Dating Rules And Pretty Fools – Ch. 28
By Laura S. Fox
Copyright © 2024 Laura S. Fox
All Rights Reserved
Gay Erotica
Intended for Mature Audiences Only
This story will contain graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, strong
language and it is not meant for readers who are less than 18 years of age.
Consider making a donation to Nifty by clicking the little blue button
on the front page, as they help us all enjoy so many great stories, while
aiding authors like me to display their work.
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Rescue Me
Keres had taken it upon himself to feed him and give him
water, and Otis had obeyed without protest, even if the water from the plastic
bottle in the man's hand had shaken enough to make most of it spill over his
chin and down his shirt. He didn't like it when things got messy, but his need
to straighten up his clothes and change into something else had to be reined
in. There was no change of clothes available for him. He wasn't at home, but in
the hands of a dangerous person, who could change his tune at any moment.
"Let's get you cleaned up," Keres ordered after brushing his
gloved hand over Otis's mouth a few more times to remove some wayward crumbs.
Otis had only nibbled at the food, his stomach too tight to
accept anything beyond a few bites. He knew that trying to force too much into
his belly would only lead to stomachaches and he intended to avoid anything
that could make him less fit for the self-saving operation he was trying to
concoct in his weary mind.
He accepted the offered hand and walked behind Keres like a
child.
"Can I have a pair of socks?" he asked meekly, not as much
because he wanted to assure his captor that he had no intention of getting
away, but because he still felt faint from the lack of nourishment and water
endured over what felt like more than twelve hours. Maybe sixteen. More even.
Having no sense of day and night added to his confusion even more.
Keres looked at him and then down at his bare feet. Otis
curled his toes into the carpet as if making such a futile effort was enough to
protect the patch of skin visible from any bad intentions.
"You have lovely feet," Keres said. "I will kiss them for
hours. Before I break each and every one of your little toes." Everything that came
out of the metallic throat sounded even, without any inflection, but Otis
already knew his captor better than that. Keres looked forward to doing all
those horrible things to him. He was excited at the prospect, while Otis felt a
cold chill running down his spine. He had to have faith. He hadn't despaired
before, and he wouldn't start now.
There was no offer of socks, and Otis didn't insist. They
walked out of the room and down the corridor until they reached what had to be
a bathroom. The small room was cramped and had only an open shower.
Keres helped him out of his clothes, and Otis had to fight
the need to limit how much the gloved hands touched his bare skin. When
otherwise violent people chose kindness, it was better to sit still and do
nothing in an effort to avoid their wrath. He stood under the warm spray,
accepting the way he was being stared at. At least, Keres didn't seem keen on
getting wet, and that worked to his advantage. Otis could truly use a break
from feeling his skin crawl with apprehension. He hadn't quite gotten that
expression when he had learned it for the first time, but it made sense now.
The sensation he was experiencing was like that of a thousand creepy crawlers
moving all over his skin.
"Such a lovely human being you are," Keres commented as Otis
washed himself thoroughly. "You were made for me to love you."
When hateful people used words like `love', it didn't mean
anything. They had to be pitied. They had no ability to feel love, whether it
was directed at them, or if they imagined they cared for someone else. That
thing about pity, Otis didn't understand it. He felt no pity now.
***
Hudson listened as the door opened but made no move to show
that he was awake. It was better to pretend as much as possible with this
bunch.
"Rise and shine, future stars," Watkins announced in a
cheery voice that grated on Hudson's nerves.
The guys began waking up slowly, and Hudson made a show of
stretching and yawning, although he hadn't been able to sleep for more than a half
hour at a time. His fractured sleep had everything to do with his worries about
Otis and what these people might do to him.
"You," Watkins said, pointing at him, "the boss wants to see
you."
Hudson worked a kink in his neck and grimaced. "Can I
freshen up first?"
"No need for that. Move."
He followed without saying a word. He didn't like it when
something happened that he couldn't make sense of. Watkins was right behind
him, pushing him in the direction he wanted him to go. Jackie tried to tag
along, but Watkins stopped him and sent him back to his chores, barking orders.
Keres was inside one room that must have been reserved to
act as sort of a temporary office, and Hudson took his time looking it over,
while the big boss appeared engaged in a long phone conversation.
