Evenfall (69 page)

"That's where you're wrong," Harry smirked, and used his foot to pull the chair out from under Boyd.

The sudden loss of stability caused Boyd to fall forward, cracking his chin against the table. Pain blossomed but before he could do anything, Harry slammed his face against the table top and yanked him up. Boyd ended up bent over the table with Harry holding him down, their legs bent and pressed against each other. Boyd struggled to push Harry off him but the guard was much heavier and stronger than he was, so he settled with glaring mockingly at him as best he could with his cheek shoved against the table.

"Yeah?" Boyd challenged recklessly. "How am I wrong? Sin doesn't like you. He doesn't want you. He would kill you in a heartbeat if it wouldn't inconvenience him by being sent to the fourth. You're a psychotic sex offender who's been stalking him and is deluded into seeing bullshit that isn't there. If I had my way, you'd be castrated and forced to eat your own balls." He jerked against Harry's hold. "Or maybe you'd choke on them and make my day even better."

Harry's hand snaked around Boyd's hip and slipped down. Without pause, he grabbed Boyd's sack through his pants and squeezed hard. "What's that you were saying about balls, princess?"

Boyd felt equal parts fury and revulsion at the touch and he shoved his weight against the table, trying to find a way to push Harry off him. "Get the fuck off me," he seethed.

"This is what I'm talking about," Harry said in his ear, the shape of his mouth forming a smirk. He began rubbing his hand along the shape of Boyd's balls, massaging hard. "You all get me so fired up and then pretend not to want to play ball." He squeezed harder, bumping his groin against the back of Boyd's ass to make his growing erection obvious. "Maybe you're like Vega. Maybe you just want to play rough."

Rage overcame everything else. Boyd braced himself against the table and was finally able to get in a position where he could hook one leg behind Harry's. He knocked Harry's knee out from under him, throwing him off balance just long enough for Boyd to use the stability of the table to wrench himself away. He turned around and punched Harry furiously across the jaw but Harry just rocked with the motion, laughing.

"If you ever hurt him again I will fucking kill you," Boyd growled, glaring venomously.

"You think you can, princess?" Harry chuckled, seemingly unfazed by the attack. "Because I doubt it. You're nothing but a skinny little girl. My cock would split you in half if I fucked you."

He reared his large fist back and slugged Boyd across the face. Boyd fell backwards across the table, and rolled off to the side. Before he could get up into a defensive crouch, Harry jerked him up by his shirt and slammed him head first into one of the glass doors of a nearby bookcase. Pain exploded in Boyd and for a moment he was blinded by blood. But he still fought furiously against Harry, twisting in the other man's grip and attempting to strike him in the throat or face.

Harry grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm back violently, causing intense pain to radiate throughout Boyd. He shouted and tried to escape the hold but the pressure made it obvious that his shoulder would pop out of place if he moved wrong. Taking advantage of the situation, Harry yanked Boyd around once again and kicked his feet out so that he was half bent over and supported by the broken bookcase.

Harry's free hand snaked around Boyd's waist to undo his pants. The guard's breath began to quicken as the zipper lowered, and he seemed to become even more excited as Boyd tried to twist away.

"Stop-- You fucking--" Boyd snarled, trying to ignore the panicked voice in his mind that pointed out he may not be able to stop this. He tried to crane his neck, looking for the surveillance cameras. Surely someone had to have seen this by now. Someone had to be sending help.

Harry yanked at Boyd's pants and underwear, shoving them down to his thighs and exposing his bare skin. Boyd hissed and jerked away, feeling his arm stretch unnaturally in the movement. Pain was white noise that eclipsed his thoughts for a second and he automatically stilled.

As Harry's breath quickened further into a harsh pant, Boyd heard the rustle of Harry undoing his own pants. Within seconds, Boyd felt a hard erection press against his bare ass cheeks and he automatically tensed his entire body. He started to protest but his words were cut off when Harry shoved his face against the glass with a crack that made the glass shudder but not break.

Temporarily stunned, Boyd realized he was going to have to dislocate his shoulder to get away. His face was pressed against the glass, making it impossible not to see the reflection in it. The vilely anticipatory way Harry was looking at him was sickening in conjunction with the feel of Harry dropping a hand to his own erection and starting to steer his cock toward Boyd's ass.

Boyd was just bracing for agony-- either of Harry raping him bareback or of his shoulder being ripped from its socket-- when through the glass he suddenly realized he saw something.

