Free Numb: A Dark Thriller by Lee Stevens

would make a perfect family home yet he shared it with no one. He no longer missed the company of others nor did he yearn for it. Perhaps it was cowardice, but he preferred to distance himself from as many people as possible rather than risk potential hurt by growing close and maybe losing them. Therefore there was no lady in his life. There had been in the past, many years ago, but not recently. He had the pick of one night stands at work to satisfy any sexual craving but as for a relationship, he had no interest. The same went for children. Sure, he could provide a decent life for them and would love and protect them until his dying day, but what kind of a father could he ever hope to be working the job he did and mixing with the people he had to mix with? No, he was better off alone. That’s how he saw it, anyway.
    He hung up his leather jacket, kicked off his shoes and headed straight into the bathroom where he stripped from the rest of his clothes. He then climbed into the shower and let the water wash over his body, cooling and cleansing him in equal measure, and he stayed under the jets for a good twenty minutes before having to force himself out.
    As he worked the towel over his body he ignored the many scars crisscrossing his skin and as usual was thankful that the worse ones were on his back where he couldn’t see them and wouldn’t be reminded of the many operations and skin grafts he’d had as a both a child and young adult. He did, however, pay attention to the newer wounds; the cuts and bruises that occurred on a daily basis. He didn’t know where half of them came from.
    The bruise on his inner thigh was healing. The scab on his right shin was just about ready to fall off and the new skin underneath looked shiny and healthy. The scratches on the outside of his left bicep (the result of a grappling match with some bloke high on drugs last Thursday night) were fading. He took care of the new cut on his right hand with a dab of antiseptic cream. Once the dried blood had been washed away he could see just how small the wound was – just a tooth mark - but he couldn’t be too careful. Who knew what germs that nephew carried in his mouth? Germs were his biggest danger. Infection was his arch-nemesis and he’d learned long ago that a small or hidden wound could prove dangerous if left untreated. Usually the first sign that something was wrong with the human body was pain, but Riley could only rely upon what he saw, that’s why he had to inspect himself every night before bed.
    He wrapped the towel around his waist and crossed the landing into the largest of the two bedrooms.
    Once the blinds were closed and the room was in total darkness, he lay on top of the bed and closed his eyes. He’d have to leave in half an hour or so. Half an hour before he had to put on an act and pretend he enjoyed the company he kept. Except for Purvis. He wasn’t like the others and despite what had gone on between Sandra and himself he was a good man deep down, dragged into his profession by fate rather than a lust for power and a thirst for violence.
    And despite the years of violence and numerous casualties at the hands of the firm, Riley liked to think that he was the same.
    He tried to clear his mind and relax but as usual there was always too much going on, too many thoughts and memories swirling around. And, at the forefront of those thoughts and memories there was the face of a small child, the image ripped from a newspaper photograph he’d seen for the first time six months ago.
    A boy. Eighteen months old. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. He was smiling up at the camera from his pushchair, holding what may well have been his very first ice-cream on a warm summer’s day. His name was Jamie Hudson.
    Had been Jamie Hudson...
    Riley rolled onto his side and put both hands up to his face. The boy’s innocent smile lingered in his mind’s eye, haunting him.
    It was at times like this that he wished his mind could be as numb as his