"I'm sorry you had to come to a job with us, Teddy."
I raised an eyebrow as I tugged my leather gloves into place. "Don't worry about it, Caleb. You're one man short with André still healing."
Caleb smiled weakly. "It's not going to be pretty."
"I don't expect it to be."
Westley grinned and looped an arm around my shoulders. "Personally, this is exciting. I mean, come on, our boss' boy is a badass."
I elbowed him with a chuckle on my lips. "Shut it."
"S'true, ya know?" Derrion smirked. "You've been training us."
"That's true." I hummed, then leaned into Westley for a moment. "Okay, Wes, run down the situation for me again."
Westley ruffled my hair. "An old dude hasn't made payments in six months. We were told to rough him up a bit and take the best valuables to make profit."
"And this bastard has been going around touching school boys, so we need to rough 'im up a bit more." growled Derrion, and I had a weird feeling in my gut from his statement.
"How'd you learn that?"
Caleb chuckled. "Informants."
I hummed, cracking my knuckles. "All right, you did give the warning. Let's go in."
My black hoodie was obscuring my face and hair, and my sunglasses did the same with my eyes. We were in a more secluded area of suburbia in my hometown, so no one other than the homeowner was aware we were here. The house was a clean, pastel blue hue with white trim and a nice front porch, a trimmed lawn, and a nice garden behind a chain link fence.
Because the gate had been secured with a padlock, I hopped up and swung my legs over it with ease. The others hopped over the fence, their steel-toed boots landing heavily on the grass. I watched the curtains move, so I knew the old man was home. The stairs up to the porch creaked, then Caleb banged on the door.
"Open up, Jones! You owe your dues!"
Dead silence greeted us. I wasn't surprised.
"If you can't open your door in ten seconds, we will bash it down!"
I chuckled and moved Caleb aside as I removed my sunglasses and pushed off my hood. I'm pretty sure I know who this "Jones" man is on a personal level. Time to have some fun.
"Sir," I started in a familiarly sweet tone. "I'm here, too."
We heard a clatter inside and Caleb's eyebrows shot up. He mouthed his question, but I shook my head. I tapped the side of my pointer finger to my lips, so Caleb subtly dipped his head.
"Don't you remember me, sir?" I asked, nearly purring through the door. "I was taken for training to be used in deals."
And that was obviously bullshit to our group, but the debtor on the other side of the door didn't seem to realize it. He rushed for the front door, slamming himself against it. Derrion stiffened behind me.
"Th-Theodore, you're alive?" he croaked. "You're not dead?"
"No, sir. I am very much alive."
"Are you okay? Can you escape?" he quietly asked.
I moved my finger in a circle at Caleb, so he got the hint to continue to play the mind game I was creating. He lightly grabbed me and I made a rather realistic noise of pain, which made Caleb eye me with concern. I gave him a thumbs up.
"Are you sure you wanna talk like that, bitch?" sneered Caleb. "He's ours to control. You want him? Give us the money."
Westley had to erase his shocked expression as clunks and clicks from locks on the door echoed. The older man behind the door paused.
"I-I don't have the money. Y-you can take whatever is v-valuable, but just give me the b-boy."
Caleb gently cupped my throat, so I made a strangled groan slip out of my mouth. "The shit in your house won't cover all of those payments, Jones. You can say hi to the boy, but we're taking him back."
"D-don't hurt him! Please!" cried my college's dean, just as the door swung open.
Caleb gripped my throat to make it realistic, but it wasn't painful by any means. I just struggled weakly and squirmed, knowing that Mr. Jones would be too panicked to realize that I wore a weird outfit for a kidnapped person since it matched with Caleb and the others.
"Theodore!" he cried, rushing towards me.
Derrion slammed his fist into Mr. Jones' jaw, sending the older man sprawling across his wooden floor with a grunt. "Nuh-uh... Not so fast, bitch. You're to stay there while we loot the shit in here."
