Ingrams & Assoc 5: Personality Flaws Ch. 02

April walked towards the stairs, following Kevin up. At the top of the stairs, she was directed to a room at the back of the small corridor.

Kevin opened the door and walked in, followed by April, then Jodi.

The room was dark, and Kevin went to the window and pulled back the drapes, revealing a squalid room, with bare wood floors and a large cage along one wall. In the cage was Lee Hicks.

"This is our toy. He's called Gimp. Isn't that right Gimp?" snarled Kevin.

Lee was lying on two wooden planks in the cage. It was only four feet tall, so he couldn't stand. There was a small bucket at one end, from which some pretty evil smells wafted. Another bowl sat next to it, with water in it. Lee was almost naked, wearing a small, very dirty loin cloth, and a large collar with spikes in it, with a chain that was attached to one of the bars of the cage with a padlock.

His body was covered in welts, half healed and half fresh. There were small wounds, which April thought looked like where cigarettes had been put on the raw skin. He was emaciated, his eyes were sunken and blood shot, and his tongue was hanging out and covered with some kind of white scum. One arm had what looked like an infected cut on it, it was swollen and there were blisters along it.

But it was the expression in his eyes when he looked up and saw April that shocked her most. She'd never seen such an expression of misery and dejection on another human being before. Resigned defeat radiated from him, as he looked at her. Then he looked over at Kevin, and the expression changed, right there and then. Fevered affection, the need for validation and approval, hunger for a good word suddenly appeared. April had never seen anything like it before. Something here was very very wrong.

Kevin unlocked the chain with a key hanging on a nail on the wall - more torture, only of the psychological kind, because Lee could see it but never reach it - and unhooked the cage, jerking Lee out.

Lee tried to stand and wobbled and fell over, his legs failing him. Kevin got suddenly angry and said to Jodi, "Give me the paddle, Jodi" and held out his hand.

Lee whimpered and looked up at Kevin with longing in his eyes - April couldn't decide if it was with desire or dread - or both.

Jodi walked over to the cupboard in the room and opened it, revealing an entire battery of tools of violence - maces, paddles, electric cattle prods, whips, everything was there. No wonder Lee looked like he did, if this was what was being used on him regularly.

Jodi pulled down a paddle that had large metal studs driven into it, and handed it to Kevin with a predatory gleam in her eye. "Give him what he needs, Kev, love," she whispered, before walking back to April and cruelly grabbing a fist full of her hair and yanking her down back to her knees.

"Watch this, bitch. This could be you."

And then Kevin beat Lee. Not just once, but repeatedly, striking any part of Lee's body he could hit. Lee curled up, trying to make the target area as small as possible, but doing nothing else to protect himself. April heard him cry out several times with pain, and something snapped inside herself.

This had gone far enough. These people weren't sophisticates - there were brutal sadists and they had no idea how to care for anyone. Lee was just a target. They got their jollies from beating someone who didn't fight back and April couldn't take it anymore.

Behind her back, she rotated her arms so instead of them being down, with wrists parallel, she turned them so the wrists were along the same axis. It took some doing, because the duct tape didn't want to let them go that way. She had to do it two or three times, to stretch the tape enough that she could move her wrists in any direction and then just pull one hand out of the larger loop she had made. Jodi didn't notice, being so intent on watching the beating.

With one fluid movement, she stood up, and as Jodi turned toward her, intent on disciplining her, April slapped her.

It wasn't just a catfight slap. It was a full on punch level slap. The only difference between a body slamming right hook was the fact that her hand was open and not in a fist. Most people regard a slap as just that, a slap. But a slap with power behind it can rattle someone to the point of insensibility, as April had been taught in her martial arts training.

Jodi flew across the room and collided with the wall, banging her head hard.

"What the fu..." said Kevin, turning towards April and Jodi when he heard the crack of April's hand connecting with Jodi's face.

"What the fuck do you think...?" he exclaimed as he strode towards her, raising the paddle with the intent of striking her.

April responded by dropping to one knee and punching out with a classic karate closed fist straight punch, catching Kevin squarely in the crotch. She wasn't going for his balls, although that would be nice. She was aiming for a dick punch, and with his momentum towards her, and her punch speed, she got it. Bullseye.

