15. Zach
After a few seconds, I turned the battery off. I didn't want to kill Matteo yet. He hadn't bled enough for my liking. He needed to bleed more. I was still agitated by him saying that Carmine wasn't my dad. I hated when people tried to throw that in my face. He was my father in every fucking way a father should be except for the genes, and if there were a way I could have fixed that, I would have. Colton never once threw it in my face, even when we were kids.
I studied him briefly as I picked up my knife again. His expression was cold as he watched Matteo recover from the shock. I had been worried about him in the hours after Pop died, but whatever Layla said or did with him in the car seemed to get him back on track. After they came inside, she found me in the garage and sat with me as I ripped apart my latest project. Once I had everything but the engine block torn out, I had finally collapsed on the floor of the garage, and she crawled into my lap and let me cling to her as I cried my heart out for Pop. Eventually, she fell asleep in my arms, so I took us to bed. I hadn't let go of her until I woke up several hours later.
I began slicing into Matteo again, losing myself in the blood. There wasn't any rhyme or reason for my cuts. The only thing I was focused on was making sure none of my cuts were fatal.
"He's out," Layla called.
I looked up at Matteo's face, only now realizing that his screams had died down, to see that she was right. I tossed my knife down onto the table and sighed in frustration. It wasn't nearly as fun when he was unconscious. My eyes drifted to my girl, and while she looked relaxed and content to watch the torture, the wild look in her eyes and the way her hands fidgeted slightly gave her away. My little slasher wanted to play but understood how important it was for Colton and me to do it ourselves. The fact that she was willing to hold herself back to let us have this meant a lot.
Needing to hold her for a minute, I stepped between her legs and brushed my thumb over her cheek, smearing Matteo's blood onto her skin. Fuck that was hot. I pulled her lips to mine and kissed her deeply. Layla's legs wrapped around my waist as the kiss turned hungry. When I finally pulled back, I rested my forehead against hers as we caught our breath. "I'm fucking you in his blood later," I promised.
Layla's nose wrinkled in disgust, but I could see the excitement in her eyes. She was into it just like I knew she would be. "You should probably get on with it then," she rasped, tightening her legs around me to press me into her core harder. I rolled my hips teasingly, letting her feel my entire length.
Tyler's phone went off, catching my attention. He checked the phone and then smirked. "They've got him. He will be here in twenty."
I grinned and gave Layla a chaste kiss before untangling from her and returning to the still-unconscious Matteo. Colton was also grinning, and I clapped him on the back as I flipped the switch on the battery cart to wake Matteo up. He started screaming immediately, and I flipped it off again. "Good news, Matteo. Your buddy will be joining us shortly."
"Does that mean you're finally going to kill me?" Matteo slurred.
"Not quite," Colton replied. "I don't think you've suffered enough yet, do you, Zach?"
"Not even a little," I replied.
"So how do you know where to cut in order not to kill him too fast?"‘ Bear asked. He stood and approached Matteo's body, studying it carefully.
A lightbulb went off in my head, and I laughed as I grabbed an extra knife and handed it to Bear. "Would you like a crash course in torture and interrogation?"
Bear grinned. "I'd love one." I met Colt's eyes and tilted my head in question to make sure he didn't mind. He grinned and nodded his permission to continue.
"Ok, so the important thing to remember is that you don't want to cut too deep. I suggest studying the human anatomy and memorizing where the arteries are located. Knick one of those, and it will be over before it starts. It's also important to avoid stabbing the important areas. The torso is generally off-limits unless you use a short blade designed for shallow punctures." I ran to the wall and grabbed a couple to show him. "See one like this can be worn on your finger, whereas this one has a larger handle so that you can maintain a good grip on it."
Bear took the second one from me and tested his grip on it. "I think one like this would suit me better. The only finger that would fit on me is my pinkie."
I nodded in agreement. "Now, with this, you still want to make sure to avoid the artery areas, but you can usually stab the torso and fattier areas. For stabbing with full-sized blades, the thighs are usually a good muscular place to stab, as long as you avoid—"
"The artery," Bear interrupted. "I'm beginning to get the picture," he laughed. "Avoid the arteries at all costs."
"Correct."
"May I?" Bear asked.
"Be my guest," I replied.
Bear adjusted his grip on the puncture blade and then stabbed it into Matteo's abdomen. After several stabs, he stepped back to admire his work. "You know, this is rather fun. I'm definitely going to start incorporating this into Triple Skulls."
