Voyeur Ch. 09

An efficient killer; taller and stronger than himself. All Ray lacked was ambition. But he was unfortunately beyond the age of being told what to do, and Logan had to tread carefully.

"Alight, I'll bring it up again next year." Logan finished off his beer, narrowing his eyes at Ray's rigidity. "Ok, you've been strange since I arrived. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing."

"You know I won't leave until you tell me."

"I want to be gay with you."

Logan threw back his head with a laugh. "You need to get laid."

Ray's glowered at his cider. He had to get rid of Logan so he could continue to get laid.

Logan cocked his head. "Fuck, I haven't seen you in pyjamas since you were thirteen. What's going on?"

"Your imagination is in overdrive," Ray said dryly.

"I know; I'm your fucking brother. Are you having a nervous breakdown?"

Feeling his façade unravel, Ray rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm on a job."

"Why didn't you say?" Logan replied, astutely appraising Ray's crumpled bed shirt. "You look like you're on vacation."

Ray shrugged again.

"Oh, come on," Logan scoffed, pushing his seat back but making no move to rise. "You don't trust me? Who helped you set up the basement of this house?"

"It's not that."

"Wait a minute." Logan's eyes shrewdly narrowed. "You're working? You've got someone downstairs?"

"No."

Logan laughed scornfully. "You always forget I can tell when you're lying."

Ray grit his teeth. "Just leave it, ok?"

"This secrecy is mind-blowing. Come on, show me what you got down there. I'm guessing it's their last days if they're in the basement."

"I'd say it's permanent," Ray said evasively, his mind in damage-control. He was unprepared. Unarmed.

"Ok, I can't handle this mystery. Lead the way."

Ray angrily bit his lip, but he knew his brother's tenacity. If Logan's curiosity wasn't appeased, he would find a way into the basement, whether it was an hour later, or weeks later in the dead of night.

They may as well have it out now, in the open where Ray could keep his eyes on him. Or fight him on even ground. Ray was taller and more muscular, but Logan fought dirty.

"Don't scare her." Ray felt stupid saying it aloud, but he had to.

"Her?" Logan purred, a curious spark lighting his green eyes. "Is she a hottie?"

"Whatever she is, you can't touch her," Ray said sourly. "I'll get you a mask."

Logan rolled his eyes. "If she's seen your face, it won't matter if she sees mine."

Ray paused, distracted by an early memory of deciding to let Rachel see his face without knowing if he'd have to kill her for it. The staggering realisation of how far his mindset shifted in a matter of days.

"Aha," Logan smiled arrogantly. "So, she's seen your face. Interesting."

Ray almost swore aloud, wishing he could take the butt of a rifle to Logan's gloating smirk. Instead he clenched his jaw and silently went downstairs. He knocked loudly, giving ample time for Rachel to prepare.

"What a gentleman!" Logan mocked.

Ray slowly opened the door and Logan leaned against the frame with a sinister wolf-whistle.

"Hey, sugar." He cocked his head at Rachel's wide-eyed bafflement and stepped into the room. Ray quickly followed and stood between them.

A low chuckle escaped Logan. "Relax, Ray. I always wondered if you were human. She's purty. Can I spend some time with her?"

"No. Out. Now." Ray grabbed Logan's jacket sleeve and pulled him into the stairwell, slamming the door and locking it again. "We need to talk."

"Alright, alright," Logan snickered as they entered the kitchen. "Even when we were kids, you never shared your toys."

"She's not a toy, Logan."

Logan flung himself into a seat at the table. "Whatever. Just don't tell me you've fallen for some skank."

Ray unwittingly hesitated, and Logan straightened with astonishment. "What the fuck, Ray? Are you insane?"

"Calm down, I'm not in love with her!" Ray growled.

"I knew something was wrong the second you opened the door!" Logan sneered. "I just never thought this was possible! You may as well hold a fucking rose between your teeth!"

"You're being ridiculous."

"So, what is she? Your girlfriend? As in, a girl who understands what you do and accepts it, or is she a job?"

"She started out as a gig-"

Logan was on his feet. "She's fucking grey-area?"

"Stay out of this," Ray warned, his temper flaring as Logan shed his leather jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves. "What are you doing?"

"I'm fixing your problem, before you ruin your life!" Logan snapped, and held out his hand. "Give me a gun."

"No."

"Ok, I have one in the car."

Ray's eyes blazed. "Don't interfere, Logan."

