I move the knife to the other hand. Deacon tries to jerk it away but with the barb wire biting into his wrists, he can’t go far. I’m sure if he still had his dick, he’d be pissing himself right now. As it is, the foul stench of shit permeates the air.
Four more fingertips fall to the floor.
I flash my teeth at him, letting him see the enjoyment on my face. I walk around until I’m standing behind the chair.
“Tell me, Dad. Do you regret hurting Rella and me now?”
His sniveling cries are pitiful as he jerks his head up and down.
I grip the hair on top of his head and yank back. Bending low, I put my mouth at his ear. “That’s too fucking bad. There’s no amount of pain I could put you through that could compare to what you did to us. What you did to Rella,” I hiss. “I want you to look at her.” I lift my own eyes to Rella. Her face is pale, but her jaw is hard as she shoots hatred from her eyes to my father. “I want you to look at Rella and know that this is all for her. You fucked up, old man, when you decided she was going to be your source of enjoyment.”
Standing back up, I keep my eyes on Rella. Some of the animosity leaves her features when she darts her gaze to me for a brief moment. When she flicks them back down, I tighten my grip on Deacons hair, set the blade to his hairline, and begin to saw back and forth. He jerks, trying his best to get away from the knife hacking through his scalp, but between the wire around his throat and my grip on his hair, he can’t go anywhere.
His skull is exposed by the time I’m done scalping him. I toss the chunk of hair and skin on to the floor. I gauge Rella reaction to the bloody mess, and I’m surprised and pleased she seems to be okay. Her hatred runs too deep to feel any kind of remorse for the bastard.
I walk around until I’m standing in front of my father. Deacon’s head is slumped forward, but his chest is still moving, so I know he’s just passed out. I grab the pair of needle nose pliers, box cutter, and a smelling salt stick from the black bag on the table. After I snap the stick, I shove it under his nose. He jolts and jerks his head up. A mask of pain crumples his face seconds later.
“You don’t get off that easy,” I inform him darkly. “Mercy doesn’t exist for you. You’ll feel every single fuckin’ thing I do to you. You’ll look me in the eye as you take your last breath.”
I jerk my chin to Trouble. “Hold his head still.”
He moves behind the chair and forces Deacons head against the back. I wedge one side of the needle nose pliers under his eyelid, pull it taut, and use the box cutter to slice away the skin. I move
to the second eyelid and do the same.
I step back and take a moment to look at my handy work.
It’s a start, but I’m not nearly done.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
EMO
I TRY TO TURN MY EYES away as Rella undresses in my bathroom, but they have a mind of their own. They stay glued to her as she unveils each inch of her glorious body. I’m mesmerized, captivated, and fucking enraptured by her.
We just got back from the lodge. As soon as we made it through the door, she grabbed my hand and tugged me to the bathroom, saying we both needed a shower. I tried protesting, saying I would take the one in the hall, but she just shook her head and closed us both in the master bathroom.
Now, all I can do is stare at her, torn between pulling her into my arms and savoring every bit of her flesh, and running away to keep her safe from me.
She’s down to her panties and bra when she shyly peeks up at me through her lashes. Her cheeks are tinted red as she twirls her fingers together.
“You can’t shower with your clothes on,” she informs me, the husky note in her voice doing fuck all for my rapidly growing cock.
“This isn’t a good idea,” I murmur gruffly.
She tilts her head to the side. “We’re taking a shower, Aziah. We’ve done it before. I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand his blood on me anymore.”
I don’t like his tainted blood on her either. It sends a blind rage through me and makes me want to scrub every inch of her body.
She approaches me, and I’m ensnared by her gaze.
When her nimble fingers grab the bottom of my shirt and start to lift it, her knuckles graze my abs. I release a shudder and bite back a groan. Against my better judgement, I lift my arms and help her take off my shirt.
Her eyes slide down my chest, her tongue darting out to lick along her bottom lip, and my cock jerks painfully in my jeans. I want to rip away her bra and yank her to my chest so I can feel her breasts against me.
She steps back and lifts her head. “You finish and meet me in the shower,” she says quietly.
Before I have a chance to say anything, she’s already turned the spray on. With her back to me, she quickly rids herself of her bra and panties, giving me a glimpse of her round ass before stepping into the shower and closing the door behind her. The glass is frosted, but I can still see her silhouette. I grit my teeth and look away.