"Yes, I know it is a bit of an inconvenience, but something
came up."
Hudson was all ears, even if his eyes were busy looking
bored while taking in his surroundings. Keres finally finished his conversation
and then placed his gloved hands on the large desk, linking them tightly.
"You wanted to see me, boss?" Hudson asked, standing with
his feet apart and his arms crossed to show that he wasn't the kind to be
easily intimidated.
"Yeah," Keres said and added nothing for a while.
"Well?" Hudson asked as the silence stretched. Watkins
wasn't saying a word, either. Hudson threw him a short look and got nothing in
return.
Keres moved slowly, putting a hand in his pocket and then
removing something from it. When he placed the thing on desk, Hudson felt his
gut twisting. Nonetheless, he lifted his gaze to give Keres a confused look.
"Should we call the only number stored in the phone's
memory?" Keres asked.
How had that gotten there? Hudson's mind raced with various
possibilities. He hadn't dropped it, not in a million years. Had someone stolen
it from him? But who? Jackie? No, that couldn't be, right? Angel, then? He
looked like the kind of guy who wouldn't mind searching other people's pockets,
and when he had been in Jasper's room, he had taken off his jacket for a bit.
It didn't matter. It could be an exact copy of the kind of
burner he used, but he didn't see Keres as the type of guy to bluff.
He shrugged. "Why are you asking me?" He looked again at Watkins;
his eyebrows raised in lack of comprehension. "What's going on?"
"Let's see," Keres said and initiated the call without
removing his eyes from Hudson.
The call connected on the second ring. But only silence
followed. Gavin wasn't born yesterday. For long seconds, nothing happened. And
then, a click. The call ended.
"So strange," Keres commented. "But silence is also an
answer, isn't that how the saying goes?"
Hudson shrugged again. "I don't understand."
"Oh, really? Isn't this yours?" Keres pushed the phone
toward him, but Hudson made no move to pick it up.
"No. Mine is this one," Hudson said and pulled the other
phone out of his jeans, making sure to keep the same look of surprise on his face
all the time.
Keres made a gesture for him to hand it over, and Hudson
walked to the desk and placed it there.
"You took some very interesting pictures," Keres commented.
"But they're not on your phone, I bet. Not on your camera, either. Not anymore.
And yet, somehow I got my hands on them. You've been keeping things from us,
Vegas. Or should I call you John Adam? That is the name you used to sign with
us."
"We're in the entertainment business. I bet Angel's real
name isn't Angel, either," Hudson said with a shrug. "What pictures are you
talking about?"
Keres gave him a long look. "Not the easy to forget kind. I
must say, I was impressed from the start. I'm a pretentious man. Very few
things appeal to my tastes. But I saw an angel, a real angel, and my heart
skipped a beat, as they say in cheap romance novels nowadays."
Hudson kept his eyes looking straight at Keres, as every
muscle in his body tensed. He couldn't show it. He knew what pictures that
vicious dog was talking about, of course. The pictures he should have never
taken. Regret was a bitter dish.
"Well, Mr. Adam," Keres said, "I'm happy I got the chance to
see them." He leaned back into the chair and stared at Hudson, long and hard.
"Not happy that you kept them for yourself, but since you're in my employ,
they're not really yours, are they?"
"I'm not sure I'm following, and I still don't know what
pictures you're talking about. Before Mr. Watkins here came to offer me a job,
I was in contact with dozens of models. I have no idea who caught your eye."
When Keres tried to smile, his face was straight out of a
nightmare in the minutest detail. "I doubt it. I think you know who I'm talking
about. Your boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" His throat was so tight he had to struggle to
keep his voice sounding normal. "I don't do boyfriends."
Keres reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, the one
next to the heart. For a moment, Hudson had a vision of pulling the beating
organ out of the asshole's chest and feeding it to him so that he could poison
himself with his own darkness.
Keres pushed the printed photo toward Hudson. "I'm talking
about him."
He didn't have to look to know, but he did look anyway.
Otis's half-closed eye was staring at him. At the time the photo was taken, the
eye had appeared full of wonder, but now Hudson could only read reproach in it.
You didn't keep your promise.
