<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">"No, nothing important." Asa answered, giving Carter's hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. "You'll see." His only answer to Carter wanting to know where they were going.<br/>
<br/>
Asa stood back against the door, looking on in silence as Carter took in the room. He hadn't known what to expect from Carter when this moment came, having learned early on, it was an effort in futility to try and predict how Carter would react to something. "This is why I had to go last night."<br/>
<br/>
The guy flinched away from Carter's touch, muttering under his breath, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry."<br/>
<br/>
Asa let Carter state the obvious without offering any answers or input. He had no intentions of keeping the man, nor did he plan to let him go.<br/>
</span><br/><i><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">'Last night is over Asa.' </span></i><br/><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'"><br/>
Asa's carefully contained anger had been kept at bay by sheer force of will, but those words saw the already tightly compressed spring of control slipping. "Nothing is over until I say." Pushing away from the door, he came to stand next to Carter, "You may have apologized, but all is not forgiven. You made a mess Carter." He shrugged out of his jacket, placing it on an empty nearby hook.<br/>
<br/>
"Do you not understand what you did?" He grabbed hold of Carter's face, no warmth, or care in his touch like it'd been earlier in the living room. Carter's clear distress with everything garnering no sympathy from Asa. "You scared me." His voice having dropped to a low whisper.<br/>
<br/>
"<i>You</i> are my weakness Carter, and you used it against me." Had wielded it like a weapon and almost died for it. There were few things in Asa's life that could be used to hurt him; those few things he kept close and safely locked away. Away from those who would see him ruined, broken, utterly defeated. Carter was where Asa was most vulnerable. And for Carter to turn around and use that vulnerability in his childish attempts for attention, was an offence hard to forgive.<br/>
<br/>
"Five minutes and thirty seconds," Asa bit out, all the anger and fear and hurt from last night suddenly crashing into and through him like a wave on jagged rocks, "...I thought I'd lost you. Do you think a simple apology will fix that?" His eyes unintentionally losing their human facade as a deep, all consuming black tried to swallow all colour. He squeezed his eyes shut, drawing a deep calming breath, re-centered himself.<br/>
<br/>
When he looked again to Carter, his blue-brown eyes were devoid of any sign of darkness. "I've always been too soft with you, let you get away with too much. And now look where we are." Picking up the scalpel from the table, he grabbed Carter's hand and pressed it into his palm, "You say you're sorry, this is how you prove it."<br/>
<br/>
The sight of the blade drew a pained whimper from the chained man, "I swear, we weren't going to do anything. I..it..it was just a stupid joke." His eyes, pupils blown wide, pleaded with Carter, begging for mercy or forgiveness? Maybe both. "Fuck! I'm sorry man." The guy licked his lips, shifting on his feet, giving the chains a violent tug, "Please, I'll do anything, just don't let me die here! I swear if you let me go, no one will ever find out about any of this. I'll leave town. Fuck, I'll leave the fucking country!"</span>