NICO POV
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, Lila 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 be 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 it until it was swollen, bite it 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 that 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 to the side, 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 to. 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's her. It's her fight, her weakness, the fact that I couldn't figure her out. That's what made my spine tingle and my skin burn.
Lila 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's what I saw while I stared at her.
"Will your mother be joining us?"
I looked up as Uncle Lucas 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 Lucas was my dad's middle brother. From 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's like he preferred to take a step back and watch from the outside, see what no one else on the inside could see.
Uncle Lucas took a sip of his drink. "She seems like a beautiful woman."
I continued to watch Lila, 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 good, Uncle Lucas. 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 or not, Nico. 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?"
For a few seconds we just stared at each other. I didn't know what the right answer was to that. Would I be able to move on? Revenge won't bring my brother back, but it might make the pain of losing him a little less...I hope.
"I'll be fine." I turned away from him, and spotted Damon coming in through the door with his entourage of cousins and nephews. There was one cousin in particular I didn't like. Rex Moretti, oldest son of Uncle John, my father's youngest brother. Rex was the same age as Damon, which was probably why they always seemed to be glued together.
I've always blamed Rex for Damon rebellious side. Rex was one of those friends who would help you pave your own damn path to Hell while he stood on the sideline to watch you burn.
When Damon spotted lila, he immediately walked toward her. There was no mistaking the malicious look in his eyes as he stared at her, the way he licked his lips like he was about to tear into a piece of meat. But that's what she was, right? A piece of meat showcased to stir everyone's appetite.
"You've been staring at her the entire night." Uncle Lucas voice interrupted my thoughts. "She's been put on display for that reason" I gave him a sideways glance "to be stared at."
"Sure." He nodded. "But every other man here looks at her like she's just a worthless slave they'd like to fuck...or kill. Yet you, you look at her like you see something no one else does."
Observant motherfucker.
I downed my glass of scotch and stood up from my chair. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Uncle. And feel free to go sample the worthless slave displayed for your amusement." There was no hiding the sneer in my voice. I couldn't help it. The old man was working on my last goddamn nerve, pressing all the wrong buttons. Like I said, Uncle Lucas liked to assess from the outside looking in and he saw exactly what I didn't want to acknowledge myself, let alone have someone else see.
Grabbing myself a new drink, I sauntered over to Damon still standing only a few inches away from lila, saying something to her. All the guys around him were laughing and cursing, drinking and enjoying the fucking show. What they didn't grasp was that lila wasn't put on display for their goddamn amusement. It was part of her atonement, her family's penance for killing my brother. Not a goddamn peep show.
"I cannot wait until my brother is done with you, when it's finally my turn," I heard Damon say to her. "He only plans to break you, but when it's my turn, I will fucking shatter you...after I push my cock down your throat, using you like the slut you are." He grabbed her breast in his hand and squeezed, causing her to groan and whimper.
"Damon." I stepped up behind him, but he didn't turn around. "Why don't you go grab yourself a drink?"
"Thanks, brother, but I'm not thirsty right now." He leaned closer to her. "Not for a drink anyway." His other hand moved up the inside of her thigh, and my blood immediately scorched my veins as I watched him touch her.
"Damon! I said, go grab yourself a motherfucking drink."
He turned to face me, and we both glared at each other. It was the mighty stare-off between brothers, one trying to intimidate the other without saying a word.
From the corner of my eye I saw his thumb stroke the skin of her thigh and at that moment all I thought was if he moved that hand another inch, I would fucking break it.
"Fine." He stepped away, taking his hands off her. Immediately I felt my blood settle, the jealousy dissipating. Jealousy? What in the name of ever loving fuck was that about? Why would it bother me when Damon touched her? She was hanging from the ceiling half naked, for God's sake, so why can I not handle the sight of my brother's hand on her body?
Damon straightened his gray suit jacket, a smug grin plastered on his face. "We still have an entire evening ahead of us. Still lots of time to sample the slut."
His entourage of stupid fucks laughed as they started walking toward the bar behind me. Of course, Rex had to prove what a dick he was by bumping his shoulder against mine accidentally on purpose.
Rex might be family, but I couldn't stand him.
Taking a deep breath, I glanced back and saw them all huddling around the bar. I was going to have to keep a closer eye on Damon. His need for power, to prove to everyone that even though he was the youngest Moretti man, he had the balls to be a bad ass had the potential to ruin everything.
When I turned back around, lila head was hanging down, her eyes closed. There was a tiny drop of blood slowly easing down the side of her chin from where the rope had cut her at the corner of her mouth. She was exhausted, weak, and bordering on malnourished. But that's just too goddamn bad. The evening was far from done.
I stepped closer. "lila."
No response.
I walked right up to her taking her chin in my hand and lifting her face.
"lila?"
Her eyes opened as her head lolled from side to side. I gripped her chin tighter, forcing her to look at me.
"Don't fall asleep on me now, little pet. I need you fully aware for the next few hours."
A waiter who stood a few feet away brought over a tray of champagne at the snap of my finger. Grabbing a glass, I yanked the rope out of her mouth and saw the rawness it had caused in the corners.
A soft moan echoed from the back of her throat as I brought the glass up to her mouth.
"Open."
She didn't. In fact, she forced her mouth closed and tried to pull her face away from me.
"lila, stop being so fucking stubborn and just open your goddamn mouth."
"No," she whispered.
A tear slipped down her face and I placed my thumb over it when I started squeezin
g her cheeks, forcing her to open her mouth.
"I swear to God, woman, do not test my patience. Now open your fucking mouth."