Page 91 of Property of Spike

She lets out a soft, broken laugh, and I hold her tighter. Slowly, her breathing evens out, the tension in her body melting as exhaustion takes over.

I watch her for a long moment, running my fingers gently through her hair. Then, carefully, I slide out of bed and tuck the sheet around her, purposefully avoiding the heavy blanket.

Stepping out into the hallway, I find Abby lingering near the door.

“You’ll sit with her?” I ask softly.

She nods. “Of course.”

I squeeze her shoulder in silent gratitude before turning away.

Bones, Tank, and Knuckles are waiting with our guest.

And I’ve got unfinished business to handle.

***

Chuck is exactly where we left him. Stripped down, strapped to the chair in the middle of the room, and already looking half-dead. His head lolls forward, blood dripping from a gash at his temple where Knuckles got a little too eager earlier. But he’s awake. Barely.

“Rise and shine, motherfucker,” I sneer, gripping his hair and yanking his head up. His bloodshot eyes blink sluggishly, and I can already tell he’s slipping in and out of consciousness. That won’t do.

I nod to Bones, who steps forward and splashes a bucket of ice-cold water over Chuck’s body. He jolts awake, coughing and shivering as the water seeps into the wounds Bones has already carved into him.

“I was wondering when you’d finally check in on us,” Knuckles smirks, flipping the knife between his fingers. “We only played a little. Made sure there was still plenty of canvas for you, Prez. We even sat back and let Tank work out some of his anger issues before he left to deal with club shit.”

Chuck groans, his head swaying as he struggles against the restraints. “Y-you… you’re all dead… men…”

Bones snorts. “You still got jokes? That’s cute.” He crouches in front of Chuck, his expression darkening. “You know, I gotta give you credit, Chuck. You haven’t screamed very loud. Of course, we’re gonna be sure to fix that immediately. But props to you, regardless.”

Chuck spits at his feet, blood and saliva mixing together in a pathetic little puddle. “Fuck you.”

I chuckle, rolling up my sleeves as I step closer. “Nah, see, that’s the problem. You should’ve been more worried about fucking with me.”

I reach for the blade on the table, testing its weight before pressing it just under his ribs. Not deep enough to kill him. Not yet. Just enough to feel it. Just enough to make him suffer.

Chuck hisses through his teeth, his body jerking, but there’s nowhere to go.

“I’m not well adept at Bones’ specialty. He’s neat and tidy. A perfect carving. But, I can still make a blade slice through skin in my own way. This is for my son,” I murmur, dragging the blade along his skin, carving deep enough to make him scream. I don’t stop, not even when his voice cracks.

“There it is,” Knuckles laughs. “I knew you had it in you.”

“This is for Riley.” Another cut. A bit deeper. But not deadly.

“For every goddamn thing you put her through.” And another. This time, I may have pushed a bit harder than I wanted, but damn it, he fucking abused her for years.

Blood drips from his body, pooling on the floor beneath him, staining his skin, but I’m not done. Not even close.

Bones steps up next, gripping Chuck’s jaw and forcing him to look up. “She begged for mercy, didn’t she?” he asks coldly. “Begged for you to stop. But you didn’t.”

Chuck doesn’t answer, his chest rising and falling in short, pained gasps. Bones doesn’t wait for a response. He simply pulls out a blade and slices a thin layer of skin from Chuck’s face. His screams making my cold-hearted friend laugh.

Knuckles hums thoughtfully as he kneels beside Chuck. “See, we were gonna make this quick. But you took your time with Riley, didn’t you? You beat her before you began torturing her, didn’t you?”

He digs the blade into Chuck’s thigh, twisting just enough to make him howl in agony.

“Please…” Chuck chokes out.

Knuckles’ grin is all teeth. “Nah, not yet. I wanna hear you scream a little more. Bones needs your pain in order to feel something. I’d like it very much if my good friend could feel happiness for a little while. So, scream for him, Chuck. Scream as loud as you can.”

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