Twisted in Chaos (Destructive Devastation #2)

Chapter 41

“You fucking pricks! I'm going to murder each and every one of you! My associates will drag you by the balls!" Shadow’s pathetic wails echo within the soundproof basement walls.

It's music to my ears. Or it will be when he begs me to end his suffering. Which I won’t. Shadow can suffer under our hands for years before Shepp puts an end to his fucking life.

For good this time.

“Sounds kinky, Shadow Daddy. Tell me more about what you want to do with my balls?” I grin, leaning forward. The death look he gives me with his one eye sends butterflies bursting in my stomach, making me all giddy and shit. “God, talk dirty to me. You’re making me feel all kinds of things.”

“You’re a fucked-up boy, aren’t you? But that’s how the priest made you, isn’t it? All fucked up and a goddamn psycho.” Shadow spits on the ground, pulling at his restraints more.

Well, that’s rude. How dare he speak of my father like that? He did none of those things. I was born this way. I walked out of the womb with a knife in my hand and murder on my mind.

Okay. That’s an exaggeration.

I wasn’t in control of myself like I am now. Younger me allowed his impulses to rule his life. If I wanted that candy bar? I stole it. If I wanted to see what blood looked like in my hands, I killed animals.

My father helped me contain my urges. Over and over again. He guided me. Well, until he couldn’t hide me anymore. If the church found me, he’d lose everything he worked for.

So, he sacrificed me to a greater evil.

It was Gabriel who sucked me into mayhem and murder, letting me cut and maim anything and anyone I could get my hands on. He honed my skills. Refined my murderous impulses. All for his own gain, disguised as helping me.

Sad sack of shit.

Sometimes, I wonder how I would have turned out if my father had kept me hidden. Would I salivate at the prospect of maiming people like now? Or would I have been a good little altar boy in the church, helping my father with Sunday services? Perhaps I could have swallowed all my bloodlust and lived a normal life.

Only the other me in the alternate universe would know what living that life is like.

I sigh—stupid self-pity. I don’t have it very often, but in times like these, it creeps up on me. Do I want this life? Sure. It’s fun as fuck hearing them scream.

Shadow pulls at his binds like a maniac, rocking his chair back and forth with his movements.

It’s great to watch. So, I grab the popcorn I brought down as a snack and shove the kernels into my mouth, humming with satisfaction. God, who knew buttery, salty goodness went so well with torture? This might replace orange juice and pickles. No, wait. No. My OJ and pickles are too precious to throw away completely. It’s a delicious tradition.

“Ain’t getting out of those binds. I tied them extra tight just for you.” I wink, swallowing my mouth full of food.

Licking my lips, I sit back in the lone chair facing his execution spot because that’s what’s going to happen soon.

Once Elias gets our secret location and we all have a fun talk about our futures, Shadow is fucking dead. Done. Finished.

For fucking good this time. There isn’t any way he’ll come back from this.

Then, I’ll burn his body in the chimney, where he’ll turn to ash. It’s too bad we aren’t around alligators; I’d toss him into the swamps without hesitation and watch as they chow on his bones.

Ah. The dream.

Sucks we’re up in the mountains hundreds of miles away from Briar Cove. We could have at least picked a spot in Florida or something. Sunshine. The ocean. Instead, we get the high altitude, thin air, and snow.

I hate the snow.

I shake my head, coming back to the present. Shadow continues to pull at the ropes, grunting when it cuts into his flesh.

“Fancy a chat?” I grin at him when he glares at me.

“No. I don’t fancy a fucking chat,” he hisses, continuing to pull at his restraints.

“I took a class on how to tie good fucking knots. You know they have those?” I shrug when he glares at me again. “It was fun. I’m thinking… No, you know what. You don’t deserve those words.” I zip my lips, attempting not to imagine tying Journey up with those exact knots. Of course, she’d have a more comfortable and pleasurable time. But having her at my fucking mercy after so many weeks apart would be heavenly.

My dick picks that moment to thicken in my jeans. Not now, Big A. We’ve got some fun things to do, like inflicting lots and lots of pain on our beloved pal, Shadow.

So he gets harder. I guess inflicting pain and the prospect of bloodshed has that effect on me.

Maybe I am a fucked up guy. You know what, though? I’m comfortable with it. There’s no masking what devil lives deep inside me and likes to play.

Speaking of…

“All right, Big Guy. Who are your new associates? They were awfully mean to us. They shot me!” I put a hand over my heart dramatically.

My chest still hurts from the impact of the bullets that rained down on me. Too bad for the masked bad boys, I had my handy-dandy armor on. I rub at the spot on my chest absentmindedly.

Shadow grins. “They missed the fucking mark. You’re still kicking.”

“Eh, well. It pays to have friends in high places.” When his smile fades, I tilt my head. I send a silent thanks to Olivia and her genius move to protect us. I think she likes us. “Aw, you wanted to take us down, didn’t you? You should have shot us the moment you were lurking in the shadows—poor guy. I’m flattered, though. You thought about me and Jer.”

The question still stands—why didn’t he? We were right there. Defenseless and none the wiser. He could have murdered us on sight. So why didn’t he? I could be in a grave with Jer, haunting the rest of my friends for eternity.

“You think once I’m dead, this will all be over?” He raises his brow like he’s up to something. But what? He’s all tied up and busy. So, what kind of contingency plan does he have in place? “You don’t know the army I have at my disposal.”

