And if this was one of the only requirements I had to suffer through—living in this house again—I’d do it. Granted, I’m pretty sure my dear old dad had suffered a few heart attacks every time I threw him a smile. He had bent over backward in the last few days, shoveling money at all my problems. Clothes, amenities, and even a brand-new car.
Not having to take the bus? Yes, please.
I shut off the water and stepped out onto the bath rug, one specifically made to turn red when it was wet. The fake blood patterns beneath my feet made me smile as I danced along the fibers, grinning until the entire surface became my favorite color. Simple joys were what my nurse had told me. Maybe a bath rug that simulated blood stains wasn’t what she meant but it made me smile.
It almost made my dick hard the longer I stepped around on the crimson fibers, just imagining a moment with Slash as we shared a kill for the first time.Soon, Finn. Soon.
Moving to the mirror, I let out a sigh of relief at the man staring back at me. It had been a while since I had seen myself. Sure, I had been watching the other three fuck up my entire life, but like this, it was different. My two golden hazel eyes peered back at me, wondering where I had disappeared to for so long. The void I had been stuffed in had nearly suffocated me and while I had escaped, it hadn’t been unscathed.
My fingers moved across my face, missing the metal bars that used to adorn my brow, my nose, and my lip.Fucking Killian ripped out my entire identity!I already had an appointment to replace them, unable to endure the bland look that was his persona. At least my ear piercings were still good, although I needed a new set of jewelry to make a statement.Added to the to-do list.
My fingers traveled lower to the carvings on my left arm, snickering at the memory of terror in the first Finn’s eyes as Iguided him through it at gunpoint. There had been so much goddamn piss, his pants and the floor soaked with the smell of urine and fear. The kid had gotten through the ordeal,barelybut the police knew the moment they saw him that he wasn’t the true culprit.Complete fucking disaster.
The 2ndFinn had been a godsend but was a little too bloodthirsty for my liking. Precise and just a little on the side of terrifying. He deserved to die for kidnapping and torturing poor innocent Killian. Although, his only real crime was the car I caught him jacking when I cornered him and paid him topretend. I still didn’t know why the kid had agreed to such terrible terms.
For a moment, I thought about wrapping it back up but when I saw my men again, I wanted them to know, toREMEMBER.
An undignified chuckle sat on my lips as I thought of them. Aeron. Slash. Samael. They were still very muchmymen even if I was pissed at the three for doing theonething I asked them not to. I had it handled but they just had to step in and then Aeron with his concern? Fuck, watching his face contort once he realized who I was had been the highlight of my miserable life.
Samael wasn’t really on my shit list anymore, not after he so dutifully spun me a storyandgave me a codename.The Unknown.How badass was that?
I continued admiring my body, eyes locking with the precious cargo between my legs.Missed you baby.I gave it a few strokes for good luck and then grabbed my phone to resume the life Killian had so rudely pulled from under me. There were more than a few friends I had disappeared on, but only two that I cared enough to pick up where we left off.
One of which I hoped hadn’t given up on me.
I scrolled through Killian’s call list, surprised to find the absence of a number I had memorized but had never saved. Changing to the blocked calls list, my surprise switched to full-on pissed when the number showed up, halfway down.Killian fucking blocked Runo?
Another fucking strike on the board, Killian.
I undid the block, hoping and praying that I hadn’t missed it. Runo had been my best friend growing up, myonlyfriend among kids who thought I was just plain weird. We did everything together, all the way through college until Killian had the bright idea to lock me away and throw away the key. Somewhere in that time, Runo had ended up in jail for a crime he refused to talk about. Mondays were his day to call, Runo always calling before 6 am and it was a minute past.
The phone rang in my hand, and I almost dropped it with the utter excitement that ran through me.
“Finn?” The voice was timid, a mere shell of the man I knew. Years in jail had done that or maybe it was just the fact that hehadn’t had anyone to talk to for three or so years while Killian had been in the driver's seat.
“Yeah, yeah it’s me. God, it’s been what, years?” I gripped the counter for support, feeling faint, my eyes scrunched shut. I couldn’t fucking believe it. He had still been calling all this time?
Runo blew out a deep breath and I could envision him running his hands through his hair as he leaned against the wall. “Yeah fuck, ever since–what’s his name–Killian took over, he blocked my number after the third call.”
“When did you last talk to him?” My bottom lip trembled, tears threatening to spill out. I had always hated Killian but now I fucking despised him.
“Almost three years ago.”
“And you’ve been calling ever since?”
“Every Monday at 6 am. God, it’s so fucking good to hear your voice. Does this mean you’re back?”
I nodded frantically, gripping the counter a little tighter. “For as long as I can. The other three—”
“Three?”
“You’ve been gone a while. Yeah,three. How many more years again?” His jail sentence had been something outrageous like 15 to life, somehow continually extending no matter how many years he spent in there.
“I don’t know.” Weariness coated his tone, guilt tugging at my heart. “They keep adding on infractions and shit. I askedmy lawyer, but I don’t understand a word he says. Sounds like gibberish.”
“I’ll come visit you.” I spit out before I realized what I said.
“And you know I don’t have visiting hours so you’re either dense or you’re just taunting me. I miss your face. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
