Chapter 25
Felix
Even though I had a mystery in the house and missing money to find, there was always other business to attend to.
Like today. We found out one of the men who sold our product on the streets tried to work with a rival gang and sell some secrets.
And men like that? We had to make an example out of them.
“I don’t know why you came,” I said to Dino as I heated the poker in the fire. “You aren’t cut out for things like this.”
“It’s not that I’m not cut out for things like this,” he said, swiveling in a chair further back. “It’s just that I don’t like to get my clothes dirty.”
That was a lie. Dino had more than enough money to replace his obscenely expensive suits, but I knew it wasn’t the clothes that mattered. It was the control and fear he inspired.
“So what’s on the torture menu today?” Dino asked as he watched the man struggle against his binds.
His name was Alonzo Papini, and he had been a loyal dealer for us. I wasn’t sure what had made him decide to share intel with the Russians, but now, he was paying the price.
“I guess you’ll be in for a surprise,” I said, letting the sarcasm slip through despite the tension in the room.
Dino’s eyes flicked to me for a fraction of a second, sharp and assessing, before returning to Alonzo. I could feel the weight of my presence pressing down, a quiet warning that whatever surprise was coming, I was in charge—and that thought made a thrill run through me.
Alonzo’s hands twitched at his sides, like he wanted to run but couldn’t. Tears welled in his eyes, and I felt a dark thrill tighten in my chest. He had made a mistake—a costly one—and now he was going to understand just how serious crossing me could be.
I stepped closer, letting my presence fill the space between us. “You thought you could betray us,” I said, my voice low and measured. “Do you have any idea what that costs?”
He swallowed hard, eyes flicking to mine, pleading without words. I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I let the silence stretch, letting him squirm under the weight of his own fear. Every second was a lesson. Every heartbeat a reminder that I was in control.
Then I grabbed the poker. I didn’t hesitate. The hot metal pressed into him, and when I drove it forward, Alonzo screamed, muffled and raw, through the duct tape on his mouth. His whole body jerked violently, but I held him steady, my grip tight.
“How many of these do you think I should do?” I asked him, even though I knew he couldn’t respond.
Alonzo shook his head frantically, tears streaking through the grime on his face, his eyes wide with pure panic.
“I think you should just go until the steel cools down,” Dino said nonchalantly. “Wouldn’t want to waste all the time you spent heating it up.”
I couldn’t help the low chuckle that escaped me. Dino could be grating, but he did have some damn good ideas.
“You know,” I said, leaning closer to Alonzo, letting the heat of the poker press just enough to remind him I was still in charge, “I might just take that advice.”
I stabbed Alonzo’s bare skin for fifteen minutes, driving the hot metal into him over and over.
He thrashed and jerked, muffled screams rattling through the duct tape, tears streaking his face.
I held him steady, my grip firm, every movement deliberate.
Sweat slicked my palms, but I didn’t relent.
Each stab was a warning, each hiss of metal on skin a lesson in fear.
Time stretched until it blurred. The hot air, the scent of burnt flesh, the sound of his ragged breaths filling the room. I watched his eyes widen with every touch, felt the raw panic radiating off him, and I let it sink in that this was entirely my control.
Finally, the steel cooled enough that it wouldn’t leave marks. I paused, breathing steady, letting him realize he had survived, but only because I allowed it. He slumped, shivering and broken, and I felt the thrill of dominance settle over me like a cloak.
I ripped the duct tape off, and he was too weak to even scream.
The only sounds he could make were low, ragged moans of pain that reverberated through the room.
His body shook beneath my hands, every muscle trembling, and I could see the mix of fear and relief in his eyes—relief that I’d stopped, fear that I could start again at any moment.
I let my gaze linger on him, letting the silence stretch, letting him feel just how completely he was at my mercy. Every shallow breath, every whimper, was a reminder: this was my world, my rules. And crossing me came at a price he would never forget.
“Please,” he panted hoarsely, barely able to speak. “I swear I’ll never say anything again.”
Dino watched with a sharp, interested glint in his eyes, leaning slightly forward as if he couldn’t wait to see what I had planned.
