Chapter 169 Torture
Dante’s POV
It wasn’t my shot.
It wasn’t—
The sound didn’t come the way it should have, it left no trace, just a dull pressure in the air, like something snapped too close to my ear and died before it could breathe.
Then the door moved but I couldn't tell how, it wasn't kicked, or broken down. Or at least I didn't hear anything.
My grip tightened around the gun as instinct dragged it up, but something was wrong.
My arm didn’t rise the way it should. My fingers didn’t respond fast enough. Everything felt… delayed.
Heavy.
The door creaked wider, and I stepped forward, or at least I tried to.
My foot barely shifted.
What the hell—
Luca stepped in with that ugly annoying smirk he always had. Like he had all the time in the world.
Our eyes met and his didn’t hold any surprise, I could have sworn I caught a smirk on his lips.
He looked… pleased.
I fired, or at least, I pulled the trigger.
But nothing hit him.
My breath hung, and I frowned, my body staggered slightly as a strange warmth spread through my chest.
No, not warmth.
Heat, a fiery burn.
My eyes dropped to my chest as I noticed the thick red liquid soaking my shirt.
Blood.
It poured down the front of my shirt, soaking through the fabric fast from what looked to be a hole.
Right through me.
My breath hitched, and that was when the pain flooded in.
I staggered back a step with my hand instinctively pressing against my chest, but it did nothing.
The blood kept coming, slipping through my fingers like I wasn’t even there to stop it.
Luca smiled faintly. “Now that,” he said quietly, stepping further in, “looks more like you.”
I pushed myself to stand straight, willing my legs to lock as I forced my grip tighter around the gun.
But my arm trembled weakly, slower than usual as I made to pull the trigger again.
But this time, one of his men moved before I could react, slamming his body into me from the side, knocking the air off my lungs as the shot went wide.
The impact sent a violent jolt through my chest and I felt something tear deeper inside me.
“Arghh!” I screamed as I stumbled back, barely catching myself before another hit came straight across my face.
The world tilted around me and I swung back as much as I could, catching one of them across the jaw with the butt of my gun.
He staggered, and for a second—just a split second—I thought I could still turn this.
Then something crashed into my ribs.
Another hit, followed by another. Then my knees buckled, dropping me to the floor.
A boot came down fast on me, slamming into me and knocking my gun out of my hand and slipping out of reach.
Boots surrounded me fast, kicking and punching as weights pressed down.
Hands quickly forced my arms back roughly, but I fought back as much as I could.
I twisted and shoved, trying as I could to break free, but pain exploded through me as one hit to the bullet whole stopped my efforts.
My lungs gave way and they pounced on me without mercy, slamming me flat and forcing my face against the ground as something cold snapped around my wrists.
Cuffs.
I exhaled sharply even with the pain that followed each breath. My chest tightened with every inhale, like it might collapse in on itself.
Luca stepped closer slowly, taking his time before crouching down in front of me and dragging his gaze over my face, like he was taking his time to memorize every inch of it.
“This…” he murmured, almost amused. “This is what it looks like.”
I didn’t answer, but my jaw tightened as I forced my head up just enough to look at him.
“You have me,” I rasped with my voice rough and strained. “What more do you want?”
A small chuckle left his lips. “Oh, Dante,” he said softly. “If this was all I wanted, you’d already be dead.”
Another boot slammed into my side and I coughed out blood this time as the pain surged again, sharper now, clawing its way through every nerve.
My vision blurred, but I didn’t dare look away. I wouldn’t give him that privilege.
He stood, adjusting his sleeve like none of this meant anything.
“Take him.”
Then hands dragged me up roughly as my legs didn’t even resist. They didn’t even try.
I hung between them with my feet scraping against the ground as they hauled me out of the room, down the hallway and through the back.
The night air did nothing to clear the fog creeping into my head.
Every step felt a mile away, every sound came through more distant.
And when they finally stopped, they threw me harshly into a tight space.
Pain ripped through my chest again, worse this time, like something inside had shifted the wrong way.
I looked around as much as I could, using my legs to the best of my ability to check around till the small space formed a trunk in my head.