"That is my neighbor," he said and frowned slightly. "What's
he got with do with your business here, boss?"
"What a question. Don't you have eyes, Mr. Adam?" Keres was
using his fake name as a means to get him riled up. Were they still trying to
figure out who he was, were they still in the dark? Hudson wasn't so easy to
read, or so he hoped. "He's perfect for our opening act."
"I'm pretty sure he's not into this kind of thing," Hudson
continued the game. Was Keres the cat, playing with the mouse before striking the
deadly blow? His burner was on Keres's desk, out in the open, but his gun was
still strapped to his ankle and he could feel it, its
reassuring heaviness.
"He can't not be," Keres said. "But you're right. That's why
he's a keeper. No, please, allow me to correct that. I will be his keeper."
"He is quite the prude," Hudson argued. "You won't be able
to convince him."
"Prude, you say?" Keres leaned over the desk to stare at the
photo. "He doesn't strike me as that at all. But of course, his beauty is pure,
and justice has to be observed and credit given where due. As for his possible
rejection of my offer, you don't have to worry, Mr. Adam. He's already
convinced."
"Is he going to be here for the opening?" Hudson asked, his
fingers fighting the need to reach for the photo and snatch it from underneath
those predatory eyes.
"He is here already. A perfect beauty," Keres commented.
"There will never be another one like him. He will become mine truly. Ah, and
we thought you should know. The premiere is tonight."
"Tonight? But I haven't even sent out--"
Keres waved impatiently. "You were never in charge of the
real thing, Vegas." He was Vegas again. What did it mean? "The premiere is
tonight, and I will start my work on my beauty. Dismissed."
Hudson's mind was reeling. He made a move to take his phone,
the regular one, but Keres stopped him. "There's also a new rule. No phones
until after the premiere. Security issues."
"Okay." Hudson moved his hand away. "Just asking. Is this
rule only for me?"
"No. No one is allowed to use a phone until further notice.
Wasn't I clear the first time? Dismissed."
Hudson turned on his heel. Why were they doing this? Was his
cover blown or not? He couldn't call Gavin or the captain to let them know what
was going on. Whoever had gotten into his phone had to do a pretty good job at
hacking. Gavin's number had been the last he had called. It had never been
listed to be called at a simple touch of the screen.
The game of cat and mouse was on. Hudson had no hope that he
wouldn't be followed and every move he made watched and every word he said
listened to. Once he was out of the room, he allowed himself one breath. Just
one. The countdown had started, and he needed to find a way to let his people
know of the change of plans and to find Otis before it was too late.
***
"What's happening?" Jackie greeted him the moment he was
back. "They took our phones and it's going down today?"
It seemed that everyone had been informed while the big boss
grilled him. Hudson nodded with a grim look on his face. His freedom of
movement was limited, but maybe now was the time to take Jackie up on his
earlier promises.
"Can you get into a room? If I told you which one?"
"Just because I'm a thug, you expect me to know how to pick
a lock?"
"Can you?"
"Yeah," Jackie said, his lips pursed. "What the heck is
happening? I'm not doing shit until you rope me in."
"I'll have to make myself scarce. My cover's as good as
blown, although they don't have all the facts," Hudson shot the words out like rapid
fire. "And they have Otis."
"What the fuck?" Jackie hissed at him. "How is that even possible?
Are you going to leave me here? And what do you mean, your cover is blown? How
come you're walking still? And Otis?" Questions were tumbling out of the young
man's mouth, questions with no easy answers.
"They might have nothing against executing a bit of a manhunt
on the premises," Hudson said. "And I'm going to give them one, but first, you
need to get Otis out. No one's going to look at you. At least at the moment. I
need you to be quick."
Jackie's eyes were darting to and fro. "Man, this shit is—okay,
I'll do it. Which is the room? And what am I supposed to do with him?"
"Tell him I'm watching over him, over all of you. But I
can't be close, not right now. That's what they expect of me. But you're a
whole different story."
"I don't know about that, but heck, it's high time for me to
be a hero, right?" Jackie's eyes shone in the artificial light hanging above
their heads. There were no windows in most of the rooms.
"Don't do that. Just be careful. Extra careful. And don't
look back once you get out of here. I'll take care of the rest, I promise. You
take Otis and run. That's all you have to do."
