DreamALittleDream (16 page)

His heart was pounding so hard he thought he was going to pass out as he walked up the stairs. Reaching the top, he could see the door closed at the end. He forced himself to ignore the sense of foreboding he felt and walked with quiet, determined steps toward the last room in the hall. Reaching for the door knob, he only half-heartedly noticed the red paint staining his hand.

It's just paint, its only paint… open the door. You need
to open the door now!

It swung open slowly, and Cael half expected it to creak like it did in the horror movies. It should have, but
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didn’t.

The scene before him was right out of his dreams. The empty room, the covered forms on the bed. Cael quickly scanned around the room for Max, but didn’t see him.

Cael took precious moments to check behind the door and in the bathroom. The pounding of his heart had subsided some, but it seemed to triple when he finally turned toward the bed. He reached out to pull the blankets down, but couldn’t seem to move past staring at the covered lumps.

It's like ripping off a Band-Aid. Just do it.

He whipped the blankets down and then nearly

crumbled to the floor at the sight. Jake was half covering Aiden, both of them lying so very still, blood matted in their hair. Cael sobbed, the gun dropping to the floor from nerveless fingers.

He was too late. He took too long to come. Max had killed them, and now Cael wanted to die, too. Cael leaned down, ignoring the tears that fell on Aiden’s slack face, and kissed those cool lips one last time.

And nearly jumped out of his skin when Aiden gave a soft, pain filled moan.

Not truly believing what he heard, Cael reached out with trembling fingers to feel for a pulse, thanking God when he felt a strong and sure beat. Checking Jake, Cael was now reassured that both his lovers were alive, and was weak with joy. It was only then he noticed the handcuffs wrapped around each man’s wrist, locking them to the headboard. He began to shake each man’s shoulder.

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“Aiden, Jake, wake up. I need you to wake up! Please, please, please wake up. He’s gonna come back…” The hysteria he’d done so well to hide was creeping into his voice, but he didn’t know how to stop it. He just needed to see his lover’s eyes so badly.

Jake was the first to wake, those long lashes opening to reveal hazy and confused black orbs. “Cael…?” Cael let out a sigh of relief at the hoarse rumble. “Oh,
oh
, you’re awake! Jake, he’s here, Max is here! I don’t know where he is. He drugged me and I just woke up and found you like this and it was like my dream and I was so worried you were actually dead and then Aiden moaned but he’s still not waking up and I called the police but didn’t stay on the line and I don’t know what to do…”

Dawning horror of the situation woke in Jake’s eyes, and he started to sit up, cursing when he realized he couldn’t. “Cael, sweetheart, calm down and stay quiet.

Aiden wake up!” He jerked a couple timed at the cuffs, but they held tight. Those muscles bulged, but the cuffs didn’t budge.

Cael nodded. Quiet, right, he had to be quiet. Jake would know what to do. He glanced down at Aiden, who was still passed out cold.

“Why isn’t he waking up?” he asked, brushing a light hand over the bruise forming across Aiden’s cheek.

There was a cut about an inch long, which had dripped blood over his face. No wonder Cael thought he was dead at first glance. Head wounds bled a lot, didn’t they? It took him a moment to notice that Jake was saying something to him.

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“Hmm? What?”

Jake jerked at the cuffs again. “I asked it you were okay? Max must have gotten the jump on us after we finished up. I remember coming and then a splitting pain in the back of my head. Now I have a hell of a headache.” When Cael still didn’t respond, Jake looked even more worried. “Cael, honey? Are you okay?

Answer me, kiddo.”

Cael found himself nodding slowly. “I’m a little fuzzy, but getting better. It’s kinda hard to think, though.”

Jake nodded. “Okay, sweetheart, I understand, but here’s what I need you to do. I need you to look in the nightstand here for the keys to the cuffs. Bastard used my own handcuffs, fucking asshole. I need you to find them while I wake Aiden, okay?”

Another nod. “Right, okay.” Cael turned to do as asked, listening with one ear as Jake finally managed to rouse Aiden and filled him in on the situation. A few moments passed before he realized he wasn’t finding any sort of handcuff key in the drawer. He checked the lower drawer below it just in case, but again came up empty.

