Chapter 14
14
VIKTOR
I wake up to Bane snuggling against my chest, his soft snores pulling me from my dreams.
“Mmph, Bane. What the fuck?” I murmur as he snorts himself awake. I realize that he’s pressed up against my cum-stained chest, not that he has any issue with bodily fluids, it seems. He was probably lured in here by the scent of sex.
“Oh. Hi,” he says with a yawn and then snuggles into me further. He’s fully dressed in pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt, but still, I can feel his morning wood pressed up against my own.
Behind me, Luca is starting to wake, and I feel his hand travel up, bumping between Bane and me.
“Why the fuck is there another man in our bed?”
“It’s Bane.”
Luca is silent, but pats Bane’s side, making Bane wiggle even closer.
“What’s wrong? Why are you in bed with us?” Luca asks.
“Georgiy is back to ignoring me, and Teddy erased his number from my phone when I told him how toxic he was. So I think it’s over.”
“It’s not over until you’re dead,” Luca replies, which I find very unhelpful. Stupid man.
“Luca,” I murmur, but he’s rolling over and sitting up.
“Maybe you should find someone else to fuck, for now at least. Georgiy is just playing games with you,” I say.
Bane sighs and rubs his nose against my collarbone. “I think he is, too. I was thinking about maybe asking Jax for some sex company. He has nice muscles and has thrown me around a bit. I think he could maybe give me what I need.”
“God, not Jax,” I say.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s a walking red flag.”
“I love red flags. That color looks good on me. I think you need something better than that for me to stay away.”
I sigh, and he grabs my hand and places it on his back. “Also, I’d love a back rub. I’m very sad.”
My hand absently rubs up and down his bony spine, and he sighs.
“Why did Teddy feel the need to block him?”
“Well, he said Georgiy is just playing games and that I’m better than that.”
I stare down at the top of Bane’s head. “Wait. How do you know what he says? Teddy never speaks.”
“I know ASL. Don’t you?”
He blinks up at me like this is something everyone should know, and I feel suddenly ashamed I don’t. I roll onto my back and sigh. “No, I don’t fucking know it. What other languages do you speak?”
“I mean, you don’t speak ASL, you sign it. And the Deaf community has a really large population in the US. You should learn it.”
I peer over at him, and he shrugs.
“Okay, enough preaching. Um, what other languages? I know Spanish. I’m learning Russian because, you know…Georgiy. Although, perhaps I shouldn’t bother with that after all.”
“I had no idea you knew so much, Bane.”
“I know quite a bit. I’m amazing.” He flops onto his back as well and stares at the ceiling. “Since I’m so amazing, can you suck my dick? I’ll be gentle, I promise.”
“No one is sucking your dick, Bane. You’ve had Viktor for long enough. I think it’s time you leave,” Luca says, appearing from the bathroom, his tattoos looking quite sinister in this light. I want to lick my way across his chest.
“Are you sure? We could manage a quick threesome,” Bane begins, but Luca points to the bedroom door.
“Get the fuck out.”
He sighs and then signs something I can’t make out before standing up, adjusting himself, and disappearing into the hallway.
“Let me know if you change your mind,” Bane coos as Luca slams the door.
He turns to face me and his lips quirk when he sees the sheets pooled at my groin, my abs flexed.
“Never thought I’d want a man, but your body…”
A grunt leaves me and I flop backward. I fling an arm over my eyes, letting those words penetrate me. Of course he likes my body. I work hard for it. It’s nice. But for some reason, I want more than just physical appreciation.
Luca steps toward me, and I can feel the whisper of his fingertips across my leg.
“…the way you fight me, your stubbornness, your resolve. It makes me want to break you. Own you. Even more than I already do.”
I move my arm off my face and stare at him.
“Now get the fuck up. We have to go meet Raphael. We need to approve the shipment he has, plus I have some questions for him.”
“And after?”
