Broken Dreams (Unhingedverse)
Broken Dreams: Chapter 35

DUNCAN

“The floor is yours, Quinn,” Kane says with an unhinged, excited expression. The fucker has always enjoyed blowing shit up. This is no different. “He’s hanging up from the chains in the basement, butt ass naked, injection given, and penis prepared.”

“Adira, you’re a lucky woman,” Quinn says with a smirk.

My best friend shrugs, saying, “I really am. He gives the best presents. Kane, the baby hasn’t liked it when I’m around fire lately. It makes me nauseous. Blood, not an issue, it’s just fire.”

“Oh that’s mean,” he says, dropping to his knees to kiss her stomach. He’s really excited about this baby, and has been doing everything possible to make sure he’s ready. The doll currently tied up in a back wrap is a prime example of this. “Baby, please give mommy back her ability to blow shit up with me. Ah, can I say shit, Little Rabbit?”

Quinn looks confused for a moment, and I want to see if she’s ready to connect the dots that are there for her. Instead, Adira distracts her with her laugh.

“I think you’re fine,” she says. “Maybe I should keep the baby with me too. Fire and babies don’t mix, Kane.”

Wincing, he nods and hands the baby and carrier to Adira as he stands. It’s sweet how much he wants to be a father now that he knows about the baby. Sometimes, we’re too scared to wish for the things that we think are outside of our reach.

“Here we go,” he crows, practically bouncing down the stairs to the basement.

“The last step is higher than the rest,” I explain to Quinn. “Be careful going down.”

“Don’t blow up the house, please,” Adira calls down, wincing as I snort in amusement.

“I’m a professional!” Kane yells before disappearing around the corner.

Adira huffs out a laugh as she closes the door behind us, and I descend into the newly redecorated basement. I came down to make sure nothing was too bad, but it’s officially been sectioned off into a dungeon.

For the record, not a sexy one, either.

Kane says he decided to keep the prisoners separated because they wouldn’t stop yelling at each other. While it was fun to watch on video, it got repetitive and annoying after the first day. Morris promised to take down all of the different cameras he put up once everyone was dead.

We’re all in agreement as to how this will end. The only way to keep Quinn and Linus safe is to remove anyone who is a threat so they can enjoy their lives. No one deserves to constantly be looking over their shoulder, even if we are in the mafia.

“You stupid cunt!” Bret screams as soon as he sees her. The basement is set up in several different rooms, and concrete making it easy to string the bastard up with chains from the ceiling.

“Use your words while you can,” Quinn admonishes, swallowing hard.

This man is one of the reasons my omegas can’t sleep. My heart almost stopped when Quinn began to have a hard time speaking as Cian got in her face, wondering if her troubles were a farce. Anyone can see that it’s fear, neglect, and trauma that silenced her.

She’s not lying about her mutism.

He’s lucky Callum didn’t punch him and Christian didn’t shoot him. I may not be pro Christian yet, but I have to admit that he puts Linus and Quinn’s needs first, without any bullshit.

The door opens and closes once more, signaling that Morris, Cian, and Callum are joining us. The beta will be keeping Kane in check and Bret alive for as long as is needed.

Bret’s face is sweaty and red from fear and anger, the ground wet from what appears to be piss. There aren’t exactly bathroom breaks when you’re a prisoner. Kane told me as I made breakfast this morning that he fixed that issue by tearing up the carpet and installing a drain yesterday.

Maybe I should consider a remodel of the basement instead with a special room dedicated to torture. I doubt this will be the last time we’ll need it with how wild our lives are or who our friends are.

The things I never thought would run through my brain.

“Bret, I think you need a lesson in humility,” Kane purrs. “Your dick is harder than a priest in a whore house and there’s extra flammable wax covering both your knot and shaft. Do you really want to fuck with the omega who is going to do the honors of lighting it?”

“What?” Bret asks dully.

Kane pulls on a pair of black leather gloves just as the rest of our group steps into the room. I can hear a girl screaming further away from us, making me realize that Riley is showing us her damn lungs still work. Maybe I should just snap the stupid beta’s neck and call it a day.