"If you're going to do that, I would also have something like this setup," I replied, guiding him to the fire poker. "Now our heating system is a small electric fireplace, so we don't have to deal with smoke. If you have a fireplace, you can just as easily use that. Not only is this another excellent way to inflict pain, but if you make your guest bleed too much, you can use it to cauterize the wounds and hopefully stop the bleeding before they bleed out."
Bear grabbed the hot poker and walked back to Matteo. He ripped the knife I had left embedded in his thigh out and shoved the hot poker into the hole. Matteo screamed again, but Bear ignored him. When the sizzling stopped, he removed the poker and bent down to inspect the wound. "Fascinating," he commented before wrinkling his nose and stepping away. "Smells terrible, though,"
"Yeah, burning human flesh doesn't exactly smell like a barbeque," I agreed. "It isn't a method I use often; I prefer the blood, but it does have its uses."
"Sal's here," Tyler announced.
"Drew and I will go bring him down," Sean announced.
"What about this?" Bear asked, gesturing to the battery cart.
"That is a custom build. I can make you one. It's rather straightforward to use. Just don't let it run too long unless your goal is death by electrocution," I replied.
"I want to explore this more in the future. If I showed up with a guinea pig in tow, would you be interested in assisting me?" Bear asked.
"Bro. Anytime, day or night," I assured him. I was always ready to spill some blood. Hell, if she wasn't busy, Layla would probably join us, too.
The door slammed open, and Sean and Drew dragged a struggling Sal into the room. Excellent. I loved it when they had a fighting spirit. Matteo didn't put up nearly as much of a fight as Sal was. "Thank you for the lesson," Bear said, "I'll let you continue your mission. I've got to get back."
"Thank you for picking up Matteo, Bear," Colton said, shaking his hand. "If you ever need anything, just let us know."
"Will do, brother," Bear replied. He left the room, and our focus shifted to Sal.
"You fucking wanker, Matteo," Sal sneered. "I should have known they would break you. You always were the weakest link in the chain."
"Fuck you, Sal," Matteo muttered.
I stared at Sal, pondering what we would do with him since we only had one set of chains. We'd have to rectify that later. Colton strode forward and punched Sal in the face. I grinned when I heard the crunch of his nose breaking as the first of Sal's blood was spilled. The blood sprayed Drew, and he glared at Colton.
"Thanks," he said dryly. I had to admit, I was impressed with how Drew had overcome his aversion to blood. Not long ago, he wouldn't have even been in the room, and getting blood on him would have sent him running for the toilet. Now, he took it in stride.
"Sorry," Colt chuckled.
"Let's strap him to the table," I suggested, dragging it away from the wall. We didn't use it often, preferring the chains. The four of us wrestled Sal onto the table and held him in place as Layla secured the straps. Once he was secure, I went behind her and tightened them even more, tilting the table so that he and Matteo could see each other. Then, I cut Sal's clothes off.
"Why don't we break for an early dinner?" Layla suggested when I had finished. "Let these two catch up while they can still speak."
I was confused by her suggestion. I didn't want to take a break, but the look on her face told me to agree. "Yeah, sure. I could eat," I replied. We left the room, but she went into the observation room instead of going upstairs.
"I know they aren't here for interrogations," Layla said as she turned on the speaker system so that we could hear what was being said, "but it doesn't hurt to give them a chance to chat and see what we can learn."
"Smart thinking," Sean praised. It didn't take long for our two guests to start talking.
"I can't believe you ratted me out," Sal growled as he struggled futilely at his bonds.
"I would have sold out my mother to get them to stop," Matteo replied.
"That's what makes you a fucking pussy," Sal replied.
"Just wait until they start on you," Matteo said. "Then we'll see how quickly you start to spill secrets."
"I won't let them break me," Sal replied confidently, making me snort. We'll see about that. The harder they resisted, the harder they fell. I was going to enjoy this. "Fucking Anton and Tommy. We never should have gotten involved with Anton. Ever since we did, everything has gone fucking sideways."
"Tommy thought we needed him," Matteo replied. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, I'm inclined to agree with you."
"What if we give up Anton?" Sal pondered. "Tell them where he's holed up and what his plans are?"
"I don't think it will do any good. We killed Carmine. This isn't about getting information. They haven't asked me a single fucking question."
"So you volunteered my location?" Sal growled.
"I did. I told you I would have told them anything to get a swift death. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way, so don't think offering them information will save you; it won't," Matteo replied.
"We should have killed those kids six years ago," Sal sighed. "Layla wouldn't have as much power without them."
"Underestimating Layla is what led us down this path to begin with," Matteo muttered. "What we should have done was killed her when she was still a child and an easy kill. Now it seems to be fucking impossible."
