13. Alex

Chapter thirteen

Alex

Alex put quite a lot of effort and thought into looking elegant and pristine.

When entering the premises of his business, he made it a point to be dressed at the cutting edge of fashion. It was essential to be impeccable in the world. A man was only as good as his attire, truly. Nothing spoke of a person's character like their garments. He knew this even as a boy, walking to school in stockings full of holes and knee breeches that were patched and frayed, watching prosperous landowners ride lazily along on horseback while they surveyed their respective kingdoms. He hated them with every fiber of his being and also wished to be them. Why could they have what he could not?

He didn't have a new pair of shoes until he was ten years old and had the sense to steal them. Every other pair he had ever owned were hand-me-downs from Tommy that often had holes worn into them by the time they got to his feet .

At the peak of summer heat, he adorned himself in white linen to beat back the furnace of summer. The white was deliberately a complement to his fairness and the lapis of his eyes. He was highly conscious of this after spending many hours considering his reflection, consulting with tailors, and perusing fashion plates.

So, it was entirely unusual that he forewent his elegant summer attire and instead, stood in the washroom of the Crystal stripping down to a pair of old wool trousers, his suspenders, and his undergarments. The clothes–except for the undergarments–had belonged to Tommy. Normally he wouldn't be caught dead in this sort of work wear, but he did in fact have some work to do today.

Some very messy work.

He considered himself in the mirror, briefly amused by the sight of himself dressed like his brother. A ghost of himself in the past, a small boy with pale hair in rag tag wool and patched cotton.

The undershirt he wore was made from silk jersey, of course, but that would do for today. He wouldn't be drawing any blood. At least, he didn't think so.

Beside him, a metal washing bin sat on the floor. He filled it patiently, one pitcher at a time with water that he got from the tap in the washroom. It could have been tedious work, but he didn't mind it. In fact, every pitcher full of cold water filling the basin sent a ripple of anticipation through him. He filled himself with pleasure just as he filled the basin with water .

The idea had come to him last night while he'd had his hand wrapped around Lindsay's throat, watching his face turn red and start to mottle before he released his hold, allowing the oxygen to circulate through his body once more. Lindsay was so delicious when he gasped for air, terror and surrender mingling in his eyes.

When the basin was full Alex pushed it with some effort to the center of the washroom. It looked pristine. The clean water among the white tiles. A little splashing wouldn't hurt the washroom at all. In fact, he couldn't think of a scenario that would improve it more.

When everything was prepared–basin, stack of hand towels, a sparkling clean room–he opened the door and walked out into the main room of the Crystal. He didn't expect Ryan and Lindsay to arrive until later in the day, as it was still early and Ryan was overseeing inventory. Lindsay was likely still finishing up at his appointment at the physician's office.

All alone and no one to play with except for a Dolly in her cage.

He walked around the bar, savoring the silence of the speakeasy. In a matter of hours, someone would be banging away on the piano while a rotation of throaty singers serenaded the clientele on the stage while they drank primped up bathtub gin from Kansas and applejack from Malcolm's stills and filled the room with so much smoke that they would all have stinging eyes. But for the moment, it was pleasant to be king in an empty kingdom .

He poured himself a finger of applejack and sent it straight back. Pleasant tingling traveled down his arms and across his forehead from the booze. He put the glass away. After he'd had his fun, he'd have another to celebrate.

He was just turning to open the door to the secret corridor when the sound of footsteps on the stairs stopped him. Then the sound of a key fitting into a lock and turning. Irritation flared through him and he turned toward the intruder.

It cooled at once, of course, upon realizing that it was Ryan letting himself in through the front door of the Crystal, and was replaced immediately by a surge of pleasure.

Ryan stopped and gave him the look of reserved suspicion he had just for Alex. He paused in the act of pulling his fedora off as though he were rethinking his desire to stay, discovering that they were alone there together. The heat outside was merciless today, but the sheen of sweat that it brought out on Ryan's face made Alex want to lick it from his flesh.

"Well, well, well," Alex said. "You're interrupting me, but I just so happen to be in the mood to indulge an intrusion. Care to join me?"

"Doing what?" Ryan's voice was cold, clipped. Same old Ryan.

"Playing with my Dolly," Alex said. He turned toward the secret door and shifted the candlestick that caused it to spring silently open .

