A Ruthless Bargain

Chapter 11: Blood and Silence

Lucien.

''Pick one.'' My hands moved slowly across the knives that was arranged on the table.

The man tied before me shook with fear, beads of sweat pooling on his forehead as his head kept dangling.

''This?'' I raised one with the sharpest edge, it was a bit curved at the edge, making it sharper.

He whimpered, his mouth tied. He looked down to his pants and I followed his gaze.

Disgust. That was what I felt next. Why would a grown man urinate on himself?

Does death scare someone that much?

''We'll go with this then.'' I picked another.

It was longer, both sides sharp and the tip pointed. It looked like it would slice every flesh perfectly.

From across the room, Dominic studied me. He had seen me like this, but it was a long time ago but today.....something else was the cause of it.

Knowing I was losing my restraint. If Dominic had not called me, then.....I would have broken one of the contract rules. The most important one.

I recalled looking her dead in the eye and saying she was not my type. So why? Why did seeing her with Spencer make me want to rip out someone's heart.

The image of their bodies pressed together, his hands on her throat and hers on his.....

Damnit.

I picked up the knife slowly, tracing my finger across the edges.

''See, it doesn't hurt.'' I smirked when I cut myself.

He was shirtless, Dominic had made sure to give him his own taste of medicine before I would arrive.

''Tell me,'' I stood before him now. ''Why did you skim through every shipping account?'' I traced the knife along his abdomen.

He was already shaking now, the chair rattling against the floor as he desperately wanted to beg for mercy. But that ended a few days ago with Mateo, every traitor would die now.

I sliced against the skin of flesh on his lower abdomen, the sound satisfying to my ears. He screamed in pain against his muffled mouth.

''Relax.'' I said calmly although he was already irritating me. ''Stop moving too much or it would be more painful.''

''Who sent you?'' I asked, unwilling to untie his mouth.

Men like this were always loyal to their men till death. He didn't give Dominic an answer which already hinted at a futile attempt. Dominic always resorted to me to finish off.

He whimpered in pain, trying to mumble out words.

I walked back to the table, picking up another knife before walking back to him.

''It's going to hurt a little okay.'' I warned, my voice lacking every warmth.

I picked his left hand, placed it on the chopping table and gave him an apologetic smile. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with tears.

But that didn't bother me. I chopped his fingers as he screamed in painful agony, one after the other until they were completely gone.

Funny enough, what he did didn't bother me. It was Spencer and Amelia's body pressed together that refused to leave my mind.

Next, I picked up a hot iron rod that I asked Dominic to prepare. It was still dripping with molten. He almost gave up when he saw me approaching.

''Don't die yet, the fun is not over.'' I said.

I pressed the rod on his bare body and into his neck and the chair fell to the floor with his body.

''He's still breathing.'' Dominic examined the burn and his pulse.

''Good.'' I breathed.

I took the knife with the sharper edge and crouched on the floor now. He was struggling to breathe but was already giving up. He could not utter any other sound as he saw the knife coming, just closed his eyes.

''Say hi to the devil.'' I pierced the knife deep into his left breast, piercing into his heart.

Blood splashed across my face and clothes, pooling beneath him.

I sighed in annoyance that the fun had already ended before I began.

''Fix this up.'' I said to Dominic.

I could hear him moving around as I removed my gloves and walked to the sink. Blood was on my face and clothes as I stared back at my reflection,

This was the darker side of me.

And Amelia, she would be so terrified of it.

I scrubbed the blood off my hands and skin and changed into another outfit. My phone buzzed just as I picked it up. I glanced at the caller ID to see who had the nerves to call me this late other than Dominic.

Amelia.

My heart plummeted faster behind my ribcage. I watched the phone ring and then stop.

She called again and I did the same thing. And when it stopped, her message came in.

I left it unopened and switched off my phone.

I needed to go back to the man I was. The man who didn't care about anyone just his goals. I needed to go back to finding the people behind my parent's death and my missing sister.

I walked out of the warehouse like a sane man and slid into the car that was opened already.

The car started and once again my thoughts drifted to that night. That night I would never forget.

My hands slid to my collar and took a hold of the pendant that sat there. The half moon pendant that was gifted to us on my birthday but turned out to be the day they died.

I looked at my reflection in the rear view mirror, my eyes cold and distant. And the roman numeral tattoo I did when I was twenty looked back at me.

My birthday or their death day? I was the cause of their death and the realization would not stop hunting me.

The car came to a halt when it entered through the gates and the driver stepped down. He opened the door but I didn't move an inch.

''Hand me the keys.''

He hesitated before placing them into my open palms.

''You can go.'' I dismissed him.

I watched him leave against his will. And that was what everyone close to me did.

They left. Always.

I glanced at the window upstairs. The lights were off and I couldn't help but wonder.

Would she leave too?