Chapter 15 Tennant
“Have you had enough time to think things over?” I ask as I stand across from where Cristian still hangs.
“I’ve thought about how big of an asshole you are,” he grouses.
I huff and smile at him. “That was a given. But I’m guessing you don’t feel the need to apologize to your son, your ex-husband, or even to Allesandro for getting him into this mess.”
Burning dark eyes meet mine. “I’m not sorry.” He grimaces. “Though I suppose I do owe Ignacio an apology, for allowing things to go so far.”
“You don’t regret gutting him, do you?” I ask softly, almost unnecessarily.
He glares. “No, I can’t. I did what I had to do in order to protect my son. Do I regret letting it go as far as it did? Yes. The plan wasn’t to kill him, just to put him in his place.”
“I don’t like him. I’ve never hidden that, I’ll never hide it.
But even I am not so callous and vengeful.
There are other ways to get your point across.
Hell, I wouldn’t have blamed you had you asked your precious Il Padrone for help or ideas, but to take matters into your own hands… that isn’t you, Cris.”
He jerks in his chains, though it’s a weak fight, the hours of hanging wearing on his muscles. “Do not pretend you understand my position, or where I’m coming from.”
“I don’t. I simply know what right and wrong is, and you, Cris, are so far from right, it’s disturbing.”
Walking over to the crank, I let him down, watching as his legs give out and he falls unceremoniously to the floor.
“You know,” I tell him, watching as he tries to stand, chains and weak muscles weighing him down. “I’m kind of impressed. I didn’t think anyone would make you turn on your husband or son, and yet, Allesandro managed.”
“I didn’t turn on them,” he argues, managing to make it to his feet.
“No? I believe they’ll tell me something different. Shall we call them and ask? Though, Carter is a bit…tied up, I believe. Getting shot and all is hard work. As is falling in love.”
Pain crosses his face for a moment, but he doesn’t respond to my bait, which is a pity.
“Of course, I’m sure Roman would be happy to tell you exactly how he feels. After all, he has never held his opinions back.”
“No.” Cristian shakes his head. “Roman…he’ll get over it. Once he understands, after he’s been the Boss for a while. He’ll understand that choices have to be made sometimes, and it’s not always easy.”
I snort and make my way to him. “Roman is so much stronger than you are. I can’t wait until he gets a chance to stand in front of you and prove that he’s never needed your approval.”
“He can’t see me like this…”
“Why not?” I study him carefully. “Don’t want him to see you weak?”
“I am not weak. I never have been.”
I smile. “Agree to disagree on that. You’re as weak as your uncle was.”
He tries to attack me, but being still attached to the hook and chains prevents him from doing so.
Stepping back, I shake my head at him. “I should let you tire yourself out, it’ll make my job so much easier.”
“What’s the plan here, Ten? You can’t break me, you know that. I grew up with you and your tricks.”
I hum as I circle him, enjoying the game and the fight in him. For as much as he keeps claiming I won’t break him…we both know that’s not true; I already have.
His bravado is simply that. A mask he’s hidden behind for far too long. Tearing it off is going to be fun.
“Shall I replicate what you did to Carter? I could string you up again and whip you, make you choose the knife you’d like cutting into your flesh. Did he ever tell you what it feels like to be electrocuted? Or waterboarded? Those are always fun options.”
“Do it then!” he hisses. “Stop fucking taunting me and do something!”
I tsk in disappointment and lean forward from behind him, whispering in his ear, “What was that about not breaking you?”
Walking back to the crank, I raise him up again, only this time, I allow him to have more footing—I’m generous like that.
With my knife, I cut his clothes open, enjoying the way they hang on him in tatters. “Too bad you’re not my type…” I muse. “I could bend you over a table and fuck you, like you did Carter. But alas, I’d be stooping to Allesandro’s level if I did that. Though…maybe you like that sort of thing. Hmm?”
Tracing the blade of my knife down his spine, I enjoy the dots of red left behind. When I get to his ass, I tap the knife against his flesh, the tip leaving small, shallow cuts behind.
“Is that it, Cristian? Do you like rapists?”
He jerks, making the knife cut deeper into his ass—what a pity. “Fuck you, Ten.”
Readjusting my grip on the handle, I slice across his ass, reopening the old scar there from where Carter cut him open during his captivity.
I never understood their need to mark each other up—until I met Benjamin. Now, I want my Topolino to wear my marks every day of his life, so others will see where he belongs. Irrational? Maybe, but no one ever accused me of being in my right mind, especially with what is mine.
“Do you think Keegan will give Carter what he needs? I don’t think he’s the type for blood play, or even knife play. No…I think he’ll show Carter a healthy way to get what he desires.”
“I know what my husband needs,” he argues.
“Do you even believe your lies?” I ask, genuinely curious.
Cristian doesn’t respond, but that doesn’t matter, denial is a silly thing, and he won’t be able to hide from the truth for long.
Physical torture would be so much easier, but Cristian is right in that he knows me and my methods too well.
If I’m going to not only teach him a lesson, but get him to admit he’s been hiding behind his false sense of what a Boss should be, then I need to put in a little more effort.
Psychological torture is fucking exhausting.
“Both Doc and Dr. Ranlen are tied up,” I tell him, circling around and facing him again. “Good news for you, as that means I can only hurt you so much without running the risk of needing medical intervention. Or maybe I’ll kill you. Oops, turns out you’re not as strong as we thought…”
“Are you losing your touch, Ten? Can’t even do what you’ve so proudly boasted about for so long? Has Benjamin made you weak?”
Everything in me stills, and I give him my best smile. “Oh, Cris…you should have known better than to taunt me like that.”
Heading to the pushcart that’s already been prepared for this, I move it over to where he hangs, pulling the remnants of his pants off, exposing his cock.
He thrashes, but it doesn’t do him any good. I don’t hesitate, reaching for his soft cock and attaching a clip to it. Another gets placed on his scrotum, and even I wince a little when he does, the metal biting into his flesh.
“Try not to puke on me,” I tell him impassively.
Backing up, I adjust the dials and turn the machine on, enjoying the way his body shakes with the electric currents. Turning the dial up a notch, I watch as his eyes roll in the back of his head, his body convulsing.
I don’t want to kill him, so the fun ends too soon. Cristian gasps for breath as his body shakes, and he spits blood out of his mouth from where he must have bitten his tongue.
Putting the heavy duty gloves on, I wait a few more moments, until his body stops shaking, and then remove the clips. The burn mark on his dick is rather impressive, and I hope it scars.
“Ready to give in yet?”
He bares his blood-stained teeth. “Never…”
I grin. “I was hoping you’d say that.” I turn to leave. The men currently watching him can clean up my toy, as Cristian needs a small break with his thoughts. “One last thing before I go.” I spin on my heel. “Remember how you refused to allow Roman to watch the video of you torturing Carter?”
“H—he was fifteen…” He gasps—I imagine the electrocution is making him feel a little jittery. “He didn’t need to see that…”
“He asked me when he was eighteen,” I tell him casually. “I said yes.”
Cristian raises his head, his onyx eyes alight with fury. “What?”
“He deserved to know… Just like he’ll be allowed to watch these tapes, if he wants.”
I leave him with that parting gift, before giving the guards outside his room an order to take him down and tie him to the table in there.
Making my way to the office, I collapse into the desk chair, turning the sound on the monitor off, while turning his music back on. Then I pull out my phone and call Hollis, needing my Tesoro to ground me.