Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Fighting the Darkness ❯ Chapter 13
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: deathangel125 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror / Psychological / Supernatural / Thriller / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 06.30.2012 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 287 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror / Psychological / Supernatural / Thriller / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 06.30.2012 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 287 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: The G-boys and Gundam Wing don’t belong to me.
Warnings: Graphic violence and a very pissed-off Trowa. I warned ya.
FIGHTING THE DARKNESS – PART 13
The constant buzz was annoying. Straining to hear what was being said outside of him, he only caught parts of the strange conversation, though he heard and recognized both voices. One he had known almost half his life, since being caught aboard a Sweeper ship he had hitched a ride on. Howard. The relief was palpable, making him feel lighter in his dark cage. While he had believed Trowa, it was so much better to hear the older man’s gruff tone for himself.
The other voice was one he was growing to count on, depending on Trowa to keep him strong during his imprisonment. It was the first time in a long time he felt he could actually depend on someone and they wouldn’t let him down. Somehow he knew if he fell, Trowa would be there until he climbed back up – not fighting the battles for him, but supporting him.
Howard’s voice grew strange. Needing to hear more, he snapped at the relentless onslaught. “Can you shut up for a few seconds?”
It seemed to work, a stunned silence letting him hear Howard clearly, “When he wakes up, what are you gonna do if he goes back to her?”
“If that’s what he wants, I won’t stop him.” Trowa’s voice was oddly melancholy, seeming saddened.
“I can see -”
“Don’t.” The firm order had him blinking in surprise in his darkness. What had Howard been about to say?
Wondering about this, he lost track of the ongoing conversation, tuning back in when Trowa began to speak directly to him. Realizing what the tall man was preparing to do, he tried to move or speak, wanting to tell Trowa it didn’t matter. He wasn’t worth taking the risk. His struggles ceased when Trowa stuttered, words increasingly pained. The sense that Trowa wasn’t telling him something important had him renewing his efforts to do something to get the green-eyed man’s attention.
Eventually, he stopped fighting against himself, hearing only silence from where Trowa’s voice had been coming from. Trowa had apparently left to hunt for the men that had…hurt him. The invisible bonds that held him still were suddenly too constricting. The voices tormenting him were abruptly meaningless, yet still unwilling to release him from his despair. Gritting his teeth against the demons his mind had created to hold him captive, he decided it was past time to put an end to this.
“All right, you sons of bitches. Who wants to leave first?”
Eyes steady, Trowa followed the man in front of him, melting into the shadows when his prey stopped to talk to a prostitute. Quickly, a deal was made, the man and woman moving at a faster pace than the man had been alone, both smiling at each other.
It had taken ten hours to get to this point. Two hours of interrogating the Whitaker brothers had finally given him the general location Skunk stayed in, but it was still an area that spanned several miles and had several hundred residents. Eight hours of prowling the filthy underworld of night had gotten him a line on his prey. Now that he had finally located the man he had been searching for, he had no intention of letting his quarry get away. Not even when Skunk, who had a stripe of white hair down the middle of his black hair, turned into an old building that had been abandoned by any business long ago.
Trowa could smell the stench from outside, identifying the separate smells as unwashed bodies, old sex, and the reek of decaying flesh. Assuming no one would give his entrance any notice, he ducked into the door Skunk had used, breathing through his mouth so he wouldn’t gag as the smells grew strong enough to make his eyes water.
The building had once been a warehouse of some sort, much of the furniture left behind when the previous tenants had left. Scanning the area, he saw several doorways and moved forward, intending to search them all if he had to. It became unnecessary when he heard a terrified scream. Guessing Skunk hadn’t told the woman of his sick preferences, Trowa moved faster, stepping agilely over and around debris down a short hallway, feet coming to an abrupt halt in front of another door, where a filthy mattress had been placed, bearing so many stains it was impossible to tell what color the fabric had once been.
The woman lay in a pile on the dirty floor, weeping brokenly as she stared up at Skunk, eyes wide with fear as they fastened on the knife he brandished threateningly. “I don’ wanna hear you whimper, bitch. I wanna hear you scream,” Skunk snarled, his empty hand coming down to slap her across the face.
