DAMIR
I didn't sleep that night.
Even with Eli bandaged and breathing beside me… even with the doctor saying he would recover. The image wouldn't leave my mind… him, broken and bloody, screaming my name at the gates.
I could still hear the sound.
That shriek.
It haunted me like a curse.
The next morning, I ordered the entire estate to be upgraded. Not just security… domination. I didn't care what it cost. I wanted a fortress. No. I wanted a goddamn war zone if necessary.
Cameras were installed from the island's edge to the estate wall, hidden in bushes, under trees, behind rocks. Everywhere. If a leaf moved wrong, I'd know.
Motion sensors.
Thermal trackers.
Facial recognition.
Satellite sync.
Guards now patrolled in shifts that overlapped. Snipers positioned in towers quiet, discreet, but ready. By the end of the day, I had InterCon Securities, the most elite international bodyguard firm, installed in full. They brought their own helicopters, drones, and even a private encrypted communication network.
And Eli's personal front door? Tripled security. No one, could enter without authorization unless it was Eli himself.
I wasn't leaving anything to chance.
Because if it ever happened again…
There wouldn't be a body to bury.
By the next week, Eli was healing…physically, at least. His bruises were fading. The bandage on his shoulder still needed changing every morning. I was the one who did it. Carefully. Quietly. Every touch a silent promise that no one would ever hurt him again.
But I noticed the sadness in his eyes. The guilt. The restless boredom of recovery. He couldn't walk around freely yet, and he barely smiled.
I hated it.
I fucking hated it.
And then it hit me….i haven't been spoiling him enough. I've given him gifts, sure. Clothes, shoes, watches. But that's not the same as magic. That's not the same as joy.
So I brought him joy.
I called every construction team on retainer.
Within 73 hours, I built him a private amusement park.
Right here.
On the estate.
Sprawled over the west gardens, it had a popcorn stand, cotton candy carts, churros, and ice cream vendors, all manned by hired professionals dressed in the cutest pastel uniforms. A Ferris wheel. A carousel. Water slides. A mini rollercoaster. And every ride personalized to be safe for his healing state, designed to look beautiful under golden lights.
There was a mini cinema too. For just him and me.
Eli hadn't seen it yet. I wanted to surprise him tomorrow.
Because that boy deserved a world of softness. Especially after what he'd been through.
But tonight… tonight wasn't about softness.
I stood in the old warehouse beneath the estate. The man was tied to a steel chair. Bloody. Half-conscious. His left eye swollen shut. His lip split. He'd pissed himself twice already.
I'd let the guards warm him up.
Now it was my turn.
I rolled up my sleeves.
His head lolled to the side when he saw me. "Please…"
"Wrong word," I muttered, grabbing his jaw roughly and forcing him to look at me.
"I….I didn't know….he was just a pretty kid….I wasn't going to…"
"You weren't going to what?" I growled. "You weren't going to rape him? Or you weren't going to kill him?"
His silence was all the answer I needed.
I showed him the CCTV footage of Eli screaming, crawling, bleeding.
"You see this? This is mine. You touched what's mine."
"I…I'm sorry…."
I punched him. Once. Right across the face. Bone crunched. He screamed.
I didn't stop.
I beat him until I couldn't feel my hands.
Then I interrogated him….made him confess everything. How he'd raped two other boys in his hometown. How he'd served prison time. How he was deported and snuck back in through underground routes. How he thought Eli was an easy, pretty target.
He laughed when he said "pretty."
So I broke his teeth.
Then I used pliers.
Then I used fire.
And when I was done…when he was no longer a man but just a twitching mess of skin and screams….I ended it.
One clean shot to the skull.
No one would find him.
No one would mourn him.
No one would ever hurt Eli again.
Ever.
I returned home as the sun started to rise. I showered slowly, blood washing off my skin, turning the water dark.
And when I climbed into bed beside Eli again, I pulled him close, kissed his forehead gently, and whispered:
"You're safe now, sunshine. Daddy took care of it."
He stirred in his sleep, curling into my chest with a soft sigh.
And for the first time in a week…
I slept.