"What do you mean ‘playing with your Dolly?'" Ryan said behind him. Alex didn't bother to answer him, though the heat in his tone intrigued him. Possessiveness? He narrowed his eyes at Ryan and then walked into the corridor. Ryan's footsteps hurried after him and he smiled to himself as he opened the door of the cell room. It was silent but for the sound of muffled protests. He walked slowly into the room to find his Dolly situated in her chair, bound and gagged.

So fucking gorgeous. It was a beautiful sight, though she obviously didn't agree from the way she glared at him. Drool dropped down her chin. How humiliating. It sent a thrill through him as he fitted his hand into his pocket and extracted his key.

"Isn't she beautiful, Ryan?" Alex said, turning the key slowly. The sound of the lock sliding free made the woman in the chair wince. He smiled.

"What are you doing, Alex?" Though he seemed to be trying his best not to, Ryan sounded… curious, rather than angry.

"I've been so busy since our guest arrived that I haven't had any time to properly entertain her," Alex said. He put the key back into his pocket and stepped into the cell. She nearly tipped backward in her chair the way she cringed away from him.

Ryan said nothing. Alex looked over his shoulder at him and found him leaning with his shoulder against the door frame, arms folded while he watched Alex with guarded interest. He looked back at the hostage .

"It occurs to me you likely haven't had the opportunity to bathe since you arrived."

This did not seem to inspire any measure of relief in their guest. The expression of worry on her face didn't change as he approached her.

"Ryan, point your Colt at her so she doesn't try anything annoying."

The sound of a gun leaving a holster confirmed that Ryan was happy to oblige. The woman held perfectly still while Alex undid her bonds. He did not miss the tiny moan of relief as they fell away from her wrists and then her ankles. Alex brought one of her hands to his face and examined the burns on her tender flesh. Unable to help himself, he tasted her miserable skin with his tongue. She tried to pull her arm away, but he held her fast.

"This poor, wretched creature has been suffering," he said, touching her chin. Then he smiled. "But not nearly enough. Have you?"

She tried to pull her arm away again, but he took her by the other elbow and pulled her to her feet so that they were eye to eye. With nimble fingers, he retied the rope around her hands so that they were bound together in front of her.

"We're going to the washroom now, Dolly," Alex said. "And I expect you to be on your best behavior." Though his tone was light, the look he gave her made her tense beneath his hands. "Ryan, if you'll follow us."

"Lead the way," Ryan said. Alex stole a glance at his face. They locked eyes for a brief moment. Alex smiled at him, pleased that he of all people showed up today. What fun they were going to have. Ryan cut the look off and glanced away, deliberately avoiding any further connection.

Alex took his Dolly by her upper arm and began to march her out of the room and down the corridor. Touching her was something quite delicious. The texture of her skin even through the silk of her robe sent a surge of excitement through him, straight to his already hardening cock. As they walked, he used his free hand to stroke her long hair over her other shoulder. It was a tangled mess that couldn't be helped.

As he let his fingers wander over the chaos of it, a wonderful idea came to him. A splendid, delicious idea.

When they got to the washroom, he moved the door open and pushed her inside. He looked over his shoulder at Ryan, who was close behind, holstering his Colt.

"Close the door," he said as Ryan stepped into the washroom, close enough as he turned the door that Alex caught a whiff of his aftershave. Enough to make his mouth water. Though he wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him, he turned back to his Dolly. For now, he would focus his erotic energies on the playmate he had available.

"Dolly," he said to her. "Kneel." He walked around so he could see her eyes. She stared at him for a long moment and then slowly sank to the floor. Though it was a bit of a strain for her to look up at him, he also supposed that she didn't dare put her eyes anywhere else. Alex glanced over her to where Ryan was standing by the door with his arms folded, watching both of them with a tense but otherwise unreadable expression.

Alex looked back down at his Dolly and then reached out a hand to slowly caress the side of her face.

"Your hair is a frightful mess, Dolly," he said to her in a tender whisper as he slipped his hand into his pocket and drew out his knife. "I'm happy to help." He released the blade and then grabbed a fistful of her hair. "We'll start with something easy." And then he proceeded to hack off a chunk of hair near her ear. Slowly, he pulled the piece of hair away from her head so that she could see it.

