Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

A s Ash rode with Fogg beside him, Gwen’s sweet words spurred him on. She loved him. And now, he was finally going to meet the monster who’d hurt her. Soon, he would make him pay.

Rage, and a frisson of excitement crackled through his veins. They had him in an abandoned warehouse Ash owned near the docks. He’d known it would come in handy one day for something. Admittedly, this wasn’t originally what he’d had in mind.

As they approached the warehouse, a man stepped out of the shadows.

“Alex will take care of the horses and ensure the doors are secure while we’re inside,” Fogg explained as he climbed down.

Ash gave the man a nod of thanks.

“Before we go in,” Fogg said, “I have something for you that I think you’ll like. We found this hanging on the bookshelves in his study, inside that house.” He held up a leather strap. Ash ran his hand along its length, a vicious smile growing on his lips. Perhaps tonight’s justice would be even more poetic than he had imagined.

“This might be one of the best gifts anyone has ever given me. Hold on to it until I need it.”

Inside the large warehouse, several lanterns were lit allowing him to clearly see the scum he’d come for. The man sat on a crate, his hands tied behind his back, two large men flanking him. Ash recognized Brennan, but the other man was unfamiliar. He shot a look at Fogg who gave him a nod of reassurance. This man could be trusted, and understood what he was here for.

“Thank you for bringing him in alive, gentlemen.”

“We didn’t hurt a hair on his pretty little head,” Brennan said. “We left that pleasure for you.” The swine was a bit foppish, truth be told. His too long, curly hair hung over his forehead. He wore no coat or waistcoat, so either they’d grabbed him when he wasn’t wearing them, or they’d removed them, knowing Ash would want to be rid of them anyway.

“Do you know who I am?” the man said pompously.

Ash stepped forward and allowed his gaze to travel over him, derision, no doubt, plain on his face. “Of course I know who you are, Frederick. Or should I call you Gregory, since that’s the name you used on the marriage license? I am glad to finally meet you. You’ve been a hard man to track down.”

“And who are you?” The man sneered. His nasally sniveling voice irritated Ash even more. Ash slowly removed his coat and handed it off to Fogg along with his hat and cane.

When he turned back, he flicked his hand in an upward motion and the two men pulled Frederick to his feet. Ash leaned in close and spoke with a deadly calm. “I’m the man who’s come to deliver your punishment.” Frederick scowled and Ash slammed a fist into his stomach, knocking the wind from him in a whoosh. He groaned, unable to double over because he was being held upright. He coughed and sputtered as he frantically tried to draw in a breath. Ash basked in the satisfaction brought by the panic on his face.

“So tell me, Greg.” He used the name as a taunt. “Why Gwen? Why did you choose her?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ash drove another punch into his stomach. “This will go easier for you if you answer my questions honestly. Now, why did you choose Gwen?”

“Because she looked like my wife.” He struggled to get the words out between his labored breaths.

“There, see? That wasn’t so hard.” Frederick flinched as Ash clapped him on the shoulder.

“So, you thought if you made a baby with a woman who looked like your wife, you could more easily pass the child off as your own.”

He nodded, still panting.

“How did you learn about Warwick?”

He half shrugged. “If you visit the right kind of pub you can find anything you’re looking for.”

“Even if that thing is a fake marriage to a woman so that you can abuse and rape her to your heart’s desire?”

“I did no such thing. She was nothing but a worthless maid and I gave her a better life than she deserved.”

Rage erupted inside Ash’s chest. With a roar, he threw his fist into the man’s stomach three times. He reached a shaking hand behind him and Fogg placed the leather strap inside.

He held it up in front of Frederick as the man panted breathlessly. “Do you recognize this?”

“No,” he wheezed.

“Well then, perhaps the sting of it against your skin will jar some memories loose.”

“Untie his hands.” Of course Frederick tried to run once they were loose, but he didn’t stand a chance against those two men.

“I didn’t say you could leave, Greg.”

“You can’t do this!” he shouted, hoarsely.

“I think you’ll find I can, Greg.”

“That isn’t my name! When my father hears about this, you’ll be sorry.”

“Oh, Greg. Do you really want daddy to know what you’ve been up to? If I understand correctly, you won’t inherit anything if you don't produce a son. I’d hate to think what might happen if he learns you’ve been committing bigamy in order to try to deceive him. That would bring scandal down on the entire barony if it got out.”

“How do you know anything about my inheritance?”

