I move on to the next piece, getting more complaints from my friend when I start moving too fast again.
He holds the notebook down at his side, glaring at me.
“Did you know they’ve been having more trouble finding guys willing to rape the women?”
“I find that hard to believe,” I mutter.
“I’m serious. I overheard one of the guys they found downstairs telling Hound.”
“The male victim?”
It’s not uncommon to find a wide variety of people in these places. There are too many kinks to count after all.
“Yeah. He was telling them that if they refuse to have sex with one of the women, then they’re jacked off like bulls, and the women are impregnated with the sperm. There’s an entire medical facility on the second floor.”
“So fucked up,” I hiss. Most days it seems like we’re fighting an endless battle, but that doesn’t mean we’ll ever stop.
“Very,” he agrees.
“Some days, I hate this job.”
“Some days?” He scoffs. “I hate this every day.”
“You guys about done in here?” Rocker asks as he steps inside of the room. “Jesus. They just run the gamut here, don’t they?”
“Seems they’re not afraid to expand their offerings at all,” I agree, looking around the room. It’s filled with a plethora of fetish items. “If you could take over for this slow asshole, then we could get out of here quicker.”
“Eager to get home?” Rocker asks, holding out his hand.
Legend hands over the notebook willingly. “Thank fuck. I’d rather drag the dead bodies out than take inventory. Reminds me too much of my days working at that pizza place in high school. Later, fuckers.”
“So?” Rocker prods.
“What?”
“You seem eager to get home.”
“And you’re not?”
“I’m always eager to get home, and if I recall, you gave me shit for it the last time we were away.”
I move to the next item, refusing to acknowledge exactly what he’s asking.
“It’s like that, huh?”
I look back over my shoulder at him. “So, I want to get out of here. These places give me the creeps.”
“You can admit to me that you’re in a hurry to get back to April. It doesn’t make you a lesser man. I’m anxious to get back home to Simone.”
“I’m eager to get back home,” I say.
“To your wife,” he clarifies.
“It’s crazy, right?” I drop the flogger to my feet. We’re not here to put things back in order. This shit will go up in smoke when we burn this house to the ground after we’re done.
“That you’re falling for your wife?” He laughs. “Not crazy at all.”
“But backwards?”
He shrugs. “I’ve seen crazier things.”
I press my hand to my chest, the ache that’s been forming there getting stronger.
“I didn’t think I’d miss her this much.”
“I’m not going to lie to you and tell you it gets easier to be away. It doesn’t.”
“What are we talking about?”
I groan at the sound of Jinx’s voice. As Rocker’s best friend, I know they won’t have any problem teaming up together to give me shit, but I don’t mind. I kind of feel like I’ve opened another achievement with my team, like I’ve now become part of something bigger and better by joining the rank of men missing their significant others.
“Apollo here was just telling me how he’s falling for his wife, and he misses her dearly.”
“Is that why he’s making progress faster than anyone else with running through this house?”
They both chuckle.
Jinx looks at Rocker. “So now probably isn’t the best time to tell him that another order came through and we’re going straight from here to Columbia?”
“Seriously?” I groan.
“Sorry, man.” Jinx slaps my back. “You’ll have to wait a few more days before you get to see that gorgeous bride of yours.”
Rocker must forget he was helping me because he drops the notebook and pen on a nearby table and walks out with Jinx.
“Fuckers,” I mutter, reaching for the fucking notebook. I imagine I can get more shit done without them anyway.
I’m grumbling about decent help when I feel another presence in the room. I’m not a superstitious person, but there’s been a time or two I’ve felt the same thing only to look and still be alone. I don’t doubt that the ghosts of victims live in places like this, and there’s always a smile on my face when the first match is struck, and flames start to take over. Maybe whatever lingers can finally find peace.
I don’t feel any more relief when I turn to see Thumper standing just inside the door.
“Primary colors?” Thumper scrunches his nose. “That’s a new color scheme I don’t think I’ve seen before.”
He doesn’t even acknowledge the dead guy in the far corner. Usually we wait for the bodies to be cleared out before we start inventory, but like the guys pointed out, I’m anxious to get back home.
I point to the adult-sized rocking chair and large playpen looking thing on the other side of the room. “I think it was some kind of nursery.”