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Danny shrugged once, and turned to him after glancing again at the man in the tiger pit.
"Steve, it's your choice, but here's what I think. He is only a man looking out for his family. What would you do, if you were going to go away forever? You would want to make sure Mary was okay. That's all he wants to do. I think that you should. What harm would it do?" Steve nodded, stroking his chin once or twice, and then squinted into the sun. He made up his mind.
"All right Damarian, I will agree to that. But to call the tigers off, I need you two answer two questions for me. Then, you will get your side of the bargain." Damarian let out a harsh sounding chuckle.
"Whatever, Steve. Ask them." Steve nodded.
"Is Damarian your real name? Or is it just an alias?" Damarian chuckled again.
"Well, that's a cheap question. Damarian Roberto Cruz, my full name. I wouldn't need an alias, smart one. I never go anywhere, don't buy things myself. It's pretty simple. Never had the need for one." Steve smirked a bit. Not only was his question answered, but he was provided with a bit of additional information in that. He asked his second question quickly afterwards.
"Alright, Damarian. Did you kill that man? Timothy Pillars?"
"You mean that guy up in the mountains. I didn't catch his name. But, yeah, I killed him." There was no remorse in his voice; it was dead and deflated, free of emotion. Steve scowled, but nodded.
"Danny, there is a lever over there, by the other side of the enclosure. It will open a hidden door to their cages. They know to go in when they are opened." The blond nodded and jogged over, pulled the lever, and a door slid open. Steve watched as the two tigers licked Damarian for the last time, and then plodded slowly away to their respectful places.
The man scaled the tree closest to the fence, and jumped to the edge of the enclosure. He slipped over the rail to the safe side of the fence with a hand from Steve. Steve noted that the handcuffs had been broken and started to grope around in his pockets for a zip tie. Damarian held up his hands in mock surrender.
"Slow down there, Steve. Before you pull out some more cuffs, think about it. If I wanted to run, which I don't, where would I go? We are in a fucking closed zoo. Unless I want a run in with another animal, I don't think so. Also, I am sure that you would run me into the floor in a matter of seconds. Just, don't be stupid." Steve resisted the strong urge to cock his head, and narrow his eyes in confusion. Dear god, this kid has some spunk. And some guts. Steve once again felt a little bit of admiration for his bravery, facing the man who fed him to the tigers in this way. Steve was all about respect though. He cleared his throat.
"Damarian, to you I am SIR and nothing but that." To his annoyance, Damarian rolled his eyes.
"Alright, sir. So, can we please go through with this negotiation?" Steve looked at Danny, who only shrugged.
"Not providing any backup this time, babe. You struck a deal. Keep it, no matter how much he annoys you." Danny shot a look at Damarian, feeling a bit annoyed. You could see it in the distinctive twitch under his left eye, but he tried hard to push it away.
Steve let out a harsh sigh through gritted teeth, and grabbed Damarian by the back of the collar. He pushed the man forward, fed up with it, ignoring anything that came out of the young man's mouth.
oooOooo
I knew from the start that it would be extremely risky screwing with the grizzly man. Steve, or Sir, or whatever. I knew that he obviously had experience in being the top dog, the man on top, and in general, scaring the shit out of people.
Don't get me wrong, though, I was nearly scared shitless. My heart was still racing. I knew that the only way I could get anything through to him would be through things close to insults, and dangerous and reckless comments. Comments and things of outright disrespect that would get him riled up a bit.
Not that I major in psychology or something, but I knew that would make him focus. If he could focus, we could get my family to safety; I could trade in my fellow members, and live the rest of my life rotting happily behind bars. A perfect solution.
The grip on my collar was rough, the calluses that would be rubbed from holding a gun rough on the skin on my neck. I didn't protest as I was shoved back into the car after they thanked the guard. The door was slammed behind me, and then locked. It didn't matter. I wouldn't have thought of escaping anyway.
They didn't argue much, except for what to do first. I wanted to butt in, but I figured I had done my part. My heart was still pounding in my ears from the initial fall, and the adrenaline was rushing like a high grade drug through my blood, everything reverberating off everything else in shock from my own bravery. I wished that somehow, the two cops could see the other part of me, the real me.
I had always kept up my scary, monster like exterior for most of my life. Inside, I was truly a scared, weak man, who would sacrifice himself for his family, though he would never admit it to anyone. I would collapse in tears at the sight of a dead animal, usually, but the life I lived toughened me. When I am alone, I like to revert to that state, let everything go and just cry.
Those chances I get to do that are rare now. I surely can't do it now, no matter how much I want to. Let all my fear for my family, myself in the hands of this monster of a man, and everything spinning around me, go through a mass of tears. I never got to have a real childhood, or teenage years. I guess it was catching up to me. Steve's voice came to me through the dark, swirling mist of my mind, all of a sudden.
"We're going to the hospital. You can say goodbye to your brother. I know some people in social services that could get him a place for a year or two, if he's lucky. Is that okay with you?" It rushed up to me all of a sudden that I might have this as my last real goodbye. I swallowed a sob, and nodded.
"Yeah, sounds great. Thanks" I knew that I had let myself slip a bit with the last part, but I swallowed it quickly. I caught the glance of the blond detective in the mirror, but snapped my eyes away to out the window until we pulled into the hospital.
Sigh… Keep forgetting to put disclaimer. I just figured, since this is fanfic, no one would think it needs one, but here we go anyway.
*Disclaimer* I do not own anything, and I don't give a fuck if you steal my OC or plot. So, feel free. Go ahead. I'm not stopping you.