Chapter 55

Chapter 55
Deacon

I watched as Ryker slowly slipped back into the darkness that he tried so hard to escape. The minute he saw Claud he was under the spell. His anger had taken him back down the rabbit hole. “Hello Ryker Lorcane. Nice to see you.” Claud laughed from the chair we had tied him to. Ryker's gaze hardened as he leaned closer to Claud, the flicker of a smirk playing across his lips—one neither cruel nor kind but steeped in the promise of consequences. The room seemed to shrink, the air heavy with tension as Ryker rested a hand against the back of the chair, his voice like gravel when he spoke, “You’ve been playing a dangerous game, and tonight, it ends.” Claud’s laughter faltered, giving way to unease as I moved to stand beside Ryker, staying silent. The shadows danced in the dim light, our movements almost theatrical, setting the stage for a reckoning that neither of us intended to delay. Ryker’s words were measured, deliberate, each syllable another step in the methodical unraveling of Claud’s composure. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the faint creak of the chair beneath Claud’s weight and the steady rhythm of Ryker’s breath. This was not a moment of impulsive rage but one of calculated vengeance, as the man once fighting for the light drew power from his darkness to ensure that every action—every word—would leave an indelible mark upon those who dared to destroy his peace. 

“You put your hands on something that belongs to me. Your hands now belong to me too.” Ryker said, pulling out a large machete and twirling it around like a baton. As much as I hated to see him sink back into this hole, I couldn’t deny he had style. I watched while Claud’s eyes followed the machete’s movements. “You know she will never be safe Lorcane. You can kill me. You can kill every man you took outside today. Drop them on the south end of the city, blame it on gang violence, but they will not stop coming. Not until every Punisher soul is out of prison. Every man you used sweet ass Ivy to find. We will find her too. I know you sent her away. I know you couldn’t hurt her. We watched her adventures since you unfairly breached our home and took my new toy.” The moment he called Iris a toy, I thought Ryker would cut his head off clean. Ryker looked over at me gave me a signal before slamming the handle of the machete into Claud’s mouth. I walked a good distance away. Once I knew Claud couldn’t hear me anymore, I made a call for more security to surround the house. Then I decided to call Iris to check in, making sure she and the nurse were safe. Ryker didn’t tell me to, but I know she is terrified of what might happen, and she needs to know he is alive. When she answered, she sounded drowsy, almost drunk. I know that nurse isn't allowing her to get drunk.  

After a few moments, Ryker came in and took the phone from me. He had blood all over his hands. He spoke as calmly as he could into the phone, letting Iris know to stay inside. Then hung it up and slammed it into my chest. “Why would you call her?” he said angrily. “I was just trying to let her know you are okay,” I said wiping the blood from my chest and phone. “Let’s just go finish this.” He said as he walked away from me. He couldn’t argue with giving that woman an ounce of piece after everything that has happened to her. I followed him back towards the corner of the large room. Claud’s face was bloody, his left eye already quite swollen. “You are going to tell me everything I want to know, or I am going to start removing body parts.” Claud, still trying to act tough, looked up and smiled through the blood on his face. “You will kill me either way, Lorcane.” He said, half defeated, half egotistical. “I guess you are right, but, telling me what I need to know can reduce the amount of pain you suffer before you go.” Ryker shrugged as if this was just another problem. The decision to torture or just kill this man. That wasn’t the Ryker that Iris met. Hell, that wasn’t the Ryker I met. I am loyal. He is family to me, but could Iris truly understand that this man he is turning back into is something he sees as necessary. It’s something they caused when they took her. While he sat there waiting, hurting, wondering when she would be found. You can lay out the order of events and know that he is doing what he thinks is best for protecting her. The same way with Ivy, only, this time is almost worse.  

“Fuck.” Claud yelled as he looked up at us both. “Fine, what do you want to know prosecutor?” Ryker looked to me. This was my area of expertise. “I want phone numbers of all your contacts. I want names, descriptions of those who I know choose not to carry a phone, the deeper hidden members.” I stood there thinking as clearly and as fast as I could. “I want to know how much you know about Ivy.” Claud coughed, choking on some blood that must have drained down his sinuses. I spoke to the men outside, asking for a water out of the SUV. Bryden brought me a bottle. He couldn’t look at Claud. I watched as he looked at the floor while walking toward me. “Stand up straight.” He looked up at me and did as I said. I made a mental note to talk to him later. You cannot work security and hunting team for Lorcane with a weak stomach. “Thank you. I want to question all the Punisher’s men out there, so be sure they all stay in one piece. Tell Andrew.” He nodded and turned to walk away. His footsteps much faster going out than coming in.  

I sat there for what felt like hours, taking in information. Recording Clauds whole confession, if you want to refer to it as that. He told me all about the men outside. Described them, and what each one would be able to tell me. Some of the information was useful and some of it wasn’t. Ryker paced all around the large room. “What about the leader’s in prison? How are they making all these orders from behind bars. They aren’t supposed to have interactions with the outside.” He shouted from about ten feet away. Claud laughed, though I noticed his strength was depleted now. “Good behavior, dumbass. They earned the right to speak to people outside, besides our lawyers carry messages in and out. We have grown too. Through prison systems. Men you have put away. So many men who want you dead, or worse than dead. The minute you started trailing that sweet young piece of tail around campus, we had her. Boss wanted to make sure you felt that we had been there. Some closer than you know. Brother, I was the one who saw her on the beach, and so many times, man...” He paused, “I wanted to rip into that sweet innocent flesh.” Before I could speak, Ryker was there, swinging that machete. Claud was laying in pieces in front of me, and I was covered in blood. “I wasn’t done talking to him, Ryk.” He didn't answer me for a moment staring at the pieces of this huge man all over the walls and floors. “Ryker is gone. My name is Lorcane.”