Shadowy hands appeared around Harry's head in the brief seconds before he was able to penetrate Boyd and with a simple movement the snapping of a neck could be heard. Boyd could hardly breathe in shock. For a moment he didn't move, even when he felt Harry drop to the floor behind him and he found himself staring wide-eyed into Sin's reflection.
Boyd's legs felt unstable beneath him as the entirety of the situation hit him. He'd almost-- He'd just been-- And Sin--

He leaned against the bookshelf, unable to stop from shaking, and was almost afraid to turn around. Feeling exposed, he fumbled with his pants until he could jerk them up. Only then did he turn. His face felt ashen and sticky with rivulets of blood and his eyes were still widened when he took in Sin. His gaze was caught on his partner and the rush of shock and relief he felt at seeing him there.

Sin stood there silently, the hands he'd just used to break Harry's neck dangling loosely at his sides. Harry's body lay at his scuffed boots, but Sin didn't even glance at the dead man. He stared at Boyd with a completely alien expression on his face. His mouth was slightly parted, eyes wider than usual and glittering strangely in the dim light of the room.

For the first time, emotions were clearly visible on his face and he didn't seem to be trying to hide them.

Sin looked away for a brief moment, eyes finally dropping down to Harry's body before he once again met Boyd's frightened gaze. The fury was in his eyes, the cold deadliness that made them glow like green fire, but the strange thing was the insanity that normally accompanied that look of black anger was missing. In its place was guilt. His eyebrows drew together as he gazed at Boyd and he opened his mouth, starting to say something. Before he could speak the door burst open and a high-pitched whine shot through the room.

The moment that had been developing between them was gone in the space of a breath. Like a snapped
rubber band
, the next few minutes seemed to jerk forward and move too fast for proper reactions or comprehension. Suddenly guards were surrounding them and Sin was falling to his knees, hands clutching at the collar as they sent shock wave after shock wave through him mercilessly. The guards were shouting and cursing as someone began frantically trying to revive Harry.

Boyd was too stunned to react at first; Sin had not broken eye contact and for a moment he could only stare. Sin wasn't even struggling against the collar or the guards. Although chaos surrounded them, the sounds were removed and distant until it finally clicked in Boyd's mind what was happening.

"Wait," Boyd said urgently. "Stop it!" His expression turned frantic as he started to look away for someone to stop torturing Sin with the collar. But Sin shook his head at him wordlessly, his expression telling him not to interfere.

Boyd looked at Sin desperately-- not understanding and thinking he must be seeing wrong. He opened his mouth to protest but Sin's expression remained firm. Boyd's eyes brightened and the words he meant to say, the words he was going to shout to defend Sin and protest that he'd only been saving Boyd, died on his lips. He shook his head wordlessly at Sin, begging him with his eyes and the way his eyebrows twisted up for Sin to let him say something. But Sin looked dead certain and Boyd's protests remained caught in his throat.

All Boyd could do was watch helplessly as Sin began to spasm. Blood began to spill from the sides of his mouth and Boyd wanted to wrench his eyes away but he couldn't. He felt sickened by what he was seeing and he didn't understand why Sin stopped him; why he continued to watch Boyd firmly for as long as he could. It seemed like forever until Sin's eyes finally rolled back in his head and he fell unconscious. Even then, the collar continued to shock him for several seconds.

Boyd's arms wrapped around his stomach and he stared at Sin even as the chaos continued around him. Someone yelled that Harry was dead, someone else was asking what happened, and one of the guards suddenly kicked Sin violently in the side.
Boyd couldn't keep himself from jerking forward at that, shouting, "Stop that!"

He intended to shove them all away from Sin, to protect him when he couldn't protect himself, but a hand caught his arm and pulled him back firmly. Looking over a little wildly, Boyd was surprised to see Luke Gerant staring at him with a somber expression and shaking his head, one hand holding him gently but firmly in place.

Darting his attention back to Sin, Boyd watched as several of the guards hoisted him up and dragged him away. One of the other guards pulled Harry's pants up before they picked his body up and carried him away as well.
It didn't take long for Gerant and Boyd to be alone in the room. Boyd's breath was quick and a little uncontrolled. His mind was reeling from everything that had just happened, seemingly all at once. He was incapable of looking away from where Sin had disappeared and his hands dropped at his sides, curling into fists.

Gerant surveyed the bruises and cuts all over Boyd's face and the way he held himself gingerly. He glanced quickly at the surveillance cameras in the room.