When his hand never reached its target, the man seemed confused for a second, frowning first at her, then his own arm. When he focused on the hand restraining him, he turned his head to sneer at Trowa, “You wait your turn. I already paid the bitch.”
“You wasted your money,” he said easily, keeping a watch on the knife. Speaking to the frightened woman, he ordered, “Get out of here, and find a new job.”
Although she didn’t speak, the prostitute seemed to have excellent survival instincts, grabbing her torn shirt by the sides to cover her ample bosom as she ran for the door. As soon as she was gone, Trowa stepped away from the man, looking over the man’s body for more weapons.
“The hell you do that for? I was gonna have some fun.”
“You should set your standards higher.” The only response Trowa received was a confused look. “You and I are going to have a chat. When we’re finished, I’ll decide if you should go to the cops or just be put out of your misery.”
As if realizing Trowa wasn’t an ally, Skunk’s grip tightened on the knife. “I ain’t goin to jail over some whore. There’s plenty out there, willing to be with me. You can have that one, if she’s so special.”
Wondering how stupid someone could be, Trowa shook his head, “That woman didn’t mean a thing to me. I just wanted her gone so we could talk. You’re not an easy man to find, Skunk. I’ve been looking for you.”
The use of his name had Skunk focusing all of his attention on Trowa, who readied his muscles for an attack. “What’cha lookin’ for me for? I know you?”
“No, you don’t. I know some of your friends. Bo and Jason, the brothers?”
Skunk scowled, “J and Bo ain’t around right now. I can’t talk to them.”
“You won’t be talking to them for a long time. They’re both in jail, and not getting out anytime soon.”
The empty hand flexed into a fist. “If I find the guy that put them in jail, I’m gonna make him pay.”
Spreading his arms wide, Trowa smiled, pleased to finally get a reaction. “I would be the one that put them in jail.”
“You ain’t no cop. You’re like me.”
Insulted, Trowa shook his head. “I could have been like you once, but I’m not. I was the one that gave the cops all the information they needed to take Jason and Bo out of the picture. I also provided them with all the evidence to make sure the brothers won’t be freed for a long time.”
Skunk took a step forward, knife lifting as his dark eyes narrowed, “What’d you do that for?”
“Because of something they did.”
Giving a snorting laugh of humor, Skunk showed his amusement, “They did a lot of things to a lot of people. Hope you didn’t expect ‘em to remember one woman.”
“Well, you see, this wasn’t a woman.” Skunk’s eyes widened, his breathing beginning to speed up. “I see you know what I’m talking about. If I’m not mistaken, you were there too, weren’t you?”
“Plannin’ on takin’ me to the cops?”
“No. Unfortunately, I need some information. Since your buddies aren’t likely to give me any more than they already have, you’re going to tell me everything I need to know, starting with the names of anyone else involved in hurting my friend.”
A flash of fear shot through Skunk’s eyes, surprising Trowa, “I ain’t tellin’ you nuthin’, pig.”
Not explaining what his occupation was, Trowa lifted an eyebrow, hands loose at his sides. “You’ll tell me what I want to know, one way or another.”
The attack he had been waiting for finally came, Skunk launching himself across the floor, knife aimed at Trowa’s throat. The blow was easily avoided as Trowa stepped aside and deflected the blade with his forearm, using the sheathed knife as a shield. As the man came at him again, Trowa lashed out, punching Skunk solidly in the jaw and gaping when the man folded in on himself, landing in a pile on the floor, out cold.
Staring down at Skunk, Trowa put his hands on his hips in frustration. Heaving out a puff of air, he muttered, “Just fucking great.”
Sitting on one of the discarded chairs, Trowa watched as Skunk woke slowly, his eyes coming open wide as he realized his arms were bound above his head. It was almost amusing to watch shock become awareness and awareness to horror as Skunk gave an experimental tug on the rope that held him and figured out what it was anchored to.
