“We promise it won’t happen again,” Chastity said, her voice small compared to the confidence she exuded earlier.
Bennett looked at her and gave her a small smile. “I know it won’t. I’ll make sure it doesn’t,” he said, just as Bruce walked back into the room.
Smoke billowed out of a cooler Bruce held, the chilled air hitting me when he passed me with it. Bennett walked across the room and pulled on a pair of thick, fire resistant gloves before moving over to the cooler, pulling out a white block. My eyes widened as I watched the smoke billow from the block, quickly realizing he held dry ice.
Holy shit, things were about to get messy.
“Three strips of duct tape please,” Bennett called over his shoulders to the guys.
Hulk walked over and rummaged in a drawer before pulling out a roll of black duct tape. He moved over to the small table Bennett stood next to and tore off three pieces. My heart raced a little faster as I watched him break off a couple of pieces from the block and stick them to the tape.
“Three more smaller pieces,” he ordered.
Hulk tore off three more strips and stuck the ends of them to the edge of the table so they hung. Bennett took a strip of tape with the ice stuck to it and walked over to Chastity, placing the tape across her breasts so the dry ice pressed against her nipples. He repeated the same for the other two women before Chastity screamed in pain.
Bennett ignored them as the room soon filled with all three of their screams as they jerked against the restraints on the chair. His demeanor remained calm as he broke more ice off, holding three medium-sized balls of it in his hand, gesturing for the three men to join him.
As the women screamed, he stuffed a ball of ice into their mouth while one of the men quickly taped their mouth shut before they could spit it out. When they were all taped up, Bennett took a step back and folded his arms across his chest, his head cocked as he watched them struggle.
A part of me felt terrible he'd done that to them. Sure, what they did was fucked up, but I didn’t think they needed to suffer in that way. They coughed and sputtered, the gas from the dry ice coming out of their noses as they struggled to breathe.
I was familiar with what dry ice could do to a person. We’d used it in my makeup lab once when the AC went out and the product melted. It was so cold that it killed skin cells and caused severe frostbite, and with how long the ice had been on their nipples and in their mouths, I was sure it did grave damage.
“I hope you enjoyed how her pussy tasted, Kerry,” Bennett taunted. “It’ll be the last thing you ever taste.”
Tears spilled from her eyes as she violently jerked in her chair, trying her hardest to break free. Hulk and Matthews laughed and taunted them as they suffered, and all I could do was cry. Despite the moment we just shared, he was still the monster I knew him to be.
And the fact that he could play both roles so perfectly made him more dangerous than I ever thought he’d be.
BENNETT
I rubbed my temple; the girls' screams finally stopped as a headache settled in. The room was quiet aside from Aurora’s sniffles as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Her skin still held a beautiful flush from her earlier orgasm, the glittering tears a beautiful contrast against her heated skin. Bruce, Matthews, and Hulk silently moved around me and over to the girls who sat limp in their chair before looking back to me.
“You’re going to lose out on a lot of money with them gone,” Matthews said with a huff.
I rolled my eyes. “Whores are a dime a dozen. I can get three more women the same way I got them.”
“Crazy that you’d do this over some pussy,” he muttered with a shake of his head.
I turned to face him with a raised brow. “You got a problem with how I run shit around here, Matthews? Because you can be replaced in a heartbeat.” The muscle in his jaw ticked as he stared at me, but he didn’t dare utter a word. “That’s what I fucking thought.”
“So, what do you want to do with them, boss?” Hulk asked, emphasizing his sarcasm on my title.
We stared at each other for a good minute as I made a mental note to deal with those fuckers first thing in the morning. After the bullshit that happened earlier when I had them chip Aurora and now, their back talking was on my last nerve. Just like those three sluts were replaceable, so were my henchmen. And they’d find that out sooner than they thought.
I finally ground my teeth to control my anger and turned to face the motionless women.
Their cheeks were black with frostbite, same with the blackness creeping out beyond the strips of tape across their breasts the longer the ice sat there.
“Remove the tape,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. “But start with Kerry first. I’m curious about whether the ice froze her implants.”
When no one moved, I blew out a slow breath. “If I have to repeat myself, there will be three more dead bodies,” I said, keeping my tone calm and even. “Take her fucking tape off.”
Matthews, who stood in front of her, slowly peeled both ends of the tape from her skin, struggling a bit when he tried to remove it from her nipples.
“Fucking gross,” he grumbled, finally getting the tape off to reveal that both of her now frozen implants were adhered to the ice still on the tape. Aurora screamed when Matthews stepped back and revealed the gaping holes in Kerry’s chest, and a slight grin pulled at my lips at the sound.
I’m still the monster you love to hate.
“Interesting,” I said. “My genius scares even me sometimes.”
“How are you going to explain this to Wilson?” Hulk asked.
I cocked my head to the side. “What’s there to explain?”
“I mean…” He waved his hands toward the women. “You just killed your three money makers over a single woman who doesn’t make you money right now.”
“And? The girls are my part of the business. He can’t do shit about the decisions I make for my business. Now shut the fuck up and do your job,” I snapped.
