63. Kaz
I leftDedushka’s house three days ago. By now, I should have been back home with Caelia. And although nothing should be more urgent than returning to her, this couldn’t wait. She won’t try to run away. She can’t this time. My place is heavily monitored, even if she’s unaware, and an army of guards secures the grounds. Even if she attempts to escape, she won’t get far. Vanya is an asshole who refuses to make things easier for her. I understand his lack of trust in Caelia. He may not comprehend my obsession with her or my need to protect her, but now is not the time for him to be a pain in the ass. I may be his cousin, but I’m still his superior. I’ve instructed him to provide her with everything she needs and asks for.
It’s been over seventy-two hours since I last slept, and I can feel the exhaustion in every fiber of my being. My mind is spinning, thinking about how I should have stayed with her for at least a week. I should have given her a phone, bought her some books, and shown her around. But I can’t seem to think clearly. I didn’t want to return to Mattia so soon. I wanted my men to torture him for a while, but I can’t risk keeping him alive. I can’t afford any more mistakes, like someone else turning against me and setting Mattia free again.
“Where’s Sevastyan?” I ask my twin, whose life hangs by a threat.
We’ve been at this for a while. Mattia’s wrists are bound, and he hangs from a chain, struggling to maintain his balance as he slips in and out of consciousness. His feet barely touch the ground, forcing him to stand on his tiptoes.
“I don’t fucking know!” He spits at my feet.
He’s strong. I’ve been torturing him for the past three days, yet he still stands defiant. He’s been cut, electrocuted, and beaten. Soon, I’ll move on to severing his limbs, one by one. His fingernails have already been ripped out. Perhaps I’ll present his fingers to Caelia. Or maybe his tongue. It would fit, given the venomous words he’s spoken to her.
I’ve lost my excitement yesterday. No amount of torture will erase what he did to her. It won’t make her forget the way he treated her—my stupid twin brother. I wonder how things would have turned out differently if Fiona had kept or sent both of us to Alexei. He messed up a lot, but he’s not weak. He’s not afraid. I recognize those traits in myself. Nothing I do will break him.
Well, perhaps that’s not entirely true. Nothing I’ve done so far has broken him. Ultimately, Ermanno raised him well, although cruel and violent. It’s necessary in our lives, but he should have reserved such behavior for business dealings only, not within his own home and not with his wife.
“Did you enjoy fucking my whore?”
I won’t let his words get to me. I’m past that. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me react.
“Do you mean your wife? She has the most heavenly pussy I’ve ever fucked, Mattia. Not that you would know since she was never wet for you.”
“You can keep her.”
“Don’t worry, I will. I’ll fuck her every day for the rest of my life, making sure she won’t even remember your fucking name.”
She’ll get there. Slowly. He curses me in Italian. He should know better. I’ve had to learn his language to pretend to be him. I’ve spent far too much time learning to be him, all for nothing.
“You see, Mattia, I’ve been thinking about all the ways I could torture you, but I know you won’t break easily. You will eventually, but I don’t have that much time on my hands. Your wife is waiting for me in my bed, all needy, her pussy dripping for me.” I shove my hands into my jeans, taking a step closer to him. “So you’re going to feel exactly what she felt.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
I smile, nodding toward one of my men, who silently exits the basement.
“You’ll find out in a minute.”
“That whore ain’t worth it. She’s a stiff, cold bitch.”
“Here’s where you’re mistaken. You shouldn’t have allowed your brother to touch her, Mattia. Because you’re about to experience exactly what that felt like, and I promise you, you’ll wish you were dead.”
Right on cue, five of my men enter the basement. I’ve chosen men from lower ranks willing to do anything to rise to the top.
“What the fuck are you doing? Stop!” Mattia screams as I take a step back, and one of my men cuts away his clothes with a knife.
“I’ve given you the truth,” I remind him. “I’ve allowed you to do the right thing: stand by your blood. But now, I no longer care about that. All I want is to see you dead.”
“I’ve told you before, Mordvinov. You gave me your truth. We’re different people.”
“That we are indeed.”
I retreat until I can lean against the wall, hands still in my pockets, my face betraying no emotion. The moment the realization of what’s about to happen dawns on his face will forever be etched into my memory. His widened, terrified eyes, his mouth open for a second, covered by one of my men’s hands to prevent him from screaming. The muffled sounds are like music to my ears. I don’t want to watch this fucked-up shit, but I have to. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable, like looking in a mirror, but he didn’t look away when Caelia was raped, and neither will I.
Two of my men hold him still, preventing him from attempting to fight back. There’s no escape. He stands completely exposed, shivering. He is terrified for the first time since I’ve known him. A big man stands behind him, unzipping his jeans. They all know what they are here for. There are whores upstairs who warmed their cocks before coming down. They’ve all been forbidden from coming. I wanted them ready to break him. They can bury in pussy all they want after this is done.
“I wish I could say that we’re going to be done after this, brother,” I mock, “but we’re only just beginning.”
The blonde guy’s cock rips through his ass. Mattia bites down into the hand pressed over his mouth, drawing blood. Idiot. He struggles to keep his features composed, but the pain and shock seep through in fleeting moments.
“Did you enjoy watching Ludovic rape your wife, Mattia? Did your men hold her down, or did you beat her until she was unconscious so she wouldn’t be able to fight back?”
“Fuck you, you piece of shit!” He clenches his eyes shut as my man drills into him, keeping his hips steady.
“Do you remember how many times you did this to her? Because I’ll pay you back until your last breath.”
I’ve done some terrible things in my life, but I never had another man raped. There’s a first for everything, I guess. I feel no remorse. It has to be done.
He gives in, little by little. By the time my third guy is done with him, he breaks down, crumbling, a scream escaping his throat.
“This happens when you touch what isn’t yours, Mattia. Ludovic learned his lesson. May it serve him well in hell. Now it’s time for you to learn yours. By the time I’m finished with all of you, the Benedetti family will be nothing more than a memory.” He snaps his eyes open. If looks could kill, I would burst into flames. “Are you thinking of your wife?” I smirk. “No, Mrs. Benedetti will soon be a widow and change her last name to Mordvinova.”
A man is only as strong as the woman beside him, and I fully intend to make Caelia indestructible. Untouchable.