The way her eyes widened and then watered sent a stab of heat to his cock. He laughed a little.

"Don't cry yet, Dolly," he said. "Wait until I've hacked all of it off."

Alex glanced up at Ryan and smiled. Ryan did not smile back. Alex took another chunk of hair and chopped it off. It was going to take some time to cut it all, even with his knife as sharp as it was, but he was a patient man. He had time. He was here to enjoy this process.

As he sawed away at her hair, she started to cry. Though it was clear that she was trying not to, he took even greater pleasure in this fact. Her body shook with sobs that she tried to hold in as her hair fell in one chunk after another onto the white tile around her.

"Poor Dolly," Alex crooned softly. "All alone and no one to save her."

Her shoulders tightened and she tucked her hands against her chest. Alas, what else could she do? He was holding a knife very close to her head. As he finished cutting the last long strand of hair, he stood back and admired his handiwork.

In spite of the fact that it was badly cut, the short choppy hair managed to enhance the fey, elfin quality of her face. Her brown eyes looked larger. Her creamy neck looked longer. Just as beautiful as ever. This pleased him greatly. Especially because she was crying.

"What do you think, Ryan?" Alex asked as he turned to look at him.

The look on Ryan's face was more intense, but still fairly unreadable. He looked away from her and shrugged.

"It's perfectly wretched, isn't it?" Alex said as he moved back toward her. "Now that we've resolved that matter, let's attend to the bath."

Taking her by the rope that bound her hands, he hauled her to feet and walked her toward the water basin. His arms slipped around her as they went and his fingers fit themselves at her waist, marveling at the dip between her hips and her ribcage. The urge to bite her there nearly overcame him. Perhaps when he was through with this part of the game.

"Kneel," he said when they were in front of the basin. She looked at him and stiffened her body. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Do not make me ask you again."

She swallowed audibly and then slowly sank to the ground in front of the basin .

"I am, however, going to remove your gag," he said when she assumed the position he wanted her in. He untied the strip of linen around her mouth and let it fall away. Again, she gave him a small moan of relief. There were red marks at the corners of her mouth. Though she was clearly working to remain stoic, her bottom lip trembled and tears continued to spill out of her eyes.

Slowly, he slipped his hand up into her hair. Though it was quite a lot shorter now, he still had no trouble gathering a fistful of it at the back of her head. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Because, Dolly, I want to hear you scream."

"Ryan, please," she said, suddenly, her voice twisted with anguish. She turned to look over her shoulder at him. Alex glanced back at him too, taking in the fracture in his composure that passed quickly as it came. "Please, don't let him do this to me." She sobbed. "Why are you letting him do this to me?"

Alex tightened his grip on her hair until she sucked in her breath, and then he took her face in his other hand, twisting her head around until she was facing forward again. He moved his face so close to her ear that his lips brushed the perfect shell of it when he spoke.

"Because you helped him kill our fucking brother."

And with that, he shoved her head forward with all of his might. The break of her head through the water cut off the sound of a scream that left her mouth just before her face was plunged below the surface. Below the water, the scream went on, but it broke the surface only as the sound of faint gurgling.

He left her under the water for the count of ten. It was the building of suffering where the real pleasure lay. It was important to just give her a taste of what was to come. When he reached the number ten, he let her back up, thrashing and wailing.

As she reemerged, she unleashed a scream that could have curdled blood.

"You fucking bastard!" she shrieked. "It's fucking cold!"

"I was hoping you would notice." His cock was completely hard now, tight against the front of his dark trousers, as he once again plunged her face into the water. She fought him harder this time, but to no avail. And this time, he held her down longer.

When he pulled her back up she screamed again, a wordless cry of outrage. Pure helpless outrage. It made his blood thunder. Ryan walked slowly into his peripheral vision and he turned his head to look at him. Ryan's face was guarded, but there was conflict there overshadowed by a look of predatory interest that made blood surge in Alex's cock.

"Just kill me!" she choked, raking in sobbing breaths.

"Oh no," Alex said in her ear. "No, Dolly. Not yet. But you will wish that I would by the time I'm done with you."

