Broken Souls

Chapter 14 - Logan

I couldn't sleep through the night, constantly checking on Bailey to ensure she was okay. Fortunately, I managed to help her throughout the night. Once she fell asleep again, I just held her. My thoughts drifted to the day's events. It should never have escalated that much. I'm thankful Brian intervened when he heard the commotion outside; I can't even imagine what might have happened if we hadn't reached her in time. I should have taken care of that motherfucker the first time.

I checked the time and saw it was five in the morning. I got out of bed slowly, careful not to disturb Bailey, and quietly left the room. As we exited the hospital yesterday, Brian and I exchanged a look, a form of silent communication we've shared since childhood, where words weren't always necessary to understand each other. Despite our mutual agreement not to bring women to our house, he was the one who suggested it.

I walked to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, hoping the caffeine would help with the exhaustion. Last night, I messaged Jeremy about what happened and let him know Bailey wouldn't be coming in today but would return on Friday when things get busier by then she would feel better. He said it wasn't a problem, but I didn't really give a f**k about his opinion; I just wanted to make sure Bailey didn't lose her job After everything she’s been through in the past five years, I’ve noticed that she has become very independent.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice the guys entering the kitchen. "How is she doing?" Brian asked. I turned to look at him, "She had a panic attack during the night. I left her to sleep." I poured coffee for all of us, and we sat around the island. We discussed the work for the day when Bailey entered the kitchen, her eye is blue and she has scratches on one side of her face. "Good morning, everyone,". I stood up, poured her a cup of coffee, and handed it to her as she sat down. "I just want to thank you all for your help yesterday and apologize for any inconvenience I caused". We all stared at her in shock. "Girl, why are you apologizing?" Justin asked.

My thoughts drifted back to yesterday when Brian went to see what was going on. Julian called me, and we all went outside to see what was happening. Brian said something to the guy when we approached. I stayed calm and didn't let anger take control because I know the consequences. I always keep the guys away when I start to drift into the darker side of myself. I never want them involved; they don’t deserve to have their souls tainted. mine was tainted the day my dad decided to go on a love suicide or some s**t like that. I’ve made my choices and will live with them, but I want to keep them clean for as long as I can. When he slammed her against the window and she lost consciousness, Brian grabbed him and threw him back to get him away from her. I stepped in and put my foot on his throat. I told everyone to go back inside. They complied without argument—Julian picked Bailey up, and they walked back to the shop. When we bought the building, I made sure it had a basement, which I later converted into a personal torture chamber it has a secret entrance, the door isn’t visible enough for just anyone to stumble upon it. It's my place to retreat when I let my darker side come out to play. Brian is the only one who knows about the basement, but doesn’t know what happens down there; he followed me there once and he kept it a secret. That's where that bastard is now, tied up in the cell I built. I hope he’s awake by the time I get there.

“Don’t worry about him; he won’t bother you again,” I glanced at Brian, who had a knowing grin as he clearly understood. She remained silent, continuing to sip her coffee. “Where’s my car? I need to get the window replaced; I’m pretty sure my face did a number on it,” she said with a smile, as if making a joke. Our attention shifted to her, and Justin started laughing which irritated me —things could have turned out much worse if he had encountered her elsewhere. “It’s still at the shop; we’ll get it fixed,” Julian informed her, still looking somewhat confused. “You really don’t have to; I appreciate everything you’ve all done for me, and I don’t want to keep intruding”. I shook my head, recognizing how much she’d endured, constantly on the run and on edge, yet still incredibly kind. Before I could respond, Brian interjected, “Well, you don’t really have a choice; we outvote you four to one.”

She gave him a warm smile. Once we had all finished our coffee, Brian, Julian, and Justin headed off to work. "I'll drop you off at the Inn so you can take a shower and pack a bag. I have a few things to take care of, but I’ll come back to pick you up later. And just so you know, this isn’t up for debate—I’ve also let Jeremy know you'll be back at work on Friday." She opened her mouth to say something but then decided against it, which was a wise choice.

I dropped her off and headed to the shop, using the side entrance to avoid being seen by the guys. I descended the steps and entered the room. “Thank God you’re awake; I wasn’t in the mood to wait around,” he started screaming, struggling against his restraints. “You can’t do this, let me go!” I leaned against the wall with a smirk, watching him. “Scream all you want—no one can hear you. And you’re mistaken if you think I can’t do whatever I f*****g please. There’s nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me,” I said calmly. That’s the ironic part; I’m always at my calmest down here. I moved to the corner of the room and pulled a table closer to where he was tied up. His eyes widened in terror at

"Because you fought my battles for me, and it happened at your workplace. By the way, what happened to the guy?" She was now looking at me, and I really wished she wasn't. The sight of my collection of toys. I took the black leather gloves off the table and put them on. “Please, don’t do this. Just let me go, and I won’t tell anyone,” he begged, locking eyes with me as I reveled in his fear. It invigorated me.

Grabbed the scissors, I began cutting his shirt, “Don’t move; you wouldn’t want me to accidentally snip off your n****e, would you?” He froze, not daring to move. “Why are you doing this?” I got irritated by his dumb question, so I punched him in the face, making his head snap back. “You should never have laid a hand on her, and yet you did it twice.” His eyes widened. “Are you talking about that f*****g w***e, the c**k tease from the bar?” I punched him again, breaking his nose and watching as the blood poured down his face. “Don’t talk about her like that; it really pisses me off. Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to touch things that aren’t yours?”

I picked up the scalpel and began making a long cut across his chest. His screams of pain were like a comforting warmth to me. Seeing the blood calmed me. I decided to slowly remove his left ear savoring the moment. as he didn’t listen the first time. I guess he doesn’t need it. “Please stop. I'll leave town; you'll never see me again." If only he knew how true that was—no one would ever see him again. Just then, a text message came through on my phone, I placed the scalpel back on the table with his ear.

Brian: Police are here. Come upstairs.

Me: I'll be there in 2 minutes.

What the f**k do they want? This situation meant I couldn't continue playing with my captured toy and had to make this fast. I grabbed my favorite knife, standing behind him, I pulled his head back by his hair, and dropped my head. “I’ll see you in hell" I whispered in his ear as I slashed his throat. Fortunately, there was a drain down here, so cleaning up was easy.

I left the body in the basement and headed upstairs. As I entered, I saw two police officers standing with Brian. “How can I assist you today, officers?”. One of the officers turned to look at me, “We received a missing persons report for someone named Nash this morning. After asking around, some locals mentioned you had an encounter with him at the sports bar.” This is why I dislike the locals; they will betray you in an instant., “Yes, I did have an encounter with him. He hurt the bartender, and I broke his wrist. My brothers made sure to get someone that took him to the hospital afterward; you can check with them if you like.” I spoke calmly with a neutral expression. “Have you had any further altercations with him or seen him since then?” I glanced at Brian and then back at the officers, “No, officer. As I mentioned, he was taken to the hospital and we haven’t seen him since.”

“Thank you. We’ll check with the hospital. Have a good day,” they turned around and walked out back to their cruiser .