Fan Fiction

by S. Stiles (Elliander at aol dot com)

Chapter 1 :: Chapter 2 :: Chapter 3 :: Chapter 4 :: Chapter 5 ::
Chapter 6 :: Chapter 7 :: Chapter 8 :: Chapter 9

The next morning, Sonny was up at the crack of dawn cooking breakfast. Colt was sleeping in front of the TV, which was now showing the morning news. Sonny watched him while he cooked. The boy almost looked peaceful. Probably would if it weren't for the bruises. He was just taking up the eggs when Colt stirred awake.

"Morning." Sonny greeted. "Hungry?"

Colt nodded slightly, getting up and stretching. He leaned against the small table and was silent for a long time watching Sonny set the table. Finally, he asked quietly, "When're you gonna cut the crap?"

Sonny looked at him, puzzled. "What crap?"

"Don't play innocent with me. Nobody is nice to me without wanting something. Besides, I heard you and that other guy talking. You asked me about Gorge's business."

"Yeah. And you told me not to play you for stupid." Sonny replied.

"You're doing it anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"This whole act your carrying out. Like you give a rat's ass what happens to me? You really think I'm gonna buy that out of a cop?"

"Do I have to be a cop, Colt? Can't I be a human being concerned about your welfare?"

Colt shook his head. "No. A cop is a cop. They're not human. They're heartless animals."

Sonny's eyes narrowed. "Did Gorge tell you that?"

"He didn't have to."

"Somebody obviously put the thought in your head. Who was it? Your Mom?"

"I had a brother. Did you know that?"

The sudden change in conversation took Sonny by surprise. "No. I didn't."

"He promised to take me away from Gorge after the first beating. But when we got out on the streets, a gang mugged us and took the money he had stolen from Gorge. We both got hungry. After two days with nothing to eat, Richie went into a little market on some back street and stole us some food." He paused and drew a shaky breath.

Sonny was silent, waiting to see where the story was going.

"Cop saw him." Colt's voice dropped to a near whisper and tears glistened unshed in his eyes. "He shot him down. He never asked why, he never gave him a chance. Just shot him down in cold blood."

"I'm sorry, Colt." Sonny whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh your sorry?" Colt snapped back. "You weren't the one that had to go crawling back to Gorge. You weren't the one that got beat with a strap for nearly two hours before the closed fisted part even started."

"He's going to pay, Colt. I promise you. He's going to pay."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Colt said almost coldly.

"You don't have to trust me." Sonny said. "But you know, if you'd tell me some things about his business we could be more certain of his future."

Colt sat down at the table running a hand across his face. "You still don't get it, do you?"

Sonny sat down across from him and looked at him silently.

"I don't know jack about Gorge's business. My sole purpose in that household was to offer him a vent when things went wrong or he needed a good workout."

"I guess I don't understand why you stayed if you knew it was only gonna cause you pain."

"What's my alternative, Sonny?" Colt's tone was almost exasperated. "Run away and starve to death? Or maybe end up like Richie? Or maybe you'd prefer I take the other route. Actually tell the police about the beatings so that Gorge can kill me himself. Nice and slow like he does other people?"

Sonny raised an eyebrow. "What other people?"

Colt looked angry that he had let something slip. "Nothing. Never mind. I didn't mean it."

Sonny studied him quietly for a long time. "For some reason I don't believe you."

"That's your perogative. I don't have to prove myself to you."

"If your sole purpose in life was to get the shit beat out of you, you wouldn't be sitting there getting cocky with me." Sonny skirted the murder issue for the time being. "You'd be sitting there cowering for fear I was going to beat you too."

Colt stared at him looking suddenly uneasy. "You're not are you?"

"Are you going to believe me if I say no?"

Colt was quiet for a long time before admitting, "You haven't acted like you're going to."

Sonny didn't push things any further. "Eat before it gets cold."

Breakfast was silent. Sonny had learned a little bit but not much about Colt. He supposed it was possible that Colt was telling the truth. Maybe Gorge was the only person he truly feared. But the reference to murder kept him suspicious that the boy knew more than he was letting on.

Colt ate silently. He was angry that he had let Sonny extort that little bit of information from him. He wasn't quite sure what to think of Sonny. The caring that Colt saw in his eyes seemed to be genuine, but it couldn't possibly be, not since he knew that he was just after information.

Colt knew quite a bit about Gorge's business. In addition to watching him having killed at least twenty-five people, two of them cops, he had been forced to mule crap for him all the time. One of his jobs was to ride along with Clint to help with the loading and unloading and for extra security on some of the bigger deals. He also knew what Gorge would do to him if he told the cops anything. Death would be a welcomed blessing. And for some reason, Sonny couldn't seem to get that through his head.

Sighing, Colt finished his breakfast. At least he was safe for now. Gorge couldn't beat him from jail. He shouldn't even know where he was.

But Lyle might.

The thought leapt out, biting Colt hard. Yes. Lyle might. The cop/ high rolling buyer that Gorge bent over backwards to please. Lyle made sure he was kept abreast of any situation that involved Gorge and in return Gorge did everything in his power to keep Lyle happy. Why Lyle hadn't known about the bust that had ended with the current situation, Colt didn't know. And didn't care for that matter.

With thoughts of that bust, came thoughts of Lyle and the situation Gorge had put him into that day. Colt knew something was up as soon as Gorge had brought Lyle downstairs. Lyle had been looking at him funny, kind of studying him. Colt hadn't liked it, had turned to leave, when Gorge clubbed him across the back sending him to his knees. The beating that had ensued was short but thorough leaving him unable to move well and confused.

It was then that Lyle had made his intentions known. Colt had never in his life felt so much pain and humiliation as he had at that moment. Gorge had laughed and walked away. Colt tried to block out the memory, the sickness that it caused when he thought about it, but it stayed. It played in his mind like a movie. The pain, the tears, then the relief when, thankfully, he finished.

And then Lyle had left. It had been a long time before Colt had been able to move. He had went to the bathroom and puked until there was nothing left and then some. It was quite awhile after that that he had managed to clean up.

He looked across the small table to where Sonny was eating silently, watching him and pretending not to. He tried to imagine him beating on him or doing something like Lyle had done, but he couldn't. For some reason he believed Sonny wasn't going to hurt him. But he forced his guard up anyway. He had learned to never trust anybody regardless of how he felt about

by S. Stiles (Elliander at aol dot com)

Chapter 1 :: Chapter 2 :: Chapter 3 :: Chapter 4 :: Chapter 5 ::
Chapter 6 :: Chapter 7 :: Chapter 8 :: Chapter 9