He plunged her head forward again. This time, he held her down longer. Much longer. At first, she didn't struggle as much. She didn't understand that he was going to start taking his time. But the longer he held her down, she began to struggle more. And more. Broken, wet sounds came up through the surface of the water. Across the room from him, Ryan stood perfectly still and watched in silence. A pin could have been heard dropping while she was below the surface.

Alex pulled her up again, her short dark hair flinging water all over the floor. The front of his body was already completely soaked. He didn't mind the cold water. It helped to stir the lust that was starting to roar inside of him like a blazing inferno.

The scent of her fear was palpable and the ragged breaths that her lungs forced in and out were music to his ears. Still holding her by the hair with one hand, he slipped his other hand against her stomach and pressed her body back against his while he pressed his cock against her lower back. The pressure of soft, sweet flesh against his hand and his body sent a surge through him that made him flex his jaw muscles.

"Alex," Ryan said. A warning. A prompt? He didn't know. His vision was becoming a touch foggy, but he slid his eyes over to Ryan, who had unfurled his arms.

Alex released Evelyn's hair and used both hands to peel her silk robe open.

"Stop–" she said pulling her arms against her chest to stop him from exposing her.

"Don't move," he said softly. Dangerously. "You do what I tell you, when I tell you. Is that understood?"

A tremor went through her .

He grabbed her by the hair again until she cried out. "Is that understood?"

"Y-Yes," she wailed.

"Lower your hands." And when she did, he slowly relinquished his hold on her hair. Then, he went back to opening the front of her robe. Hands bound together as they were, they forced her breasts together slightly, pushing them into delicious curves. The cut he'd made over one of them was still scabbed over. The only mar on an otherwise perfect vision. He rested his chin on her shoulder while he let out a shuddering breath. His hands slowly squeezed her waist and then slid upward to cup her breasts, kneading them. Teasing himself. Fanning the furious flames of his libido. He wanted to sink his teeth into her flesh. To reopen the wound above her breast. To mingle her fear and her suffering with absolute pleasure.

"Alex," Ryan said again, voice hoarse. Alex glanced over at him and this time, he could not conceal the look of frank lust mingled with discomfort that rioted over his face.

"Care to join us?" Alex asked, rubbing deep circles with his palms over her breasts.

"Fuck off," Ryan said. But his tone didn't convince either of them.

Still keeping eye contact with him, Alex leaned forward and bit into her shoulder. Ryan's eyes traveled to the woman's face. Alex wished he could see it as clearly, but he would settle for seeing Ryan's expression while he touched her .

He pressed his face into the place where her neck met her shoulder, breathing in deeply. The smell of her body was absolutely intoxicating. He opened his mouth and bit her at the back of her neck until she wailed. He relinquished his morsel and licked the teeth marks that he left, purple against the white of her perfect flesh.

"Make that sound for me again," he said. And then tilted his head slightly to make another deep imprint with his teeth. She wailed again. And although he had instructed her to, he doubted that she could have resisted.

His hands moved up and down her torso, crushing her back against him. He rubbed his face against her flesh. The desire to merge with her was so strong that he restrained himself so that he didn't destroy the experience with his haste. He was a man of delayed gratification.

After all, he'd been waiting for Ryan for ten years. He was a patient man.

He looked over and locked eyes with Ryan as he slipped one of his hands down into her drawers. She writhed against him.

"Stop," she said, suddenly. Voice intense. She started to struggle against him. "Please, just– Just fucking stop!"

He ignored her as his fingers stroked the silken hair of her cunt. The texture of it against his fingers caused him to take in and then release a shuddering breath. When had he ever touched a woman so beautiful? They were so rare, women who were this exquisite. It was a shame that he had to dispense with her.

But not yet .

His fingers circled to the opening of her sopping wet cunt again, though she shifted and bucked her hips, trying to throw his hand off.

"No," she said again. "Don't! Do not–"

He slipped his fingers inside the hot, wet silk and, to his profound surprise, brushed the tip of something hard. Curiosity and confusion suddenly surged through him.

But before he could contemplate the mystery any further, she suddenly threw her head back. A loud crunch. His nose erupted into blinding pain and black, explosive rage burst through him. Then she was throwing herself away from him, trying to scramble away. Ryan was there suddenly, trapping her on the ground, and she kicked at him, screaming like she was being murdered.