"She isn't our problem anymore, I suppose," Sal replied. They fell silent for several minutes before Sal asked, "Is there a part of you that feels proud of her? Proud of the woman we helped raise? As infuriating as she is, I still feel proud that we shaped her and can't help but think that we played this whole thing wrong from the start."
"Yeah, I've had moments of pride," Matteo admitted.
"I don't want your fucking pride," Layla growled quietly.
I rubbed her shoulders, working on the tension there. "They may have trained you, LG, but you became the powerful woman that you are all on your own. And whether we were at your side or not, I do not doubt you'd still be just as powerful. Let them take credit for it if it makes them feel better. We know the truth."
"I don't think they're going to say anything else," Colton said after Matteo and Sal hadn't spoken for half an hour.
"I agree," Layla said. "Let's get back in there."
"Should we let Sal watch us finish Matteo off and then work on him?" I asked Colton as we left the observation room.
"Sounds good to me," Colt replied.
The two men looked at us as we returned. "You don't have to kill us," Sal said. "We could help you take down Anton and Tommy."
"You didn't have to kill my father, either," Colt replied, "and yet, you did."
"We didn't have a choice!" Matteo yelled. "We were just following orders."
"Funny that you developed a sense of loyalty with Anton but not with my father," Layla commented as she took her place on the table next to Tyler again. "What's even more ironic is that had you remained loyal to my father, your life would have turned out far different."
"Life is full of regrets," Sal replied. "I hope when you reach our age, you don't have nearly as many as we do."
Layla tilted her head to the side, considering his statement. "You know, I actually believe you mean that."
"Is there anything we can say to keep us from dying?" Sal asked.
"No, there isn't," I replied.
"I wasn't speaking to you," Sal growled. "You never did understand your fucking place."
In a flash, Layla was across the room and had sliced a large cut across his stomach. "And you've never understood that his place was never your fucking concern," she growled. "Your lives are out of my hands. They belong to Colton and Zach for what you did to their father. I suggest you stop trying to kiss my ass, it won't get you anywhere." She turned and winked at me as she handed me the knife. "Sorry for intruding."
I wrapped my arm around her front as she walked by and kissed her temple. "Baby, you can intrude any time you want, but we appreciate you letting us do this on our own." I released her, and she returned to her perch to watch the show.
"Now, where were we?" I asked.
"Sal was asking if there was a way for him to negotiate for his life," Colton reminded me. "As Zach said, the answer is no." He grabbed pliers from the table and moved toward Matteo. "I believe we've reached the tongue removal portion of Matteo's time with us."
"We sure have!" I replied cheerily. I grabbed my knife and joined him in front of Matteo, who gave us a half-hearted fight before giving up and accepting his fate. I cut his tongue out of his mouth and then dangled it in Sal's face. When he opened his mouth to protest, I shoved it in.
Sal sputtered and gagged as he spit it out. "You fucking psychopath!" he yelled.
"Guilty as charged," I chuckled.
Colton grabbed his discarded knife and returned to Matteo. "This is for my father and Layla's. Burn in fucking hell."
"I'll see you there," Matteo replied defiantly one last time.
"Perhaps," Colton shrugged before slitting Matteo's throat ear to ear. Blood sprayed from the cut, drenching Colt. When he turned toward Sal, his eyes had a crazy gleam. "Your turn," he said ominously. Sal shuddered, and I couldn't ignore that his words had even sent a chill down my spine. I unhooked the battery from Matteo while Colton carved a stoic Sal up some. His ability to stay silent impressed me, but I knew that wouldn't last long.
A throat cleared behind me, and I turned to see Layla smiling sweetly as she held something behind her back. "I brought you something," she said. With a flourish, she presented me with a spray bottle filled with a yellow-tinted liquid. "Salted lemon juice," she said, answering my unspoken question.
"Excellent," I replied as I took the bottle from her. "Thanks, baby." I tapped Colt on the shoulder and jerked my head for him to step back. "This might sting a little," I told Sal before spraying it on all his cuts. I was rewarded with a groan as his face twisted. By the time I had sprayed him down, he was panting through the pain, but he still wasn't screaming. That wouldn't do.
I grabbed the five-row Wartenberg wheel from a drawer and brought it back to Sal. This wheel wasn't for sexy time fun. It was razor sharp and would draw blood with the slightest pressure. I planned on using more than that. I ran to wheel across every inch of Sal's front, even his wilted cock and wrinkly balls. That was the first genuine cry of pain I got out of him. I chuckled as I placed the wheel on the table and picked up the spray bottle again. It was about to get worse.
