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DEATH

“Night after night, darkness polished the lamb's bones with velvet promises until its wool grew black as dreams.” ~ Anonymous

I groaned, my neck fucking killing me. Reaching up to rub it, I tugged on restraints and realized my hands were bound behind my back. The rough material over my face stifled my breathing. Where the hell was I, and how the fuck did I get here?

Kidnapped. Fucking kidnapped.

“You stupid prick, you got us kidnapped?” I muttered to Sebastian.

Footsteps caught my attention, and I slowly lifted my head and attempted to peer through the potato sack, but it was useless.

“So happy you’ve joined me this evening,” a man’s voice said while he abruptly jerked the bag off my head.

I squinted at the bright light as it assaulted my vision. My gaze landed on his black dress shoes and slowly traveled up his black slacks and white dress shirt. His short dark hair was peppered with grey, and it matched his well-trimmed beard. He rolled up his sleeves, smiling as if I were a long-lost relative.

“Who the fuck are you?” I growled.

He chuckled. “I’ll make you a deal.”

“I’m waiting.”

“I’ll untie you if you give me your word that you won’t kill me. I just want to talk. When we’re finished, I’ll make sure you return alive and unharmed to the abandoned building we tracked you to.”

I suppressed my grin. Of course I would promise not to kill him. And, since I was a man of my word, I wouldn’t kill him … tonight. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

“Well, I just offered to untie you so you could walk around and take a piss if you need to. I’m not interested in harming you.”

My attention scanned the room, and my pulse kicked up a notch as I laid eyes on a Chucky doll sitting on a coffee table … holding a bloody knife.

That’s the damn doll that was in our house! What is this fucker up to?

I mentally told Sebastian to hush, now wasn’t the time for his questions.

The man’s eyes followed mine, and he flashed me a sinister smile. “You recognize that Chucky?”

Yes! This is what you need to ask him.

I wanted to shrug off Sebastian’s request, but I needed answers too. “You?” I growled. “You put that fucking doll in my bedroom?”

“I’ve always been around, even when you were younger. I thought the doll might stick in your mind even after what you were about to live through. It was my way of planting that seed in your mind’s eye.”

Son of a bitch. He was in my home before he killed my parents.

As much as I hated to admit it, Sebastian was right. This motherfucker had apparently always been lurking in the shadows. I studied him, watching every calculated move as he waited for me to answer his earlier question. “Okay. You have my word. I won’t fucking gut you.” I offered him a sneer along with my words.

“Or harm me in any way.”

I shook my head. “Yeah, that too.”

He walked behind the chair, and I braced myself to have my throat split wide open, but he only untied my wrists.

Slowly, I brought my arms to my lap and rubbed them.

“You can stand and walk around. The bathroom is down the hall to your right if you need it.” He pointed in that direction. I took a deep breath and stood, wobbly at first from the effects of the tranquilizer. As I turned to take in my surroundings, I scanned the luxurious living room, complete with leather furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a stunning view of the lake outside. I couldn’t see any other houses nearby, which made me wonder where exactly we were and why he had taken such precautions. A wave of anger washed over me as I thought about how he had drugged me, but my curiosity kept my temper in check. I had questions for him. A lot of them.

I stared at the man who had the audacity to take me in broad daylight. Must be his MO since he’d done the same to Ella. “You didn’t answer my question. Who the fuck are you?”

He gave me a warm smile and sat on the grey leather couch. “They call me the Pied Piper.”

Pursing my lips together, I folded my arms over my chest. “I’ve heard about you from Xavier, why the name?”

“Simple really. I like to groom potential people with the same … darkness you and I have. Once I do, they follow me blindly.”

Except for me.

He narrowed his eyes on me for a split second. “And I’m sure he mentioned that when the time was right, we would meet.”

I nodded. “Yeah, but he’s not a very trustworthy source of information. I don’t believe most of what comes out of his mouth.”

“So, he’s still alive?”

I didn’t miss the hope in his question. “For now. I can’t guarantee for how long though.”

“Well, I’d love to take him off your hands.”

My arms lowered to my sides. “To kill?”

He chuckled as if I’d told a good joke. “No. No. He’s very dear to me.” He leaned back on the couch and crossed his legs. “And so are you.”