Rising from the chair, Trowa slipped Duo’s knife from the sheath on his arm and walked close enough to run it across Skunk’s skin, now completely bared to the dusty air, eliciting a startled gasp. “As I said, I need some information. I went with plan B, since you didn’t seem too cooperative.”
“You get your rocks off by tying other men up, faggot?”
“Nothing about you is appealing to me. I don’t like causing pain. You, however, don’t seem to mind hurting people, do you, Skunk? You didn’t mind hurting my friend. I think you even enjoyed it, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ ab – ahhhhh!” Skunk’s agonized scream echoed around the room as Trowa drew the razor sharp blade over his chest in the exact spot Duo bore a scar from the attack. “What the hell you want from me?”
“I want you to tell me what you did to my friend, and the names of anyone else with you.”
Skunk jerked his arms down in reflex as a new line was opened up across his belly, blood welling in the thin cut, screaming when the rope jerked again. “You son of a bitch! You tied my arms to my dick!”
Standing back to admire his handiwork, Trowa smiled as he lifted his head to the exposed support beam above them, where the rope binding Skunk’s hands was draped, coming down where the other end was tied firmly around the base of the man’s limp cock. “I was in a hurry, so I had to work with what was available. There wasn’t much to work with, and this was the best I could come up with,” he gestured to Skunk’s naked body with a shudder of revulsion that wasn’t faked.
Another jerk of his arms had Skunk crying out as the rope dug into the soft flesh of his penis. Hatred filled his eyes as he glared at Trowa. “When I get out of this, I’m gonna enjoy killin’ you.”
“Then you should decide how you’re going to get out. The way I see it, unless I let you go, you’re either going to lose a very important body part, or you’ll bleed to death.” Letting his eyes fall to Skunk’s meaty bicep, Trowa focused on the small row of hearts tattoos there. “Are these your way of remembering the pain you caused?” he asked, tapping the end of the knife on one of the hearts. “Is there one here for my friend?”
“I have a special tattoo just for him,” sneered Skunk. “It helps me remember the way he screamed.”
Unerringly, Trowa saw the small knife tattoo, a perfect replica of the blade Skunk had held on the woman. “You mean this one?” An evil chuckle answered his question. As a response of his own, Trowa slashed quickly, removing the chunk of flesh that held the picture and watching it fall to the floor with a grisly plop. “Now you can remember the way you screamed, if you live,” he noted once the other man finished shrieking.
“I’ll tell you what you want to know, I swear. Let me down,” Skunk pled, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Satisfied the other man was finally beginning to understand the situation, Trowa crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell me about that night. Who was with you, what you did, everything.”
“J said Bo wanted a favor, something we’d enjoy. J made some phone calls - got us all together. All we had to do was wait outside the guy’s apartment for him to come out and follow him ‘til he was in a spot where there wasn’t a bunch of people. We had some fun with him – made it last a real long time.”
Lost in his memories, Skunk actually smiled. His humor faded instantly when Trowa ran the blade across his arm, marring the line of heart tattoos. “Wasn’t that hard, guy was pretty. That long hair almost made him look like a girl. Sharp really took a liking to all that hair, even took most of it afterwards as a way to ‘member. The asshole wasn’t supposed to live. J told us to make sure he wouldn’t get better. Somehow the little bitch survived, though. J told me to keep an eye on him, take him out when I had a chance. Even said me and my partner could take what we wanted from his apartment when we made sure he was dead.”
Realizing Skunk didn’t know he had revealed the name of his partner, Trowa stepped closer, wincing as vile breath washed over him. “Where’s your partner now?”
“You’ll never find him even though you probly pass him more than once a day. He’s just waitin’ for a chance to get your buddy. It’ll only take a few minutes to get your friend out of the hospital. Who wouldn’t trust a security guard?”
Terrified by what he heard, Trowa pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the hospital. After being connected to the ward Duo was in, he spoke hurriedly, recognizing Ellen’s voice. “Is Duo okay?”
“I’m sorry? I don’t under – Trowa, is that you?”
“Yes. Can you please check on Duo and see how he’s doing?”
