22. Isaac

22

ISAAC

H is body jerked around in the darkness as they went over what Isaac could only guess was a bump in the road. There wasn't much room in the confined space. His hands were tied in front of him, and his legs were bound but curled up into his chest. Against the side of his cheek, he thought he felt fur? Or felt…? Something kind of soft but also itchy against his face.

From somewhere above his head, he heard muffled voices. People. Perhaps two or three. He couldn't make out the words, only that every once in a while, someone chuckled.

To be honest, he didn't know much of anything.

He'd woken up surrounded by darkness. Body bound inside a small, bouncy space. That was all he knew.

Perhaps he was in the trunk of a car? He wasn't sure.

He wasn't even sure how long he'd been trapped in this dark blackness. He'd woken up perhaps an hour ago. His hair was damp and clung to his face, while his body kept bouncing every time they hit a bump.

What happened?

He remembered walking in the gardens, trying to sort through the thoughts and emotions from the past few days. He remembered Raj being agitated. He was making all sorts of weird sounds and was trying to escape his enclosure.

Then his heart stopped.

Those eyes.

His body broke into a cold sweat, and his breathing began to quicken.

He remembered those eyes. Those green eyes that matched his own. A gift from their parents, something to pass on to future generations and remember them by.

But… how could he?

Isaac's thoughts were interrupted when the vehicle he was in came to a screeching halt.

His body jerked forward beyond his control.

He listened as muffled voices began to move, broken up by the sound of car doors slamming shut on each side of him. Footsteps sounded as they crunched gravel beneath them. They made their way around the space until they came to a halt just outside the darkness.

Isaac held his breath.

Dim light assaulted Isaac's eyes as the roof of the trunk he was in flung open.

Fresh air flooded all around him.

Isaac took in a huge gulp and let the sweet coolness of the air fill his lungs.

God, fresh air never felt so good.

"Good, you're awake," the ragged, tired face of his older brother Declan noted, looking down on him from outside the vehicle.

His hand rested on the top of the trunk as he leaned his body against the bumper.

"Glad I don't have to carry your skinny ass inside. Come," he said with a nod of his head.

Isaac glared up at his brother, remembering the last time he had seen his big brother's smug face. It was on the day that Declan got sentenced to four years in prison. The cocky look he gave as he was escorted by the guard out of the courtroom would be etched in his mind forever.

He left him.

His brother had used him. Used him to distract the old man, then threw him into the owner as he ran off to save his own ass. Declan had left him there to get arrested, or God knows what. The old man could have had a gun. He could have taken out his revenge on Isaac and beat his face in.

But Declan didn't care. He just left him there to suffer his own fate.

Hate was the only emotion currently flowing through Isaac's veins. The man was his older brother. He was supposed to protect him, be there for him, and always have his back. Instead, the selfish asshole betrayed him, then got himself arrested, leaving him alone with the monster of a man he used to call his uncle.

"What? Shocked by how handsome I look?" Declan added, running his rough hands across his chin.

When Isaac didn't answer, Declan's eyes grew dark.

"If ye won't get out on your own, I'll drag you out of there myself," he growled, his Irish accent coming out thick.

Without waiting, the beast of a man reached in and yanked Isaac out of the vehicle like he weighed nothing.

Isaac was five-foot-ten, not short by any means. It appeared that years behind bars had built up Declan's strength and, apparently, his aggression. Not that the man wasn't an angry asshole to begin with.

Oof. His body landed on the ground hard. Fucking, asshole.

Isaac glared up at the smirking Neanderthal standing over him. If there were one man he could stab in the face, it would be his brother.

"This way, you little shit." His brother fixed his leather jacket, then began walking toward an old building that looked like it hadn't been open in years.

A tall, burly man with unkept hair and an oversized jacket tugged Isaac to his feet before forcing him to march after his brother.

As they approached the back door, two men holding machine guns nodded to Declan. The man on the left opened the door for them and stepped back so Declan and his group could pass.

They walked through a long hallway, then down a metal staircase, until they finally reached a room that looked like a poor man's version of an office. Matteo would be mortified if he saw the state of this place. Knowing him, he would get one of his men to douse the place in gasoline, then throw a lit cigarette into the room and smile as the flames danced in his eyes.

Goodbye to such an offense against civilized taste.

He wished that Matteo were here right now.

Declan shoved Isaac down onto the sofa. Pulling a knife out of his back pocket, Declan used it to cut the zip ties that bound Isaac's wrists.

