Ah, prey recognizing the predator.
"Yeah... well... I'm sorry for pulling you over," he eventually says, taking a few steps back, "you can go," he relents before he all but runs back to his patrol car, hastily driving off.
When he's out of sight, Sisi giggles, punching me softly in the arm.
"Can you stop scaring people off?" She asks, amused.
I grip her jaw, a little more roughly than I'd intended, and I bring her face to mine for a quick kiss.
Sisi is making me realize some new things about myself, the latest being that I don't like when other men look at her.
With a few hours to spare until dawn, I take her to my compound. The drive only makes me more frustrated as I glance at her luscious form, my balls weeping for relief. It's also sobering enough to make me reconsider my stance.
I'd approached her because of her effect on Vanya, wanting to find out why her presence makes my sister disappear. Instead, I'm just lusting after her like a schoolboy with his first crush.
Ok, maybe I am the equivalent of a schoolboy with his first crush, but I need to put a damper on my growing infatuation with her lest it ruin my plans.
Easier said than done, though, when just the sight of her tits makes me hard, countless visions of me palming, licking and sucking them assaulting me without any warning.
For fuck's sake, I've avoided this particular affliction for close to three decades, and it only takes one almost-nun to make me lose my game. Granted, she does not look like a nun, nor does she act like one.
I need to focus.
For a moment, I wish Vanya were here. Maybe she could give me some advice how to deal with Sisi.
"Are we there yet?" Her voice startles me from my musings, and I glance at her, her hair mused, her lips swollen.
Fuck!
"Yeah, right around the corner." I answer curtly, steering the car towards an underground garage. I shuffle a little in my seat, adjusting my erection, and mentally grounding myself.
When we get out of the car, I am back to my old self—or as much as can be.
"I'll take you to my room and you can have a nap before I take you home." I tell her, leading her inside.
"What are you going to do?" She frowns.
"I need to pay my friend Petrovic a visit." That is my first order of business, since whoever had paid those men to come for me had to have been quite desperate. Now, to me that only means one thing.
Petrovic knows something.
"Can I come?" She asks, skipping up and down to keep up with my stride.
"No." I answer, my tone not leaving room for discussion.
Whereas at any other time I may have let her, I can't risk it right now. Not with her seeing the state Petrovic must be in, nor with the fact that she might influence him into not talking.
When we reach a big steel door, I press my finger to the biometrics pad and it swings open.
"Wow, this looks like a fortress," she notes when she sees the thickness of the metal door.
It is.
I'd had that built a couple of years ago when my blackouts had become more frequent, my level of blood lust almost doubling. It's to keep me in and to protect the people who work for me from me.
What Sisi doesn't realize is that the entire compound is built with one express purpose—to keep me in. Considering my grasp on sanity is questionable at best, I need to make sure that I'm contained—should the day come when I finally lose it.
Inside, the room is bare except for a king sized bed, a wardrobe and an adjoining bathroom. Not that I need much.
"Make yourself comfortable," I tell her, taking off my blazer and placing it on a hanger. "You can take a shower if you'd like. There are clean towels in the closet." I point towards the wardrobe.
She takes a seat on the bed, testing the softness of the mattress, and I have to wrench my eyes from her, knowing that if I keep on staring I'll only imagine what I'd like to do to her on that bed.
Shaking myself out of my reverie, I leave the room, heading straight for the garden.
When I open the door, I'm instantly greeted by a putrid stench, and I'm happy I didn't let Sisi accompany me.
"Opsies, he doesn't look so good," Vanya chimes in, startling me with her voice.
"Long time no see, stranger," I add strategically, curious to see if she's going to comment on her absence.
"You missed me?" She preens next to me, coming to hug my midriff.
"Where were you hiding, V?" I ask, but she just smiles at me, shaking her head.
"Wouldn't you want to know?" She says cryptically before dashing off to greet our lovely prisoner.
The bamboo sprouts have already grown, and three of them have impaled his body. He is writhing in pain as a movement causes the bamboo to shift in its socket.
