Out of the Ashes (Trust Book 2)

by A M Raulerson

  Alexi

  Last night had been difficult for all of us. Lucas had made sure we all enjoyed it, but that sub, Octavius, had a defiance in him that had made the whole experience different. I may play at pushing boundaries. I might pick or taunt my Dom to earn punishments sometimes, but I was never outright defiant. The thin line that Lucas had to walk… I’m glad I didn’t have to do that.

  Slogging through the emails my friends had sent from other states I was seeing the pattern over and over. It made it easier on us, and I hated to use that word, but it was that the killer was so specific. So detail oriented that following the trail of bodies was almost easy. How no one had seen that before was beyond me. But that didn’t matter. Making sure the killer was stopped, that they couldn’t kill another boy, that’s what mattered.

  Stacking some cases in the yes pile, some in the no… It was hard to understand how these boys just disappeared and no one had said anything. There were no families or friends to say anything i guess. Or the distinct hatred for the police ingrained in them.

  *************

  Lucas

  When we walked into the club I knew something was up. The tension in the air was overpowering. Something was going on, but it was too late to back out now. There was nowhere to run as I watched Octavius walk to Rogue and whisper in his ear. The glee on his face said it all. Whatever Octavius had told him confirmed what he had thought all along. He looked at Lady Payne and smiled.

  Stepping closer to Alexi I quickly activated the signal attached to the collar around his neck. We hadn’t expected this to go bad so quickly, but it seemed Aaron was right and we were walking into more than we would be able to handle on our own. Thank God we’d put on the sensor. When activated it would set a delay. If the sensor wasn’t pressed every thirty minutes the cavalry would come for us. We just had to see how badly we’d fucked up.

  “Every thirty minutes. Stay close to me Boy.”

  I whispered in Alexi’s ear. He knew this wasn’t what we thought we were walking into. I saw the fear in his eyes and there was nothing I could do about it but remind him we had an out.

  Standing tall I watched Lady Payne approach. She was a very pretty woman, wearing thigh high boots and a corset with purple ribbon accents. She was beautiful, until you looked into her eyes. The duplicity of a sweet looking woman with such hatred in her eyes. If you happened to see the real person, the true identity of this woman... that was where the horror happened. She was good at disguising it, but the level of hate and desire were apparent now.

  “Oh poor little Dom. You have no power here anymore. You see we’ve been watching you, waiting for you to make a mistake. I just got to hear about a certain phone conversation because the man you left to watch Rogue’s sub put his cell on speaker phone. Little mistakes have cost you quite a bit today. You see, Rogue wants to play with you, but I want to play with Him.”

  I watched helplessly as she walked in front of Alexi. Running her finger down his face, her voice was so cold now.

  “You my little toy, will learn to scream in pain. I love the sound of agony, and you have landed right in my lap. I don’t have to go find someone today. I have you to play with while your Dom watches. Hold him.”

  I was surrounded now, held back by three Doms and unable to help Alexi at all. I tried to make eye contact when a fist came out of nowhere and smashed into my chin.

  “So… I get to play with you! You thought you were so smart, coming in here and trying to rule the roost. Now look at you. Helpless, cornered like a rat. And I know just what to do with rats. But don’t worry. We’ll let you watch what happens to your ‘Boy’. Then I can have my fun with you. Show you who your Dom is.” Rogue crowed.

  His cackling grated on my nerves, but the arms holding me back kept me from doing anything. I hated this little punk, and I couldn’t wait to see him behind bars.”

  “I see that you have to have three men to hold me back little boy.”

  The knee to my balls, followed by another blow to my face made me dizzy for a second. But I tried to keep my eyes on Alexi, terrified of what I believed was coming.

  This was the murderer, or murderess I guess, and she had Alexi in her grasp. I fought uselessly against the Doms holding me, getting nowhere. I wasn’t sure how long it had been since I’d triggered the sensor, but I hoped they got here quick.

  *************

  Alexi

  The fear pumping adrenaline into my system almost made me high. I knew we were in deep trouble. Somehow we had been caught out. Now we had to be punished.

  The look in Lady Payne’s eyes as she caressed my cheek sent ice down my spine. There was nothing there, her doll like eyes were glassy and unfocused. As if she had a plan and I would be her victim.

  I knew who the killer was now, I was looking her in the face. We’d thought the whole time that it was a man. Female serial killers were so rare we hadn’t even thought about it. But that would explain why the body trauma hadn’t looked sexual in nature. I guess that was one small blessing. I wouldn't be raped if this was some kind of re-enactment. This woman killed countless boys, and now I was in front of her. A body to re-enact whatever delusion she had.

  I remembered the bodies. I didn’t want to, but I could see them in my mind. The injuries were countless. The bodies I’d seen and the ones I saw pictures of. Fear was pounding through my head, fear of what she could do to me as she shackled me, pulling my arms high so I had to stand on my toes.