“Did you think I was giving your dick a paraffin treatment?” Kane asks with a grin. I can’t help the sneering smile that pulls at my lips. Who knows? Maybe Bret did think that Kane was playing with his dick. “Hold still, I need to make some room for the wick, douchebag.”

Kane crushes Bret’s knot and base of his cock in his large hand so he’ll stay still before shoving a thin stainless steel tube down through the slit. The answering scream makes a few of us roll our eyes, while Quinn gazes at him in anger.

A bit of blood spurts out of the tube as Kane “makes room” for the wick he feeds through the hollow rod. Then when he pulls the rod out to remove it, the psychotic alpha squishes the crown of Bret’s dick so the wick will stay in place. It’s devious, ingenious, and must have taken hours of hyperfixation for him to come up with.

Kane Dresmond’s mind is a scary fucking place.

He makes sure there’s a lot of wick sticking out the top as he steps back, beginning to hum as Bret screams.

“Such a baby,” Quinn mutters. She’s very calm in the face of torture. It’s more like she’s resigned to having to get his attention.

“Why don’t you soften him up?” I suggest, picking up a knife and a bat from the table beside me. “Pick your poison, Sweet Girl.”

Maybe I shouldn’t be using cute pet names right now, but I’m also the person who enjoys milkshakes when I’m on missions and rock music in my kill rooms. Fuck the rules.

As long as shit gets done, who cares?

Lifting the bat, she nods. Kane moves out of the way as he watches her, saying, “Avoid his dick, Quinn.”

“I couldn’t imagine ruining your hard work,” she says, earning a grin from him.

Quinn slams the bat into Bret’s injured side, and then continues to hit him until her ancestors tell her she’s done. He’s choking on the blood from a broken nose, but he’s still relatively alive, unfortunately.

“Now, shut the fuck up until you have my permission to speak,” she growls. Goddamn that’s hot.

Bret appears bug-eyed as he gazes at the omega he’s terrorized simply because he believed he had power over her. Funny how the tables have turned.

“I have some very important questions to ask you,” Quinn says, handing off the bat to Callum’s waiting hands. “Where is Slick Dreams located now?”

She’s not wasting any time, and I appreciate that. Quinn doesn’t play with her food. She knows there are people still being forced to perform and fuck to line Bret’s pockets.

Not that he’ll be able to enjoy that money for much longer.

“Fuck you,” he snarls.

Kane begins to play with a lighter, quietly glaring at Bret. It makes him begin to gasp for breath, almost hyperventilating. The only good thing is that the fucker can’t take a piss anymore because Kane ruined his urethra with his deliberate use of the steel rod.

“Have a spare lighter?” Quinn asks Kane. Somehow, she seems to recognize that the lighter he has in his hand is important to him. Nodding, Kane pulls out another lighter for her.

“Speak or forever hold your peace,” Callum says. “She’s not going to hold any mercy for you.”

“No, no wait. They’ve been moving around,” Bret lies. I can tell because his scent sours, like that of days old body odor. “I doubt they’re still where I left them. I left someone to stand on business for me.”

“Her question remains,” I remind him as she flicks the lighter a bit closer to the wick. “I’ve never actually seen someone’s dick get lit on fire. How does it feel to know that you’re about to be a dick candle?”

“Wait! Fuck!” he screams, sounding as if he’s sucked on a helium balloon.

Fucking waste of space.

“What would you like to say?” Quinn asks, flicking the lighter at opposite times as Kane. I have to admit, it’s really annoying, and getting on Bret’s nerves.

“They’re in a warehouse in Cedar Rapids,” he gasps.

“Exact address?” I ask, watching as she moves her hand even closer to the wick. Fuck, the control she has is next level as she hums in this demented way that makes me want to fuck her.

Maybe I’ve been spending too much time with Adira and her pack. After all, the tune matches Kane’s perfectly.

“Fuck, Quinn stop!” Bret yells, trying to alpha bark her. Callum doesn’t blink as he jabs him in the throat with the bat still in his possession.

“Don’t stop,” I growl, overriding Bret’s command. “Callum will replace the warehouse, just light him up, Quinn.”

“It’s for the best,” Cian agrees. “He’s useless.”

