Caged: Retribution

Chapter 5

"Are you here to kill me?"

"Tell me, Manny, why would I ever kill the man who helped make me who I am today. I am here to thank you…"

"Oh my god. I knew it. I knew you understood."

"More than I can ever say in words."

Seeing Manuel Caro up close and personal again was a bit of a disappointment to Todd. The older man was much smaller than he had begun to think of him as, much less threatening. The colored guayabera shirt lay open and showed a bit of a pot belly, a shrunken chest. Though he'd give that he was still youthful in his overall shape and facial constitution, and like Pedro… he still had some muscle to him. The sleeves didn't hide the girth of his biceps. Todd's eyes were drawn to the ring Caro wore. An ugly gold nugget kind of thing that triggered nothing in his limited memory bank. All much less impressive than he remembered since he last saw him. Since he learned the truth. Abram didn't move, firmly set on the floor, ready for anything. He growled then barked. Not liking Caro one bit. Doggy sixth sense.

"I am so glad," Caro said. "I was worried about our friendship."

"What is a minor disagreement for friends like us?" Todd could hear his own voice and it was calm, devoid of anger. There might have even been a bit of a seductor in it. A smoothness, a syrupy low tone. His very own come-fuck-me voice he knew he was good at. Not like Rico, no, never like that. Todd could feel a bit of the whore in himself, an old familiar whore… a Brandy-like recollection… only fucking isn't quite what he had in mind. Submission is not what was dancing in his head.

"Tell me, Blanco, do you really like boys, did you learn to enjoy them?"

Words got stuck. His calmness shaken the way a camera's view would be if bumped while filming. The quiet returned though.

"No," he finally said.

"Of course. Interests, tastes, like mine are not common. But you enjoy… Rico, yes? He is a gift from god, yes? Such perfection since he was a child. He moves like a swan."

The mention of Rico's name hit Todd like a bullet to his forehead. Strange how he almost fell back at the sound of Rico coming out of that disgusting mouth, the guts of Caro to mention him as a child. Rico, Rico, Rico… The things Caro made him do slithered around his feet, the snuff films climbing up the khaki pants… the things Rico had seen and experienced wrapping around Caro's belly, around his neck. Everything Rico had become at the hands of who was probably his first abuser splashed inside of Todd. He huffed and glanced up and down Manuel's body. A low rolling noise crawled out of his throat...

Caro breathed a little fast, realizing he'd stepped on a landmine. He put his hands out, slightly frightened eyes set on Blanco. "Oh I should not talk about him, yes? I can see that. I am sorry. He is yours now, nothing to be touched. He is to be protected, of course. I respect that." He blathered. Words flying past and not sticking. Until… "The two of you were similar in ways. Given to me as gifts by parents. Both of you learned fast…"

The words faded again because Todd was stuck on the veins in Caro's neck. He imagined slashing the arteries, imagined the heated spray on his skin, what it would feel like to end Caro. The high of it. He licked his lips. Wondered if his blood was less warm than other men's blood… Rico remembered blood as slippery. Todd didn't recall that part. He did know the taste. Salty metal on his tongue. He had some knowledge of arterial blood having cut that guy's throat back in Statesville, the asshole who tried to rape him as some kind of revenge. Blood had gotten into his mouth. Much more than the drops he got from biting the insides of his mouth, or from a hit to the face. He was lucky the inmate wasn't HIV positive. They'd tested him. Assured him. Afterwards he kept his mouth closed when blood spattered.

"Blanco?"

The room around him wasn't quite Elon's house, but Caro was the same. Standing in the entrance to the living room that almost looked like Todd's Chicago house. He could almost hear Peter's booming voice, see his towering form. Caro walked close to a frozen-in-time Todd and put a hand on his shoulder, brown eyes full of concern. "You were a beautiful child. Your father gave you to me and in return I set him up with a supplier of goods from Brazil. Your father made a lot of money from the deal. He was very satisfied."

Caro ran a hand down Todd's arm. Held his wrist.

"You body is humming, Blanco. You are moved at seeing me again. You did not know who I was when we first met in Statesville. I put two and two together, as they say. I understand how you feel. I, too, was affected at seeing my teacher after a long separation. A foster father. Then… I soon found my interests aligned with his. I appreciated his gentle but firm treatment of me. Sit down, sit here. You look a little pale."

Caro led Todd to a fine wooden chair that was the same one he'd been sitting in when he saw Alicia on the screen. The pack of cigarettes still lay where he'd left them. Caro put a hand on Todd's chest, urging him to sit. Todd did as he was asked, knees apart. Abram remained at his side, still standing, untrusting of the man with the open shirt. They both looked across the mid-morning space at Caro. Caro was down now, on the floor, on his knees. He had put his hands on Todd's spread-apart thighs.

"You became a handsome strong man, powerful," he purred. "What can I do to assure you of my… regret... that I was not able to continue my proper education of you? That I left you to your cruel father?"

Clearing his throat, Todd seemed to come into himself. Gazed at Caro's splayed hands. "You can stop touching me for one thing."

