Page 36 of Blood and Lies (A Twisted Duet 1)

With controlled calmness, I straightened my shirt sleeves while I secretly fumed on the inside. “Miss Linscott will be taken care of as planned.”

“That’s not enough,” Vico said, loud enough for every member in the dining hall to hear. “We want to share in it. We have the right to witness some of the penance she pays for her sins.”

This wasn’t a mere request. It was a challenge, in front of all the men of our family. He might never admit it, but I knew that deep down he thought he was the better man to lead the family. On numerous occasions, he would make it known that I didn’t have the spine or the balls to take our family to the top. What his idea of “the top” was, I didn’t know. We already had everything—money, power, respect. What the hell more did he want?

“What exactly did you have in mind,littlebrother?”

Vico lifted a brow, clearly taking offense in my use of the wordlittle. Good. It was intended to be offensive.

Nicollo leaned in, whispering something to Vico. Immediately, I knew whatever was about to come out of Vico’s mouth next, I wasn’t going to like it since Nicollo was the devil sitting on Vico’s shoulder, urging him to do his wicked bidding.

A sly grin started at the corners of Vico’s mouth. “Lashing. The slut needs to be punished with lashes. Let her experience just a sliver of the pain we have to bear because of her.”

There were a few voices echoing around in the dining hall in agreement, and I knew right then that this was a request I couldn’t ignore or deny.

Vico stepped forward. “You are the boss, and the pleasure of taking revenge is yours. But I lost a brother too, a father. So let me be the one to deal the lashes. Give me the chance to feel like my pain is also being acknowledged.”

Motherfucker. He was playing the sympathy card. And by the way most of the men nodded and answered in agreement, it was fucking working. Vico was forcing my hand, putting me in a corner where I had no choice, unless I wanted to show weakness—which in this case, I didn’t. I couldn’t afford to show any kind of weakness, not when everyone came tonight to see me play the part of the new Boss.

I glanced at Uncle Gino, who gave me a slight nod, confirming I had no choice.

“Fine.” I didn’t look at my brother. “Five lashes.”

“Ten,” Vico countered, his eyes sparkling with malice. The solid determination on his face and the clear support of the crowd left me no choice but to concede.

With a deep sigh, I lifted my hand, gesturing for him to go ahead. Another round of cheers erupted, the sound of glass clinking together echoing in my ears like nails on blackboard. As I watched every face around me, beaming with excitement at the prospects of a woman getting beaten, a chill ran down my spine. We were fucking savages.Iwas a fucking savage.

I gritted my teeth as I watched Vico remove his belt, folding it in half and snapping the straps together, sounding like a gunshot.

Tatum squirmed, more blood running down the side of her mouth from the rope cutting into her flesh. Vico stalked around her, circling her while never taking his hungry, vicious, black eyes off her. It was there, on his face, his intention to hurt her as much as humanly possible. I’ve never seen this amount of hate, this intense need to harm and destroy in Vico before. It was like he flipped a switch and went from just a mere arrogant pain in the ass to a resolute warmonger.

But did I not have the same intention when all this started? Did I not still have that intention brewing inside my gut, to destroy and harm Tatum Linscott?

I moved through the crowd, unintentionally stepping in next to Uncle Gino. He didn’t say anything, but I felt the apprehension radiate from his stance.

Vico came up behind Tatum, placing his hands on her shoulders, whispering something into her ear. I could just imagine what kind of disgusting, perverted things he was saying to her. Her eyes closed, more tears streaming down her face. I’d never seen a person cry so much.

The sound of fabric being torn resounded around us. Vico had torn the entire rag off her body, leaving her completely and utterly naked.

A slight twinge throbbed against my ribs, but I ignored it. I also ignored the urge to walk up to Vico, punch him in the face, then carry Tatum out of there, to my room, where I would be the one dealing the lashes…right before I fucked her.

My heart stuttered as Vico took a step back, lifting his hand in the air. And then the sound of the first lash caused my ears to ring. Tatum moaned with the rope in her mouth, the chains above her rattling and clinking together as she swayed from the force.

The second lash was even louder, Tatum’s scream muffled by the rope. Then the third blow fell. The more Vico struck her, the darker his eyes became, his features hard and unyielding. He loved it, and the worst part, I couldn’t blame him. All I could think about was whipping her ivory skin into a gorgeous shade of red, to give her pain…but for an entirely different reason.

Four…five…

Tatum’s screams and moans got softer and softer, her head no longer held up high. It seemed like she had somehow cut off from what was happening to her, like she no longer registered the pain being inflicted on her body. The very unwelcome twinge inside my chest intensified with every lash. I bit the inside of my mouth, desperately fighting the urge to stop it all. Her soft cries and whimpers, the way her body swayed, and the sound of the chains complaining above her had me feeling like I could tear my own goddamn skin off—or Vico’s.

Six…seven…

“You need to stop this, Castello.” Uncle Gino turned toward me. “Stop this now.”

I didn’t think. I just acted by storming through the crowd toward where Tatum hung like a rag doll from the roof.

“Stop!”

Vico’s hand paused mid-air, and I grabbed the belt from his grip. “That’s enough.”

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