AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"You could say that," I agreed. "I haven't lost count, but you probably don't want to know the particulars." It was like sexual partners. It was enough to know whether or not someone had experience. The exact details didn't matter. Not to me anyway.
She looked over at me now. "Does it ever make you feel, I don't know, grossed out?"
I answered her question with one of my own. "Regrets? It's easy to get caught up in the moment and then later on wish you hadn't."
"Not regrets exactly," she said. Her brow creased adorably. "I feel like I should have regrets or be sickened. Or something. But then I think about what he would have done to me and I don't feel bad about it at all. I feel—"
"Vindicated? Turned on?" I guessed.
She let out a grunt so soft I almost missed hearing it.
"A bit of those too. Mostly I feel… I don't know if powerful is the right word. I mean, we could have done anything to him and no one could stop us. It's so wrong, but at the same time…"
"Fucking awesome," I finished for her. "I started because I was fascinated with how bodies worked, but inflicting pain on people who have, or would, inflict it on other people is a rush. I was pissed that I didn't get to do that with Eric Parcell. Mannix was in a hurry. Our friend, Mr Nixon, made up for it."
"Is he…" she asked tentatively.
"Dead? No. Not yet." He wished he was. He'd begged me to kill him, but for what he would have done to Kennedy, he was getting what he deserved. It would have been a lot worse for him if he'd actually touched her. I could work slower and a lot more painfully if I needed to. Only three people got to touch her: me, Mannix and Ares. I didn't even want her touching herself. There was no need for her to get herself off when we could do that for her.
I rolled onto my side. "Do you want me to kill him? Because I can do that if that's what you want." I would do anything, or kill almost anyone, for her. If she wanted me to kill Mannix or Ares, I'd have to think twice about that. They were my brothers and they accepted me when the rest of the world didn't, or wouldn't. I'd do or kill anything or anyone for them too.
Her throat bobbed up and down as she swallowed. "Do you think he's suffered enough? I know what he would have done, but he didn't get to do it."
I kissed the tip of her nose. "You're so adorably big-hearted. If it means that much to you, I'll put him out of his misery in the morning." He was starting to get smelly and was making my workroom messy anyway.
"Thank you," she said softly. She looked like she wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure if she should.
"You want to come and watch?" I offered.
"Is it wrong that I do?" she asked.
"First of all, no, it's not wrong at all," I said firmly. "Second of all, you don't need validation from anyone but yourself. If the idea of pain, blood and death turns you on, that's completely okay. It gives me a raging hard-on every time. Are we normal? Maybe not. Do I give a fuck? Not even a small one. And neither should you. I'll bet you a million dollars Mannix told you the same thing."
"Yeah, he did, I just—" She exhaled softly out her nose. "Being told it's okay and accepting it myself are different things. You know?"
"I do know," I said. "I've been through all of the same feelings you're going through now. We all have. But you know the other guys got off as much as you did. We're all a twisted, dysfunctional, fucked up family. Which, in my opinion, is the best kind."
She was silent for a moment. When she spoke again it was to ask, "Has my mother been to your workroom?"
I pretended to misunderstand the meaning of her question. "Do you think she should?"
Kennedy batted me on the arm. "No, I don't. "I just thought if she knew about all the things then maybe she'd gone there and saw the things you do."
"Your mother has yet to grace my workroom with her presence," I said grandly. "In case you're curious, Leo has, but only once or twice. He's generally the kind of guy who orders a thing to be done and expects it to get done, but doesn't necessarily want to know or see the details. The only time he drops by is to see if we're spending his money the way he expects us to. He gets pissy about waste."
That was unfortunate. I'd be more than happy to have him sit in on the fun and games more often.
On the other hand, Mannix preferred his father to leave things like that to him. It helped to grow his influence in the business, and his ego. It wouldn't hurt Mannix when he took over his father's business if he had influence his father didn't.
If it was me, I'd have my eyes on every aspect, no matter how messy. That way, it was easier to discern if someone was trying to screw you over. We wouldn't, but Leo couldn't know that if he stayed away.
Telling him how to run his business was the top of a long list of things I would never do. I kept my nose out of it and did what was asked of me.
"Does this Samuel Bell have people who do for him what you do for Leo?" she asked.
"Without doubt," I said. "I've heard his stepson, Zachary, has a taste for blood. And possibly for his stepsister Chloe. From what I've heard, she and her twin sister, Lila are as nasty as two people can be. Before I met you, I would have happily been the meat in a Bell sister sandwich."
"What does it say about me if you have a thing for nasty people?" She raised her eyebrows at me.