Immediately, the older man stepped back, fell back. Giving the monster a little space. "I am sorry, no insult was intended," Caro said. "The little girl, Alicia? She is back home, yes? Much better, of course, better for any child to be with parents."

Todd narrowed his eyes, curious at the profound lack of acknowledgment of Caro's vast culpability. "She was taken from them. Did you not take her?"

"Oh no, Blanco, I never deprive children of beloved parents. I offer sanctuary for lost children. If parents give them away, or if they have run away from poor parents, those children are much safer with me. Sometimes children have been taken by others and we cannot find their real parents. Sometimes those children are too young to remember so they are lost… we keep them. Better than being left with bad people."

Todd shuddered, his body not cooperating with the disconnect. He was sweating. His breathing had sped up again, his heart rate. But his mind… it was still as glass, detached. He was looking at Caro from very far away. Like way up high, like a bird, like a hawk. He swallowed. "And pray tell, my dear Manuel, where do you keep these lucky children?"

"Foster homes, Blanco. They all have mothers and fathers who greatly appreciate their presence in their homes. The children are loved and shared."

"Shared."

"With me, with my clients. The children are treated well. They learn a useful trade, they enjoy themselves, their bodies. The foster parents get a cut of money the children earn."

"Like Rico."

Caro nodded, smiled. "Yes, exactly like Rico."

"Rico's family… is a foster family?"

"Yes. He is not the blood child of them. His foster mother takes care of many of my children."

Todd tilted his head… like a dog. "Where is he from?"

"I no longer remember."

Quiet came, Todd not able to tear away from Caro's patient expression on his face. So open, so trusting of the benign conversation. Caro was sitting now on a coffee table. Relaxed yet anxious. He wanted to share more.

"My father… he sold me to you?"

Caro lit up at the opening. "Yes, in exchange for the contacts. You were breathtaking, Blanco. Golden silky hair, smooth skin the color of a summer peach… you smelled like raw cotton. You had the barest trace of body hair. A perfect boy." Caro had closed his eyes in seeming remembrance. "I thought it was cruel how your father tied you to the bed. You learned to move your body though… to get more good feelings... despite being constricted."

"Did I?"

"My god, yes. At first the pain was obvious, expected… these things take time and practice and we didn't have much of either… but we had enough. Many visits. Your body learned it was a good pain and you soon could..." He gazed down a moment and when he raised his eyes to Blanco, they were bright and his face bore a fine sheen. He breathed unevenly. "My god, my god. My instruction led you to be able to have an orgasm without even being touched. My mere slow entrance into you…in and out, in and out... the slower, the deeper... yes… you would climax… only with that."

Todd swallowed hot noxious bile that had fired up into his throat. He gripped the arms of the chair, scratching his nails on the wood. He was as far away as he could be except there was no distance far enough from this. Eyes on Caro… the thumping along his neck… a gun required too much muscle control at the moment. He realized he could not actually move.

Caro smiled, oblivious… "You remember. I can see it on your face. Yes, it was… glorious. I had never seen such a thing. You made this angelic sound...music to my ears... when you ejaculated. Your beautiful lips open and gasping… what I would give to hear that noise come from you today." Caro moved close again, his eyes pleading, hopeful. Fucking madness. On his knees again. "I bet I could hear that same sound in your mature voice. A silver lining in a dark cloud."

Todd tasted blood in his mouth. He was biting his tongue. Hard. Swallowing to keep from vomiting all over Caro and cutting off the flow of FUCKING information. Thinly, he asked, "Where was my father during these…musical moments?"

"Your father would watch from the door. When you and I were done… he would come to our side… I would hardly touch him and he'd be finished. The spray was so strong it would rain on us. That's how powerful our connection was, how exciting."

Todd could only manage a choked, "Is that right?"

"Yes, my child. I despaired over the end of our trysts."

Moments clicked by, Todd gazing into the lit-up eyes of Caro. He asked softly, "And what ended them?"

"Your father. I believe he became… jealous of your reaction to me. He could not get that from you. You resisted him. You refused to come for him. Of course. I knew how to teach the art of love and he did not."

"The art of… love."

"May I touch you, Blanco? Will you let me hear you once again? I bet you did not know that you can orgasm without being touched… if a man is inside of you and moving… like a swan. I am ready right now… thinking about it. You loved it as a child, you will love it again."

Todd's mind and body seemed to be waking up, meeting in the middle. Blood rushing in many places, the kind of rushing that was nothing but unchained...hate. Down his arms, down his legs. His cock. He felt it rushing up through his neck into his head. Could practically feel it pouring out of his eyes, his ears, his mouth. He tasted it. He smelled it. He needed to kill Caro. Like now. Like immediately. Like over and over. His mouth twitched. He stared emptily. His breathing grew ragged. Caro got closer yet again to Todd. He was once more in between Todd's thighs. He reached forward and touched Todd's lips…

"You are bleeding."

Caro wiped Todd's lips with his fingers, Todd staring at him. He wasn't breathing now… completely consumed with a need to rip Caro's throat open with his teeth. Like now. Like fucking now.

"I loved you, child."