Caleb half carried, half dragged me over to the living room and took a seat in a comfy-looking armchair. He spread his knees and had my back against his chest. He kept his grip on me, whispering apologies in my ear while he tried to play the cruel kidnapper. I really wanted to laugh, but I kept myself in the mind of a frightened abductee, which made Mr. Jones scared for me. I felt kind of bad, but not that much if he really has been molesting young boys and guys like me since I was that age.
Derrion kept beating on Mr. Jones while Westley made trips in and out of the dean's house with various things our group could sell for a decent amount of cash.
"Why'd you have to d-do this, sir?" I whimpered, then hissed when Caleb's hand on my bicep switched to my inner thigh.
"I-I'm so s-sorry, Theodore. That b-bitch w-wanted alimony and I had no m-money to give. M-my son is too young to w-work!" croaked Mr. Jones, as Derrion kicked him in the gut.
"I heard what they s-said on the w-way here, sir. Is it t-true?" I squirmed, moving around on top of Caleb.
"Wh-what did you hear?"
I bit back my fake moan of pain as Caleb gripped my body. He growled and made it look like he was strangling me for a moment.
"Shut up!" he hissed.
I clawed lightly at his hand, looking straight into Mr. Jones' dark eyes. "That you prey on young boys. I-I wasn't enough for you all these years? I mean, didn't you work really hard with my high school's principal to get me?" I whispered softly, and the world seemed to stop in that instant.
Mr. Jones' eyes widened. Derrion paused mid-strike. Westley stopped in the doorway, deathly still. And Caleb suddenly stood up, setting my feet firmly on the rug. He marched over to my molester, who was shocked by Caleb's actions, and lifted him up to his feet. In an instant, the three guys were pummeling the older man.
"C-call the police!" he cried, begging me with his eyes.
My gaze was ice cold. "Tell me the truth, Mr. Jones. Did you touch anyone else?"
His eyes widened when he realized where I stood. My throat was unbruised, my stance was guarded, and my posture was straight. I wasn't a victim of gang violence.
"Y-you tricked me!"
I stepped over to him and gripped his chubby face. "Shut the fuck up, old man. You've been lusting after my body since I was thirteen. You started touching and kissing me along with Principal Henderson whenever you two had me cornered. Who else has suffered under you?" I growled, my eyes flashing dangerously.
Mr. Jones shuddered but said nothing. I punched him so hard we all heard a solid crack. His jaw hung loose and he screamed, so I punched him again and again, not holding back any power. I didn't know how much time had passed when Caleb grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from my former dean. My jaw trembled as I stared angrily at the unconscious, bloodied man on the floor. My eyes stung with heat and tears, but I held the latter back for later.
I took a few deep breaths, shakily releasing each one. "L-load him into the van for now. We can let Papa decide what to do with him. Make a note to contact this bastard's wife and have her pay off his debt."
Caleb held onto me while I talked myself through the emotional pain. Derrion came over and pushed his fingers through my hair. I shuddered with a deep sigh and he responded with a gentle kiss to my head. Derrion waited for Westley while he repeated the same with me, then helped him with Mr. Jones' body. Caleb never let go of my shoulders.
"Caleb?"
"Just give me a sec," he murmured. "You know that by bringing that bastard back he won't leave alive."
"I-I know." I swallowed thickly. "Papa should still get to make the decision."
Caleb nodded. "I want to be there when he dies. We'll have to grab that Henderson bastard, too. No one touches my family and gets away with it."
I chuckled lightly, feeling much better. "Agreed, Caleb. Agreed."
__________________________
Papa paced his office while I sat on the small chaise off to the side. He had a blank expression on his face, but fury was clearly simmering under the surface.
The news had been told to him by Caleb while I was showering and changing into something comfortable. So when I returned to the office in simple pajamas with the black lion plushie Papa had given me a few days ago, I found him pacing like he is now.
I watched him walk seemingly random routes, but there were distinct patterns. Four long strides to the bookcase, six towards his desk, four to the window, back the way he came, and more. I cuddled with Leo while watching Papa, playing with the soft legs and paws of my plushie.
