Page 29

Twenty-Eight

Impurity didn’t like surprise visits but he always liked to pop up on people as a surprise. I knew that I couldn’t keep him on ice for long. He wanted answers about Jalissa. I went over it a million times in my head about what I would say to him. I was sure that Herringbone’s funky ass told Impurity everything along with Monster being my brother. Impurity probably went on a blood thirst mission since the news hit him.

It left me to wonder if Mr. Herringbone was still alive. I called the old man soon as I left Monster’s house to touch bases with him. I was dealing with everything that hit me when Jalissa popped up, including my company. I had several meetings and sponsors to meet with for my big red-carpet event. I yearned to lay eyes on Angel but hadn’t found the time to make it back to the pit to check on her face to face to deliver everything I promised to her.

She was in good hands with Maylee so I didn’t let my mind ponder on her for too long. I had more important things to do then to be stuck in a battle on why I didn’t kill her. I was satisfied with not killing Angel. Everything she said about Impurity was true, it angered me about the things she said about me, though. A big part of me wanted to explain myself and force her to see that I was not Impurity. My pride wouldn’t let me do it, and I didn’t see myself even setting her hardheaded ass free any time soon.

Angel needed to learn how to mind her fucking business. If it was Impurity that got hold of her, she’d be dead without a second thought. I navigated through the cold deserted streets of Arkville with nothing worth seeing. This godforsaken city feels and looks like the land of the forgotten. Buildings looked cracked and weathered. The asphalt beneath my tires is rough and pitted. I chuckled dryly at how even the road felt like it had given up on trying to hold shit together here.

There wasn’t a soul in sight as I passed old store fronts with windows boarded up. I passed up a park that Jalissa used to take me and Octavio to whenever Impurity allowed her and shook my head at its upkeep. Impurity had lots of money, enough to rebuild and make things look better for the community. Instead, he ran it down to the ground. I kept driving until I drove through the woods that led me to the mountains where Impurity’s mansion sat alone.

I tried to call Mr. Herringbone one last time, and again I was sent straight to voicemail. I looked up at Impurity’s house that sat at the very peak of the mountain. The windows looked dark and empty as the wheels to my truck grinded against the gravel beneath my tires. Soon as I turned the last corner, I caught sight of the guards. All masked and scattered around the house like roaches. They stood like statues; it wasn’t worth the minimum wage salary that they received in order to protect his life.

Before I stepped out of my car, I pulled a cigarette out of the pack and lit one. I inhaled slowly then opened my door after taking one last look around. I decided that I wasn’t going through the front of his house. There was no telling what I would walk into so the back was the way that I took.

The hallway stretched endlessly before me. The silence surprised me because there was always some sort of noise. The sound of someone whimpering in pain, moans from fucking, or someone begging for mercy. I got to the end of the hall and a guard stood next to the golden staircase that led to the second floor. To the side of the golden staircase was a silver staircase that led to Impurity’s underground area.

I stopped a few feet away from the guard that didn’t move an inch. His eyes snapped to mine in recognition.

“Where is he?” I asked.

The guard shifted then pointed at the metal staircase. My stomach churned, I never wanted to go back down to Impurity’s dungeon. I didn’t want to see the faces of women being held captive behind metal cages. I didn’t want to catch him in the act of doing anything that I removed myself from years ago. I had to, though. I swallowed down my reservations and walked to the silver staircase that spiraled down to darkness.

I took the first step down into the darkness, the cold stone beneath my boots was a harsh reminder of where I was headed. Flashbacks of me loathing coming down here to work resurfaced. The air was thick and damp, the smell of blood and death drifted up my nose. Each breath that I took in felt heavier than the last. I inhaled the history and the past of this place. Impurity’s twisted, poisoned legacy that he kept concealed.

I could hear the faint sound of movement, until the sound grew louder the closer I got. Soon as my foot landed off the steps and into the darkness with only dim lights shining through, I noticed dozens of small, rusted metal cages. His addiction had grown since I left. I stood frozen, my heart hammered in my chest as I tried to process the pained expressions on all of their faces.

I wanted to turn and run like the scared little boy that I used to be but I couldn’t. My feet felt too heavy. I was rooted in place and forced to witness what haunted me in my dreams at night. How could I roam freely, live my life and forget about all the sick and twisted things that went on in Arkville? What kind of man was I? A true fucking monster, just like him. I made excuses for myself, telling myself that I wasn’t the one sending men out to kidnap women only to cage them up for my own sick desires.

I knew what Impurity was capable of and I did nothing to make the shit right. The devil owned his soul, and he convinced me that he owned mine. The people in those cages didn’t look up to acknowledge me at all. They’re all broken shells of themselves. Some of them rocked back and forth and muttered incomprehensible words. I noticed a woman thin and frail with matted tangled hair look up at me.

Her cracked lips moved but nothing came out. I squinted harder as I recognized her face. Then my throat thickened when I realized just who she was.

“Help,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Julie?” I frowned as I stepped closer to the cage.

I took a step back as my hands started to tremble. I look down and over at all the other cages and dropped my head. There were men caged and chained down as well. What the fuck is he doing with these men? I asked myself, feeling sick in the stomach.

“Just wait Julie, I’m going to help all of you.” I spoke in a hushed tone.

I picked up my feet and managed to push pass all of the cages. I made it to a dusty hallway with dim ceiling lights and followed the sound of voices that led to Impurity’s office space that he spent a lot of time inside of. On the other side of his office, was his butcher room. I approached his door that was cracked opened and stood to the side.

Mr. Herringbone’s voice cracked as I listened to him talk to Impurity with a broken voice.

