Chapter 2

"Liam...."

As expected Liam was frightened. He was trembling and shivering. He was crying helplessly. And to add to his fear, it tripled to see Lucas and Parker entering too.

"Pp. Pup... Please… Don’t. Don’t hurt me. Pl...ease.. I... I don’tt. Have money...Don’t bea...beat me.. Noooo. Dont come... Dont...". He was screaming on top of his lungs, putting his hands on his ears to stop every voice.

"Baby Liam. Baby look at me. I am Jeffery. Your brother, Jeffery. Liam. Listen to me baby". Jeffery pleaded him to listen to him. But that was another bomb for Lucas and Parker.

"What? brother??? Ohhh. Jeff. Is he the same Liam you told me"? Parker suddenly said as he remembered.

"Yes Parker. He is Liam. My baby panda. My brother. He doesn’t recognize me Parker. Please baby. Liam. I am your brother, baby. Listen to me once". Jeffery tried to come closer but Parker instantly took him in his arms and brought him outside as he saw Liam started to get hysteric.

"Gooooo. Don’t hurt me.... Don’t touch me.... It hurtsss. Mommmm daddddd". Liam was getting dizzy from all the screaming and the flashbacks were hurting him too much. And it wasn’t longer when he fainted.

Lucas scooped him in his arms and paced outside.

"Where are you taking him, Boss? Where are you taking him"? Jeffery stood up from the couch but one glare from Lucas and he was silent. He and Parker followed Lucas to the elevator and then parking, ending in the hospital VVIP EMERGENCY.

The doctor clucked his tongue throwing all of them outside.

"You guys. If I saw you near him, I will kill you. I don’t fucking care if you are a mafia or what. Are you guys even human? Any sense left in your fucking minds? When I specifically said not to disturb him, what part of it you didn’t get. He may fall into comatose or even get nervous breakdown or even die.

His mind is a mess. He has been raped you stupid heads. Can’t you understand the simple logic? Do not hover him. Do not suffocate him. Do not go near him. It will trigger him. And now get the fuck out of this place. I will call you myself if required. Leave". The doctor almost yelled at them after making sure Liam was attached to all necessary machines.

"But....." Jeffery tried to say anything but Parker held him in his arms. Lucas turned to the doctor with a tired expression.

"Leave. I will call myself. And if I saw anyone lurking here without my permission, I will shift him somewhere you can never find him. Leave". This time Lucas turned and motioned Jeffery and Parker to leave too. He had to listen to the story from Jeffery and yes it was more important for Liam to stay under observation under the team.

It was hell to control Jeffery at home. Parker was getting frustrated. He was prompting Jeffery to speak out but Jeffery was constantly begging Lucas to let him go to Liam.

"Enoughhhhhhhhh. Get in your senses or I will make it sure myself". The lounge echoed with a slap from Lucas on Jeffery’s face.

"I got it you found your long lost brother but try to get the shit in your mind. He is traumatized. He doesn’t remember you. He doesn’t know he got his brother back. And even if he does remember his brother, he won’t at this moment. The more he will see any of us hovering him, he will fall back more into his mind space. You won’t get him back. Do you want him to die"? Lucas snapped.

"No no. No boss. Please no". Jeffery fell down on his knees. He was trembling in tears. Parker held him in his embrace.

"He was the only family I had. Our parents died when Liam was only 2 years old. 5 years younger than me. We had nothing with us. It was so hard to survive with a baby. I didnt know how would I live or take care of him. But guess God helped me. One of our neighbors, she was a kind lady. She would feed us. Let us live with her if i felt scared at home. But... But I lost my baby". Jeffery broke down into tears telling them the story. Lucas was just sitting listening to him while Parker kept rubbing his shoulder.

"I went out to get some food with the little money that lady gave me, and when i came back, Liam wasn’t at home. He was only 4 and half years old. I search everywhere. But I couldn't find him. I grew up alone in that home. I kept searching for him every day, until you found me.

I never forgot him. But yes I lost the thought of having him back. And now when I got him back. He..." Jeffery hid himself in Parker's arms.

"He will be back to you Jeffery. I can understand your pain but try to understand. He needs time to recover himself. It’s not possible here at home. The doctors will make sure to take care of him better than us. And then you can explain to him. Do you want to live with him"? Lucas asked.

"Ofcourse Master. I do".