I tried to breathe, but couldn’t as the lid slammed shut and darkness swallowed everything.
Voices faded away till the car started, moving wildly and knocking me on every side.
Each bump sent another wave of agony through me, and after some time, it grew further away, like it wasn’t fully reaching me anymore.
My fingers twitched weakly, feeling completely useless as my chest rose and fell slowly. Too slowly.
Too heavy.
Then even that started to slip and the pain dulled away with the disappearing sounds.
Before everything finally went black…
Cold. That was the first thing I felt.
Cold, biting against my skin like I’d been left out in the open.
Then came the pain again, crashing through me as it all hit at once, dragging a harsh groan from my throat as my body jerked instinctively against whatever held me.
Chains.
My wrists burned where they were locked above me, stretched tight enough that even the smallest movement pulled at my already bleeding chest.
My feet barely touched the ground and my head hung low.
Breathing was near to impossible as even my chest felt tight and heavy as the wound throbbed violently with every beat of my heart.
The blood had dried up and reopened. Everything hurt.
Steps echoed not far off, marching down slowly and I didn’t need to look up to know who.
I already knew.
Luca.
“Well,” his voice came, calm, almost thoughtful. “Look at you.”
I lifted my head anyway even with my vision blurring at the edges.
I focused through it, locking onto him as he stood a few feet away with his hands behind his back like he was inspecting his property.
“You’re quieter than I expected,” he added.
And I said nothing.
Then he flicked his hand towards my back and without any warning, a lash went across my back.
“Arghh!” I screamed before I could stop myself as my body jerked hard against the chains, sending another wave of pain through my chest.
“Let’s make this simple,” Luca said casually. “You answer what I don't like, you get five. You don’t say a word… you get three.”
Another lash followed, then the third.
I clenched my teeth and folded my fingers into fists despite the way my arms screamed in protest.
“Why did you take her?” He asked.
And a second passed without a word from me.
The guy behind me flashed three lashes across my back. Each one deeper than the last.
My breath came harder now as my body tightened with every strike, but I didn’t give him anything.
I didn’t even look away.
“Why did you think you could keep her?” He continued.
I spat blood to the side. “Is that all?” I muttered hoarsely.
He chuckled then clapped towards the guy and five whips struck me.
This time, I felt it more than the rest. My body was losing it as even my vision went white with each violent jolt my body received.
The chains rattled as my strength faltered again.
Then a fist slammed into my jaw and my head snapped to the side.
Another hit followed. Then another.
“You still think this is a game?” Luca asked with his voice lower now, colder.
I laughed, but it came out broken. Weak.
But that seemed to irritate him more than anything else.
The next strike came harder, followed by another, then another, and another, and another, and another.
Time slipped away as nothing passed through my mind between these.
And when they finally stopped, my body sagged against the chains as my strength drained with every second.
But I held on to the only thing that mattered.
I didn’t break.
I didn’t answer.
“You know,” Luca said after a while, pacing slowly in front of me, “she ran from you.”
My jaw tightened.
“She chose to leave,” he continued. “After everything.”
I said nothing, I did nothing. But something in my chest shifted.
Not the wound, something deeper.
“They always do,” he added softly. “When they realize what you really are.”
His guard punched me right after and my head dropped forward.
It wasn't just just the pain again, my body was giving out. Piece by piece, I was fading off.
Luca stepped in front of me again. “Do you want to know why I always find you?” He asked.
But I didn't respond, didn’t lift my head. Didn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer.
The guy behind me began lashing out mercilessly, going beyond the three count.
I shifted forward even as a hand grabbed my chin, forcing my face up.
“Look at me!” Luca yelled between the lashes, and I didn’t resist.
I didn’t have the strength to, our eyes met again.
He studied me for a second. Then smiled.
“Stop!” He commanded and the whipping stopped.
My body sagged low as everything I had inside me was gone. I pushed to see the face of the man whipping me, but everything in me lost the will to move.
Then I felt Luca leaning forward slightly.
“Since you’re going to die soon…” he said quietly, dropping his voice just enough to pull me in despite everything. “Let me tell you a little secret.”
.