  I knew that I was in for a world of pain, and I couldn’t help making eye contact with Lucas. I didn’t want him to watch, it wasn’t his fault and I knew he would blame this on himself. He was fighting against the three Doms holding him, trying to get to me, but there was no way he could fight off all three.

  I knew that Lucas had triggered the sensor and I had no intention of hitting it again. I just had to make it through thirty minutes, that’s all. How much damage could she do in thirty minutes? Oh God, I didn’t want this.

  Watching her I wondered what was going on in her head. I couldn’t help my need to understand why. I watched her pick up a blade and closed my eyes. I couldn’t watch this. Not again. I was fighting it, but flashes of Mark kept flashing in my head. The pain… the fear. Not being able to stop it. Opening my eyes I looked at Lady Payne.

  “You know pain already, don’t you? I can see the light of fear and recognition in your eyes. You have such pretty scars here.”

  She was running her fingers over my Adonis lines. I’d taken my usual dermal piercings out and left just studs. We’d thought we would be doing a much different kind of performance so I’d taken them out. Now she was running the knife blade up and down the lines.

  “So very pretty, but we can give you more.”

  I couldn’t help the whimper when she started to draw blood, cutting small lines underneath the piercings. She hadn’t cut the flesh deep, and I wondered if this was part of her plan. Torturing me and Lucas with little things, before the real pain started.

  No sooner had I thought that she struck. Taking me unawares, she cut a slice along the bottom of my ribcage. The scream was more of shock, but then the pain followed. I saw the glee in her eyes as she sliced the other side, in a macabre accent to my ribs. Following one, two, three, I lost count after that, the pain more than I could bear. I swore to myself I wouldn't scream, for Lucas’s sake, but I couldn’t control that anymore. All I felt was pain, blinding, torturous pain. I prayed to pass out, but just as the black cloud began to fall over me I was hit in the face with ice cold water.

  “Now now pet. We can’t have you missing the party. You're the main event! You will not be passing out on us. That’s bad form. Are you ready? I am.”

  It’s all the warning I got, as she walked behind me and the fear was almost worse than the pain that just didn’t stop. I’d seen the bodies; I knew what she would do to me. I felt every slice of the blade along my back. I felt her track my hip bone forward and Mark flashed before my eyes again. I cried out for mercy
,

  “Tut tut little one. You can beg and scream all you want. I do not give mercy.”

  Her voice was almost sing song. It didn’t belong alongside the pain and fear.

  I heard a whoosh and a click. I heard the gas burning in the blowtorch, the noise alone was enough to send terror through my body. I fought the restraints, I knew what was coming and I just couldn’t help but beg and scream and plead, but it all fell on deaf ears. I felt the flame lick my skin just below my left nipple, there was nothing I could do as I smelled my flesh burning.

  Then a loud bang, the smoke, screaming and yelling. It had all turned to chaos and the only thing I knew was fear, and then nothing.

  *************

  Lucas

  The flash bang was disorienting, but at the same time I felt relief that this was over. The cavalry came in, and I was suddenly loose. The Doms holding me throwing their hands up in surrender.

  Running to Alexi, I lifted his limp body up, unhooking his restraints. His arms dropped like dead weights, his head lay on my chest. Even though his eyes were open, he wasn’t seeing me, or anything for that matter. He was covered in blood, and I was terrified that when the flash bang went off Lady Payne could have cut too deep. Checking to make sure none of his wounds were life threatening, and that he wasn’t losing too much blood, I carried his limp body towards the door. Praying harder than I had in years. Seeing Aaron striding towards us I told him to call a bus.

  “Let’s go Lucas; we need to get him outside. There's an ambulance out front, don't’ worry about any of this we have it covered. Just take care of him.”

  Carrying Alexi I felt the chills of shock running through him. I knew he had to have been having flashbacks of Mark. The look on his face said he was suffering more than just physical pain. I was having flashbacks of my own. I’d failed someone again. I hadn’t been able to help Jamie, but this was so much worse. I was forced to watch as Alexi was hurt. I saw the pain, heard his screams. I’d fought as hard as I could, but there was no way I could get to him. They had planned this out, and I had walked Alexi right into this horror show.

  I knew Alexi wouldn’t want me to blame myself, but how could I not? I’d thought I was smarter than these people, thought I could control the situation, and I had been wrong. Now Alexi was paying for my arrogance. As I rushed towards the waiting gurney, I prayed to Jamie. I begged him to help Alexi. Physically I knew he would be okay, mentally I wasn’t so sure.

  Climbing into the back of the waiting ambulance, I realized I was crying, but I didn’t care. I held Alexi’s hand in an iron grip, and I didn’t want to let go, didn’t want him to think he was alone. Brushing his hair back from his face I tried to get him to focus on me.

  “Alexi? Bebe`? It’s okay, I’m here. Can you look at me?”

  His glassy eyes looked right through me. We weren’t alone, but I was going to take that risk. Gossip or not, I had to get Alexi to focus.

