Rough Boys Ch. 11

This is a copyrighted work of fiction. All rights reserved.

All characters engaged in sexual acts in this story are at least eighteen years of age.

Warning: this chapter contains extreme violence and sexual violence; please read at your own discretion.

****

"Hey, Kae! It's great to see you!" Dani swung his front door shut and drew Kaeden close for a tight hug. "This is a surprise."

"Sorry I didn't call first," Kaeden said, pulling out of the hug to look at Dani. "I really wanted to talk to you in person."

Something's amiss. Dani scrutinized Kaeden. "Wow! You look fantastic. Did you get that outfit in Paris?" Kaeden's tight skinny jeans were stonewashed and decorated with rips and rhinestones. He was wearing high-heeled, black pumps and a short-sleeved button down white shirt with a pattern of turquoise doves flying across it. Turquoise jeweled earrings dangled from his ears, tinkling slightly when he moved his head.

Kaeden smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes, it's new. We did a lot of shopping in Paris. The earrings are real aquamarine." He fingered one of them lightly, a faraway look in his eyes. "He bought me lots of stuff—you should see the gorgeous boots! They're high-heeled, over the knee, with lots of buckles, in cognac leather, and I got this unbelievable long leather coat in the same color. It's too hot to wear them yet. Usually I love summer, but now I can't wait for the weather to cool down!"

"I'm sure," Dani agreed. His eyes met dark almond ones. Even Kaeden's excitement over his new wardrobe couldn't hide something uneasy lurking in their depths. Something is definitely wrong.

"Sit down. Can I get you something to drink? I want to hear all about your trip."

"Just water, thanks." Kaeden perched on one of the stools at Dani's counter. Dani fetched a glass of water for Kaeden and grape juice for himself. He took a seat next to him and took the Asian boy's hand in his own.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

Kaeden let out a big sigh. "I have bad news," he said. "Actually two different pieces of bad news."

"Uh, oh." Kaeden had Dani's full attention now. He tensed, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, first, Yoshi and I broke up. I mean, we ended the exclusive. I don't think I'll see him again."

"Oh, Kaeden, I'm sorry! What happened? I thought things were going well with him. Except for that one time when he was drunk, he was great, wasn't he? He took you to Paris and all."

"Yeah, it was mostly really good." Kaeden let out a regretful sigh. "But I guess he wanted more than I was willing to give."

"Really? That's surprising." Kaeden was one of the most sexually uninhibited people Dani had ever met. He couldn't imagine him balking at something ... unless maybe Yoshi was into inflicting pain.

"Actually, I know he wanted more than I was willing to give." Kaeden took a deep breath and a small giggle came out of his mouth. His eyes were still sad though. "I can just imagine the look on my face when he asked me. He shocked the shit out of me!"

"What? What?" Dani was dying of curiosity now.

"He wanted to fly me to Sweden and pay for me to have plastic surgery."

"Huh?" Dani raised an eyebrow.

"He wanted me to get boobs, Dani! He wanted to turn me into a she-male."

"No!" Dani was having a hard time wrapping his mind around what Kaeden had just said.

"Yes!" Kaeden nodded emphatically. "I know—crazy, huh? I thought he was joking at first, but he was totally serious. He wanted me to get big boobs."

"Wow!" Dani didn't know what to say.

"Ugh! I can't imagine!" Kaeden shivered. "I mean, I like dressing like a woman, but I don't want to be a woman. I like my body the way it is."

"No kidding. Boobs. Damn! So that was the end then? When you told him no, he ended the exclusive?"

"Sort of. Actually it was kind of mutual. I was pretty freaked out that he wanted me to do that. He was terribly disappointed that I wasn't willing. He was very sweet about everything and treated me well until the very end. Luckily he didn't bring up the boobs thing until our last day in Paris, otherwise I think the whole trip might have been ruined. As it was, the plane trip home was a bit uncomfortable. But he's a sweet guy—just into things that I'm not."

"So, what are you going to do now? Are you still going to work for Sal?"

Kaeden sighed. "I think so. I'll at least go on a date or two and see what it's like. I should probably start thinking about getting a real job, though. I don't think I'm cut out for this long-term."

"I don't think anybody is," Dani said sympathetically. "Hey, do you want to move in with me? You could probably get a job as a barista or a waiter or something to tide you over until you figure out what you want to do."

Kaeden glanced around Dani's apartment. It was looking good now that he'd brought all his stuff from home. "I don't know, Dani. Your place is really small."