"You're bleeding," Gerant said not unkindly and pulled lightly on Boyd's arm. "You need to go to the medic."

"No," Boyd said, shaking his head. He pulled away, heading toward the door. "I need to see Sin."

"No," Gerant said firmly, walking with him. "You can later. Right now you need to see the medic."

"But Sin--"

"After a shock like that he will be unconscious for awhile," Gerant told him softly.

Boyd felt horrified thinking about the pain Sin must have been going through and the idea of him waking up on fourth. Not only that-- almost positively in the box. There was no way they were bringing him anywhere else.

The sentiment must have shown in his expression because Gerant only shook his head firmly.

"Listen, you won't do him any good if you pass out from blood loss. Your face is pretty messed up; you need to get it looked at and is that glass stuck in your forehead?" He frowned at Boyd's wounds but Boyd only shook his head silently and let Gerant pull him along.

He said nothing as Gerant brought him down to the medic's office and left him there, nor would he explain any of his injuries to the staff. They were used to his silence and did their best to clean him up.
Boyd stared pensively into blank space, ignoring the hands moving in and out of his vision and the distant pricks of pain. His mind was racing. Sin had gotten hurt for him again. No matter what else had happened between them, no matter how depressed and hopeless he had felt just an hour earlier, he felt resolve harden his mind for what was to come.

Sin had helped him. He'd come back for him. And he didn't seem to hate Boyd anymore-- not if that stretch of time before they'd been yanked apart was anything to go by.

And knowing that, there was only one thing he could do. He would save Sin because Sin had saved him, and he didn't care what he had to do in order to achieve that.

Chapter 22

Boyd headed straight to Carhart's office, wanting to free Sin as soon as possible. He knocked firmly on the door.

Carhart called out for him to enter in his usual gruff tone and didn't look up from his computer monitor when he did. "Yes, Boyd?"

"Sin's been taken to fourth but he shouldn't be there," Boyd said without preamble the moment he shut the door behind him. "How do we get him out?" He was so intent on the idea of freeing Sin that it took him half a second to think to add, "Sir," on the end.

Carhart looked up at Boyd from under his eyebrows, taking in the obvious signs of recent injury, and flicked his eyes back to the computer. "And what, pray tell, has happened to you in the past two hours since we parted?"

"Harry Truman," Boyd said evenly, eyes narrowed and intent on Carhart. "The man who assaulted Sin on fourth multiple times. The sort of thing that is probably happening right now unless we can get him out of there."

"According to my knowledge Sin has just killed the man so apparently he is no longer a threat." Carhart stopped his work and sat back in his chair, gazing at Boyd with an unreadable expression on his face. "What happened?"

Boyd stared at Carhart. He felt impatient and worried about what the guards would do. He wanted to tell Carhart that none of that was important now. But he knew that would get him nowhere.

"It will all be on the surveillance tapes, sir. I was summoned to my mother's office and when I left I went to the fourteenth floor library to write my report. Harry Truman came in. He was angry with me for reporting his mistreatment of Sin earlier, which apparently caused him to have suspended pay. He attacked me and was attempting to rape me when Sin arrived and killed him." He paused and added intently, "So you see, Sin was only doing his job protecting his partner. He shouldn't even be in there."

Carhart was silent for a moment and an weary look slowly appeared on his face. "
Unfortunately
the decision is not up to me. And I do not think Connors will feel especially generous about helping Sin after what happened last night."

He uncrossed his arms and rubbed his temples slowly, eyebrows knotting as he closed his eyes. "I've already attempted to reason with the higher powers but since I am apparently seen as Sin's blind protector, my word has very little weight with his punishments anymore. They think I'm soft when it comes to him."

"Last night was my fault as was today," Boyd insisted. "These are both things that I should be held accountable for instead of Sin. With all due respect, sir, I think it's ridiculous that he was put there for helping me in the first place. When the guards arrived to take him away they didn't even bother asking what happened. They just wanted to vilify him like they always do."

He paused. "I understand that you're in a difficult position, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get Sin out of there. What should I do instead? Should I contact Marshal Connors, or someone else? I won't mention your name at all if you wish; they can think whatever they like of me but I want to help Sin."

Carhart continued to stare at Boyd, still rubbing his temples. "Let me ask you a question Boyd." He dropped his hands and leaned across his desk, staring at Boyd intently. "Why are you so determined to help him? For the past few weeks the two of you seemed to dislike each other. Is it because of some sense of gratitude that he saved you?"

