Page 5 of Little Crazy

Cory joined Clint, Coshise, and the boy when they returned to the guest room in the mansion's basement. The men paused outside the heavy metal door.

“You don’t have to speak to them,” Clint told the kid. “I just need you to confirm that they are the ones who hurt you.”

Cristof nodded, looking anxious as Clint unlocked the door. Cory held back and remained uncharacteristically silent. The cowboy glanced at him and opened the door.

“Wait here,” Clint instructed Cristof. “I’ll let you know when to come inside.”

“Okay,” Cristof whispered.

Clint and Cochise entered the guest room, leaving the door ajar. Cristof remained outside with Cory.

“Are… are you a gangster too?” Cristof asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Cory mumbled as he stared at the kid.

“Are you… related to them?”

“Not by blood,” Cory said. “But I consider them my uncles. They helped raise me.”

Cristof leaned against the wall and pursed his lips, his eyes on the floor. “That’s cool.”

Watching the kid, Cory felt sorry for him. His uncertainty concerning the brothers’ guilt wavered in the face of the frightened boy. The Caruso brothers had magnetic personalities, making it easy to forget they weren’t “good” guys.

Neither are you… or Clint or Cochise… or your dad.

They were all bad guys to the world.

But even within the crime world, there were bad guys… and then there were bad , bad guys. For reasons he couldn’t explain, Cory didn’t want to believe the Caruso brothers were bad , bad. But this kid standing before him insisted otherwise. Anyone who raped kids didn’t get a pass; they didn’t get to make excuses. There was no redemption or mercy for such monsters. Cory would be the last one to think they deserved anything less than brutal punishment.

So, why is your gut turning inside out right now?

“Look, man…” Carlo started when the gangsters returned. “I don’t know what’s going on or what you were told—”

“Shut up,” Clint snapped with a deep, guttural tone. Irritability took over as his gut pinched tighter. Uncertainty put him on edge—he wasn’t accustomed to doubt , especially in such circumstances. He walked up to Carlo and looked him dead in the face. “We brought the kid with us, the one you assaulted. You say you didn’t do it.” Clint shrugged. “Maybe you’re right, maybe the kid got it wrong. But.” Clint jabbed a finger toward the heavy metal door. “If he walks through that door and confirms that you are, in fact, the ones who assaulted him…” The cowboy’s face twitched. “… you’re shit out of luck.”

“What kid?” Ciro screeched. “We don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about!”

The genuine confusion in the young man’s voice threw Clint off kilter. This was the first time he sensed hesitation in his bones. Not once had he blinked at gutting a child rapist, but something felt out of fucking sync this time.

Clint stared at Ciro through narrow eyes. The younger brother was scared—legitimately scared. But all their victims were just before they left this world. Fear had a way of making a man appear guiltless. Anyone would cry innocent if they knew they were going to die. Was this all an act? The question continued to hang in the air, tormenting the cowboy.

Returning to the door, Clint motioned for Cristof to enter. The boy hesitated before shuffling in behind Clint, using the cowboy as a shield. Cory stood in the doorway, his body tense.

Ciro shot Cory an accusatory—disappointed?—look. “Man, what the fuck? Really? Why would you do this? We didn’t do anything wrong.” He shook his head. “We coulda had so much fun together. Fuck, I liked you, man. A lot.”

Cory lowered his eyes and remained silent.

“Are these the men who assaulted you?” Clint drew the boy out from behind him. “Just tell me, and you can go.”

The kid moved cautiously around the cowboy and raised his head.

The two brothers went dead silent as their eyes slowly bulged in their heads, and both brothers abruptly shrieked in unison – “Little C?!”

The gangsters immediately sensed the sudden shift in the atmosphere as confusion reigned supreme. The brothers’ shriek caused the boy to recoil and collide with Clint.

“That… that’s what they called me.” Cristof trembled, his back pressed against the cowboy. “Little C… for Cristof.”

Fury exploded across the brothers’ faces. Carlo jerked against his chains, seething. “You lying little fuck! It isn’t for Cristof—it’s for Crazy! You psychotic little bastard!”

Cory approached the men with an air of caution. “What’s going on?”

“ This is the kid who said we assaulted him?” Ciro exclaimed as his focus went to the boy. He rattled his chains furiously. “When we get out of here— we will beat the living piss out of you!”

Clint exchanged an uncertain look with Cochise and Cory.

“We didn’t do fuck to him,” Carlo hissed. “And he ain’t a fucking kid. He’s eighteen fucking years old!”

The boy remained pressed against Clint; his head ducked as he hugged his slender body.

“You tell them the goddamn truth right fucking now!” Carlo railed at the boy. “Or I swear to God, I’ll whip the fucking hide from your body!”

