Chapter 28 Jasper
TWENTY-EIGHT
JASPER
I’m a lot of things.
A trained assassin who takes pleasure in eliminating those who are marked.
A violent killer who enjoys the hunt and torture of victims who deserve it.
A soldier who obeys orders and deals with those who have betrayed the family oath.
Tonight changed everything, and I became something I never could’ve seen coming.
A desperate man.
Something inside of me shifted the moment I didn’t see Carter’s beautiful body dancing, and nothing else mattered until that firecracker of a woman was back where she belongs – with us.
I would’ve burned down the world, shot at anything that came too close, or thrown myself into the line of fire, as long as she prevailed safe and unharmed.
I’ve never cared about another person enough to undoubtedly lay down my life for theirs, but the second Carter was missing, everything I’d ever been taught was thrown out the window, her name the only thing that echoed in my mind, all my thoughts belonging to her.
Thankfully, we were able to find her just before the worst happened, and she’s relatively unharmed, but whoever wanted my girl is going to pay a steep fucking price, that much I know.
Seeing her, speaking to her, even breathing the same air as her is a privilege, one I’ve never taken for granted, but appreciate much more after the scare we all had.
Tyson is taking good care of her, already flushing whatever they gave her and treating her with the tenderness she needs at the moment, the exact opposite of how much rage is burning through my veins.
Just thinking about it has me ready to scrape skin from bone, and lucky for me, I have two bodies in my playroom, chained and stripped, just waiting until I begin the games I’ve come prepared to play.
Being my obsession isn’t something many people can handle, but these two are the first layer as I prepare to peel them all back like an onion, getting to the core of who is behind the attempted kidnapping of Carter.
“You didn’t strike me as a dumb blonde, but I have to say, Ellie, this wasn’t fucking smart. Not in the slightest.” I circle her dangling body, my handiwork on display as her wrists are chained to the ceiling, and her ankles are held in place by cuffs that are cemented into the floor.
There’s no getting out of my traps, and I’d enjoy this much more if it weren’t imperative that I extract this information to further a mission that isn’t just for me, but for all three of us.
“Please, let me talk to Carter. I can explain everything!” She screams, her nasally voice piercing off the walls, already giving me a headache.
“You’re not going near her. You were supposed to be her friend.
Now, we can do this two ways, but whatever happens next is up to you.
I can carve into your flesh, spilling your blood all over these floors until you finally speak, or we can skip that by telling me the truth, and if I believe it, I’ll let you talk to Carter.
” I flip a blade in my hands carelessly, not making eye contact with the half naked broad tied to my ceiling, her sniveling and sniffling beginning to get on my nerves.
“I don’t know anything, okay? That guy said he worked for powerful people, ones who had someone following my mom.
If I didn’t slip Carter the pills and bring her to a specific place, they’d kill her.
I swear, I don’t know anything else!” She spits it out like word vomit, and reluctantly, I choose to believe her, hoping that Carter will get the real information out of her.
“Don’t move,” I tease, winking as I leave the room, desperate to see my girl, just to confirm that she’s okay.
Frantically, I search until I find her, my body instantly relaxing once I see her awake, snuggling into Tyson’s chest with an IV attached to her arm. I don’t like that he stuck her with needles, but I trust his judgment, the act not easy for him in the slightest.
“Oh, come here, Principessina.” I gently scoop her into my arms, inhaling every single piece of her as her delicate frame fits perfectly against mine, right where she belongs.
She’s already in better spirits than I could’ve imagined, the fight that lives within her never quitting, and I should’ve known that a few pills wouldn’t be enough to bring her down.
She’s gearing up, ready to solve the mystery of her attempted abduction, and against Tyson’s head shakes, I give in to what she desperately wants.
Ty thinks he’s the only one who can read Carter, who’s in tune with her needs, but her body is buzzing against mine, the craving of violence begging to be fed while she takes out the rage on who wronged her.
She’s exactly like me when it comes to the bloodier side of life, and without consultation, I choose to feed the beast that lives within her, the same one that stays dormant inside of me until I let it out to play.
“She will only talk to you, Carter,” I say, and her eyes light up, the reaction exactly what I thought it’d be, the sparkle mixed with rage in her eyes unmissable.
“I’m fucking going in there. I took that drink on purpose, I knew she fucked with it. I need to get to the bottom of who is after me – after us.”
“Baby girl, you can barely stand, let alone question someone. Can’t it wait until you at least get some sleep?” Tyson lobbies, but she shakes her head, not listening to his words at all.
“No, it can’t. You can punish me later for being a brat, but I’m not going to sit around while whoever wants me plans a counterattack or God forbid, launches a Plan B.
I’m sorry, Tyson,” she says, her tone switching from assertive, to apologetic at disobeying him, but he only nods, seemingly understanding where she’s coming from.
Gently, I drop her down to the floor, watching while she walks on shaking legs, but gets her balance relatively quickly as she rips the IV from her arm in a swift motion.
“If you ever, fucking ever, willingly take a spiked drink again, I will chain you up down here until I think you’ve learned your lesson. Understand, Carter?” I grab her chin between my fingers, staring into her icy blue eyes, and she rolls her eyes in response, forcing me to strengthen my grasp.
We’re not moving until she agrees, falling into a stand off, but like other times, I’m not conceding on this one.
She can’t just play fast and loose with her life, not when we’re here to protect her, and I won’t stand for such reckless stupidity.
There’s always another way.
