Blinded

by E. M. Leya

  "It will go smoothly. Tom knows we are coming. He sent the humans who work for him to pick up an old truck. They'll be two hours. We have plenty of time. Let's gather the others and I'll let you know the plan. Unless Justin tries to pull something, this should go quickly." He leaned against the wall as a group gathered around him.

  As I looked around at everyone going with us, I was confident there wouldn't be any issues. I'd worked security and other jobs with each one of them and trusted each one. "Thanks for helping with this."

  "It's our pleasure." Jennifer smiled. "Mess with one of us you mess with all of us."

  Steve nodded. "Bridger was a good kid. No one deserves to die that way."

  I agreed.

  "Okay, here's the plan. We take two cars. You all know where Tom's shop is. The car I'm driving I'll pull into the lot, the other I want on the road. Jennifer, I want you to walk in first before me. The rest of you, I want to cover the side door and the garage bays outside. Make sure Justin can't run. Tom's supposed to have them shut by the time we get there, but we all know how things never go as planned. Once we are sure we've got Justin cornered, I want two of you to walk in and shift in front of him. I'll do all the talking. If he doesn't have a heart attack watching us shift, then we'll tie him up, shove him in the trunk of the car I'm driving and take him out to the cells. There, Bayne, you can interrogate him." Kurt smiled.

  My heart raced. Interrogation was something I excelled in. I knew exactly how to get information from people. It wasn't pretty, but there was nothing pretty about what had been done to my mate and Bridger. I looked forward to every bit of pain I would cause Justin. "We have permission to kill?" I had to be sure.

  "We do, you don't. Final sentencing will be for Bridger's family, but Justice, Preston, and Brett will have their turn if they want it." Kurt narrowed his eyes. "Do I need to find someone else to do this? Can you step back when you need to?"

  He knew me too well. It was going to take everything I had to keep from killing Justin for what he'd done to my mate. "I won't kill him." I grit my teeth thinking about the many ways I could make him wish he was dead.

  I was sure Kurt guessed what I was thinking, but I don't think it mattered. He wanted revenge almost as much as I did. He'd lost a wolf, plus had others injured. This was as serious as it got for an alpha. "Good, then let's go. Jennifer and Bayne, you're with me. The rest of you take the second car." Kurt tossed Conner the keys to one of the pack's cars.

  I followed Kurt out, focusing on my link with Brett, sending him reassurance. As hard as it was for me to be away from him, he was with strangers in an environment he'd never been in before. Everything was new to him.

  As we got into the car, Kurt glanced at me as I slid into the back seat. "You know I shouldn't allow you to be part of this. You're too close."

  "I'll be fine. I can stay in control. As much as I want to tear him apart, I'd rather let Bridger's family do the honors if they wish to. I won't take that from them." Part of me hoped something went wrong and Justin fought us, so I could kill him.

  "I trust your control. It's the only reason you're here." Kurt started the car and pulled out onto the road.

  I stayed silent as we made the ten-minute drive to the shop. I'd been there many times before, sometimes to get something fixed, other times to hang out and tinker on an engine or something with Tom just to pass the time. Containing Justin in the building wasn't going to be an issue. It was the perfect location to grab him.

  As Kurt pulled into the gravel lot and parked out front of the garage, he nodded to Jennifer. "Go in, get a look, and link to me when it's clear for us to go in."

  Jennifer grinned as she climbed out of the front seat. "No problem."

  I fisted my hands at my side, hating the wait. I wanted to run in there, take him down and drag him by his hair to the car. I understood why Kurt was being careful. We had to be sure there were no other customers or humans around before we went in.

  Kurt glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "I didn't want Brett to worry until this was done today, but Pete called me minutes after Brett joined the pack. He was furious that we didn't give him warning and complained that you two should have moved there. He implied that he was going to make Brett's parents pay for the loss to the pack. I took it as monetary payment, but I can't be sure. As soon as we finish tonight, I'd like Brett to call his family and try and get them to come here. I'll help if they need money to move. It's not safe there for them. I've talked to Pack Authority and they are sending someone out to look things over."

