Violent Angel (Pretty Broken Things #1)

14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

I can’t believe I’m fucking doing this.

Damon didn’t consider himself a clingy guy, but his leather boots were like chunks of cement as he led Lux out of the warehouse, away from the snarling dogs and the roaring crowd.

And left Elliot behind.

This is his job and he’s damn good at it. He’s trusting you to take care of his little brother.

Okay, but that didn’t mean Damon had to like it. He gnashed his teeth as he strode around the side of the warehouse, wondering if blood credits covered dental. He was gonna need some serious work done after he wore all his teeth down to his jaw bone.

He’s fine.

Damon closed his eyes and shook his head.

No…he’s not.

The careful mask Elliot pulled on so effortless didn’t hide how letting those women touch him like that fucked with him. It wasn’t just about being gay, but no matter what it was, Damon couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He already knew the conversation wouldn’t go anywhere if he asked Elliot to quit.

This was literally his life’s work. Twisted as their methods were, Eros’ Eight did a lot of good by removing a lot of bad from the world.

But…I don’t know if it’s worth it.

Not if it destroys him.

A small hand shackled around his wrist, Lux tugging him back from being completely exposed so abruptly, he almost hit the asphalt. Gone was the distant look in Lux’s eyes, like he’d locked himself away, deep in his own mind. He was very present, determined.

And looked kinda pissed.

“You need to pay attention. If we’re caught out here, Elliot will be exposed. In there, surrounded.” Lux glared at him. “Don’t make me regret not killing you.”

Damon blew out a breath, mist gathering around them from the chill in the air. “Sorry, you’re right. I’ll process later. For now, we have to get to those containers.”

Studying his face for a moment, Lux changed his expression from anger, to sympathy. “You haven’t been away from Elliot much. Leaving him like that…it must be hard. You love my brother, don’t you?”

There was no point denying it, even if Damon wasn’t ready to say the words to Elliot just yet. His lips curved as he ruffled Lux’s hair. “I really do, so I won’t fuck this up for him. Or for you.” He scanned the wide space behind the warehouse, three large containers lined up side by side in the center, a grouping of camping trailers off to the right, and a row of kennels to the left. “So how we doing this, boss?”

Lux chewed on his bottom lip, jutting his chin toward the kennels. “There’s two guards making the rounds. If we can get the dogs barking, they’ll come investigate. We kill them, check out the containers, and call it in if we find anything. Then we get back to Elliot.”

“Kill them. Right.” Damon rolled his shoulders. “My specialty.”

Snickering, Lux gave his fingers a quick squeeze. “It’s okay if you can’t, I’m great at it. Just try to keep up.”

With that, the little imp darted away, his steps silent on the asphalt. If not for his white curls, he would’ve disappeared completely in the darkness, and even then, the bright hair was almost a blur. Damon hurried to catch up, moving how Virgil had taught him to avoid his boots making too much noise, but before he’d made it two long strides, it didn’t matter.

The dogs went crazy. Barking, whimpering, and howling, the ruckus was loud enough to drown out the sound of a fucking marching band. When the guards appeared, coming from the direction of the trailers and cursing for the dogs to shut up, their voices made zero impact.

Crouching beside Lux next to the furthest kennel, Damon followed the younger man’s lead and pulled out the dagger he’d strapped to his boot.

Looked like they were making these kills up close and personal.

Holding a metal bat and what must’ve been a cattle prod, the bigger of the two men hit the bars of one of the kennels, making the little white dog inside cower. “That’s right, you better fucking back up, you stupid mutt.”

His buddy moved on to the next kennel, striking the door with a crowbar. When the dog lunged, he jumped back. “Motherfucker, I’m gonna bash your skull in.”

The dogs quieted, just enough for Lux’s soft voice to be heard. “Not if I bash yours first.”

Crowbar man spun, his makeshift weapon swinging out over Lux’s head. Dropping down, Lux stabbed the man in the thigh three times, in rapid succession. Darted out of reach when Cattle Prod man made a grab for him.

Tackling Cattle Prod, Damon gritted his teeth as a jolt went through his side. He sliced upward, catching the man in the shoulder, then nicked his ear.

Blood dripped down onto Damon’s face as he struggled to reposition his dagger. He rolled the man off him, his vision spotting as a fist cracked into the side of his head. Cattle Prod jumped to his feet, kicking any part off Damon he could reach.

Rising up on his knees, Damon drove the dagger into the man’s groin.

Cattle Prod dropped, gagging, his eyes bugging out of his head. His lips moved, incoherent sounds coming out as Damon knocked him onto his back. Freed the dagger, and buried it in his chest.

Not the cleanest kill, but it’s done.

Glancing over to see if Lux needed any help, Damon bit back a laugh.

Yeah, he was already finished with his man, flecks of blood spotting his cheeks like freckles as he sat on the ground in front of the white dog’s kennel, urging him closer with his fingers between the bars. “Hey, baby. You’re such a good boy, yes you are. Come here, it’s okay. That bad man won’t hurt you ever again.”