“Hold on one moment.”
He was grateful she didn’t ask questions, spending the next few minutes with his heart pounding. “He’s just fine, Trowa. There’s been no change and Mr. Howard has stayed right beside him.”
“Okay. I’ll be back soon, but until I arrive, can you please keep all security guards off the floor other than James?” Trowa knew the older man was not Duo’s assailant, and he trusted the man completely. “One of them may not be what he seems.”
She hesitated only a second, apparently hearing the very real fear in his voice. “No one will get past the doors. If anyone asks, I’ll say were practicing lock-down procedures in case of a terrorist attack. It’s a drill we haven’t done in a long time so no one should suspect anything. Honestly, no other guards should be coming to this floor this time of night.”
Somewhat relieved, he hung up the phone, eyes focusing on the man stretched out before him. “Thanks for the help, Skunk. It shouldn’t be long before your arms get so tired you start pulling down. I’ve always been amazed how little effort it takes to render a penis completely useless. You might always die from blood-loss first, and that’s only if the rats don’t get to you first.”
“You said you’d cut me down. I never told you my partner’s name,” Skunk stated proudly, attempting to use that as leverage.
“I got what I needed. Sharp will be thrilled to hear what you’ve told me.”
Before leaving, Trowa made two quick stripes with the knife on the back of Skunk’s legs, allowing the blood to pool on the floor. He ignored the pleading shouts as he left the room, stripping off his gloves and tossing them into a pile of rags that had likely been there for years. Spotting the hooker Skunk had beaten sitting near the front of the building, he crouched down beside her. “Can you do me a favor?”
“You saved my life. I’ll do anything you want, no charge.”
“Just keep anyone from going in this building for about an hour,” he said after calculating how long it would take for Skunk to bleed to death. “If somebody comes running out, get the hell out of the way.” When she looked at him warily, he held up a handful of credits, “You’re getting paid for your time.”
“What’d you do to him?” she asked, the money disappearing from his hand.
“Made sure he wouldn’t hurt anyone again. After this is over, find a new line of work before you run into another like him, okay?”
Instead of waiting for an answer, knowing she would likely be back on the street the next night, he walked away from the building and toward the nicer areas of the colony.
Warnings: Graphic violence and a very pissed-off Trowa. I warned ya.
FIGHTING THE DARKNESS – PART 13
The constant buzz was annoying. Straining to hear what was being said outside of him, he only caught parts of the strange conversation, though he heard and recognized both voices. One he had known almost half his life, since being caught aboard a Sweeper ship he had hitched a ride on. Howard. The relief was palpable, making him feel lighter in his dark cage. While he had believed Trowa, it was so much better to hear the older man’s gruff tone for himself.
The other voice was one he was growing to count on, depending on Trowa to keep him strong during his imprisonment. It was the first time in a long time he felt he could actually depend on someone and they wouldn’t let him down. Somehow he knew if he fell, Trowa would be there until he climbed back up – not fighting the battles for him, but supporting him.
Howard’s voice grew strange. Needing to hear more, he snapped at the relentless onslaught. “Can you shut up for a few seconds?”
It seemed to work, a stunned silence letting him hear Howard clearly, “When he wakes up, what are you gonna do if he goes back to her?”
“If that’s what he wants, I won’t stop him.” Trowa’s voice was oddly melancholy, seeming saddened.
“I can see -”
“Don’t.” The firm order had him blinking in surprise in his darkness. What had Howard been about to say?
Wondering about this, he lost track of the ongoing conversation, tuning back in when Trowa began to speak directly to him. Realizing what the tall man was preparing to do, he tried to move or speak, wanting to tell Trowa it didn’t matter. He wasn’t worth taking the risk. His struggles ceased when Trowa stuttered, words increasingly pained. The sense that Trowa wasn’t telling him something important had him renewing his efforts to do something to get the green-eyed man’s attention.
Eventually, he stopped fighting against himself, hearing only silence from where Trowa’s voice had been coming from. Trowa had apparently left to hunt for the men that had…hurt him. The invisible bonds that held him still were suddenly too constricting. The voices tormenting him were abruptly meaningless, yet still unwilling to release him from his despair. Gritting his teeth against the demons his mind had created to hold him captive, he decided it was past time to put an end to this.