Two bamboo sprouts have pierced through his upper thighs, and one of them had already made a clean break as the head reached the other side of his leg.
The third one, however, seems to have perforated his anus.
"Lucky bastard," I mutter, amused at the irony.
Blood and feces are pouring down the length of the bamboo, both contributing to the smell that's permeated the entire room.
His head hung low, he moans in pain as he moves his neck, trying to raise it to look at me.
I am very surprised that he's still holding on, all things considered. But I think I owe some thanks to Maxim, as he must have ensured that Mr. Petrovic did not die of sepsis until now.
"Mr. Petrovic," I drawl, bringing a chair and positioning it in front of him. "It seems we are at an impasse. I have had the pleasure of meeting some of your associates, and it's fair to say they didn't enjoy my welcome."
He raises his head slightly, blinking twice to get some focus in his sight.
"I hope maybe this time you have something for me?" I ask, raising my eyebrows at him.
"You're too easy on him, brother." Vanya pouts from my side, her eyes assessing Petrovic and his impaled ass.
"I'm busy, Vanya." I tell her before turning to my prisoner.
"I can't...." he stutters, sweat clinging to his face.
"We've gone through this before, Mr. Petrovic. You can. You just don't want to. See, there's a difference." I make a disappointed tsk sound, going to the back and taking a small tool set.
"I can't," he breathes again, before uttering two words, "food, water."
I frown, sure that Maxim should have already fed him.
"So you're saying that if I give you food and water you'll talk?" I ask skeptically and his head moves in a slow bob.
I just shrug. Maybe he wants one last meal before his death, since he won't be living for much longer.
I'm about to message Maxim to bring some food and drink before Vanya stops me, beckoning me to listen to her whispered plan. She sure has an overactive imagination as she details an interesting form of autophagy.
Mr. Petrovic's brows draw together as he looks between Vanya and I, no wonder asking himself if I've gone mad.
The answer is yes.
But if he considers me insane, then he might be more inclined to talk. After all, he'll be the one to withstand my insane tactics.
After I text Maxim to bring me the necessary items, I try to talk some more to my lovely prisoner, hoping to dispel some of the boredom he nonetheless must be feeling trapped up there with bamboos sticking up his ass.
"To show you that I'm a good guy," I start, plugging in the electric grill and waiting for it to heat, "I'm going to give you some premium steak. Courtesy of my sister, of course, since she was the mastermind behind this."
His brows furrow as he looks at me in confusion. I can't fault him, since how is it fair that Vanya decides to only show herself to me?
"You see, sometimes she surprises me with savagery. It's like we're twins." I joke, but he doesn't understand.
Vanya, on the other hand, is chuckling by my side, eyeing the grill with curiosity and urging me on.
"Which side?" I ask, and s
he turns to Mr. Petrovic to analyze him. She goes closer, looking up his mostly collapsed ass and I groan out loud.
Phantasm or not, Vanya's still a child. She shouldn't be looking up men's asses.
"Vanya," I tap my foot, knowing she'll get my meaning.
Sighing deeply, she slumps her shoulders as she comes back next to me.
"The thigh, right around the hole," she suggests, and I narrow my eyes at her.
"It might be infected. He'll get indigestion," I reply.
"Well, then he does," she shrugs, a mischievous smile playing at her lips.
"Your wish is my command." I feign a bow before taking a knife and stooping low, under Mr. Petrovic's ass.
"Vanya, Vanya, this is all for you," I say in a sing-song voice.
I can't say I haven't missed her, but at the same time it had been liberating to be alone for the first time in decades. And Sisi...
Damn it. I can't allow her to intrude in my thoughts when I'm doling out torture. What kind of mob boss would I be if my mind were fixated on one woman twenty-four seven? Once more I have to thrust all thoughts of her from my mind, before my dick decides to take the reins, and the cop incident showed me that I'm not good at that type of multitasking.