Boyd watched him for a moment and then looked away, eyes narrowing pensively. "I don't know," he said honestly. "But if he hadn't come then--"

He cut himself off, not wanting to get into what his options had otherwise been. The plans he'd started to make in his mind to kill himself. If Harry had followed through with that and he'd gone home in that mindset, he wouldn't have even waited for the Agency to terminate him. He would have shot himself in the head once he was home and been done with it.

He shook his head and met Carhart's eyes. "He's my partner and he's important to me. Whatever the fall out is for Harry's death, I'm involved. The second I intervened on Sin's behalf, I put myself in the middle of it all and I'll be damned if I let Sin take the fall for something that he shouldn't be blamed for in the first place. Harry was a sex offender who probably hurt more people than we even know. He deserved what he got."

Carhart sighed and stood up abruptly, folding his hands behind is back. "If only things were that simple," he murmured. "But it doesn't work that way in this organization." The General stopped for a moment, before frowning slightly. "I cannot comprehend a world where Connors would care whether or not an idiot like Harry Truman lived or died but this happened at the perfect time for him to punish Sin for not getting what he wanted out of the assignment last night."

He looked at Boyd with a scowl. "Unfortunately, my hands are tied. I've already requested the surveillance video be brought to me but there are more people against us than for us in this matter and I suspect that it will get lost along the way."

The answer felt like a verdict. Boyd couldn't let this lie like this. He'd been the one at fault for the Alexis mission. He'd been the one to push the issue with Harry by reporting it. And although he knew that had been the right thing to do, Sin had so far managed to avoid being sent to the fourth on account of Harry. Yet as soon as Boyd got involved, that was exactly what happened. The fact that the guards had kicked Sin when he was down, that they had tortured him with the collar into unconsciousness, did not bode well for what may be happening while Boyd stood there in Carhart's office arguing his partner's innocence.

He had to do something.

He had to think about this clearly. Like a mission. He had attempted to negotiate with the first leader and although Carhart was amenable to his plight he also was unable to do anything. Connors was mentioned several times already, and Boyd knew that ultimately he was the person he had to convince. His expression turned neutral and he nodded.

"Understood, sir. If it's possible, I would like to know if the tape arrives so I can make my own copy if it's needed for evidence."

Carhart continued to frown thoughtfully and went back to rubbing his temples. Although he wasn't outraged and screaming, it was obvious that the man was upset.

"I want you to stay here," Carhart said slowly, narrowing his eyes at Boyd. "I'm going to make another attempt to plead his case but I do not want you wandering this compound at a time like this. Not until I can get my hands on the video and make an official report. The rumors already associated with the two of you will worsen and unfortunately, right now the unofficial story places the entire blame on you. McNichols is spinning a tale that you had it out for Harry after witnessing him having a disagreement with Sin, and have had a vendetta ever since. He is saying that you deliberately provoked Harry so that Sin would have an excuse to kill him. I don't believe it, but there will be people who do. I have no idea why Harry is so popular among the men, but I can only assume it's because people are weak and will follow anyone who tries to take charge."

He moved towards the door, still watching Boyd steadily. "Do not leave this room until I come back. Call Ryan if you want. He has clearance to access my office."

Boyd nodded and took a seat. He wanted to leave immediately and find Connors but he forced himself to stay in the office. He didn't want to make matters worse. Still, the idea of calling Ryan sounded like a good one. He needed someone to talk to in case he needed to start making contingency plans.

It was at that point he realized he must have left his cell phone at his house. He glanced over at Carhart just before he could leave the room. "Could I use your phone to call Ryan, sir? I don't have my cell."

"That's fine. And you can call me Zach, you know." He said the last part almost absently. "I'm not positive how long I will be gone; it's not easy to get an interview with Marshal Connors, even for me. While I'm gone, I also plan to get the surveillance video myself. Try not to speculate too much on the treatment Sin is receiving at the moment. Just keep in mind that he has dealt with a lot and it is very difficult to break him."

With those words, Carhart disappeared out the door and a lock clicked into place a few seconds later. Being assured that Sin had dealt with a lot didn't exactly make Boyd feel any better. The fact that Carhart had told him to call him by his first name and had seemed pleased earlier was a marked difference from the more removed way he had typically been around Boyd. He could only assume it was because he was trying to help Sin.

