{ #4 } The Darker Side Of The Moon (MxM || 18+)

Chapter 23 - This Is Really Him...

The Darker Side Of The Moon
Book 4 of The Black Moon series
Chapter 23: This Is Really Him...

Gary's POV – Tuesday 25 August 2015

Jeremy is on all fours on a punishment bench, all his limbs tightly tied with straps that forbid him to move an inch. I can see his flaccid penis dangling between his thighs, secured in a metal cage. I can't see his face, but my poor boy is crying heavily, his chest heaving with sobs. He seems to be in terrible pain. His entire body is streaked with whipping marks but what catches my attention is the substance oozing from his gaping hole. A mix of white liquid and dark blood. A wave of nausea washes over me, making me throw up anything but bile.

Why can't I reach out to him?

Why can't I touch him and comfort him!

I want to take care of my love and soothe him! I want to protect him! But I just can't! It seems like my feet are embedded in the ground, they just won't allow me to move and close the distance between us! I hate this paralyzed state I am in. Things only worsen when he shows up, smirking and squinting at me with the evilest eyes.

Those pale blue eyes.

"I need another round! See how hard he makes me? Mmm... I'm going to rip his ass off again!" he booms as he turns around and heads toward Jeremy's rear. I scream in fury, but my voice is muffled by something stuck in my mouth.

This is when I wake up with a start in my business class seat, on the plane that is taking me back to Chicago. My back is drenched in a cold sweat that has my shirt sticking to my skin. I can feel a few tears wetting my cheeks, that I quickly wipe with my hands while I try to calm down my heavy breathing.

"Are you alright, Sir?" a stewardess asks with concern, suddenly by my side.

No, I'm not alright. As compassionate and kind as she may look, I cannot tell her why I'm not alright. I cannot tell her about this nightmare I just woke up from.

"Yeah... Sorry. I'm all good..." I reply weakly, peeking around me.

The aircraft is fairly empty and only three other persons are crowding the business class of the Mexico – Chicago flight. Thank God, none of them seems to have noticed my distress, so I guess I didn't really scream in my sleep.

"Would you like a drink or something?" the elegant woman insists.

"A glass of water would be nice, please."

She comes back a minute later with my drink and returns to her occupations, leaving me alone with my gloomy thoughts. One more hour before we land in O'Hare airport. I just can't wait to get home and crash on the couch. The last two days in Mexico have been quite painful, though professionally productive as I got two contracts with new clients and four more with older ones. On a more private side, it's been a bit less exhilarating though.

The investigation on Jeremy's case was stalling but something significant happened a few days ago.

When Noah was rescued over a month ago, and revealed what he knew about his captors, the police and private detective focused their research on southern states. One reason was that Andrei had apparently decided to transfer the boys to Texas, so there were high chances he fled in that direction with Jeremy. The other good reason was the discoveries they made about the owner of the mansion where they were held captive, a certain Fabio Lipia.

Noah reported that this Lipia guy was Andrei's half-brother. There is nothing that proves their genetic bond in the official registers, but this is how they introduced themselves. From what I have read in the police report after Noah's questioning, I know how deep that motherfucker was involved in the slaves' lives and it seems like the two brothers have a lot in common in terms of evilness and sickness of mind. In any case, Fabio Lipia is the rich heir of an Italo-American businessman who lives off his late father's inheritance, and since most of his properties are located in southern states, this is where searches have been concentrated, but sadly, it hasn't yielded any positive result yet.