"You done the grave test?"

"Yeah. No problem." Ray immediately regretted his answer. Seeing the unimpressed look on Logan's face, he closed his eyes and braced for an argument.

The mythical 'grave test' was mentioned in passing to new recruits and joked about among veteran assassins. It was a theory about unique occasions a killer may be at their wit's end about a target; doubting their ability to go through with a kill.

The conflicted one would dig a real grave with intent. They'd picture going through with the murder and imagine dropping their lifeless victim into the hole. Then they listened to their gut.

"You did the grave test over a girl?" Logan clarified with disgust.

He was revolted, horrified and ashamed of the change in his brother. Ray had opened the door looking like a fucking stay-at-home Dad. Of course, it was about a woman.

But Ray was always so fucking level-headed. He didn't have time for dating or girlfriends. Logan never had to worry about anything like that spoiling his agenda. And now, out of fucking nowhere...

"It's not a problem," Ray snapped.

"You don't know what you're doing, little bro," Logan jeered, pointing to the doorway. "The bitch will ruin you. How could you be so stupid?"

"My life is none of your business," Ray retorted, briskly blocking the doorway and crossing his arms.

"It is when you're my brother!" Logan barked.

"I'm warning you." Ray spoke quietly, and Logan knew he was deadly serious.

"You'd turn on me, over a girl?" he breathed.

"My job is to keep her alive, and unharmed," Ray firmly lied.

"Right." Logan crossed his own arms, his eyes again cynically raked Ray's comfortable clothing. "You're looking kinda casual for a man on the job."

"I can't relax in my own home?"

"NOT WHEN YOU'RE WORKING, YOU DON'T!" Logan roared. "Don't pull bullshit wool over my eyes! I've seen this happen before and it always ends badly!"

"You need me on your team, but suddenly I can't handle one girl? Doesn't add up, does it?"

Logan's smile was ugly; eyes bright with rage. "Go on, kid. Get it out. Say what you want to say."

"I want you to leave me alone."

"After you give me the girl."

"What's the problem, Logan?" Ray challenged, his heart pounding with black anger. "Be transparent, for once. You're not worried about me. You're threatened by her."

Logan gave a short bark of laughter. "I'll have to go a few rounds to determine what kind of threat she is."

"You know what I mean. You're scared I'll settle down."

"I didn't see a ring on her finger," Logan shot back. "And you'd have to be a complete imbecile to give up-"

"Stop." Ray took a deep breath, staring into his brother's eyes. He leaned forward and spoke very slowly.

"I am not joining your squad, ever," he said with soft hatred. "It doesn't matter if I'm single, gay, or married with ten kids. I am not changing my mind."

"You, stubborn bastard!" Logan turned away, incensed. "Whatever. Take your time. But that girl has to go."

"You're not listening."

Logan looked back at Ray's fierce expression and shook his head. "Please, Ray. Give her to me. I won't do it here. I'll fix it off the property."

"No."

"Goddamnit, I taught you better than this. I never thought I'd have to talk sense into you."

"I said, 'no'."

Logan smacked his lips thoughtfully. "And if I promised not to rape her?"

Ray bared his teeth. "Get out."

"You're a fucking mess. I can't let you do this to yourself."

"Get out."

Logan incredulously shook his head. "You know I'll come back."

"And you should know I'll put a bullet in you before I let you touch her," Ray countered, shocking himself. Did he really mean that?

Logan smiled coldly. "Got it, kiddo." With a heavy sigh he sauntered to the kitchen table and picked up his keys. "Guess I'll see you around."

Ray stonily watched his older brother stroll from the room. He didn't move until he heard Logan's car drive away.

Then Ray paced the kitchen in a panic. He had to get Rachel out of there. Sneaking her out in the dead of night would be a mistake, Logan would anticipate it. There was no time to wait; the longer they stayed, the closer Rachel came to certain death.

Ironically, Ray realised his cocky claim to be able to protect Rachel from any danger was about to be tested. Strenuously. The challenge was serious. It wasn't about personal risk or unwanted feelings or coercing a reluctant girl to tolerate him. Now, it was a matter of keeping Rachel alive.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" he said savagely.

It was true, he normally ignored his brother. Logan was also ex-forces, five years older, and groomed his baby brother since they hit puberty, mentored him through black ops and then guided him out of it.

Logan had big plans for Ray; bigger jobs, skilled teamwork, espionage at the highest level. High stakes and steeper payoffs. Ray stubbornly refused the offers; he preferred his stealth existence.