He waited around for a bit but he didn't make it long before he decided to call Ryan. The phone rang three times before Ryan answered and when he did, his voice was weary sounding. "No, I haven't finished yet, Sir."

"This isn't Carhart," Boyd said, wondering what the general had Ryan working on. "It's Boyd; I'm just using his phone."

"Boyd!" came the excited exclamation. "Did Hsin find you?"

"Yes but--" He stopped, deciding it was better not to talk about on the phone. "Can you come to General Carhart's office? It may be better to talk in person."

"What?" Ryan's tone switched from excited to worried in a single breath. "Of course, I'll be right there. Give me ten minutes."

With Ryan on the way, Boyd sat back in the chair. He wondered how Ryan knew Sin had been looking for him; they must have spoken at some point. He idly looked around Carhart's office, not seeing anything that caught his attention. When Ryan burst in, only about seven minutes later, Boyd looked over, slightly startled by his sudden appearance.

Ryan looked more unruly than usual, his thin face scrunched up in concern. "Boyd, what the he--" Ryan's face froze and then paled. "Did fucking Hsin do that to you?!"

"No," Boyd said, slightly taken aback by the vehemence. Ryan had been a fan of Sin's for so long that it hadn't occurred to Boyd that were there ever an issue between he and Sin, Ryan may side with him. Although it was all a hypothetical situation, it still felt good to realize.

He gestured to the cuts dotting his face and the ginger way he was still holding the arm that had been twisted. "It was Harry. How did Sin know where to find me?"

Ryan frowned and reached out as if to touch Boyd's face but he stopped and shook his head. "I went to him. I told him about everything that happened while he was gone and he went to find you. I'm sorry if I um, if you didn't want me to but I couldn't help it. What the heck happened now?"

"No," Boyd said, shaking his head, "it's probably good that happened. It's just--" He gestured vaguely. "Sin's on fourth and Harry's dead." He saw Ryan's shocked expression so despite it being an awkward thing to talk about, he explained. "Harry ran into me in the library and assaulted me. Sin came in when he was attempting to rape me so he killed Harry. But the guards came and took him to fourth, and General Carhart doesn't think he can get him out."

Ryan looked predictably horrified, his mouth falling open although no sound came out. His fingers stiffened, entire body growing tense as he seemed to take in what Boyd had just told him. The anger that flashed in his eyes was the most surprising thing. Boyd had never seen that expression on Ryan's face before.

"That bastard. I'm glad Hsin was there. I'm glad Hsin killed him. I wish it would have been me who did it, though."

"I'm glad he's dead too," Boyd said honestly. "Even more because he wouldn't have stopped harassing Sin."

Ryan watched him for a moment before a look of alarmed realization overcame his features. "Okay, we have to get him out of there. All of those people on the fourth, the guards, they were Harry's friends."

"I know," Boyd said darkly. "General Carhart is attempting to get the surveillance footage of the incident to prove that Sin was protecting me, but I doubt he'll be able to."

"I'm not surprised," Ryan said with another angry scowl. "God, this place is so fucked sometimes!" He ran both hands through his hair and heaved a big sigh. "Okay, two things. First of all, whatever the guards did with him, if they put him in the box-- they'd need clearance from Connors to do it. Second, if Connors agreed to it or whatever, we can't really count on him for help."

Ryan gnawed on his fingernails as he thought, beginning to pace the room. "If we think like Connors, Harry wasn't valuable enough to the Agency to cause an Agent as valuable as Hsin to be locked away for good, however this act gives him the reason he needs to get back at you guys for the way the assignment turned out last night. Nothing can really happen unless Connors decides to do it-- or your mom since her word has a lot of leverage with him."

He stopped pacing and looked at Boyd a little helplessly. "Other than begging Connors to suddenly turn into a reasonable human being, I doubt we can do anything other than wait until a mission comes along that needs Hsin."

"I can't do that," Boyd said without hesitation. "Sin's in there because of me. It doesn't matter how, I'm going to get him out."

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. He dismissed the idea of approaching his mother immediately; there was no way she would help. He would be lucky if she didn't berate him for the latest fiasco as well. "More than likely, General Carhart will return unsuccessful. How do I get an appointment with Connors? Will he be more likely to let me in if I just appear on the floor, or would he prefer I go through the red tape and call his assistant with the request?"

"Yeah, that'd be the best thing to do honestly. I mean, you could try just going up there but a lot of times he won't even see Ann or me without us warning him days in advance..."