  "Fuck! Hasn't he been through enough?" I slammed my fist into the back of the seat.

  "Easy, remember, he can feel your mood," Kurt warned.

  As soon as he said it, I felt a wave of love come through my link with Brett. He probably thought I was pissed at Justin, but my anger at Brett's old alpha was actually stronger than the hate and anger I had toward Justin. "If I need to go pick them up tonight, I'll make sure they are safe." I met Kurt's stare. "What the fuck is wrong with all these other packs? I mean, I know not many are as good as ours, but they used to at least treat their wolves with respect."

  "They've all become power hungry it seems. The alphas think they can take what they want when their job is to give and sacrifice for the pack, not profit from it." Kurt ran his fingers through his hair. "Pack Authority is working on a plan to visit all registered packs and make sure this shit stops happening. We also need more wolves to step up. There are so many alphas who choose to become lone wolves instead of fight. I don't blame them, the job isn't for everyone, but there are some good men out there who would do well leading a pack." Kurt glanced at the shop. "It's time." He pushed the door open and got out.

  I followed him, trying to keep calm as the scent of Brett's attacker grew stronger as we entered the building. I was shocked to find Jennifer inches from Justin, leaning against the bumper of an old car, running her hands down his chest as if flirting. With her that close, there was nowhere for Justin to run if he decided to. Jennifer would have him on the ground in no time.

  She smiled at Kurt. "Fancy seeing you here." She winked.

  Kurt grinned. "You know how much I hate to miss a party."

  Justin straightened as he glared at Kurt, probably pissed that he'd interrupted. "Did you need something?"

  "Actually, Justin, I think they are here to see you." Tom walked out of the office, glaring at his employee.

  "Me, why?" Justin started to back up, but Jennifer reached out, gripping his shirt in a tight fist.

  "Don't go. You're the guest of honor." She smiled at him.

  I fisted my hands, wanting to jump him and pound his head into the cement floor.

  Just then the door opened, and Conner stepped aside so that Steve and Pat could move inside. Both started to strip as they slowly moved toward Justin.

  "You really don't know why we're here?" Kurt glared at him.

  "Dude, I'm not into men." Justin struggled to get away from Jennifer as his eyes went wide watching Pat and Steve take off their clothes.

  "Oh, we aren't here to fuck you, at least not the way you're thinking." Steve stepped out of his pants and the moment they hit the ground so did he, shifting quickly into his wolf.

  "Oh fuck!" Justin screamed, and the smell of urine filled the small area.

  "Damn, did you have to do that?" Conner rolled his eyes. "I hate the smell of human pee."

  Pat shifted and as soon as he did, he ran at Justin, coming to a stop only inches from where Jennifer held him.

  "You weren't very smart, were you?" Kurt stepped closer. "Do you know how well we smell things? We can remember a scent for years. Your smell was all over the murder scene. Was that your vomit or your friends?"

  Tears ran down his face as Justin looked over at his boss. "Tom, help me!"

  "Oh no. I helped them. You killed the son of a good friend. You're lucky I didn't tear your neck out before they got here. The only reason you are still alive is so that you can face Bridger's family."
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  Justin lost it, struggling, kicking, and screaming as he tried to get away. It wasn't going to happen. Steve bit into one leg, causing Justin to fall to the ground. The moment he did, Pat was on his chest, growling and drooling inches from his face.

  "You're coming with us." Kurt grinned. "I'll pull the car up to the first door. Bayne, you tie him up." Kurt turned and walked out of the building.

  I pulled a roll of duct tape off one of the tool boxes before going over to stand beside Justin. I fought to keep my wolf back, sure that if he came forward he wouldn't wait to kill him. "You blinded my mate." I kicked Justin as hard as I could in the ribs. "Because of you, he will never see again. What do you think I should do to you for that?" I kneeled beside him, staring directly into his eyes. "Maybe I should take your eyes the way you took his."

