Chapter 9 Caterina
Caterina
I sharpened the blade one last time before turning to face the filth dangling from my basement ceiling.
He was in the basement for three days getting tortured by my men, Spencer, and Luca while I made sure my wife was okay.
Luca did a number on him already, but now I would end his pathetic excuse for a life for what he did to Harlow and Lizzy—past and present.
I wanted him to burn, and I would make sure his death was painful.
My heels clicked on the cement floor as I walked deeper into the basement.
It smelled like blood, sweat, and chemicals down here.
Lucifer and Titus were in their secret chamber I had specially built to make a dramatic entrance, waiting to be released.
I wondered if Spencer came down to do her artwork with acid or not.
Either way, Xavier would pay for all the pain and misery he had caused in his useless life.
He would regret the day he met Vincenzo and made his life goal to harm innocent women and girls.
Luca and Malachi stepped back as I wrapped my fingers around my knife.
This was going to bring me more joy than it should have.
He hurt my wife, and for that, he would pay.
No one, not even the worms in the dirt, would miss him.
I had plans, detailed, gory plans that would last for hours until his final breath blessed the pits of hell.
Xavier glared at me with his good eye. “What are you going to do, stronza?” I stabbed him in the shoulder, twisting the blade. “Oh, fuck, you stupid cunt.”
I stabbed him again. “Strong words for a weak little man.”
He laughed bitterly. “Weak? Why don’t you ask that whore how weak I am?”
I grabbed his jaw and stabbed him in the groin. He hissed in pain as blood coated my fingers. “A weak man has to force a woman to sleep with him.” I twisted the blade, and he struggled against his restraints as I dug my nails into his jaw. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
Malachi hit the release switch as he and Luca left the room, releasing my killers.
They both ran to me instantly. Titus and Lucifer both missed Harlow, but I didn’t want them to visit her just yet until she was healed more.
After this, I would make sure they were clean before letting them into our bedroom. I knew Harlow missed them, too.
“Titus, back.” Titus went further back, his tail at attention. I pointed at Xavier’s hip, the same area where he shot my wife. “Attack.” Titus gaited before lunging and sinking his teeth into his hip. Xavier’s jaw locked as his feet brushed against the ground.
“Toglimelo di dosso!” Get it off me! Xavier swapped to his native tongue when panicked. “Fuck. Please!”
I cocked my head to the side. “Please? Stai implorando pietà?” You’re begging for mercy? “Did my wife get mercy?” Titus growled, his jaw clenching tighter on Xavier’s body. “Heel.” He released Xavier’s body and stepped back to sit next to his brother. “You don’t get mercy, stronzo.”
I wanted Xavier to feel pain and not die a quick death. Death would be an easy way out for him, but I would make his last remaining hours on Earth painful until he was begging. He would pay for what he did in the past and attempted to do today.
“Lucifer, ready.” Lucifer got into his attack position and stood at attention, waiting for my command.
I pointed to his groin. Lucifer wouldn’t rip anything off, but he would make him hurt even more.
“Attack.” Lucifer lunged, sinking his teeth into Xavier’s groin.
Xavier screamed in agony as I let Lucifer dangle for a moment before I commanded him back to me.
They would enjoy tearing his flesh from his body, but I had to finish tormenting him first.
I grabbed his jaw, digging my nails into his flesh. “Sei spazzatura, stronzo. E non vedo l’ora di farti urlare.” You are trash, asshole. And I can’t wait to make you bleed.
For three hours, I cut, stabbed, and removed body parts until his curses turned into whimpers.
I wanted him to pay for what he did to Harlow.
Maybe I went a little overboard with the torture, but it was a sign of what would come for Vincenzo.
Xavier would be a message for him and a warning: he better leave Harlow alone and forget about her, because if he touched her again, he would wish for a fate worse than death.
My nails dug into Xavier’s limp penis, grasping it so the knife glided through the worthless flesh.
Xavier screamed, his body thrashing which made the cut jagged and uneven, but when the two were separated, I held his measly cock up and smirked.
There were tears streaming down his face as he sputtered and cursed.
I seized his jaw, the rough texture of his beard scratching against my palm. Forcing his mouth open, I shoved the severed appendage into his mouth until he gagged. “Brucia nell’inferno, stronzo.” Burn in hell, asshole.
I smiled as I watched my boys tear his flesh from his body and add to his torment.
There were still a few people who wanted him to pay, so I stopped them from killing him.
I told everyone to scatter when I took them out of the basement.
We were going to test our theory and see what would happen if Titus and Lucifer were around other women, but not until Harlow was healed.
When my boys were clean, I left them in my office while I walked back into the basement where Spencer was casually waiting for me. She was itching to get her hands on him.
“Can I play with him now?”
“He’s all yours. Clean your mess when you’re done.”
“Is he still alive?”
“If you stop the blood loss, maybe you’ll get a few more hours with him.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, I haven’t used fire in a while.”
When I finally stumbled into my bedroom with the boys at 2:00 a.m., Harlow was sound asleep, her breathing soft and even.
Her face was serene, her chest rising and falling gently as she slept peacefully.
Since I brought her home, she’d been plagued by vivid nightmares, waking in a cold sweat, and repeatedly apologizing for disturbing me.
But I told her she was never a burden. I’d be there with every nightmare, panic attack, and bad day that she had.
I would be the light in the darkest shadows of her life and help her conquer her demons.
Titus and Lucifer jumped in my bed and snuggled with her as I walked into my bathroom to shower. Torturing that sick fuck took longer than I expected, but it was in the heat of the moment and releasing pent-up aggression.
I scrubbed my skin and hair several times until his blood no longer clung to me and the water ran clear.
When I turned to wash my face under the spray, I heard the shower door open before feeling a small form pressing against my back and soft lips leaving kisses down my back.
Harlow wrapped her arms around my waist, her soft hair brushing against my back as her head rested there.
We stayed like this for a few moments before I swiftly turned and pulled her into my arms.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. My hip hurts.”
“Then why are you out of bed?”
Her good arm encircled my neck, her fingers gently brushing against my skin.
“I missed you. I heard you in the shower and I wanted a kiss.” She rose onto her toes, her lips brushing against mine, a soft touch that sent shivers down my spine.
The world dissolved into the taste of her skin, warm and familiar against my lips.
“You know, kissing you is still one of my favorite things.”
“Yeah? What’s your favorite?”
I kissed her again, this one deeper than before until I pulled away and left her breathless. “Loving you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re a sap, but I love it. Thank you.”
“You don’t have to tell me thank you each time I kill one of them.”
She pressed her forehead against mine. “I know. It still feels odd that they are finally getting what they deserve. Should I feel bad?”
“Harlow, I told you I would destroy every person who harmed you. And it is a promise I plan on keeping, even if I have to paint the streets of Chicago red.”
“I love you.”
“Ti amo, bella, with my whole heart. We’re taking a trip to New York in a few days and we’ll plan a birthday trip to the Met.”
Harlow’s eyes filled with tears that the shower failed to hide. I wiped her cheek as she let out a broken sob. “God, I wish my mom were here. She’d love you for giving me this life.”