“All right, you sons of bitches. Who wants to leave first?”
Eyes steady, Trowa followed the man in front of him, melting into the shadows when his prey stopped to talk to a prostitute. Quickly, a deal was made, the man and woman moving at a faster pace than the man had been alone, both smiling at each other.
It had taken ten hours to get to this point. Two hours of interrogating the Whitaker brothers had finally given him the general location Skunk stayed in, but it was still an area that spanned several miles and had several hundred residents. Eight hours of prowling the filthy underworld of night had gotten him a line on his prey. Now that he had finally located the man he had been searching for, he had no intention of letting his quarry get away. Not even when Skunk, who had a stripe of white hair down the middle of his black hair, turned into an old building that had been abandoned by any business long ago.
Trowa could smell the stench from outside, identifying the separate smells as unwashed bodies, old sex, and the reek of decaying flesh. Assuming no one would give his entrance any notice, he ducked into the door Skunk had used, breathing through his mouth so he wouldn’t gag as the smells grew strong enough to make his eyes water.
The building had once been a warehouse of some sort, much of the furniture left behind when the previous tenants had left. Scanning the area, he saw several doorways and moved forward, intending to search them all if he had to. It became unnecessary when he heard a terrified scream. Guessing Skunk hadn’t told the woman of his sick preferences, Trowa moved faster, stepping agilely over and around debris down a short hallway, feet coming to an abrupt halt in front of another door, where a filthy mattress had been placed, bearing so many stains it was impossible to tell what color the fabric had once been.
The woman lay in a pile on the dirty floor, weeping brokenly as she stared up at Skunk, eyes wide with fear as they fastened on the knife he brandished threateningly. “I don’ wanna hear you whimper, bitch. I wanna hear you scream,” Skunk snarled, his empty hand coming down to slap her across the face.
When his hand never reached its target, the man seemed confused for a second, frowning first at her, then his own arm. When he focused on the hand restraining him, he turned his head to sneer at Trowa, “You wait your turn. I already paid the bitch.”
“You wasted your money,” he said easily, keeping a watch on the knife. Speaking to the frightened woman, he ordered, “Get out of here, and find a new job.”
Although she didn’t speak, the prostitute seemed to have excellent survival instincts, grabbing her torn shirt by the sides to cover her ample bosom as she ran for the door. As soon as she was gone, Trowa stepped away from the man, looking over the man’s body for more weapons.
“The hell you do that for? I was gonna have some fun.”
“You should set your standards higher.” The only response Trowa received was a confused look. “You and I are going to have a chat. When we’re finished, I’ll decide if you should go to the cops or just be put out of your misery.”
As if realizing Trowa wasn’t an ally, Skunk’s grip tightened on the knife. “I ain’t goin to jail over some whore. There’s plenty out there, willing to be with me. You can have that one, if she’s so special.”
Wondering how stupid someone could be, Trowa shook his head, “That woman didn’t mean a thing to me. I just wanted her gone so we could talk. You’re not an easy man to find, Skunk. I’ve been looking for you.”
The use of his name had Skunk focusing all of his attention on Trowa, who readied his muscles for an attack. “What’cha lookin’ for me for? I know you?”
“No, you don’t. I know some of your friends. Bo and Jason, the brothers?”
Skunk scowled, “J and Bo ain’t around right now. I can’t talk to them.”
“You won’t be talking to them for a long time. They’re both in jail, and not getting out anytime soon.”
The empty hand flexed into a fist. “If I find the guy that put them in jail, I’m gonna make him pay.”
Spreading his arms wide, Trowa smiled, pleased to finally get a reaction. “I would be the one that put them in jail.”
“You ain’t no cop. You’re like me.”
Insulted, Trowa shook his head. “I could have been like you once, but I’m not. I was the one that gave the cops all the information they needed to take Jason and Bo out of the picture. I also provided them with all the evidence to make sure the brothers won’t be freed for a long time.”