  Justin no longer spoke, he was crying so hard he looked almost as if he was having a seizure. There was no shock in his eyes at what he was seeing, only fear, proving that he'd been aware of shifters before we'd confronted him.

  I quickly used the tape to wrap around his legs, making it much tighter than I needed to. The man was going to die. I didn't care one bit about his comfort. "Let go, Steve. I've got to roll him over. You can bite his ass when I get him over. That looks nice and meaty."

  Steve released him, and I forced Justin to roll, pressing his face into the cement with the back of my knee as I brought his arms back behind him and taped his hands together. "Can I cut his tongue out so he can't scream?" I grinned down at Justin, enjoying the scent of his fear. I'd never smelled it so strong and my wolf fed on his fear, wanting nothing more than to make it grow.

  "I think we should let the wolves he beat do that. They can cut pieces off of him one at a time, the same way he cut pieces off Bridger." Jennifer kicked Justin hard directly in the hip.

  Justin screamed. I pressed my knee harder against the back of his neck.

  "Tape his mouth and let's get him back to the wolves who will decide his fate." Conner hit the button to open the garage door. "You coming with us, Tom?"

  "I wouldn't miss it for anything." Tom grinned. "I'll be right behind you."

  "We'll be at the cells." I stood, then reached down and grabbed Justin by the tape that held his hands together. I picked him up like a suitcase, dangling him by my side. "Tape his mouth while I have him up, will ya, Jen?"

  She grabbed the tape, and I laughed as she wound it around his face several times instead of just putting a small strip over his mouth.

  "I love a woman with duct tape." I winked at her.

  Jennifer laughed. "I'll let your mate know about your fetish."

  My cock stirred at the thought of Brett tying me up and having his way with me.

  "Jesus, Bayne, this is not a time to get aroused." Kurt slapped my shoulder as I lifted Justin into the trunk. I dropped him like I would a sack of grain. I didn't care if he hit his head or was injured. I wanted him to suffer as much as possible. "Can I drive?" I asked as I shut the trunk.

  "No!" Kurt laughed. "The last thing we need is to get pulled over on our way to an execution." Kurt turned and looked at the group. "We'll see you back at the cells."

  "I'm riding with them." Jennifer nodded toward Conner and the other two who had just shifted back.

  "We'll see you there." I hurried to the car, excited to deliver Justin to Brett and find out why the fuck he'd done everything.

  The drive back was quiet, both Kurt and I lost in thoughts of what was about to happen. This was hardly the first execution we'd done, but it was rare that it was a human we were about to kill. It had to be planned perfectly. We had to cover up the murder, make it look as if it was a missing person or an accident.

  I was pretty sure that there wouldn't be enough of Justin left to claim accident, so this one would go down as a missing person. We'd get our story together later. I was betting Kurt already had something planned.

  As we pulled down the long dirt road that led to the cells, I used my connection to reach out to Brett, sending him love and strength. Facing the man who blinded him wasn't going to be easy. I had no idea what role he wanted to play in making Justin pay for what he'd done, but I would support him no matter what.

  As we pulled in front of the cells, Kurt glanced over at me. "Go be with your mate. I'll have the others help get him into the cell. Once he's there, you can come get your information from him. Are you going to need anything?"

  "No, but find out if Bridger's family, Preston, or Justice want me to save anything certain for them. I won't kill him, but I am going to make him wish he was dead." I flexed my hands, ready to do damage to the man who'd hurt my mate.

  "You can ask them yourself." Kurt pointed. "They're all with your mate."

  I got out of the car, my eyes never leaving Brett as I walked over to him and pulled him into my arms. "Fuck, being away from you is hard." I kissed him softly. "You okay?"

  "Yeah, nervous, but glad it'll be over soon." He pulled back a bit. "What do we do now?"

  "They'll get him in the cell, then I'll go in and get the information we need. We want to know why he did it, who his partner was, and if he told anyone else." I turned to Bridger's family and the other two wolves. "Is there anything you want me to ask him?"

  "Just why?" Bridger's mother wiped several tears from her cheeks.

  "Just make him suffer." Justice rolled his shoulders.

