Jordan fought like a cornered beast, but Vic had muchmore experience with internal struggles and mastering the animalwithin. If he could subdue his own mind, build walls against theworld that had pressed in on him daily for the past three years,then he could catch a flittering little bug like Jordan. Inhis mind, Vic imagined himself as a large foot, crashing down overJordan’s memories, grinding his mind underfoot. As Jordan’s bodystruggled to breathe beneath Vic’s mental assault, the scene wouldchange; he’d find himself locked in a small cage, too tiny to movearound in, the steel walls Vic’s fingers as they closed in aroundhim, crushing the life within. Then that image would disappear,replaced with a wrestling arena. Jordan glanced around wildly,disoriented by the sudden lack of confinement, only to hear ascreaming whistle from above and look up to see Vic diving towardhim, elbow cocked. Seconds later that powerful arm drove intoJordan’s back with a satisfying crack that Matt feltreverberate through Vic into him.
If anyone had ventured into the bedroom, theywould’ve thought Vic just stood there, staring down at Jordan. Uponfurther inspection they would have seen the tiny twitches of painin Jordan’s hands and face and legs, and they would’ve had to leanin close, press an ear to Jordan’s lips, to hear the nonsensicalmutterings that seemed to boil up from within his unconsciousbody.
When Vic returned to himself, Matt hurried out of theway but didn’t go far—he hovered on the edges of Vic’s mind,wanting to believe everything was over, wanting to go home. For onebrief moment, Vic’s presence enveloped his, infusing him withstrength and stability. He heard Jordan’s ragged breath, heard thesplash and fall of the shower, and though it wasn’t quite thetruth, he still nodded when Vic asked him, ::Are you gettingwashed up?::
Vic knew better; Matt knew he knew. But hislover didn’t push the issue. He just gave Matt a loving squeeze andnudged him back in the direction of his own body. ::Hurry,then,:: he said. ::Go on. I’m just about done.::
::I want to see,:: Matt replied. Heheard himself sniffle a room away, his body an empty shell, but hecouldn’t help thinking Vic wasn’t quite through with Jordan yet,and he didn’t want to miss anything. ::Please, Vic. Letme—::
::No.::
A firm resolve folded around Matt, ending any furtherargument. He struggled but knew Vic was doing the right thing—Mattwould be haunted long enough by what had happened already; hedidn’t need anything else keeping him awake nights. Still, hecaught a glimpse of a police officer in Vic’s mind, and the thoughtworried him. Were the cops on their way? Would Vic go too far, orlet Jordan push him over the edge, and do something he’d laterregret? What—
::Shh.:: Vic’s presence calmed Matt’s fears,soothing them silent. ::Trust me, Matty.::
With reluctance, he extracted himself from Vic’smind. As he came to himself in the shower, he found the water wasstill hot as it continued to rain down around him, plastering hiscurls to his scalp, runneling down his spine. He sighed, raised hisface into the spray, breathed deep the misty vapor. It was hard tobelieve this ordeal was almost over.
From the bedroom, he heard Jordan’s poisonous voicerise to an ear-splitting scream.
* * * *
Matt didn’t know how much time he spent standing inthe shower, but a cool draft wafted into the bathroom whenever theair conditioner clicked on in the bedroom, and the cold air slippedthrough the shower curtain to twine around his wet legs. His handswere full of shampoo that he had lathered into his curls and thenseemed to have forgotten how to rinse out. Suds and water sluicedoff his body, splashing to the tub below. The screams and criesJordan made at first had faded, and were now reduced to meremutterings Matt couldn’t understand.
A shadow darkened the shower curtain, then Vic calledout, “Matty?”
“Yeah.”
One corner of the curtain pulled back to expose Vic.His hands were slick with lubricant and something that might havebeen blood, Matt wasn’t sure. It was watered down, just a fewstreaks on his forearms, a smear along the stomach of his tank top.Vic took one look at Matt, hair white with shampoo, and a tiredgrin crossed his face. “God, it’s so good to see you again.”
Matt smiled, suddenly self-conscious, as if Vic hadnever seen him naked before. Vic yanked the shower curtain aside,then plunged his hands into the steaming hot spray to wash themclean. As Matt watched, he grabbed a hand towel that hung from thesoap tray and began to lather it up. He scrubbed his hands, botharms up to his elbows, his neck and face, rinsing clean in Matt’sshower. Then he turned the rag onto Matt; with quick strokes like abusy mother, he washed the soap off Matt’s chest and arms and back,down both legs, around his genitals and his ass. His hands werefirm but gentle, loving. As he worked, Matt rinsed the suds fromhis hair, his head hanging down beneath the shower until the waterran clear.
Matt cut off the water and stood to find himselfencased in thick terry cloth. Vic rubbed the towel over his armsand legs with brusque motions, then pointed to a pile of clothesMatt hadn’t noticed sitting on the closed lid of the toilet.“Brought these from home,” Vic told him. Matt hugged the toweltighter and rubbed at his eyes, which felt red and raw. “Let’s getyou changed.”
Together they managed to get Matt dried off anddressed. Vic took his hand; Matt wrapped the other around theirentwined fingers and walked so close behind his lover that Vic’selbow kept brushing against Matt’s stomach, but he didn’t want tobe separated from this man, not ever again. He let Vic lead himfrom the bathroom, and for the first time he saw why Jordan hadstopped screaming.
Kyle’s boyfriend lay on his stomach on the guest bed,bathrobe discarded, ankles tied to the posts at the foot of thebed. His arms were bound behind his bare back, and his legs weresprawled at such angles that his fat, flabby ass stuck up in theair. A ball gag filled Jordan’s mouth, stifling him. His eyes
