Serafina waited for us in the safehouse. Pietro gave me an uncertain look. He didn’t like the idea of her watching the torture, but like Serafina had said: she deserved to be present.
We dragged Remo into the vast hall. I hadn’t said a word to Remo yet, hadn’t even looked directly at him yet. I knew I’d have trouble restraining myself if I did, and I wanted to be behind soundproof walls before that happened.
Serafina paled as she saw Remo.
“Angel,” Remo murmured.
My head turned to him, my brows pulling tight. Angel?
Samuel didn’t give Remo the chance for more words by punching him.
“This is your chance to ask for forgiveness,” Pietro said.
Remo glanced at him until his gaze finally met mine. No sign of fear yet. That would change soon. Every man had a breaking point. He looked at Serafina again. “Do you want me to beg for forgiveness?”
“I won’t give you my forgiveness,” Serafina said. I motioned at Samuel and Danilo to take Remo away to the torture room. Once they were gone, I approached Serafina.
A hint of conflict shone in her eyes. “He will ask for forgiveness in the end,” I said.
Serafina gave me a strange, forlorn smile. “I don’t want him to because it would be false.” She paused. “You will castrate him?”
I preferred not to involve women in the gruesome details of our torture practices, not even Val. I respected her but she tended to be struck by pity even for someone like Remo. Still, Serafina deserved a reply and I couldn’t imagine her being overcome with sympathy for her tormentor.
“Tomorrow. Not today. It would speed up his death too much. Danilo and Samuel will do it. I’m not sure you should watch any of this, but maybe you need to. Today will be easier to stomach than tomorrow, so stay if it’s what you want.”
“Thanks,” she said before she headed over to the screens where she’d be able to watch us handling Remo.
I gave a curt nod toward the guard sitting beside her before I made my way toward the torture room. My pulse sped up, a strange occurrence. Usually it took a bit for torture to get a spike in my heart rate. Not today. This felt almost like the first few times Father had made me be part of torture sessions.
When I entered the room, Remo lay on the bare stone floor while Danilo and Samuel kicked him over and over again.
He didn’t fight the blows only stared up at the camera up in the corner as if he knew Serafina was watching. Pietro unsheathed his knife and cut Remo’s chest. Then Samuel did the same followed by Danilo.
When it was my turn, I squatted beside Remo. He smiled, revealing his blood-coated teeth. “This gives you all a fucking erection, doesn’t it?”
I gave him a cold smile as I withdrew my knife from my holster. “Let’s see how long you will hold on to your arrogance.”
“You really want to talk about arrogance with me, Dante?”
I dug the tip of my knife into his armpit, knowing it was one of the most sensitive spots. Remo tensed but didn’t make a sound, his gaze not wavering from mine. He was familiar with pain. His father probably conditioned him like mine had. He’d be a challenge. “Everyone begs in the end.”
Remo’s mouth pulled wider. “Would you?”
I’d die before I’d beg anyone for mercy. “Don’t compare me to you. We’re nothing alike.”
Remo laughed. “Oh, but we are. That gleam in your eyes, I get it every time I take a knife to someone’s skin. It’s the fucking best. Do you really think you’re something better only because you hide your monstrosity behind a fucking three-piece-suit?”
“Remo, you’ll meet my monster, don’t worry. Unlike you, I don’t rape women to get a power rush.” I pushed my knife deeper into his pit then motioned for Danilo to come forward with the lighter.
A few hours later, I cleaned my hands.
Samuel shook his head, muttering. “When’s the fucker going to beg? Fuck it.”
I glanced at Remo who lay unconscious on the blood-covered floor. He’d passed out again, but hadn’t made a sound except for the occasional intake of breath or gritting of his teeth.
Samuel stepped out into the corridor and I followed, then locked the cell.
Pietro and Danilo waited in the corridor, both of them sweaty and disheveled, just like Samuel and me. My shirt clung to my skin and blood stuck under my nails.
“He’s a tough bastard,” Pietro said and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket then lit it.
“Maybe pain doesn’t bother him, but he’ll show a reaction when I force him to watch while I cut his dick off inch by fucking inch,” Danilo growled.
It was already late. “I’ll sleep here. I won’t leave until Remo’s dead.”
Pietro, Danilo, and Samuel nodded. “One of us should keep watch at any time,” Pietro suggested.
“I’ll start,” Samuel said quickly. “I’m too riled up to sleep anyway.”
“All right.”
We headed into the sleeping quarters and lay down on the cots. I closed my eyes. Despite the satisfaction I’d felt torturing Remo, I couldn’t wait for him to be dead, for this to be finally over.
* * *
A shout woke me. I jerked up on the cot, disoriented for a second. Pietro met my gaze from across the room. Danilo wasn’t there.
I jumped to my feet and ran toward the torture room. Fuck, had Remo freed himself? He was badly injured. I couldn’t imagine him having the strength to even stand.
When Pietro and I stormed into the room, Danilo stood in its center.
What I saw made me freeze. Serafina was inside the cell, shielding Remo with her body, her clothes soaked with his blood.
“You shouldn’t be here, dove. This isn’t something for a woman,” Pietro tried to reason with Serafina. He couldn’t see what Danilo and I did. That Serafina had chosen a side and it wasn’t ours.
“Where’s Samuel?” I asked. I hadn’t seen him anywhere. I couldn’t imagine Serafina hurting her twin but maybe I’d underestimated Remo’s manipulation skills and the power he held over her.
Serafina reached under her cardigan and pulled two guns, pointing them straight at us.
I rested my hand lightly on my own gun but I couldn’t bring myself to pull it on my niece. Remo was struggling to stand and didn’t have a weapon.
“Samuel’s going to be okay. He’s knocked out behind the sofa,” Serafina said.
Pietro’s face contorted with horrified realization. “Fina, you’ve been through a lot. Put down the gun.”
Serafina released the safety catch. “I’m sorry.” I’d been faced with many difficult choices in my time as Capo. Today marked the worst. I pulled my gun at the same time as Danilo did. Serafina pulled the trigger and Danilo winced, his hand flying up to grip a bleeding spot on his arm.
“Not a single move.”
Remo moved closer to Serafina, and his eyes met mine. He seemed almost stunned, as if he too was caught off guard by the events. “We only want to leave. No one has to get hurt,” Serafina whispered.
“Dove,” Pietro croaked. “You don’t owe this man anything. He raped you. I know emotions can get confused in a situation like this, but we have people who can help you.”