Chapter 37

Rick Leoni

⚠️ Warning dark themes

Getting to Mathew’s little office intimidating and glaring at everyone they met, William and Mathew found Greg waiting for them, a worried look on his face.

William thought it must have been because he got in trouble for drinking in his bar, “good morning Greg.”

A tight smile on his lips, Greg replied, “good morning William, Mathew. Boss sent me, he said to stay in here as much as possible today, Rick is about,” looking down the corridor as if hunting for ghosts, Greg said conspiratorially, “He is as per usual spoiling for a fight. Best to keep out of his way for everyone’s sake.”

Mathew smiled and said, “thanks for the warning Greg.”

Feeling a little jealous, when Greg left William couldn’t help but ask, “do you like Greg.”

To William’s dismay, Mathew smiled with genuine affection and said, “yeah Greg has always been a good guy to me.” Leaning into William he added, “he’s a sandwich or two short of a picnic but he is nice.”

Enjoying the closeness of Mathew, William chuckled as he wondered about the innocent man’s world view. Greg, a good guy? If half the stories about Greg the beater Baxter were true, good was the last thing he was. But then Mathew thought he was handsome??? Had he grown so used to big strong brawlers that Mathew didn’t see them the same way as everyone else?

They worked till noon with William doing his best to seem indifferent or grumpy.

Then standing Mathew said, “it’s no good, I’ve got to get a drink. Hopefully Rick has got bored and gone out by now.”

Opening his briefcase, William passed Mathew his mug with a shy smile, “just in case they are still messing with yours, I am keeping our mugs with me.” Taking out the other mug they went to the little kitchen.

In the kitchen William was glad he had hidden their mugs, he didn’t even know where they could have got the dirt from this time?!

Stood waiting for the kettle, they heard voices out in the corridor, and Mathew said quietly, “oh no it’s Rick, we should go, oh crap we can’t he will see us, maybe he won’t come in here.”

Seeing the fear in Mathew’s eyes and body language, got William’s ire up, what shit had Rick been pulling?

Having never met Rick Leoni before William was expecting to see a big bruiser type, he was rather surprised by the average looking young man who walked in.

No part of Rick Leoni held grandeur or authority, he was an average man of possibly Italian descent, but that was a guess based on Boss Leoni. He was the type of man who would fade into any background, the only memorable thing about Rick was his walk, he strutted like he owned the place, which he kind of did.

Rick’s eyes locked onto William and Mathew and he said in a loud obnoxious voice, “what have we here? The interloper and the would be king.”

Looking down at the ground Mathew said in a small voice, “hello Mr Leoni.”

“After everything ‘My’ father did for you, you still run out on us, I would say I’m disappointed but I always knew you were dirt.”

William’s anger rose as Rick spoke, clenching his fists he shifted his weight slightly, his body instinctively entering a fighting stance.

Turning towards the taller man Rick said, “and you William, you owe ‘My’ father the very symbol of your man hood, yet you have the audacity to take his accountant? Have you no gratitude for what ‘My’ father did for you?”

His jaw tensing William did everything he could to restrain himself, and replied in a low voice that was little more than a growl, “I will always be grateful for what Boss Leoni did for me, but Mathew is a person not a thing to be owned.”

“The Leoni’s can own what ever they want, including this whelp here.”

Rick grabbed the back of Mathew’s neck and tried to move him away from William, the smaller man cried out in pain.

Rage blotted out William’s mind for an instant and his hand moved on it’s own, clamping down hard on Rick’s wrist, forcing him to let go of Mathew’s neck. With his free hand William gently pulled Mathew round behind him.

It took all his will power to contain his anger, throwing Rick’s hand down William roared, “He is not yours to touch!”

Anger flared in Rick’s eyes, as he screamed in response, “where do you get the balls to talk to me like that!” An evil glint came into Rick’s dark eyes as he said calmly, “how are they hanging William? Free and easy? Oh no wait, now their back in their sack.”

William’s heart thundered in his ears as shock rocked his very soul.

Rick smiled maliciously, “shall I continue William?”

The words he had been trained to say over a week of torture, the words that made the pain keep coming, the words that saved his men’s lives, automatically left William’s mouth in a dead tone, “please continue.”

Hearing what he had said, rage consumed William’s heart and mind, his left hand slammed Rick into the wall as his right arm pulled back then swung at his head. With millimetres to spare some part of William’s mind heard Mathew screaming at him to stop and his huge fist smashed into the wall instead of the terrified face in front of him.

The stud wall couldn’t take the force of the impact, and a foot wide hole burst into the office behind, a shaking head that was white with dust and fear stood up and looked at them.

His mind full of rage, shame and horror, William barely felt Mathew push him out of the room as Rick slumped to the floor.

William vaguely realised they were going towards Boss Leoni’s office, when he saw Mathew disappear inside his shame relit his rage and he made another hole in a door, terrifying the office worker inside.

Mathew came out from Boss Leoni’s and smiled gently at William, making his shame worse.

His mind was in turmoil, images of the psychos cutting him open flitted through William’s mind, along with the image of Rick’s smug face.

Before he knew it he was stood with Mathew in the lobby.

The look of worry and fear on Mathew’s face as he looked up at him terrified William, his rage wouldn’t go away.

Turning way from his lover, William slammed his hands into the wall next to him, this wall was structural so held strong, but the plaster cracked into a spiders web of lines two meters out from his fists.

His head dropped against the cold wall and he stood still, his heart thumping.

Mathew’s small hand gently pulled his jacket and as William turned, his man took his hand and pulled him to the waiting car.

As he sat down in the quiet car William’s mind finally began to quiet, the images slowed and then he was back in that terrible room.

The smell of his blood piss and shit, the sounds of his men begging the two psychos to stop.

His heart roaring in his ears as the cocaine, that had just been slapped into the wounds on his back to wake him back up burned into his tattered flesh, as it surged through his blood threatening to overwhelm his heart. And the sight, the terrible sight of his most delicate body parts hanging loosely in the open air.

Grabbing a sick bag from the seat in front of him William threw up, heaving and retching till there was nothing left.

He felt Mathew’s gentle hand rubbing his back and he couldn’t hold back his emotions anymore, tears flowed endlessly down his face.

Putting the bag on the floor William hid his face in his arms and cried, his whole body heaving as he sobbed.

Tender warmth spread across his back and through his thigh, he realised Mathew had moved over beside him and was hugging him.

The warmth flooded William’s heart and he turned into Mathew’s embrace hugging the small man for dear life.