Skunk took a step forward, knife lifting as his dark eyes narrowed, “What’d you do that for?”
“Because of something they did.”
Giving a snorting laugh of humor, Skunk showed his amusement, “They did a lot of things to a lot of people. Hope you didn’t expect ‘em to remember one woman.”
“Well, you see, this wasn’t a woman.” Skunk’s eyes widened, his breathing beginning to speed up. “I see you know what I’m talking about. If I’m not mistaken, you were there too, weren’t you?”
“Plannin’ on takin’ me to the cops?”
“No. Unfortunately, I need some information. Since your buddies aren’t likely to give me any more than they already have, you’re going to tell me everything I need to know, starting with the names of anyone else involved in hurting my friend.”
A flash of fear shot through Skunk’s eyes, surprising Trowa, “I ain’t tellin’ you nuthin’, pig.”
Not explaining what his occupation was, Trowa lifted an eyebrow, hands loose at his sides. “You’ll tell me what I want to know, one way or another.”
The attack he had been waiting for finally came, Skunk launching himself across the floor, knife aimed at Trowa’s throat. The blow was easily avoided as Trowa stepped aside and deflected the blade with his forearm, using the sheathed knife as a shield. As the man came at him again, Trowa lashed out, punching Skunk solidly in the jaw and gaping when the man folded in on himself, landing in a pile on the floor, out cold.
Staring down at Skunk, Trowa put his hands on his hips in frustration. Heaving out a puff of air, he muttered, “Just fucking great.”
Sitting on one of the discarded chairs, Trowa watched as Skunk woke slowly, his eyes coming open wide as he realized his arms were bound above his head. It was almost amusing to watch shock become awareness and awareness to horror as Skunk gave an experimental tug on the rope that held him and figured out what it was anchored to.
Rising from the chair, Trowa slipped Duo’s knife from the sheath on his arm and walked close enough to run it across Skunk’s skin, now completely bared to the dusty air, eliciting a startled gasp. “As I said, I need some information. I went with plan B, since you didn’t seem too cooperative.”
“You get your rocks off by tying other men up, faggot?”
“Nothing about you is appealing to me. I don’t like causing pain. You, however, don’t seem to mind hurting people, do you, Skunk? You didn’t mind hurting my friend. I think you even enjoyed it, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ ab – ahhhhh!” Skunk’s agonized scream echoed around the room as Trowa drew the razor sharp blade over his chest in the exact spot Duo bore a scar from the attack. “What the hell you want from me?”
“I want you to tell me what you did to my friend, and the names of anyone else with you.”
Skunk jerked his arms down in reflex as a new line was opened up across his belly, blood welling in the thin cut, screaming when the rope jerked again. “You son of a bitch! You tied my arms to my dick!”
Standing back to admire his handiwork, Trowa smiled as he lifted his head to the exposed support beam above them, where the rope binding Skunk’s hands was draped, coming down where the other end was tied firmly around the base of the man’s limp cock. “I was in a hurry, so I had to work with what was available. There wasn’t much to work with, and this was the best I could come up with,” he gestured to Skunk’s naked body with a shudder of revulsion that wasn’t faked.
Another jerk of his arms had Skunk crying out as the rope dug into the soft flesh of his penis. Hatred filled his eyes as he glared at Trowa. “When I get out of this, I’m gonna enjoy killin’ you.”
“Then you should decide how you’re going to get out. The way I see it, unless I let you go, you’re either going to lose a very important body part, or you’ll bleed to death.” Letting his eyes fall to Skunk’s meaty bicep, Trowa focused on the small row of hearts tattoos there. “Are these your way of remembering the pain you caused?” he asked, tapping the end of the knife on one of the hearts. “Is there one here for my friend?”
“I have a special tattoo just for him,” sneered Skunk. “It helps me remember the way he screamed.”