Kevin instantly wooshed out air and folded over. As he did so, April smoothly stood back up, raising one knee to Kevin's face, as it was on the way down. His nose crunched nicely against her knee, and blood suddenly spurted everywhere.

Kevin jerked back and hit the floor, completely out for the count. Pausing only to make sure he was lying sideways, so the blood from his nose wouldn't flow back down his air canals and choke him, April turned to Jodi, who was now standing, clutching her face - where a large red welt was starting to appear - and saying, "You hit me? You hit me?" in disbelief, before watching Kevin fall to the ground.

She looked at April wildly, and said, "Why did you hit me? Why did you hit him?"

April snorted and then stepped forward and grabbed a fist full of Jodi's hair.

"Listen, bitch. Now the shoe is on the other foot. If you don't want to find yourself in there," she nodded at the cage, "You'd better tell me what I want to know. Or I'll play with the cattle prod on your tits. Do you HEAR me?"

Jodi tried to nod, but couldn't with April holding her, and instead, meekly said, "Yes."

"Good. Where did you get him?" she gestured at Lee.

"Someone gave him to you. There's no way a two-bit operation like this could get someone like that. Why does he look at you the way he does? Why are you treating him this way?"

"He's dying!" Jodi exclaimed. Her face was already starting to swell from the impact of the slap, and one eye was starting to close.

"That's what they told us. I swear. He's dying, and this is his dying wish. That's why we don't have to worry about marking him. He already has his will all signed."

"Who is 'they'?" demanded April, shaking Jodi.

"I don't know. They answered our ad online, and asked if we wanted a live in sub. We thought it was a joke, but we answered. We had to attend one session with him, at some place down south. Something to do with imprinting or something. Then we could leave with him."

"He's not dying, you stupid cunt," spat April, even more angry now than she had been.

"Either way, he leaves with me. I want details of who you spoke to, and where they took you."

"I don't know. We were in a blacked out van. I just know it was close to the sea. There were seagulls. That's all I know. The email address doesn't work anymore - we tried to ask if he needed medication, but the email doesn't work."

"Why didn't you just ask him?"

"He can't answer. He's a mute." Jodi was getting more and more frightened by the second.

"No he's not. Who told you that?" exclaimed April, savagely.

"They did. I swear. He's never said a word the whole time we've had him", she explained, pathetically, cringing away from April, trying to not get hit again.

April just dropped Jodi disgustedly, pushing her away so she fell on the floor.

She moved over to where Lee was still curled up and crouched over him, not sure how to touch him to not make the fresh wounds Kevin had dealt him worse.

"Lee? Lee? Can you hear me? I'm here to get you out of here. They won't hurt you anymore. Lee? Can you talk to me?"

Lee uncurled a bit, and his head hesitantly raised, looking at April. She could see him trying to form words, but all he got out was, "nahhhhh..."

"Lee, it's ok. You don't have to be afraid any more..."

Finally, Lee got a word out, trying mightily, "No..." then followed up by, "don't... hurt...my... mast..." and then he suddenly started to spasm.

His whole body convulsed, several times, and foam started to appear from his lips. His eyes rolled, and he reached out to April, trying to hold on to her.

She leaned in, as it was apparent he was trying to say something.

He spasmed again, then managed to get out, "Help...me", his eyes imploring her, and then a final larger spasm, and he went limp.

April was horrified. It seemed like some kind of epileptic fit. He was still alive; she could feel him breathing.

She glanced over at Jodi, who was lying on the floor, propped up against the wall, one hand to her face, staring at April and Lee. She looked at April, and saw the expression in her eyes and whimpered, lowering her gaze.

April cursed, and then got up and hurried downstairs, to find her bag and her phone. Pausing only to put her clothes back on, she grabbed her phone and dialed the Ingrams UK office. She hurriedly went through the signal / counter sign and when the operations officer came on the phone, she explained the situation, asking for instructions. April had no idea if she should just call the local hospital, or try to arrange something private through the Ingrams office.

Mark came on the phone almost instantly.

"Give me the run down, April," he asked without preamble.

