Illumined Shadows (Treble and the Lost Boys Book 3) Page 6

  Colby looked down at himself, then gave a slight nod and kept an eye on Vic as he pushed the blankets back. Thank gods, they'd put Colby in pants as well as the standard hospital gown after getting him cleaned up while he was unconscious. Vic went over to a cupboard where a patient's personal effects were normally stored, along with other basic toiletries and supplies, and grabbed a pair of generic slippers.

  When he turned back around, he found Colby staring down at himself.

  “Colby? You alright, champ?”

  Colby turned his wide eyes on Vic, his gaze full of wonder. “I'm allowed to wear clothes?”

  Vic felt something in his chest—something like heartbreak and relief all at once—seeing Colby's reaction. He put on a smile and crossed the room. “Yeah, of course.” He uncovered Colby's feet, and moved slowly as he helped the boy into the slippers, making sure Colby could see everything he did.

  “Bad Man never lets me wear clothes,” Colby murmured, his awed tone making Vic want to hug the boy and punch someone in equal measure. “Unless they put me in the trunk,” he added. “Or sometimes for the parties, when the guests want to tear them off themselves.”

  Vic cringed at the mental image. And that was probably barely scratching the surface of what Colby had endured. Forcing a smile back on, he said, “Well, now you can wear whatever you want. All the time,” he quickly added. “Alright. Ready?”

  Colby glanced at the door, his awe rapidly vanishing behind renewed nerves as he gave a tight nod. Vic watched while Colby eased himself off the bed, staying close in case the boy wasn't steady enough yet to stand on his own.

  Once Colby was on his feet, the boy hugged himself, his little fists twisting into the fabric of the hospital gown as though he were afraid someone might rip it away from him.

  “Here,” Vic said, going back to the cupboard. He grabbed a robe and returned to the boy. “Let's put this on, yeah?”

  Colby eyed him curiously, but uncurled himself just enough for Vic to disconnect the IV line and maneuver the robe over the boy's arms. Vic slowly overlapped the front panels of the robe and belted it in place.

  He reconnected the IV line, took a step back, and watched as the boy just stood there, slowly lifting his arms until he was hugging himself again, but it wasn't as desperate a thing as it had been a few moments before. Colby fingered the soft terry, and looked up at Vic with something like a smile.

  Fighting the urge to grin, Vic rolled the IV stand closer. “Hold on to that, alright?”

  Colby looked up at Vic, then slowly reached out and grasped the cold, metal stand, tilting his head as he studied the thing from top to bottom and then traced the line from the bag to his wrist. He looked up at Vic again.

  Vic put on a smile and held out a hand toward the door. Colby followed him, and Vic opened the door, standing aside to let Colby out first.

  Colby froze, then jumped back when someone passed by the doorway, heading down the hall.

  “It's alright, champ–”

  Another nurse went by, and Colby let out a whimper, darting over to Vic and scrambling up his body until he had his legs wrapped around Vic's ribs and his head tucked against Vic's shoulder, his little arms wrapped around Vic's neck and his hands covering his own head.

  Vic put one arm around Colby's back to steady him. “Hey, kiddo. Easy. It's alright. They won't hurt you.”

  Colby whimpered again, his whole body trembling.

  Vic breathed a laugh. Probably inappropriate, but he couldn't help himself. The poor little guy was scared, but the fact that he'd gone to Vic for security felt better than it probably should have. Vic tightened his hold around Colby's back and used his free hand to grab the IV stand.

  “You wanna go like this?” Vic asked.

  He felt Colby nod against his neck.

  “Alright,” Vic murmured. “I've got you, buddy.”

  He carried Colby out of the room, getting curious and adoring looks from staff and other patients alike as he stopped by the nurses' station on his way to the elevator.

  One of the nurses, Kristi, looked up from her computer and gave him a smile. “Awww. How's he doing?”

  “Better,” Vic said. “I'm gonna take him down to the morgue real quick.”