He chuckles, stroking my ankle. “Anthony messaged. When we get back, Lex will be here. He’s going to help us find Henry and we’ll find out if he’s tied to Pink.”
“Oh god, Lex. Last time he was here, I found a camera in the bodyguard bathroom,” I murmur, and Luca tugs on my leg, dragging me closer to the edge of the mattress.
“We’ll keep an eye on him. Now get up. We have to go.”
I roll up and do as he says, washing up and getting dressed in record time. As we’re leaving, Agatha hands us a paper bag with breakfast inside.
“For the cute couple. Luca was insistent you eat before you leave,” she says, which makes Tatum giggle behind his cup of tea, that little shit.
By the time we’re in the SUV on the way to the warehouse, Luca is feeding me bites of quiche with a fork, taking bites himself in between.
It’s disgustingly romantic, and I want to hate it, but I can’t.
The teenage boy in me can’t help but puff up that my long-time crush and obsession is acting like this toward me. He’s taking care of me in his own way. I never thought I stood a chance.
We finish both quiches, and he stuffs the paper bag in the back seat before grabbing his coffee and sipping it.
My hand is clutching the middle console, unsure what to do with itself when Luca tugs on it gently, turning it over and threading his fingers through mine.
I let out a shaky exhale and peer down at our entwined hands, something inside of me starting to bloom. It’s a dangerous game.
Or maybe it’s not a game at all, maybe it’s more.
That’s even more frightening.
We eventually make it to the warehouse that Raphael manages, our hands falling apart as we step out of the SUV and make our way up to the armed guards standing outside.
They recognize us immediately and step aside, pressing the code on the door to let us in.
As soon as we enter, we see Raphael striding toward us with a purpose. He’s a bigger man with a barrel chest and graying hair. He’s quite formidable and has been with Anthony for ages. He is as loyal as they come.
“Ah, he sent you two. I see Anthony is nearing retirement?” He pulls us into rough handshakes as he says this. “I never see him anymore.”
“He’s in love,” Luca says, tucking his hands into his pants pockets.
“I know what that’s like. I’ve been with Beth for decades. Wouldn’t change it for the world. Now come. I have the product.”
He turns around and we follow, my gaze moving around the packaging facility. Male and female workers stand in long lines, getting work done as efficiently as possible. I recognize some of them, but there are new faces here too, the others having been killed in the attack months ago. All that damage, all that blood. It’s amazing how quickly Raphael managed to get everything back in working order after that. It’s almost as if nothing happened.
“Anthony told me about the new product on the streets,” he says as he opens his office door and leads us inside. “It’s causing trouble for you?”
“I don’t think it’s affecting the drug side of things, but they do have a terrible habit of dumping dead bodies in our places of business.”
“Are they trying to implicate you in murder?”
“I have no fucking idea why they’re doing it or who’s behind it, but we have a hunch. Remember Henry?” Luca asks.
“That young shit with the earring? Always did have a big mouth and a bad attitude.”
Raphael grabs a brick of cocaine, and I watch as Luca pulls out a knife from his pocket and cuts the end delicately. White powder spills from it, and I see Luca wet his lips in anticipation.
“He was also involved in getting Tatum hurt. Contributed to it, at least. Anthony’s out for blood now. You’ll let us know if you see him? ”
“Will do, Boss. Will do.”
Luca puts the knife up to his nose and sniffs the white powder from the tip before taking a bit more and rubbing it across his gums.
He closes his eyes as Raphael watches.
“Always the good stuff. You never disappoint,” Luca says, opening his eyes, his pupils blown out, his lips curling up at the corners.
“Would you like some?” Raphael asks me, and my stupid gaze turns toward Luca as if asking for permission.
“I’m his driver,” I reply, even though the temptation is real.
“He is. Driving,” Luca says before adding, “Driving me crazy.”
His hand lands on the back of my neck and he leans forward, rubbing his nose up my cheek.
“Will you go into retirement?” Raphael asks dryly as he watches us. “Since you’re in love?”
