Chapter 21
Dean placed the cup of coffee on the table in front of Leo before joining him. "It's hot."
"Thank you, Mr. Amethyst. Thank you for everything. My son wouldn't be here without you and . . . Inquisitor Terringer."
"You knew he worked with me to get Niki back? I had him leave so you wouldn't feel uncomfortable around him. I know that Sand and the Inquisition of Purity have some issues with each other."
Leo removed his brown coat and hung it over the back of his chair. "I'm not actually a member of Sand. I claimed to be for protection. I have no allegiance to any group and I will gladly thank anyone who saved my son's life."
"How did you get out of FBI interrogation?"
"They went over my travel records and where I've been for the past few years. I told them the truth about not being a part of Sand and not having anything to do with any kind of terrorist acts. They didn't seem to believe me at first, but this afternoon, they said they caught the man who was a radicalized ringleader. They let me go."
There was something Dean had to let him know. "Mr. Valentino, you should know that the man they placed the blame on was your son."
"I figured as much. They asked me all kinds of questions about Nikolas. Of course, I didn't have much information because I was never there with him while he was growing up. God knows I wanted to be. I do know that the FBI kept some Sand spies in custody. Xander was being transferred to a more secure location. They had an interest in him, maybe they believed he was actually involved in the attacks. And Opal Arrington, I believe you've met her, she confessed."
"Confessed to what?" Dean asked, leaning closer to take in every word.
"Plotting against the United States government. There's a faction of Sand that wants anarchy. They want to rebel because they don't trust anyone with power. Anyone with power could be allied with the Syndicate or the Inquisition. It has actually zero to do with terrorism, but the FBI will hear what the FBI wants to hear."
"The men who did this to your son weren't FBI."
Leo cocked an eyebrow. "Syndicate?"
"From what little Niki has said, I believe they were Sand spies who have been working with the Syndicate to split Niki and Jack apart."
"And to get their hands on Jack, they would commit unspeakable acts against my son? Why? What has he ever done to them, to anyone? I realize he was a rebellious teenager who got in trouble for petty crimes, but that doesn't make him a monster."
"I agree with you." Dean rubbed his hands on his plaid pajama pants, the friction warming his legs that were covered in goosebumps. "Niki was targeted specifically because of his dedication and loyalty to Jack. Nothing more. Your son is a wonderful person with a love for humanity and a heart open to everyone. He's rough around the edges, but that's only because he has to be stronger than those who constantly try to break him down."
"Can I see him?"
Dean nodded his head as he stood. "This way. He just got out of the shower. Please heed my warnings. Do not try to pry information about the torture from him. Don't try to be his friend at this point. He needs space."
"I get that."
"When someone becomes a victim of a violent crime like torture, threats of death, and sexual assault, they sometimes aren't in their right minds for a while after the attack. If he says something that offends you, don't take it personally. This is extremely fresh and raw. To be honest, I'm surprised he's not passed out somewhere. His injuries, both physical and mental, are extensive."
Leo smiled. "Goes to show how strong he is."
"Or how strong he thinks he has to be. Come on. I'll be in there with you because he's developed some kind of bond with me."
"I understand. Whatever makes him comfortable. You've been there for him when I couldn't. You're more of a father for him than I ever was."
"You'll have a chance to make it right."
Dean knocked on the bathroom door. "Niki? Niki, are you all right? Can I come in?"
The hoarse voice came from the other side. "Okay."
He slowly opened the door into the steamy bathroom where Niki was sitting on the closed toilet with a towel wrapped around his waist. Water drops slid down his back and arms, mixing with fresh blood that seeped from the multitude of cuts. The boy was obviously in a great deal of pain, but somehow still awake. "Niki, there's someone here to see you."
Leo stepped across the polished black tiles that glittered with golden specks. He leaned back against the ivory wall next to the bathtub streaked with his son's blood. "Do you know who I am?"
