Cleft backed off, and I let out a breath. This was the second time someone had stopped him from violating me. I didn’t know how much more of this I could take. I glanced at Alex, feeling like shit, because she’d suffered far more than I had.
I stood, and the room whirled around me for a few unsteady seconds. I wanted more than anything to go to her, but Vinnie remained at her side, gun dangling at his thigh, and I’d probably fall on my ass if I tried. I reached for the back of the chair and propped myself up.
The guy who’d burst through the door jabbed a finger at Cleft. “This place is full of pussy, yet you’re trying to ram your prick up his ass? I can’t turn my back for a fucking second without this place going to hell.”
Cleft opened his mouth, his gaze darting in my direction. “Uncle Luke…I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
So this was the fucking father figure Alex had almost married. A swift rush of possessiveness crashed over me, and I wanted to pound on him. I settled for squeezing the chair until my knuckles whitened.
“You never mean any disrespect, but you keep fucking up. You and Jax both. If you weren’t my blood, you’d be dead by now.” Perrone began pacing, one hand rubbing his chin, and his gaze ran over Alex’s restrained body. Slowly, he made his way to her and ran a palm over her face, down the valley between her hanging tits.
I wanted to kill him for touching her.
Leaning closer, he sniffed her skin and scowled. “Which one of you idiots touched what’s mine?”
I clenched my teeth, taking serious issue with that statement.
“We didn’t touch her,” Cleft said, exchanging a worried glance with Brock.
“Someone’s cum is all over her. Who ejaculated on my property?”
“Um…we filmed her sucking off Mason.”
Perrone whirled, his expression thunderous and pummeling Cleft from across the room. “Did I give you permission to use her like that? I thought I made myself clear. She belongs to me. I gave you explicit freedom to break her through corporal punishment. Mostly to goad him,” he said, pointing at me. “Nothing more. Did you not understand those very simple instructions?”
“No, we just thought—”
“I don’t care what you thought. I’ve heard enough.” He turned back to Alex and unbuckled the strap keeping the gag between her lips. The rubber ball dropped to the floor. “Were you fucked?”
She hardened her jaw and turned her head, but he trapped her chin between his fingers. “I asked you a question.”
“N-no.”
“Did anyone in this room touch you, sexually, aside from the blowjob?”
She blinked, her gaze straying to me, and Perrone tightened his grip. “Eyes on me. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“No.”
“Good.” He let go of her face and glared at Cleft. “Go get my son, and have Mick and Zander fetch the blonde.”
“Which blonde?”
“The only fucking blonde in this place right now worth mentioning. Tell them to bring her to me.”
“Yes, sir,” Cleft said, scurrying to the door.
“You two,” Perrone barked at Brock and Vinnie after the door slammed shut. “Why is Mason fucking standing around? We have restraints in this room for a reason.”
Vinnie swallowed hard, and he and Brock stalked toward me. My attention shifted between Alex, Perrone, the goons, and the door. I stumbled back, but my fucking head swam. The damn door seemed miles away, and Alex even further.
Vinnie raised the gun. “Boss? He’s not wanting to cooperate.”
“For fuck’s sake. I’ve hired idiots! Shoot him if he gives you any trouble.”
I raised my arms and allowed them to shove me toward the chains before stringing me up again. Perrone cast an appreciative glance at Alex, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.
“So you’re the guy in charge,” I said, trying to draw his attention away from her. “Obviously, I did something to piss you off, so why don’t you have your assholes take her back to the room, and the two of us can have it out?”
I wasn’t stupid enough to think he’d let Alex go, but maybe I could talk him into shutting her away in that shithole, where at least she’d be safe for a while, tucked out of reach from this room. Whatever was about to go down, I didn’t want her around for it.
Perrone arched a brow at me. “You’ve done far more than merely piss me off. And she’s not going anywhere. She needs to see this as well.” He rounded, his expression pinched with rage as he took in his two remaining men. “You all need a fucking lesson in respect! This is my place. I’m the boss. Nothing happens from here on out without my knowing about it.”
He circled Alex, his lips curving upon seeing the damage to her ass. “Honey,” he said, smacking her sore bottom. “Give me what I want, and I can make all of this go away.”
“I’d rather have Brock whip me again.”
The way she stood up to him made me proud, but at the same time, I wanted to slap my hand over her mouth. Because he was fucking stalking her, just waiting for her to step wrong.
He stalled in front of her and bent down, bringing his face close to hers. “From what I can tell, they went easy on you. Do you know what real pain feels like?”
She spit in his face, and I stiffened, terrified for her.
Perrone retreated, his fingers wiping off her spittle. “Did you spit out Mason’s cum? Or did you show your respect by swallowing?”
She twisted her head, refusing to answer or meet his gaze.
“Answer the question,” he said, his voice dangerously low. He could have screamed and it wouldn’t have been more intimidating.
“I swallowed every last drop,” she said, her gaze imparting wrath. “You don’t deserve my spit.”
He smacked her, and the slap of palm to cheek tightened my teeth. I clamped my jaw shut, because speaking now wouldn’t help either of us.
The door flung open, and Cleft pushed Jax inside. Puffy, red skin surrounded his left eye, as if he’d been hit.
Perrone rounded on him. “Are you still denying it, boy?”
“It wasn’t me,” Jax said, his shoulders slumping, breathing labored.