Todd choked out, "Is that right?" Now, he thought, now now now now now now kill him now now now rip his throat out now now now tear his heart out. In that way of Todd's, he thrust his arm out and clamped his hand around Caro's neck, the older man gasping… bloody fingers on an unmoving arm… the grip like a vice.

"Blanco!"

A noise got Abram to bark again, a loud raucous bark. It derailed Todd's thinking, his eyes flying to the dog. Growling and snorting, Abram did not move from Todd, pointing his aggression at the stairs. Another thump upstairs. Caro turned within the grip and then flipped back, his face blanching.

Todd glanced up the stairwell, then back at Caro. Brought back to earth. He growled, "Is someone else here in this house? Is it Elon?"


Rolon Lopez leaned on a brick wall across the street from where Todd was. About fifteen minutes earlier, the bastard had snuck around back of the plain yellow house with two stories and drapery-covered windows. Place was in the synagogue section of Havana. The rain had lightened to a mere drizzle, cloudy skies promising more showers. His jacket was thin so he stuck his hands in his jeans pockets for warmth. He holstered his Desert Eagle at his shoulder. Black market shit… got a good deal from his Mambo Kings brothers down here.

He'd been monitoring every movement by El Diablo Blanco since Sylvia's house. He had a perfect perch in the grey shadows… just like he had at Sylvia's casita. He called it right. He knew his fucked-up friend was up to no good and knew where he'd leave from. It's how Téa left, it's where Todd had dragged Rolon. The back door was the ingress and egress for El Diablo Blanco. Sure as shit… sonofabitch stalked right out into the alley, dog at his side. Driven, man. Oh yeah… he had the fuckin' devil in his walk. Nothing right was waiting for him.

What had Blanco done to Téa? Didn't matter now. Shit was on and Rolon had called it like a goddamn soothsayer.

She had run in the rain to Jedediah just like Blanco wanted. Jed had gotten a call early in the morning to come get Téa and the kid did right by calling Rolon. So Rolon followed, giving space on purpose. Telling the kid, "Lemme just be your bodyguard, okay, 'chacho?" So Rolon stood at that perch… saw the whole exchange in the alley. Madre de dios… Blanco could be such a bastard when he wanted. Hanging out that window, iron hands gripping the sides of the window sill, cigarette in his mouth, looking down through that stringy long hair at his son with such arrogant bullshit… dragging his words like a dead body through mud.

I wanna see her run. Splash dem puddles with dem lawyer... boots.

Rolon wrongly assumed Jed had an infinite place of forgiveness for his father. Holy hell, one look at the kid and Rolon grabbed him, smashed him against a lamppost to cool his ass down. Jed was gonna drop Téa off and come a'calling on his Pops and… after the incident with the gun… Rolon couldn't let it happen. No way. Rolon had kinda recovered… he got his friend's point. Kinda knew now where Todd had come from. His history. Such… powerlessness. He got that people needed to be made dead for what they did to him, to the whore, to a lot of innocent children. He always got that… but he had never felt it. Getting mouth-fucked with a gun will make a man feel things.

The catch was… it was only by the grace of God that Todd hadn't accidentally fired that gun into Rolon's mouth. He shuddered. So yeah. No way was Rolon gonna let that kid deal with his very unhinged father right now. It was difficult enough that Téa kept getting in the monster's face. That woman! Stubborn as a mule and competitive as hell. Bottom line, she was going to keep at it until Todd forgave her for her transgression. She needed to win.

FUCK.

"He's trying to get you out the way," Rolon explained. "Whatever happened last night is nothing today. He wants you and her gone because he got ugly shit goin' on. So go back to the hotel. I got him." He shook the kid when he started to object again… "I GOT HIM!"

Téa stepped in. She'd been tearful, bothered by whatever had gone on and for sure Rolon would question her later about it, but some kinda light went on with her. She knocked her head back, got a look on her face like she was mad at herself. "He's right, Jed, Todd chased me off in his way. He does have something happening. Of course, of course… mijo, let's go."

It took some more cajoling but Jed finally agreed. He'd take Téa back and not come back for a while.

"I'm not staying away forever," he promised. And Rolon knew that was true. All that mattered now was that the kid and Téa were safe.

Rolon saw curtains move upstairs. A man in the window just checking the scenery. Didn't make Rolon or anything. Two heavy-hitting MK soldiers were coming up the block, right on time. Good loyal men. They'd been dealing with Blanco and had gained a lot of respect for him during his time here.

Arturo asked, "You called, brother?"

"You're fast."

"Been up all night," he chuckled, Vicente laughing conspiratorially.

"I need backup. I have no idea what inside that house so be prepared for anything. Even blood."

"This is for you?"

"And Blanco, yes."

"We're here, brother." He showed off his pistola in his jacket. Added, "Russian. The best."

"Communist perfection," Rolon smirked. They all laughed,

When he heard Abram bark, Rolon kicked off the wall. Watching time was over. Headed across the street around the back of the place, following where Todd had gone, his men behind him.

He had a bad fuckin' feeling about this.


A long silence hovered in between the two men. Caro glanced around nervously, trying to move away, trying to get out of Todd's grip. He huffed, "Elon is dead. Pedro killed him."