"I'm almost never here anyway. I usually spend the night at Nigel's." That wasn't strictly true. Nigel spent the night with him a lot too, but they could change that if Kaeden moved in.

"I'll stick with Sal for another few weeks and see what pans out."

"Well, the offer's open."

Kaeden drank some of his water and set the glass back down, turning to Dani with solemn eyes. "How long has it been since you've seen Ty?"

Alarm bells went off in Dani's head. He had already been worrying about Ty. It had been too long.

"It's been almost three weeks since he's come by. I've been out looking for him. I don't think he's sleeping under the bridge anymore. Both his and Trish's blankets are gone. Why? Do you know something?"

Kaeden's eyes darkened.

Not Ty! Oh God! "What's happened?"

"Tommy said he got a call from Sven. Apparently Ty came by the back door of The Shay Shay club and tried to get in. Sven said he looked terrible—like he was strung out."

"Oh my God, Kaeden!" Dani cried. "How could that happen? Last time I saw him he was doing fine. Well, he was drinking too much, but I don't think he was doing hard drugs."

"Sven also said he looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks."

"He hasn't come by here at all—not while I've been home anyway. I've been really worried about him—for good reason, I guess. We need to find him!"

"Yes, we do. I'll help you look."

****

"I still can't believe that asshole stole all my shit!"

John eyed Tim warily. That was a really stupid thing for Ty to do. You don't want Tim as your enemy.

"When I get my hands on that bastard, he's a dead man! And I will get my hands on him!" Tim's eyes glinted with something almost feral.

John shivered involuntarily and covered his unease by shaking his long dark hair off his broad face.

"What do you want us to do?" Brady asked.

"Find that fucker. He's probably not that far away—living on the streets somewhere. Fucking $350 worth of shit! I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!"

****

Abe stopped cold and listened.

"Ty!"

There it was again. Someone was calling Ty's name. He whirled and ran toward the voice. He could hear it more clearly as he closed in. Turning down an alley, he saw an attractive blond man, calling Ty's name.

Abe slowed to a walk and approached him carefully.

"Hey," he said, stopping when he got close.

The blond looked at him in surprise and took a half step back with a small gasp.

Abe sighed. He had that affect on people. But before he could assure the young man that he meant him no harm, the blond smiled at him.

"Abe?" he asked.

Now it was Abe's turn to be startled. "How do you know my name?"

"Ty talked about you."

"He did? You know Ty?"

"Yes. We're friends."

"Is he okay? Where is he?" Abe's initial euphoria at having a connection to Ty faded when he took in the expression on the young man's face. "You don't know where he is, do you?"

"No, but we're all looking for him now—Tommy and Kaeden and me. I'm Dani, by the way. Don't worry. We'll find him."

Abe shook his head. "I've been looking for him for months and haven't seen him once. I think he knows how to hide when he wants to. How long has it been since you've seen him? How is he?"

"It's been three weeks and he was fine the last time I saw him, but I'm not sure he is anymore. A friend of a friend saw him a few days ago and said he looks bad." Dani didn't want to tell Abe that Ty was a junkie. He wasn't sure he believed it himself. Maybe Sven was wrong.

The look in Abe's eye told the story of his wounded heart. His voice faltered as he asked, "Bad? How bad?"

He really cares for him, Dani realized. He laid a hand on Abe's huge forearm. "I don't know. But, we'll find him soon! If we don't find him today, I'll get Nigel and Sean to help too, tomorrow."

Who are all these people? Abe wondered. Then he thought to ask Dani a question he'd been asking himself, "Do you think he'd come if he heard me calling?"

"I don't know," Dani said truthfully. "I think he's afraid of you."

Abe body jerked as if he'd been shot. He took a deep, shuddering breath and looked at the ground, not able to meet Dani's eye.

Damn, Ty! He clenched his fists.

"I never meant to hurt him! I drove him away when he really needed me." Abe had regretted that misplaced kiss every day since Ty had left.

"Abe, it's not your fault!" Dani still had a hand on Abe's forearm and now he shifted it down to pat Abe's hand comfortingly.

"Ty would have left anyway when he found out you were gay, and you couldn't have hidden that from him forever."

Abe met Dani's eye. He almost couldn't ask the next question, but he had to know. "Does he hate me?"

"No, Abe! He doesn't hate you. I think it's more the opposite. He's not afraid of you personally. He's afraid of his feelings for you."

