Page 136 of Arturo's Temptation

“Why six?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.

“Because, there is no time limit for torturing someone for information. It can be tediously long, or incredibly quick, depending on the person’s will and aversion to pain.” I snapped the cable ties from each wrist with ease making her eyes widen. My legs were a mere second after. I stood tall, towering over her, I could tell she was doing her best to keep her eyes firmly on the ground.

“You said it’s a battle of wills… How do I make them give me information without risking them dying first?” she asked, deliberately ignoring the fact I broke out of the cable ties without a second thought.

“That, princess, all depends on you.” I gripped her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “There were many things we can improve, but overall you did amazin’. Keep pushin’ yourself and you’ll get to where your father wants you to be, and where you need to be. Now… put me on my arse. I want to see how much work we’ve got to do.”

Cries that echoed across the wooden shack, yanked me from my thoughts. Looking back over my shoulder, I took note of how his hands thrashed beneath the cables, blood oozing from his wrists as the plastic cut deeper. Bella had made an exhibition of his body, and the fucker still hadn’t said a word. He’d already lost a few fingers, toes, fuck he’d even lost his left ball and he still remained tight lipped.

“I can go do this for hours, but if you’re getting tired and need a break, all you have to do is tell me what it is I need to know,”Bella crooned softly as she crouched on the balls of her feet in front of our buddy.

“Eat shit, you cunt!” he wheezed, letting his head fall back.

“Wow, no wonder you’re single if that’s how you speak to women,” she punctuated her point with a slash of her blade across his knee caps. Howling, his toes curled in at the pain that was radiating through his body. He knew he was fucked, and yet he still wouldn’t say shit.

With measured movements, Bella placed the blade down on a blood splattered table and picked up one of my favourite items, the cigar cutters. She was about to resort to cutting each finger, knuckle by knuckle. I smiled. This was my favourite game. It seemed so simple but it had never failed me. Sighing, she shoved a piece of cloth soaked in lighter fluid into his mouth, making him gag. Then with a wicked smile, one that could make me hard as fuck in seconds, she reached out and said.

“Lighter please.” Smirking, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my all silver lighter, tossing it in her direction. She caught it without looking in my direction.Fuck, she was so damn sexy.“Now, here’s how it’s going to go, I’m going to cut off each one of your remaining filthy, thieving fingers, and if you still haven’t told me what I want to know by the time we run out, I think I’ll get creative.” Drool spilled from his mouth as she flicked my lighter’s flame to life. Flinging his head from side to side, he tried his best to spit out the rag. Clucking her tongue, my wise, tough girl grasped what little hair he had left and pulled his head still as she rammed the cloth back down his throat. “So, are you going to start singing or do I burn you alive from the inside out?”

Whatever he tried to say came out as muffled noises and snorts as she slid the cutters down to the first knuckle of his pinky finger. His eyes began darting between them and her.

“Oh, did you think I’d make this go nice and quick for you?” she asked, leaning close to his ear. Blood stained the tips of her hair as she whispered, “My bad. I’m going to take them one knuckle at a time. This way it gives you more time to think about how you want to die. Me though? I hope you choose to burn,” she chuckled as she closed the cutters on his finger.

“Look at you taking it like a good boy, I’m impressed.” she said with a smile, slicing off the next part of his pinky.

“You taught her this?” Lorenzo whispered, so as not to distract his daughter.

“You wanted her to be the best. Well there you fuckin’ go.” I replied, waving a hand in her direction.

“Luca was good, I’ll give him that. But Bella, she’s something else entirely.” I hadn’t once heard this man sound so damn surprised since the day we’d met.

“Yeah well your son didn’t have me. Bella does.” I turned my attention to him for a split second, seeing the look of gratefulness in his eyes. He was thrilled with the work I’d put in with her.

Twenty minutes later and our little friend was in and out of consciousness, pissing my girl off. She slapped her palm across his cheek a few times until his head snapped up in shock.

“Wakey, wakey, sunshine.” She threw the cutters down on the table with a clatter and pulled my lighter back out. “Now, are you going to talk or is it time to light you up?” she toyed with the flame, running it along his skin. He shook his head in exhaustion. Anyone could see that he’d had enough but Bella was good to her word. If he didn’t talk, she’d set the fucker alight. “Suit yourself.” She blew out the flame, clutching the lighter in her fist as she picked up the bottle of lighter fluid. Bella forced his head back removing the rag before she squirted the fluid down his throat.

“That fluid will start to burn your insides, your throat may even start to close up making it hard for you to breathe.” Tears soaked the fella’s cheeks now but it was clear he wasn’t going to speak, the time for talking was done. “Before I do this, I just have one question?” She flicked the lighter’s flame to life once more time, pausing an inch from the remaining cloth in his mouth. “Was it worth it?” A flash of fear filled his eyes as she brought the flame to the cloth.

Void of emotions, Bella stepped back and watched the scene before her. In a hail of blood thirsty screams, the man’s life faded away in front of us. When his bellows started to quiet, Bella stepped back, her body colliding with mine. She jumped a little but for my eyes only.

“Let’s go, there’s nothing left for us here.” she ordered as everyone stood open-mouthed.

“Isabella—”

“Don’t, Pa. I’m tired, dirty and I stink of gasoline. I just want to go home, shower and sleep.” Her voice was shut off to any emotion, yeah, she might be strong, but deep down I knew how she was feeling. I had felt the very same way after my very first kill.

“Okay, let’s go.” Lorenzo led Bella from the outhouse. The smell of salt cleansed the scent of burning flesh from our nostrils. “Red, Ty, once the fire’s out, clean that shit up.”

“Boss.” They spoke in unison.

The whole ride home, she didn’t say one word. I was about five seconds from asking her if she was okay when a sleepy looking Luca stumbled into the garage.

“Bella, you’re home! Where the fuck have you been?! And— Wait, why are you covered in blood?” I glared up at him as his eyes widened in shock.

“Why? Does it bother you seeing your sister covered in another man’s blood? You knew the things I’d have to do whenyou stepped aside.” Bella seethed, sidestepping him. “You knew the lives I’d have to take so you could play happy families, and not once did you come to me and askmehow I would feel about all of this.”

“Bella, I had no choice.”

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