Ashes To Ashes (Priest!Gerard Frerard) [SEQUEL]

Twenty Three

Twenty Three 

Getting punched in the stomach makes you feel like someone knocked the air right back out of you, so for a moment all you can focus on is trying to suck in a breath of air. Unfortunately for me as soon as I'd sucked in that breath, I was forced to look into Ian's eyes and realise that I'd take that punch a hundred times over if it meant I could get away from him. 

"What's going on?" I almost didn't want to ask. 

"I could ask you the same" he took a step closer, and I noticed that his other thug, Rob, was standing to his left. Bert was sat in the corner, not meeting my gaze. 

"Bert?" he looked up when I said his name, an apologetic look in his eye. 

"Sorry kid" he mumbled "they just turned up, and as much as I like ya, I also like being alive." Although I wanted to be angry with him for allowing me to be lured to his apartment, I knew there wasn't much he could've done about it if he didn't know they were coming. 

"Good point Bert" Ian turned to me "makes me wonder why Frank doesn't value his life as much as you do." 

"Ian I don't know what you're talking about -" 

"Liar!" He was suddenly right in my face, dragging me to my feet. Even stood up he still towered over me, all but spitting in my face "all these weeks since Dewees went missing, did you not think I had people looking for him too?"

Shit. He knew. How much he knew I wasn't sure, but he knew enough. 

"Yes-"

"Well I did. I figured if he had help he'd probably run to rehab. That's what most of them do. So I checked a few people in of my own, and sure enough I eventually got a guy into the same clinic as him" double shit, I'd never thought about the other people in there, and now it was too late. "As soon as he was sure he had the right guy he checked himself out, but not before he got a look at the guest list. And do you know who was on there?" 

"I'm not on any visitor lists anywhere" I tried to interject, but he grabbed me roughly by the front of my t-shirt and slammed me against the wall behind me. Sharp pain shot up my back as he held me there, eyes cold. 

"I know, but some other kid was, so I had my guys ask around your college, and guess who we found out lives with him? None other than Frank fucking Iero himself" he finally let me go, but it was only so he could swing back his fist and punch me in the jaw. I cried out, unable to help myself, pain exploding across my face. "So tell me, how did it come to be that your housemate is on Dewees rehab visitor list without you fucking knowing about it?" he laughed with sickening sarcasm "because either that, or you've bene stringing me along all this time." 

"Ian" I tried to talk, my jaw already going slightly numb from shock. "I'm sorry I-"

"Save it" he snapped "the only reason I got you to come to me here was so nobody would interrupt us, otherwise I would've marched into that fancy mansion you've shacked up in straight away."

"Are you going to kill me?" I gulped, trying to hide my sheer terror. I didn't want him to know just how much I was shaking with fear. 

"Not yet" he mused.

"we're not?" Kyle frowned "what are we doing here then?" 

"Well-" Ian abruptly cut off, staring past me. Before I could turn my head to see what he was looking at, he'd made some sort of signal to Kyle and Rob that sent them both running to the door. 

It was when they both barrelled outside and I heard a scream that I realised what was going on. 

Lynz. How long had I been in here? Probably long enough for her to get impatient and come try and peer in the window to see what was happening as opposed to leaving like we'd discussed.