That had occurred to Abe as well, but he hadn't allowed himself to hope. Now, heart beating wildly, he asked, "You think he has feelings for me?"

"Yes, I do. Most definitely. You should hear the way he talks about you."

Abe's spirit soared. Damn, Ty! I want to see you so bad! He swallowed the lump in the back of his throat.

Dani went on. "I think he cares about you a lot, but it's been drilled into him that homosexuals are an abomination. He's having a hard time accepting that some of his friends are gay. His prejudice is not something he can easily dismiss. His father...." Dani trailed off when he heard Abe's growl. It was a low, dangerous sound. He looked at the big man with trepidation, withdrawing his hand from Abe's arm.

Fucking Iverson! Abe tried to calm himself. He knew that Dani had noticed the fury in his eyes, noticed the way his whole body stiffened when Ty's father was mentioned. He wasn't even aware that he was growling.

"That man is an abomination," he spat.

Dani nodded, still eyeing Abe warily.

"I'm sorry," Abe said, trying to pull himself together and sound normal. "I can't think of anything nice to say about him, and there's not too many people I feel that way about. In fact, I think he's the only one." He took a deep breath, his mind still focused on the object of his fury. Not able to be swallowed back, his thoughts burst forth.

"He tortured Ty! Drove him out of his own home to live on the streets. I'll never forgive him for that!"

"Yes, I know," Dani said quietly.

This turn of the conversation reminded them both of the urgency of finding Ty.

They quickly exchanged phone numbers. Dani explained the search pattern that Kaeden had designed for them. Abe agreed to focus his search in a specific area for the next day or two. They promised to call each other every day until they found him. Dani seemed to think they would find him momentarily. Abe had almost given up hope.

When they went their separate ways, Abe moved on to his designated search area with renewed faith and determination.

****

"That kid you're looking for?" John said quietly into his phone. "I've found him."

"You've found Ty?" Tim shrieked. John pulled the phone a little away from his ear. He could still hear Tim clearly. "Where is that mother fucker?"

"He's sleeping in the alley just West of Maple, between Eleventh and Twelfth."

"Got it! Brady and I are at Red's Alehouse, so we can be there in ten. Keep an eye on him. Make sure you don't lose him. Don't try to approach him though. Brady says he's got some moves; he'll escape if we're not careful."

"Sure thing. See ya soon."

John moved back to the entrance of the alley where he could see the kid sprawled on the cobblestone next to a wall. He looked rough. He wasn't wearing shoes or a shirt. His leather jeans hung off his too-skinny frame. His normally beautiful hair was lank and greasy, hanging over his face. He was filthy, especially his hands and feet. He had smudges of dirt on his chin. Even sleeping, which it seemed he was, he had a slight frown on his face.

Poor kid, John thought. He was such an innocent that first night I met him. Now look at him. And Tim is on his way to fuck him up some more. He had stolen Tim's drugs though. There was no denying that; he had to pay.

A few minutes later John saw Tim and Brady coming quickly up the street. He stepped around the corner, out of view of the alley, to talk to them.

Tim was agitated, bouncing up and down on his feet. His expression was grim. Brady had a huge grin on his face. It figures. This is just the type of thing Brady likes. John didn't like violence, but he knew it had to be done. You couldn't let people get away with stealing—word would get out and your reputation would be shit.

"One of us needs to go around and make sure, if he runs, he doesn't get away at the other end of the alley," Tim said.

"I'll go," John volunteered.

"You sure you can handle him?" Brady asked. "He's fast. He might be able to duck by you."

John pinned Brady with a hard stare. "I can handle him."

"Okay, we'll wait 'til we see you at the other end before we approach him."

****

Ty wasn't asleep but he wanted to be. He was miserable. Sleep was the only way he could escape from the nightmare of his waking hours. But sleep was not coming to him this evening. It wasn't late yet. It had only been dark a few hours, he thought, but he wasn't completely sure. Time had become twisted for him. Sometimes the nights seemed to stretch on for eternity. Sometimes the days were over before he knew it. He had long since parted with his watch—traded it for a beer. He remembered that ... vaguely.

He heard a scuffling sound like small stones being disturbed on the brick. At first he ignored it, but it happened again, closer. Could be rats, he thought with a shiver. He opened one eye and was instantly wide-awake. Tim and Brady were advancing on him fast. Brady had a switchblade in his hand.

