CHAPTER NINE
UNDERSOLD
Public Health Warning: Sadie's Underwear contains explicit male/male sexual pairings, violence, bad language and vampirism from the start. It also deals with dark psychological issues and the long-term effects of childhood abuse. If this is not your thing then please don't read any further. Thank you.
Rayne was halfway back to the apartment and it was beginning to get dark when his phone vibrated in the pocket of his jacket again. He flipped it open and put it to his ear wearily as Kevan yelled; "Ray! Ray... are you there? Can you hear me?"
"Half of fuckin' Manchester can hear you, Kev. Shut up!" the vamp snapped tersely.
"Are you all right?" Kevan asked, chastened by his tone.
"Yeah."
"Is... did you...?" He faltered, unsure of his words now.
"Yeah, I met him. Yeah, he fucked me. No, I didn't eviscerate him. I
wanted
to but I didn't. Happy?" Rayne kept walking, the phone cradled to his cheek. He heard relief in Kev's sigh.
"He didn't hurt you?"
"Not so much," the vampire told him dismissively.
"Did you find out who he is?"
"It's complicated," Rayne answered evasively. "Yes, I think the police need to be involved, but we need to talk about it first. This is gonna need careful handling, Kevan. Let me go home and have a shower. Actually, scrap that, a hot bath! In disinfectant! Then you can come over, okay?"
"Okay," Kev conceded, rather less enthusiastically. "Shouldn't you let SOCO check you over first. If you've got evidence...?"
"Like I said, it's complicated," Rayne reminded him. "And I really don't want your colleagues poking and prodding me about this evening. I've had about as much of that as I wanna take for today, thanks."
"I love you, you know. I'm just worried," Kev told him quietly. "I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm glad that's what you think!" Rayne snorted and hung up. He turned the phone off before putting it back in his pocket.
When he got back to the apartment he stripped and threw his clothes into the laundry hamper in the bathroom then ran hot water into the tub. Whilst it was filling up he took a brisk, hot shower and washed himself out with the douche nozzle three times in all. Then he scrubbed his teeth until his gums bled and washed his mouth out with vodka. Finally he subsided into the scalding bowl of bubbles with the bottle of Stolichnaya and drank the rest of it.
By the time Kevan arrived with a Thai takeaway and two bottles of Tempranillo Rose, he was very clean, much more mellow and ever so slightly despondent. He picked over the food whilst Kevan put away the beef and noodles ravenously. Sometimes he ate with his lover to keep him company, though the effort usually made him feel ill afterwards. Tonight he had no heart for the pretence, but he deliberately forestalled all talk until after his lover had eaten.
When they were curled on the sofa together with a couple of glasses of wine and he was certain that Kevan wasn't angry with him, Rayne told his boyfriend what had happened during his meeting with Daddy, Mark Two. Kev's eyes darkened at the description of the sexual acts that had been perpetrated on his beautiful mate, and widened incredulously when he got to the conversation about the mailbox. There was thunder in his eyes by the time Rayne confessed to getting out of the car and puking his guts up. Now he set down his glass and put his arms around the little vampire protectively.
"I'm proud of you, Fox," he whispered, turning Rayne's head slightly with a finger under his chin and pressing his lips to the soft, cold mouth of his beautiful boyfriend, kissing him hard. "
I'd
have wanted to kill him after all that. You did good, princess."
Rayne shook his head sorrowfully. "I'm not so sure. I don't know what to do next, Kev. I couldn't kill him, it would scare the others back underground. I know how it works. If we take one or two the others will just scatter and wait 'til it's safe to regroup then carry on somewhere else. They're like evil Pokemon, you've gotta catch 'em all, or not bother." He looked up soulfully at Kev. "That's where I need your help."
Kevan smiled at him.
"You've never needed me before," he said with a hint of surprise. "It's nice."
"I wish it was for a
nice
reason," Rayne muttered. "Just thinking about it makes me feel sick again."
"We
will
get them, Fox," Kevan promised him. "Knowing something exists is a big part of the battle."
"Yeah, but even if we take down the 'phone ring, there's still the guys that run the websites and the ones who are farming those young boys. We don't even know who the bastards are, Kev." Rayne looked tired and a little defeated. His experience this afternoon had left him drained and desolate in a way he had not felt for many years. When his Uncle Brian was arrested the men that had colluded with him, and joined in with Rayne's abuse, got off scot-free. No one ever traced them. He saw the potential for something similar to happen here and the thought of it sent his spirits spiralling down into the depths of depression.
"Then we need to find out," Kevan said rationally. "I'll check through likely 'faces' on the database tomorrow. I want you to give it a few days then ring your Daddy and arrange another meeting. We'll put a wire on you this time and you can ask some serious questions."
Rayne shook his head. "Wire won't work, the guy I did today wanted me nude. I can't even stuff a mic up my arse!"
"You wear ear-studs though," Kev pointed out. "You'd be amazed what we can put a bugging device into, Fox."
"Fuck!" Rayne actually managed to raise a laugh at that idea. He sobered quickly though. "If I have to fuck him for info I don't want you listening to the tap, Kevan Delaney. I'm not doing this as wank fodder for you and Ramsey."
"As if we'd do something like that!" Kev looked offended at the suggestion but Rayne was more pragmatic.
"I
know
you, Delaney! No arguments, you're not listening in while I bust my balls with a suspect. End of!"
"Okay..." Kev held up his hands in submission. "You win, Wylde. But, if I might make a suggestion, you mentioned how they set up a gang-fuck. It might be useful to get the Gen on as many of their little circle as possible..." He broke off because Rayne was looking at him with naked disgust.
"You want me to put my hand up for a gang-bang situation and walk in there wearing nothing but a wire just so you can collect their fuckin' number-plates?" he asked incredulously.
"It gives us names and addresses, Ray. And if they talk among themselves while they're nobbing you, we might get something from that as well!" Kevan fired a steely look back at him. "
You
were the one that wanted to bend the rules the other day. What's up, can't stand the heat now it's getting serious? I know you can take a group-dicking. I even know that you
enjoy
it, you naughty girl."
Rayne huddled up on the sofa with his arms around his knees, staring blankly ahead as he mulled this proposition over. He had to admit, under normal circumstances, the idea of a gang-bang was exciting. And when Daddy had talked about it this afternoon in the car it had stirred him up sexually. It would not be the first time for him but apart from his playtime sessions with Kev, Dave and Bernie, he hadn't submitted to submissive group sex just with men for quite a few years. The last time it had happened with total strangers he had still been mortal and also way off his head on Special K, on an Antiguan beach at the end of a long and gruelling tour. He didn't recall an awful lot about it.