"I went after Lee Hicks, to see what was going on with him. There's something very wrong here, Mark. He's totally beaten down, and he's just taken it. You should see the state of him. These two assholes have beaten him to within an inch of his life, and he's just had some kind of fit in front to me. Like an epileptic fit. He's unconscious now. There's some non-permanent damage to these two dipshits who had him. I had to take them down."

"Ok April. We have a clinic here in London, but realistically it would take upwards of three hours to get out to you. It sounds like those others need medical attention now. Umm. You are mobile right? Can you get him wrapped up and in your car and get him to us? If you do it, you can be here in way less than three hours. As you leave, you can call the medical services from their phone, so someone can come out and deal with the couple. They don't have any of your details do they?"

"No. They don't even have a real name."

"Ok then. Call nine nine nine - not nine one one - on your way out. Let them explain what happened there. You will be in the clear. Get Lee into your car, make sure he has clothes, in case you are stopped, and then hightail it back here. I'll send you directions to where you need to go and I'll call and let them know you are coming, so they are expecting you. It's a private clinic that we've used before. They know us and know how to be discrete. We good?"

"Yes. Thanks Mark."

"Don't thank me yet. Make sure that Lee is sitting upright in your car, and DO NOT SPEED. There are cameras everywhere and snapshots of you with a beaten up passenger would be hard to explain. Go. Call me when you are on the way, OK?"

"Got it. I'm on it."

April broke the connection and then went upstairs, and found Jodi fussing over Kevin, who was still out, although breathing normally April was glad to see. She wanted to take Kevin down and cause him some pain, but not kill him.

"You, useless waste of space," she hissed at Jodi, who turned to her, eyes wide with fear.

"Get him some clothes. And a blanket. Get him dressed. Now."

Jodi instantly got up, and sparing one glance to Kevin, went to do as she was told. She returned to the room with some sweat pants and a sweat shirt, that the two of them managed to get on Lee's dilapidated body.

Pulling Lee upright, with his arm around her body and supporting him as best she could, April got Lee down the stairs and out to her car, where she strapped him into the passenger seat, while also raising the top of the convertible. She made a point of ensuring that Jodi stayed in the house, in the room where Kevin was, so she wouldn't be able to give a description of her car, or a license plate.

She went back into the house, and wiped down the teacup, which was in fact the only thing she'd touched, with the exception of the front door bell, which also got wipe on the way out. Before she left, she made the phone call to nine nine nine, detailing the situation, and asking for an ambulance. She put the house phone down, cleaned it, and then went back upstairs to Jodi.

"Listen, asshole, this is how it works. You can tell the cops anything you want, but YOU have to explain the cage and the blood in it. You'd better get creative. And now we know you exist. My people will be watching you. Take my advice and get into knitting or quilting or something, because if we see you involved in this sideline again, we'll be back. And then you'll be on the receiving end of industrial strength pain. Do I make myself clear? That website better be down within three days, or I'm back here, and I'm pissed off enough with you already."

Jodi nodded. "Yes, we'll do that. Thank you for calling for an ambulance. Thank you miss..." She almost said "Mistress", which April didn't want to think about right then. She had places to be.

She left, knowing that these two had probably got the shock of their lives, and hopefully wouldn't repeat. Lee might have been irreparably damaged by this experience, and she was going to make damn sure they reaped what they sowed for that.

Glancing over at Lee, as she drove, she studied his face. He was still out, and almost looked at peace. He looked like he was just taking a nap in the car. She could quite see why Rachael had been taken with him, he had a square jaw, and was quite symmetrical. It was a strong face, at least right now, even though he was obviously malnourished and abused.

There was definitely something not right with all that had happened - the expressions she'd seen on his face when he looked at her, and then at his owners were not something she'd ever seen before, and the belied the idea that he was just exploring some new aspect of his id. You don't attach yourself and endure the many beatings he had for that; there was more at root here.

For the first time, April found herself entertaining the prospect that some of Rachael's outlandish theories might actually have some merit. She kept turning it over in her head, and was a little afraid at where some of them lead, if she took them to a logical end.