I scrunch my nose at the stench coming from Mr. Petrovic, quickly getting to work. I use the small knife to cut cubes of flesh from around the wound, slowly enlarging the hole. Mr. Petrovic is so spent he can barely make a noise even though this must hurt like hell. I make sure my cubes have predominantly more meat than skin, so Mr. Petrovic can enjoy a hearty meal before his inevitable demise.
When I've harvested enough meat, I go to the already hot grill and I carefully place them on it. Then, going through some of the seasonings Maxim had brought me, I apply some and cook the meat.
The smell wafts through the air and I close my eyes at the aroma. Hard to believe this came from Mr. Petrovic, considering his currently disgusting state.
It's almost... mouthwatering.
"What are you looking at V? Fancy some meat?" I pick up a piece, wielding it in front of her. She closes her eyes, inhaling.
"I wish I could," she says, her eyes following the steak.
When all the pieces have been cooked, I go in front of Mr. Petrovic, enticing him to try some of his meat.
"Come on, Mr. Petrovic. It's not every day that you get to taste yourself." I pause, chuckling to myself, "well, not like this anyway. So why don't you open your mouth and I'll even do the honors of feeding you," I tell him, moving the fork with the meat in front of him.
He looks disgusted as he looks between me and the piece of meat, but as his stomach growls, he seems to give up. Opening his mouth, I stuff the piece inside, watching in satisfaction as he chews on his own thigh.
"So? How is it?" My lips stretch in a wide smile as he tries his best to swallow.
"He wasn't as disgusted as you said, V." I say, looking behind to find Vanya gone.
My brows furrowing, I peruse the entire garden for her, but she's nowhere in sight.
And there can only be one explanation.
"Sisi, you can show yourself." I call out, and not even a second later she emerges from behind some bushes in the back.
Her eyes take in Mr. Petrovic's not so stellar state and she scrunches her nose.
Aghh, I didn't want her to smell this...
"What's happening?" Sisi comes forward, dusting the hem of her dress, and I notice that mud smeared on her dress from kneeling in the mud.
"I told you to stay in my room." I exhale, thinking of ways to explain this entire fiasco. While bamboo torture is not my usual go to, it still doesn't look—or smell—great.
She shrugs, coming closer to inspect the meat on the grill.
"You should have known I'd get curious." she replies, her eyes focused on the remaining pieces of meat.
"This smells delicious." She picks up a piece.
"Sisi, don't!" I hurry in front of her just in time to stop her hand.
She turns her face towards me, narrowing her eyes at me.
"It's human meat, isn't it?" She asks, nodding towards Mr. Petrovic.
I feel compelled to nod, pursing my lips and awaiting her condemnation.
How did she even find the garden? I'm going to have some words with Maxim.
"I thought you said you don't eat humans anymore?" She stares me down as she raises her hand, the piece of meat still in her hold.
"I don't," I reply, squaring my shoulders, "it's for him," I point towards Mr. Petrovic.
"You're feeding him his own flesh?" Her eyes widen in surprise.
This is it. This is where she curses me out and leaves.
I nod very slowly, waiting for her outburst. I guess there's a line between seeing me beat up a few men and... this.
"That's genius!" she exclaims, "I don't think I've heard of something like this. How did you think about it?"
"He wanted one last meal," I say, studying her and her unusual reaction.
She takes it even further by chuckling at the joke.
"Ingenious, I like it." She comments right before she pops the piece in her mouth.
I'm momentarily taken aback by her gesture, but as I remember the not so great condition of Mr. Petrovic, who is currently moaning for help, I can't in good conscience allow her to eat that. If she wants to try human meat, I'll get her some. Or even better, I'll give her a piece from my own body.
Damn, but wouldn't that be the height of eroticism?
Acting fast, I grab her by the waist and I bring her into me, forcing her mouth open with mine, and prying the meat from it.
Wide eyed, she doesn't struggle as I lay a chaste kiss on her lips, pressing my teeth down to chew on the meat.
"You..." she trails off, looking at me as if I've grown a second head, "Good Lord, Vlad," she bends over, laughing.
"Help..." Mr. Petrovic is still trying to get her attention.
