Bates
I waiteduntil she fell asleep before I left her alone in the bedroom.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose as I walked back out into the hallway then made my way into the living room.
Milo was waiting patiently, sitting in my recliner, with his feet propped up on Hollis’ gift.
“Where’s the little lady?” he asked me curiously when he saw that I was alone.
“She’s asleep,” I replied with a shrug. He nodded as he dropped his feet and stood up. “Do you need help with this, or can you take it from here?”
“Nah, I got it, man. Thanks for helping me out,” I said, extending a hand to him.
He shook his head. “How the hell did you get him in the car, Bates?”
I smirked, “Promised him I had something better than the pussy he was trying to bag for the night, but since she’s in the car too, I’m sure you can show her a good time tonight.”
Milo laughed as he crossed his arms over his chest. My friends may not have been the most moral of men, but they were the best I had ever found and each had a hidden darkness of their own.
He just happened to like cleaning up messes made by others as long as there was a prize on the other side of the door.
And this time, there was one that I knew he wouldn’t pass up.
Milo took my hand in his, shook it with a grin on his face, then clapped me on my back on his way to the front door.
One of the best things about him is that he never asked questions. He was always around to help without a second thought, and was one of the best damn secret keepers I’d ever known.
It's how I knew I could trust him with something like this.
“Call me if you need anything else, brother!” he said as he walked out the front door. I smiled as I headed over and closed it behind him. Once I got the lock secured, I turned around and leaned on the door.
There was plenty of space downstairs for Holls’ gift and while I really wanted her to have it now, I guess two for the price of one would have to do.
With a sigh, I headed into the living room and reached down for him. Hoisting his still unconscious body over my shoulder, I headed for my den, and then down into my private little Hell.
It's where I first revealed my true self to Hollis. It was where I helped her get rid of the one thing I should have never done to her, and it’s where I’ll get back every thread of confidence in me that I mangled in her.
Carefully walking down the stairs, I pushed open the door at the end of the short hallway, then made my way in, dropping the piece of shit onto the cold, hard floor unceremoniously.
Before I left, I was going to check on her anniversary gift to make sure he was still alive. I’d been doing good so far keeping him well fed, hydrated, and ready for her, but sometimes I worried that he’d slip away before I had the chance to present her with him.
I crouched down and pushed his face up so I could get a look at him. He still looked like he was holding up okay and that’s all I cared about.
Anything else that happened to him while he was holed up down here, chained to the pipe behind him could easily be fixed later on.
If Hollis wanted me to.
Other than that, I’d be happy to let him rot down here after he saw her again, because then he’d know why.
And that was the most important thing to me with this gift.
Him knowing that no evil deed goes unpunished.
“It’ll be over before you know it,” I promised him as I stood up and slipped my hands into my pockets. “But so help me God, I’m going to make damn sure that you’ll carry the pain with you into Hell when you go.”
___
I yawned as I settled back onto the couch and pressed the button on the remote to turn the television on. I decided that sleeping out here tonight might be better for Holls than it would for me, but it was only ever her that I was concerned about.