The Devil You Know
by Angela
03-09-06
part four
The dining room was exquisite. Wine-colored tapers were lit to supplement the soft glow of the chandelier, and the two places were set with brocade place mats and cream-colored china. Ash was wearing another thousand-dollar suit, and his stomach growled as he waited for his master to emerge.
Dino had just arrived home barely twenty minutes before, and had ordered dinner held for him while he dressed. Ash would've been just as happy to eat alone in the kitchen, but he knew that would never be permitted. He shifted uncomfortably; his shoes felt tight and he hated the feeling of a tie snug around his neck.
Dino swept into the room, a brandy snifter between his fingers. He looked tense, and Ash figured that the visit to Chicago hadn't gone well. He was doubly glad he hadn't been forced along – the one thing that Dino did to relieve his stress was just what Ash had been happy to be free of, if only for one night.
Ash stood, as he'd been trained, and waited until Golzine was seated before finding his chair again. He knew he was supposed to greet him next, but couldn't find his voice. He knew it was just good manners, but the whole charade was hypocritical and humiliating. Dino raised his eyebrows.
He greeted Ash first. "It is good to be home," he said, smiling a little. "I trust that Blanca kept you busy enough that you didn't miss me?"
Not even funny. "I assure you," Ash said smoothly, his vocal cords working now that he had something more honest to say, "your absence didn't cause me even a moment's concern." Not the way he would have phrased it, where it up to him, but even in polite language, the insult felt good.
Dino didn't enjoy it quite so much. His lips twitched angrily for a moment before he let the comment go with a smile. "Let's eat," he said, reaching for a sliver-domed platter. "I know how much you like roasted duck."
That was one thing he'd have to get used to if he ran away to the Caribbean with Blanca – a distinct difference in food choices. Though his teacher had a healthy appreciation for fine cooking, he couldn't imagine the day to day menus would have any of the lavish gourmet dishes that Dino had a particular fondness for. Ash knew could be happy with cold pizza and French fries, but he'd gotten almost too used to the meals at the Golzine mansion.
They ate slowly, Dino because he savored every bite, and Ash because he was always willing to stall the inevitable. He sipped his wine and chewed each bite as thoroughly as was proper, even remembering not to slouch or put his elbows on the table. He could look like a little aristocrat when he tried, and even though he didn't care a whit about that kind of posturing, it was best not to upset Dino after he had a rough night.
"Carbone Russo asked about you," the mob boss said eventually. The butler was clearing the dishes and preparing to bring out dessert, and though they hadn't said a word through the whole meal, Dino spoke casually, almost as though he were continuing a conversation.
"Did he?" Ash didn't even try to sound interested. To him, Carbone Russo meant nothing but excessive pain and humiliation. The man was sick – into some twisted S & M shit, but only if his partner was young and unwilling. Ash wondered sometimes if he didn't have scars on his back from that monster's lash, god knew he bled enough.
Dino looked at him frankly, his eyes flashing in the candle light. "He wanted me to give you to him. As a token of goodwill." The man made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. "It made me glad I'd left you here, that way I could refuse without looking ungrateful."
Ash's stomach twisted. Leave it to Dino to be concerned with appearances. It was clear that the older man was watching for his reaction, seeking gratitude perhaps. Ash wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "One pervert or another," he said, shrugging. "It's all the same to me. It's not like you never sold me out to any sicko who could pay." He knew he walked a fine line, taunting Dino like that. It wasn't wise to get him mad, but somehow Ash never could manage to be calm and rational around him.
Maybe it was the years of rape and slavery that made him disrespectful?
Dino's eyes narrowed. "You've missed the point again. Those days are over. You are my heir – you belong to me, and no one else will touch you again." His hands clenched into fists. "Russo is fortunate that I was in a generous mood. I wouldn't hesitate to kill any man who tried to take you from me." He was deadly serious; it gave Ash chills.
He had to swallow his dismay, force his face to remain passive and bored. He knew he'd never understand Dino well enough to figure out what made him think that he could own people, manage them like he was some kind of feudal lord and everyone one else was just a vassal or slave. Not for the first time, Ash wondered what would happen to him later, when he was too old to attract Dino sexually and therefore useless. Lately Golzine had been saying things about making him an heir to the fortune and position – that was why he hired Blanca, after all – but what if Ash refused? What if he tried to leave on his own?
"And what if it's a woman?" he asked, just to be difficult. "What if a girl made me fall in love with her so that I would leave you?"
Dino's face was unreadable, but his eyes glinted coldly. "Anyone who makes you leave, male or female, will be subject to my wrath," he said in a quiet voice. "I've hunted men across the globe, had them murdered even while playing with their children, in bed with their wives. There is no line I would not cross to show you that you are mine. And you are; the sooner you accept it, the better for everyone."
Ash had no answer. He couldn't call the man's bluff. Not at Blanca's expense.
He'd been thinking all day of his teacher's offer, of the soft touch of sincerity in Blanca's voice, the compassion and sympathy that drove him to offer rescue. No one had been kind like that before. Not since Griff went to war. A tight ball of emotion and self-sufficiency that had motivated him for as long as he could remember had begun to unravel. How easy it would be to let someone else take care of him for a change.
But not now, not when Dino had practically threatened to destroy Blanca for it. "And if I leave on my own?" he asked at last, his voice wavering.
Dino gave him a long, hard look. "The only thing that will ever separate us, wildcat, is the bullet that I'll put in your head one day. Even you don't have the right to take you away from me."
One of Golzine's men walked in just then, carrying two dishes of pistachio ice cream on a silver tray. Wordlessly he placed the dessert bowls, bowed slightly, and vanished into the kitchen. Dino smiled softly. "No one can offer you more than I do; I will give you more wealth and power than you can imagine, I will lavish you with gifts and attention like no other lover. Stop trying to escape me. Learn to enjoy it."