"Okay, okay," Jackie mumbled as if he were trying to
convince himself that he could do it. "You take care, too, Vegas. Okay?"
Hudson only nodded shortly. He knew in his bones that he'd
been given a short reprieve the same way hunters let their prey entertain the
thought of getting away only to release the hounds later.
***
Otis shivered as he lay on the mattress wearing nothing.
Keres had left him without his clothes and there was no blanket in the room so
he was trying to preserve body heat by curling into himself. At first, he
didn't hear the door, so someone's voice calling at him in a whisper took him
by surprise.
"Jackie," he muttered when he saw who it was. "What are you
doing here?"
"Babe, there's no time for twenty questions. Come with me.
Vegas told me to grab you and run."
Otis scrambled to his feet and hurried to take Jackie's
hand. It could all be a ruse, and some unspeakable horrors waited for him
behind that door, but staying cooped up in that room while being so cold and
confused could make him go mad.
"Who's Vegas?"
"I think his real name is Hudson. Come on, babe, it's your
neighbor. And your boyfriend," Jackie added. "Let's go."
"I'm naked," Otis pointed out.
"That's crappy, and we have no time."
Jackie took off his jacket and put it around his shoulders
and then pulled him along. They were out in the hallway, and Otis felt his
teeth starting to chatter as his bare feet touched the cold floor. It didn't
matter. He was out of that room, and while he couldn't see the way out, as
confused as he felt, here, in the hallway, he felt freer than inside.
He hurried to keep up with Jackie, even if he had cramps in
his calves preventing him from walking at full speed. Jackie was fast and held
his hand. Both of them had clammy hands, Otis realized. But what was he saying
about Hudson? Why would he be here? Why was he called Vegas?
Jackie was right, of course. This was no time for questions.
He didn't even dare to look behind them for fear the scarred man would appear
out of thin air and chase them down.
The light outside was so bright, it took him by surprise. He
blinked a few times and walked close to Jackie.
"Come on, come on, where the hell is that car?" Jackie
mumbled under his breath.
They went around a corner and Jackie stopped abruptly.
"Fuck."
Otis didn't condone cursing, but this was the sort of
situation where it was warranted.
"The place is swarming with them," Jackie said under his
breath. "We need to find another way to get away."
They turned and walked straight into the man named Watkins.
Otis felt his gut sinking at the sight of the cruel eyes set on him.
"What do you think you're doing, Jackie?" Watkins hissed. He
grabbed Jackie by the arm and shook him.
"What the heck is my boyfriend doing here, boss?" Jackie
retorted and shook the man off.
Otis observed the scene, pulling the jacket tighter around
himself. Could he make a run for it while Jackie distracted Watkins? But they
were in the middle of nowhere--
He froze as someone pushed him from behind. There was a
thing, cold and hard, jabbing him in the ribs.
"Jackie, you need to shut the fuck up," Watkins said. His
voice was low and menacing.
Otis couldn't understand a thing. The man behind him,
someone dressed in black with a mask on his face, was holding him now.
"What the fuck is going on?" Jackie asked through his teeth.
"Is that a gun? Hey, man, not cool. Stop threatening my guy like that."
So, Jackie knew Watkins, but he didn't know these were the
bad guys? Otis wanted to grab his head and scream in fear and confusion. He
took a deep breath. He wouldn't lose his mind.
"This is more than you can handle, boy," Watkins warned
Jackie. "And since when do you have a boyfriend? Never mind. He belongs to the
boss. Now, shut the fuck up and follow my lead. The boss can't know about you
taking his precious angel out for a walk."
Jackie had a wild look on his face. His hair was glued to
his forehead, and he appeared to be just as confused as Otis. Even more. And
more scared, as well.
"You understand, good. Now, we need to make sure no one
talks."
Otis didn't understand what was happening. He only saw
Watkins pulling something from his pocket so fast it happened in the blink of
an eye, and then a whistle-like sound flicked through the air. The man in black
holding him fell off his feet, as if he were a puppet on strings, and someone
had just cut those.
"What the--" Jackie choked on his own words. "You killed
him!"
