Page 42 of Carnival

James

T he taste of blood coats my tongue, and I spit it out, directly on Vivian’s pearly white blouse. Her cheeks deepen in shade, eyes filled with uncontrolled rage. She wraps her hand around my throat, squeezing it tightly. She digs her long, pointy nails into the side of my neck, drawing blood.

Pathetic, really.

Definitely not the worst I’ve seen of her.

And she proves exactly that — by ripping open the stitches on my chest, shoving a finger deep into my wound. I manage my facial expressions, and when she receives no reaction from me, it infuriates her further.

She’s been doing this for the majority of the time I’ve been kept in this godforsaken room.

She’d have someone tend to my wounds, only to inflict worse ones before the first ones healed properly.

Unfortunately for her, the psychological games she’s playing have no effect on me, and it’s slowly starting to throw her off balance.

“You bastard,’’ she hisses, leaning closer, using it as a clear intimidation tactic.

I lift a brow, blinking away in boredom.

If it weren’t for the chains that are holding my hands tied up above my head, I would’ve snapped her wrinkly neck a long time ago.

But this is a waiting game, and I sure as fuck can wait her out.

She’ll misstep soon. “This blouse is worth more than you.’’

“My, my,’’ I mock, chuckling, which causes her to tighten her grip on my throat. “You can afford to spend thousands on clothes, but not on good-quality Botox?”

She shoves the finger as deep as possible into my wound, blood gushing out, dripping down my chest, splashing all over her wrist and clothes. Her teeth clatter together, and her pupils dilate as rage slowly starts taking over.

“Calm down, Vivian,’’ one of her men speaks, and it’s as if the words do the trick.

I don’t know his name. I don’t want to know his name.

All I know is that he’s constantly near, around her age, and he seems to be the only one that can control her, even remotely.

Aw, how unfortunate. I thought I’d get enough time to play around with her mind.

She pulls her finger out, wiping the excess blood on her blouse. She steps back, her hand disappearing from my throat. Vivian clears her throat, straightens up, and fixes her blazer, still glaring at me.

“It’s been two weeks, James,’’ she says. “I won’t stop with torturing methods until you speak.’’

“Speak what, exactly?”

“Who has the chip?”

“Oh,’’ I chuckle. “You should’ve just asked directly. I would’ve told you. It’s not some dirty secret, you know? Hudson has it.’’

Her jaw clenches, her hands fisting by her body.

She cusses under her breath, kicking the small stool with as much force as possible.

The stool slams against the wall, the sound echoing in the dirty, little room.

Vivian begins pacing around, mumbling something under her breath.

The man behind her looks as bored as I am, and it’s clearly something he’s used to seeing.

Abruptly, Vivian stops, right in front of me. She faces me, a million thoughts running behind those ugly eyes.

“What will De Santis do with it?”

I sigh, annoyed by this whole conversation already. I glare at her, trying to get my point across, all while trying to figure out a way out of these chains. The man behind Vivian has the key, and I doubt he’d be delighted to give it to me.

“Who knows?” I roll my eyes. “He wasn’t going to go public with it. But then you kidnapped his daughter, and well…’’

“She is not his daughter!” She all but screams in my face. “He might’ve had a hand in helping her out, giving her a roof over her head, and paying for her needs, but that doesn’t make him a parent. Not hers, anyway.’’

“Then what would? Blood doesn’t define family. Which is evident, given how you murdered yours in cold blood.’’

Much to my surprise, a deep, rich laughter fills the room. Even the man behind Vivian straightens up, indicating that this is a rare sight to behold. My brows narrow, her pearly white teeth shining as she bares them at me.

“You see, James,’’ she inches closer, immediately grabbing a fistful of my hair.

She yanks my head back, exposing my throat to her, dragging her long nail all over it.

Yet again, she’s trying to scare me off.

But she doesn’t seem to remember that I’m not the one to get scared at all.

“You’re talking about things you have no knowledge of.

You should be very, very grateful that I haven’t killed you yet. ’’

“Why haven’t you, though?”

I’m genuinely curious as to why she’s kept me alive. If she’s sadistic enough to torture me, and get off on it, that drive should’ve died out the moment I stopped resisting. Instead, she seems keen on healing my wounds, only to hurt me more. But what is the point of it all?

“Because I want you to watch.’’

“Watch what, exactly?”

She smirks, releasing my hair and stepping back. She keeps the suspense up by remaining silent for a while, looking me up and down a few times, before her eyes settle on my face for the last time.

“I have big plans for my granddaughter. And her falling in love with a delinquent like you isn’t one of them.

I trusted you, James. Hell, you were one of my most valuable men.

You did your work, took the money, and never asked any questions.

In this line of work, a man like you is hard to come by.

Partially, I did pick you because of the past that tied you to Rosalie.

