Chapter Twelve: Thou Shall Have Compassion

“Danny is not just drug dealing.”

I blinked stupidly at Tommy’s words. The window was open again, allowing chilly wind to blow in, the cold distracting me from his words even though I had on a jumper. Ten plus years of knowing the guy and not one time did I suspect he did anything other than ruin the lives of people who were addicted.

“We didn’t know until a few years ago, when he crossed paths with us. I suspected that it was him who killed half of Amethyst. Indirectly.”

The killing part didn’t surprise me as much as it should, which should say a lot about my character at this point. Of the few things I knew about him, "killing" was definitely on the list. What piqued my interest was this Amethyst Tommy mentioned.

“We don’t usually bother with anything that goes on outside our jurisdiction. He made it our business.”

Tommy’s dark gaze settled heavily on me. How his stare could be so penetrating was beyond me though it didn’t make me squirm as usual. My mind was too busy attempting to process his words to be able to register his stare. If ever there was a bad story-teller, it was this guy.

“So he’s a bad guy?” I concluded, unable to figure out the bigger picture.

My choice of words was poor, I could see that. Back off, it was the only thing I could think of to say at that moment.

“He’s like Nick Fury.”

I returned Tommy’s gaze with startled wide eyes, not believing what I’d just heard.

“Did you just make an Avengers reference?”

He grunted what I took to be a yes, resting a hand on his abdomen, either unable to feel the cold night air biting into his skin or just not caring enough to pull his blanket over himself. “He has a foot in several businesses and deals. Allies all over the place and even more enemies. We can’t keep track of him, despite our own alliances.”

At this, Tommy granted me a look, telling me that I must know how slippery Danny was. I turned away, not wanting him to see my face because I had been privy to some bad stuff that Danny had set in motion and once the job was done, he’d disappear, leaving behind nothing but pain and loss. I didn’t understand how he could be so heartless. Never questioned him either. It was all business, as he’d told me once.

“I’ve come to believe that you know nothing about this. However, I still want to keep you here, as leverage. So, as long as his blood isn’t on my hands and pooling by my feet, you’re going nowhere.”

The coldness in his voice gave the cold outside a run for it's money. The manner in which he spoke his words brought more shivers to my already shivering body. Was I to feel afraid for Danny? He wasn’t clean for sure, yet in all the years I knew him, he'd never struck me as a violent person. The guy raised me for crying out loud. He looked out for me and I owed him. Why wasn’t he looking out for me now? There were too many questions that required answers. I brushed some aside, forcing my troubled past back into its chest.

“What is Amethyst?” A logical question that was pertinent to my understanding of the whole situation.

“Who.” A troubled look suddenly clouded his eyes, forcing his lips to twist down into a frown. I tried hard not to stare. Tommy having an actual expression? Wow. It seemed genuine too.

“They were my family.”

He uttered it soft as morning dew. I would have missed it if I wasn’t paying rapt attention. I tilted my head to the side, curious about them now, curious about Tommy’s past. I wanted to ask more questions when his eyes closed. Pain was radiating off of him in tangible waves and I caught on that it wasn’t just from his physical wounds. I’d touched a sensitive topic and Tommy wasn’t taking it well.

“Leave.”

“Tommy – “

He didn’t open his eyes and he didn’t move. Bruce was asleep by his side, probably providing him with all the heat he needed. The brokenness in his voice was unmistakable, my question the catalyst to it. Shards of guilt suddenly assaulted me.

“Please.” He whispered the word, shocking me into movement. I was out in an instant, quietly shutting the door behind me and leaning against it. Adriel and Kieran had probably seen him at his worst. They might be used to it, might know how to handle him; I wasn’t and didn’t. I’d known the guy for about a fortnight and besides the anger and fear, there wasn’t much I felt for him. He did slice my skin open when we first met. That didn’t bode well with good first impressions at all.

Then he went and got himself shot and my compassionate nature settled in. Sure, he was a jerk but that didn’t mean you shoot them. And I thought he was incapable of showing or feeling any sort of emotion until I witnessed it firsthand.