I swerved my gaze between the two of them, trying to decode what was happening here, but I had no clue. Perrone seemed unpredictable, easily enraged. Why else would his men cower at his presence, including his own son?
“Do you think I’m stupid?” He advanced on Jax, his face reddening with each second that passed. “You opened your big mouth to your new girlfriend.”
But the only woman Jax had been with recently, as far as I knew, was Nikki. A chill slid down my spine.
Perone’s voice rose. “Mason disappeared, and your slut ran straight to the cops! So tell me,” he said, jabbing the air with a finger. “If you kept your fucking mouth shut, like you claim, then how did they find their way to me?”
“I don’t know,” Jax said. He straightened his spine but never quite met his father’s eyes.
“You are lying to me. I had to pay off my guy on the force to make this go away. I thought you were serious about proving yourself, but apparently, you need a reminder.”
Jax shook his head. “I swear. I didn’t say a word.”
“Hmm.” Perrone gestured to Cleft. “Bring her in.”
I didn’t want to watch what I feared was coming, but I couldn’t tear my gaze from Cleft as he opened the door wide. Two guys shoved Nikki into the room, and he caught her before she tumbled to the cement. Cleft held her up under one arm, and her head lolled to the side. They’d obviously drugged her.
“She didn’t do anything!” Jax yelled. He staggered forward, his face as white as his father’s button-down shirt.
Perrone pointed toward a chair. “Sit the fuck down.”
Jax did so without hesitation. He was terrified of his father, and I was terrified for Nikki.
My gaze shifted to Alex, whose wide eyes pummeled me. I couldn’t protect either one of them. “Hey!” I shouted. “You want to hurt someone, you fucking bastard? Hurt me!”
Perrone narrowed his brows. “Someone gag him.”
Brock picked up the gag from the floor and stalked toward me, his mouth curving up at the corners. He wrestled my lips open before shoving the rubber ball in.
I was useless, unable to plead for Nikki, and when Jax lowered his head into his hands, I yanked at the chains in a fit of panic. Jax was freaking out—I was fucking freaking out—and I couldn’t do a thing about it.
I couldn’t save Nikki.
Couldn’t save Alex.
How the fuck had we gotten to this place?
“You guys should be ashamed of yourselves,” Perrone said. “I’ve got prisoners waltzing into my office, unauthorized filming going on, and my own fucking son can’t keep his big mouth shut!”
“Please,” Jax begged, lifting his head. “She doesn’t know anything.”
“Bullshit. She went to the cops with too much info—info she wouldn’t have known unless you told her. She’s Mason’s ex-girlfriend, you idiot! Did you think she was going to sit on her hands when that island went up in smoke?”
Lifting her head, Nikki groaned. She squinted at the people surrounding her and began fighting their grasp on her arms. “I h-have a son. Please…please let me go. I don’t belong here.” She hung her head, and a sob escaped her lips.
She had a son, someone who needed her, who depended on her…holy fuck. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was, but I couldn’t even speak.
Perrone lifted her chin. “Honey, if you want to live, prove your worth. My son has an unhealthy aversion to women—”
“Whose fault is that?” Jax jumped to his feet. “Maybe if you hadn’t forced them on me…” He dragged his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. “Let her go. She didn’t do anything wrong. Please…Dad.”
That was the first time I’d heard him refer to his father in such a personal way, and saying that single word had cost him. Nikki was in real trouble.
Perrone pushed Jax back into the chair. “Bring the blonde. I want her on her knees for my boy.”
Nikki pleaded, and Cleft smacked the whine from her as he dragged her across the floor, her heels digging in the whole way. He pushed Jax’s knees wide open and shoved her to her haunches between them.
“Unzip so the slut can suck you off.” Perrone began pacing. “If she can get your confused cock to work, I might let her live.”
Nikki sobbed as Jax unzipped with shaking hands. His erection jutted out, but the sight of his own arousal seemed to horrify him. His face crumbled as Cleft shoved Nikki’s head into his lap, muffling her cries with the girth of his cock.
Chewing on his lip, Jax closed his eyes and fisted his hands until his knuckles turned white. Cleft bobbed her head, pushing her downward when she started gagging. She struggled for a few moments before he yanked her head up, and my insides twisted at witnessing her pain. Snot ran from her nose, blending with the tears drenching her face.
Jax lifted his lids with a quick intake of breath, and when he gazed at Nikki, moisture erupted from his eyes.
“Fuck this,” Perrone said with a sneer. He shoved Cleft out of the way and wrenched Nikki to her feet. Holding her immobile against his chest, he pulled a knife from his pocket.
Time fucking screeched to a stop.
I yelled through the gag, blasting every bit of energy toward Nikki, praying someone would stop this. Her overflowing eyes met mine, and the truth in them nearly stopped my heart.
She knew it. I knew it.
Perrone switched open the blade, and Jax knew it too because he charged his father, mouth open in a silent scream, hands reaching for Nikki.
But it was too late.
Perrone was already slashing a red horizontal line across her throat.
Blood.
Gurgling sounds.
So much blood.
Soaking through her clothing.
Silencing her sobs.
Her body crumbled to the ground, and Perrone tossed the knife to the side. He stepped back, out of reach of the blood pooling on the concrete, and that’s when Alex started screaming.