“Fine, Jasper. I promise, I won’t do that again,” she whispers, looking up at me through her lashes, and I release her, accepting her word as bond.
“Right this way, my little bloodhound.” I motion her to follow me, and she struts through the short hallway, stopping when her eyes land on the playroom.
“Holy. Shit. This is even better than I imagined,” she breathes, her eyes shifting from the two people hanging from the ceiling, a devious smile painted on her pretty face.
“It’s soundproof, so the floor is quite literally yours,” I tell her, leaning down until I’m hovering right above her neck, and she shudders at my words, finally taking the first step and opening the door.
“Carter! Oh my god, please let me explain everything. I swear, I had no choice,” Ellie cries, but Carter doesn’t make eye contact or acknowledge her, walking along the walls as her hands skim over the various tools I’ve laid out.
“What’s this one do?” She muses, taking a large knife from the cabinet, the metal shimmering under the bright light as she marvels at it, her eyes the size of saucers.
“When you push it into the stomach, it slowly pulls out the surrounding organs. Makes a big, beautiful mess,” I whisper, my heart rate spiking as she flips it around, nodding slightly as she walks toward the man I strung up from the ceiling.
I haven’t approached him yet, still leaving his clothes and tactical gear on, but Carter is fearless as she steps to him, her neck craning as she attempts to meet his eyes.
“Do you have a name? Something I can call you before I rip your guts out?”
“Fuck you, bitch.” He spits, his saliva landing on her face, and out of instinct, she holds her hand up, signaling to me that she’s in control.
It’s like she can read my mind, because I’m shaking with anger at the thought of this man disrespecting her, but as always, she keeps me in check, even with a flick of her wrist.
“Bitch it is. Now, I only have one question, then I’ll make the rest of this quick, okay? Just tell me who ordered you to take me,” she offers, her sweet voice not threatening in the slightest, but it’s all a part of an act, one that this pathetic loser isn’t going to see coming.
“I’m not telling you shit. Torture me all you want,” he grunts, swinging his arms for dramatic effect, and she spins on her heel, shrugging as she makes her way back to the counter.
“Jasper, would you be a doll and strip him down for me? I’d like to see my canvas before I pick the tools for my art project,” she says in a sing-song voice, the devious devil that lives within her enjoying this shit, and I swear, I’ve never seen anything sexier.
“As you wish, my little Vincent Van Gogh.” I follow her orders, a dumb fucking smile painted on my face as she hums, the sadistic part of her brain completely taking over control of the girl I know, replacing her with the badass woman I fucking love.
After quite the struggle, our victim is stripped down to his skivvies, and I will say in complete confidence of my sexuality, this guy is ripped.
He’s just as muscular as I am, tattoos on every inch of his skin, and it’s like looking into a creepy mirror, except his face is nowhere near as handsome as I am.
“Oh! He has tattoos, Jasper! A lot of these look like shit, should we help him fix them up? Make them pretty again?” Carter muses, tracing the tip of a blade along the ink on his skin, and he barely flinches as she presses in a little harder, smears of blood staining the blade as she walks around to his backside. “Jackpot! There’s more –”
My head snaps up as she abruptly stops talking, the knife clattering to the floor as she steps back in horror, her hands covering her mouth, and whatever it is she’s seeing must be serious if it’s enough to scare the woman made of steel.
“What is it, Carter?”
“It’s your family crest, Jasper. The same one you have on your back.” She points, and I skeptically approach her, knowing that the Masseria crest is complex in design, but could look similar if you hadn’t been forced to know every single line, flower, and animal tangled into it since birth.
“It’s exactly the same. I’ve studied it,” she whispers as I get closer, and my vision nearly turns red as I confirm her theory to be a fact.
This fucker is apart of the Masseria family, and all at once, everything snaps into place, a horrible revelation coming to light as I look at Carter, shock painted on her face.
“Aw, is daddy’s prince unaware of what he’s capable of? You’ll never break me, Junior, because I’ve been trained just like you,” he laughs, taking pleasure in my cluelessness, and I snap my fist across the back of his head, effectively knocking him unconscious so we can get to the bottom of this.
Snatching Carter’s wrist, I drag her away from the room as she struggles to keep pace with how quickly I’m storming through the basement, directly where Tyson is waiting.
“That was quick. Did Carter set a new record or something?” Tyson jokes, and I slam the door behind us, practically shoving Carter into the room as I struggle to gain my composure.
It’s one thing for my father to disapprove of how we’re living, but to actually send one of our own after Carter is borderline insane, and I can’t will myself to consider his thought process behind this decision.
“Um, the guy you found … he’s from the Family,” she informs, my head spinning as I’m frozen in place, not even close to being able to speak without wanting to rip someone’s limbs from their body, piece by piece.
“Which one? Ricci?” Ty asks, pulling her into his arms as she bites her lower lip, my eyes only trained on her movements because if I look anywhere else but at my safe place, I’ll fly off the handles.
“No. Masseria.”
“What? That’s not possible,” he argues, but my attention span fades as she explains the details of the tattoo, my mind only focused on what this could mean.
Was he going to kill her?
Extract information about us?
The possibilities are endless, and nothing can be answered unless I ask the man responsible for giving the order, but even I know that I’m way too wound up to face the Don head on.
We need to make a plan, but first, I need to extinguish the wildfires raging in my mind and bring myself back to a reality where I can be present.
One thing is for sure: it’s time for the three of us to run.