He turned back just in time to hear Jake reassure Aiden that everything would be okay. Cael felt like the bearer of bad news.

“Jake, I can’t find them… they’re not in the drawer.”

“Look again, sweetheart,” Jake ordered as both he and Aiden started tugging the cuffs in unison.

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Cael shook his head. “I did, twice. I also looked in the one below. Nothing but tissues, lube and condoms.

What now?” He could feel the panic creeping back in.

Aiden looked at him, blinking to keep the blood out of his eyes. “Cael, honey, stay calm, okay. Check one more time. Just look one more time.”

Cael nodded. “Okay, okay, one more time. One more time.”

He was digging through the drawer again when he heard it: the front door opening. He noticed Jake and Aiden going completely still, and had a brief moment of hope that the cops had come until he heard the voice straight out of his most recent nightmares.

“Where the fuck are you, slut? Come out, come out wherever you are.”

Frantic now, he tugged the drawer straight out of the nightstand, dumping it on the ground and falling to his knees to search. All the while he could hear Max getting closer.

“No sense hiding, slut, I know you’re here. You don’t want me to get mad, do ya? You know what happens when I get mad.” He was on the stairs now. Cael could hear him getting closer.

“Cael. Cael!” Jake whispered frantically, until he got Cael’s attention. “Go to the bathroom. Lock the door and climb out the window. Wait down the street until help comes. Go!”

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Cael shook his head as he went back to searching through the spilled contents of the drawer. “No, No! I can't, I can’t. I need to save you. I can’t lose you, I can’t!” he said desperately.

“Yes you can, Cael. We’ll be fine until help comes. You need to get out, fast!” Aiden reasoned, though Cael could hear the fear and strain in his voice. Cael heard the clanking of their desperate pulls at the handcuffs, but he knew without the keys it would be no good; all they would do is cut themselves.

“I love you,” he murmured. “I won’t leave you.”

The bedroom door swung open and Cael whipped

around to face the greatest monster he’d ever known.

Cael could feel his head swim as all the blood drained from his face, and vomit crept up into his throat. His knees just about gave out, and Cael couldn’t seem to drag enough air into his lungs. Fear held him completely paralyzed.

Max smiled a sinister smile. “There you are, slut. I missed you.”

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Max looked like he’d lost thirty pounds; his once almost jovial face now gaunt and pale, surrounded by stringy, greasy hair. His eyes looked like he was definitely on something, judging by the madness lurking just under the surface of those dull brown orbs. Max still looked foreboding, tall and strong compared to Cael’s diminutive frame, and Cael could feel himself start to tremble with the thought of facing his tormentor.

Max smiled and reached down to rub the bulge growing in his dirty jeans. “Still so pretty, boy. I knew you’d look good after some time to recover. Say thank you, Max.”

Cael knew that the longer he stalled, the longer he kept them all alive until help could come, so with a quick glance over at a terrified Aiden and Jake, he forced down the bile and fear clogging his throat and did as told. “T-Thank y-you-u, M-M-Max,” he managed.

Max gave him a leering grin. “You’re welcome, slut.

Did you miss me, boy. You miss daddy?”

Cael shuddered, remembering how Max used to make him call Max daddy every time the man raped him. Cael nearly lost it right then. “Y-Yes.”

Max’s leer turned into a glare. “Yes, what?”

Cael swallowed his sob. “Y-Yes, d-daddy.”

Max nodded, seemingly content. “Good. ’Cause I sure as hell missed you.” He took a step closer, and Cael
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whimpered. “You caused me a lot of trouble, slut.

Telling like you did. We had a good thing going, and you ruined it. You know that means I have to punish you, don’t you? What do you say when daddy has to punish you, hmm?”

Cael was trembling head to toe, wanting nothing more than to crawl into a hole and disappear. “P-Please p-p-punish me, d-daddy.”

He heard Jake growl and Aiden let out a gasp. He sent them a quick apologetic look, hoping the anger on both their faces wasn’t toward him.

“Good, come here boy,” Max ordered. Before Cael could even move a muscle, Jake started shouting.

