Page 28 of Blood and Lies (A Twisted Duet 1)

Chapter 10

CASTELLO

I sat at the end of the dining table, never taking my eyes off her. Bound by her wrists, kept in place by chains, and semi-naked, Tatum looked like a fucking offering…which she was. The sight of her was an offering to every man present, and judging by all the glances and profanities spewing from their mouths, they loved it.

So did I.

I’d have been lying if I said seeing her that way didn’t do things to me—wicked, twisted, perverted things. All I thought about while I stared at her was how much I wanted to pinch those pink, hard nipples of hers earlier. How much I wanted to suck them until they were swollen, bite them until she moaned with pain and pleasure. I thought about how she would look hanging from the ceiling of my bedroom, suspended by ropes and chains, completely at my mercy.

Fuck.

I knew I was a twisted son of bitch, but it never crossed my mind that this game, this plan, would tease and aggravate that part of me. I was convinced the part of me hungry for revenge would be stronger, that I would be able to do this without giving in to my most twisted desires.

Now, watching her, all vulnerable, humiliated, scared, and completely at my mercy—now I wasn’t so fucking sure.

I tilted my head, assessing her, studying her, trying to figure out if it was her that provoked my darkness or just the thought that I could do with her whatever the fuck I wanted. It could probably have been any other woman, and I’d still feel the pressing need to let go of all my inhibitions and embrace the wickedness stirring in my veins.

Goddammit, who am I kidding?

It was her. It was her fight, her weakness, the fact that I couldn’t figure her out.Thatwaswhat made my spine tingle and my skin burn.

Tatum stopped crying about half an hour ago, and with every man walking up to her whispering what I could only guess were sordid details of what they would like to do to her, her face hardened. Not once did she try to respond in any way. The entire time she just stared vacantly in front of her, like she was trying to shut everyone out—like she was compartmentalizing. Strength…that was what I saw while I stared at her.

“Will your mother be joining us?”

I looked up as Uncle Gino took a seat next to me.

“This is a men-only gathering, but knowing my mother, she will make an appearance.”

He chuckled. “Knowing her, she would, yes.”

Uncle Gino was my dad’s middle brother. Of all the men in our family, I always thought he was the most controlled and composed. At family gatherings, he would be the one sitting at the end of the table just watching everyone, listening, calculating…evaluating. It was as if he preferred to take a step back and watch from the outside, see what no one else on the inside could see.

Uncle Gino took a sip of his drink. “She seems like a beautiful woman.”

I continued to watch Tatum, preferring not to respond.

He turned in his seat toward me. “How are you holding up, son?”

Surprised, I turned and stared at him with narrowed eyes. “I’m good. Everything is going according to plan.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

I frowned. “I’m holding up well, Uncle Gino. You do not have to be concerned.”

“But I am concerned.”

“I won’t fail, Uncle. You don’t have to worry about that.” I turned away from him, irritated and annoyed, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

“I’m not questioning whether you will fail, Castello. I know you can pull this off. What I’m concerned about is the aftermath of when all this is done.”

I shrugged. “When all this is done, then we can finally move on.”

“Will you be able to?”

Goddammit.I glared his way. “Will I be able to what?”

“Move on?”

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