Chapter 327: Selfish and greedy

Brent didn’t really care about what the rest of the meeting was about.

So sue him, he was a little preoccupied with other things. He was sure the meeting went well, given that it ended at a decent time, but he didn’t really care what the outcome was. As far as he was concerned, everyone was doing what they were meant to do.

If the spy got found out, or if there wasn’t a spy, he didn’t care. He’d been living like he was being monitored since he was 5, it wasn’t like they had learned everything about him in the time that they had been watching him.

He was glad that the smarter people were handling it. He felt like he had a bit of a one track mind right now. He also felt like that could be excused. After all, a lot had happened to him and he was finally going to be able to get revenge. Something he hadn’t even dared to dream about when it had happened, and in the years after it had happened.

Even a month ago he didn’t think he’d be able to get revenge. It was all because of Kellen and the people around him who had accepted Brent with very little question that he was able to be like this. Think like this.

"Looks like the coast is clear." Kellen whispered, coming to a stop next to where Brent was sitting next to Sergei as the rest of the Espers were now mingling, the plan set in stone. Brent looked towards his friend and found the man’s gaze serious. His blue eye was glowing and Brent swore he could see something glowing under his eyepatch but it didn’t look blue.

Ignoring that, Brent nodded. He got to his feet, Sergei rising with him as they moved as a group towards Aunt Dina and the Woods. Rhys joined them, slipping his hand into Kellen’s much to Brent’s amusement. What a good man he was, even now.

The elders were speaking softly to each other, but Aunt Dina saw them approach first. She raised a hand, placing it on Henry’s shoulder, forcing the others to turn as Brent approached.

"Yes? What’s wrong, you lot?" Aunt Dina asked, scanning the group that approached. There were other Espers with them, but Brent was a bit too focused to pay attention to the others. Instead, he was focused on the burning, red gaze of the woman who had taken him in and protected him, even when she was at her worst.

"It’s time." Brent said. She furrowed her brow.

"Time? Time for what, Brent?" She asked. Brent raised his new hand, flexing it.

"It’s time to take my share." Brent told her. She stayed silent, staring at him. It might have seemed like she was calm to an outsider, but that was not the case. The very air around them had grown hotter, sweat beginning to pool on everyone’s skin in just those few seconds before Aunt Dina controlled herself. She was an inferno all on her own. A dangerous being that blinked at Brent slowly.

"Are you sure?" She asked softly. "There is no coming back from this." She warned. It was sweet that she was worried for Brent’s soul, but he’d given that up long ago. Who knew? He might have never owned it. One thing was certain though, Brent wasn’t like his family.

He wasn’t acting out like this out of a desire for cruelty that was innate to the James family. He was doing this out of anger and rage over what had been committed against him. This wasn’t some shallow form of amusement because of the ennui that he felt from being so damn rich nothing else sparked anything in him.

This was from years and years of neglect, abuse and rage. Mostly at Colby’s hands, but his brother’s orders. Whatever Brent did wouldn’t satisfy him completely, but it would make the rage-filled, scared child in him rest easy.

Maybe for the first time in his life.

"There was never any other choice." Brent told her. Aunt Dina stared at him for a moment longer before she sighed.

"I’ll call Vance then. Who else do you want there?" She asked and Brent swallowed. Several sets of demonic eyes turned to him and Brent chuckled.

"Come on, did you think I wouldn’t want you there?" He said to all of them, knowing that as long as Aunt Dina didn’t give him a limit, this could get messy.

~

Turns out, Aunt Dina did have a wet room. Did it make him rethink what he knew of Aunt Dina? A tiny bit, but not much. After all, where else would Eleanor and Henry hide what they did if not at their friend’s place?

He knew Kellen would do the same for him in a heartbeat.

Going into the bowels of the Phoenix Guild was new to him. This was an area he hadn’t been given permission to go to, same as Kellen. He wasn’t sure if it was because they were trying to keep Brent and Kellen ’clean’ or if it was simply because they never asked, but Brent could tell the others were uncomfortable with Kellen and Brent being down here. The Espers who didn’t work with them often were nervous.

The Espers that cared about Kellen and Brent were ready to fight for and defend them, but Kellen and Brent themselves? They didn’t care. Let the Espers be ridiculous. None of it would matter in a minute anyways.

