’t start shit tonight, J-bird. We have unsavory company.”
Jordan looked at Richard, then back to me. “Seems like you made sure he’s oblivious to what’s going on. He won’t be able to hear shit with those headphones on.”
“You can be really loud when I’m tapping that ass,” I pointed out.
“Like you don’t damn near wake the neighbors when you shoot your load in my ass,” he shot back.
I laughed as I made my way to the bedroom. “It’s a good thing we don’t have neighbors.” I removed my leather top, placing it on the chair in the room. Next, the boots and my pants came off. Before I could put on the sweats I was aiming for, Jordan wrapped his arms around my waist. “Are you really horny right now?”
“Yes and no,” he said.
“What does that mean? Because I’m willing and able to give you the business if you really want this dick,” I said.
“If that asshole wasn’t in my home, I’d be all over you. I thought it wouldn’t matter, but ugh… he makes my dick soft,” Jordan complained.
“All the more reason to get this shit over with. Do away with his ass and get your dick back to its naturally erect state, so I can suck that sweet nectar from it.”
He giggled and let me go with a slight shove. “Stop, you’re making it worse.”
“I’m just being honest, baby.”
“I know, perv.” He kissed me, then made his way to the bed. “I’m tired. It’s been a super long day.”
It really had been. I mean, I’d had a major fight with a ninja on an airplane, killed his ass, and kidnapped his boss. That was enough to tire me out. Now that I let myself relax, I felt the exhaustion coming over me, so I removed my contacts, putting them away. “Sex can wait, sleep now.” I climbed in right beside Jordan and wrapped him up in my arms.
“Will that asshole be good where he’s at?” Jordan asked.
I nodded. “That motherfucker isn’t going anywhere. He doesn’t have any abilities, or he surely would have used them before now. Besides, I’ve got him wrapped up like a fucking mummy with those chains. He ain’t going nowhere.”
Jordan yawned, and it was contagious, because I yawned right after. “Good,” he said. And then we both shut the hell up and let sleep take over.
CHAPTER TWO
I woke up all alone in the bed, but the smell of delicious bacon frying in a pan let me know exactly where Jordan was. My stomach growled in response to the succulent scent and I rubbed it to tame the hungry beast within. I rolled out of bed like a lazy teenager and scratched my balls ever so lovingly. After a good stretch, I made my way to the bathroom to handle my business. I got dressed in a p
air of jeans and a t-shirt after my shower, popped in my contacts, and joined J in the kitchen.
“I hope you’re hungry,” he said as he set my plate down on the counter.
“Oh, and you know this, man,” I joked, using a quote from one of our favorite comedies, knowing J would get the “Friday” reference. I looked at the plate filled with cheesy eggs, six strips of thick-sliced applewood smoked bacon, hash browns with onions and peppers, and a biscuit. Sweet Jesus, Jordon knew how to throw down in the kitchen. I kissed him on the nape of his neck, slapped his ass accordingly, and picked up my plate. He yelped when I laid hands on that bubbled butt of his, then smiled knowingly. Yeah, he knew I was going to tear his ass up the first chance I got.
I took my plate over to Richard and waved it under his nose so he could get a good whiff of what he wasn’t going to be eating. Fuck this asshole. He could have cereal. I sat down and took the gag out of his mouth and removed the headphones from her ears. “Smells good, doesn’t it?” I asked, then scooped up a forkful of eggs and shoved it into my mouth.
“Yeah, it does. So, where’s my plate?” he asked.
“You don’t get the fine cuisine in this house, asshole.”
“Oh, now that’s not very hospitable at all. Are you even going to feed me?”
I snorted. “You can have a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and you better be glad I’m willing to share, because that’s my favorite cereal.”
“Ugh, I haven’t had cereal in years, since college,” he griped, like I gave a shit.
“Well, you better get used to it, because that’s what you’ll be eating plenty of here.”
“You know, I’m here because of you.”
I paused chewing my bacon to address his dumbass response. “You’re here because you took part in a murder ring that tortures innocent people for your own amusement. I bet you were logged in that night that poor child was mutilated to death. Did you jerk off while it happened?”
Richard smiled, and it was the kind of smarmy smile a sleezy, piece of shit like him would have. “Actually, Takahashi sucked me off while it happened.”
I gripped my fork so hard, it bent in half. It took everything I had not to punch a hole in that motherfucker’s chest with my bare hand. I could do it easily. Human flesh wouldn’t be able to withstand the full force of my strength. But I forced myself to stay still. I even held my breath, because just one movement would set me off. A few seconds later, I released several deep and long breaths, and was able to regain my composure.
“That is why you get cereal, motherfucker. Be glad it’s not a bowl of my shit, which is really what you deserve to eat,” I said, finally. I had literally been seeing red. Now, my vision was back to normal.
“I guess I have to be grateful for that much, then,” Richard said.
He was someone I really couldn’t put my finger on all the way. A part of me understood his psyche, or at least, I thought I did. But there were times like this when I didn’t understand him at all. I knew a lot of his attitude was wrapped up in privilege. What he felt he was entitled to because of who he was. But then there was the psychotic part that enjoyed getting his cock sucked while a child was tortured to death. Maybe I was feeling out of sorts about Richard because he was a lot like me, more than I cared to admit. Sure, I puked when I saw what happened to that child, but when I did the same thing to his killer, I felt… exhilarated.