But it was such incredibly bad timing for Logan to show up unannounced. Ray was always partial to a bit of 'cat and mouse', but Logan was different. In the scheme of that game, Logan wasn't a cat. He was a panther. And they were clashing for the first time.

Ray retrieved Rachel from the basement and guided her into his study.

"On my knee, hon."

Brimming with questions she was afraid to voice, Rachel awkwardly settled in his lap, avoiding the handgun caught between the waistband of Ray's trousers as he adjusted

with his arms around her to reach his keyboard. Ray was unbothered by Rachel's nervous gaze on his face; he was busy logging in to check the perimeter. It was nice to have her close.

"Two out in the back," he observed; his voice filled with cold anger as he mistook Ahmed's sabotage for Logan's.

"What's happening?" Rachel ventured in a small voice.

"We have to leave here," Ray answered, busy clicking and typing. "I just need to arrange it."

"Who was that man?" Rachel asked.

She didn't like the way the stranger looked at her, or the fact he wanted alone time. Thankfully Ray seemed to share her opinion.

From the very beginning Rachel concluded Ray was very dangerous. But the new arrival was something more toxic, and she sharply felt it the second he whistled at her.

Ray sighed angrily. "Logan. My goddamn stalker."

"H-He looked like you."

"He's my brother."

"Oh." Rachel couldn't decide if that made the situation better, or worse.

"He doesn't approve of what I'm doing," Ray said tartly, his eyes hardening at the screen. "So, we're going somewhere he doesn't know about. He's always shadowed me, thinking he knows what's best. Has the nerve to tell me I'm making a mistake."

Rachel squirmed, silently agreeing with Logan that the kidnapping was a big mistake. Hell, she'd thought exactly that ever since Ray snatched her.

Ray irritably shook his head. "He coordinated my life. I did everything he wanted me to do, except join his stupid troop. I'm fine with how things panned out, but of course the one time I'm fucking happy, he has to tell me it's wrong," Ray muttered, before realising what he disclosed.

Though Ray was generally content, having Rachel on the scene undeniably brightened his existence. It would be difficult to revert back into his lone-wolf, regimented ways if Rachel managed to escape, or was murdered.

Rachel sat frozen, afraid to interrupt Ray's bitter monologue. Her mind fluttered to process his last words. Was he saying she made him happy, or something else? Watching Ray from the corner of her eye, she waited for him to lay blame to someone else for his shitty actions. The 'my parents were absent' speech. But he left it there.

Ray felt a slight weight shift from his chest by venting to a literal captive audience. Though he ever craved company or a sympathetic ear, it was nice to speak certain truths aloud.

"Ten minutes gone and he's already tampering with my alarms. Fucking bastard."

Rachel bit her lip, feeling as though she was witnessing something awkwardly private. She felt like an uncomfortable guest, trapped at a party where bickering family members start airing confronting dirty laundry.

"I could just go home..." Rachel trailed off as Ray's attention left the screen, his piercing stare on her face that quickly turned red.

"Don't even think it. Wherever you go, I will find you," Ray said slowly, his eyes serious. "It doesn't matter where, or who's guarding you. I will inevitably take you back. Trust me, it's not worth the stress of looking over your shoulder until that day comes."

"This isn't fair," Rachel whimpered with despair. She genuinely felt it was fucking unfair. It wasn't like she tempted fate or tested the waters or took a gamble and lost. This guy burst out of nowhere. She didn't deserve this.

"I'm sorry I drugged you, before," Ray brusquely apologised, his eyes back on the screen. "It won't happen again. It was... I regret it." Mostly.

"What was the drug?"

Ray sighed harshly, tapping away at keys. "Something to relax you."

Rachel thought about it. About everything that had happened to her lately. "Can I have it again?" she asked.

"What?" Ray exclaimed, his shock quickly morphing to something more foreboding. "What do you mean?"

Rachel looked down at her lap. "It's the closest I've come to being home again."

"No," Ray bit out. "The answer is 'no'."

Understanding his own temptation to give her the drug for his benefit, it was a different matter if Rachel wanted to mentally escape him so badly that she was willing to jeopardize her health. The girl was shredding his ego, which Ray discovered was quite big ever since she began stabbing it with rejection.

Of course, Ray knew his resentment was nonsensical, but he couldn't help feeling Rachel was being unreasonable. Hordes of girls attempted to date him without success, and here he was, wooing one girl who got under his skin, with no results.