“Lux, you shouldn’t be doing that.” Damon stepped to Lux’s side, moving slowly to avoid startling the dog. “I don’t think any of them can be pets after…what they’ve been through.”

“Some can. He’s gonna be mine.” Lux visibly melted as the white dog cautiously approached him, giving his fingers a tiny lick. “His name’s Awolf and he’s my new best friend.”

“His name’s Wolf?”

“No, Ah- wolf . Like from the bunny scene in Our Flag Means Death ?” Lux sighed when Damon shrugged. “We’ll watch it together when we get home…if you want?”

Damon grinned, almost forgetting where they were. Elliot’s little brother wanting to hang out with him was huge progress. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

“Awolf will watch with us. He’s gonna get all the treats and snuggles and I’ll make sure he forgets this place.” Lux inhaled roughly and stood, drawing his hand back. “I won’t be long, sweetheart, I promise.”

Grabbing Damon’s hand, Lux dragged him to the side of the kennels, where there was a hose laying in a puddle on the ground. He turned it on, rinsing his hands and face before motioning for Damon to do the same.

No explanation was needed. If they found anyone in those containers, the blood would freak them out. They’d need to be kept quiet until the retrieval team showed up.

Without the two guards to worry about, getting to the containers was pretty straightforward. The lock wasn’t an issue either, Lux taking out a small toolkit from his pocket and making quick work of picking it.

The first container was empty, though from the blankets lying around and the smell, it hadn’t been.

In the second…Damon had to fight tears as he took in the sight.

Seven kids, the oldest no more than twelve.

None of them were moving.

“Please…” Damon stopped short when Lux put a hand on his arm. “They can’t all be—”

“We’ll check, okay? I’ll have the team come in anyway.” Lux’s eyes glistened with unspilled tears. “There’ll be…families out there, missing them.”

Once Lux sent the text to Gerard, he and Damon checked all of the bodies. There was nothing left to save. They moved on to the last container.

Quiet sobbing, followed by an urgent ‘Hush!’ almost dropped him to his knees with relief. He didn’t know what the script was when handling victims, but he couldn’t say nothing.

Crouching down, he met the eyes of the little girl who was curled up in a threadbare blanket, closest to the opening. “It’s okay, you’re safe now. But we need you to be quiet for a little longer. Someone’s coming to get you to bring you home.”

Hand covering her mouth, the little girl nodded, tears streaking the dirt on her cheeks. She crawled over to the huddled group of five kids, repeating his message.

Lux gave him a shaky smile, speaking in a whisper. “We have to close this up so no one knows we found you, but it shouldn’t be long. The guys will look like soldiers, and they’re big and scary, but they only hurt bad guys. There’s a woman with them. Ms. Traci. She’s just as scary, but super nice.”

That got all the kids really excited.

“I had a teacher named Ms. Traci.”

“Can we go home now?”

“ Shhh! ” The first little girl held her finger to her lips. “Quiet, remember?”

Closing the container, careful not to make a sound, Damon turned to Lux when his phone buzzed.

“They’re about five minutes out.” Lux’s lips slid into his sweet, kinda creepy smile. “Now comes the fun part.”

Lux’s idea of ‘fun’ and Damon’s were very different, but Damon couldn’t deny some fucked up anticipation at the idea of ending every single asshole inside that warehouse. What they were doing to the dogs was already horrific, but leaving those kids in that container to die?

He didn’t give a fuck if most of them were clueless.

Guilt by association was a good enough reason for him. Those children would never have real justice. Nothing could give them back what had been taken—not even for the ones who’d survived.

Another text, this one to Elliot. There was no reply, but the screams coming from inside as they reached the warehouse said the message had been received. Shoving through the doors, Damon didn’t get any time to catch his bearings before Lux pounced on the closest man, slitting his throat in one smooth swipe.

Between the brothers, the bodies were falling so fast, Damon gave up trying to keep track of who was where and pulled out his gun. He picked off anyone who managed to make it to the door, but there weren’t many. There were less than a handful of guards inside the building, and none left outside, meaning the weapons were few and far between.

These men and women probably considered themselves tough because of their favorite ‘sport’, but they had nothing on two well-trained mercs. The only thing they had going for them was neither Elliot or Lux seemed to want to take their time with anyone.

It was a complete massacre.

And in less than twenty minutes, it was over.

Coming to his side, Elliot used his sleeve to wipe the blood off his face, gaze searching Damon’s as though trying to get a read on his reaction to the carnage. His lips parted a few times, like he was struggling to find the right thing to say.

“I’m good, my little python.” Damon shook his head as a laugh escaped his lips—definitely not appropriate for the situation, but his brain was having trouble catching up. “Not sure I should be, this is fucked up, but…well, I ditched whatever moral code I had when I helped rob a bank. At least this…this has a purpose.”

Elliot smiled, ducking his head as a crimson droplet fell from his soaked hair to his cheek. “Some might disagree. The whole ‘If you kill a killer, the number of killers remains the same’ thing.”

Brow lifted, Damon tried to figure out where he’d heard the quote. “Who said that?”