Lightness flowed through Todd… a deserved killing. "I did not know that. Or did I? Why?"

"Because Pedro wanted to protect you. We threw him and Ivan into the ocean. Elon would have caused trouble over Ivan's killing." He huffed, twisting in Todd's hold, adding, "Pedro was angry at me when he learned of my relationship with you, of our special visits. He does not understand men like us. You appreciate the education, as you said. You're thankful, you said. Right? We are connected, you and I."

"Have you seen Pedro?"

"No! Blanco… you are hurting me."

"Who is here, though? You did not answer my question. Who is upstairs?"

The nervousness was palpable. Caro held Todd's wrists, his legs twisting beneath him, unable to escape. "I have guests. A Canadian couple."

"You must have a child then… upstairs. Your shirt is open… you dressed quickly... " Todd twitched, his lip lifting ever so slightly. He squeezed the arm of the wooden chair, his other hand pressing on Caro's throat.

"Blanco…"

"I need to see them, Caro. Do you understand? I have an obligation to myself, to our business. Ivan nearly wrecked it. I don't trust you like I used to."

"I assure you, these people are nothing like Ivan. I am here… we all share similar sensibilities. Blanco... please…"

But it was too late. Todd got to his feet and re-adjusted his hold, grabbing Caro by the arm, a new iron fist that got Caro to whimper and cry out, "Blanco! Please!" His strength was truly no match.

Todd walked heavily up the stairs, remembering the freedom of being without Pedro's paws on him, without the restraint. Caro trailed behind him, talking, asking, pleading, pulling back, trying to negotiate release… but his words flew to the side, flew behind him, meaningless butterfly wings. Dust motes. Ocean spray. They hit the second floor and… and… oh god, Todd could feel Ivan beneath him. The smell of Ivan. He put a hand on the wall and turned slightly to Caro.

"How many children are in these rooms?"

"Just two," Caro huffed, still making noise at Todd's pinching fingers. "They are happy and good at what they do. The Canadian couple pays a lot of money for those children. They support our filmmaking. We could lose a lot of money if you kill them!"

Todd chuckled, "You think I will kill them in front of children? I have some ethics, you know."

"I don't know anything," Caro whined. "You confuse me."

"You have no idea about confusion. Try being in my head a day or two."

The room was exactly the one where Ivan died. Todd turned the doorknob and stepped inside, Caro obviously Todd's captive. There was a man and a woman, naked in the bed. Sheets had long been abandoned. They gasped loudly at seeing Todd, sitting up, shocked. He stood cold and tall, expressionless. There were two unclothed children in the bed, a boy and a girl, as young as Alicia. Eight maybe. Red-headed children with blue eyes, blue as the sky. Their eyes were open wide. They sat criss-cross on the bed. Todd saw immediately they were twins. Almost identical but for the gender. The man and woman had been lying down on their sides, flanking the children.

Caro rasped, "I am so sorry, my friends. This is my business partner. He is a bit high strung. He is new to our Havana venture. We have had a disagreement. Stay calm."

The two children reached to each other and hugged immediately. Abram was no comfort, growling in the doorway and looking the black devil himself. Todd walked close to the bed, Caro still in hand. The adults were stunned, sputtering, "What is going on here, Caro? What does this man want?"

Speaking to the children and ignoring Caro's meaningless responses, Todd smiled, a cool one, and said, "Don't be afraid, I will not hurt you. EVER." He reached down and picked up the sheet, handing it to the children. He said, "Get off the bed. Sit there… right there... " He directed them to huddle on the floor. They were so scared. And he smiled again. "You play tents?" They nodded. "Play it." He covered them with the sheet. They took it and hid under it. On the floor. He could see the sheet shivering.

Todd looked around for equipment. He struggled with Caro… the man had respectable strength. "Settle the hell down," he growled, biting down, his jaw flexing, tensing. He saw some cords… but nothing for good leverage. He imagined he'd get them to kill themselves. A hard sell but he thought maybe… maybe… the slowness would lift his soul…

"Caro! Should we leave?! I want to leave! This man doesn't act like a partner!"

He wanted to use his gun, wanted the violence of it, but he couldn't. The children… he could not do it. The couple was arguing with him now, proclaiming that this wasn't what it looked like. The man… he was trying to protect the woman. Stupid, really. There was a camera on the bed and just as Todd saw it, the woman made a grab for it but she was weak and he had it first and with it, he backhanded her. Blood flew out of her mouth as she fell onto the mattress. The man screamed. Black hair all over the place. Yeah, she had black hair. The man had gray spiky hair. Todd eyed him lazily and finally let go of Caro. He took his gun out. Camera in one hand, weapon in the other. Pointed it at Caro, then at the man and said, "SHUT UP."

Caro ran to the children...making sure they were okay. Fixed the sheet, adjusted it so they were better covered. Funny how he went to them instead of running. Oh… he couldn't leave because Abram was at the door. Growling like the base monster dog he was. Teeth bared. Caro was stuck in the room. Terrified of the dog.

