I would be blushing from that little display if I wasn’t so gleefully, vindictively pleased by the apparent aneurysm it was causing for Brian’s parents. I turn my face to his, grab the back of his neck roughly and plant a kiss on his surprised lips.
“Sure thing, sugar daddy,” I wink. With a casual whistle and a spring in my step, I saunter past the Vandmorsons and down the hallway. Young-gi told me which room I needed to find before we even arrived.
“Wh-what is the–he can’t, he–” Brian’s mom grabbed her husband plaintively. Her voice was shrill and unpleasant and filled with even more disgust than her husband’s. “He can’t go back there and be near our son! He could attack him again! Nurse, don’t let that lowlife criminal near our boy!”
“Enough,” Young-gi’s growl stopped them both dead. Not a single staff member moved to stop me as I sailed away from the scene and toward my target. I heard Young-gi’s voice fading as I got farther away. “Sit.”
Shivers roll down my spine and I grin. With eager steps and bloodthirst on my mind, I find my target’s room and pause. A thrill zings through me and it takes real effort to force my shark-toothed smile away. I knock once and saunter through the door, my eyes immediately falling on my prey.
Brian is sleeping on a plush bed, covered in fine, soft sheets. His hands are in casts, and his jaw is wrapped. Young-gi told me I broke his jaw in two places and he’ll be eating through a straw for another few weeks.
It pleases the psycho in me to see him suffering, but I don’t like how comfortable his room is. I don’t like that he’s resting so peacefully, thinking he’s won because he outed Kira and ‘broke us up’.
He shouldn’t get to feel like he won, not for an instant.
I creep closer and lean over him.
“Hey, buddy,” I croon. “Time to wake up.”
Brian’s eyes blink open, bleary and cranky at first, but they focus on me quickly once he processes what he’s seeing. His body jerks at the sight of me, but he can’t get up with his head being held still by some kind of apparatus attached to the headboard. His breathing picks up, but he doesn’t speak–he can’t.
“Hey, man,” I say softly, friendlily. “Been a while. How’ve you been? This is a nice place, my guy.”
Brian makes an odd gurgling sound and his eyes go to the door. I hear a click and find a little remote in his hand. A nurse call button that he’s frantically pressing with his only good thumb.
I chuckle and pull it from his limp grip.
“What, you’re not happy to see me?” I ask. “Or do you need help with something? I could help, you know? I’m a pretty helpful guy.”
He makes some angry, bravado-fueled noises at me, but I can smell fear on him. It smells good. I can’t help it when my facade peels away and my shark smile reclaims my face.
“So,” I say, grabbing his chin in a soft hold. His eyes widen and he holds his breath. “You thought it would be fun to get some revenge on Kira and me, huh? A little spying, a fewpictures posted online, and she’s thrown under a bus, hm? You know she’s shy, Brian. Why would you do that, huh? Look what you’re making me do, here.”
I squeeze his jaw, just a little. Not enough to rebreak anything, barely enough to bruise, but with his injuries, it’s enough to fucking hurt.
He makes a squealing noise and I shush him softly. “Shh, Brian. Let’s not be that way. This brings back good memories for me, you know? I’ve done some pretty fucked up shit to people who deserved it. Right now, you deserve a little bit of shit, okay? It’s just the way things work for me.”
His eyes keep going to the door and I release his jaw with a pleased sigh. “No one is coming, dude. Young-gi is here. He’s meeting with your parents for some kind of weird financial talk. Something about some Italian prince or heir or something that you guys owesomuch money to. The Acardi family? Ring a bell?”
Horror is an all-consuming expression, and I’ve noticed in my life that it comes at the oddest of times. I laugh a bit, and I know I sound unhinged. “Really?That’swhat really scares you? Not me in your room while you’re helpless? You guys must owe him your goddamn souls. Anyway, Young-gi apparently knows him, and Acardi owes him some kind of undefined favor. Be glad that you don’t deserve more than a little bit of shit, Bri, or you’d be dead. But nah, you’ll live. You might even make something of yourself.”
Leaning forward, I lower my voice. “But if you ever come after Kira again, I’ll gut you like fucking pig. You’ll wake up just like this and see me over you, but I won’t have a friendly chat with you next time, Bri. You’ll have a knife in your belly before you even open your eyes. No one can stop me from getting to you, not if I really want to. There isn’t a hole on this earth deep enough to hide from me, motherfucker. I’m letting you livebecause I’m a nice fucking guy, but if you cross me again, if you hurt Kira again, I won’t be so forgiving. Got it?”
His breathing is shaky and fast, and he nods minutely, barely able to move his head at all.
“Good.” I stand up and pat his cheek hard, making him whimper. Then I turn to leave.
He makes a few inarticulate, gurgly sounds at my back, and I look at him over my shoulder.
“What?” I ask, like he can answer me. He just stares at me, silent and desperate. He’s angry, he’s worried. Perfect.
I grin and ask innocently, “Oh, did you want to know what we have in store for you?”
He waits, barely breathing. I could tell him. It might be fun to watch him come to terms with the idea of it. But nah, I want him to stew for a while. I’ll let his parents break the news: that they’d rather bend to Young-gi’s demands and send their son to a strict, isolated reform school than pay back their debts. Brian will be caged for a few years, but not forever. Maybe he’ll even learn a thing or two, and be less of an idiot.
See? I’m not a totally bad guy. He’ll live. Probably. I think I deserve an award for this. It’s for Kira’s sake. I think if she knew Brian was murdered because of what he did to her, she would retreat further from her uncle, and keep more secrets from him. She wouldn’t want to be the cause of irreversible harm. So, he gets to live. This time.
“You’ll see,” I smile at him. I try to look indulgent and kind, but I know I’m deranged. “Bye, have fun!”
