My peace was shattered when the door opened and a bulky figure filled the doorway. I blinked against the sunlight, but I knew who it was before he even opened his mouth.
Gino left the door open as he came inside, followed by two of his men. I wasn't surprised when they stayed near the doorway, watching but not participating. They were there to make sure I didn't get loose while Gino did…whatever the fuck he was going to do to me. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Pain exploded across my jaw as his fist connected with my jaw. The taste of blood, metallic and coppery, filled my mouth. He grabbed a fistful of my hair, wrenching my head back. "You always were a pain in my ass," he growled, his breath hot and fetid against my cheek. "Killing my men. Stealing my daughter!" His upper lip lifted into a sneer. "I knew you had her. You think you're above me now. But I'll break you again, boy. Just like I did before."
I spat a mouthful of blood into his face. "Fuck you," I rasped.
He laughed, a cruel, mirthless sound that sent chills down my spine as he wiped at his face with the sleeve of his jacket without letting go of my hair. "I'm glad you haven't lost your spirit," he told me. "It'll make this so much more fun."
Releasing me, he ambled over to a weathered wooden table I hadn't noticed when they'd thrown me in here. They'd closed the door, shutting off the light, before I'd had a chance to really look around. He picked something up off the table and turned to face me. The crackle of electricity filled the air, blue sparks dancing along two metal prongs. The acrid stench of ozone assaulted my nostrils.
I was well acquainted with the cattle prod in his hands. Narrowing my eyes, I cocked my head, waiting for the fear that would paralyze a normal man. But although I wasn't looking forward to being shocked, immobilizing terror never came. "You won't break me," I told him. "At least not before I kill you."
"We'll see about that, boy." He pressed the prod against my side and white-hot agony ripped through me. My body convulsed, muscles seizing and spasming as the current tore through me. I bit back a scream, determined not to give him the satisfaction. Pain, I could handle. Pain was home.
When it was over, I rolled to my side and sat up, breathing hard. Gino's eyes were bright with excitement, and a large bulge stretched out the front of his pants. This was what he lived for. I wondered how many other boys, or men, he'd tortured like this for no other reason except that it got him off. Causing pain was foreplay to someone as sick as Gino.
He shocked me again and again, until my body went slack from the pain. When he didn't get the reaction from me he hoped for, he decided he was bored and threw the cattle prod back onto the table. Every muscle in my body was sore and my nerve endings were on fire. My mouth hung open as I sucked in air and spit ran down my chin. Turning my head, I wiped my beard on my shoulder.
I wasn’t so foolish to think he was done with me. But when my eyes caught his, I smiled, imagining the way he would scream like a woman when I carved open his stomach, reached through his guts, and pulled out his balls.
Gino drew back for a moment before his expression hardened. Stalking toward me, he grabbed the collar of my shirt. I reacted violently to the touch of his fingers on my bare skin, jerking backward so hard the material ripped.
No. No. NO!
I could take pain. I could take torture. But his hands on my body…his dick in my ass…his fat body fucking me in front of his men as they laughed and spit in my face…
The memories of my past burst into my conscience and I was suddenly a child once again. My entire body began to tremble violently. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't stophim. I was too small. Too weak.
Just as the screams I'd suppressed welled up in my throat, the sound of gunfire shattered the air. Shouts and screams followed, along with the unmistakable staccato of semi-automatic weapons.
Releasing my shirt, Gino whirled around, his eyes widening in shock and rage. "What the hell is going on out there?" he roared. "Go! Go!" he shouted to the guards at the door. He pulled his gun from inside his jacket and ran out of the building, leaving me sagging against my bonds.
Closing my eyes, I swallowed hard.
More gunfire, closer this time. Fighting the demons in my head who at last had decided to come out and play, I struggled to get to my feet, but kept falling over.
Tires crunched on gravel outside and dust floated through the open doorway. A flicker of hope sparked in my chest when I heard my name. Luca and Enzo. It had to be.
Perhaps I'd underestimated my friends.
After a few anxious seconds, Luca charged in, his gun drawn. Relief crashed over me at the sight of him and my breath hitched as something caught in my chest.
"Tristan!" Luca's eyes widened in horror as he took in my battered state. "Jesus Christ. Are you all right?"
I nodded, unable to find the words to speak.
He holstered his gun and drew a wicked-looking knife, slicing through my bonds with quick, efficient strokes. I collapsed forward and he caught me, lowering me gently to the floor as my shoulders screamed in agony.
"I got you, T," he murmured. "I got you. Let's get you the fuck out of here."
I tried once again to stand, but my knees buckled beneath me. Luca caught me before I hit the ground, his strong arms wrapping around my waist. A violent sound was wrenched from my throat and my body tried to jerk away, but he held me fast. "I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice low and soothing. "I'm sorry, but I've got to get you out of here."
He half-carried, half-dragged me from the building and into the waning sunlight. I squinted against the glare, my eyes watering from the sudden brightness. The scene that greeted me was one of utter chaos.
Bodies littered the ground, their blood staining the dusty earth a deep crimson. Enzo was behind the SUV, covering our escape. Blood stained his white shirt and black jacket, as it did Luca's, but neither of them appeared injured. Bullets hit the vehicle and the dirt all around him, and he returned fire whenever he could.
He turned as we approached, his eyes widening at the sight of me. "Cazzo," he swore. "What the hell did thatbastardodo to you?"