Oh. So, that’s what Shadow has cooking. An army, huh? I wonder how many minions follow him around spouting nonsense.

“Oh! I have so many questions. How many people we talking? A hundred? Five? A thousand?” My eyes widen dramatically when he scoffs at my eagerness. “Well, you may not want to tell me, but I have my ways.”

I’m sure Journey knows a thing or two about his little island and his minions. Not to mention Shepp, too. Once he graces us with his presence, I’m sure he’ll sing like a birdy.

Which reminds me! I pull out my phone and grin, watching the little red dot move closer and closer to our location. It shouldn’t be too long now before I can kiss his cheek. I missed the big fella.

“T-Minus, two hours before you have a fun family reunion.” I clap a little, tucking my phone away. “Oh, how the tables have turned. You think he’ll take mercy on you?” I raise my brow.

There’s no way Shepp will grant his piece-of-shit father any mercy. Sheppy Boy may seem like a gentle giant, turning pale at the sight of blood, but he’d take Thomas Mondelli out in a heartbeat.

Shadow’s face tightens. But his lips remained sealed about his son. It’s almost as if he expected Shepp to stay imprisoned forever.

The bastard.

“Well, enlighten me. I love to learn new things!” I say, slapping my knees. “Tell me who you keep on your big, exclusive island and why there? How’d you have the funds for something so delicious? Huh?” I lean forward with interest, watching his every little twitch to sus out the information.

“You’ll get nothing out of me. Ever. I trained under the best. You know how the family works,” he says, relaxing in his seat. His expression turns blank, bleeding the life right out of him.

So unfortunate he thinks I won’t be able to get the information. It’s my happy place, after all.

“Ah, yes. The good old days of training, right? The torture sessions and teaching us all about keeping our mouths shut in front of the enemy. That was fun. We should reenact that.” I stand from the chair abruptly. The chair’s legs squeal in protest when I bump it back along the concrete floor and set my bowl of popcorn down.

Shadow’s expression doesn’t change an inch. He watches me with a cold, detached expression, like he’s already disassociated from the situation. I can’t have that.

Not yet.

“Have you met Rosa yet?” I ask, inching closer to him while fingering the large knife tucked into my pants. Jericho always wonders how I haven’t chopped Big A off yet. Nosy fucker. I like my knives sharp and stabby. Just like my woman, Journey. The day she stabbed me in the chest was one of the best days of my life.

We should totally do that again. If I could fuck her in my blood and use it as lube to finally take her ass. Oh, yeah. Me likey. And so does Big A. Damn. He throbs in my pants, giving away all the ideas running through me.

Shadow rolls his lips in, eyeing me with disdain—party pooper. So, I march forward, whipping out my knife named Rosa, because she loves blood and guts. I place it right above his good eye, grinning when he stares at it without emotions.

“You think one big knife is going to scare me into talking about my business?” He raises a brow, nearly cutting himself on Rosa’s sharpened edge. “That’s amateur shit. I’m leagues above you, boy.”

I pull back, frowning at my knife. “Well, you’re right,” I huff, tossing Rosa away. I’ll have to bury her later in remembrance of her sacrifices.

He grins at that.

“I guess I need something new. Something fancier! Oh!” I turn around, heading to get my pliers from the tray. “Let’s see how hard I have to yank to get your fingernails off.” Usually, with enough force, they pop off easily. Sometimes, they don’t. I’m hoping for the latter. Take a man’s fingernails, and he’ll wail like a pussy, giving me all the answers I need.

“Bring it on.” His face doesn’t twitch when he says those words, egging me on.

By the time I’m finished with him, he’ll be wailing for mercy. If not? I’ll come up with some creative ways to loosen his tongue.

Bummer. This didn’t work out how I thought it would. He’s a tough nut to crack. He didn’t even cry. Rude. I put all my best work into him, and he didn’t even blink. I’ll have to up my game. But first, I need a breather.

Between the electric baton, taking his fingernails, putting a vice around his wrist, and squeezing. I’m exhausted. Food. Nap. Fucking. That’s all in my future. But not in that order. Quite the opposite. I have plans for my Kitten. Dirty, dirty fucking plans.

For now, this prick can sit on ice and think about what he did like a good little villain all tied up.

“Well, then. I’ll let you sit with all that. You’re officially in timeout.” I grin, patting his tense shoulder. “Also, how about we make this extra kinky and put this in?” I hold up a ball gag, letting it swing in front of his face.

His chest heaves. Blood drips from his fingertips, displaying the raw nerves exposed beneath. Sweat drips from every orifice.

Yet, he doesn’t speak a word.

Little fucker.

I quickly fasten the gag over his mouth and secure the ties again, making sure he doesn’t have a chance to escape the chair. And for extra measure to ensure my next fun torture takes hold, I tie his head to the back of the chair so he can’t move an inch.

“Well, I had a lot of fun. Did you?” I grin when his brows furrow as he attempts to scowl at me. “Don’t worry, we’ll continue this at a later date after I’ve had some dinner.”

And pussy, damn it. Big A needs to reunite with his cock pocket again and again.

I hum a tune as I set up my next torture device. A bright lightbulb hangs directly in his face. Well, until I swing it slightly, so it’s swaying around him like it’s the sun and he’s a planet.

“New little trick I picked up. I’ll see you later today. Or maybe tomorrow.” I grin, shutting down the rest of the lights in the room, leaving him with one bright bulb that will never stop moving around him.