Didn't she understand how hard he was trying? Couldn't she see he was on her side? That he was doing everything in his power to keep her alive?

Ray growled, remembering the deliriously happy grin on her face when she thought he was Ben. Maybe he should have hung back and finished the bastard.

Great. Now he was besotted and jealous. The two pathetic emotions he considered beneath him, until now. Ray jerked irritably at the thought, and Rachel cowered in his arms, feeling the hostile tension in his body.

"Seriously, Rachel, am I that fucking repellent?" he snapped. "Are you trying to humiliate me?"

"What?" she trembled, frightened by the look on his face. "I don't understand."

"Forget it. I'm sorry," Ray apologised, suddenly realising he was projecting his angst about Logan onto Rachel.

"Ray..." Rachel began to plead, but his eyes moved dismissively back to the screen.

"Ok, so I didn't know what I was doing in the beginning," Ray said impatiently. "But I can't describe what it's done to me. My instincts were right. It was a good decision."

Rachel was incredulous. To claim it was a good decision...

You abducted me for sex, left my boyfriend to take the rap, killed three guys and started a war with your psycho brother.

"What?" she frowned as if she'd heard wrong, and feeling slightly dizzy with confusion. "It...It seems more trouble than it's worth."

"No." Ray pursed his lips and shook his head. "It's been worth it."

Sighing despondently, Rachel's attention followed Ray's and her eyes widened. "Y-You're booking flights?" she choked.

"Private charter. Don't worry about it. By the time he...We'll be far away."

"Where?"

"Shh, hon. I have to concentrate."

Rachel felt sick. Not knowing where she was now was bad enough, but soon she'd be even further away from Ben. "I don't want to go!" she said shrilly.

Ray's arms tightened at her sides, and he pressed a distracted kiss to her temple. "It'll be fine. Relax."

That word again. Feeling increasingly agitated but not knowing what to do, Rachel lightly pawed at his chest, her nails catching on the sleek fabric.

Ray smiled at the confirmation. "Knew that favour would come in handy." Glancing at Rachel, he noticed she was quietly crying in his lap.

"Hey. Don't worry," he said lowly, cupping her cheek. The irritability left his face and was replaced with a flirty smile as he began to kiss her mouth, and her tears. "I won't let Logan anywhere near you."

"That's not what I'm upset about!" she exclaimed, turning her face.

Ray shrugged. "Ok. I have to lock you downstairs and pack a few things."

"Oh God, please-!"

"Rachel!" he warned in that blood-chilling tone. "You can fuss as much as you like when we reach destination. But I need you to behave, now."

Ray took her back to the basement and Rachel numbly sat onto the bed. Ray knelt between her legs before she could close them and cupped her face, considering his next words.

"You have to trust me. It's going to be alright," he said gently, holding her stricken gaze. "I know you think I'm nuts, but I'm logical. This is going to work."

Rachel shrank back as the bulk of him edged closer.

"Please, just believe you can trust me," Ray whispered, his eyes falling to her lips.

Resisting the temptation, he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and left the room. Rachel miserably bit her lip, watching the steel door swing closed behind him.

*****

It was never in Ben's nature to kick a man when he's down, but the desire to bury his boot in Marcus' ribcage was overwhelming. If Brian wasn't between them, he would have at least stepped on Marcus' face.

"She's alive."

Brian and Ben spun to see Ahmed standing behind them, pulling off headphones to rest around his neck atop the device strap.

"Who was the visitor?" Brian asked.

"A real ghost. A bad one. We don't have time to use Marcus." Ahmed quickly detached the device from around his neck, tossed the connecting headphones aside and began pulling items from his duffle bag, sweat shining across his scalp.

Brian scratched his head. "But-"

Ahmed was busily assembling a sniper rifle. "Ray's fleeing the nest, and I don't blame him. But he's taking Rachel, and I don't like my chances of tracking Ray when he's on the run. I want to avoid that visitor as much as he does."

"I'm ready. Let's go," Ben said, feeling surprisingly calm. Rachel was alive, and they were so close to getting her back. So fucking close he could almost feel her soft skin in his embrace. And he'll hold her so tightly that she'll never find trouble again.

"Good," Ahmed replied, clicking the last piece in place. "Follow behind me. If you need to speak, tap my shoulder first."

Brian watched them jog away, praying they get Rachel out in one piece, and silently promising to do better if he ever raised another orphan.