Chapter 47
Callie
D amien has been in the basement room for three days now. At first, when the guys told me they were planning to keep him here, I thought they were talking about the cell below the pool house. I'm not going to lie; part of me was disappointed even thinking about the piece of shit sullying a place that has fond memories for me.
Sure, it was where the guys kept me when they kidnapped me, but it was also the first place where I was able to connect with them. It was the first place I started to really grow into the person I was always meant to be.
I realized some of my strengths, and now I’m a person I can be proud of. If you had asked me a year ago if I would be torturing the guy I was forced to marry to death, I would have told you that you were out of your mind.
I've been stopping by to torture him a few times a day for the last three days, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I can breathe fully. Today is the day I'm going to end him for good.
The guys have been dropping in periodically to visit him, too. Sometimes with me and other times on their own. Barrett decided he was going to rip out every single one of his fingernails one by one yesterday, and I've got to say it was pretty satisfying to watch him beg Barrett to stop.
Damien tried to make himself out to be this big, tough man who could persevere through anything, but he's been crumbling more and more every day. Kyler waterboarded him for a solid two hours the first day, and just this morning, Seb had some device in there electrocuting him.
I should feel bad for the things he's going through because, at the end of the day, he is human, but when someone is vile enough to torture you, kidnap your loved ones, and kill people to get at you, they don't deserve sympathy.
Avery stopped for brunch this morning, and as I sit across the table from her, I can't help but see how much she's changed since Damien took her and kept her in that cell. She's not her usual outspoken, free-spirited self, and it makes my heart hurt. She didn't even want to have mimosas today, and we always have them with brunch.
"Aves," I say cautiously because I'm not entirely sure how she's going to react to this.
Her eyes peek up from her plate of fruit and lock with mine. "Why are you looking at me like I'm some sort of fragile person who's going to break at a moment's notice?"
"I'm sorry. I just really don't know how to bring this up, or what you're going to say."
"Well, spit it out, Cals. I didn't think we needed to tip-toe around each other's feelings." She rolls her eyes.
"I know you're going through a lot right now, but you don 't have to do that. I'm on your side," I say to try and pacify her.
"I was just kidnapped, held in a disgusting cell without knowing whether or not I would live, found out I have a sister, and my parents died, all in the same week. Give me some grace, please. I'm not upset with you. I'm upset with the world right now."
"I just wanted to know if you wanted to have a moment with Damien before I killed him," I say frankly because she's right. There's no reason to sugarcoat it. She knows we have him here.
"I..." she trails off, not sure how to answer the question, as she moves the strawberries around on her plate.
"You don't have to see him if you don't want to, but if you think it will help, then you can go alone, or I can go with you. If it's going to help you heal, I want you to take the opportunity to speak your peace because I'm killing him today."
She takes a moment to consider whether or not she wants to be involved, and I let myself get lost in thought. It feels strange to tell her I'm going to kill someone, but I've been sitting on this for days now, and it's time. I can't expect the guys to do it for me, even though I know they would in a heartbeat, simply because they love me. His life is mine to take.
I've never wanted to kill someone before I met Damien. I had a strong dislike for my father, and I often wished he would die, but I never saw myself being the one to do it. Sebastian killing him was the equivalent of him swooping in on a white horse and slaying my monsters for me. My father was a demon that haunted me my entire life, but that was never my choice. I was raised with him, molded to be his legacy.
I chose to be with Damien at one point, and while he may have been manipulating me under the guise of being Julian, I still chose him. It makes me sick even thinking about how stupid I was. All those years of being careful, and I let that piece of shit deceive me.
I glance back at Avery, and she takes a deep breath, shaking her head. "I don't think I want to be involved."
"Okay, are you sure?" I ask again, double-checking because it's not like this is something that can be decided down the line. I don't want her to feel like she missed out on the moment.
"Cals, I can't. Knowing he's dead is enough for me. I don't want to be involved. I can't have that on my conscience."
"You're a better person than I am; I'll give you that," I say as I stand from my chair to walk around the table.
She stands, and I pull her into a hug. This is my younger sister, and I'll do anything in my power to protect her and make sure that no matter what, she is loved. She squeezes me tightly, reassuring me that she needs me to be the strength I'm all too willing to be for her.
When she pulls back, her eyes meet mine. "I really am sorry you never got to meet our parents."
"That is not something you ever need to be sorry for. You didn't know. Everything happens for a reason, and while I would have loved to have met them, I have you. We found each other, and I'm so grateful for that."
"Make sure your face is the last one he sees. He deserves to rot in Hell knowing you were the one to put him there," she says, and I nod.