Spraying him down again, he was able to hold back until I generously sprayed his cock and balls. Then he began to sing the song of his imminent death, and I found myself humming along. When his cries died, I sprayed them again.
"You really do enjoy this far too much," Colton said quietly, unconsciously protecting his junk with his hand. I looked around the room, saw the other men doing the same, and laughed. "This doesn't bother you?"
"I won't lie; I'm pretty sure my balls crawled back inside my body, but it helps that I'm the one inflicting the pain," I replied.
"I hope they don't stay there long," Layla purred.
I wagged my finger at her. "Don't distract me," I warned.
Layla snapped her teeth at me, and my dick twitched. "Right, let's keep the ball rolling," I said. My need to fuck my girl was gradually superseding my need to torture Sal to death.
"You better not cut this short," Colt growled. "If you do, I'll fuck instead."
"I won't," I replied, glaring at him. If he fucked this up for me, we'd be going a few more rounds on the mat.
"Then focus."
I wheeled the battery cart over to him and hooked him up. "Want to do the honors?" I asked Colt.
"Love to," he replied.
"Whatever you do to me, I won't tell you shit," Sal growled.
I shook my head at him. "I thought we already settled that. We don't want your words."
"We want your screams," Colton finished as he flipped the switch.
Sal's body tensed and arched off the table as the electric currents pulsed through his body. Blood trickled from his mouth as he bit a chunk of his tongue off to hold back his screams. Colton cut the electricity, but as soon as Sal relaxed, he turned it back on, catching him off guard. This time, he couldn't hold back, and his screams filled the room. Colton continued to toy with him, flipping the battery on and off at irregular intervals.
"I think he might have had enough," Layla commented
Colton cut the electricity off one final time, and we approached Sal. Bloody drool fell from his mouth, and his eyes were unfocused. I snapped my fingers in front of his face and didn't get a reaction. "I think she's right. You might have fried his brain."
Colt chuckled. "Good."
I stabbed Sal in the thigh, but the only reaction I got was his body jerking in response. The pain didn't register on his face. He didn't even blink. "Well, this just got boring," I said dryly.
"Look on the bright side," Colt replied, "now you can kill him and fuck Layla."
My mood brightened as I looked back at Layla. "C'mere, LG."
Layla hopped off the table and approached slowly, swinging her hips seductively. I handed her my knife and slid her body in front of me. I wrapped my hand around hers, clutching the blade, and lifted it to Sal's throat.
I pressed my rapidly hardening dick against her ass. "Bye, Sal," I said simply as I dragged the knife across his neck slowly. Blood sprayed over me and Layla, and as soon as we finished killing Sal, we dropped the knife, and Layla spun in my arms and wrapped hers around my neck. I claimed her mouth hungrily.
Colton chuckled. "Alright, guys, let's clear out and let the crazies do their thing."
I was barely aware of them leaving as I tore off Layla's clothes and dragged her to the floor, which was covered in a mix of Matteo and Sal's blood. Layla pulled my shirt over my head as I unbuttoned my jeans and shoved them down enough to free my cock. My body covered hers as I took my place between her thighs and found her wet and ready for me. I sheathed my cock inside of her and moaned as her pussy hugged me tightly. Nothing on this planet felt better than being inside of Layla.
I planned on spending a lot of time frolicking in the blood with her, so I didn't bother trying to make the first time last, setting a punishing pace to get us both off quickly so we could draw the next one out. Each pump into her slid her a few inches on the floor, and her hips were bloody from where I tried to hold onto her with blood-covered hands. With all the blood, it was proving difficult until we had fucked through the pool and reached a somewhat drier patch of floor that her shoulders stuck to better.
Of course, then, I had my own problems since I was still slipping in the blood with every thrust. It certainly wasn't pretty, and it wasn't nearly as sexy as I expected it to be, but I was determined to see it through, so I planted my cock fully inside of Layla and moved to more shallow thrusts, with more of my weight on her.
"Want me to get on top?" Layla panted.
"Next time," I groaned, burying my face in her neck. I nibbled a path to her shoulder and then bit down on it, making her cry out in pain and pleasure. I soothed the bite with my tongue, tasting the copper from blood I knew didn't belong to her. I hadn't bit her that hard. Regardless of whose blood it was, it turned me on even more, and I snaked a bloody hand between our bodies to thumb her clit. "Come with me, baby," I pleaded.
"Zach!" Layla cried.
"That's right, baby. Scream for me. Tell everyone who makes you feel this good," I growled. My balls tightened, and I groaned as I felt my cock get ready to explode. "Almost there. You better fucking come with me, Layla!"
