Their Obsession (Four Mercenaries 2)

Apollo hadn’t even tormented Drake or the other children the way his later owner, Theo had, but he had been the owner of the enterprise. The one who profited from the sale, and he knew exactly what purpose he was selling the children for. Drake couldn’t even begin to estimate how many people had passed through Apollo’s hands since then, but it had been over twenty years, and the man was still in business.

Apollo had already been grey back when Drake had first met him, so he’d assumed the bastard had passed his business on to an enterprising son or quit and lived somewhere in Bali. Finding out that he was not only alive but still running the same operation, his greedy claws reaching for Clover, made blood boil in Drake’s veins to the point of every move he made burned.

The fact that Apollo hadn’t physically harmed Drake didn’t make him any less of a monster. Apollo was still the man who’d hurled Drake down the mountain and into the depths of Hell. Throughout the years, he’d been an occasional presence in Drake’s life and had caught glimpses of Drake’s torment yet did nothing about it until Drake became an empty puppet whose single goal was to avoid pain.

Drake’s owner had been more than happy to show off his ‘little vampire’, as Drake used to be often called, because of his complexion. It was hard to get a tan when one wasn’t allowed outside. Theo had acted as if Drake really was a human pet, not a person in his own right. Maybe he hadn’t been. Throughout the years of living under Theo’s roof, becoming a well-rounded man hadn’t been a priority. Survival was.

At least rape had become rarer after Drake had turned fourteen and must have not posed as much of a temptation for the sick pedo and his friends. It had taken Drake years to establish a sexual identity he could call his own, and some days he still had to fight the memories of a time when his body hadn’t belonged to him.

He’d only learned to read later in life, when Theo had decided he could actually use Drake as something other than a sex object. His struggle with reading was still a source of insecurity, not to mention a whole array of life skills and experiences he’d missed out on because his mother had decided drugs were more important than her child. Apollo had snatched the opportunity instead of calling the child services.

Sometimes, Drake thought his life had never truly started until he’d met Tank. ‘Drake’ had been a name invented for the needs of his assassination mission, but when that had gone sideways and Tank had helped Drake get rid of Theo instead, Drake adopted it as his own. Leaving the past behind had been a goal in itself, so he’d followed Tank out of that hellhole like a wary puppy.

For the first time, he’d met a man who offered him a choice. Who didn’t want to use him in one way or another. Despite finding out Drake’s murderous intentions, Tank had given him a chance at a new life. Unlike with Clover, who Tank had been hot for from the moment he’d lain eyes on the boy, Tank had helped Drake without an ulterior motive. It no longer mattered whether he’d done it out of pity or curiosity. Since then, they’d established a new kind of bond. One of brotherhood, support, and now even a shared partner.

Which was exactly why Tank’s dismissal had hurt so much.

“We’ve got an opening. A time and location. Why would we not go?” Drake worked hard not to raise his voice in Jolene’s home, where they’d returned to after the visit at Jerry’s, but he was at breaking point.

They were facing each other in the attic, where Drake slept because ‘the couples’ got the two guest rooms. Apart from a low, sloping ceiling, the room was comfortable, cosy even, but the oppressive feeling created by Drake’s head brushing against eaves was aggravated by Tank’s attitude.

He stood in the tallest part of the room, so he wouldn’t have to bow his head all the time, and the unforgiving expression on his face made Drake itch to claw his eyes out.

“Because we know nothing about who else might be there and frankly, I think you’ve lost your shit.”

Drake spread his arms. “Oh, so now you’re the judge and jury? You know what that motherfucker did to me. I thought I’d never meet him again. I thought he was dead. Now I get my chance, and you’re blocking me?”

Tank squinted. “Thought this was about Clover.”

The bastard damn well knew it wasn’t just about Clover anymore, and had only said it to annoy Drake and try to prove his point. For all his virtues, Tank could be an obstructive piece of shit.