"You were at Sand HQ. I was in and out of consciousness, but I saw you sitting beside my bed." Niki sniffled. "If you're a Sand spy, know you're on my list."
"Things in Sand are in an uproar. There's fighting between factions. I'm stuck in the middle. I'm actually out of the picture, really. I haven't been to the states in decades. My Chronomancer doesn't know I'm here. I escaped to come here to . . . to see you."
"To see me? Why do you want to see me? I'm no one."
"You know who I am, don't you? You won't say it because you liked it better when I was the one who willingly left. You needed someone to feel anger towards after you were abandoned and left alone with your mother and that psychopath. I am sorry for leaving you with Allen Lambert."
Niki panted as he held his stomach. After a moment of trembling, he spoke. "You said you escaped to come here? What do you mean?"
"My Chronomancer, your mother's brother-in-law, believes in the strictest interpretation of Iskaydrian Law. I left your mother when she was eight months pregnant because I was forced. I have spent the last nineteen years living as a slave in Egypt, doing the bidding of that man. I had been secretly checking his emails every night when he was asleep, hoping I would get word of you. When I got the invitation to your funeral, I ran and found a Sand spy in Alvezenden who offered to take me to you. If Nassor finds me, he will kill me. I'm here to help you, my only son. Tell me what I can do to help you and I'll do it."
Niki held his head high and glared at his father. "Go to the airport and take the first plane back to Egypt."
Dean took Leo's arm. "Leo, let's go back in here. Give him a moment."
Leo shut the door, leaving his son inside. "Wow. He's . . . wow."
"He didn't mean that. He's going through a lot right now."
"I know." Leo went back to the table and slumped into a chair. "Mr. Amethyst, was my son raped?"
Dean went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "I know there was a video put online that made it onto some . . . adult sites. I also saw some extensive injuries. He won't talk to me about what happened in that freezer. Do you suspect it?"
"Something awful happened to him. He's never been like this. I've never seen that anger."
"You left before he was born."
"I saw him once after I left, him and Jack both. They were toddlers, but I remember Jack seemed only a few months old despite being around eighteen months. He was tiny. I had been serving Nassor without question for three and a half years in Egypt without incident, so he thought I deserved a reward. He flew with me here to the states and let me see my son for the first time. Nikolas was in a play pen holding Jack and feeding him a bottle as best as he could. It was the most precious thing I had ever seen. I couldn't bring myself to interrupt that. He seemed happy, even though I know now that he was already being groomed as a slave by Lambert. I left without saying a word to him."
"Why?" Dean asked, taking out a bottle of dark beer. He paused, but then decided to get one out for Leo as well. If he was a threat, there would have been more signs.
"Because I knew I would have to go back to Nassor. Leaving Nikolas again . . . I couldn't do it if he knew who I was. I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye like that. I've loved him. I always have. I stayed in Egypt with Nassor to protect Nikolas from him. Nassor is a monster."
"How so? What does Iskaydrian Law say, exactly?"
"It depends on the interpretation and translation you use. It's ancient tex
t, so no one really knows what it says. In the strictest interpretation, Avelayans are sub-human."
How could something like that still be in use? "How awful."
"That's the way it was long ago. Nassor kept me chained in his house, doing his paperwork for him, researching details for the next place we were traveling to, and doing domestic work. I had no say in my life. When I tried to voice my opinion, I was met with beatings and the constant threat of him kidnapping my son and selling him in the market of Alvezenden. I wasn't in Nikolas's life because I abandoned him. I wasn't there because I couldn't be."
Dean let out a slow sigh as he sat next to Leo. He handed him the other beer. "I get that. I had my children taken from me when they were little. Haven't seen them since."
"I'm so sorry."
He held up his beer bottle "To fatherhood."
"To our children." He clinked bottles with Dean then took a drink. "Ah, that helps."
"It usually does."
"Doesn't he need medical attention? He looks like he's struggling to stay alive. He's pretending to be strong. Didn't you see him hurting?"