  "You can do most of that on your own once I have the information we need." I met Bridger's father's gaze. "You can have the kill."

  He gave a single nod, his expression not changing. "Thank you."

  "You're welcome to join me in the cell if you wish," I offered to all of them.

  "I'm in," Justice growled.

  "Me too." Preston stepped forward.

  "I want to be with you." Brett tightened his grip on my hand.

  "Not us. I'll come in when you are done, but we don't want to watch." Bridger's father hugged his wife. "I want his heart. The rest you can do what you want with."

  I nodded, happy to leave that for him. He would be the one to take his life, to serve justice for his son.

  Kurt walked out of the cell. It was nothing more than a small cabin. Inside was a large iron cage that could hold the wildest of wolves. The floors were dirt, so blood would be absorbed in time. "He's ready."

  I took a deep breath and led the small group inside.

  It wasn't a shock to find Justin had been unbound, but now was chained to the wall, his arms and legs spread wide, with his back pressed to the cage's bars.

  I smiled at his fear. "We meet again." I stopped inches from his face. "Let me introduce a few people." I wrapped an arm around Brett. "This is my mate. You took his sight from him. You killed one of his friends. Care to tell me why?"

  Justin shook his head, tears staining his cheeks.

  "I figured you wouldn't want to talk. The thing is, we have many ways to make you. I think we'll start with copying your first attack. What was it you took from Bridger and Brett?" I looked as if I was trying to remember. "Oh, that's it. I remember now. You took their eyes and Bridger's balls. We can start with that."

  "No!" Justin screamed.

  "Then maybe you better start talking. First, tell me who was with you?" I tore his shirt off his body and dropped it to the dirt.

  "No one." He shook horribly, rattling the chains that held him. "It was just me."

  "You lie. At both attacks there were two scents. One was yours, the other is a male. I'm guessing one of your friends? You know, we will find him. We'll go door to door in this town until we figure out who he is."

  Justin shook his head. "He doesn't know anything. He thinks we were just hunting wolves for fun."

  I raised a brow. "I find that hard to believe. Hunting is one thing, but torture? How did you explain why you were digging out eyeballs and cutting off balls?" I worked open the button of his pants and slid the zipper down. "I mean, that's not typical hunting. Besides, hunting wolves is illegal. How'd you talk him into it?"
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  "He didn't know. He thought we were going after rabbits at first. He's the one who got sick." Justin hung limply against the wall as he continued to cry.

  I bent down and pulled his shoes off and tossed them aside, then, with more force than I needed, I pulled his pants down his legs. He screamed as they caught at about his thighs because his legs were spread wide and chained.

  "Oops, looks like I'm going to have to cut these off." I pulled my hunting knife from my belt and held it up. "Good thing I keep this sharp." I gripped the pants and cut through the material as if it was butter.

  "Please don't. I'm sorry." Snot dripped from his nose as he begged.

  A crowd had gathered outside the cage to watch what I was doing. Brett and the others who had joined me inside the cage moved to the side so everyone had a view of what was going on.

  "Please don't? Then tell me, what should we do to you, Justin? What is the penalty for killing someone in cold blood? Even in the human world, I think most face the death penalty, don't they?" I gripped the edge of his boxers and used the knife to cut those from his body, leaving him naked and on full display to everyone.

  "Please, I'll do anything." The smell of his fear was so strong it was almost sickening.

  "Tell me why. Why did you kill Bridger? What did he ever do to you?" I held the blade of the knife against his thigh.

  "He hurt my sister." Justin shook against the chains that held him.

  "Hurt her? She was his girlfriend. He cared about her. I saw them together the day before you killed him. They were happy together. Bridger would never hurt a woman." Brett stepped forward. "I knew Bridger. That wasn't who he was."

  "Then why did my sister have bruises on her wrists and on her legs? Then I heard her telling Audrey that Bridger choked her. I heard her whispering about it. She refused to tell me what happened, but I knew it had to be Bridger. My sister was stupid and in love with him. She wouldn't tell me that he was hurting her, but I saw the signs."