He'd been given that advice once before, on the first day Blanca ever worked with him. Now he had reason to think his teacher regretted it, that he would risk his own life to free him of Dino's hold. And as long as someone – anyone at all – thought that Ash was worth the risk, he could believe in himself enough to prove that he could do it alone.
He'd leave Dino Golzine when he was strong enough to walk away on his own, and not a second sooner.
---
After spending four hours at the shooting range the next day, Ash found himself lingering outside his teacher's bedroom. Blanca hadn't reasserted his offer from two nights ago, but he didn't need to. Even though it had been an impulse, Blanca wasn't the kind of man to go back on his word.
But Ash wasn't planning on going anyway. Even if it weren't for Dino and his lunatic need to keep hold of every last thing he wanted to own, there was still Griff to think of. Dr. Meredith said he needed Ash to come around, to remind Griff why he had to come out of whatever fog he was in. Plus, he still didn't know exactly what had happened that night in Vietnam; he wanted to find out who would give his brother such a terrible drug and why.
He just had to find a way to make sure Blanca didn't feel sorry enough for him to try to make him come along.
The door opened before Ash could even knock. "Come on in," Blanca said, the ghost of a smile on his face. He stood in the doorway, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. His golden skin was damp from the shower and he wore nothing but striped pajama pants. He didn't seem surprised to find Ash lurking outside his door.
The young blond stepped into the room, the scent of soap and aftershave inspiring the lie he was about to tell. He took the seat he was offered, perching on the edge of the couch like a nervous bird until his teacher re-emerged from the bathroom, his hair combed and tied back.
When Blanca offered him a glass of wine, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Now it all makes sense," he said in a low voice, not taking the drink.
Blanca shrugged, putting the glass on the table. "What makes sense?" he asked, following Ash perfectly.
"This whole retirement thing. You." Ash jumped to his feet, pacing with agitated steps across the room. He stared out the window, where the sun was low over the brown grass and dirt of the gardens. "You're really no different than the rest of them!"
Blanca's expression was curious and a touch amused. "No different than who, Ash?" He sat on the leather sofa and poured a glass of wine for himself. "Did something happen since we got back from the range?"
Ash closed his eyes for a long moment, trying to block out the obvious concern in Blanca's voice. It was as though something was different between them, even the situation hadn't really changed. Tears and honesty had a way of pulling down barriers between people, and even though Blanca's genuine affection for him was the very thing giving him the strength to fight Dino alone, he almost regretted the very honest way he'd answered his teacher on the way back from Shorter's.
"I figured out why you want me to come with you to the Caribbean all of a sudden." The bitterness in his voice pleased him, but he was afraid to see how it affected his teacher. "I can't believe I was so blind."
Blanca didn't move from his place on the couch; he leaned casually and almost unconcerned on the arm rest. He raised his eyebrows in lazy surprise. "You found out that I want to use you as bait? As a lure for the women charmed by fair skin and blond hair?" He shrugged, his smile almost a laugh. "I didn't think you'd object."
Ash narrowed his eyes. His teacher resisted his anger, wasn't going to take the worm he dangled. He was going to have to be blunt. "I seriously doubt it'll be women you'll be reeling in with me," he accused directly. "You want to keep your pretty lifestyle by selling me to any vacationing pervert with cash!" He turned to glare at his teacher as he flung the words at him.
A grimace of distaste marred Blanca's handsome features and for a moment Ash thought of ending this stupid game and telling him the truth. That would include telling him that Griff was his brother, though. It would mean admitting that he was afraid for the older man's life, that he was going to accept his role as wildcat plaything for Dino in order to let Blanca retire in peace. That kind of honesty would hurt everyone, not just Ash's pride. "I'll bet you even made a deal with the old bastard, and that's why you're so sure we could get out all right," he continued. He hoped that if he made his teacher mad enough, he wouldn't care about leaving him in Dino's cage.
For a moment Blanca seemed to protest – his body hunched like he was going to stand, his face had outrage etched all over it. Then he froze. Smiled. "You're sharper than you look, kitty cat," he said softly, sipping his merlot. "There's no way Monsieur would let you out of the country without a pre-arranged agreement. But why not try a little change of scenery? Why not give this new game a chance?"
Ash studied the man shrewdly before answering. It was as though he were admitting to everything Ash accused, but he wasn't really. He was asking again, this time taking care not to make it sound like a rescue. Blanca was putting his offer into Ash's language, to ease the boy's pride by pretending the accusation was right, by not calling his student's bluff.
"If I'm going to be fucked either way," Ash answered flatly, looking Blanca directly in the eyes. "I'll stick with Dino. The devil you know is better than the devil you don't."
For an instant Blanca's gaze faltered. He looked almost sad. Ash bit his lip to keep from saying anything more.
"As you wish," his teacher said in a quiet voice. "I'm leaving in a few days. Consider your training finished." He turned away from Ash, his eyes seeking the window, the sunset, the cold garden.
Ash nodded curtly, ignoring the knot of pain in his chest. This was the first time he'd ever tried to drive away someone he cared about. It hurt. He felt like a little kid again, longing for someone to hold onto. He wanted to say some kind of farewell, but couldn't find words that wouldn't contradict what he'd already said. Instead he walked toward the door, his eyes on the carpet.
"You're the toughest kid I ever met," Blanca said suddenly as Ash reached for the doorknob. "Don't let that kill you."
Ash shook his head, his eyes filling with tears. "I won't," he replied, his voice thick with emotion. He silently wished Blanca a safe flight, a beautiful woman to love, a happy life. A real life.
He hurried into the hallway, unable to say another word. One day he'd escape on his own and live a real life, too. Until then, he'd fight.
It was all he could do.