Alex watched them with cold, murderous detachment while he regained control of his temper. Hot, wet blood was dripping down his face and when he glanced down at the fist he had clenched into his lap, there were bright spots of blood on his flesh and on the brilliant white of his silk undershirt.

Ryan was sitting on top of her, knees on either side of her belly while she thrashed and cursed at him.

Alex slowly got to his feet. He was beginning to feel much calmer now. Though in his younger days he would have allowed his temper to prevail, he'd learned long ago that it was a waste to allow anger to get the best of him in the moment. He was far more disposed to execute a response that he was satisfied with if he kept himself under control .

"Clever," he said as he approached them. Ryan had her by the wrists and was holding them against her chest while she panted and writhed. "Until you consider that you must have thought we'd behave like gentlemen to not discover that you're hiding a secret, Mrs. Colter."

She stopped moving then and simply stared at him, tense fear rising through her expression.

"What?" Ryan said, raising his eyebrows slightly as he looked at Alex over his shoulder.

Just the sight of him on top of her, trapping her with his body, was almost enough to make Alex come in his pants. What he wouldn't give to watch Ryan fuck her.

"She's hidden something in that lovely cunt of hers," Alex said. "Hold onto her." Then he stepped so that he was standing, straddling her. She kicked at him, but he dropped down and locked her legs between each of his thighs and his calves while he kneeled on the ground.

A shriek erupted from her and she started bucking against both of them, thrashing as if her life depended on it. Alex hooked his fingers into the legs of her drawers and yanked them down, revealing dark, silken curls between her creamy thighs. Just the sight made his mouth water. She stopped kicking suddenly and slammed her thighs together.

"Ryan," she said. "Ryan, please." She started to say something else, but her mouth was suddenly muffled, presumably by his hand. Though she tried her best to trap Alex's hand away from her cunt, kicking and squirming, he got his fingers between her thighs again and plunged his fingers inside of her, immediately encountering the hard object again. Trapping it between his forefinger and his middle finger, he drew it out and then held it up to the light.

Then, he laughed. He leaned forward to hold it in front of Ryan's face, loving the reason to be so close to him, pressing against his back with his face so close to Ryan's.

"What the fuck is that?" Ryan said, dark eyebrows coming together. Alex dropped it into his palm.

"What does it look like?" Alex said, looking down at their prisoner. "It's a fucking key."

Ryan held it up, and then also looked down at Evelyn, who was now watching both of them with resigned but furious eyes over Ryan's hand, held over her mouth to muffle her protests.

"Where the fuck did you get–?" Ryan started to say, but then he stopped himself and made a snide noise. "So that's why you fucked him."

"Clever Dolly," Alex said. "And here I thought she just had bad taste. I must say, I'm impressed. What a resourceful woman you are. Unfortunately, you've given me yet another reason to punish you."

"I didn't know what Walter was going to do," she said suddenly. "Your brother– I didn't know. He said it was going to be a robbery."

Alex froze and he felt Ryan go still next to him. The fact that she even dared mention Tommy sent another pique of rage through him. But he mastered himself .

"Then I'm sure you can think of a thing or two to make it up to me." Alex stood, relinquishing his hold on her legs, and stepped away so she couldn't kick him. "Ryan, if you would kindly drag her back over to the water basin."

"No," she sobbed. "Please. I didn't know."

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Uh oh.

Alex turned his head slowly to find Lindsay at the bathroom door.

"Punishing a bad Dolly," Alex said. "Would you care to join us?"

"Punishing?" Lindsay said, eyebrows drawn up, taking in the scene. "Punishing her for what?"

"Well, first and foremost, accessory to murder." Alex slowly began to stalk toward him, causing Lindsay's eyes to find his. A look of trepidation came into his eyes, but he didn't step back. "And second, she stole a key."

"Stole a key?" Lindsay said, incredulously. "How the fuck did she steal a key?"

"I'm guessing when she decided to fuck the lackey," Alex said. He looked over his shoulder at her. "Is that right, Dolly? Is that why you fucked the apple cheeked toady? Unless you talked him into giving it to you. In either case, he's a liability we can't afford to keep around. We're going to have to do something about him. Something rather permanent."