Luca chuckles and before he can respond, I answer for him. “This isn’t love and no one is retiring.”
It’s quiet, my words hanging awkwardly between the three of us. Luca’s hand slowly falls away from me.
“See, he told you how it is. No love. No retirement. He’s just a slutty hole for my cock.” Luca’s words are clipped with an undertone of anger.
What the hell? Did I say the wrong thing?
Raphael’s eyebrows meet, his gaze pinging between us and then he shrugs, not one to get in the middle of drama. “Alright, come on. Let me go over some logistics. Anthony will want to know what’s happening in Colombia.”
We walk out of the small, cluttered office, Luca ignoring me the entire time.
And I can’t peel my eyes away from him, watching the stiff set of his shoulders, the way his gaze skips over me every time I end up in his line of sight.
By the time we leave, I’m on edge. I can feel his anger pulsing off him in waves .
“Come on, Driver ,” he drawls, sarcasm heavy in his tone as we make our way back to the SUV. “Go on and do your job.”
“Luca, did I say the wrong thing in there?” I ask, but he doesn’t respond, just pulls out his phone and begins swiping at the screen. Whatever high he had is wearing off and he’s leaning back in his seat as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. But he does. He cares.
“You know we need to communicate,” I hiss and then peel out of the parking lot, feeling something akin to fury building up inside of me. Anger for upsetting him and caring that he’s having feelings in general. I’m not used to this side of Luca.
“Are you just going to ignore me the rest of the way home?”
He continues to just stare at his phone.
“Fuck this,” I whisper and turn on the radio, letting harsh music pour through the speakers, wanting to get a reaction from Luca, but getting nothing.
He gives me nothing.
By the time we arrive back at Anthony’s house, I feel rage boiling up within me.
But it’s tamped slightly when we arrive in Anthony’s office and see Lex there, two computers set on the desk, an iPad showing Diablo on the other end of the screen, the two of them clacking and chatting away about Warhammer.
“Where’s Anthony?” Luca interrupts, and Lex peers up, his bright pink hair in stark contrast to his all-black outfit.
“Probably fucking his boyfriend in the walls.”
“Don’t talk about my dad like that,” Diablo says from the screen. “I don’t need to envision it.”
“I only speak the truth. They disappeared behind the bookshelves and then I heard a door close.”
“Shit,” Luca murmurs, and Lex nods.
“Shit is right, you’re distracting me. Shoo, sexy tattooed man. I have work to do.”
I bite back a laugh, my anger subsiding slightly at the way Lex told Luca off .
It makes me feel slightly better.
“I’ll go find them,” I say, but Luca is already striding to the wall behind the bookshelves.
I follow after him, accidentally stepping on the back of his shoe as I go. His foot comes out and he stops, glaring at me.
“Fix it,” he says, and I clench my teeth, folding my arms across my chest and cocking my head.
“You fix it.”
We stare at one another, long and hard, until he reaches out and grabs onto my neck, squeezing roughly.
I maneuver out of the way, not letting him hold me down. Not this time. I’m not going to just let him kiss me into submission. I want to talk. At least a little conversation about what happened back in the warehouse.
Me moving out of his way only irritates Luca further. He pursues me until I’m against the wall. His body crowds mine, and I shove at him, needing space. When he’s like this, I melt. He knows what it does to me.
He steps back and then pushes forward once more.
“Are we going to talk about it?” I growl, and Luca’s face darkens. “Or are you just going to fight me?”
His eyes flash and he steps forward once more.
My hands connect with his chest, and he falls back. I see the anger in his gaze, dark and unyielding.
“ Viktor .”
“Just say what’s bothering you,” I hiss as he prowls toward me once more. “Why are you acting like a fucking crybaby?”
“Let me go find Anthony,” he counters, but I shove him again and this time, he charges toward me, knocking my breath from my lungs as he pins me against the wall.
