Page 40 of Unfettered

“And when is this board meeting? Will the Senator be there to accept his accolades in person?”

“Two days. Two days and I’ll have it all.” Robert’s voice takes on a dreamy quality and my jaw drops. He’s strung up, has to know he’s going to die, and yet he still thinks he’s going to a fucking board meeting?

“And the Senator?” I cut into his delusions, my voice hard.

Blinking rapidly, he seems to take his predicament a little more seriously. Finally. He tries to shrug, although the aborted movement is unsuccessful given how he’s having to balance.

“I think we have enough, if he’s not going to say anything else,” Tennant murmurs in my ear. I nod and head toward the toys lining the walls.

Humming, I grab a hammer. Such a simple tool. And yet, when wielded correctly, it can be absolute perfection in torture.

“What are you doing?” Robert demands as I come closer, his voice almost squeaking at the end as hysteria creeps in.

“Oh, this?” I glance at the hammer in my hand, as if just noticing it. “This is where I get to work out my frustrations. And you learn that you don’t fuck with me. I may no longer be Il Padrone, but I’m still the monster in your stories, the villain who will go to the end of the world for those I care for—and that includes Dr. Ranlen. Too bad the lesson isn’t going to be something you can use later on.”

“You can’t kill me!” he shouts, his body beginning to shake as fear finally permeates his stupidity. “The Senator will know it’s you! And he’ll crush you!”

“Oh, I hope he knows it’s me,” I purr, before smiling widely. “You’ll have to wait until he joins you in Hell to find out his reaction. I don’t think you matter as much as you like to believe you do. See, I’ve learned that small minds, easily warped with promises of glory, are the perfect prey for the Senator. And you? You fit that bill perfectly. You’re useful so he strings you along, giving you promises to make you do things, to go against those lofty ethics you preach. And blindly, you follow. When you’re gone, he won’t even blink. He’ll just reach into his roster of other idiotic minions for another.”

With that, I lift the hammer up, and using my entire body, swing down to where I hit his toes. His howl of pain is a shot of pleasure to my veins. Fuck, it's almost better than an orgasm at this point.

It’s been so long since I’ve gotten my hands dirty that I want to savor this experience, to soak in the sharp smells of blood and piss—because he will piss himself, eventually—and the anguished screams. I shut everything else out, humming a random song about being happy while I continue to smash his feet to hell.

Thankfully, Tennant moves behind Robert and braces him, so I have more of a target. Such a perfect Daddy. Still, I don’t let myself get distracted from my goal. After his feet, I point to his left knee, and wait until Tennant locks that area down. The trust he shows in me, especially as I’m wielding a hammer close to him, is touching. I’ll have to thank him later for it, and for indulging my need for vengeance.

Each break is accompanied by another howl. It takes both of his feet and his knees before he finally pisses himself. I’m surprised it took that long. From the look on Tennant’s face, it does him as well. Shrugging, I decide we may as well see how far we can push the guy.

“I think he’ll pass out after two more breaks. What do you think?” I ask Tennant as I breathe heavily, resting for a moment. I really need to start training again, if the Council allows it.

“Hmm…I give it three. So far he’s shown more stamina than I expected. But eventually, he’ll pass out. Elbows next?”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” I nod, agreeable to the plan, as long as I can continue feeding the high I’m getting from torturing Robert.

“Fuck, no, please! Just stop!” Robert cries, but I merely roll my eyes. It’s fun to be more open with my expressions.

Letting go of the old Il Padrone has been liberating in ways I didn’t expect. I no longer have to be a perfectly cold mafia Boss. No, now I can be a sarcastic asshole to the rest and it is considered a plus.

I gesture toward the left elbow, and Tennant quickly locks the area down. One hard swing and the sound of crunching bone is glorious. Unfortunately, it appears that both Daddy and I were wrong… Robert is out cold already.

Sighing, I shake my head in disgust. “That just takes the fun out of it.”

“I’m sorry, Sweet Boy. But at least you get to have fun at the board meeting in two days.”

“Really?” I almost bounce on my toes, I’m so excited. I can’t wait to turn in Robert’s resignation, personally. Fuckers. And if I’m lucky, the Senator will be there…

Laughing, Tennant gestures to Robert’s unconscious body. “Take care of this and we can head home.”

“Do you have a gun on you? I’d rather not have to clean off my knife if we can just put a bullet in his head.”

Tennant cocks his head, his eyes narrowing at me. With his deep voice that spells doom, he says, “And where is your gun?”

“Uh…I don’t have one? When we go out on missions, I’m given one, but when we get back, a guard immediately retrieves it from me, as I’m not allowed to keep it.”

I swallow uneasily at the look in Tennant’s eyes. It’s one that speaks to a level of destruction that I really don’t want to see. I have a feeling things get flattened with it.

“Is it the same for Cristian?” The narrowed look he gives me almost has me backing up. I’m unable to find my voice, so I nod instead. “Fucking hell. We’re going to fix this. I refuse to have you both handicapped in such a way.”

“Please don’t cause an issue with the Council. I know they let us live, and that’s far more than either of us expected. But to even have a chance to work with people again… I don’t want to push them if this is what makes them feel safe.”