Page 12 of A Sixpence For Your Shoe (Revenge Brides #6)
CHAPTER TWELVE
Vincent
M asaccio and Tuomo are glaring down at the man they’ve just thrown onto my cellar floor beneath my home out in the countryside away from the city.
“Was it difficult to track him down?” I ask, rolling my sleeves up.
“No, his friends squealed on him the moment they heard who he’d double crossed. No one wants to be associated with him at all now.” Tuomo says, nudging the guy with his foot. The prisoner whimpers pitifully.
He looks up at me, his left eye is already swollen from the beating my sons gave him. Blood is drying over his chin, crackling off his skin. The cut on his lip looks angry and blue.
I lean close to him, twisting my fingers into the collar of his shirt and tugging him close to my face.
“So, Dimitri, when you stole from me - what did you think would happen?” I ask calmly.
“Sir, Mr. Vece, please - my family, my kids, please - I have a family - I am a father just like you?—”
I laugh loudly, the sarcasm not hidden.
“Just like me? You are nothing like me. You are scum dragged from the sewers, and I’ve allowed you to walk my streets - but that generosity has now been revoked.”
I turn to Masaccio. “Won’t you hand me the pliers?” I ask, gesturing towards the table on my left, covered in polished silver items. Some of them sharp, some blunt, all equally terrifying to gaze upon when you know their purpose.
Masaccio passes me a pair of heavy pliers with his jaw clenched tightly.
“Do you need us here? I’ve got things to do.
” He asks. My sons don’t appear to enjoy this part of the job.
It disappoints me they don’t have the same dark streak in them that is required to do well in this life.
They shy away from this, taking part only when they have to.
I, on the other hand, revel in it. Torturing my enemies is the most incredible way to show them my power. My willingness to do whatever it takes to be at the top.
“You can go.” I answer without looking at either of them. My eyes are on Dimitri. His eyes are on the pliers as tears begin to drip from the corners of his eyes.
“Don’t cry. Don’t be sad. I won’t draw it out longer than necessary.” I reassure him.
I hear my sons leaving, pulling the cellar door closed behind them.
This room is sound proofed, designed for this purpose, the wine stacked along the wall, aging gracefully in the presence of this violence - it is a cover for the true reason I had this place built.
I might have wanted to spend a little more time with Dimitri because now that I am technically retired, I don’t get to do this as often as I used to - but in all honesty - the thing I want to be playing with the most is upstairs. A beautiful, dark-haired, green-eyed little raven. My new obsession.
I lift Dimitri from the floor and hook his hands into the spike jutting from the wall. I lock him in place using the pliers to twist the bolt. He’s already weak and not even trying to fight me, but he looks relieved that the pliers weren’t for him.
I set them back down on the table and pick up a large Japanese knife, custom made for the art of making sushi, but I found a much more creative use for it.
Whistling a tune my mother used to sing while she tried to settle me down for sleep, I peel away his skin, bit by bit, enjoying the energy he suddenly has and how loudly he’s screaming.
I drop another chunk of flesh into the bucket next to me and shake my hand to flick the blood off, dripping from my fingers onto the handle of the blade and making it slip a little in my grip.
“You are a bleeder aren’t you.” I chuckle, lifting his chin towards me so that I can see his face.
His eyes are rolling back, his body shivering with shock.
He’s lost a lot of blood, but I’ve only taken the skin off his chest and one of his arms so far.
Technically I could be impressed that he’s still conscious. Some men don’t stay awake past the first slice of skin.
“You’re doing well.” I muse, dropping his head, letting it fall against his chest.
Behind me, at the top of the stairs, the cellar door opens and one of my security guard’s steps inside.
“Sir, if you aren’t busy you might want to come and look at something.” He says nervously.
“What is it - I am busy.”
“It’s Misha?—”
“I’ll be right there.” I cut him off, dropping the knife and grabbing the shreds of Dimitri’s shirt to wipe my hands on as I run up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
At the mention of her name and the idea that she needs me - for anything at all - nothing else matters.
I follow the guard as he leads me around the side of the mansion. And that is where I find Misha, grinning, as she leans against the Mustang - which just happens to be crashed into the pillar in front of the stairs that lead up to my front door.
She looks amused and even at the sight of me, covered in blood, the cheeky little smile doesn’t fade from her face.
“Thank you, that will be all.” I say, dismissing the guard, my eyes on Misha as I step close to her.
“What are you up to?” I ask, glaring down at her, trying to hide my curiosity because she has not stopped smiling.
“I had an accident.” She shrugs.
I glance at the front left fender. It’s not a terrible accident, but the car will have to be sent away for bodywork.
Her eyes play over my hands and the front of my shirt. “What were you doing?” She asks without a trace of fear in her voice.
Interesting.
“I was handling some business. Someone decided to try to push my limits.” There is a hint of warning in my voice.
“Mm. I wasn’t sure you had limits.” She says, turning away from me, brushing her hand over the bonnet of the car.
I grab her and spin her to face me again. She’s playing games. This wasn’t an accident, and she’s testing me.
“Is that why you did this, little pet - to test my limits?”
Her eyes flash with excitement. “This was an accident.” She says sweetly, but the smile on her face says otherwise.
“And you’ve been such a good girl—” I growl, pulling her close to me. “What a pity that I’m going to have to punish you for this.”
Her smile gets wider before she quickly bites her lower lip to hide it.
“Oh no.” She purrs.
I step away, staring coldly at her, my energy shifting. “Go upstairs and wait in your room. I will be there to deal with you when I’m finished with my other business.”
“How long will you be?” She asks.
I clench my jaw and snarl, grabbing her throat and pulling her mouth close to mine. “Never question a command again. Go.” The little gasp of pleasure that falls from her lips sends a thrilling bolt of electricity through my entire body.
She thrills me a thousand times more than what is going on in the cellar.
No one has ever thrilled me more than the pleasure of torturing a man to death.
How fascinating.
I release her and walk away, but my cock is already hard, and I have to refocus my thoughts to push her from my mind.
But even as I walk back into the cellar all I want to do is finish this quickly and go back to her.
“It’s your lucky day, Dimitri.” I say loudly and cheerfully as I descend the stairs towards him.
He mumbles something I can’t make out. He’s too weak to lift his head.
“Our time here has been cut short. More enticing lures have been thrown into the water for me.”
“Please—” He gargles, his lips wet with blood. “Please, let - me - go?—”
“Oh, goodness, no. That isn’t what’s going to happen.
Besides, the chances of you surviving what’s already happened are pretty low.
I’ve removed a good few pounds of your flesh and you’ve lost a lot of blood.
My men need your body anyway - to display as a warning to anyone who thinks of trying what you tried. ”
“No.” He gasps as I pick up the knife again. “No.” He begs and shifts, but he’s too weak and his time is up.
That same tune is still stuck in my head, the one my mother used to sing, and I’m still whistling it when I walk into the mansion and head upstairs to shower. The sun has set an hour ago. Even though I rushed things, it still took longer than I expected.
It also takes a while to scrub Dimitri’s blood from my skin.
It seems I got it everywhere, and it’s already drying by the time I walk away from him.
After a hot shower I wrap a towel around me and revel in the punishment I’ve decided on for my cheeky little raven who thinks she can test my limits.
I dress head to toe in black, including the black mask that covers everything but my eyes.
I flick the roll of duct tape in my hand while I walk towards her bedroom, still whistling the same tune.
This is what I’ve really been looking forward to. I wouldn’t say these words to her - but she knows I’m thrilled she decided to stop being such a good girl for me. My cock can’t wait to see the glimmer of fear in her beautiful green eyes.