Todd pointed the gun at the flabbergasted man with an arm around the woman, screaming, arguing, as he flipped through the pictures on the camera. Eyes on them, then back on the pictures. Eyes on them, then back again. Both were guilty of horrific crimes. Beyond horrific. Todd wanted to be human. So badly he wanted to be deeply human, like Téa said. So badly he wanted to spare lives for Benicio Juarez's project, for the sake of the almighty justice system. He put the camera down at his feet and just stood there. Contemplating their pathetic existence.

"What are your names?"

"Just kill us, you bastard."

"Eh. I want to know names first."

"Susan and Lawrence Warner. We are going to call the Embassy! We were doing nothing wrong!"

Todd laughed, his eyes laughing, too. They were so funny, these people. "Uh… can't photoshop shit on a digital SLR. You were definitely doing something wrong with those kids. They are eight years old and you were fucking them. You made them cry."

"Blanco…," Caro pleaded.

"Do you have plastic bags? And tape?"

The woman screamed and Todd was so losing patience. "Tell her to shut her fucking mouth or I will kill her right now. To hell with my good moral nature."

"WE WERE DOING NOTHING WRONG!" The woman yelled. Kept screaming. And Todd saw her through a black black haze. He racked the slide of the gun. Raised it. Aimed it right at her screaming head. Fuck his morals. They were gonna die.

Now now now now now have to die now now nownownownownow...

Except, he suddenly couldn't move. His arm was suddenly aimed toward the ceiling… and he could hardly breathe because someone's hard unforgiving arms were strangling the breath out of him.

Rolon huffed in his ear, "Hermano, hermano… not here… there are children in the room."

Realization hit him like a truck. Todd groaned like someone gutted him, deep and throaty noise, choking mad. "No, no, no, no, no! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! THEY HAVE TO FUCKING DIE! ALL OF THEM!"

"My brother, I know… I know…I'm sorry to do this..."

He was fighting Rolon desperately, kicking, squirming, pushing, but Rolon was strong as an ox… stronger than El Diablo Blanco when he had all his wits about him. He swung the mad king away from the couple and bashed him painfully hard against the wall, face first, Todd grunting like a slammed quarterback. With one hand, Rolon took Todd's hand with the gun in it and crushed it against the wall, the weapon falling. Todd shouted with pain at that and Rolon breathed, "Sorry… sorry…" He stepped on the gun so nobody could get to it. Pressed his shoulder solidly against Todd's back with all his weight, keeping him in place.

Once secure, Rolon pulled his own gun out and aimed it at Caro. Huffing with great effort at Todd's manically trying to get out from under the rock at his back, he growled, "A soldier is waiting in the kitchen. You are to go to him with the children. Do not fuck around, Caro, if you want any chance at staying alive."

Todd was growling, spitting crazy mad, not even able to form words. Rolon hissed, "Stay put, Blanco… or it will be you who will be dead."

Arturo was in the room, his gun drawn, keeping the Canadians in the bed. Caro glanced around in a panic and got the children. Abram had entered the room and Rolon pointed to the couple, hissing, "Danger!" The dog then kept the Canadian couple cornered. Whenever they tried to move, Abram barked and showed his teeth. They were screaming, arguing, trying to stay alive, yelling that the Canadian government would have everyone's heads.

As soon as the kids were out of the room, Rolon commanded to Arturo, "Take them to the basement and kill them both." And that got Todd to moan, a wounded lion losing his prey. Rolon called Abram to his side.

The soldier did what he was told. He was big and had no trouble pulling the two out of the bed, dragging them down the stairs. They knew they were going to die and howled at the reality of it. The room quieted. And Todd growled deeper and more agonizingly than Abram, words now coming to him.

"I needed that...I NEEDED TO DO THAT YOU FUCKING BASTARD! How can you do this to me?!"

Rolon cursed him right back, "I am saving your fucked-up ass, cabrón… you had no backup… no fucking plan, nothing in your fucked-up head… stop fighting me, Blanco!" Rolon wouldn't ease up and neither did Todd. But then Todd relaxed a little, catching his breath despite his chest being hard on that wall. Banged his head in frustration, forceful hits, sweating like a motherfucker. Rolon still didn't move, didn't let him go… keeping him in place… moments ticking by… finally the mad king stopped moving, panting like a freight train…

"Shit, Manning... I'm not the enemy, I'm here to help you." Rolon's boot was wedged in between Todd's feet and he felt a give, a weakening, Todd's body slipping a little. "You giving up?"

Todd rolled his head, rubbing his cheek on the wall, rasping, "What's happening… where are we… what is this..."

"What did you say?"

"What's this place," Todd said, "what's this place, what's-what's-what's…"

"Oh hell no… oh you are fucking shitting me-"

And sure as shit… rabid-mad Blanco collapsed in his arms and went into a full-on motherfucking seizure. Rolon got his mouth hit by that hard-ass head. Still he held him and did his best to gentle his fall to the floor but the seizure couldn't be gentled and the floor was hurtful. The dog whimpered and barked and grabbed Rolon's pant legs to pull him away from Todd. Rolon moved away, the dog digging his body under Todd's to soften the blows, and if it wasn't so painful to watch he would have laughed at the unfailing timing his MK brother had.