Joining them, Lux grinned at his brother, his hair almost the same shade as Tig’s from how covered in blood he was. “Batman. Parker said it doesn’t make any sense.”

“Parker’s a smart man.” Damon turned his back on the mess of the warehouse, walking outside where he could breathe in the fresh air. His pulse beat fast and hard as he stole another glance at Elliot, his shirt clinging to him, his jacket abandoned at some point during the culling. His jeans were still unbuttoned, which brought a surge of rage boiling deep in Damon’s core, but when Elliot lifted the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe his face again with the clean- ish part, the flash of rippling abs made Damon’s mouth water. “Fuck…is it weird that I find you incredibly hot right now?”

Elliot’s smile grew, relief flashing through his eyes. “No, but unfortunately, we can’t do anything about it.” He nodded to the cars surrounding the containers, and the trucks pulling up near the kennels. “The recovery teams are the closest thing to civilians that we have, and we’re not supposed to scare them with our disturbing presence. Gerard expects us to clear out before the cleanup crew arrives, which should be any minute, so—”

“Wait! We can’t go yet!” Lux stared at the team who was moving the dogs from the kennels into crates in the back of the trucks. “They’ll take my puppy!”

Groaning as Lux ran off, Elliot gave Damon a sideways look. “You didn’t seriously let him pick one of the dogs to keep, did you?”

“If I’d tried to stop him, you wouldn’t have a boyfriend anymore.”

“Gerard isn’t gonna like this.”

Chuckling, Damon slid his arm around Elliot’s shoulders as they trailed after Lux. “I didn’t need any more reasons to fully support Lux bringing home his new furbaby, but hey, if you really want to give me one…”

“We should convince him to get a puppy that won’t eat his face.” Elliot sighed, breaking into a jog as one of the workers tried to stop Lux from opening the white dog’s kennel. “Or maybe not.”

Keeping up with Elliot, Damon reached Lux just as a woman crossed over from where the last kid was being bundled up in the back of a car. Dressed in black tactical gear, blond hair pulled into a tight bun, she carried herself like someone who’d commanded troops in battle and wouldn’t have any trouble dealing with any of Eros’ Eight, even on their worst days.

Without blinking an eye, she waved the worker back as Lux pulled out his blood crusted dagger.

“Stand down, soldier.” Her sharp tone froze Lux, and his glare switched to a brilliant smile in the blink of an eye. “You want the dog, go ahead, but don’t come crying to us if he bites you.”

“He won’t, Ms. Traci.” Lux flung open the door to the kennel, dropping to his knees and holding out his arms. “Time to go home, baby boy.”

Thankfully, the dog didn’t immediately jump out and rip his throat open.

But the way it cowered in the back of the kennel, letting out pitiful whimpers, visibly crushed Lux’s tender heart.

Ms. Traci bent down beside him. “He’s young and he’s been through a lot, Orlovschi. Why don’t you come with the animal rescue team so they can show you what he needs? I’ll clear it with Gerard.”

“Really?” Lux chewed on his bottom lip, glancing over his shoulder at Elliot. “Can I?”

Elliot hesitated, then took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes. Under two conditions.”

“I’ll do anything if it means Awolf will be with me forever.”

Inclining his head, Elliot put his hand on his little brother’s shoulder. “You’re moving back in with me and Damon so we can help you with him when he’s ready to come home.” He smiled warmly at Lux’s quick nod. “And whatever credits are needed for his treatment? We’re splitting.”

“Three ways.” Damon joined the brothers, his own heart going out to the poor pup. “It’s gonna add up, but we can get him healthy and happy. Together.”

That settled, Damon waited while Elliot got some reassurances from Ms. Traci—who was Gunnery Sergeant Traci Morgan, a Marine who was part of Nexus and specialized in victim recovery and rehabilitation. The softer sounding name was pretty much for the kids.

Which made her that much more awesome.

When she finished letting Elliot know she’d been updated about the recent losses Eros’ Eight had experienced, and she’d personally see to Lux’s safety, she held out her hand to Damon. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Burrows. I’ve heard great things about you from Virgil.”

“I only heard about you today, but if you make those kids feel safer?” Damon shook Traci’s hand. “I’m grateful to have you here, Gunnery Sergeant Morgan.”

Traci huffed out a laugh. “Just call me ‘Gunny’, all the guys do, except for Lux and Tig.”

“Will do.” Damon laced his fingers with Elliot’s, exchanging a few more pleasantries with the crew who was staying behind, then made his way with his man to their car. “Okay, now that that’s done, I need you to tell me what you need from me. Do we go home and chill? Are you hungry? Music or no?”

Elliot blew out a breath, then slid him a grateful look. “I’ve never had anyone ask me all that. Usually, if I’m not with Lux, I just shut down for a bit. But…yes to the music. I won’t be able to eat until I wind down, though. The most important thing…?”

“Yeah?”

Peeling his shirt away from where it clung to his skin, Elliot made a face. “A shower. I could kill for a very long, very hot shower.”

“You’ll get your shower.” Damon kissed the side of Elliot’s head. “No more dead bodies required.”