Their Obsession (Four Mercenaries 2)

Drake turned to face him, but despite earlier telling himself otherwise, he now wanted to see Clover slide into the shaft and at least try to flee. It was a small space, but maybe Clover, with his slender body, might fit inside.

“It’s a risk. But if you take it, then maybe you can escape. They’ll move us somewhere else soon. Somewhere with real cells. This is as close to freedom as you’ll get.”

Clover whimpered and hugged himself. “I’m not leaving you. We either both go or we both stay. You… you’ve been through so much.”

No. He’d gotten Clover into this mess, and he couldn’t remain a shackle at his feet.

“Look at that opening, Clover. There’s no way I’m going in, but you? You might,” he said, gesturing at Clover’s narrow hips, and already urging him closer. The way Clover flinched at the sudden touch made Drake hate himself even more than before, but there was no time for sentiment.

“If they catch me it’ll be even worse.”

“That’s what I thought when they sent me to kill Tank. I was afraid. They’d gotten into my head so bad I didn’t see running as an option. Even when I was alone and could have gone wherever I pleased. But I took the chance on this guy. I told him I was there to murder him, and he offered me a hand. I can’t force you, but I think you should go, or you’ll regret it for all the time you still have left,” Drake said, his fingers stiffening from gripping Clover’s too hard. Seeing Clover’s hesitation was unbearable, so he went on. “If you go and manage to contact Tank and Pyro fast enough, maybe you could save both me and Boar. He’s somewhere in this building too. We need to at least try it, Clover.”

Drake didn’t really hope he’d be saved, but if that was the incentive Clover needed, that was what he’d say.

Clover rubbed his face with another sob. “I should have stopped you from coming. Alerted Tank. But instead I just urged you on, I drew Boar into it too. I don’t deserve to run from this.”

Drake couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “There was nothing that could have stopped me from coming here. Not you, not Tank, no one. I wanted revenge at all cost, and look where it got me. Don’t follow in my footsteps. There’s still a chance for you.”

Clover swallowed but didn’t move when Drake cupped his face and pressed their lips together in the gentlest of kisses.

Their last ever kiss, which Drake would hold on to until the end of his days. “Do this for me, Clover. Don’t look back. Go to Tank.”

Clover took a deep breath and looked up at the vent. “I will come back for you,” he said in a broken voice.

Drake offered him a smile, which started deep in his chest. His joy was bittersweet, but if Clover had the smallest chance of getting to safety, all the suffering that followed would be worth it.

He let go of Clover to climb the shelving unit carefully and was relieved when the grille came out after a bit of pulling. The clock was ticking faster now, so Drake didn’t waste any time and focused on the present. “Stay as quiet as possible. Don’t play the hero. Go to Tank, okay?” Drake asked, lifting Clover to the shaft.

Clover nodded, biting his lips, and Drake was relieved to see that the boy’s shoulders fit into the metal tunnel. The risk was incredible, but staying here and waiting for Apollo’s goons to come back could be a worse fate.

When Drake saw one of the wounds on Clover’s thighs open and drip blood down the pale, beloved skin, he had to clench his teeth not to cry. He’d put it there. He’d beat Clover and worse. Just hours back, he’d been Clover’s lover, his protector, and then he’d become his rapist.

Closing the grille behind Clover was both the hardest thing he’d ever done and a relief.

He tried not to think too much when he pushed the shelves back into place, but once that was done, and he remained alone in the tiny room that smelled of bleach with a hint of Clover’s blood, keeping up a facade no longer made sense.

He would never see Clover again. He’d never see Tank, Pyro, or Boar either. He’d die picked apart by dogs, but that was what he deserved. If only Clover managed to crawl to safety, Drake would be happy, but that didn’t stop the tears spilling down his cheeks. He stumbled at the wall and rolled down, curling into a ball.

All he could pray for now was a fast death.

Chapter 14 – Clover

Clover held back sobs so that they wouldn’t resonate within the walls of the narrow vent. This place would either be his road to salvation or his tomb. What kept him going was the thought that somewhere behind him, Drake was on his own. Apollo’s men could enter that room any moment and rain hell on the man Clover loved.