  “Boy I need you to look at me right now.”

  His eyes tried to follow me, my words sinking in and I felt hope for the first time since Lady Payne had taken hold of him.

  “That’s right Boy. Look at me. You need to listen to me right now Boy! Listen to your Patron.”

  I thought about threatening punishment, but the idea that those words could cause more damage than good… That was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

  Slowly but surely, I could see Alexi trying to focus. I tried my best to be strong for him. I wanted to rant, and scream, the anger and frustration eating at me. I had to focus on my Boy just as badly as he needed to focus on me.

  “Yes Patron. I’m looking at you. I see you Patron”

  With all the equipment and the paramedic talking I almost missed his words. They were said so softly that I had to read them from his lips more than actually hearing them. But hearing his voice was the sweetest feeling. I rubbed his cheek, leaned in and pressed my forehead to his.

  “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t able to protect you, and I…”

  I felt his hand on my cheek, startled to find that I’d closed my eyes. I focused so hard on trying to hold it together. His fingers brushing away tears I hadn’t known were falling.

  “It isn’t your fault Lucas. It isn’t, and I don’t blame anything on you. You are my Patron and I trust you, but you need to know what I do. Sometimes things are FUBAR and there isn’t a damn thing we can do about it.”

  His smile turned my heart over, his trust blew my mind.

  “I love you Boy. This isn’t the most romantic place to tell you, but I need you to know. Alexi… I love you.”

  “I know… I love you too Lucas. It may not be romantic, but it is definitely memorable.”

  The twinkle in his eyes told me he was trying to comfort me, when I should be comforting him.

  “Are you teasing your Patron Boy?”

  “No Patron. I would never tease you. Can you imagine the gossip now?”

  His eyes cut over to the paramedic who was listening to every word we were saying, his eyebrows up to his hairline.

  “Oh, I won’t say anything.”

  His smile had Alexi groaning and me laughing. How I could find something funny right now I had no idea, but I knew the gossip mill would be churning overtime. I couldn’t find it in me to care right now, so I did what I’d wanted to do. I turned Alexi’s face back to me and kissed the hell out of him. Sharing breath with my Boy, I licked my way into his mouth. He pulled back and gave me a look.

  “It’s not like he’s never seen two people kissing before. We may as well give him something to really talk about, now kiss me.”

  I didn’t really give him a choice, but it was only a second before he was kissing me back. We felt the ambulance come to a stop, and the paramedic got ready to move Alexi into the hospital. I couldn’t just let it go, I wasn’t a guy who made spur of the moment decisions, but this is something I wanted desperately, and I wasn’t letting them take Alexi until I’d had my say.

  “Marry me! Alexi… I love you, I want you in my life. Not just today or tomorrow, but forever. Alexi Weber will you marry me?”

  The shock on his face almost made me laugh again, but I was too desperate to hear his answer. I held my breath as tight as I held his hand.

  “You know you can find out information from the hospital just by saying you’re my partner Lucas. You don’t have to be my fiancé, or propose, right?”

  “Silly Boy, didn’t you hear what I said? I love you, I want you in my life, and not just as my partner in law enforcement. I want you to be my partner in life. What do you say?”

  “Yes. I think you're silly for doing this right now, but the only answer I have for you is yes. I love you, and I want to be your partner in life Patron.”

  “Awww. This is really sweet guys, but we need to get Alexi into the hospital now. Alright?”

  The paramedic didn’t really wait for our answer, but the smile on Alexi’s face was one I would never forget, love and trust glowed in his eyes. It didn’t matter to him that I hadn’t been able to protect him, that it had been out of my control. Knowing that he still trusted me lightened the pain and turmoil boiling in my gut.

  As I tried to rush after the gurney I was stopped by a charge nurse.

  “I need to go with him.”

  “No, you need to wait here. You need to let us do our job, and as soon as the doctor checks him out and says it’s ok, I will come and get you, I promise Detective.”

  “He’s my fiancé.”

  “Okay Detective, I hear you. I will come and get you as soon as possible, but you have to wait.”

  I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up. Aaron was standing behind me, and down the hall Sam and our Captain were waiting.

  “Your fiancé, huh? Please tell me you didn’t propose in the ambulance.”

  The laughter in Aaron’s eyes helped me to focus again. I smiled wryly, embarrassed that he had caught me out. I was too happy about it to worry though. It was a story that would follow me the rest of m
y life, but I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that I’d done the right thing. Just maybe in the wrong place. The laughter from Aaron made me smile. He wasn’t making fun of me: he was a friend enjoying a special moment with me.

  “Well, at least you’ve finally gotten your head out of your ass.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  I heard the emergency room doors open and turned to see Simon and David walk in.

  “You owe me a $100 bucks David.”

  “Shit, no way. When?”

  “He proposed in the ambulance.”

  David and Simon were laughing and smiling broadly at me, when what they were talking about sunk in. Turning to look at Aaron I couldn’t believe what they were saying.