  Kristi's smile faded, and she gave a knowing nod. “To see Dr. Ahriman's body?” She shook her head. “Still can't believe one of our own would do such a thing. Guess you just never really know people, do you?” She gave Colby a sympathetic smile, but the boy didn't see it with his face tucked against Vic's neck as it was. “I'll let Dr. Garrison know if he happens to come by on rounds before you get back.”

  Vic gave her a nod of thanks, then continued on to the elevator. He stepped inside the car, thankful that it was empty, and selected the basement floor.

  The car began to move, and Colby yelped, raising his head and looking around.

  “Shhh, it's alright,” Vic murmured.

  “Where are we?” Colby whispered.

  “In the elevator. It's an alternative to stairs.”

  Colby hunched his shoulders. “It's so small.” He paused, frowning in thought. “Bigger than the trunk, though…”

  Vic winced. He was going to have to ask Colby what that meant, exactly—the boy had mentioned a trunk twice now—but that could wait. In the meantime, he needed to reassure the boy that Ahriman was never coming for him again.

  “We'll be out in a sec–” The car stopped, and a ding sounded as the doors opened. “See?”

  Someone passed by as Vic carried him out of the elevator car, so Colby whimpered and ducked his head, hiding again. Vic made his way past storerooms and utility closets, far too familiar with the various wings of the hospital, thanks to years at his job. He found the morgue and stepped inside.

  The doctor who worked the morgue's day shift looked up from her desk. “Hey, Vic. Been a while.”

  Vic gave her a friendly smile. “How are you?”

  “Good. How are you? And who's this little guy?”

  “This is Colby,” Vic said, nodding toward the tiny figure still huddled around him. Colby had yet to look up. “I wanted him to see Dr. Ahriman's body.”

  The doctor's eyes went wide as she rose from her desk. “Is this the boy he– Gods, poor kid. It's all over the hospital. It's all anyone's been talking about. We worked with this guy, you know?” She shook her head.

  Vic grimaced in commiseration. He couldn't imagine finding out something so heinous about a trusted coworker. Sure, he'd found out about Ryley's trauma, but that was different. Ryley had been a victim. Dr. Ahriman was most definitely a villain.

  “You're just in time,” the doctor said, waving at Vic to follow her. “The funeral home is due to collect him in an hour.”

  Vic carried Colby into the next room, the air temperature dropping considerably. He felt Colby shiver, and tightened his hold.

  The doctor walked up to the bank of cabinets that stored the bodies and used both hands to maneuver a heavy latch. She opened the thick door, grabbed the tray, and hauled it out. The body was still fully covered with a sheet, and the doctor paused before lifting it back.

  “Hey, champ,” Vic murmured. “Can I put you down for a minute?”

  Colby whimpered, but slowly loosened his hold and slid down. Once the boy was on his feet, his little hands clutched at Vic's jacket as he stuck close to Vic's side.

  “You wanna take a look?” Vic asked, then added in a murmur, “I'm right here.”

  Colby looked up at him, then slowly turned. Vic gave the doctor a nod, and she pulled the sheet back, exposing Dr. Ahriman's face. Colby cried out and hid behind Vic.

  “Hey, champ,” Vic murmured, twisting to try to see Colby as the little guy huddled behind him. “It's alright. He's dead. He can't hurt you anymore.”

  Colby whimpered, trembling, but slowly peeked around Vic's side. He gasped and hid, then tried again. By degrees, he slowly managed to creep around Vic's body, sticking close the whole time, until he finally took a step away from Vic and tow
ard the remains of the man who had tormented Colby for almost his entire life.

  The boy took another tiny step. Then another. Vic and the doctor waited in silence, occasionally sharing looks as they watched Colby's progress.

  Vic's heart broke all over again, seeing the pain on the boy's face. “It's alright, kiddo.”

  Colby looked up at him, then back over at Ahriman's body before resuming his slow progress toward it.

  Finally, Colby stopped right beside the body, hugging himself as he studied the motionless corpse. Trembling, Colby sucked in a breath and extended a hand.

  He lightly poked at Dr. Ahriman's shoulder with the tip of one finger, then quickly yanked his hand back, braced for some sort of response. After nothing happened, he did it again.

