Page 65 of Bones

With a chuckle, he admits, “It tends to freak them out. I may be an asshole after all, because I enjoy the fear.”

When we reach the bottom and walk into the room, I immediately recognize him. He has the same dark hair, blue eyes, and muscular physique, just an older version of the boy I knew. His normal cocky expression is replaced with one of terror as he trembles in his chair. William’s feet are chained to the same wall I once was, but he doesn’t have much give. There’s a table in front of him and his arms are each in a blue vise. I don’t question what they will be used for, because I’m sure I’ll figure it out soon enough.

“Thank you for waiting,” Luca says, and I giggle, because it’s not like he had a whole lot of choice in the matter.

“Please. Let me go.”

My husband waves his hand to me. “Everything that happens today is my wife’s choice. Whatever she tells me to do will be done. So I suggest you beg her instead of me.”

He raises his head and looks at me through tear filled eyes. “Athena, please. I never hurt you, that was your dad.”

Placing my hands on my hips, I glare at him. “You raped me.”

He shakes his head fearfully, as he glances at Luca. “I never. Why would you say that? I never even fucked you.”

Arching an eyebrow at him, I attempt to help him with his memory. “You fucked my mouth without consent. What would you call that?”

He looks at me with shock. It’s clear that he really doesn’t believe he did anything wrong.

“That’s not even rape.”

The fact that he is so clueless is disgusting, and just tells me Luca should not let him live. How many women has he done this to? I probably don’t want to know.

Luca steps in front of him. “You could’ve helped her, but instead you made her feel disgusting for things she didn’t choose. Knowing she was a victim, you chose to victimize her again.”

I watch as he starts turning a knob and the plates move closer. There’s a faint distant memory of my father using these, when he tinkered in his garage when I was tiny. As the plates touch both sides of his arms, I figure out what’s happening, and it’s going to hurt.

“Wait!” He screams.

“Just fucking wait.”

His face is covered in snot and tears, as he scrambles for the right thing to say, but his words are the last thing I expect.

“You wouldn’t do this to your brother. I’m your brother, Athena. We are family.”

“What?” I ask, while the confusion clouds my brain. He’s not related to me. Why is he saying that?

“I’ve been trying to figure out why my dad was killed. That’s why I was brought here, right?”

“What?”

William screams louder this time, as if I couldn’t hear him. “I’m your fucking brother. I was born first. Dad chose your mom over mine and look how that turned out. Now let me go.”

I glance at my husband in disbelief, and he shrugs. “That’s quite the plot twist, wife. Does it change anything for you?”

Shaking my head, I say, “It does not. Like father, like son, I suppose. Continue.”

Luca turns the knob on his left arm as William screams. I smile at him because he deserves this. Even if he hadn’t done what he did to me, I know Luca would never let him live because he’s a threat to my safety, and one day when we have children, to their safety as well.

“Take a seat, Butterfly. This won’t be quick.”

I do as he says, and watch as he breaks William’s arm. The first time I witnessed this, I was afraid, because I didn’t know if I was next. I know better now. Occasionally, the fear tries to reappear, like when he mentioned the basement. It’s like a programmed response, but in my heart, I know my husband will never hurt me.

He moves to the other arm, and begins the same process he just did with William’s left arm. I listen as he screams for me to help. “Athena!”

I smile at him again. “I’m going to give you the same help you gave me when I asked for it. None.”

Leaning forward with interest, I watch as the sound of bone crunching echoes in the room, and my brutal husband moves back to his left arm, releases the vise, pulls him down by his arm, and locks his bicep into the device. I watch a shirtless Luca begin tightening the vise again, and he is hot as hell. He moves with little effort, his jaw relaxed, and his eyes darting between William and me. He flashes me a delicious smirk. “Wanna help?”

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