“I have people.” He gestured to the other men in the warehouse. “Now, I’m going to be really nice and give you a choice, Greg.” He spoke the words as if he were addressing a child. “Option one, you can cooperate and remove your own clothes, which means you’ll still have them intact to put back on when we’re finished here. Or option two, these men can remove your clothes for you, but I doubt there will be much left of them for you to cover yourself with after they’ve been ripped from your body.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” he snarled.

“Remove the shirt.” The words were quiet and simple. Frederick squealed, and within only a few seconds, his shirt was ripped to shreds on the floor.

His body began to shake violently, his eyes wide with terror. An approving rumble vibrated in Ash’s chest. This was the fear he’d been waiting for. The horror he’d dreamt of seeing in this man’s eyes for far too long.

“Are you going to kill me?” he asked softly.

“Well, Greg, probably not today. And do you know why?”

“W-why?” he stuttered.

“Because Gwen asked me not to. You see, she seems to think that your life isn’t worth blackening my soul for.” Ash shrugged. “I tried to tell her that my soul is already damned, but she didn’t believe me.” The truth was, it never would have occurred to him to not kill the man if it weren't for Gwen.

Frederick nodded insistently. “She wouldn’t want you to do any of this.”

Ash threw back his head and roared with laughter, all of his men laughing with him. “Well, unfortunately for you, Greg, she isn’t here. So I’ll tell you what I am going to do. I’m going to make sure that your body has more marks on it than all the marks you’ve ever given her combined.” He held up the leather strap. “And the ones I make will be permanent.”

He swallowed hard, shaking his head. “Please don’t do this.”

Ash gripped his chin roughly. “What did you do when she begged you not to beat her? Did you spare her?”

His eyes were wide with panic, but his only answer was a whimper.

“That’s what I thought. Now, are you going to remove your trousers, or are they going to go the same way as your shirt?” Ash unbuttoned his own waistcoat as he spoke.

The man began blubbering incoherently.

“Aw, don’t start crying already, Greg. We haven’t even gotten to the fun part yet.” He loosened his tie and handed it and the waistcoat to Fogg.

“P-p-please don’t do this.”

Ash gestured with his chin and the men reached for Frederick’s trousers. He squealed.

“No! I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” The words were a high-pitched scream.

Ash held up a hand to stop them. “You’d better make it quick, Greg. Patience is not one of my stronger virtues.”

To his credit, he did make fairly quick work of getting them off along with his shoes, and then he stood, bawling, in just his underwear.

Ash raised an impatient brow. “You haven’t finished yet, Greg. Do you need more help?”

“No,” he cried as he pushed them down. When he was finally naked, he cupped his hands over his manhood. Ash allowed him that for the moment, even though he probably didn’t deserve the small amount of dignity.

“Why are you doing this?” His voice was unsteady and jerked with his sobs.

“I think we’ve already established that, Greg. These are your consequences for what you did to Gwen. For the pain and torment you caused her.” He held up the leather strap again. “Do you recognize this yet?”

He nodded shakily. “Yes.” The word came out as a desperate whisper. He seemed to hope that if he was honest, he might escape further punishment.

“Good. Then you’ll know what comes next.”

He started shaking his head frantically. “No, don’t do this.” He took a step back, but two sets of hands immediately stopped him.

“Are you going to lay yourself over this crate, Greg? Or do they need to help you?” Ash removed his cufflinks and began rolling up his black sleeves.

Sheer panic set in then and Frederick began to scream. “No! Don’t do this!” He swung his arms and struggled against his captors, his efforts utterly pointless. He kicked his feet and jerked wildly as they forced his naked body over the crate. Ash delighted in every moment of this man’s anguish. This was how he’d earned his reputation in Raven Row, after all. When a person hurt someone he cared about, Ash didn’t waver in dispensing swift justice. And since the person this man had hurt was Gwen, administering his punishment would be especially sweet.

He leaned down and spoke softly into Frederick’s ear. “Can you imagine how scared she must have been when you forced her to submit to your beatings time and time again? Beatings from a man who’d convinced her he loved her. A man she trusted.”

Ash straightened. The leather strap sang as he swung it forcefully through the air. It licked across Frederick’s back with a sharp crack and a scream ripped from his throat. He repeated the action several more times, each resulting in a similar scream. Every lash brought Ash a sort of ruthless joy. This man, this monster, had hurt his angel.

He stopped and leaned down to speak into the man’s ear, once more. “You see, Greg, Gwen was, and is, under my protection. No one hurts someone I care about without paying for it.”