  Vic opened his mouth to say something, an encouraging smile ready on his face, but before he could, Colby let out a cry and bent over the body, beating his little fists on the corpse's chest while he sobbed and screamed. Vic looked at the morgue doctor, fully expecting her to stop the boy, but she looked like all she wanted to do was hug him. Or join him.

  “Colby,” Vic murmured after Colby had raged and cried for a full minute.

  Colby broke away and turned right into Vic, sobbing as he hid his face against Vic's chest and clutched Vic's jacket in both hands.

  “Shhh,” Vic murmured, slowly bringing his arms around until he was hugging Colby, keeping his hold loose enough that Colby could break free if he wanted to. “It's alright, champ. He's gone. You're safe now.” He looked down at the little guy in his arms, letting go of a lifetime of pain. “You're safe.”

  * * *

  VIC CARRIED Colby back to his darkened room and got him tucked into bed. Colby had finally stopped crying, and he looked exhausted. His eyes were red, his cheeks pale. Vic had him blow his nose and wipe his face, then brought the blankets up a bit more, trying to help Colby feel as protected and contained as possible.

  “Vic?” Colby whispered, blinking slowly.

  “Yeah, champ?”

  Colby looked down at his hands. “Do I belong to one of the others now?”

  Vic frowned. “Others?”

  Colby nodded. “Bad Man's gone, so I belong to one of the other Sirs now, right?”

  Vic opened his mouth to ask what Colby meant, then it dawned on him. First the trunk, and now a mention of other men? Dr. Ahriman hadn't been the only one who had violated Colby, probably not by a long shot. “No,” he insisted, pulling up a chair to sit near the boy while keeping himself at a slightly lower level, making him less intimidating. “No, no, no, kiddo. You don't belong to anyone.”

  Colby frowned. “Then this is my new basement,” he whispered, gesturing at the room.

  “No. This is the hospital. You're just here for a day or two to make sure you're healthy, and then you can leave.”

  Colby's eyes got big and his lip trembled. “But…” He looked away and whimpered, then glanced at the door. “Are you sure they're not gonna fuck me?” he asked.

  “What? No. No, of course not. No one's ever gonna hurt you again, champ. I promise.”

  “But…they gave me clothes, and–” He gestured at the IV line, a puzzled frown on his face. “I have to pay.”

  Fuck, Vic thought. He shook his head. “No, kiddo. You don't have to pay for this.”

  “But Bad Man says I always have to pay.”

  “Not anymore,” Vic said, forcing himself to keep his tone light even though he wanted to rage against the bastard that had done what he had to this poor kid. “Bad Man's gone. He can't control you anymore. You can go wherever you want when you leave here.”

  Colby looked up at him with those big, beautiful eyes of his, and tucked his hands under his chin.

  “There are lots of places we could take you,” Vic said. “Convalescent homes, which are kinda like this, but not so sterile. Or we could find you a foster family.” Colby's puzzled frown deepened. He probably had no idea what Vic was talking about. Vic took a deep breath, then said, “Or…you could come stay with me for a while.”

  Colby's eyes went wide, and though Vic thought he saw relief there, he didn't want to count on it, just in case.

  Before the boy could say anything, Vic rushed on: “I've got a spare bedroom. You can have it all to yourself. Sleep in a real bed instead of on the floor. And we'll get you some clothes. Maybe teach you to read, if you want.”

  Colby stared at him, then burst into tears.

  “Colby? Hey, champ, what's wrong?”

  Colby sucked in a breath and covered his face. “I don't want you to fuck me,” he sobbed.

  Vic blinked, his whole body going tense at the visual those words put into his head. Good gods. The poor kid. Colby could probably imagine it easily: someone of Vic's size overpowering him and using him without a care in the world. Vic would never do that—could never do that, especially to someone like this boy—but Colby didn't know that. Probably wouldn't even know any better. “Why would you think–”

  Colby dropped his hands. “You're nice. I don't want you to be like Bad Man,” he cried.

  Vic felt that thing again, heartbreak combined with relief. “Hey, Colby, listen.” He waited until Colby's eyes focused on his. “I promise I will never touch you like that. Never. But it's up to you. You're free now, champ. You can go wherever you want.”