“Fuck you, you sick fuck. He’s not going anywhere with you!” Jake hollered, and Aiden was right there with him, speaking more quietly, but just as forceful.

“It’s no use, Max. The police will be here any minute and Cael isn’t leaving with you. Just give it up.”

Max frowned at the men lying prone on the bed. Then he grinned. “I already know the police are coming; I found the phone they were called on downstairs.” He turned to Cael with a slightly impressed look. “I gotta admit, I was impressed you recovered as quickly as you did from the tranq. That dose would have taken out a man triple your size.” He shrugged. “Oh well. Since we’re out of time, I’ll just have to teach you a lesson here, in front of your lovers.” At Cael’s surprised look, Max smirked. “What? You didn’t think I’d know you were fucking the good Doc and his cop? I knew you
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being the slut you are, it would only be a matter of time.”

Cael didn’t know when he started shaking his head, but suddenly he was, inching his way closer to the bed and the comfort his confined lovers offered. Where were the cops? Shouldn’t they be here by now?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard sirens in the distance, getting closer with each second.

Max grimaced. “Times up, I suppose. Luckily I brought an insurance policy,” he said, pulling an intimidating looking black pistol out from behind his back. “Pick who goes first, Cael,” he ordered.

But Cael wasn’t listening. His eyes were focused on the black gun in Max’s hand. Max had a gun… was going to shoot Aiden and Jake… was going to make him watch his lovers die… Max had a gun… and so did Cael.

Carefully, he started feeling behind him in the rubbish from the dumped drawer, looking for the 9mm. “Ch-Choose?” he asked, reaching back a bit farther. He sighed in relief when he felt his fingers brush cool metal. Then he gasped in pain when Max stepped over and wrenched him up by his hair, twisting it cruelly and nearly dislodging Cael’s hold on the gun hidden behind his back.

“Choose, slut, or I choose for you,” Max growled, then leaned down and bit into Cael’s lips in a punishing kiss.

He felt his bottom lip split under the pressure and gasped as Max’s hold on his hair tightened even further.

Cael gagged as Max forced his tongue down his throat,
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but didn’t fight Max’s hold, just waiting for the right time. Cael’s tremors were so bad now he thought he might miss when he finally had to shoot. He prayed one bullet would be enough, but remembered how Aiden had told him to shoot twice. Cael wasn’t even sure he could manage the one shot, let alone two, but for his lovers, he knew it was necessary.

Max pulled away and licked the blood from Cael’s split lip.. “Choose,” he whispered.

Slowly, making no sudden movements to alarm the madman standing in front of him, he pulled away far enough to get a clear look at the scene before him.

Max’s gun was trained on his lovers, both of whom were looking at him with a mixture of anger and sorrow etched on their faces. He could never choose between them, and Max could kill them all before the police broke down the front door. The sirens were so loud now, they hurt his ears, and Cael knew the time had come.

“I choose…” He paused, looked down, took a deep breath, and remembered Sam’s warning not to close his eyes. He looked up, and felt his years of anger and humiliation and pain rush to the forefront, ready to be purged. Cael pulled out the gun, his eyes locked on the man who was threatening to destroy his whole world.

Max’s eyes widened in shock, and Cael watched in slow motion as Max swung his gun toward him. Cael could hear Aiden scream, Jake hollering to the cops breaking down the front door that they were upstairs, and Sam’s voice filling his mind, telling him not to close his eyes.

I won’t. I want to see him die…

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“I choose you.”

***

One man lay on the floor, a pool of blood growing around him, two bullet holes dead center in his chest and through his heart. Another gun lay at his side, and one of the officers walked over to kick it away, just in case.

The other officer was still staring at the scene before him on the bed.

Two men lay handcuffed to the headboard, and between them lay a small, sobbing, blonde man. The brunette was speaking in soft, low tones the officer couldn’t distinguish and placing gentle kisses on the smaller man‘s cheek, while the Native American man nuzzled the blond’s temple on the other side. The blond just continued to cry, but there seemed to be something cathartic about it. Not sad, broken hearted tears, per se, but something cleansing and almost relieved, as odd as it seemed.