Red Hot(Sex & Mayhem #5)(56)

Jack pulled Ted up by the ripped T-shirt and landed punch after punch to Ted’s face as Sam and Monster watched. Sam’s frown was deepening by the second, but Monster looked on with curiosity. Jack’s hair was out of order, and blood dotted his ginger beard. Each punch packed more rage, and Loki couldn’t help the tingle of tenderness in his chest when he thought Jack did this in his name. He wanted to pull that red, fuzzy head against his naked chest and hold it there, kissing Jack’s lips over and over. He wouldn’t care if they tasted of blood.

Jack barked out a low groan and held on to his injured side, dropping Ted to the floor after yet another hit across his face. Loki had to force himself to stay still as Jack’s handsome face twisted with discomfort from the gunshot wound. If only he could relieve that pain somehow...

Ted wheezed, red bubbles frothing at his crooked nose as he trembled on the concrete, opening his mouth wide and trying to catch his breath through the soaked rag in his mouth. He was missing several teeth now and twitched every time someone moved. Loki felt himself smile. He wanted to ask Ted how it felt to be so completely at someone else’s mercy, hurting so bad he couldn’t even try to resist anymore.

“Jack, you all right?” asked Sam.

Jack turned to his friend, looking a bit out of it. “Yeah, just strained myself. How does it feel, Ted? Should I stick something up your ass now?” he asked and gave Ted’s ribs a kick, but the movement made him hold on to his own injured side. He pulled some loose pills out of his pocket and swallowed them.

Loki couldn’t stop staring at his flushed, focused face. Jack was doing all this for him. He was making himself hurt for Loki’s sake. It had Loki’s heart throbbing with a warmth he couldn’t even describe.

“Whoa, since when are you into that kind of shit?” asked Sam with a hint of humor in his voice, but Loki couldn’t be fooled. Sam was surprised and worried. It was written all over his face.

Jack groaned. “Fucker deserves it. You know you do, Ted, don’t you?” He got a moan in reply, so he bowed down to get Ted’s gag out. “Apologize to Loki for being an asswipe.”

A string of bloodied saliva connected the gag to Ted’s bruised lips. In the light of the spotlight, his tattoos didn’t seem nearly as badass as Loki had thought them to be all those years ago. Ted was a weak piece of shit. He wasn’t a survivor like Loki.

Ted’s eyes rolled back, but moments later, the desperate gaze settled on Loki, begging, pleading. “Wasn’t my idea... I’m sorry... I’ll be gone... I’ll leave here...”

Loki exhaled, staring straight at the swollen meat that used to be Ted’s face. His throat choked up, but he still pushed out the words he wanted. “I’ll do anything you want. Just, please, stop,” he whispered, and from the corner of his eye, he noticed Jack’s fists clench again.

Ted's eyes widened, and he mouthed, 'please'.

"Do you know the names of the others?" Jack asked Loki through clenched teeth.

Loki raised his head, rendered breathless by the rapid pulsing in his throat. Why was Jack asking that? Didn’t he think Ted was enough? The bright blue eyes locked on his own were the only thing he noticed at this point.

“Yes,” said Loki to a deathly silence. He remembered their faces in all detail. They were imprinted on his brain, just like the scars would stay on his skin forever.

The onslaught of Jack's fists was like a storm. Ted screamed and pleaded, bones cracked, and flesh broke apart to release its red juices.

"Motherfucker! You're a dead man!" Jack panted as he landed blow after blow. Loki didn't even care that it wasn't him getting to hurt Ted. Watching the scum in agony was good enough. If only Jack weren’t hurting as well...

But there was no denying that despite all the horrendous memories brought back by just looking at Ted, Loki was happy. He’d never tried to do anything about Ted or any of the other guys, but the thought that they were out there, enjoying themselves after doing what they did, made him want to cry with rage. But now, Jack was there for Loki. He had Loki’s back.

“Isn’t that enough?” asked Sam, walking over with a scowl.

Jack kneeled over Ted and looked up. He stayed silent for a while before getting to his feet. Ted’s battered lips trembled, not even begging for mercy anymore. “If this dipshit did to Candy what he did to Loki, you’d be cutting his dick off.”

Loki closed his mouth and looked at the tips of his shoes, suddenly self-conscious. He didn’t want anyone’s pity. He’d rather not have anyone else know what happened. Jack was the first person he’d actually talked to about this, and he hoped there would be no questions. His stomach clenched, and he closed his eyes, willing himself to disappear.