"I did. He has adamantly refused to let anyone have a look at him."
Leo took another drink. "That's understandable. I can't imagine what he lived through. But he survived."
"And over fifty million people watched, laughed, and pleasured themselves to his torture. I can't . . . there's no word for the anger I feel towards humanity right now."
"That's it, Dean. These people aren't humans. They're demons. To enjoy that is-"
He listened for any sound coming from the bathroom, but only heard silence. "You should go check on him. He's gotten awfully quiet in there."
"You're right. What matters now is helping him recover from this. You don't think he would try to kill himself, do you?"
"Go be with your son. And Leo?"
He stopped. "Yes?"
"He's not a child anymore. Niki is a brave, strong man with a good head on his shoulders. If anyone can go through what he went through and come out the other side in one piece, it will be him."
Leo nodded his head. "I wish I could take that pain away from him. He's too young to see the evils in this world. He deserves so much better than this."
"Don't we all?"
"Actually, I don't think he wants to be alone around me. Come along to be there?"
"Are you afraid to be alone with your son? Okay. I'll come along. But I'm not saying anything unless Niki asks me to." Dean got up and took Shay's first aid kit from the counter. "Give him this. There's all kinds of supplies to help him heal."
Leo slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. "I'll take my bag, too. I brought some extra clothes. He might need them."
Dean returned to the bathroom door. "Niki, we're coming in, all right?"
"Okay. I'm not doing very well."
"We know." He opened the door and his heart broke. "Oh, Niki."
Niki was standing in front of the golden-framed mirror, running his hand over his shaved head while tears of anguish spilled from his dark eyes.
"Are you okay?" Leo asked.
"Out of everything they did to me, cutting my hair bothers me more than I thought it would. The other things I can hide, but those people changed me. I know it can grow back, but it's . . . they took away my identity, who I am. Humiliating me and hurting me weren't enough. They had to erase me."
"I brought you something." Leo placed the first aid kit on the counter. "Bandages, antibiotic ointment, and a bottle of alcohol for sterilizing. I also have some numbing gel and a suture needle for any cuts you have. If you're going to patch yourself up, at least do so with good supplies."
"Thanks."
"Listen, Nikolas-"
He interrupted him. "Niki. Call me Niki."
"Okay, Niki. I know you're angry at me for not being there for you. I know you hate me and I know you're coping with a lot. But I am here for you if you need me."
Dean watched Niki plunging the needle through his bruised skin, dragging the thread behind it. The stitches were off-center and the boy's fingers kept slipping in his own blood. Niki turned pale despite his tan complexion as he swayed, nearly fainting. "Leo, do something."
"Son, you're sewing that up wrong. Let me show you?"
Niki glared at him, but handed him the needle.
"The point is to get the two sides together, like you're sewing two pieces of fabric." Leo soaked a cotton ball in alcohol then swiped it over the area. With a small smile, he began sewing up his son. "It takes a steady hand."
Dean studied father and son, taking in their differences. The son's anger and hatred, built up from years of fermentation that turned his views of the father he never knew into toxic emotions and the father's desire to reconnect to his flesh and blood that he lost years before. He saw himself in those two. They were battling misconceptions, misunderstandings, and regret over lost time. It was the same lost time that Dean felt slipping away from him and his long-lost children. At least Niki and Leo were together once again.
Once his superficial cuts were sewn up, Niki wiped the tears from his eyes. "What do I do for internal bleeding?"
"Where?" Leo asked.
Niki held the towel tighter around his hips. "Just tell me what to do about it."
"How bad are we talking, son?"
"Never mind. It should heal on its own. I'm all kinds of roughed up."
"I noticed you're having trouble sitting there. It hurts, doesn't it?"
Niki growled. "It's nothing."
"Niki-"
He smacked Leo's hand away as he pulled himself to his feet, holding onto the towel bar. "I said it's nothing. Some things I need to keep to myself, all right? You've already figured it out, haven't you? I know they were recording it. I saw myself on their laptop. People were watching it live, commenting and giving suggestions of things the people could do to me. They enjoyed it. You can go watch it, too. So drop it. It's just another injury I need to heal."