He squatted down to wait it out, eyes on the boots thrashing the corner of the wall and floor, on Blanco's curled hands. Hated that he didn't breathe during much of it. Cursing and tiredly rubbing his face, Rolon sighed, "Oh 'mano… I am sorry I had to take the kill away from you. Good fucking thing I did."

The hellish spasms finally quit and Rolon wiped the foaming saliva and blood away from Todd's lips with his jacket sleeve. He laid a heavy hand on his brother's head, the breathing still taking time to normalize. He picked up the camera and saw the pictures. Sick, sick shit. Jesus. Todd gasped a hard breath and let it out slowly and noisily, spitting out more bloody saliva. Rolon cursed some more, cleaned him up a little more.

Arturo was soon at the door and Rolon adjusted himself to hide Todd from him.

"Is Blanco not well?"

"He is fine… I had to get rough with him. He is going to be upset when he wakes up."

Arturo chuckled. "I am surprised… I have not seen too many men get the best of him."

"I know his weak spots."

The soldier laughed then didn't. Said, "It is done. I'll move them tonight. They are hidden well. If someone comes, it's not noticeable."

"Did you check the other rooms? Anyone else in the house?"

"All clear."

"And Caro?"

"He is in the kitchen."

"Take him to Pedro at the beach house… you know where that is?"

"Yes."

"Good. Thank you, my friend. The Canadians were terrible people. Defiling children. Defiling Cuba. Leave the little ones here with Vicente. Find their clothes… for God's sake. We will take care of them."

The soldier then left. Todd groaned and gazed blankly up at Rolon. Never able to talk in this state.

"Rest, you bastard. We'll talk when you get to yourself in a bit, yeah? You can tell me what the fuck you were thinking coming here."

Todd shuddered and rolled to his side, snoring quietly, huddling next to Abram. Rolon moved to rest his back at the wall. Once again, laid his hand on his friend's head. For all the shit they'd been through… he was compelled to stay and face Blanco's wrath. It was the least he could do for depriving him of the kill. He pulled out his cell phone, a Cuban edition. He called the only place he wanted to call at the moment. Her hotel room.

Téa answered, "Yes?"

"Bueno, mamita…"

"What's going on?"

"Let's see, I have two dead rapists in the basement, two raped children in the kitchen, a soldier with a gun to Caro's head… and yes, your husband. Blanco is unconscious here from a very timely seizure. He was about to kill this couple right in front of the two children… that's how fucked-up he is. Good times in Havana, yeah?"

"Rolon…oh my god."

"Yes, but there is no God here. This house… is a Godless place. I need you to send what's-his-name to get the kids."

"Are the children badly hurt?"

"No, nothing we can see."

"Who's there?"

"Just my MK soldier."

"Ken can't be exposed. It'll take time to make arrangements."

Reluctantly, he then suggested, "Why don't you come then. The children need a woman anyway I think. They are afraid. It is okay. Blanco is not a threat right now. I'll give you the address. Just put the technician on warning."

"Does he need a hospital?"

Rolon bent over and lifted the eyelids of his friend, slapped his cheeks. Todd opened his eyes and gave that blank look, then resumed his sleep. "No. This is a typical deal. We been here before, eh Blanco?" Rolon sighed and asked sadly, his voice tempered, "Are you okay, Téa? Did he hurt you last night? I cannot believe you slept there..."

She was quiet a long time. "I can't talk about it right now but it wasn't the kind of hurt you need to address."

He couldn't help it, he growled… "Hijo de puta...pinche cabrón…" He grunted softly, "You got caught up in him, didn't you? He hurt you in bed, didn't he?"

"Rolon, don't worry yourself. I will be fine. I just need to think. But right now let's take care of these children."

It was hard not to punch the shit out of Todd… lying on the floor, helpless, unprotected. Rolon rasped to her, "When you come here… don't bother talking to him. He understands only violence right now."

"I can't do that, and you know it. I'll be there."


Todd didn't move an inch. He was sitting on the floor, back at the wall, legs stretched out. He was nauseous, dead-limbed. Glass of water next to him. Rolon was kicking back on the bed, casually pointing a gun at him. He had slept his seizure off. Woke up and wanted to kill something… namely, Rolon. But the gun stopped him. And his body. He had nothing in him. Completely drained. And Téa in the doorway stopped him even more from moving. He felt like he was back in Ty's kennel. He drank the water, sipped it. Brooded and tongued the edge of the glass. He glanced out the window, guessing it was late afternoon.

"Where are the kids," he asked.

Téa said, "A sister from a Catholic charity picked them up. Caro is at the beach house. This house is empty other than two dead bodies in the basement. You're racking up the numbers, Todd."

"Fuck you. They deserved to die and I don't even get to take credit." He snorted like a child. Wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Setting the glass down. "Fuck both of you. All of you. Fuck you. What the fuck do any of you know?"

Téa said softly, "We don't know. You're right on that."

"Why are you answering him?" Rolon turned to Todd. "Don't talk to her like that. What were you going to do today? All by yourself?"

"Don't tell me how to talk to my wife, you cheating fucking bastard. You gonna tell me how to fuck her too? Huh? Learn some new tricks?"