The area where those who had committed crimes was surprisingly clean. Brent thought it was surprising because he would have thought they kept it dirty for appearances sake, but Eleanor answered that for him without knowing he was curious about it.

She didn’t want them dying too easily. Brent wanted to argue that disease was no easy way to die, but she had been letting off a rather scary aura since Brent had decided that he was going to do this and had included her in his plans.

Most of the cells down here were empty, the grey interior of the prison soul-sucking. It was just the right shade of grey that it hurt the eyes if you stared at it too long. A little too bright, a little too jarring, but not enough to truly bother you if you spent a little time here.

The guards down here had a room painted bright green and when Brent asked about it, it was to counter the effect the rest of the rooms had on the mind. Brent didn’t ask more questions after finding that out.

Aunt Dina, despite the colour, made sure that each room had a bed, a sink, a toilet, all the basic things that someone would need to function down here. Everything was in that terrible colour, but you would function. Keep your eyes closed if it bothered you so much, Brent thought.

There also weren’t a lot of people down here as well. Brent knew of two that were here. Colby, and the woman who had tried to kidnap Kellen. They were being kept at opposite sides of the jail with a few people scattered in between them. Brent had no idea who the fuckers also down here were, and he didn’t care.

All he cared about was the man who came into his line of sight as they moved down the long hallway.

He was sitting on the bed provided in the cell. His arms were forward, bound together with the magic-repressing handcuffs that were usually used only on Espers S Class or higher. They clearly didn’t want any funny business when it came to Colby. Brent was also fairly certain that it was Eleanor who had put those cuffs on him since they wouldn’t have wanted to uncuff him at any point since they knew he could teleport.

His head was hunched, his shoulders rounded, and he was wearing a plain white T-shirt and loose-fitting white pants. It might have been more appropriate if they were grey, but maybe they didn’t want them to go completely insane in a short amount of time.

Brent and his entourage stopped in front of the cell, staring into the small space, scanning Colby from where he was standing. He had no shoes on, but that didn’t seem to matter. There were drains in every room floor, but given that Aunt Dina was carrying some keys, this wasn’t where it was going to happen.

"Colby." Brent called softly and watched as the man flinched. He hunched in more, a small whimper leaving his lips.

"No. No no no." He whispered. It sounded like he was begging that this wasn’t real. Brent grinned.

Oh good. He was terrified about what was going to happen. As he should be. This was the bare minimum he should be doing given what he’d done to Brent. He should want to be anywhere else.

"Colby, it’s time." Brent told him. There was no older brother coming to save him. There was no one coming to save him. They left him behind. "He’s not coming to save you." Was it cruel to say that? Maybe, but honestly, fuck him. He deserved the pain that Brent was throwing at him.

Colby raised his head, showing off the bruising on his face that no doubt, Eleanor had a role to play in. His eyes were wild, crazed.

"No! You’re wrong! He’s coming. He wouldn’t-he wouldn’t-" Colby cut off, swallowing thickly. He knew. He knew that he wasn’t going to forgive him another time. Colby was just in denial and that only made Brent smile wider.

"Oh, but you know I’m right. That’s what terrifies you the most. Your precious master abandoned you, Colby. How does it feel to be treated the same way you’ve watched him treat everyone else who fails him?" Brent sneered. "You’re no better than anyone else, even with your powers. They were never going to save you, Colby. The man hates everyone, but especially people like you and me." Brent told him. He watched as Colby’s face twisted.

God, it looked painful to even watch him feel emotions with that twisted face.

"N-No! I’m an Esper. I’m a teleporter! He needs me. No one else can do it as well as I can!"

"Oh gross." Eleanor whispered. "Were they sleeping together?" She whispered, clearly grossed out by his passionate cry. Brent snorted.

"He wishes. My brother will do anything to keep those that he wants in line, but Colby? He was a freak from the beginning and didn’t need anything but a crumb from my brother." Brent clarified. He slid his gaze to Aunt Dina, who nodded, and stepped forward with Sergei and Lieutenant Parker. It was something that they had agreed upon as they had made their way down here.

Sergei and Lieutenant Parker would assist Aunt Dina in escorting Colby to the next room. Brent wasn’t to touch him until he got there. For Brent’s sake, because Brent wasn’t sure he could stop once he got his hands on the man.

It was Kellen’s suggestion, and honestly, Brent couldn’t even argue. The man knew him well enough to predict that. Just because there were drains doesn’t mean that he should force them to use them.