That was obvious but had to be said at the same time, Otis
realized. No matter how many times Jackie would repeat the same thing, it
wouldn't make it sound any more real. Otis stared at the crumpled shape on the
ground and began shaking.
"Grab him," Watkins told Jackie and gestured with his long
barreled weapon.
It had to be a silencer, Otis thought dimly, all his
thoughts a tight coil of more and more confusion.
"Don't make me tell you twice."
"How are you going to explain this?" Jackie pointed at the
dead person, his arm shaking violently.
"I won't have to. There will be enough bodies to get rid of
by the end of tonight. No one will notice this one is missing."
Otis felt his throat constricting. Oh, no, it was coming,
and he couldn't stop it. Numbness stretched from his feet now glued to the
ground up and up, along his spine--
"What's wrong with him?" That was Jackie's voice.
He could hear everything just fine. He just couldn't move or
react in any way. And his scared mind could bang against the confines of his
skull to no avail. He should have stopped it, but he hadn't been able to.
***
He noticed a barrier made of black cars preventing anyone from
going into or out of the premises. In all truth, he hadn't expected to be
allowed to walk out of there, no questions asked. Or no shots fired. The
security detail was a lot more extensive than he had expected. Those were
people with shotguns and rifles, so out of the ordinary for a bunch of bouncers
hired to keep an eye on clubgoers, even if it was that kind of club.
Good thing he had mapped out the place before, although his
gun seemed no match for a dozen or so people armed to the teeth. Hudson pressed
his back against a stack of old pipes, considering his options. Was there a way
to sneak out? By now, Jackie should have gotten out of there with Otis,
although something in his gut was telling him that might not be the case.
If they were guarding the back the same way they were
keeping watch on the front, it wasn't going to be child's play to waltz out of
there, especially with a rescued hostage in tow. Hudson counted on Jackie being
resourceful, but now, he had his doubts. He hadn't expected the people with
shotguns and rifles.
He looked out from behind his hiding place. The barrier
split to admit another string of black cars. Hudson observed as passengers
emerged from those vehicles, the armed men treating them with the sort of
courtesy that could only mean one thing.
Those had to be the guests. They all wore masks, even as
they emerged from their cars. There were both men and women, and they appeared
dressed for a special ocasion such as the premiere of a movie. Some walked in
pairs, some alone, but they were all accompanied by one or two people with
guns.
Why were they there so early in the day? It wasn't even
noon. Hudson took a moment to think. His theory about the manhunt appeared
sounder and sounder by the moment. He took in the tall wall on his side. He
could attempt to climb it, but it would make him a clear target, and he
couldn't risk it.
Unless they were too busy with the guests. He moved closer
and then he noticed the metal coils and barbed wire mounted on top. Those
hadn't been there before. Hudson crouched and searched the ground for a pebble
big enough to work. He aimed at an angle that wouldn't reveal his position and
threw the small stone with as much precision as he could. The wires flared at
the impact, and there were a few shouts of surprise from the arriving crowd.
Hudson wasn't surprised to hear the couple of shots that
followed. They confirmed his suspicions.
He would be hunted. What they probably didn't realize was
that he didn't plan on letting them catch him.
***
The world continued to happen, to move outside of him. Otis
knew his head lolled to one side, but he couldn't straighten it up even if he
wanted to. It was as scary as ever. It was also his way of protecting himself.
"Oh, great, you broke him," Angel said from his left.
"Although I guess he was broken anyway. That's just swell. One's a vegetable,
and one's a nutso that doesn't move or blink. I hope the third number is better
than these two."
"How the fuck are you not freaked out by this shit?" That
was Jackie, somewhere to his right, his voice strangled by fear.
Angel laughed, the sound ugly and harsh. "I suppose your
uncle thought you needed protecting from this stuff. He even planned on sending
you home before tonight."
"The boss just freaking killed someone," Jackie muttered
under his breath. "Right in front of me. Bam. Just like that. And stop calling
him my uncle, I don't whore myself out to him like you."
"Oh, baby, so you don't know?" Angel laughed again. "There's
just one reason the boss keeps you around, although you're dumber than a rock.
You shouldn't even be here, but the big boss wants your ass for some reason."
He tsked as if he couldn't believe Jackie was so silly not to understand the
situation.
Otis registered the details, the tone of voice each of them
used.