“Yoohoo, fuckfaces,” a voice says behind him, and I turn to see Lex, hand on his hip, his head cocked in annoyance. “You’re being very disruptive. Can you take this mating dance elsewhere? I’m trying to find the bad man. ”
Luca doesn’t move from where he’s holding me, but I manage a small nod and a response.
“Yes.”
Luca doesn’t let up, but I eventually pry his fingers from me and we push the hidden door open and slide into the caverns which lead beneath the floors.
As soon as we make it to the bottom of the stairs, I turn toward Luca again.
“Stop being like this and tell me,” I hiss, but he doesn’t respond, just pulls out a cigarette and places it between his lips.
I scoff, lighting it despite not wanting to. I want to make him wait, just like he’s made me suffer.
But I don’t. I’m a sucker for him.
He inhales and blows smoke from the side of his mouth, his eyes meeting mine in the dim, flickering lights above us. It smells like earth down here, damp and wet. And now it smells like him.
“What’s there to tell?” he murmurs, and I frown at him.
“I said or did something to piss you off. I need to know what.”
“Why? Do you care, kitten?”
I fold my arms across my chest as he inhales once again.
“I do. Much to my eternal regret.”
“Fine,” he says after a long, drawn-out silence. He flicks his cigarette onto the ground, where it’s snuffed out in a puddle. He takes a step toward me, shadows falling across the sharp cut of his jaw, his eyes shining in the orange light. His strong fingers cup my chin and tighten. “You’re more than a slutty hole. And I better be more than a big cock.”
I swallow at his honesty, my heart swelling in my chest.
Oh fuck, this is so, so bad.
“Fine,” I murmur as his thumb brushes against my bottom lip, pulling it down slightly.
“Fine,” he repeats and then his hand falls from me and he turns on his heel, moving quickly through the tunnels, leaving me to follow closely behind .
As we round a corner, we hear a moan, and Luca’s steps falter.
“Fuck, Lex was right. They are having sex.”
“Anthony!” Tatum cries, his voice echoing through the chambers. “Yes. Right there. Right there!”
“Yes, what he said!” I hear Bane chime in, and Luca huffs a small laugh.
“God, that horny fucker,” he murmurs as we turn another corner and see Tatum bent forward against a wall, Anthony’s cock tunneling in and out of Tatum’s ass. Bane is watching from the side, a cowboy hat on his head, backward.
“What are the chances that hat is made from the skin of a victim?” Luca asks me, and I snort softly.
“Probably.”
“Can I help you?” Anthony asks when he sees us approach. He stops fucking into Tatum and holds himself inside. I force myself not to look. I’ve seen them fuck far too many times, the two of them enjoying us watching.
Bane grumbles under his breath as he not-so-subtly adjusts himself. “You’re ruining the show.”
“We have things to report to you. Lex said you were down here.”
Anthony turns his gaze and runs his hand up Tatum’s back, making him tremble.
“We will be up shortly. You can take Bane with you. He’s getting far too bossy.”
“I’m not being bossy! I have preferences!”
“You can keep your opinions to yourself,” Anthony grunts and then pulls out of Tatum and pushes back into him, making him groan.
Bane’s bottom lip juts out, but he skulks toward us, glancing back as the fucking continues.
“Won’t be long! Oh fuck!” Tatum cries out as we move back through the tunnels.
“I’m sad I’m missing it. They are very fun to watch, but want to see something cool? ”
We glance at each other as Bane grabs our hands and pulls us forward.
“I can’t keep it a secret any longer. Anthony said I could expand the cells. Want to see the addition I’m having made?”
We can’t say no, so we just go silently through the worn, rickety cells and past his usual butchery. There’s someone chained to the chair in the center, head and arms missing.
I bet he’s taking them apart and saving the body parts in those jars of his.
“I’m going to have an interior designer come in and make this place really homey,” Bane explains as he sweeps his hand out before him. It’s just a dirt cave at the moment, and I really can’t envision anything but what it is currently.