  Colby frowned and looked around the room. “I've only been in the basements. And here…”

  Vic hesitated a moment before he asked, “Do you want to stay here?”

  “No,” Colby answered immediately. He shrank back, eyeing the door as he did so, tucking his hands up under his chin. “Too many people.” He paused, and glanced cautiously at Vic. “But…”

  Vic sat forward slightly. “Look. I know you're scared. This is all new. It's going to take time to adjust. But if you come home with me, it'll be just us.” And Cam, he thought, though he wasn't sure it was time to explain that quite yet. “Nice and quiet. And, like I said, you can have your own room, so if you need to be alone…”

  Colby nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. “But I have to pay–”

  “No,” Vic insisted, interrupting him. He paused, then said, “Tell you what. How about we make a deal?”

  Colby took in a stuttering breath, then tilted his head in question.

  “If you really insist on needing to pay for food and clothes and everything,” Vic said, “how about I teach you to help me out around the house?”

  Colby's head tilted the other way.

  “I can teach you how to cook,” Vic said. At the sight of Colby's puzzled frown, he clarified, “Make food. And I can teach you to clean, which you'll need to learn anyway for one day when you're on your own. Then you can do those things for me in exchange for taking care of you. How does that sound?”

  Colby shrank back a little, whispering, “You're really not gonna fuck me?”

  Vic shook his head. “No one is. Not ever again.”

  “Or use my mouth?”

  “No.”

  “Or…beat me?”

  “Gods, no.” Vic cringed at the very thought of it.

  Colby swallowed hard. “You p-promise?” he whispered just loud enough for Vic to hear.

  “I promise.” Vic paused, then asked, “Is that alright with you? Coming to live with me for a while? You can leave whenever you want. I won't own you, kiddo. You own yourself now.”

  Colby nodded slowly. “You're nice to me. No one's ever been nice to me before.”

  Vic managed a smile around the heartbreak and relief still playing havoc in his chest.

  “Yes,” Colby finally whispered, answering Vic's question.

  Vic's smile grew. “Alright. Good. In that case, I'm gonna go get you some clothes and get the house ready for you to come home tomorrow.”

  He slowly stood, and Colby's eyes went wide. “You're leaving?”

  “Yeah, just for a little bit.”

  Colby trembled, looking around at the room before turning his eyes back on Vic
. “You'll be back?” he whispered.

  “Of course, champ. I'll come back later today to check on you. And then, probably tomorrow, I can take you home.”

  Colby whimpered, then slowly nodded, looking down at his hands.

  Vic hesitated, then tore himself away. He hated leaving the boy like that—alone and scared—but there wasn't much he could do. He'd just have to come back, like he'd promised, and prove to Colby that he could be trusted to keep his word. Taking care of that poor kid was probably going to be exhausting, mentally and emotionally.

  But so completely worth it if he succeeded.

  Chapter 7

  WITH BLACKOUT shades added to the windows, clothes in the closet, and toiletries in the washroom, the guest room was ready. Vic checked everything twice to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. The room was the farthest from Vic's own bedroom, which Vic hoped would give the boy a stronger sense of privacy and security.

  Once he was satisfied everything was ready, he went straight back to the hospital, only to discover that Dr. Garrison had already rechecked the boy and was willing to discharge him early. It was sooner than Vic had planned on, but when he peeked in at the boy and saw how shattered Colby's nerves looked, he decided that getting the boy home and settled in sooner rather than later might not be such a bad thing.

  Vic knocked on the door to get Colby's attention. “Hey, champ.”

  Colby brightened just noticeably. “Vic,” he whispered.

  Vic smiled and stepped fully into the room. “Dr. Garrison said you're healthy enough to leave,” he said, and Colby drew back shyly. “It's up to you, kiddo. You can stay here another night, or we can get you home now.”

  Colby fidgeted, his little hands tucked up under his chin, then he reached out and pushed the blankets back.

  Moving slowly, Vic set a duffel bag on the end of the bed and showed Colby the clothes he'd gotten for him.

  “I wasn't sure what you'd want to wear,” Vic said, “so I brought a bunch of different things.”