We’re all playing a role, well aware that it’ll make Bret freak out. He isn’t cut out for the underbelly of the criminal world unless it’s in the shadows.

Quinn shrugs as if she doesn’t care either way, her hand moving again to light the bastard up.

“Wait! Fuck!” Bret croaks out. “You’ll let me go if I tell you?”

“Sure,” she says, smiling. Anyone who can’t tell she’s lying is dumb and desperate, which perfectly describes the weak alpha in front of us.

“35433 Phillips Street,” he rasps. “It’s the warehouse with a blue door.”

“Thanks,” Quinn says sweetly, dousing the still lit flame of the lighter over the wick. “Burn in hell, Bret.”

Kane continues to hum as he shoves a sock deep into Bret’s mouth, making him gag before duct taping it shut.

“Oh that’s much better,” Cian says.

Morris watches in silence as the wick moves quickly, taking a step back. “That’s going to be the equivalent of a Molotov cocktail,” he murmurs.

“A dicktail?” Kane sings out, giving Bret some room. The flame burns hot, melting not only the wax but also the skin of his penis.

Quinn makes a face at the smell, moving closer to me to stick her nose in my clothes. The actual sight doesn’t bother her one bit, but Bret really does fucking stink.

The alpha also has an inordinate amount of body hair at his knot, making me wonder if Kane also shaved his dick for him. The pubic hair lights on fire as well, following up his happy trail to the rest of his skin. It’s only when his heart finally gives out from too many greasy burgers that Cian picks up the fire extinguisher and puts the human fire hazard out.

“Next?” Quinn asks, coughing slightly.

“I’ll clean up,” Kane says, lifting a chain saw.

“I’ll help and get the plastic sheeting,” Morris adds.

Mouthing my thanks to Morris, I escort Quinn with Cian and Callum to Riley and cleaner air.

The basement interior walls are not as well insulated, which means Riley heard every scream, and immediately pisses herself when Quinn walks in with her head held high.

“That’s an odd way to say hello,” she purrs. Wincing, I have to adjust my cock as Quinn walks ahead of me. My brother glances knowingly at me with a nod, understanding my plight. Our girl is fucking amazing.

“I don’t know anything,” Riley whimpers. “I swear. Your dad told me that he was going to tell everyone about what happened when we were kids if we didn’t help him. My parents don’t even know! Quinn, please.”

“At least you got my name right,” Quinn mutters.

I can hear screaming as someone else comes down the stairs into the basement, but they’re those of a female so I’m not too worried. My father is in my secret room gagged and tied up until I can talk to him. I don’t want my brother to have to watch me shoot our father in the head after I’m done. I want to spare him that.

Rory Kelly is a threat to our happiness and our omegas. He can’t be trusted not to stab us in the back due to his other alliances. My mother would be rolling in her grave right now if she knew what a weak sack of shit she bonded with.

Jed and Damon walk in a struggling beta who screams and fights. There’s a hood over her head, and her hands and legs are tied tightly. While they’re very proficient at snatch and grabs, I had someone else pick her up from her home.

They don’t bother to be careful as they toss her into the room, and her grunt of pain disrupts her screams.

“Sadie, it’s so good of you to join the party,” Quinn croons.

Jed and Damon give cruel chuckles as they begin to leave the room.

“Need anything before we go, Quinn?” Damon asks.

“Knives would be great, please,” she says sweetly.

Riley’s eyes widen to the point where I’m worried they’re going to pop out, and it’s difficult to hold in my snicker. If you can’t handle my girl’s crazy, maybe don’t fuck around and replace out next time.

“No screaming,” Quinn demands. “I need answers. The day I disappeared, what happened? Why help my father?”

“He said that he’d arranged a marriage for you with a very wealthy alpha,” Riley breathes. “I didn’t know, I swear⁠—”

“Shh,” Quinn mutters. “Did you think that this time too? Are you really that fucking stupid?”

“No, Alpha Hughes told Sadie and I that if we didn’t help him he’d tell our parents about what we did,” Riley says. “They’d cut us off. We’re betas and useless, Quinn. We have to play the game right or get left behind.”

