John frowns and feels poorly that he didn’t make it clear to the boy already. “You can stay here as long as you want. I think it’s safer that you do.”
Bayani nods, looking relieved, and offers John a cautious smile. “I would like that. To stay here with you and learn sign language.”
Later that day, while John is closing up the shop, he wonders about Bayani’s family, whom he assumes is still in the Philippines. Do they know what’s happened to him? Does Bayani have a passport or documents that would allow him to return? These are all questions John should have asked already, but he didn’t want to pry or make the boy feel as though he was being interrogated.
Later that night, after a scrumptious meal of adobo chicken, John makes the inquiry. Bayani confirms that his family, which is mainly his grandmother, likely thinks he’s dead, and that he has a cousin in Biloxi who works for the Hand, one who lured him out here then set him up with Emile.
“Emile saw a picture of me on my cousin’s Instagram. Manny told him I like boys. Emile arranged for a job for me at his father’s hotel. I didn’t know any of this until much later.”
The boy’s bitterness when he recounts the story says a lot about the predatory nature of their relationship. Bayani also reveals that Emile has possession of his identification, including his passport and work visa, which he may have already destroyed. The obstacle is daunting. It means that John can’t easily put him on a plane to the Philippines or anywhere else for that matter, which he thought might be an option.
Bayani bites his lower lip and watches him, seeming to want to say more.
“What is it?” John asks.
“How do you know Emile?”
John considers lying to him, but beyond the obvious wrongness of it, he doesn’t want their relationship rooted in dishonesty. If Bayani knows Emile, then he knows the type of business he runs, and he definitely knows the sort of man he is, so he tells Bayani of his father’s debt and the unsavory arrangement that brought Bayani to his doorstep.
“They wanted you to grind up my bones?”Bayani asks with a shiver of revulsion. John nods. “Would you have done it if I’d been dead?”
John nods again. Bayani should know the sort of man he is and make his assessment accordingly. Bayani looks ill and John feels bad for ruining this otherwise excellent meal. John feels bad for other things too, namely for being an accomplice to the Hand’s dirty deeds, but that moral quandary is too much to wrestle with at the moment.
“Will you get in trouble?”Bayani asks. “For saving my life?”
John has pondered the same thing many times. It’s never happened before that one of the Hand’s special deliveries arrived at his shop still living, so he doesn’t really know the consequence. John doesn’t believe Bayani poses any real threat to the Hand, and as far as John is concerned, pulling a knife on Emile was self-defense.
“I don’t know,” John answers honestly, but he thinks it may be worth discussing with Matthieu directly. The Butcher, as they liked to call him, provides a valuable service to the criminal empire. If John were to pass away unexpectedly, it would be a hassle for them to find another means by which to dispose of dead bodies.
That said, it’s still a risk. Emile has been known to go rogue, and it might be safer if he believed the boy to be dead. The cruelty he inflicted is proof of his misguided passions.
“Was he your boyfriend?” John asks. Bayani frowns and John waits for him to gather his courage. John doesn’t want to upset him but knowing this information might help him formulate a plan.
“He said he wanted to take care of me. He seemed nice at first. He bought me new clothes and took me out to eat and to the movies, but soon after we…”Bayani glances up at John, who draws the conclusion that he means after they started having sex. “After that he started being mean. He liked to hurt me and made me do things I didn’t like. I tried to end it, but he wouldn’t let me. His men took me from my cousin’s apartment and locked me in one of his rooms at the hotel. I tried to run away.I didn’t get very far.”
Bayani sighs in misery. John has the urge to hold him, but he doesn’t make any move to do so.
The boy’s injuries are evidence of Emile’s sadistic rage, but it sounds like Emile was abusing Bayani all along. It probably escalated as Emile gradually took control of every aspect of Bayani’s life, similar to his parents’ relationship. John’s father wanted complete control over his mother and separated her from friends and family until she was completely isolated and dependent on his father to provide for them both. John didn’t understand this until much later, of course. As a child, he just thought his mother seemed incredibly lonely.
Funny how John chose the same isolation for himself. Perhaps he is also trapped in an abusive relationship with the Hand.
“How long did this go on?” John asks.
“He kept me locked up for three months. I only saw him and his men. I couldn’t leave the room, not even to go outside. I was only allowed to call my grandmother once every two weeks but only with his supervision. I had to speak to her in English, even though she doesn’t understand it very well.”
Bayani gazes down at his lap. John hisses through his teeth. He doesn’t ask for the details of Bayani’s captivity, but clearly it was hellish enough that Bayani risked his life in attempting an escape.
“What he did to you was wrong, from the beginning. None of this is your fault,” John says.
Bayani nods.“I know.”
John knows too, that Emile will likely get away with being an abusive piece of shit and probably do the same to someone else.
“Is he the reason you keep a knife under your pillow?” John asks.
Bayani lifts his head and nods, looking guilty.
“That’s smart but a gun is better.”