Alonzo, on the other hand, shrank back, trembling, eyes wide with pure panic.
Every instinct screamed at him that whatever was coming next would only make the last fifteen minutes look mild.
I knelt beside the bag and unzipped it slowly, letting the sound linger in the air. Then, I pulled out a machete and small knife from the bag.
“Good choice,” Dino said, nodding his head.
Alonzo, on the other hand, screamed and begged for mercy.
“First,” I said, walking up to him with the small knife. “We’ll make sure you never talk again.”
I yanked his mouth open, forcing him to look at me, and before he could react, I slid the blade across his tongue.
His scream was raw and high-pitched, every sound a violent echo of the betrayal he had committed.
Blood spilled into his mouth, and I held him steady, letting him feel the full weight of his actions—and of my control.
“Next,” I said, switching to the machete. “We’ll take off your hands so you can’t write anyone.”
Alonzo’s eyes widened in sheer terror, his body trembling violently against the restraints.
I didn’t rush. Every second I lingered, machete in hand, was a reminder that he had crossed a line he couldn’t come back from.
I pressed the machete against his wrists, feeling the heat of fear radiate off him.
His body jerked violently, but I held him steady, one hand gripping his arms, the other poised with the blade.
Then, with a swift, controlled motion, I brought the machete down.
He screamed, muffled and raw, his body convulsing against the restraints.
Blood spattered, warm and slick, and I held him steady, keeping the blade precise, measured.
After, I repeated the same thing on his other hand. When it was over, I stepped back slightly, letting him sag in the restraints, bloodied and broken. Obedience had been carved into him, and there was no question that he wouldn’t betray us again.
“Ugh,” Dino said from across the room. “How did you manage to get the blood so far? It’s on my shoe.”
“I think you’ll survive,” I responded, letting a small smirk tug at my lips.
Alonzo had passed out from blood loss and pain, slumping limply in the chair.
His body went completely still, and the only sound in the room was Dino getting out of the chair and standing.
I exhaled slowly, letting the adrenaline drain just a fraction, though the thrill of control still hummed under my skin.
“What are you going to do with him?” Dino asked, motioning towards Alonzo’s motionless body.
“Eh, if he manages to survive the blood loss he can keep his life,” I said, walking over to the bag to put the knives back in. “He’s Gianni’s cousin. And I’m feeling benevolent.”
“I don’t think you know what that word means,” Dino chuckled, shaking his head.
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“By the way, I got those documents you asked for,” Dino said, opening his briefcase.
I forced a casual tone, leaning against the table. “Good work,” I said, keeping my eyes on him but my mind racing. Every instinct told me to grab them, hide them, and make sure no one—not even Dino—got too curious. But his nosy ass had probably read them front to back.
“This is the girl living in your house, right?” he asked as he passed me the documents.
How the fuck did Dino even know about that? Fuck. You couldn’t hide anything from him; he would figure it out. Every move someone made, every secret they tried to keep, he would figure it out. It was like he had a sixth sense for what to investigate.
I didn’t say anything and just ripped the papers out of his hand, clutching them tightly.
Dino tilted his head, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips. “Alright, then. I’ll leave you to your business,” he said, voice light and airy.
I didn’t respond as he waltzed out of the room, instead focusing on Tessa’s medical documents in front of me. Shots she had gotten, allergies to peanuts, a concussion when she was fifteen. No mentions of birth control.
My cock twitched in my pants. Tonight would be the night my restraint broke.
It was late when I got home—not late enough for Tessa to be asleep, but late enough that I imagined her in her pajamas, curled up on her bed, the soft glow of the TV or a book’s page illuminating her face.
Sure enough, as I walked up the stairs to the second floor I could hear the muffled sounds of the television coming from her room.
I paused at the top of the stairs, listening to the faint murmur of the TV and the soft rustle of her movements.
My pulse quickened, a heat spreading through me I couldn’t ignore.
Every step closer made it harder to think, harder to keep control, as the thought of her—so soft, so fertile—made my desire pulse stronger.
Fuck. I had no idea how she’d managed to do this to me. Before her, the idea of kids and a family had never crossed my mind. Now? Knocking her up was on my mind 24/7.