Fuck .

Isaac stared up at the man who had once been his older brother. Ever since Isaac made the decision to flee Ireland, he washed himself of all things that connected him to his former life—his uncle, his brother, even his name.

Isaac had settled in London after he first ran off. He didn't have any money, so he relied on hitchhiking and panhandling to get him across the country and far enough away from his former life to make him feel safe—well, somewhat safe.

The first few months had been a constant struggle. He'd been living on the streets and trying to earn enough cash to buy bread to eat and sometimes a warm place to sleep.

Eventually, Isaac learned that in order to survive, he needed to do things that he wouldn't normally do or that were… a tad… questionable.

He learned to pick-pocket and take advantage of unlocked cars or unsupervised delivery trucks. He even learned quickly that there were certain types of men who enjoyed the company of desperate young men. Using his youth and charm—however rough it may be—Isaac began seeking out the company of other gentlemen who were looking for a little company and who enjoyed spoiling young men. It was easy money, and it beat going to jail for stealing.

From across the room, Isaac watched as his brother grabbed two beers from his mini-fridge and brought them back over to the sofa.

"Here," he said, holding out a beer for Isaac to take.

Reluctantly, he took the bottle and took a swig, partly because he was thirsty after being trapped in that sauna of a box.

"So. You're still alive," Declan remarked, taking a seat next to him. "When I heard you'd run off, I figured for sure a weakling like you would have died in the gutter somewhere. Imagine my surprise when I get a call from Uncle Jeb telling me that you're still alive."

"And here I thought you were still in prison," Isaac shot back. "Guess we were both disappointed.

"Aye. Got out of that hellhole a few years back. Served my time, then came home to discover that Uncle Jed was in jail, and you'd run off."

"So, you figured you'd come find me, and we'd be one happy family once again?"

"Well, yes and no."

Isaac stared at him like his brother was an idiot. Well, he kind of was. Which imbecile would choose a life of crime and always having to look over your shoulder?

"Well, yeah. I had to come get you. I needed to see you face-to-face and make sure that you really were my brother and not just some look-a-like trying to find me. Do you know how many people want me dead?"

"It's hard to believe with how loveable you are." Isaac rolled his eyes and took another sip of his beer.

His brother hadn't changed. The guy was still a stubborn bully who was only ever interested in taking care of himself.

Declan gave a smirk.

"But that fucking tiger! Who the hell keeps a thing like that in their backyard? Your pimp is insane! I thought it was going to kill me when it finally broke through its cage. Good thing I'm a fast climber."

"He's not my pimp," Isaac responded, turning his head away from Declan.

"Don't worry, now that you're with me, you won't have to suck dick for cash any longer. I got a cool gig going here."

Anger flashed through Isaac's body. Who was his brother to cast judgment on what he did for a living? What La Maison de M stood for? His brother was a criminal! A kidnapper, a rapist, and a terrible brother!

"By kidnapping and raping women? Then selling their babies?" Isaac growled.

He was disgusted that he was even related to this man. How could someone be so heartless and such a monster?

Declan's eyes narrowed. "So, it seems like you've been busy as well? How did you find out about my little business?"

Isaac loved watching the anger and frustration surge through his brother. Good, fucking revel in the pain of not knowing how much I know .

"It doesn't even matter. The only thing that matters now is that I'm going to take you down and make you pay for all your sins," Isaac snarled. He leaned in closer and locked eyes with his brother's.

Staring into his eyes, he felt nothing but hate and contempt for the man. Not because he had tormented him as a child and had abandoned him when he needed him the most, but because of the truly reprehensible monster his brother had become. No amount of childhood trauma could ever justify the shit this man was doing.

Teeth grinding together, his brother glowered at him. "You forget your place, little bro. I'm the big man in this doghouse. You are just the powerless little faggot that gets to sit and watch."

Anger flared once again. Isaac picked up his beer bottle and smashed it over his brother's head. The bottle broke, spilling beer all down the man's dark hair. Declan didn't even flinch.

"You little shit," his brother snarled before swinging his fist right in Isaac's face.

Isaac's body flew off the sofa and landed on the cold floor below. His jaw was on fire, and stars danced in front of his eyes.

"Guess you're going to have to learn the hard way," his brother said as he crouched over the top of Isaac and began beating his face with his fists.

Isaac struggled, but his brother had a good thirty pounds of muscle on him. All he could do was push through the pain and hope that his beating would end soon. He refused to give his brother the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

Fuck, he hated this man .