Rolon chuckled, "You know… you understand... how ridiculous that sounds coming from YOU. You with the fucking maricon in your bed. You're the one who can tell US new tricks."

"Fuck you."

"Rolon… stop."

Todd glared at Téa. But underneath it, she could see the increasing hurt. And she hated herself for seeing it. Made her weak. "Rolon… can you leave us?"

"Are you crazy?! I'm not moving until he starts acting like a man worthy of being MK."

"You mean like a child rapist?!"

"That's not MK and you know it. If it was you wouldn't have it burned on your skin."

"Gentleman!" She huffed. "He's not going to hurt me. The seizure… it helps quiet him."

Todd eyed Rolon, tilted his head. A brightness in his eyes that Rolon didn't like. "Yeah…Rolon...the seizure shuts me down like a bitch."

"Woman…"

"Please. I'm fine."

Todd mimicked her but it was aimed at Rolon. "Pleeaaaase…"

Rolon cursed under his breath and then threatened Todd with his life if he hurt her in any way. Stormed out of the room. Started checking the house again, just in case. Doors opening and slamming shut. Téa plopped herself in front of Todd. Across from him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"No."

"You need a doctor?"

"No." He visibly swallowed, wiped his mouth again. His lips down-turned. He was very much post-seizure. Téa recognized it. He wouldn't fight. He always lost aggression in this time. "Seizure's better than heroin, you know," he said. "I'm not seeing shit, not thinking crazy right now. Short-circuited everything. Shit is quiet."

"Were you surprised to find Caro here?"

"No. But I didn't expect him."

"What were you planning to do... here?"

"Take measurements for new drapes."

Téa said nothing, one eyebrow lifted.

He shrugged. "I wanted to clear the house… 'cause I'm gonna blow this place sky high when all the pedophiles gather here next time. Simple plan."

"Hard to execute, no?"

"No. I just need to find secret rooms. He might hide kids. I can't blow this place up until it's cleared. Really cleared."

"You know how crazy that sounds, right? The seizure isn't helping this train of thought."

"People said going to the moon was crazy, too… and yet here we are. We're off to Mars. Moon's old news."

They were quiet. Todd glared at her, at the window, and back again. Téa studied him. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "…about last night, I don't think you're gay."

"Oh my fucking GOD." He rolled his head against the wall. "You call me crazy. Just forget last night."

"I can't. I need to sort it out. I think you're basically straight with a tendency to sexual fluidity."

He stared at her for a few moments, lips slightly parted. "There is something wrong with you. You're talking about last night when there are two dead Canadians in the basement. Shouldn't you talk about THAT?"

"I'll get to the dead bodies soon enough. There is an order to everything. First though… you used Rico to hurt me. It worked. But it's not fair to do that to him."

He breathed out like a bull, nose flaring. Sat up a little straighter. A little bit of hate hitting her. Téa shook her head, making a left turn. "You know what… you're right. You're in no position. Let's go downstairs, get you some food. You need to eat. We'll talk later." Truth was she could see how wounded he was. The seizure took a lot out of him and so did the morning… and night… and she was… just talking. Sometimes she said stupid selfish things.

"No, no, no. You want to throw shit on the floor… use my post-fit state of mind to get information. I know you. Okay, Delgado, here it is. I get hard if he touches me, anywhere on me. Didn't start out like that but it's like that now. I get hard kissing him. And you know what else? I get really fucking turned on when he comes on me… when I watch it happen. I think that's pretty gay, don't you?"

She almost laughed. "Todd…"

"I'm not fuckin' laughing here. I'm serious."

"I know. I'm sorry. Men like to see an orgasm happen. Why do you think the cumshot is so popular in heterosexual porn?"

He groaned, his head in his hands. "Whatever. Time for you to go home. Because… I am so very gay."

"Please...stop…" She laughed softly, sadly, and the edges of a smile broke out on his face. "You care deeply about him," she said, "…maybe even love him… you're a man who feels things that other people don't. You understand things that other people don't. You are you. And you should treat him like how you feel about him. Treat him like someone you love."

"I'm going to puke now."

"I'm just saying… don't be afraid. Let's get through this thing with Caro… and then you can tell me you're gay. Or not. Or whatever it is you want to be. I love you, just as you are. All the bad, the good, the in-between, the way you love people. It's much greater, broader, more... encircling than I thought. I understand MK better now, how you might want to protect Pedro. I understand Brandy more, the love you had for her. And now Rico… you see good and find love in places most people just step right over."

He gazed at her a while, his brow deeply cut in thought. Things were too tangled to wrap his mind around all of it. He said, "I'm not doing that three-way shit again."

"Okay."

"And you… better not fuck Rico. I saw some shit going on between you two."

"I promise."

"And no fucking of Rolon either."

"Well, that's not fair. You get Rico… who do I get?"

She had been teasing but then she saw him turn away, his whole body, and long moments rolled past…

"Todd?"