"Then ... Calm down yourself. Let the doctors do their work. They will inform us once they are sure that it’s safe for Liam. Right"? Lucas stood up to go to his bedroom while Jeffery and Parker went outside the penthouse to their place. Just 2 floors down.

*************

Three days in complete silence from the hospital. The doctor neither called Lucas nor responded to his calls. But yes he informed Lucas that Liam was recovering a bit. And that was a sigh of relief for Jeffery, who was going nuts.

Lucas was in a meeting with one of his potential clients when his phone went off. He held the phone to reject it but it was displaying the name of the doctor. He excused himself and went out of the meeting room to talk.

Liam had gained his conscious back and he was scared but not frantic. The doctor informed Lucas that he could visit him but again keeping a safe distance.

He summed up his meeting quickly and told Jeffery who was excited to go. Though Lucas made sure that Jeffery stayed calm, he knew it won’t be possible.

Lucas let Jeffery enter first as the doctor confirmed Liam was awake.

"Liam. Baby". Jeffery entered the room as silent and calm as possible. Liam who was lying with his eyes closed jolted and sat up straight.

"Don’t panic baby. Dont be afraid. I am Jeff, your brother Jeffery, baby". Jeffery stood in the middle of the room to let Liam take a breath...

"Look at me baby. It’s Jeffery. Don’t you remember me baby? Don’t you remember your brother"? Jeffery was holding himself not to cry. He saw Liam looking at him intently. His forehead creased. For a moment Jeffery got scared may be he had pushed Liam to his limit but everything was under control so far.

"Jeff... Jeffery. My brother Jeffery"!!! Liam muttered under his breath. Jeffery took it as a sign to proceed and sit with him, keeping a distance ofcourse.

"Yes baby. It’s your brother Jeffery, baby". Jeffery said with a gleeful smile. He wanted to hold Liam's hand but he couldn’t.

"You cannot be my brother Jeffery. If it was you, you wouldn’t have left me alone. You left me alone. And then... I went out to look for you. I searched for you. And then..." Liam fell silent as if thinking something.

"Hey baby. Look at me. Don’t burden yourself baby. Don’t think hard. I am so sorry baby, I left you that day. I went to buy food baby. And I searched for you. I search for you for 12 years baby. I searched every city. I sold our house to get money baby. I am sorry I couldn’t find you. I am so sorry for being so late. I am so sorry baby". Jeffery was in tears. He didn’t know how Liam would have survived when he was barely 4 and a half year back then.

"No.. You are not my Jeff. My brother Jeffery wouldn’t have left me. You aren’t my brother. You left me, and then. I was lost. Someone took me to an awful place they called an orphanage. They would beat me. They didn’t give me food. They won’t give me clothes. They won’t let me sleep.

I... I would mop the floors. Wash the dishes. And they would beat me if I would break something. You are not my brother. Go awayyyyy. Gooooooooo. I don’t want to see you. Goooooooo"… Liam started yelling again, shouting, screaming. All worst childhood memories hit him again, the pain and the nightmares.

The door slammed open as the doctor heard Liam screaming. He quickly held Liam and motioned Jeffery to leave. Though Jeffery was reluctant he left the room.

"He is not my brother Jeffery. He is not my brother. My brother wouldn’t have left me. He isn’t my brother". Liam was chanting in hiccups and tears like a mantra.

"Yes Liam. He isn’t your brother. He wouldn’t have left you. Calm down. He isn’t your brother. Sleep now. Sleep". He injected sedatives and sighed in relief when Liam fell asleep still murmuring the same.

"Parker, take Jeffery home. Ask Pete to bring my car back". Lucas said in a stern tone leaving no space for arguments. He wanted to talk to the doctor in detail. He had seen people going through the trauma of being sexually assaulted, but it was never this intent, almost a week and still no improvement in Liam's condition. He thought may be Liam would feel better to talk and find about his only family member, turned out to be another huddle in his mental state.

*******

"I don’t know how to handle it". Lucas said sitting on a chair in doctor's office.

"Honestly at this point am helpless too. He needs a proper therapy session. There is so much burden that he can’t move on. As per I have deducted, it was a point when he actually didn’t even fight or he lost all the will to fight back. He let anyone do anything to him. As per I heard from you, what he told Jeffery, his childhood was a nightmare for him. The life in the orphanage was abusive and painful. All physical abusing had actually left a mark on his mind. He gets harassed easily. He gets frightened. He is scared. He needs lots of tome and love with patience to overcome all this.