Finally, Papa stopped pacing. I have no idea how long he was doing it for, but it was over a half hour because I've been in his office for at least that amount of time.
I waited patiently for him to notice my presence, but he had a murderous expression on his face. It was likely that he still wouldn't notice me for a while unless something significant happened. My soft yawn was muffled in Leo's mane as I laid down and curled up. I peered over the black mane at my handsome papa's face again. His golden-brown eyes were dark with absolute rage. His jaw ticked as he clenched it.
I was a bit worried about him getting too stressed, but I was already so tired. I yawned again, a bit louder this time. His right ear twitched and his head snapped around. I blinked, then grinned at him. Papa paused but rushed to my side when I held out my hands to him.
With Leo in my right hand, I rested my left hand on his shoulder and tucked my face against his neck. He took a seat and firmly hugged my upper body to his own. Papa pressed kisses to my face and head—anywhere he could reach, really. He took my left hand off his shoulder and gently kissed my fingertips. I rubbed my cheek on his shirt with a happy purr in the back of my throat.
Papa kissed my knuckles, gently squeezing my fingers. "I am sorry, my little bear."
"What are you sorry for?"
"I wish I could have been there to protect you before those bastards... Damn it!" he swore, unwilling to finish that sentence.
I rubbed my thumb over his fingers as I stared at his pained expression. "Papa, you don't need to apologize."
He bit his lip, then kissed the back of my hand. He flipped it over and pressed his lips to my palm. I giggled when his breath tickled my sensitive skin. Papa placed my palm on his right cheek, cupping my hand with his own. He sighed softly and closed his golden-brown eyes, which had been filled with hurt and pain for my sake.
I squirmed a bit to sit more upright, then gently kissed his cheek. "I love you, Papa. Don't blame yourself. This was not your fault. It was those men's decisions, in the end, to touch me in that way."
Papa's body tensed as I spoke, but he continued to hold me like I was worth more than all the gold in the world. He was so gentle yet firm at the same time. His lips pressed to my forehead again, his deep hum soothing my worries.
"I love you too, Theodore. My precious boy—so sweet, cute, cuddly, loving, and ever so kind." he whispered against my skin. "My baby boy. Mine."
"Yes, Papa. I'm your baby boy." I responded in a softer tone, squeezing Leo to my chest.
Papa relaxed and laid down, moving my body so that I was situated on top of his own. I turned a bit and tucked my head under his chin, then sighed in happiness as he hugged my shoulders and waist.
"I will make sure those sons of bitches get every ounce of payback they deserve. Unforgivable! Harming my boy—my son—is an instant death wish."
"Papa, I hope you won't get worried by my decision, but I don't mind if they die."
"Why would that worry me?"
"B-because I'm really not kind, Papa. I can be really cruel and sadistic."
He chuckled and petted my hair. "I know, my little bear. I have overheard you talking to Aimé a few times. I was quite proud of you."
"Really?"
Papa chuckled. "Yes, Theodore. My baby boy, I might have punished you had you asked to spare those disgusting bastards."
"How would you have punished me, Papa?" I asked with a small grin. "More readings from your journal?"
Papa laughed deeply, his body shaking underneath me. His rumbly laughter was like a reward to me.
"Perhaps, my little bear. But maybe I would have dressed you in baby clothes and stuck a pacifier in your mouth."
My jaw dropped. "No!"
"And then paraded you, my baby boy, around our home for all of the guys to see."
My jaw snapped shut in an instant. "Papa, please, do whatever you want to those awful scumbags."
Papa laughed again, cupping my head while I giggled like a crazy child.
Some laughter and smiles amidst the tears from trauma. Lionel is such a good papa to Teddy. I like the close-knit family relationship Teddy has with the Black Vipers gang, too. It's so sweet.
See you again tomorrow! I love you all very much. <3
- Alessa (Kelpie) xoxo
Updated: 10/3/2023
Word count: 2472