She didn't say anything, just kept her eyes on the ground where she slumped near Ryan's feet. Ryan stood next to her, looking down at her with a strange, conflicted expression.

Alex walked toward her slowly until he was standing in front of her, at which point he slowly lowered himself into a crouch in front of her so that they were eye to eye. He caressed the side of her face, admiring the beauty of her features. How frightened she looked, how she shivered from the cold of being wet. How her dark, wet hair pushed back from her face allowed him to see the whole shape of it. He took her chin in his hand and stroked her bottom lip with his thumb.

"How does it feel to have the blood of yet another man on your hands?" Alex murmured like a lover.

"No," she said automatically. She sat up straighter and reached for him with her bound hands, gripping the bloodied front of his otherwise pristine undershirt. "Please, he's just a kid. He didn't know. I took it from him."

"Then you should have thought of that before you involved him in your plan," Alex said. "And, of course, there's always the chance that you're lying to me."

"How long is this going to go on?" Lindsay said behind him, voice warm with anger and something like anxiety.

"Until I get bored," Alex said, eyes still roving over her face while he spoke. "Walter Stanley is still sweating and I want it to stay that way. He has no idea what's happened to her and I take great pleasure in knowing that I have her in my keeping and that I can do whatever I want to her and there is nothing he can do about it. "

She made a sound of fear. Alex smiled and then leaned forward. She tried to pull away from him, but he held her fast and kissed her with his bloodied face, while she nearly squealed in protest.

"Well, as much fun as I've been having with you, Dolly," Alex said, "it occurs to me that I have a leak to fix in my roof. So if you'll excuse me, we'll pick this back up another day." He looked up at Ryan, who was looking down at both of them with a heat in his eyes that he was likely unaware of showing.

"Ryan," Alex said in a slightly hoarse voice. "If you wouldn't mind escorting our Dolly back to her cage. I've got an idiot to kill."

"Please," Evie said as he stood and walked away from her.

"Ryan, leave her," Lindsay said. "I'll take care of her."

"Will you, now, Pony?" Alex said, looking at him with amusement.

"Yes," Lindsay said. He gave Ryan a hard look. "Leave her."

Alex took Lindsay by the elbow as he exited the bathroom, pulling him along. Lindsay nearly lost his balance as he pivoted to leave the bathroom with Alex, though he looked over his shoulder at the woman as they left.

Alex pushed him up against the wall just outside of the bathroom, framing with his head with his hands on either side of it.

"You look like hell," Lindsay said, touching some of the blood on his cheek that was starting to dry. Though it was clear that his Pony was angry with him, sparks leapt through his eyes with their bodies pressed this close. And beneath that, a stubborn, tender love that Alex did not perhaps deserve, but he drank it down greedily anyway.

"Can't say the same about you, Pony," Alex said. "You're as beautiful as ever."

Alex sealed his lips over Lindsay's. In spite of the blood on Alex's lips, Lindsay parted his own lips and their tongues met in a slow, knee-trembling caress. No matter how many times they'd entered into a kiss, it still sent hot currents through Alex, straight to his cock, and all the way down to his toes. He wasn't sure what it was about Lindsay that was so compelling. Lindsay wasn't the most handsome of men. But he had a good-natured face, open and appealing. And those eyes, green and guileless. They possessed a certain purity, Alex thought, that made them so delicious to stare into while Lindsay suffered the agonies and indignities Alex adored inflicting on him. The curse of his straight red hair included a spill of freckles like rusty constellations spanning over his milky skin. And he had a crooked smile that was entirely too charming on its own. He looked and spoke every inch like the son of a farmer he was. Something about that working class quality lured him in, captured him. Echoes of his childhood and the people he grew up with. But his to capture, to shape, to brutalize and punish, at his own will.

Finally, Lindsay pulled his lips away. His breaths came in little puffs that made Alex want to grab his cock. Instead, he restrained himself. He had things to do, places to be. Later, he would consume Lindsay top to bottom like the hearty feast that he was.

"End it," Lindsay whispered. "There's no sense in torturing her like this."

"Pony," Alex said, smiling as he took Lindsay's face between his hands. "You know who you're talking to."

"Yeah," he said after a pause. "I do."

"I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times–don't get attached." Alex kissed him one last time before he turned away.

"Too late for that," Lindsay said softly.