In a daze, I wandered back downstairs, past the living room and into the kitchen where Adriel was scooping ice cream into a bowl, presumably store bought. Snow bounded up to me, tail wagging. I smiled sadly at the excited dog, giving him a fond stroke to the head, wishing I was an animal instead of a human so I didn’t have to go through so many conflicting emotions at once. The Malamute picked up on my distress easily, reading what humans could not. Snow whined, pushing his nose into my hand and looking up at me, his eyes asking me what was wrong. His owner, oblivious to my unsettled state of mind, was focused on making the perfect ice cream balls with his ice cream scoop, the tip of his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth in concentration. Only Snow’s sharp bark notified him of my presence.

“How’d it go with Tommy, love?” Still fixated on his balls.

I sighed, squatting down to wrap an arm around Snow who snuggled into me, trying to make me feel better. “I – I may have hurt him.”

“How so?”

“He didn’t tell me much, only that Danny had done something and that you guys were going out of your way to put him back in his place.” I swallowed. “I asked him about Amethyst.”

“Oh, no.” Adriel set his ice cream down and turned to face me. “Did he hurt you?”

“No!” My answer was too quick. It startled Snow who I kept on stroking as assurance that everything was alright. “No. I hurt him. I thought he was tough to crack but I saw beneath his exterior, I think. Didn’t like it.”

“I’m here if you need to talk about it,” he offered gently, seeing the state I was in. Honestly, there was nothing I wanted more but between being kidnapped, feeling betrayed by my friends, confused by my kidnappers and longing to know the truth, I felt that I couldn’t handle any more emotional stress. It was strange, how triggered I was by Tommy’s plaintive plea.

“I just want to be alone.” I stood up, walking away before he could say anything. A minute later, Snow joined me, following me up to my room, the one they’d kept me captive in for a week, the one I now occupied while the boys came up with other ways to use me. I wrapped my arms around Snow on the bed, burying my face into his fur, desperately hoping his warmth and steady breathing would be enough to help me lock my feelings away.

+++

"If you’re going to take me somewhere and kill me because I took Snow last night, I’m sorry.”

“I sent Snow after you, love. It didn’t feel right to leave you alone.”

“Oh.”

I’d woken up the next morning, the weight of last night and the past two weeks still heavy on my shoulders. My position had changed; Snow was curled up by my side, having kept me company the entire night. I trudged downstairs for a glass of water, where Adriel had suggested we go somewhere. The idea of going out with him didn't sit well with me. I didn’t want to have anything to do with any of them anymore but his annoying persistence eventually grated on me. Fatigue prevented me from any further resistance anyway.

After a quick breakfast sans Kieran and Tommy, we hopped into his car with Snow and drove off. The roads he cruised down were none I was familiar with. There were no towns, no people, and few cars. We passed a couple of farms and several fields which had cows and horses grazing in them, the odd clump of houses here and there. Some houses had neighbours who were a mile away. A lake. It felt like we were going on forever until Adriel slowed down to take a corner, turning into a small dusty path that had been carved through the surrounding woodland. I watched with growing interest and anxiety as an edifice came into view in the distant clearing. All around it was an empty field and clumps of trees.

We got closer and I saw that the structure was actually a big old farmhouse with wings, some building resembling a stable, a barn and three small sheds that were open on all four sides.

“Where are we?”

“A dog farm.” Adriel killed the engine and climbed out, bringing Snow with him. The Malamute was excited, more so than usual. He kept looking up at his master then at the house, tail wagging so furiously that his butt was moving along with it. He whined once, front paws kneading at the hard earth. I hopped out, studying the house with mild apprehension. It wasn’t as quiet as I expected. Barks rang out, the overlapping arf-arf-arf spreading out evenly across the empty space.

A woman, tall and stocky, caught sight of us from under one of the sheds. She made her way towards us, clad in boots, jeans and a faded flannel shirt. Two dogs trotted behind her, their pink tongues lolling out of their mouths in the heat.

“Adriel! What brings you here so soon?” She had a voice that somewhat mirrored Bonnie Tyler's. Total Eclipse of the Heart immediately began playing in my mind. Without waiting for his reply, she addressed Snow directly, beckoning to him with wide arms. With a nod from Adriel, he raced to her, barreling into her and covering her with licks.

“What are we doing here?”

I didn’t get my answer.

“And who’s this young lass here?” The woman was done greeting Snow, leaving him to get acquainted with the other two dogs. They seemed like they knew one another, eagerly sniffing and nipping at each other's faces.

“Kara, this is Deidre."