I don’t know if he is even ready for any therapy but I would recommend it strictly to build up an atmosphere that he agrees to it. Are you getting my point boss"? The doctor asked a thoughtful Lucas.

"And how to build up that environment doctor? I was kind of relaxed that may be he would open up to Jeffery, his brother, but as you said, it only hit him bad. May be we should not let them meet for a while. Although it would be hell to stop Jeffery from seeing him but I can think of a few ways to prevent it.

Do... Do you think I should go to him"? Lucas asked as an idea popped up in his mind. "Like with the things he loved? I can bring his favorite toy or book, or food? Anything"?

"Hmmm… It might work. But you think you can be persistent and patient enough"? The doctor raised his eyebrows. Lucas thought for a while before nodding his head. He had to come up with something, soon.

*********

"How’s Liam, Boss"? Jeffery asked him as soon as he entered the penthouse.

"He needs psychological therapy. He needs a psychiatrist. But I don’t trust anyone to leave Liam alone with him. So I and the doctor came up with an idea". Lucas threw his coat carelessly before sitting on the couch. He asked Parker to bring any alcohol to ease his mind.

"I can talk to him. I know everything about him. I..."

"And that’s why i want to talk to you Jeffery. Now listen to me carefully". Lucas sat up straight as he gulped the neat whiskey in one go.

"What you mean boss"?

"I want you to write down every single memory you have with him. Those 5 years that you spent with him. Tell me about his favorite food or cartoon books? What he likes and dislikes everything. I want every single detail about him". Lucas said. Jeffery was confused for a while. Why and how?

"I will talk to him. I will bring him out of all this traumatic phase. I will bring him back to life". This time Lucas spoke in clear words. Jeffery was silent for a while and then....

"Bring him back to life and what? Introduce him to who you are? A ruthless mafia? A man who owns a network of people who speak and walk DEATH. What would you do to him? Talk to him about all beautiful butterflies and flowers just to shove the thorns of reality down his throat.

No way. I am not gonna let you close with my baby brother. I might have made a mistake, but he is my baby brother. I won’t let him face your world. I won’t let him see the actual face of the man standing. No way am gonna allow you to enter his life". Jeffery spat in anger. He was true. He wasn’t lying. Lucas knew all this. He was the fucking Mafia Boss. He had built his kingdom from scratches and ruled the underworld for over a decade. Jeffery and Parker might be his most trusted men, but no, he didn’t allow them to talk back to him, ever.

"Yeah? And how you gonna face him? The doctor told me he was murmuring in his unconscious state that you cannot be his brother to leave him in the world full of dogs to bite him.

Tell me Jeffery Michelle, if you had to go out, couldn’t you hand him to that fucking neighbor of yours? Wasn’t she kind enough to be trusted? Or tell me how old were you at that time? Probably 10? Couldn’t you take him with you? Why didn’t you?

I am cold. I am ruthless. I know every dark corner of this world where people go seeking pleasure, be it in any form. You kill, you fuck, you drink, you drug. Why? For the same fucking shit reality that you want to save your brother from. But for how long? This is the reality Jeffery. This is the fucking reality where you live.

Why did you stop searching for your brother? Because you were out of money? And to earn it, didn’t you enter this world yourself? Willingly? Did I force you? Did I shove it down your throat? No. You accepted it. You fucking willingly accepted it all. You declared to submit your life for me and dedicated yourself to my world.

Aren’t your hands painted with blood too? Didn’t you let your dick taste pussies and ass? Didn’t you inhale the smoke of gunfire after shooting people to your heart content? Don’t you fucking show me this attitude. I gave you this life. I gave you money. I gave you all this luxury, because you wanted it. And now you dare rub it on my face????

What you think of it huh? I accept my lifestyle; I proudly wear my status not like you fucking double face. You want to throw your brother into deep holes of sorrow fear and tears, to hell with you. Fuck it. Do whatever you want to get him back. But remember, I won’t help you even if you crawl back to me. Leave before I throw you out". It was the Mafia speaking. Lucas; was a whole mafia himself.

He went out of his penthouse to god knows where leaving a messed up Jeffery and a silent Parker behind.

Jeffery knew Lucas was right. Jeffery knew it was the ultimate reality his brother would have to face one day, because, he himself was a part of this dark life. He only had two options. .

One, introduce Liam to the life he was living by trusting Lucas.

Two, throw Liam back in the world where the wolves were hungry and ready to ravish him again.

And he knew what he could choose.

----

Tabby