Clint looked down at the boy. His thin frame shook as what sounded like whimpering cries slipped up his throat. The kid whispered something only the cowboy’s ears picked up— “Promise?” —before he slowly raised his head, and a maniacal grin spread across his face. “I didn’t lie,” Little C cackled. “You do beat me and fuck me. Ciro does, anyway.”

Ciro’s face twitched, his nostrils flaring. “ Spanking you during sex is not the same fucking thing! We’ve never fucking raped you!”

Breath surging, Clint stepped away from the boy. “What. In. The. Fuck is going on?”

Carlo took a couple of deep, strained breaths, eyes burning hot. “This is Little C, our little brother… step brother. He’s been pulling this shit since he was a little kid. He’s out of his fucking mind.”

Quiet rage swelled inside the cowboy as he stood there, his mind working overtime. He had trusted the boy—hadn’t even questioned his story. But the truth was staring him in the face now; the kid wasn’t a victim . He turned on Cristof. “You think this is some kind of fucking joke? You think it’s funny to fuck with us?”

“Whoa, not you.” Little C grinned and held up his hands, then pointed at the brothers. “ Them. I was pranking them.”

“ Pranking?” Carlo nearly screamed. “What if they’d killed us on sight?”

Little C chewed his lower lip and smiled sheepishly. “I was pretty sure they wouldn’t.”

“Pretty sure?” Ciro stared at him incredulously. “ Pretty sure?!”

“I was right.” Little C shrugged and grinned. “They didn’t. I was going to stop them before they harmed any of your goodie parts.”

Chest heaving, Clint flicked his hand at Cory. “Cut them loose.” He grabbed the kid by the front of the shirt and jerked him close, wrenching a startled gasp from the boy. “I should string you up and beat you senseless.”

“I know,” Little C cooed. “I’ve been a bad, bad boy… do it… I deserve it.”

Clint grunted in disgust and shoved the boy away. He turned to the Caruso brothers. “Keep your crazy family away from us, understand?” His jaw clenched, sprouting veins across his brow. “I don’t ever want to see this little fucker again—or I’ll deal with him my way.”

Little C shivered. “That sounds like an invitation to me.”

Cory shook his head. “You’d best stop now.”

The boy sidled up to Cory. “Fuck, you’re pretty. How ‘bout you, me, and Ciro—”

“No.” Cory retreated from the three brothers. “We’re done here.”

Ciro sighed. “Such a pity. I was hoping since you know I’m not a rapist, we might make good on our former plans…”

“Sorry. I’m spoken for.”

“Bring him.” Ciro winked. “The more the merrier.”

“I don’t think so.”

Cochise looked like a mountain about to explode. “Get out,” he ordered in a guttural growl.

Carlo shoved Little C forward and smacked him in the head. “You’re going to pay for this, you little fuck.”

Twisting his head, Little C smirked at his oldest brother. “This was the best one. Admit it—I got you good.”

Carlo glared at him, then chuffed. “Yeah, you fucking did.”

“Fuck,” Ciro snorted. “I about shit my pants.”

Little C snickered.

Cory escorted them to the rear basement entrance and opened the steel door that led outside. “You’re not pissed about what he did?”

Carlo shrugged. “Sure we are. And he will be sorely punished for it. But we’re used to his crazy stunts.”

“Why do you put up with it?”

“We’re family,” Ciro said. “He’s crazy as a loon, but he’s been our brother, our family since we were all kids. When his mom died, our dad accepted him as his own son to care for. When our dad died, it fell on us to look after him.”

Cory smiled small. “Maybe you should shorten his leash.”

Ciro laughed. “It wouldn’t help. Crazy is as crazy does.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Little C squinted at Carlo. “You gonna spank me good and hard for this?”

“Your crazy ass is gonna glow bright red for a week when we’re through with you.”

“ Mmm.” Little C bit his thumbnail and grinned with glee.

Cory shook his head as the three brothers exited the basement. He returned to Clint and Cochise standing by the guestroom door. “Wow,” Cory mumbled. “I don’t know what to think about that.”

Clint looked at Cochise and huffed, “I think they’re all a little crazy. If I never see them again, it’ll be too fucking soon.”

The Egyptian grunted in agreement.

Cory looked back at the basement door and shrugged. “I don’t know, I kind of liked them.”

The two older gangsters stared at him.

“Well, not so much the little crazy one, but the other two…”

Clint slowly shook his head.

“Hey.” Cory held up his hands and grinned. “Crazy is drawn to crazy, and you know I’m not playing with a full deck.”

The two men exchanged a dry look.

Cochise muttered, “Can’t argue with that.”

“Ha! Ha!” Cory hugged the Egyptian. “I can always count on you, big daddy.”

Cochise grunted and peeled Cory off him, scowling at the younger man for the new, unwelcome nickname.