Matthews and Hulk grumbled under their breath before joining Bruce in their clean up roles as I moved over to Aurora, who glared at me.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she croaked as I worked the cuffs off her wrists.
“But I did,” I simply stated, ignoring her bewildered gaze. “Everyone has rules they have to follow, just like you do. When they break them, they pay.”
“But you didn’t have to kill them over it! Is this just another way for you to fuck with me? Making me be the cause of someone else’s death?” she all but screamed.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I give you an orgasm and you’re still mad. Fucking women, I tell you.”
“You’re a sick fuck, you know that?” she spat, running her hands up and down her arms when her hands were free.
I chuckled. “Tell me something I don’t know. And to correct your earlier statement, you’re not the reason they’re dead. They’re the reason they’re dead.”
“I promise you won’t get away with this. Not as long as I’m around,” she hissed. I glanced down at her hands clenched into fists and grinned.
“What, you want to fight me about it?” I mused, reaching up and patting my cheek. “Come on, give me your best shot.”
She stared at me fuming but didn’t move.
“Don’t be a pussy. Seriously, let that anger out. I’ve put you through hell all day; I probably deserve it. I know you want to.”
A slight fire raced across my cheek when she slapped me, a grin settling back on my lips.
“That the best you got?” I taunted.
She frowned, slapping me again. When I only chuckled, she finally punched me, her weakened state taking the power out of it. Frustrated tears rolled down her cheeks as I stood there while she continued to hit me, completely unfazed. When she lifted her hand to hit me again, I grabbed her wrist.
“My turn,” I snarled.
She yelped when I backhanded her hard, sending her to the floor. I squatted next to h
er trembling form and shook my head.
“We had such a nice time this evening.” I tsked. “But you and that mouth of yours will constantly get you fucked up.”
She only whimpered in response, wiping blood from her lip as she avoided my gaze. I stood.
“Now get up,” I stated.
Aurora slowly pulled herself off the floor, grimacing when I grabbed her arm and led her out of the Retribution room. She didn’t say a single word as we made our way out of the bunker, keeping her eyes on the floor as I took her upstairs to the bedroom she’d be in.
“Since I can’t trust anyone in the bunker, you’ll have to finish your punishment in here,” I said, opening the bedroom door.
The room was no bigger than a closet, only containing a single twin mattress on the floor with a thin white sheet on it and a plastic bucket to do her business in. While I expected her to protest, she didn’t say a word. When I let her go, she simply walked into the room before looking back at me.
Her gaze pleaded with me to take her out, to not leave her in there. Tears sparkled in her eyes, but I slammed the door in her face and locked her in before retreating to own my bedroom for the night.
Sleep didn’t come easy. I tossed and turned the majority of the night, nightmare after nightmare plaguing my dreams. Images of Stephanie haunted me. Her beautiful smile. Her submissive ways. The comfort she brought me that I didn’t even know I needed.
Her blood.
Her dead body in my bedroom.
Every time I thought I didn’t have a heart, one thought of her reminded me that I did. My chest hurt every time I thought about her and my failure to protect her. But it was my own fault. My father warned me, but I didn’t listen.
You have to remain ruthless in this business. If you show even a hint of emotion, you’ll give your enemies the ammunition to destroy you.
His words echoed in my head as I stared up at the ceiling. What in the fuck was I going to do with a woman who looked so much like her when I spend so much effort in trying to forget her? Just looking at her for too long pissed me off.
I knew she wasn’t Stephanie, and I wasn’t stupid enough to think I could have with Aurora the same thing I had with Stephanie. Aurora made that obvious with her smartass mouth and attitude. But after thinking about it, I wondered if my father gave Aurora to me to torture me.
I glanced over at the clock on my nightstand, seeing it was only a quarter to four in the morning. Unable to go back to sleep, I threw the blankets off my body and got out of bed. I grabbed my iPad from the dresser and made my way over to the chaise lounge in the corner.
I pulled up the security cameras around the property. Everything was quiet, and everyone had turned into their quarters for the night. I tapped on the screen for the camera in Aurora’s room, the night vision showing her curled up form under the thin sheet.
A part of me wondered if she was awake, if she was crying after everything that’d happened to her today, but then a part of me didn’t give a fuck. The majority of what happened to her, she’d brought on herself. All she had to do was follow the rules; all anyone had to do was follow the rules—but they didn’t. Some of them died for it. Some of them were punished for it. And I was never sorry for anything I’d done, nor did I owe anyone a fucking explanation.
An email alert popped up on the top of my screen, the subject in bold letters.
Meeting Tomorrow Morning. Asap!!!
I rolled my eyes as I tapped on the alert to open the email, grinding my teeth as I read his bullshit.
I received word about what happened last night. I want a meeting with you and your men ASAP. 8 sharp.
-W. Moreno
There was no doubt in my mind that Matthews or Hulk sent a message to my father to tell him; there was no way he could know otherwise. He had no access to anything on my property, so the only way he’d know that fast was if someone from the inside told him. As if their past bullshit didn’t put them on my bad side, snitching about my business sealed their fate. There’d be a meeting, all right, and I guaranteed that only two of us would walk out of it alive.
