Chapter 25

Chapter 25

With the intel from the three henchmen, they found Travis Smith within an hour. He was abruptly hauled away from his hiding place and straight to Fernando's very specialized basement beneath his house.

Fernando had no intention of ever lying to Noel. Not after the suffering that came from lies, the pain they had caused him. So he told Noel his uncle had been found, and that he was being brought here.

Noel only asked him one question. "Is there no other way but to kill him?"

Fernando was compelled to answer honestly. "I'm sorry. For all that he has done to you, I can't let him live."

Noel seemed a little sad, but he gave Fernando a hug, kissed him, and shooed him on. He had lived through too much pain, but still seemed to be mourning the relationship with someone who was supposed to have protected him. Everyone felt some form of grief when relationships broke, but he wasn't stopping Fernando, either, even while knowing what he was about to do.

Fernando took that as his blessing and left Noel and Hunter upstairs, where they were both safe.

Now, to make sure the danger this man presented never came anywhere near his Noel again, that was his next goal. That and to exact some vengeance for daring to lay hands on something he did not own. Fernando had a tally in his head of just how much pain and spilled blood Uncle Travis would need to endure in order to wipe out the red in his ledger.

The man of the hour, with his greasy dark brown hair and wild eyes, was kicking and trying to scream around the gag in his mouth, but it did him no good. He'd been placed in the chair in the center of the room, hands cuffed to the arms. Both of Fernando's men gave a respectful nod before vacating the room. They knew better than to stay.

Travis didn't look good. He stank of fear and sweat, grime in the creases around his eyes and mouth, indicating he hadn't even tried to wash in days. He was too thin, spending money on drugs and gambling when he should have been spending money on food, but that was typical of a druggie and addict. Fernando felt no remorse or sadness for him. Travis didn't deserve pity.

Fernando ripped the gag out of the man's mouth. This room was completely soundproofed, and he had no concerns about Noel overhearing. Besides, for his own anger to be appeased, he needed to hear this man scream.

"Travis," he purred, leaning against his instrument table so he could chat for a moment. Always good to have a talk with his victims, so they understood precisely what sins they were about to pay for in blood. "I'm glad you could join me here. There needs to be some recompense."

Travis was visibly shaking, his bloodshot eyes wide with terror. "Y-you can't hurt me. Think of Noel! Hunter!"

"You're playing the ‘but family' card? Really? After all you've done to them?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Not directly. Which is why you got by with it for so long. But your lies have been unraveled. They know that you never had the rights to that house."

Travis flinched and he somehow turned impossibly paler.

"They know you used the house as collateral even though it wasn't yours to play with." Fernando leaned in a little, dropping his voice to a dangerous level. "They know you deliberately put them in harm's way in order to avoid that danger yourself. They also know how many times you've betrayed them, sold them out, and what kind of vile scum you are. There is no sympathy or love left for you."

Travis's gaze fell to the floor, and he stared at it like it would somehow save him. No remorse to be seen. Just panic, despair, a desperate need to get away.

Still only thinking of his own skin, eh? How utterly disgusting.

"You tried to sell your own flesh and blood for a ticket out of the country. That's how little you think of those two. So no, there's no pity from them. They both know that you're here and are well aware of what I'm going to do to you. There's nothing that I can keep secret from Noel." Fernando turned, picking up the rubber gloves from the table, sliding them on casually. "My mate and brother-in-law are currently upstairs playing a video game and laughing. I love the sound of Noel's laughter. Nothing brings me greater joy."

Travis shook violently, a man terrified for his very life. His eyes were glued to Fernando's table of tools. "He—he won't forgive you for torturing me!"

"Why not? You tortured him his entire life. You did it again just to save your own skin. He won't ever forgive you for that. Neither will I. You've exhausted their goodwill."

Travis looked like he was praying for death, but he wasn't going to get his wish anytime soon. Fernando would make sure of that.

He picked up pliers and made sure they were well oiled, which they seemed to be. Excellent. Tools must be cared for properly if they were to function right. Only then did he approach the bound man.

Travis was so terrified he was beyond words, just making inarticulate pleading sounds. The sight of him on the verge of almost pissing his pants brought some measure of joy to Fernando's heart. Not enough to satisfy him, of course, but it was a nice start.

Fernando put a hand on the man's shoulder and gave him a smile. "Let's be clear on this. I will kill you for everything you've done to Noel. Death is waiting for you. But the reason why I'm about to torture you is because I'm very, very angry. Don't mix up the two, all right? Now, let's start by yanking out all your teeth, one by one. I want you choking on your own blood as you scream."

Some four hours later, Travis had finally passed out from the pain. He'd actually held up longer than Fernando had expected. He felt much calmer now, so he was willing to let the man die. He'd given the order to dump the man into a shallow grave somewhere, let him suffocate to death. It seemed a fitting end for a bastard like himself.

First, though, a shower. He didn't want to go back upstairs reeking of blood and upset Noel.

The basement area had a bathroom, so he slipped in and washed down thoroughly, going from head to toe and back again twice. Ahh, better. Even he couldn't smell the blood now.

Relaxed, he stepped out of the shower, reaching for a towel. From his pants pocket, which had been discarded on the floor, his phone rang. He fished it out, a little surprised he could get service down here. It was deep underground, after all.

"Hello, Papa."

" My son. If you're answering, are you done with Travis ?"

"I am. He's passed out and bleeding all over the floor. I called in my boys to bury him somewhere remote."

" Good, good. I'm still irate that he put our Noel and Hunter in such danger. The absolute nerve of him !"

"Truly. The world will be a better place once he's dead and in the ground."

" I can't agree more. At any rate, I wanted to celebrate Noel's safe return to us. How about bringing him to a show tomorrow evening ? The Magic Flute plays this week and I have a box reserved ."

It was a favorite opera of Fernando's. "Sounds perfect, Papa. I'll tell Noel. Hunter too?"

" Of course ! He's family now. Those children have been on their own for far too long. "

"I completely agree. They're both upstairs, so I'll tell them shortly. Text me the details?"

" I will. See you soon, Son. And if you need help thinking of a good place to dump that body, let me know ."

"I will. Bye for now." Fernando hung up, smiling. His father always had a way of celebrating with the whole family. A night at the opera sounded perfect to him.

After Travis was properly disposed of, and they had their night at the opera, Fernando truly wanted to sit and have a proper talk with Noel about his prior mention of marriage vows. Noel's offhand comment was likely a heat-of-the-moment thing, but Fernando wanted to hear everything Noel thought on the subject.

Frankly, if Noel was ready for marriage, Fernando wasn't about to dissuade him. More than anything, he wanted to be married to the love of his life. He could think of no better way to start the next chapter of their lives together.