"Gladly."
I walk out of the room and go to find the guys all sitting in the lounge room. They've been waiting for me to decide when I was ready to end all this. The fact that they are willing to be there with me while I do it means more than I could ever explain. They've got my back and are there to support me in every possible way. It's the greatest gift I could have ever received.
"It's time?" Seb asks, knowing why I came into the room without me even having to say anything.
"It's time."
"YES!" Kyler says as he jumps up to run over, grab me, and spins me around in circles.
I laugh, trying to get him to put me down. "Ky, I'm getting dizzy."
Barrett steps over to us and places his hand on my shoulder before leaning down to kiss my cheek. It's more gentle than he usually is, which takes me aback for a moment. "We'll be right there with you, princess."
Tears well up in my eyes before I shake them away. Nope, I'm not letting myself get emotional today. I look over to Seb, who has closed the distance and is now standing next to us, and he just nods. I take one last deep breath before turning and walking out of the room.
My three men follow me as we make our way to where we are keeping Damien. When we walk into the room, Damien's head hangs low to his chest. He's weak and can barely lift it, but when he does, his eyes meet mine first. I know he knows why I'm here. His eyes roll, and his head sinks back down in defeat.
The first two days we had him here, he had plenty of things to say during our sessions. Toward the end of the day yesterday, he stopped talking and fighting back altogether. I suppose he finally let himself accept the fact that he won’t be getting out of here alive.
I'm not going to lie; it feels nice to see him weak and defeated while I stand here stronger than ever with the support of my men. I glance back at them and see the way each set of eyes is focused solely on me, as if I'm the only person in the world that matters. It’s pretty fucking empowering.
"Can you guys get him out of the chair and string him up again?" I say, already knowing how I'm going to end things. It's going to be brutal, but I don't care. From the start, I told him how this would end, and I'd hate to be a disappointment.
"Just kill me," Damien says weakly as my men undo the ties on his legs and hoist him up to a standing position.
"I intend to." I smile at him, feeling like some kind of crazed woman.
"We went easy on him too." Kyler laughs from the other side of the room.
"Fuck all of you," Damien manages to say with nothing more than a whispered breath.
"You'll never get that chance again." I narrow my eyes while walking over to the cart in the corner of the room to grab a knife. "I have to know, Damien, would you do things differently if you knew what you know now?"
I give him a moment to use whatever small amount of strength he has left to lift his head. He laughs manically but shakes his head no. "The only thing I would do differently is stay with you on our wedding night. I would have ruined you."
I step forward and slam my fist into his ribcage, feeling a crack beneath them. Barrett taught me the perfect spots to hit in order to inflict the maximum amount of damage during our kickboxing sessions, and putting something like that to use feels like a nice touch.
"Do you remember how I told you I planned on killing you?" A sadistic smile crosses my face as my eyes glance down to his crotch before moving back up to his face.
His eyes widen, and he tries to say something, but Seb walks over to him and cuts his tongue from his mouth, taking away his ability to speak.
"I think this piece of shit has said enough over the last couple days. He doesn't deserve the privilege anymore, trouble." Sebastian smiles back at me.
Blood trickles down Damien's chin, and I know the time has come. I just hope I don't gross my men out too much with what I'm about to do. I move the knife from my left hand to my right and step forward, leaving only a couple inches between us .
"Rot in Hell, you piece of shit," I say as I grab the waistband of his pants and underwear to pull them down to his ankles.
What I see is almost as pathetic as he is. I resist the urge to laugh in his face as I grab him with one hand and bring the knife down with my other. The guys make pained noises behind me, as blood shoots from the wound, and Damien cries out.
The knife falls from my hand and hits the floor, and I take the opportunity to shove Damien's manhood right into his open mouth before forcing it shut. "Tape," I say out loud, willing one of the guys to place it in my now empty hand.
"Holy fuck," I hear one of them say as I hear footsteps shuffle around the room.
"I believe I told you exactly how I would kill you. I know you didn't take me seriously, but I can assure you, I’m no liar."
Tears stream down his face as he tries to stay conscious. Someone puts the tape in my hand, and I don't hesitate to wrap it around his head, securing his mouth closed. His eyes begin to roll back, likely from the shock of everything, and I slap him across the face. He doesn't get to check out that easily. His eyes meet mine, and I lean down to pick up the knife again.
"My face will be the last one you see. You get to leave this world knowing a WOMAN was the one to end your useless existence." With that, I plunge the knife into his guts and slice to the right, leaving a gaping wound.
I take a step back, breathing heavily as I watch the life fade from his eyes. He's nothing, nobody.