Unerringly, Trowa saw the small knife tattoo, a perfect replica of the blade Skunk had held on the woman. “You mean this one?” An evil chuckle answered his question. As a response of his own, Trowa slashed quickly, removing the chunk of flesh that held the picture and watching it fall to the floor with a grisly plop. “Now you can remember the way you screamed, if you live,” he noted once the other man finished shrieking.
“I’ll tell you what you want to know, I swear. Let me down,” Skunk pled, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Satisfied the other man was finally beginning to understand the situation, Trowa crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell me about that night. Who was with you, what you did, everything.”
“J said Bo wanted a favor, something we’d enjoy. J made some phone calls - got us all together. All we had to do was wait outside the guy’s apartment for him to come out and follow him ‘til he was in a spot where there wasn’t a bunch of people. We had some fun with him – made it last a real long time.”
Lost in his memories, Skunk actually smiled. His humor faded instantly when Trowa ran the blade across his arm, marring the line of heart tattoos. “Wasn’t that hard, guy was pretty. That long hair almost made him look like a girl. Sharp really took a liking to all that hair, even took most of it afterwards as a way to ‘member. The asshole wasn’t supposed to live. J told us to make sure he wouldn’t get better. Somehow the little bitch survived, though. J told me to keep an eye on him, take him out when I had a chance. Even said me and my partner could take what we wanted from his apartment when we made sure he was dead.”
Realizing Skunk didn’t know he had revealed the name of his partner, Trowa stepped closer, wincing as vile breath washed over him. “Where’s your partner now?”
“You’ll never find him even though you probly pass him more than once a day. He’s just waitin’ for a chance to get your buddy. It’ll only take a few minutes to get your friend out of the hospital. Who wouldn’t trust a security guard?”
Terrified by what he heard, Trowa pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the hospital. After being connected to the ward Duo was in, he spoke hurriedly, recognizing Ellen’s voice. “Is Duo okay?”
“I’m sorry? I don’t under – Trowa, is that you?”
“Yes. Can you please check on Duo and see how he’s doing?”
“Hold on one moment.”
He was grateful she didn’t ask questions, spending the next few minutes with his heart pounding. “He’s just fine, Trowa. There’s been no change and Mr. Howard has stayed right beside him.”
“Okay. I’ll be back soon, but until I arrive, can you please keep all security guards off the floor other than James?” Trowa knew the older man was not Duo’s assailant, and he trusted the man completely. “One of them may not be what he seems.”
She hesitated only a second, apparently hearing the very real fear in his voice. “No one will get past the doors. If anyone asks, I’ll say were practicing lock-down procedures in case of a terrorist attack. It’s a drill we haven’t done in a long time so no one should suspect anything. Honestly, no other guards should be coming to this floor this time of night.”
Somewhat relieved, he hung up the phone, eyes focusing on the man stretched out before him. “Thanks for the help, Skunk. It shouldn’t be long before your arms get so tired you start pulling down. I’ve always been amazed how little effort it takes to render a penis completely useless. You might always die from blood-loss first, and that’s only if the rats don’t get to you first.”
“You said you’d cut me down. I never told you my partner’s name,” Skunk stated proudly, attempting to use that as leverage.
“I got what I needed. Sharp will be thrilled to hear what you’ve told me.”
Before leaving, Trowa made two quick stripes with the knife on the back of Skunk’s legs, allowing the blood to pool on the floor. He ignored the pleading shouts as he left the room, stripping off his gloves and tossing them into a pile of rags that had likely been there for years. Spotting the hooker Skunk had beaten sitting near the front of the building, he crouched down beside her. “Can you do me a favor?”
“You saved my life. I’ll do anything you want, no charge.”
“Just keep anyone from going in this building for about an hour,” he said after calculating how long it would take for Skunk to bleed to death. “If somebody comes running out, get the hell out of the way.” When she looked at him warily, he held up a handful of credits, “You’re getting paid for your time.”
“What’d you do to him?” she asked, the money disappearing from his hand.
“Made sure he wouldn’t hurt anyone again. After this is over, find a new line of work before you run into another like him, okay?”
Instead of waiting for an answer, knowing she would likely be back on the street the next night, he walked away from the building and toward the nicer areas of the colony.