“That’s bullshit,” Callum says. “There are a lot of betas who replace packs. I don’t believe it. Quinnie had everything growing up.”

“Jealousy isn’t pretty,” Cian adds. “I hear the rumors that you’re alpha chasers. No one wants to know that all you want is their knot.”

Moving over to Sadie, I yank off the hood.

“Is that true? Were you jealous of her?” I ask.

“Quinn? She was dumpy and unpopular. Why would I be jealous?” Sadie snarls. “Mr. Hughes said that she would be happier with her very rich alpha. So we followed his instructions to the letter.”

Quinn purses her lips as her chest begins to heave with anger. Jed returns with an open case of knives, and she barely glances at him as she picks one up.

“I was absolutely not happier,” she rasps. Cian stares at Quinn for a moment before quietly leaving the room, not wanting to witness what is going to be a very private moment.

“Linus, I need you to get your ass down here,” I say down the bond.

“I know, fuck, I’m coming,” he replies. I can feel his worry and I force myself to take a breath as I stand in witness to whatever is about to happen.

Goddamnit, I guess these bitches are determined to rip open already weeping wounds.

Jed leaves the case on the table and walks out as well, leaving Callum and I alone with Quinn and the two bitches who changed her entire life.

“Tell them,” I say, swallowing thickly. “Fuck ‘em up, sweet girl.”

“I was so scared,” she says, her voice sounding small and lost. “They tied me up, kept talking about how much money they were going to make, and shoved this dirty rag in my mouth while I cried. Miles Kellogg is cruel. Neither of you would last seconds with him.”

“You were a kid, there’s no way he’d knot you,” Riley says, rolling her eyes.

I can feel Linus and the presence of someone else behind me, but refuse to move as I watch Quinn strike. She shoves the knife deep into Riley’s stomach, teeth gritting in anger. It won’t kill the heinous bitch, but it will hurt.

Riley’s scream of pain is more obnoxious than anything else.

“Are you really going to just let her do this to me?” she cries, tears flowing as she hangs from the chains.

“I am,” Christian mutters.

“Me too,” Linus says softly.

Quinn twists with wide eyes to look at him, and her best friend smiles sadly at her.

“We’re here, Quinn. Tell us what he did so we can replace him and he can’t ever hurt you again,” he says.

Nodding, she bites her lip as she looks back at Riley and pulls out the knife.

“He waited exactly six months before he touched me sexually for the first time,” she says. “Miles wouldn’t let me wear clothes for the first three months that I lived with him, and he had a collar he made me wear while I sat at his feet so he could enjoy my presence. I wasn’t allowed to speak, look, or do anything without his permission. I cried for three weeks before he beat those out of me and chained me to his desk by his feet.”

Riley is starting to realize her mistake, while Sadie stares at the blood quickly staining her friend’s clothing.

“Come here and show me your throwing skills,” Callum says softly. “Every truth, throw a knife. I want to see what kind of pin cushions you can turn them into.”

“I may run out of knives,” Quinn pouts as she moves slowly over to me.

Callum and I can tell she’s on the edge of her sanity. If she stayed in front of Sadie and Riley, she’d have lost her shit and murdered them. They don’t deserve a quick death.

“What happened next?” I ask her.

“Miles was really helpless when it came to anything technology related,” she says softly. It’s as if she’s lost in the memories, her voice reminding me of a child’s. “I ran all of his banking shit, hacked into the computers of his enemies, and kept him safe. My father used my knowledge as a tool and boon when he sold me.”

My brother flinches as if she’d hit him. He taught her how to code because it’s how they used to spend time together. She was really good at it, and enjoyed showing him how she was growing her skills. It figures that Hudson would use it in his fucked up proposal to get rid of his only child.

“I lost my virginity by being impaled on his cock a few days after I presented as an omega,” she rasps. Quinn reaches out to squeeze Callum’s hand to offer him comfort. I have no doubts that she can feel the turmoil happening in his mind. If anyone needs to be comforted or held, it’s her, but as she throws a knife with her left hand, it’s clear that she doesn’t want it.

Not right now when the words are flowing and the anger and pain are being purged. Fuck, she’s so strong, yet I know her. Any hint of sweetness will break her because she needs to stand on her own for now.