Ty had thought of death often lately—thought that it might be preferable to life. But faced with imminent painful death, his survival instincts kicked in. His head was suddenly clearer than it had been in weeks as adrenalin pumped into his system.

Fucking son-of-a-bitch! They're gonna kill me!

He leapt to his feet, glad that his backpack was already on his back. As soon as Tim and Brady saw that he was moving, their need for stealth disappeared and they picked up speed. Ty lost no time in watching them. He ran as fast as he could the other direction, sharp stones biting into his bare feet.

As he approached the far end of the alley, John stepped out of the shadows.

"Stop right there!" his command rang out. His stance caused Ty to pause. Light glinted off something metallic in his hand.

Ty knew that Brady was not too far behind with a knife. He sought a way to dodge past John.

"I'll shoot your fuckin' kneecap," John threatened, his voice low and even, his hands steady on the weapon.

Fuck! A gun!

Registering what John held, Ty stumbled and stopped cold. He could feel his heart pounding. His breath came in erratic pants. His insides iced over, as if his internal temperature had suddenly dropped to minus 200 degrees Kelvin.

He met John's eyes briefly. They were cold, unwavering. He lowered his gaze to the ground.

There is no getting out of this now. I'm in for some serious pain.

As these thoughts ran through his head, they jarred loose a memory of the last fight he'd had with his dad. He had felt the same way then. Hopeless. There would be nothing to do but endure and pray that he survived. Except this time, he wasn't sure he wanted to survive.

"Great job, John!" It was Tim's voice behind him. Ty didn't move.

"I didn't know you had a gun," Brady said.

"You don't know everything about me."

"Hello, Ty," Tim's voice was chilling.

Unbidden, Ty's feet shuffled around so he faced Tim. He glanced at Tim's face.

The older man's eyes were emotionless. Brady was smiling and his eyes were filled with what Ty could only describe as bloodlust.

"Get his backpack," Tim ordered in a quiet voice.

Brady's smile widened as he approached Ty. He grabbed Ty's arm firmly and suddenly kneed him in the balls.

Ty shrieked as blinding pain shot through him. He went down fast, curling into a ball and moaning in agony.

Oh fuck! Oh fuck!

He was barely aware of Tim chastising Brady. Someone pulled his backpack off his back. He was incapable of resisting. He was incapable of thought. He knew only pain.

"Holy shit, look at his back!" Ty identified the voice as John's on some level, but the conversation seemed distant, like it was taking place in another room. There was a loud roaring in his ears.

"Fuck! He's into some kinky shit!" That was Brady's voice. "Hell, I want to whip him like that. Get him all hard and horny and bloody."

"Shut the fuck up." Tim sounded irritated.

Ty heard the sound of a zipper and was vaguely aware of things falling around him. Tim had opened his backpack and dumped the contents out.

"Well, here it is," Tim said, picking up his little black bag. He opened it. "As expected. It's fucking empty."

Ty heard a quick step and Tim yelled, "You little shit!" A booted foot slammed into his side and he cried out again, softly. The pain in his ribs now competed with the pain in his balls for focus.

I deserve this, Ty thought. If I'm stupid enough to do drugs ... if I'm stupid enough to steal from my dealer ... I deserve this pain.

These thoughts were different. With his father he had always thought, "Why me? What did I do wrong?" This time he knew it was his own fault. He'd screwed up royally.

"Get him up," he heard Tim growl.

Strong hands grabbed both of his arms. He was hauled to his feet and held tightly between John and Brady. If they hadn't been holding him, he would have gone down again. His feet didn't seem to want to support him. He curled forward against the pain.

"Why'd you steal my shit and run?" Tim's face was near his.

Ty focused on breathing. He closed his eyes and tried to make his mind leave his body. It was a technique he'd used when his father beat him. Sometimes it helped.

"Answer me!" Tim yelled, grabbing Ty's hair and pulling his head back. "Look at me!"

Ty opened his eyes to see Tim's angry face just inches away.

"Why'd you steal my shit and leave?" he asked again, pulling painfully on Ty's hair and giving his head a shake.

"I ... I didn't want to give you a blowjob," Ty answered in a small voice.

"Fucking cunt!" Tim yelled. He followed his words with a hard punch to Ty's stomach.

Ty doubled over, making retching sounds.

"Pull him up," Tim said. "I want a shot at his face."

Brady and John manhandled Ty into a mostly vertical position. Tim hauled back his fist and punched Ty in the jaw. Ty's head snapped back. Before he could recover Tim hit him again in the face. And then again.