"Yes! Fuck yes!" Layla yelled as her hand shoved mine out of the way and furiously rubbed at her clit. She didn't stop until I felt her pussy tighten around me moments before my dick swelled and pumped rope after rope of cum deep inside of her. My roar as I came bounced off of the wall around us, Layla's cries of ecstasy blending with them, creating my favorite melody.
I kissed Layla's jaw before rolling off of her, panting. "Well, that was fun," Layla commented when she had caught her breath.
"Not done yet," I replied.
Layla propped herself up on her elbows, her blood-soaked hair dripping. She looked at my cock pointedly. "It seems someone needs some mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."
"Fuck, yes," I moaned as she shifted to her knees and gently sucked me into her mouth. My eyes fell shut as I focused on how good her mouth felt wrapped around me. This was definitely my second favorite place to stick my cock. It made it even hotter knowing that there was no way I hadn't gotten some blood on my dick at some point, which she was swallowing. It didn't take long for me to recover, and soon Layla mounted me.
Blood dripped from her back onto my thighs as she started to ride me. I ran my hands up her body to cup her breasts, leaving a bloody trail in their wake. This was the proper way to fuck in blood. With her on top, I could paint her body with blood and continued to dip my hands in the pool of it around us. I grinned to myself as I left a handprint across her face.
"You now bear the red hand of Zach," I announced dramatically.
"What am I, a Uruk-hai now?" Layla laughed.
"But much cuter," I replied.
Layla dipped her hands in blood and then placed them on my chest, leaving her own mark on my skin, which gave me an idea for my next tattoo. "If I'm one, then so are you," she whispered, leaning down to kiss me.
I wrapped her damp hair around my fist and pulled her lips from mine. "Baby, I'll be whatever the fuck you want me to be," I swore, "now move that ass." I punctuated my order by slapping her ass hard, the wet sound causing the base of my spine to tingle. Fuck, we needed to do this more often.
Layla rose above me, and I was struck by how fucking beautiful she was as she began to ride me hard, her nails digging into my stomach for leverage. It stung, and I was sure she was drawing blood, but it added to the moment in the best way. "Fuck yes, Layla, mark me. Claim me." She stopped moving and leaned over. When she straightened, she was holding my knife and cocked her eyebrow questioningly. If possible, I got even harder. I traced her vine tattoos covering the scars John had left on her with a bloody finger. "Do it," I whispered.
She brought the tip of the knife to my shoulder, where the first bloom of her tattoo started, and I moved my finger to the same spot on her. Together, we moved, and I retraced her tattoo as she copied my movements with the knife. I groaned as the sting of the knife replicated her scars on my body. I wouldn't get them tattooed like she did. I would wear them proudly for her. When she finished just above my hip, I knocked the knife from her hand and surged up, wrapping my arms around her tightly to mark her with my blood as I kissed her savagely.
I flipped us to a dry portion of the floor and pulled almost out of her before slamming back into her, swallowing her moans as I fucked us both over the edge like the crazed man that I was. Desperate for her. Always desperate for her. We came together, and I felt like my entire existence on a cellular level was torn apart and stitched together again to make me into whatever she needed me to be. I felt like my life force was joined with hers, and I knew there wasn't a world I could exist in without her by my side and vice versa.
Collapsing on top of her, it took me a few minutes to realize that I had to be crushing her, but when I went to move off of her, Layla wrapped her arms and legs around me to hold me in place. "Baby, I don't want to hurt you," I said as I tried to untangle myself.
"I like it. It's a good hurt," Layla replied.
How could I argue with that? I stayed in place but shifted my arms and legs so my full weight wasn't on her. We stayed like that for several minutes, neither of us in a hurry to leave the blood-laced little bubble we created.
"I hope you know how much I love you, Layla Grace Romano," I whispered.
Layla nodded. "I do. Because I love you just as much, Zach. Maybe more."
"Not possible," I replied. "We should get cleaned up and let the cleaning crew get in here."
Layla sighed but unwrapped herself from around me. I stood and helped her to her feet. I looked at the floor and grinned at our artwork. They have kits with body paint and a canvas to create sexy artwork. Blood is much better than paint. I grabbed my jeans and pulled my phone from them to snap a quick picture before the cleaning crew could come in and mess it up.
"Send me a copy of that," Layla said.
"You got it," I replied. I tossed my phone onto one of the tables and tossed Layla over my shoulder, making her squeal. I carried her down the hall to the pool room to use the showers. We could not make it all the way upstairs without being spotted or leaving a bloody trail behind us.
Cordy would kill us if we got blood all over the house, and we'd scar Autumn for life if she spotted us. Ah, the burden of family life.