Jason had a lot of work to do. Fake Mark's death, that had to be number one. Number two, he had to get some help. Let's face it, he couldn't do this by himself. But who could he get?

Of course. It was so simple, how could he not see?

Jason snickered as he enjoyed his hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs and hash browns. He searched his phone's internet for various guys.

"Hello, Eric Morris? I understand you've had some difficulty getting back on your feet after the shitty case against you was allowed to go forward." He paused. "Yeah, I can imagine you'd be pretty pissed off at that lawyer." He grined. "How'd you like to get even with him?"

He had the same conversation with four other guys total. They each agreed.

Jason went downstairs and got Mark from the cellar. He snickered at the sight that awaited him. He wasn't surprised to find the pee on the floor. Fortunately it was easy to clean up, but first thing's first.

Jason still held the gun in his hand. He stepped around the pee and dragged Mark out. As always, he ignored his pleas. He also ignored the state of his boxers. He took Mark to another room in the basement. It was dark, but when Jason flipped the switch, it was a large, empty room with a very high ceiling.

"On your knees," Jason commanded. He moved the gun out of what he hoped would be Mark's reach, straddling him as he tied a thick rope around his wrists. From his pocket, he took a key which he used to unlock his handcuffs. The other end of the rope was attached to the ceiling. Jason grabbed another rope and tied Mark's ankles together. Still straddling him slightly, Jason grabbed the gun, and got off of Mark. He went to the wall and pressed a button. Slowly, the rope attached to Mark's wrists rose. The pully connected to the rope was controlled by the button that Jason had just pushed. Eventually, Mark was forced to stand, and his body bent over unnaturally until his arms were pulled taut behind him. And still the pulley continued to haul Mark up toward the ceiling. Once he was on the balls of his feet, Jason stopped the pulley and went over to him.

Jason untied the rope from his ankles and slid Mark's boxers off. Once that was done, he tied them together again, and returned to the wall. He pushed the button and allowed Mark to be raised higher. He waited until Mark was about fifteen feet in the air, and then stopped.

"I'll just leave you hanging for a while," Jason said, a flashback to those corny puns he often used while the two of them were dating. He kept the light on, and made sure that the room was heated much better than the root cellar.

Jason returned to the root cellar and cleaned the floor. He emptied the bucket into the washtub sink and scrubbed it.

Next time, he'd be sure to tie his hands in front of him.

Jason went upstairs and waited for the visitors to arrive. He'd given them his address. That might have been really stupid, but he had faith that he had chosen the exact right people to help him with this.

Eric was the first to arrive. He pulled up in the driveway and knocked on the door. Jason grinned.

"How ya doin?" Jason asked.

"Not sure," Eric confessed. He shrugged. "I didn't really know what to think when you told me your plans."

"Yeah, well I hope you won't be disappointed. Come on in."

"So when do we get him?" Eric asked as he stepped inside.

"Already done."

"You're kidding."

Jason grinned. "Come with me."

As he led Eric into the cellar, Eric was a little uneasy. He hesitated several times during the descent. He wondered if this was really a mistake. Maybe this guy wasn't who he said he was. Maybe he was a member of one of the families he and his company poisoned...

But Eric wasn't dumb enough to come unarmed. At his thigh he patted the gun he'd brought with him.

"You know, if you try anything-"

"Your company is out of billions of dollars thanks to him. I have no reason to hurt you," Jason assured. "And I need your help to fake his death."

"Fake it? Why not just kill him?" Eric asked as they went to the room where Mark was suspended.

"Where's the fun in that?" Jason asked. He opened the door. "After you."

Eric came in, and stared at Mark. It had been over an hour since he'd been hanging there.

"Jesus Christ!" Eric exclaimed. He whirled around, furious at Jason, then he paused, and a sadistic smile came over his face.

"What made you call me?" he asked.

Jason shrugged. "I've called you and a few others who I thought would really love to see him in pain. And I intend to put him through that pain."

Eric thought for a moment. "Can I get in on this?"

"You'll each have your turns, I promise."

"And the money?"

Jason nodded. "I can have it wired to your account in the Camans right away."

Eric gazed upon Mark.

"Suppose I change my mind, go to the cops?"

"Then I'll kill you, and make it look like a suicide. But not before the cops find our phone records, and I can play the concerned ex boyfriend who wanted to make up, only to find that my beloved is missing. I do some private detective work, find his likely enemies, and find you and several other suspects. If one of you breaks off, the others will turn against you. Simple as that."

"You sick bastard..." Eric laughed maliciously. "Dude, I never thought I'd meet someone so sick! So what do we do first?"

Over the next few hours, the other guests arrived, and Jason gave them the same sight and the same speech. They all agreed.

"You know," one of them, Paul, who had been caught embezzling, said thoughtfully, "what exactly are you planning to do to him?"

"Keep him, make him suffer, until we all get tired of it."

"Yeah, but I mean... you're not gonna make us do faggy shit, are you?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Leave the 'faggy shit' to me. You guys get to do whatever you want to him.