Page 86 of Blood Heir

He steps through the carnage like a vulture picking his moment. The smug look on his face makes my blood boil.

I aim my pistol at him, but I’m too slow. A shadow moves behind me.

Pain explodes in my shoulder—a burning, ripping fire that knocks me forward. My gun clatters to the ground. My legs give out beneath me.

“Fuck—” I hiss, vision blurring.

A boot slams into my back, driving me flat onto the floor. Blood pools under me, warm and sticky.

I try to lift my head, but another kick crushes my ribs. My breath rattles as I choke on the copper flooding my mouth.

Gustavo crouches in front of me now, his face close. His breath smells like expensive scotch. “Should’ve stayed in line, cousin.”

He presses the cold barrel of his gun against my chest, right where my heart struggles to beat.

Vittoria’s voice floats above me. “You see, Serevin? Loyalty is a choice. You made yours.”

I grit my teeth as my vision fades into hot, stinging darkness.

^^^^

The first thing I feel is the throbbing in my skull. It pulses like a drumbeat behind my eyes, sharp and constant. My body aches in ways I can’t even track yet. The second thing I feel is the pull—metal cutting into my wrists. My arms are hoisted above my head, chained to rusted iron hooks hammered into the damp concrete wall behind me. The cuffs bite into my skin, slick with dried blood and sweat. My feet barely graze the floor, the full weight of my body dragging against the restraints.

My vision adjusts to the dim basement light—bare bulbs swinging from the low ceiling, flickering every few seconds. The air is heavy with mildew and old iron, thick enough to taste.

Then I see him—Cassian.

He’s strung up across from me, hanging completely upside down from thick chains bolted to the ceiling beam. His handsare bound behind his back, his shirt soaked in blood from a gash on his temple. His face is puffed and bruised, but his eyes crack open weakly when he senses me waking.

“Don….” His voice is hoarse, raw. “You’re awake.”

I try to answer, but my throat feels like sandpaper. All that comes out is a rasp.

The door creaks open.

Heavy boots scrape against concrete as Gustavo steps into the room. His silhouette is tall, casual. A predator enjoying his prize. He carries the coiled leather whip in his hand like a cherished toy, trailing it along the ground as he moves closer.

“Well, well,” he sings, voice dripping with mockery. “Look at you, cousin. You’ve been so…untouchable for so long. But here we are. Just like I always imagined.”

He stops in front of me, looking me up and down with that nauseating grin. He clicks his tongue and lifts my chin with the tip of the whip handle.

“Honestly, I thought I’d have to wait years for this. But you made it so easy. Love does make men stupid, doesn’t it?” His eyes glitter. “You picked the wrong side, Serevin.”

Without warning, he steps back and unfurls the whip with a snap. The crack echoes through the stone chamber.

I brace for it.

The first lash lands across my chest with a burning sting. The leather bites through my torn shirt, slicing into skin. My muscles tighten instinctively, but there’s nowhere to move, nowhere to hide.

Gustavo laughs as he circles me, landing the second blow across my stomach. My breath seizes, sharp and shallow.

“How’s it feel, Don Accardi? Or should I say…former Don Accardi?”

He strikes again, this time across my ribs. My skin opens, hot blood mixing with sweat as it drips down my side. Every nerve screams, but I grit my teeth and hold back the groan trying to crawl out of my throat.

Cassian struggles against his chains, his voice breaking. “You coward—”

Gustavo spins and lashes Cassian once across the legs, making him flinch violently.

---