"Shut it," I turn to him at the same time as Sisi. Seeing our matching actions, we both burst out laughing.
"You're insane," she croaks, her lower lip trembling from too much laughter.
"Me? You're the one who tried to eat a piece of my prisoner!" I jokingly accuse.
"Well, don't leave them lying around. Besides, isn't it good manners to offer food to guests?" She raises an eyebrow at me.
"I thought we'd established I lack manners," I fire back.
"Hmm, and I think we also established how I'd take care of your... lack of manners," she replies saucily, and not for the first time tonight I find myself enthralled with her.
"Help," Mr. Petrovic moans again, and we both turn sharply towards him.
"Can't you see that we're talking?" Sisi shakes her head at him, coming to my side and laying her head on my shoulder. "Now care to tell me what this is all about?" She asks, her eyes examining the desolate state of Mr. Petrovic's ass.
"Oh, hell girl," I groan, my arm sneaking around her shoulders, "you're not squeamish at all, are you?"
"Well, the meat wasn't that bad, although I only had a taste."
"Next time," I assure her, quickly going over my plans with Petrovic and how I think he might be the missing link to find who took my sister.
"I'm sorry," she whispers after I'm done recounting everything. Weird how not even Bianca, who's been my partner for almost a decade, knows the details of my plans. Yet one evening with Sisi and I'm about to tell her my deepest, darkest secrets.
Hell and damnation!
"But you do realize that especially after that he's not likely to talk," she comments, and I sigh deeply.
"I didn't think he'd last this long. The stick up his ass alone must hurt like a bitch..." I purse my lips, admitting for the first time that Mr. Petrovic is showing more resilience than I'd given him credit for.
Sisi purses her lips, stroking her chin with her thumb. Her eyes briefly light up, and she takes me aside, out of Mr. Petrovic's hearing range.
"You said he fears for his family," she whispers, and I
nod. "Then threaten him with his family."
"I don't know where they are," I grimly reply. That had been my first thought too, but he's hidden them well.
"Pretend you do," she says, and my ears perk up.
"I have to say, hell girl, you continue to surprise me." I chuckle when she suggests we play good cop bad cop.
"Let's see if it works."
Turning back to the situation, I continue feeding Mr. Petrovic the meat, all the while Sisi is pacing the room, looking extremely anxious.
"He has to speak, Vlad. I know he will. Just please don't harm his family... they're innocent!" Her entire face transforms as she shifts into her role, her eyebrows drawn in concern, her mouth down turned.
"Sisi," I groan, getting into my part, "this is exactly why I didn't want you here. Now you're feeling sorry for him!"
"They're children, Vlad! The eldest is only eight... How can you do that to them?" She yells, tears already gathering at the corner of her eyes.
Damn me, but she's killing this.
"You know what I was doing when I was eight? I was disemboweling my father's guards. He'll be fine," I wave my hand in the air, "a little pain never hurt anyone," I add and I immediately note Mr. Petrovic's quick intake of air.
"But it's you... you're like the spawn of evil," she says and I can see a small smile playing at her lips, "he's just an innocent child."
"No one is innocent in this world Sisi. He may be now, but wait until he grows and wants to avenge his father. Better cut them while they're young," I say, enjoying her scandalized look.
"Wha-what are you talking about," I hear Mr. Petrovic's low voice.
"Vlad, he's a child!" Sisi screams at me, coming forward to grab on the lapels of my shirt. "Are you so soulless that you would harm a child?" She cries, her hands going to my chest as she's punching me.
"Shh now," I say grabbing her face, "maybe Mr. Petrovic's next meal will be a little fresher. I say, eight year old meat..." I trail off, and Sisi's eyes widen. For a moment I fear I've taken it too far, but she continues to play along.
"You wouldn't," she shakes her head, taking her step back, her eyes filled with horror.
"Stop!" Mr. Petrovic finally says, his tone defeated. "I'll tell you just... please... don't let him harm my children," he looks at Sisi as he says this.
Morally Ambiguous: A Dark Mafia Romance (Morally Questionable Book 4) Page 18