April dropped Lee off at the clinic that Mark had directed her to. It was located in West London - something Mark called "Arthur Daley Country", which meant nothing to her. The clinic looked well-appointed and orderlies were waiting outside to put him on a trolley and take him in for immediate attention. Mark was waiting in the entrance way for her to arrive, with a concerned look on his face. Both Mark and April stuck around, drinking bad coffee and waiting for the admitting doctor's initial report. An hour later, he came to find them. He was of Pakistani descent, but with a distinct London accent - April was reminded of Dan, who had met her at the airport. So many cultures represented; more even than in the US, but all assimilated and exuding Britishness.

"Well, he's somewhat stable," the doctor, who introduced himself as Tariq.

"He's malnourished, dehydrated, obviously there are skin injuries that you can see. The one on his arm is infected, but antibiotics will clear that up just fine. He's unconscious, and I'm inclined to leave him that way for now. Let him wake naturally. Honestly, the sleep will do him good."

"How long do you think he'll be out, Doctor?" asked Mark, before April could.

"I don't know. He's not just asleep - it's too deep for that. He's not quite comatose, but it's not normal sleep either, so it makes it hard to know for certain. One thing we did notice is that he has calluses on his legs, and his back is bowed. He's not been sleeping correctly, has he? If I had to guess, I'd say he was curled up or something? Is that correct?"

Tariq was looking at the two of them, and April and Mark exchanged glances. April decided honesty was the best policy; the doctors couldn't do their work correctly without full disclosure.

"He was rescued today from two people who thought he was their property," April explained. "It was a perverse domination thing, and he was caged up. They had been informed that he hadn't long to live, so they were more than a bit overzealous in their discipline."

"Oh really?" exclaimed Tariq, obviously unimpressed. "I'd quite like to impress on them some my 'discipline', if I had the time," he exclaimed, obviously unhappy.

April nodded, and reached out a hand, holding his arm.

"They got some, Doctor. Believe me."

Doctor Tariq looked into her eyes and instantly believed her. He gave her a satisfied smile.

"Good. Now, the patient. Well, we haven't found anything life threatening yet, certainly noting overt. We've drawn blood and we'll do the usual screens for cancer, HIV, hepatitis, MS and all the usual suspects. There's nothing immediate that looks life threatening though. I'm more concerned about his mental state than anything."

"Thank you Doctor. We'll leave him in your care? Remember, this needs to be between us. Our company will handle all medical costs incurred. The people who had him might be looking for him, so, discretion is very important here..." Mark was stretching the truth a bit, but all for the better.

"I understand," said Tariq, smiling slightly. "We'll keep him for a few days to ensure he is responding to treatment, and that the blood tests come back clean. You'll have to find somewhere else for him soon though. We aren't a long term care facility here..."

"We totally understand Doctor. Please, let us know if anything changes. I'll have people check in with you tomorrow. Thanks again for your assistance."

And with that, Mark guided April out of the waiting area and towards her car.

"Are you going to tell Rachael about this?" he asked, as soon as they were in the car park.

"Not yet, I don't think. We need to know more. The whole situation stinks. I want to know more about what happened to him. We need to wait till he is awake and talk to him. Speaking of that, did you get the background I asked for on Lee?"

"Yeah, I have it in the car. Let me get it and you can look it over..." yet another infringement on how Ingrams was supposed to operate, noted April.

"Highlights?"

"Nothing that special. We got into his financials - don't ask how - two credit cards in his name - an American Express and a Barclaycard, - everything else is shared with his missus. Nothing obvious stands out. He's had no police involvement - never been arrested. Obviously his military files are mostly sealed. We've got the open ones, but I don't think we want to be caught poking around in their sealed stuff. From everything we've found, there's nothing to indicate he was anything other than what Rachael has led us to believe he was."

"Hmm. Nothing obvious to go on then."

"Not immediately, no. On another subject, I think we've found your girl a date. Do you want to meet him? Give him the once over?"

"Sure. Let's make it somewhere impressive. The Dorchester?"

"Oh Miss Carlisle. I think you are just angling for dinner on an expense account. Can I come too?"

"Don't be silly. Set it up. Tomorrow. 8pm. If you are good, I'll bring you a doggie bag."