"Angel, we need to get the fuck out of here. This shit is
weird as fuck. Why are so many people with guns all over the place? Let's take
Otis and Jasper and make a run for it."
"Don't be stupid. And you and me, we're fine. No one's going
to hurt us. These two, however, they'll make an awesome opening."
"The hell you talking about?"
"You really don't know, do you? Damn, you make me want to
pat you on your empty head in pity."
"What am I supposed to know? Have you noticed that they
locked us in here? We're not safe, Angel. This place is fucked up. And--why the
hell are you laughing? You wrong in the head or something?"
"I don't understand how you've managed to stay so blind to
everything all this time. Let me spell it out for you, Jackie. This place is a
different type of wonderland than what you know. Hell, it's different from
everything you've ever seen in your life."
"Stop taunting me and talk," Jackie said.
"Well, where should I even start? You see, I'm on the inside
and always have been. It's true that I thought in the beginning that you
wouldn't last long until the boss told me you're kin."
"That's bullshit. He would've told me if he were my uncle.
Why hide it?"
"Aww, boo-boo, are you going to cry? Because he doesn't need
a soft underbelly, you dummy. And seeing how you're not the sharpest tool in
the shed, he decided not to tell you so that you wouldn't yap your mouth all
over the place like an idiot. Frankly, I believe you grew on him in time. At
first, he told me you wouldn't be sticking around too long."
"You're full of shit. Stop talking," Jackie whispered.
Otis could tell there was real pain in Jackie's voice. He
would have offered a kind word, but he couldn't move, let alone talk. He was
inside that safe coccoon that wouldn't let anything happen to him.
"Oh, but now you've got me going," Angel taunted. "The boss
must have had some revelation that he doesn't want to die in a home for old
people and somehow imagines you're going to be the guy that will drive him to
the doctor and change his diapers when he's too old to do all that for himself.
I have my doubts about that, but what do I know? I have no family left."
"For real? I thought you still had your old man." Jackie spoke
quickly as if he wanted to escape from there by talking.
"He wanted me to stay at home and straighten my ways. I
don't think I meant to hurt him that badly, but heck, he started it. And it
looked so much like an accident that I didn't want to spoil it for everyone
else who got so excited over his little freakish mishap. Falling from his
tractor right into his own bush hog like that, tsk, tsk."
"Now you're talking out of your ass," Jackie said, growing
more and more agitated judging by the way his voice sounded.
"Maybe, who knows? But let me tell you this, Jackie. This
guy here won't survive the night. They're going to take him apart, little by
little, enjoying every second of it."
"Stop talking, that's not true," Jackie moaned as if in
pain.
"I've seen it before, my little silly boy. But you were
blind to it all. Like when you were trailing after that guy all your waking
hours... What did they call him? Sweetheart?"
"Don't you dare," Jackie growled like a wounded animal.
Angel laughed. "You were so heartbroken after, thinking that
he left without even giving you his number. Damn, you were so cute and dumb. So
many times I wanted to tell you--"
"Tell me what?" Jackie's voice was low and deadly now.
"That it was my greatest pleasure to look him in the eye as
he kicked the bucket. Yeah, I did it, Jackie. It's because of me your precious
Sweetheart doesn't call."
A shout and the sounds of a struggle followed. It all
happened outside his field of view. He couldn't turn his head, couldn't cry,
couldn't help.
Otis felt a small tremor growing in his right hand, his
fingers tapping, spelling out the letters one by one in a language he believed
no one else knew. It didn't matter; no one was coming.
But hope died last, always. So his hand jerked to the rhythm
of its own accord.
Rescue me. Rescue me. Rescue me.
TBC
If you enjoy this story and you want to support me while writing it,
please join my Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/laurasfox
My patrons receive early access to chapters for ongoing works, sexy
extras, and complete books.
Patrons who join my Plot Whisperers tier can also participate in shaping
the stories I write through voting on polls and participating in open discussions,
while enjoying more extra content.
The last novel I offer all my patrons is called The Unattainable
Mr. Fairworth, it is a cozy small town love
story about two men who had a crush on each other in high school and meet again
fourteen years later.
If you're interested in discovering my entire catalogue of books, you
will find it on Smashwords.