Page 62 of Cold

“Let’s try again. We’re going to talk about the house, about your brothers, about all of it,” he said as he tightened his fist again. “I’m good to do this all night.”

Sergei spat on Vito. Vito reached up and wiped his cheek. A laugh escaped his lips and his features twisted into something dark and animalistic. I swallowed thickly. I’ve never seen him like this before. Not since that first day.

I stood to the side as Vito worked on Sergei. My arms wrapped around me as if I could protect myself from what I was seeing. But I knew I couldn’t. Sergei’s face, bruised and bloody and drooling, would stay in my memory. Why did a fucked up part of me feel good about what was happening to him?

“You’re ungrateful,” Sergei growled as he stared at me. “I clothed and fed you. I looked after you.” He grinned. “And you writhed on my cock calling me Daddy-”

Vito punched him so hard the chair tipped back and I cried out, screwing my eyes shut as I slapped my hands over my ears again. The battle inside of me grew and I felt the instinct to walk over and save Sergei. But when I finally opened my eyes and gazed up at Vito, I knew who it was that I wanted to stand by.

I need to get you out of my head!

Sergei’s laughter filled the room. “What’s the matter, old man? You don’t want to know how good it felt to drill that little slut’s abused hole every single night?”

“Stop,” I whispered, my face burning as he brought back up old memories that I tried to stuff down every day.

“He liked it too you know.” Sergei grinned up at us. “He couldn’t get enough of my cock. All I would hear was him screaming my name and begging me to fuck him more.”

Vito’s gaze fell on me. I wanted to drop underneath the floor and disappear into the ground completely. Does he view me differently now that he realizes what I am? Just a useless, used-up whore?

Pinpricks of tears stung my eyes and I swallowed down a whimper. “Sergei, stop it.”

Vito growled and hit him again. “That’s enough.”

“And you don’t know half of the depraved shit Romare did for me. You know what, Vito? I’ll tell you a little secret. He enjoyed every last kill.”

“You made me do that shit!” I screamed at him as something snapped inside of me. “If I didn’t kill for you, what did you do, Sergei? You beat me, starved me, locked me up until I complied! And if that didn’t work, you hurt one of the others and made me watch until I apologized!” Tears flooded my vision, but I couldn’t stop. “And every time you climbed on top of me, I hated it!” I choked on a sob and grabbed onto Vito for support. “I hated every single thing you did for me. You destroyed my brain and turned me into a monster. Fuck you. Fuck you, Sergei!”

Sergei glared at me. “You’re going to regret that,” he said. I’m going to make all of them suffer so much worse now because of you.”

My heart shattered into a million pieces. Even if he didn’t leave this room, there were people who would happily carry out any orders that he’d left behind for them. And they’d sell each and every one of the boys that I had been with, grown with. The ones that knew nothing but the life that we shared.

A lump burned in my throat. With crystal clear clarity, I saw the truth of the ugliness that lived inside of Sergei. He couldn’t intimidate or hurt me anymore because Vito would be right there to protect me. And now? I could look after myself too. I was free and I didn’t need a man like Sergei in my life.

“If he’s not going to talk, can I cut out his tongue?” I asked Vito. “He doesn’t deserve to speak after all the vicious lies he’s told.” I didn’t wait for Vito’s answer. Instead, I marched over with my knife and pried his mouth open. When he tried to bite me, I sliced the corner of his mouth and he hissed and cried out in pain. I grabbed hold of his slippery, pink tongue and pressed my blade against it. “Even if you don’t tell me, I’ll find them. And I’ll give them new homes, better homes. You don’t deserve a fucking thing except to die!”

The knife sliced in and blood flowed. Sergei’s eyes widened. I know your weaknesses asshole. Just like you know mine. He was only able to get to me because we were so close, but he’d revealed way too much about himself. I knew how anything involving tongues freaked him out. Every horror movie, every documentary, anything that showed a tongue being cut into made him recoil.

“Stop!” Sergei shouted, all muffled until I let go of his tongue. Panting as he glared up at me. “If you want them, you little bitch, you can have them,” he growled. “But I’m not giving up shit about my brothers.”

“Where’s the house?” Vito asked.

“Savannah,” he spat out. “And the moment you get there, you’ll be shot full of holes.”

Vito smacked him on the side of the head. “Shut up. Give us an address. An exact one.”

Sergei rattled off an address and my stomach unclenched. I looked up at Vito expectantly, but he was already on his phone, talking. He sent people to the address before he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Now tell me about Andrei,” Vito said.

Sergei burst out laughing. “Not even if you pluck out my eyes. My brothers can’t wait to skin each and every one of you.”

Vito raised a brow and gazed at me. “Do you know the other brothers?”

I nodded. “Yes. All of them.”

“Then that’s all I need.”

Sergei’s eyes widened slowly as if he realized he’d just screwed up. He turned his gaze on me and I swallowed thickly as I took a step back.

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