“I’m sorry. Please, no more,” he begged.

“Oh, we’re just getting started, Greg.” Ash stood and flicked the strap across his flesh again. “By the time I’m finished with you, there will be stripes all the way from your shoulders to your knees.”

He sobbed and struggled fruitlessly against the men restraining him. Ash continued to swing, stroke after stroke, letting all his rage pour out of him through the strap. As the lashes moved lower on Frederick’s back, the two men shifted his body making it easier for him to continue his flogging. He didn’t feel an inkling of sympathy as he laid down marks across the man’s backside. If anything, he was even more heavy handed on that part of his anatomy because of the memory of the marks he’d seen on Gwen.

True to his word, Ash didn’t stop swinging until he reached the bottom of the man’s thighs. The entire back side of his body was bloody and raw. Angry welts, many of them oozing blood, streaked over his skin. He wasn’t even fighting anymore. Perhaps he’d fainted. Ash looked down at his face. No, he was conscious. His eyes were open, at least, and his chest was still heaving, so he hadn’t died.

Ash was also breathing hard from his exertions, his right arm growing weak with exhaustion. He’d savor the soreness from this for days to come.

“I should force myself into your body now, like you used to do to Gwen after you’d finished beating her.”

Frederick finally gasped.

“I’m not sure I have the stomach for it, but maybe one of these other gents?”

Brennan stepped up and kicked the man’s legs apart. “I’ll do it, boss.”

“There, you see? Now that’s loyalty.”

Frederick started screaming again. “No! Please no!”

“Get him up,” Ash ordered. He wasn’t in the business of rape. Not even with scum like this man.

They hoisted him upright, holding his weight since he didn’t seem capable of keeping himself up.

“Here’s what’s going to happen, Greg. You and your wife are going to leave this country. I don’t care if you go to the continent or to America, hell, I don’t care if you go to Africa, but you are no longer welcome here.”

“I can’t. I can’t do that. How am I supposed to do that?” The quiet words were meant to be an argument, but there was no fight left in the man.

Ash shrugged. “That’s not my problem, Greg. The choice is yours, but I’m going to be keeping a very close eye on you, and if you’re still here at the week’s end, I will come for you again.” He grasped the man’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. “Next time I won’t be nearly so nice. Do I make myself clear?”

He nodded, tears streaming down his pathetic face. “Yes.”

“Yes, my lord,” Ash corrected.

Frederick’s eyes bulged, his brow furrowed with confusion as he slowly repeated the words. “Yes, my lord.”

“If I ever hear that you have done anything to harm another woman, that day will be your last. Is that clear?”

“Yes, my lord,” he said again, his voice cracking.

With a nod, the two men let him go and he crumpled where he stood. “These men will give you fifteen minutes to get your clothes and get out of my warehouse. If you’re not gone by then, they’ll drag you out and dump your naked body on the docks.”

Ash turned and walked out into the darkness. Except it wasn’t complete darkness. He’d been in there longer than he realized. The sky was beginning to lighten and the sun would be dawning within the next hour or so. He closed his eyes and inhaled a long breath, slowly blowing it out. The man had been punished and administering it had been exactly the sweet catharsis his soul had craved.

Fogg stepped out of the warehouse and placed a hand on Ash’s shoulder. “Better?”

Ash nodded, and handed over the leather strap, a satisfied smile turning up his lips. “That felt good. I needed that more than you can imagine. Thank you for facilitating all of this.”

“Of course, Ash. I may do stupid things occasionally, but my loyalty will always be to you.” He began unrolling Ash’s sleeves and replaced the cufflinks. He tied his tie and buttoned his waistcoat before holding up Ash’s coat.

“I appreciate you, Fogg.” Ash slipped his arms into the garment as Alex approached with their horses. “Make sure someone stays on him. I want to know exactly when he leaves the country and where he goes.”

Fogg nodded and handed him his hat. “They won’t let him out of their sight until I tell them otherwise.”

“I need to get back to Gwen. She’ll be worried about me, I’m sure.” Taking his cane from Fogg, he climbed into the saddle and they started for home.

“Did I hear you tell her you love her?”

“Yes.” He let out a sigh. He didn’t doubt that it was true, but what was he going to do about it?

“Is she really the reason you didn’t kill the bastard?”

Ash nodded. “That’s the other thing she said to me before we left.”

Fogg chuckled softly. “I never thought I’d see the day that you, Ash, would be brought to heel by a woman.”

Ash shrugged. “Neither did I, Fogg. Neither did I.”