I got off on killing people I felt deserved to die. There was just something powerful in it. Richard knew what that power felt like, at least on some kind of scale, because he’d never been the one to order the kill. He was just a voyeur. Was he working himself up to being the killer one day? Who knew? I had my entitlement going on, because I felt entitled to do what I was doing. All vigilantes did. We put ourselves above the law all the time, even when working with the law like that Crimson Fury guy did. Maybe that was what Richard and I had in common, but just on opposite sides of the coin.
He loved to see innocent people suffer and die for his entertainment. And I loved to see the guilty suffer and die for their crimes.
Jordan came over with his plate and a bowl of cereal for our ‘guest’, who I couldn’t wait to strangle with my bare hands. I undid the chain that bound his left hand, but nothing else.
“Don’t try anything funny, just eat,” I said, then pushed his chair up to the table where his bowl of cereal awaited him.
“Can I at least take off the blindfold?”
“Sure, if you want me to pluck out your eyeballs.”
“Never mind,” he grumbled with a frown.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Now, shut the fuck up and eat,” I snapped. “Your bowl is right in front of you.” I put the spoon in his hand and guided him to the bowl, then watched for a few seconds as he struggled to scoop some cereal into the spoon and get it to his mouth.
“Ugh, I forgot how disappointing this crap was,” he complained after swallowing.
“That is the best of the best, buddy.” Nobody insulted Cinnamon Toast Crunch in my presence.
“If you have low standards, which I assume you do,” he snapped back.
“Another smartass comeback like that one and your face goes into the bowl, please believe that,” I warned.
He must have taken my warning seriously, because he didn’t give one of his witty replies, only scooped up more cereal and continued to eat. Finally, I returned to my plate and Jordan just watched us both and shook his head. We ate in silence until we were finished. I had to take Richard to the bathroom this time, so he could fully relieve himself. We only had a block glass window in the second bathroom, too thick and tiny for him to break, so I knew there was no place for him to escape. Once he was finished, I chained his ass back to the chair, then went to retrieve one of my burner phones so he could make his call to Zia.
I walked over to him. “Okay, you’re going to contact Zia and tell her what we discussed.”
“Are you ever going to let me wash my ass?” he asked. I wondered if he was just trying to avoid having to call Zia.
“If you’re a good little boy, I might,” I retorted. I mean, there was a shower in the bathroom downstairs, the one I let him use. I supposed he’d have to use it before we headed to Russia… if that was still a plan I couldn’t avoid. I was still hoping I could kill him somehow. Probably wishful thinking on my part.
“Now, back to the matter at hand, calling Zia,” I said, bringing us back to the important shit.
“Sure, give me the phone.”
“I’ll be doing the dialing.”
“Oh, so you can remember the number? I don’t think so.”
“Why do you think you have any leverage with me, or at least enough to call the shots?”
“Because you need information from me.”
“I could just torture you. I haven’t really tried that yet.”
“You could, but you wouldn’t know if what I was telling you was actually the truth.”
“The amount of pain I would give you might just compel you to be honest.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I tell you some shit that would blow your whole plan apart if you take me up on it just to get my revenge.”
“What’s to stop you from doing that now?”
“My word.”
“Your word?” I asked sarcastically.
He nodded. “You are asking me to take you at your word, I’m asking you to take me at mine. Neither one of us can truly know if the other is being honest. You might kill me, assume my identity, and carry out your plan with all the information I give you if I’m completely forthcoming.”
“But if you lie and I go as you with the information I think is valid and realize I was set up, that would be your payback from the grave?”
He smiled and nodded. “So, you’ll get information on a need-to-know basis, like I said. That protects us both. So, untie me and hand me the phone. Once I make the call, I’ll destroy the phone so you can’t get her number. You can tie me back up and we are still in g
ood standing with each other. Deal?”
I really hated the air this motherfucker was breathing, and it didn’t matter that we were breathing the same air. I hated having to share the same space with him, but he was right. This evil son of a bitch really knew how to play his cards like a pro. I bet he killed in poker. I really had no choice, he knew that much.
“The blindfold stays on, so how will you dial?” I asked.
“I assume you have one of those cheap flip-open burner phones?” he asked.
“I do.”
“Well, then we won’t have any problem with me dialing her number. Touch memory and all.”
“Fine,” I said, then unchained both of his hands. “I’m sure I don’t have to warn you of what will happen if you try anything.”
He snorted. “Unless you’re giving me the keys to these other locks you have on the rest of these chains, I doubt I’m any threat to you or your friend.”
He was right about that, and I noted his attention to detail. Each leg was chained with a lock in place and he had one around his waist. Even with his hands free, he couldn’t go anywhere. But I liked him fully bound because he didn’t deserve comfort. It was a pain to have to unlock five locks to let him go to the bathroom and have to lock them back up, but it was worth it for my piece of mind, and Jordan’s. I handed him the cell. He took it and quickly dialed a number while concealing the number pad so I couldn’t see. He put the phone to his ear and a few seconds passed before he spoke to who I assumed was Zia.
I may not have been able to see the numbers, but I’d had J put a trace on the phone and was recording Richard’s end of the call. One must have a back-up plan when the first one goes bust. And if you’re really smart, you’d have a back-up for the back-up plan if that went to shit. The whole time, Richard spoke to Zia in Russian, a language I didn’t understand and neither did Jordan. This motherfucker was sneaky as hell. He ended the call quickly and destroyed the phone with ease. You could tell he was used to this kind of thing, knew how to do it without much struggle.
Exposed- Episode Six Page 2