I thought that I could use it to keep her close, but apparently, you had another plan.

You’re so obsessed with her that you’re willing to die for her.

As admirable as it is, it’s also very stupid.

I gave you everything. I gave you power, money, and freedom.

And you tossed it all away in a blink of an eye. ’’

A scoff escapes me, and I’m unable to take anything this old hag says seriously.

“Really? You’re that mad that your granddaughter fell in love with me?”

“Oh, I’m not mad, James,’’ she chuckles. “Just disappointed. But worry not, it will all fix itself.’’

The way she speaks and the way she grins at me, as if she knows something I don’t, makes me slightly uneasy. My eyes narrow at her in suspicion, and she relishes in the fact that she finally provoked a reaction out of me.

“What does that mean?”

“I found a suitable man for her,’’ she says, casually, as if she were talking about the weather. “A man is a far better choice than you ever were. It’s nothing personal, but once I do kill you, I need someone to help me with Rose.’’

“Don’t. You. Fucking. Dare,’’ I hiss out, my words low, with evident threat in them.

“I’ve killed people in cold blood. I’ve done it to people who were meaningless to me, to people whose names I do not even care to remember.

What do you think I will do to you, and to the man in question if you so much as dare to take Rosalie away from me?

What do you think I’ll do if you so much as try to use her against me?

I will slaughter you, you cunt. I will tear you apart, limb by limb, until you’re broken beyond repair.

Then, I’ll use the butcher knife you gifted me, open you up, and destroy everything you once were. ’’

“Bold words for someone who is all chained up,’’ she leans in, face an inch away from mine. “Don’t threaten me, James. You cannot uphold it.’’

A snarl slips from my mouth, and without thinking, I wrap my legs around her waist, pulling her down.

A scream comes from Vivian, and the man is a little too late to react.

I slam my boot against her face, blood splashing around.

The sound of her nose breaking fills the room, and all I see is red — the need to see her blood wins.

My body is shaking with pure fucking rage, and I don’t stop slamming my foot against her face until the man grabs a knife and stabs my stomach.

Even then, I don’t stop. I see the blood from my stomach, but the pain isn’t there.

Adrenaline pumps in my veins, and I’m too far into this to stop.

Her little helper shoves my foot away long enough to pull her out of my reach.

My arms got numb a long time ago, given that I have not moved from this position since I was brought here, but it’s as though I can finally feel some strength in them.

I’ll break my wrists if it means getting out of these chains and taking Rose away.

The man leans Vivian against the wall, without looking at me. I’ll probably get another round of whipping for this, but I don’t give a fuck. Seeing her face with my footprint on it, her nose broken, lips split, and two teeth missing has to be one of the best feelings I’ve felt since being taken.

Unfortunately, I didn’t kill her. She’s still breathing, and her man is trying to get her to speak.

She’s in and out of consciousness but manages to remain awake for a few moments.

She groans in pain, the blood dripping from her mouth and nose.

The bruise already starts forming, and my lips twitch in slight bliss.

“Mark my words, Vivian,’’ I speak directly to her, without looking at the man who looks ready to murder me.

“If you so much as try to do anything to my hellion, I’ll unleash the monster that you created.

I’ll take you apart, piece by piece, just like you told me to take apart all those people.

You’ll be my final victim, and I won’t hold back.

I’ll fucking ruin you, you stupid cunt. Don’t test my patience, because for the likes of you, I have none. ’’

My words seem to have an effect, even if momentarily.

Vivian is stunned into silence, eyes slightly widened.

She definitely didn’t expect me to defy her or that I’d test her authority.

This is the moment that she realized that she fucked around, and she is about to find out what it means to threaten the people I care about, and the list is very, very short.

The man picks her up bridal style, then takes her out of the room, the door slamming shut behind them. It’s an automatic door, so it locks immediately as they leave, and there’s no way for me to open it from the inside.

It doesn’t matter, though.

My rage and fury have gotten me through a lot of terrible times. They’ve gotten me through the time in prison, where I was forced to be apart from Rosalie. Now that I finally have her right where I want her again, no one will take her away.

The mere thought of her being with another man is making me go insane. No one will ever touch her. No one will ever love her. No one will ever fucking have her. She belongs to me, and she fucking knows it. I made my mark on her a long time ago, and no one will ever replace it.

I will not allow it.

From the day we met as children, I’ve staked my claim on her. Now, I’ll ensure that she knows that no one is worthy of her. No one deserves her but me. Mine, and mine alone. And I’ll kill anyone standing in my way of getting to her. I’ll kill anyone who even dares to breathe in her direction.

Rose is my most prized possession, and she belongs by my side. Now, and forever. I’ll make sure everyone knows it. No matter what I have to do. And I’ll escape this hellhole, if nothing, for her. So she can get peace of mind again.