After spending time mulling over how I was going to get rid of two more rats, I finally got dressed and went to get Aurora. The moment I opened the door, she popped up with wide eyes, wrapping the sheet around herself to cover her naked body.
“Get up and let’s go,” I ordered.
She scrambled to her feet and hustled out into the hallway, following behind me into the bedroom. I gestured to the clothes that were folded on the bed, watching as she quickly dropped the sheet and moved to get dressed. It was only a simple pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and undergarments, but the way she quickly put them on, you’d think they were the designer clothes she always wanted.
Once she was dressed, she turned to look at me.
“Could I have my shoes?” she asked.
I shook my head. “We’re not going anywhere that require you to have shoes. Just be glad you have clothes,” I replied. “Now let’s go. I have a meeting soon, and if you want breakfast, I’d advise you to shut up and follow along.”
The muscle in her jaw ticked as she blew out a breath through her nose, but she said nothing else. We walked downstairs to the dining room, where everyone else already sat at the table in front of a large breakfast spread. Trays of crunchy bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes, and hash browns were passed around as I moved to take my seat at the head of the table. Aurora looked around at the lack of available seats and frowned.
“Where am I supposed to sit?” she asked.
I pointed to the floor next to my seat. “This is where you bow. And if you’re a good girl, you’ll have a good breakfast,” I said with a sarcastic grin.
She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not a fucking dog, Bennett. I’m not eating on the floor,” she snapped.
The conversation around the table ceased instantly at her words, everyone looking at me as Aurora stood there, fuming. I sighed and stood, turning to face her.
“Aurora, either you get on your knees, or today is going to be very hard for you,” I said, my voice low.
She didn’t move, instead glaring at me.
I walked behind her, grabbed her shoulder in a tight grip, and kicked the inside of her knee, sending her to the floor. She grunted and shook out of my grasp but didn’t say anything. I looked up at Giana, who poured freshly squeezed orange juice into everyone’s glasses.
“Baby doll, get her the ‘bad girl’s’ breakfast. She doesn’t deserve the delicious food you’ve prepared this morning,” I said to her.
She gave me a small smile and nodded. “Yes, sir,” she said and disappeared.
A few moments later, she came back out into the dining room and put a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal on the floor in front of Aurora.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she mumbled before turning the bowl over.
I shrugged as I piled bacon and eggs onto my plate. “Since you want to be an ungrateful bitch, you won’t eat at all today,” I said.
“Fuck you,” she spat. “I don’t care.”
I ignored her and dug into my breakfast, making an entire show of it when I felt her eyes on me. I talked with the men and women of the house as if Aurora wasn’t even there, purposely dropping a piece of bacon on the floor.
Looking down at her, I grinned. “Go ahead. Eat the bacon like the dog you are,” I said.
“I’m not eating food that’s been on this filthy floor, jackass,” she retorted, picking it up and throwing it at my forehead.
I ground my teeth to keep myself from bashing her face in, smiling instead. “No respect for food. You must never want to eat again,” I said.
She rolled her eyes and looked away, which was probably the best thing she could do. If she said something else smart, I wasn’t too sure I’d keep my composure.
At 8:00 on the dot, my father appeared in the dining room with a scowl.
“I’m so glad that no one in this fucking place takes meetings s
eriously,” he barked, his face turning red as his eyes locked on me. “I want everyone who was in that room with you last night in the fucking study NOW.”
Matthews and Hulk jumped up like the bitches they were while I sat in my chair. I held his gaze as I stuffed another slice of bacon into my mouth, watching as his face became more and more crimson as he stared at me.
“No one told you to schedule a meeting at the time I have scheduled for breakfast. When you step onto my property, you work on my time, not yours,” I said, coolly.
“I’m not in the mood for your shit this morning, Bennett. I have other business to handle, so I don’t have all fucking day,” he snapped.
I shrugged. “And I’m having breakfast right now.”
“Fine. Then we’ll have the fucking meeting in here,” he said. “Everyone else, OUT!”
Everyone quickly filed out of the room, leaving Bruce, Hulk, Matthews, Aurora, and me alone with my father. He stormed over to the other end of the table and sat down, glaring at me.
“So, what’s the meeting for?” I asked, cutting into my pancake.
“You know goddamn good and well what it’s for. What’s this I hear about you killing three women over your new slut?”
I chewed on the pancake, taking my time in answering him. “It’s none of your business what I do with my girls,” I finally said. “And whoever made it your business should learn to shut the fuck up.”
“Would anyone like any orange juice?” Giana interrupted.
“No,” my father snapped.
“I’ll actually take another glass,” Hulk said.
“Yeah, me too,” Matthews added.
I glanced over at them. “Yeah, I’m sure both your throats are dry from all the snitching you’ve done,” I said, watching as they averted their gaze from me.
Giana headed back to the kitchen, stopping once she was a few feet beyond the doorway and turned back to me. I winked at her, and she responded with a knowing grin, disappearing to retrieve their drinks.
“The same way I gave you this business is the same way I can take it from you,” my father continued.
Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection Page 6