And then she realized tears had come to him. And she knew this conversation had nothing to do with his voiceless crying. "Oh baby…," she said softly. She crawled to him, put her arms around him. Smoothed his hot head as he begun to let go of real pain, barely a drop in a bucket.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I am sorry you saw what happened to these children today. I am sorry you had to see Caro. Mí amor...mí vida… I am so sorry for these things hurting you. I am so sorry such terrible things happened to you… and that you have to relive them every day without asking for them… it's not fair, is it?"

She could feel him quaking with his breathless crying, sadness that seemingly came out of nowhere. It broke her… and she prepared for him to shove her away. He didn't. He just sobbed into her warmth, in her arms. She tightened her arms around him, tight, tight, and he pulled her to him.

He didn't want to cry, he'd been fighting it since he saw Caro… since he heard the things he had said about how he was… what it was like. The noise he made. He could cry until he died of old age and there would still be tears left. He felt her body and he wanted her to stay, wanted everything to go away. All their fighting, all that happened, wanted it gone. He wanted the bullet scars to disappear, he wanted that shooting to have never happened, and wished like hell he'd never gone to Statesville. He wished he'd never remembered Peter Manning raping him. Wished he could have stayed married to her since the first time around… wished… wished… wished… wished he could crawl up inside of her and be born again, born a child who'd be loved and saved and become a great and good man.

Fucking fantasy because all that shit happened except his being reborn. And here they were in a new kind of hell.

He held her away from him, hands on her arms…his bearded face wet with inconsolable sorrow... "Don't I scare you?"

"No. I see you. Clearer now. I am not afraid at all."

"I am."

"I know… Not that long ago, you got angry at me for asking about Statesville. You said, you were all about the forward view, the future. You were done with the past. Maybe that's where we need to be. Looking at tomorrow."

"After I kill people for the past."

She smiled… "I suppose that's part of the future since it didn't quite happen today." She held his face in her hands and he put his hand on hers, pressing them. "I don't expect your forgiveness because I don't know that I deserve it," she said. "But like I said before, maybe you can learn to trust me again."

He gave a hard nod. His mouth tight, tears rolling down his face again. No promises but maybe a step forward. She wrapped her arms around him again and listened to his weeping and tried not to cry herself because she did not walk in his shoes and this was not her pain. The two stayed that way a long while.

They did not know what the future would bring.

Rolon broke the closeness, his face unrevealing. He stepped into the room, arms crossed. Téa separated from Todd, trying to ignore his pained expression at the loss of her. He ran a hand through his hair. Rubbed his face hard.

"You need a plan because this shit… isn't working," Rolon said.

Téa eyed Todd, flying into all-business. "I agree. Your plan to eliminate a bunch of people helter-skelter in one glorious explosion isn't a good one. You have two goals: saving children and ending Caro's trafficking business. You need a move that will lead to those. Otherwise Juarez is likely to shoot you and he's a much better aim than I am."

"Is he here?"

"Not yet."

Todd stretched his leg and dug into his pocket. Sniffed. He pulled out a thumb drive. Handed it to Téa. "This is the paper trail. It ties Caro to Pedro. It shows where the money comes from, where it's going. Offshore accounts, laundering fronts. It's got names, places, amounts. No kids though. Give it to Ken. It needs work but it's pretty good."

Téa turned to Rolon, "This will delay Juarez. Maybe we can make a deal with Pedro."

"What do you want to do, brother?"

"Téa said it. Make a deal with Pedro. I think. I need to work it out, the parameters."

"And Caro?" Both Téa and Rolon had asked him.

"I want to talk to him more. I want him to tell me where every child is located. I want the names of every child he killed in snuff films. I will kill him after." He grit his teeth, got to his feet achingly, sore from the seizure, from fighting Rolon. Téa got to hers, too. He walked up to Rolon, "You will not take that away from me. He is mine. And Rico's. We get him."

Rolon nodded. "We will make sure that happens, Juarez or not."

"I'm outta here. I gotta walk." Rolon stopped him, grabbing him by the arm.

"I understand you, brother. I get it. You will get what you want and deserve. But you gotta do it right. Can you keep it together?"

Todd looked at Téa and the baby in her belly. Esperanza. The gall to think of hope in a place like this. "Yeah, I'll keep it together."

He called Abram and the two walked past Téa and Rolon, not a glance back at all, not a single one. They walked down the stairs and out that house into the early evening. Todd paused in the busy street and watched the people passing him by. He was invisible. A nothing. Powerless. Empty. After he got Abram food from the casita, they walked to the beach. He took off his boots, took off his jacket and shirt and jeans… his nakedness hidden in the dark night. He ran fast, fast, fast into the water… jumping into the surf and swimming as far as he could. The cold took his breath away. He floated on his back behind the waves, Abram on the shore like a worried mother.

When the rain started to come, he opened his mouth to catch the drops, and he wondered if he had ever done that when he was a kid and he thought yeah, he did. And he loved it. He loved the taste of rain. He spread his arms and his legs and the cold did him good. He watched the clouds split to let moonlight shine down on the water and he thought about Téa, Rico, his babies at home, and then love and hate, and then just nothing.

Closed his eyes and drifted like seaweed.

And there in the Cuban sea, El León was all water, earth, light, darkness and air. He wasn't human at all and it was a beautiful fucking thing.

To be continued...