So we stand as sentinels in her darkness, waiting for our time.

The knife slides under the flesh of Riley’s collarbone, effectively silencing her with a whimper. She’s not dead, simply much quieter. Quinn will be heard.

Christian pulls a knife from somewhere, striding over to slide it through Sadie’s bindings.

“I’m just going to get her ready for you,” he murmurs softly. Yanking Sadie’s hand up against the wall, he plunges the knife through her wrist to pin her there. I’m about to bring him another knife to assist him, but he’s pulling a knife from his ankle already.

Damn, I’d never have thought he had any weapons under the sweatpants he’s borrowing. Sneaky bastard.

Once securing Sadie, he moves back to join us.

“Continue, Quinn. Now you have more surface area to work with,” Christian says. A part of me is glad he’s building trust with her, and she gives him a small nod.

She’s quiet as she uses Sadie for target practice, silent tears rolling down her cheeks as the girl begs for help. Not one word is for forgiveness, making me wonder if she’s just that arrogant or if she really doesn’t believe that she needs it.

“No one cared if I begged!” Quinn finally screams. “When my insides screamed as he made me warm his cock and his knot during business meetings, or when he raped me for sport. My words didn’t fucking matter. And neither do yours.”

My heart breaks as I listen to her. Every word slices through my soul. Twenty fucking years, and the worst of the damage was done in the first four and a half years she was taken. It took too damn long to replace her.

“Quinn,” Sadie gasps. “We didn’t know. I swear it. Please.”

“Please what?” Linus growls. He’s vibrating with anger, not at all disgusted with the way Quinn is handling this. Out of all of us, he’s witnessed a lot of her trauma. These are the missing pieces. “What could you possibly have to say?”

Sadie just sobs, her clothes ripped from the knives that have penetrated her body. Quinn’s throwing arms are strong, and she’s using the opportunity to use both, due to the force of her emotions. Every throw has hit where she’s wanted it to. Anger and despair are strong motivators, and today she’s purging herself of all of it.

“They can’t say anything,” Quinn rasps. “I was stripped of my dignity, my innocence, and my life by their actions. Every time I touch a computer, I’m reminded of the way I’d have to pretend to be unbothered when Miles would unzip his pants and force me to suck his cock before straddling his lap to work. He tainted everything I loved with his poisonous words and actions, reminding me that I was less than nothing.”

“The second I was too old for him, he sold me,” she says, picking up a dagger and stalking over to Riley. She’s been deceptively silent as she bleeds out. I think it’s pissing Quinn off.

“I went from being a sex toy for Alpha Miles and occasionally a few of his friends to being used indiscriminately by everyone,” Quinn growls, stabbing Riley in the chest.

Linus wisely pulled knives out of Riley and Sadie when Quinn began to run out of free space. Now, the blood is freely flowing and I believe she may be ready to end things soon.

“My first heat was sold by Bret to whichever of his clients was willing to pay the most money,” she spits out. “It was awful, hurt, and the alphas were cruel. So as you head to hell to burn there, please remember that I was never ‘better off’.”

That’s her only warning as she shoves the dagger under Riley’s jaw and straight up. The blood spray is lower, but still speckles across Quinn’s skin.

Sadie screams, drawing my girl’s attention. Stupid fucking move to be honest, but I don’t think Sadie nor Riley are particularly smart, or they wouldn’t be in this position. Quinn leaves the dagger inside of Riley’s body, and begins to walk toward Sadie.

“And you,” she breathes. “Your life has been pathetic and uninspiring this entire time. Spinning your wheels, waiting for something better to happen, frustrated when it never did. I hope your soul is always unhappy and never replaces peace while I’m living my best life with my pack. I wish you the worst the afterlife has to offer.”

Quinn yanks out the knife holding one of Sadie’s wrists, smirking as it flops at her side, useless. Quinn’s fingers tangle in the beta’s hair before she yanks her head back cruelly.

“Go to hell,” Quinn whispers in goodbye, choking back a sob as she slits her goddamned throat, the blood painting her body.

Breathing hard, she stops the knife, trembling as the adrenaline leaves her body. Linus isn’t fazed by the blood as he moves quickly to lift her into his arms.

