Haze Bois

Chapter 14

Caleb texted a couple of his mates. The ones he felt would be most useful in case his plan didn’t go as well as expected.

‘It is going to be fine,’ The voice assured. It had not been wrong yet.

They made their way across the park and into town, toward Joe’s coffee shop. For a shop called Joe’s, they didn’t do a particularly good cup of coffee. People mostly dropped by for a cheap and tasty bacon butty or a plate of chips, or to pass the time chatting with the owners.

It was Johnny Carters preferred hang-out, and Caleb knew he would be there, thanks to the all-knowing voice in his mind.

Johnny sat, eating a breakfast sandwich that was spewing both egg yolk and tomato ketchup down his chip. He wiped at the mess with his good hand, which was also his left hand. Caleb had not considered the issue of handedness when chopping off the fingers, as he’d fully intended to cut them all off at the start.

Johnny’s look of horror as Caleb’s gang surrounded his table was hilarious. They descended like a pack of hyenas, perching on the edge of the table or pulling seats over. Asking questions and picking at his food. Only Caleb stood back, looming over the table like an evil presence.

“Aww they couldn’t reattach them all,” Caleb pointed out with fake sympathy. 

Johnny looked down and mumbled something. He wouldn’t meet Caleb’s eyes.

“I haven’t told no one,” he muttered. “I swear.”

“I know that,” Caleb assured him. “You wouldn’t be sitting here is you had.”

The door had one of those old-fashioned bells that dinged when someone entered or left. When Caleb heard the ding, he knew who it was without having to look. The guy’s name was Keith Digby, but people called him Brummie, ironically pronouncing it ‘Brumeh’ in the Leicester accent. 

“Oi, leave it out lads,” Brummie said. He jostled through the teenagers, taking a seat opposite Johnny. The flimsy plastic chair looked like it might buckle under the newcomer’s weight.

‘This guy is massive,’ Caleb thought.

‘He’s an ex-professional boxer,’ the voice whispered. ‘But he isn’t as good as everyone thinks. I assure you; I can handle him.’

“Can we help you with something?” Brummie asked. The owner bought him over a cup of coffee, eyeing the situation with obvious worry before stepping into the back and watching from a safe distance. 

“How’s the gym?” Caleb asked. He knew how the gym was going and it wasn't great. He had his regulars, but with his daughter becoming ill, he had little spare time or money to spend on promotions. 

“You wanna join up? Learn how to box?” Brummie asked.

“No need,” Caleb said. “I’m already better than you.”

Brummie let out a deep laugh. “Right. Okay.” He rolled his eyes before hunching over and drinking his coffee. When the boys didn’t move he looked up and sighed.

“You’re serious?”

“Fight me and see,” Caleb challenged. The voice knew Brummie liked a challenge. It also knew that his loyalties to Johnny meant he would jump at the chance to punch Caleb’s teeth in.

“You’re just a kid—” Brummie started.

“And I’ll beat you. I bet you won’t even be able to hit me once.”

Brummie laughed, but it sounded forced and hollow. “What do you wanna bet?”

“Okay, if you win, I’ll pay your rent on the building for the next three months. If I win you let me have the space above your gym for the next three months.”

Brummie scoffed and thrust his hand into Caleb’s, “You got a deal, little mate. Come down to the gym tomorrow at five.”

Caleb held on to his hand for a second too long. More accurately, it was the voice inside his head taking control of his hand, tightening it into an iron grip.

He felt the gym owner and the drug addict watch him and his mates leave. People might find the friendship odd, unaware that Johnny was the source of the steroids Brummie was using in his gym. Caleb had known that dirty little secret before the voice in his head arrived.

He gave out a series of jobs to his mates, making it clear he didn’t want them to follow him home. Aman whined that he wanted to see Jade but shut up when Caleb shot him a look.

Jade jumped a little when Caleb entered the room.

“Hi, I can’t find that cooler thingy and this thing,” Jade pointed to the sheet, “is only inside engines of pretty expensive cars.”

“Mark then up as red,” Caleb suggested, noticing her highlighter system. “I’ll sort em.”

“Yes boss,” Jade replied without even the slightest hint of sarcasm.

‘Put her out of her misery,’ the voice suggested. ‘tell her to get on all fours.’

“Get on your hands and knees,” Caleb ordered.

She did so, biting on her bottom lip and swallowing. Her eyes followed Caleb across the room as he retrieved the riding crop from his bottom drawer. Her eyes widened at the sight of it.

‘Stroke her gently with it a few times before you whack her with it,’ the voice said.

Caleb wondered how it knew. Even if it could read Jade’s mind, how did it know how to get the response it wanted. It had assured him Jade would fall in love with him if he listened. That she would become a valuable ally. Why they needed her, Caleb wasn’t entirely sure, but he was enjoying the development. Seeing her beg had been satisfying on a number of levels, but this… this was something else.

When he whipped her, she made a little sound of pain. He had never thought of Jade as cute before, but at this moment she was adorable.

‘You can’t land these all in the same place like with the slaps,’ the voice advised. ‘It will draw blood and hurt too much. You have to distribute them evenly.’

Caleb did so, placing a few on her buttocks before moving down to the top of her thighs.

‘When she cries out for you to stop, give her four more then stop.’

Following the instructions, Caleb ignored her pleas and administered four more whips. Her legs were turning from angry red to purple, with a crisscross pattern of raised welts. 

He stared at his handiwork for a moment before circling her at standing before her. Using the whip, he lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes. For the first time, he noticed how beautiful she was, with eyes wide in pain and pleading.

He could tell she wanted him, even without his talkative upgrade. Her eyes made it very clear.

“You are going to wear this every day.” Caleb decided. “I like you in it.”

She smiled for just a second, what the voice called a micro expression. It was very good at picking up on these.

“You can get up now,” he grinned down at her, aware of her disappointment. After descending the staircase with her, he opened the front door to see her off, only to find the weather had worsened substantially since his walk home. The wind had a frightening roar, blowing ice cold rain into their faces as they stood looking out.

“You might as well just stay here,” Caleb said. “You’re just going to come back in the morning.

“Okay,” Jade said with another little smile.

They watched TV with the rest of the family, doing their best to ignore the elephant in the room. Jay didn’t seem to mind her being there, but there was a barely tangible friction in the air. Caleb was happy when they went to bed and decided to do the same.

Jade shuffled nervously before asking, “Where will I sleep.”

“On the floor,” Caleb said, meaning it as a joke. He almost felt bad when she got onto the floor and pulled in her college bag as a make-shift pillow.

“Come here,” he sighed, lifting the corner of his duvet. She obliged, tentatively slipping into the bed. He pulled her in and lay with his arm wrapped loosely around her small waist, aware she could feel him pressing into her back.

“You know you’re mine, right?” he asked.

“I’m yours,” she confirmed, and though Caleb could not see her face, he knew she was smiling.