"As you wish."
Dean noticed the bright crimson on the back of the puffy white towel. "You're bleeding through that towel."
Niki's jaw clenched. "I need some clothes."
"I have some for you." Leo washed his son's blood from his hands in the sink. "I brought a t-shirt and some baggy sweatpants. You'll be warm and comfy. Easy to heal in."
The injured boy let the towel fall to his ankles as he took the grey sweatpants from his father. When he tried to bend over, he gasped and whimpered. "Oh, God. It hurts. I can't . . . I can't do it."
"I'll help you."
He pushed his father away. "No. Dean."
"I'll do it." Dean took the pants then knelt down in front of him. He averted his eyes from the boy's raw injuries as he slid the sweatpants up his legs. Once he reached Niki's hips, his caring got the best of him. There were deep gashes to his groin that had been sloppily stitched closed and more cigarette burns to the sensitive flesh. Dean had to look away again for his own sanity. "Did you put ointment on those burns?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Niki sobbed, wavering on his feet. "Will it work again? Am I ever going to be able to have kids?"
"What are you . . . oh. Give it time. I'm sure you will heal here just like everywhere else. I'm sorry I couldn't get there sooner to save you." Dean pulled the pants up and continued with the soft t-shirt, guiding Niki's sore arms through the holes one at a time. "That feel all right?"
Niki nodded his head.
"Good. There we are, all done. Anything else I can help you with?" Dean asked.
"I'm going to bed. If I don't wake up . . . promise me you'll find the people who did this to me."
Leo looked to Dean with worry hanging over him like a funeral veil. "Why wouldn't you wake up, Nikolas?"
Niki's bare feet tapped on the black floor as he slowly shuffled into the bedroom, letting out a whimper with each step. "I don't know how much blood I've lost or how much more my heart can take before it gives out. I'm just being realistic
here. Look at me. I'm shot, beaten, half frozen, and ripped apart. I don't know if I'll make it through the night."
"Son, don't do anything you'll regret." Leo raced after him. He pulled the blankets back on the bed then helped him down onto the mattress. "Don't hurt yourself more."
Niki broke down coughing before he curled up on the bed. Blood trickled from his nose as his eyes closed and his breathing became raspy. "I need help. I need someone to watch me. Dean, please sleep with me. Stay by my bed to make sure I don't die tonight."
"What about Leo?" Dean asked, trying his best to get them to reconcile their rocky relationship. "Do you-"
"I want you. Please."
Dean patted Leo on the back. "Leo, I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine. Goodnight, son. I pray that I see you in the morning."
After Leo left the bedroom, Dean turned the lights off, leaving the bedroom dark with the lights from the stores across the street dancing on the short brown carpet. "You're so strong."
Niki only moaned from the stack of pillows.
"All right, Niki. You're going to be okay now. You've made it through the worst part of this recovery." Dean sat on the bed next to the boy that he cared for as if he was his own. He reached over to wipe the sweat from Niki's forehead. "Relax. Breathe. Let sleep come to you. It's the best you can do right now. I won't sleep until I'm sure you'll make it through the night. I won't let you die. I promise."
Chapter 22
For three hours after finishing shopping and waiting at a specialty jewelry store all morning, Jack chatted with the detective who had sacrificed much for him and Niki while they decorated. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he finished stringing the little white lights around the Christmas tree in Dean and Shay's hotel suite. Wearing a plaid flannel shirt and jeans was proving a bit warm for the well-heated hotel room. He smiled while Dean tacked green garland to the walls, Leo made hot cocoa in the kitchen, Marjorie strung cranberries on long threads, and Thyme draped pieces of gold tinsel on the branches. Soft Bing Crosby Christmas songs played, not quite loud enough to wake Niki in the bedroom.
Chronomancer Page 36