“Awesome. If I’m important to you, then tell me what the hell this all is about. Why put a tranquilizer in my neck and bring me here?”

“Because I want to make it more difficult for you to return here. Since you didn’t see anything on the ride over, it will be impossible for you to trace the drive. It’s self-preservation. You know all about that, Death.”

I did. “Xavier said you’re the man that killed my parents. Is that true or has he just gone off the deep end and made shit up?”

The Pied Piper rubbed his jaw before he said, “Xavier is special, but he’s not a liar. I am the man you’ve been looking for.”

I sneered at him. “I’ve not been looking for you. Ella is the one that wants to know more. She’s a very curious woman. It gets her into trouble sometimes.”

“She’s beautiful. You’ve done well for yourself.”

My eyes narrowed at him. “Leave her out of this. Whatever you want, this is between you and me.”

“Fair enough. I truly have no use for Ella. That was a kidnapping gone wrong, and only a tool to draw you out. Unfortunately, Xavier fell in love with her and got careless. Ella was supposed to have been delivered to me a few days after being held at Xavier’s, but he begged to keep her longer. I agreed, then she got smart and escaped his home.”

“You mean the basement and house that’s an exact replica of where I grew up and you murdered my parents? What the fuck is that all about?”

“I know you have a lot of questions, and it would be best if I just started at the beginning. Would you like something to eat or drink? You’re going to be here for a while. It wouldn’t be right of me not to offer my guest some refreshments.”

I clenched my jaw and then forced myself to relax so Sebastian wouldn’t fucking pop out for a visit at the wrong damn time. “You’re fucking nuts too.”

He grinned at me, my words having zero effect on him.

“If I were you, I would want answers to why my parents died and who killed them. You were young, but I saw the darkness inside you. It was easy to mold you while I helped you kill your father. The fury that came out of you toward that man was intense. If you want to call it murderous, that’s a more accurate description.” He arched a salt and pepper eyebrow at me. “But the truth is, he’s not your biological father.”

My heart pounded against my ribcage like a drummer gone mad, matching the beat of my racing thoughts.

“You didn’t kill your real father, so if you have any guilt left over it, let it go.” He waved as though he swatted his words away.

“I don’t understand. Of course they were my parents. I have memories with them when I was little, and in that home.”

“You were with them at a very young age, but you and your brother were separated when you were stolen.”

His words struck me like a physical blow, causing a whirlwind of emotions to flood through my body. I was torn between the anger and hurt at being lied to by people who I thought were my family, and the overwhelming hope and disbelief that my real parents may still be alive. How could I trust a single thing I had ever been told? I needed answers, but how did I know that the Pied Piper wasn’t lying to me as well?

You can’t believe anything he says. We’ll have Dope research it all.

For some reason, Sebastian’s voice in my head helped ground me.

“Who is my brother?”

The older man draped his arm on the back of the couch, more comfortable than he should be.

“Xavier is your brother, Death. Same mother and father, and you were both stolen by the same person.”

“Jesus fucking Christ. I have a kook for a brother.”

“Yes, it’s another reason that I want the boy back all in one piece.”

“He’s alive but has two very broken knees. Not sure he’ll walk again. He hurt Ella, and no man can get away without suffering consequences of touching what’s mine even if he is my brother.” Xavier was alive for now, but his future was uncertain. But at that moment, another thought consumed me.

The Pied Piper’s words lingered in my mind like a festering wound, each one stabbing at my sense of self. The idea of tracking down my parents and uncovering the truth sent a chill down my spine, yet an insatiable hunger for answers burned within me. After all this time, I had accepted that my parents were dead, but now, if he wasn’t lying, his information had the power to change my life.

“Who are my real parents? Are they alive? Did they learn who stole us?”

“You were almost two and Xavier was a baby when you were taken. Not long after, your parents got into a bad train accident. They didn’t live through it.”

“They were murdered too?” All I wanted was answers and to finally put the past behind me.

“Yes, just not by my people.”

I didn’t miss what he said, and I wondered how many people he had working for him. Clearly the men who took Ella were some of them. I smirked. After I’d dealt with them, the Pied Piper had four fewer on his team. “Okay, so let’s say this shit is true. How did I end up with the Fletchers and what did they do to you?”

“That’s where this gets a bit more complicated. Are you sure you don’t want something to drink before I continue?”