“You think that’s really the right move?” I ask, and Bane’s eyebrows meet his hairline.
“Why wouldn’t it be? I want people to feel comfy before I take them apart.”
Luca lets out a small laugh, rubbing at his jaw. “You serious?”
“Of course I am! I’m a great host!”
“We weren’t saying you aren’t, just…surprised is all. This is a new level of fucked.”
Bane gasps and looks around, his eyes wide before he giggles.
“It is. But I like it. I want a washable rug and some nice art on the walls.”
“If that’s what you want, then who are we to stop you?”
“Exactly. Georgiy gave me the idea. His place is so nice and fancy. And anyway, I want an upgrade. I’m a hard worker and deserve it. And a raise. I definitely deserve that.”
Luca’s eyebrows rise. “Don’t you already make more than most? I remember Anthony telling me this.”
“Yes, well, this is my raise. This makeover. I asked for it and I’m going to get it. So what colors do you think the walls should be in here? Blue? Purple? I’m thinking something soothing before I take out their fingernails.”
“God,” I murmur, and Luca laughs, the sound warming my insides.
“God is one thing they’ll be begging for when I get my saws out. Want to see them? Diablo sent me one that I really like.”
We let him show off his tools for a while until Anthony and Tatum appear, both looking slightly wrecked and out of breath.
“Oh, you’re done. How was it?” Bane asks.
“Very nice,” Tatum replies and then waggles his eyebrows. “But I’m exhausted. How an old man like Anthony has such stamina, I’ll never know.”
Anthony glowers at him, but goes ignored.
“I get it. I ponder this as well,” I say, and Luca’s eye twitches.
“I do worry about their knees sometimes,” Tatum adds, and I snort softly.
“I worry about their backs.”
“Oh god, I know. Pretty soon they’ll be using walkers with little green tennis balls on the feet.”
Anthony growls and pulls Tatum into him, kissing him fiercely and leaving Bane shifting on his feet in excitement. Their chemistry ratchets up the temperature in the room by at least ten degrees.
Luca peers over at me and wets his lips.
“I’ll show you just how much stamina I have when we’re alone.”
Bane squeals, fanning himself with his cowboy hat. “Do you want company? I can watch and give pointers.”
“No company and your cowboy hat was on the wrong way,” I say, grabbing it from him, turning it around, and putting it back on his head.
Bane pouts and blinks up at us. But before he can say anything, Anthony interjects.
“We should get back upstairs. If we leave Lex alone for too long, he’ll have this whole place bugged.”
“I told you. Little shit,” I murmur as we all move out of Bane’s space and back up the stairs .
“What if he’s put cameras in our bedroom?” Tatum asks as he links his hand with Anthony’s.
“Then we’ll put on a show,” he replies.
Luca peers over at me and his finger slides up my palm before he twists it around one of mine. We walk like that until we return to Anthony’s office. There we find Lex still on his computer, a teacup in one hand, his mouth stuffed full of food.
“Oh, hi there, horny fucks. That big bodyguard came in here and tried to seduce me with scones.”
Tatum giggles and flops down in the chair next to Lex.
“I had to let him down gently. I’m already taken.”
“I think he was just being nice,” Tatum says and then waggles his fingers. “Did you find anything?”
“No, neither of us have. Yet. But don’t worry, we have a plan.”
“We have thoughts of a plan,” Diablo interjects.
“Thoughts and prayers.”
Tatum laughs and then scoots his chair closer. “I want to see how this all works.”
“Oh, it’s terribly boring, but you’re welcome to stay. Would you like some tea?”
He points to the teapot, and Tatum takes him up on it, leaving Anthony to move behind his desk and take a seat, chatting with Diablo as he goes.
Luca peers over at me and steps closer, his pinky curling around mine.
“Should we take a nice walk?”
“Your back doesn’t hurt? Your knees?”