“My brave girl,” he murmurs. “You’re such a badass, baby.”

Exhausted from the intensity of the emotions she’s been through as she trauma dumped, she rests her head on his shoulder.

“I don’t want to hurt anymore,” she rasps.

“Removing those who do that helps,” I murmur, ignoring the blood on her forehead as I kiss it. “Go rest, sweet girl. I have to handle a few things, run up to Slick Dreams with a team to dismantle the club and get the omegas out. Is there anyone I need to be sure to spare from the staff?”

“No,” she says. “They’re all terrible people. By the time you get there, the club may be open.”

“I’ll use my best judgment,” I promise her. “Anyone you want me to definitely kill if they’re there as far as patrons?”

Linus and she share a glance before providing me a list of people who have hurt them under the guise of enjoying themselves. I memorize the list before nodding, sending them up to their nest.

Christian barely spares me a glance before following them.

“What else are you doing?” Callum asks, his eyes pulled after his heart. I know he wants to go after them, and I want to keep him from witnessing what I have to do.

“I need to speak to Dad,” I sigh. “He’s not going to survive the conversation, Callum.”

His lips press hard against each other before he nods sharply. “Good,” he mutters. “I don’t think I could do it, but he can’t be trusted. Fucking idiot. At least we have Ayla.”

Indeed we do. The sound of his footsteps stay with me even after he slams the door closed on the basement, as if it’ll help contain the nightmares that have been released.

I may not be able to stop them and I am definitely what goes bump in the night, but my compass will always point north for my family.

Walking to the secret door that hides in the wall in front of me, I push on the secret spot to pop it open. The light turns on inside from the wretched darkness that enveloped it previously, and I slip inside. For someone who is as large as I am, I can move fairly silently.

My father is blindfolded, tied up, and gagged in the chair he’s sitting in. His legs and arms are also bound, and I move over to sit in front of him, removing my gun from the gun locker next to me.

Everything is set within the perfect reach for me. There’s zero reason to feel guilt or remorse for the piece of shit weak excuse of a father and alpha in front of me.

“Do you know where Hudson Hughes is?” I ask, disguising my voice as I pull the gag out of my father’s mouth. It’s rough and hard, with a zero tolerance for lies.

“I…” Dad swallows hard, his voice sounding as if there’s shards of glass in his throat. I refuse to offer him water or any kind of treatment that may make him believe there’s mercy inside of me.

There’s not.

“He has a hunting lodge,” he whispers. “Whenever things get rough, that’s where he’ll disappear to. I wish I could say that I’m sorry, or make this better.”

Taking the safety off the weapon in my hand sounds incredibly loud, and he flinches hard. I’m not taking any kind of enjoyment from his fear, but I refuse to ease it either.

“You can’t though,” I rasp, no longer disguising my voice. “If you ever wonder where you went wrong, it’s when you chose him over my family, Dad. Quinn was always mine, and you tried to break her. I’ll never forgive that.”

He’s quiet as I raise the silenced weapon to his head and pull the trigger. The blindfold was as much for me as it was him. Killing him will follow me forever, seeing the acceptance when I did isn’t something I’m capable of surviving.

“Want me to clean this up?” Morris asks softly from the door as I take a ragged breath.

I’m surprised to feel tears collecting in the corners of my eyes as I nod. For some reason, I left the door wide open to the room. It was sloppy, but I was right to think that my pack wouldn’t come back down here because they’re with Quinn.

“Yeah, thanks,” I say thickly. Putting away my gun, I brush away the tears that escape with the back of my hand.

Morris is already untying my father to pick him up as I move out of the way, and I stand and watch as he wraps my father in plastic wrap and carries him away.

The pigs at the neighboring farms are going to eat really well today. As I’m leaving the house an hour later after checking on Quinn with my brother, I gaze at the setting sun as I get in the truck.

It’s been both the longest day as well as the shortest.

Pack Dresmond is at our back as we drive away, Christian and Linus left behind to watch over Quinn. All I can hope for is a relatively quiet night while we dismantle some of the darkness that’s been keeping us all up at night.

Please stay safe.