“Why has he been staying here, Purity? I thought we both agreed that he wasn’t worthy enough! He left Arkville to marry a woman and procreated with her!” Mr. Herringbone yelled at the top of his lungs.

“I wanted a regular life! Impurity knows that! I couldn’t live here amongst filth! Look at what he’s become, he is spiraling out of control! All of the bodies. He’s even exposing his truth more and more; things are getting out of hand! You were supposed to keep him well grounded!”

I placed my back against the cold wall and took in deep breaths. The second person that spoke was Angel’s father, James Willis.

“Purity! Defend me!” Mr. Herringbone shouted.

Purity? Why the fuck is he calling him Purity? I asked myself in disbelief. I wanted to run before I heard something that would change my entire life. I pulled my Glock from the small of my back and froze when Impurity finally spoke.

“I made a mistake. The love of my life…the only love of my life is back. She’s resting inside of my room peacefully. If I can have you back James…I promise to release everyone that’s caged. You, me, and Jalissa… it’s the way it should have always been. My dick gets hard for you and it gets hard for her?—”

“What about me! All that I’ve done! What about me?” Mr. Herringbone sobbed as I felt bile rise in my throat.

“What about you?! Your worthless to me, Harry! You’re shitty, you can’t hold your piss or your shit anymore. Your ass can’t even grip my dick. When you suck, your dentures clatter all around me. It’s disgusting! I already offered you to move in here, I can even get you nurses. You’re too old, Harry. I’m not attracted to you anymore; you know it just like I know it!”

“I can’t—I can’t do it!” Mr. Herringbone’s voice dropped dangerously low.

“You owe me?—”

“I don’t owe you shit!” Impurity’s voice boomed and echoed off the walls.

“What about the kids!” Mr. Herringbone yelled back at Impurity.

“Fuck them, and as far as I’m concerned…I only have one adult son. Detavio Decebal, he’s thirty-two years old and capable to survive on his own.”

I heard enough, all of it made me sick to my stomach. I used the butt of my gun to push the door wide opened. I didn’t give a fuck about the tears that decorated my face.

“Speaking of the devil himself. It’s about time you came to talk with me, boy.” Impurity sat up and interlocked his hands on top of the table.

His black ink fingertips drummed on top of his hands as he eyed me coldly. I looked at James, then over at Mr. Herringbone.

“Man.” I uttered, feeling my chest constrict.

“What, boy?” Impurity asked with his face frowned up.

“I’m a man! A better man than you will ever be. I’m not a boy, I’m a motherfuckin’ man! Son to the devil himself…” I chuckled through my tears angrily.

“How could you get rid of your son…Octavio! Get rid of your first born, Monster. Then proudly claim a woman that?—”

“Watch your fucking words!” Impurity screamed so loud that spit sprayed across his desk.

“No, you’re gay…” I chuckled in disbelief.

“You kept all of those women around, never fucking them because your dick couldn’t get hard?—”

“Enough!” He slammed his hands and stood up.

I pointed my gun at him as my hands shook violently. I swallowed down the large lump that forced its way up my throat and shook my head in disbelief. I was in so much disbelief that I felt dizzy.

“I’ve had enough of you. Sit the fuck down and listen to me.” I spat.

“Sit the fuck down!” I yelled again.

“Purity, just?—”

I cut Mr. Herringbone’s words off with a bullet to the center of his head. I smirked at silencing him for the rest of his miserable ass life. I pointed the gun at James and Impurity sat down stubbornly.

“You ready to die?” Impurity smirked.

“I’ve been ready, now…are you ready to hear the truth and swallow it down?” I sinisterly chuckled as I stepped closer to the desk.

“You kidnapped hundreds of women…I used to wonder why I never caught you fucking them…It was because you couldn’t get hard for them. You was disgusted with the truth of yourself. Disgusted with being gay so you harmed so many people to convince others that you was addicted to having several women. You turned your back on Octavio and let him go with Jalissa because you took his sensitivity for being soft. You was too scared to keep him because you thought that he would grow older and proudly live in his truth while you lived in the shadows of yours. Jalissa fed him hormonal pills and poisoned him…” I stopped talking to ground myself and control my anger.

“I’m not gay! I’m a man!” He gritted.

“No, you are a gay man. A sick, demented, twisted, filthy son of the devil! You acted like you hated Jalissa when that sick bitch is here! And you!” I looked at James and couldn’t fathom how Angel would take the news.

“You’re coming with me…you will confess to Angel about everything, you?—”

“James stays here with me! He’s not leaving me again.” My father stated lowly.

“I need him…” His words trailed off.

I grew sick in the stomach as I witnessed Impurity’s cold eyes thaw out into fear.

“Please, I don’t want to break my baby’s heart.” James pleaded through tears.

“You have no choice. Either you come and tell her, or I go tell her why I had to put a bullet through your head.” I stepped closer to James.

“Those women and men will be released?—”

“They agreed to be here! They signed papers to?—”

“Did Julie sign papers to be here?” He clamped his mouth shut.

“Her father worked around the clock for you…Was he one of your hidden lovers too?” I cringed on the inside.

“He was not my lover; he should have never wanted me to take care of his daughter. I never wanted her!”

“So, you should have set her free!” I yelled back. “She’s getting released, along with the others!”

“You can’t become captain save a hoe for nobody inside of my house! Fuck with me and see the real havoc I’ll cause.” Impurity rested his head against his seat then cracked it from side to side.

“I’ll forever own you, and whoever else I want to have.” He chuckled sinisterly.

“Ownership has expired. You’ll see soon.” I pointed my gun at James and gestured for him to stand to his feet.