He scowls at me and leans in, his lips at my ear. “I’ll show you how capable I am, slut.”
I shiver and let him pull me out of the office, hearing Lex jeer as we go, making lewd comments, but they go ignored.
I want Luca to prove me wrong.
We take a long walk around the perimeter of the estate, slowly, our hands linked, stopping occasionally to let him push me up against the fence and kiss me senseless. It’s intimate, personal. I feel like he’s cracking my chest wide open and embedding himself inside of me. It happened three years ago, that night he sank into me, whispered filthy things into my ear…
Oh fuck. I’m ruined.
There’s no going back now.
This is it for me.
“So, you’re no longer grumpy?” I ask, and he bites my bottom lip, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
“I was upset earlier. Not grumpy.”
“You were pouting. Behaving like a child.”
He meets my gaze, his fingers trailing up my arm and curling into my hair.
“You hurt my feelings, Vik. You know I’m a sensitive man. My aunt told you so.”
I roll my eyes, the cold wind whipping around us as I pull him in closer.
“Fine, but tell me this. Are you playing with me?”
“I do like a game.”
“But me. Am I a game?”
He kisses me softly, his tongue sliding into my mouth. I suck on it, moaning around it before he pulls away. I wait for his response, wondering what he will tell me. Wondering if I’ll stop this if it’s nothing more than the chase for him.
“This isn’t a fucking game, Vik,” he finally says.
I let out a relieved breath. “What is it then?”
He presses his forehead against mine and our noses brush.
“Something more.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. And what am I to you?”
I kiss him again and whisper, “Something more. ”
He grins against my lips and then pulls back, grabbing a cigarette. “What would you do without me?”
“Drown.”
I light that damnable thing and watch him inhale, smoke billowing around him.
“You know, this is a terrible addiction.”
“It is, but I’ve been smoking since I was twelve. There’s no stopping it now.”
“Jesus.”
“I’ve stopped a few times, but I quite like it. I’d miss it too much if it were gone completely. And what’s your vice, Vik?”
I bite back that it’s him, that he’s the man I’ve been unhealthily obsessing over since I was a teen. Instead, I swallow the truth.
“I guess sex.”
“You are a horny boy.”
I blush as his fingers move to my groin, stroking me. Arching up into him, I reach out and grab onto his shoulders.
“Oh fuck,” I moan, sensation traveling down my spine.
“Yes. Fucking. You love it, don’t you?”
“I do. Are you going to show me how you can keep up with me? That you’re not a decrepit old man?”
He chuckles and squeezes my cock roughly.
“I’ve shown you plenty. But I’ll make sure you know. Tonight. Maybe I’ll stuff that wet hole with my cock. Would you like that? Would you whine like a whore?”
I gasp as he spins me around, my face up against the fence, my ass against his cock. He grinds against it, the scent of wet grass and smoke filling my lungs.
“Say you’re a whore. My whore.”
I groan and nod, forcing those words from my mouth.
“Will you let me fuck you again?” he asks.
“God, yes.”
“Mm, I’ll make sure I fuck you so good you can’t walk straight the next day,” he says, making me shiver. He arches up against me, the hard shape of his cock dragging against my ass before he pulls away, leaving me trembling and silently begging for more. He presses a kiss against my neck when his phone pings.
He sighs and I let out a shaky breath, feeling topsy-turvy.
“We need to get back to work, pretty boy. Anthony just messaged and told me Lex and Diablo found something.”
“Fuck.”
“I know. He has the worst fucking timing. I wanted to watch you come in your pants.”
I huff and push off the fence, facing Luca who is grinning smugly.
“I wouldn’t have come in my pants, asshole. I have control.”
“You have a hair trigger when it comes to me. I can’t wait to feel that hole flex around my cock tonight. Strangle it.”
A wheeze leaves me as he brushes his hand across my cheek and then links his fingers with mine.
“Come on. It’s good news. Let’s go get this fucker.”