Page 83 of Breaking You Open

Louis picks a knife from the toolbox, drags a chair to Aaron’s side, and sits down, legs wide. Aaron jerks when Louis lays the flat of the knife on the side of his throat and points the tip to me.

“You see him, yeah?” Louis mumbles darkly into Aaron’s ear. “The prettiest boy you’ve ever laid eyes on?”

Aaron glares at me where I stand somewhat awkwardly in front of them.

“From what I’ve heard, you’ve hurt him quite a bit,” Louis continues.

Aaron snorts. “Hurt him? He fucking wanted it, he—”

Louis angles the knife, and Aaron flinches as the sharp part digs in. “Did I say you could talk?” With an almost tenderness to his voice, he adds, “You should apologize to him, don’t you think?”

“Apologize?” Aaron huffs madly, snot and spit flying everywhere. “What do I have to apologize for? I saved him. I took care of him when no one else would. I was the only one who cared about him and who he was. Isn’t that right, Sparrow? Didn’t I care for you?”

His audacity should take me aback, but I just smile and shake my head.

“You didn’t care for me. All you did was hurt me.”

“I saved you,” Aaron snarls. “I should’ve let my friends fuck the shit out of you that one time, remember? I should’ve let them have your worthless holes and fill your emptiness with something of value for once. But now you havehimto do that for you, I guess,” he adds, sending Louis a glare. “You think he’ll take care of you, this animal? You think he’ll hold you and protect you like I did?”

I shake my head. “No. He won’t be like you. He won’t be anything like you.”

“Remember the times you couldn’t keep your hands off me? Remember how you begged me to—arghhh!” His voice cuts off in a snarl of pain when Louis plunges the knife into his lower thigh.

My chest sings with satisfaction at the sight. I’ve never felt like this before, except maybe when I was slicing Eric with the knife or peppering the target with bullets. But all that was fear-filled and crazed. Uncontrolled.

I’m not scared now. I’m fucking thriving.

Aaron keeps screaming until Louis pulls the knife out. I watch the blood seep from the wound and drip to the tarp on the floor.

“You stole a lot from him, didn’t you?” Louis yanks Aaron’s head back up with a vicious grip on his hair. “I think it’s time for you to give a couple of things back. What do you want me to take from him, sweetheart?” he asks, addressing me.

My gaze fixes on Aaron’s clenched fists. I remember how he hurt me with those fists, how he humiliated me with his skillful fingers inside me. How he made me beg, how he made me come. How he made me suffer.

“A finger. Cut off a finger.”

Louis smiles—a slow, cruel smile. “Only one?” He studies the blade, and it glints in the dim lighting.

“W-Wait!” Aaron screams as Louis’s strong hand easily pries his clenched fist open. “Sparrow, please!”

“We’ll start with the pinky, okay?” Louis says. “Then we’ll work our way up. Pinky is not that bad. You’ll see.”

All I can do is watch in amazement as Louis bends Aaron’s pinky to lay flat on the armrest. As the knife closes in, Aaron starts panting madly, his eyes widening in fear as he stares at the knife inching closer and closer to his flesh.

“No, please! Stop! Stop!”

I begged you to stop, but you never obeyed me. And I won’t obey you.

“Sparrow, Sparr—aarrghh!”

My own fists clench at my sides.Yeah, say my name, you bastard. Beg for your life.

I can’t believe I used to love this man. Compared to the man standing next to him, he’s nothing but an insect.

Louis places the finger neatly onto the table, and blood seeps into the wood. I hope Ravi won’t be angry about that.

Aaron wails and thrashes madly, as far as possible with his restrained limbs, making the chair tilt backward.

“Shut the fuck up and sit still,” Louis hisses into his ear.

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