Chapter 13 Blood And Negotiation
The men didn't give Cedric a choice. They flanked him on either side, hands gripping his arms just tight enough to bruise, and marched him through a service corridor he hadn't even known existed. The bass from the club faded behind them, replaced by the echo of their footsteps on concrete.
"Where are we going?" Cedric demanded.
Neither man answered.
They led him down two flights of stairs, through a heavy steel door, and into what looked like the building's basement. The air was colder here, damp, and when they turned a corner, Cedric heard something that made his blood freeze.
A wet, meaty sound, like a fist meeting someone's flesh. Then a loud scream suddenly cut short.
"Oh fuck," Cedric breathed.
The guards pushed him forward, toward a door at the end of the hallway. Light spilled from underneath it, and Cedric could hear voices now. One voice, actually. Low, controlled, speaking patiently in Italian.
One of the guards knocked twice.
"Avanti," came Gianni's voice from inside.
The door swung open.
The first thing Cedric saw was blood splattered across the concrete floor. The second thing he saw was the man tied to a chair in the center of the room, his face so swollen and broken that Cedric couldn't tell what he'd originally looked like.
The third thing he saw was Gianni.
He stood over the chair, his expensive suit jacket discarded, his white shirt rolled up to his elbows and speckled with red. His knuckles were raw and bloody, and he was smiling.
Cedric could tell that he was enjoying this.
"Parli," Gianni said softly to the man in the chair. "Tell me where you hid it, and this stops."
The man's head lolled forward. He tried to speak, but only blood came out.
Gianni sighed, almost disappointed, and drew his fist back.
That's when he noticed Cedric standing in the doorway.
Their eyes met, and Cedric watched Gianni's expression shift. The dark pleasure drained from his face, replaced by surprise and then, irritation.
Cedric felt his stomach turn. He'd known, in his mind, that Gianni was dangerous. That he ran a criminal empire built on violence and fear. But knowing it and seeing it were two completely different things.
"Cedric," Gianni said, his voice still a dangerous calm. He grabbed a clean white towel from a nearby table and began slowly wiping the blood from his knuckles, "I wasn't expecting you so soon."
He gestured to his men without looking at them. "Portalo via. Take him to the doctor. Make sure he lives long enough to reconsider his loyalty."
The guards moved immediately, untying the broken man and half-dragging, half-carrying him from the room. He left a trail of blood behind him.
Then it was just the two of them.
Gianni finished cleaning his hands and tossed the ruined towel aside. "Close the door."
Cedric's hand moved to obey before his brain caught up. The click of the lock sounded impossibly loud.
"I'm going to make this very simple for you," Gianni said, moving toward Cedric. "Because I think we've wasted enough time on games tonight, don't you agree?"
"I don't..."
"Take off your clothes."
Cedric's mouth went dry. "What?"
"You heard me. Strip. Everything off. Now." Gianni's voice was perfectly level, "Or would you prefer I have my men do it for you? They're not as gentle as I am."
Cedric's hands were shaking as they went to his shirt buttons. This was insane.
But his fingers kept moving, popping buttons, because what choice did he have? He was locked in a basement with a man who'd just beaten someone half to death with a smile on his face.
The shirt hit the floor. Then his pants. His shoes. His socks. Until he was standing in nothing but his boxer briefs, covered in goosebumps that had nothing to do with the cold.
"All of it," Gianni said.
"This is fucking insane..."
"All. Of. It."
Cedric hooked his thumbs in the waistband and shoved his boxers down, stepping out of them with as much dignity as he could muster while completely naked and terrified.
Gianni circled him slowly, like a predator assessing prey, and Cedric forced himself not to cover himself, not to show more weakness than he already had.
"On your knees."
"Are you seriously..."
Gianni's hand shot out, fisting in Cedric's hair and forcing him down. Cedric's knees hit the concrete hard enough to hurt, and suddenly he was eye-level with Gianni's belt again, but this time there was no pretense of seduction.
This was about power and pure, absolute control.
"Let me explain how this is going to work," Gianni said, his grip tight enough to make Cedric's scalp burn. "You lied to me tonight. Multiple times. You threw away a wire, which means someone sent you to spy on me. You showed up in my club with the audacity to think you could play both sides and walk away clean."
His free hand came up to cup Cedric's jaw, forcing him to look up. "No one defies me the way you did tonight and lives to talk about it. No one. The only reason you're breathing right now is because I find you interesting. Amusing. But my patience has limits, Cedric, and you've already tested most of them."
"I wasn't..." Cedric started.
"Shut. Up." Gianni's thumb pressed against Cedric's lips, silencing him. "You're going to listen now. Really listen, without running that pretty mouth. Can you do that? Or do I need to find better uses for it?"
The implication was clear, and Cedric's cock twitched despite his terror.
"Good boy," Gianni murmured when Cedric stayed silent. "Here are the terms. You're not going back to your apartment tonight. Or any night. You're going to live under my roof, under my care, under my protection, until I decide exactly how to punish you for lying to me."
Cedric's eyes widened. "You can't just..."
Gianni's grip tightened, yanking Cedric's head back hard. "What did I just say about that mouth?" His voice dropped lower, darker. "You belong to me now, Cedric. Your time, your body, your loyalty. All mine. You'll do exactly as you're told, when you're told, without backtalk or attitude. And maybe, if you're very good, I'll consider letting you keep some illusion of freedom."
He released Cedric's hair and began circling again, his hand trailing across Cedric's bare shoulders, down his spine, claiming every inch with his touch.
"You'll move into my estate tomorrow. I'll have someone collect whatever sad little possessions you have. You'll eat what I tell you to eat, sleep where I tell you to sleep, wear what I tell you to wear." His hand slid around to Cedric's chest, fingers splaying possessively over his heart. "And when I want you in my bed, you'll crawl there on your knees and thank me for the privilege."
Cedric was shaking now, from cold and fear and the absolutely insane arousal coursing through him. His mind was screaming that this was wrong, that he needed to fight back, but his body was responding to Gianni's dominance like it had been waiting for this his whole life.
"Say you understand," Gianni commanded, his lips brushing Cedric's ear.
"I..." Cedric swallowed hard. "I understand."
"Say 'Yes, sir.'"
The words stuck in Cedric's throat. This was it. The moment he either fought back or surrendered completely.
"Yes, sir," he whispered.
Gianni's smile was savage and satisfied. He walked around to face Cedric again, tilting his chin up with one finger.
"Much better. See how good you can be when you try?" His thumb stroked across Cedric's bottom lip. "We're going to have so much fun together, you and I. I'm going to break down every wall, every defense, every sharp edge, until all that's left is this." He pressed his thumb into Cedric's mouth. "Perfect obedience."
Cedric's head was spinning. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't actually be kneeling naked on a basement floor while a mob boss outlined how he was going to own him.
But he was. And God help him, part of him wanted it.
"Stand up," Gianni ordered, stepping back.
Cedric rose on shaking legs. Gianni picked up Cedric's clothes from the floor and tossed them at him. "Get dressed. My driver will take you home to pack. You have one hour to gather whatever you can't live without. After that, you're mine."
Cedric caught his clothes, fumbling with them.
"If you even think about running," Gianni's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'll find you, and I'll bring you back, and whatever mercy I'm showing you tonight will be gone. So please, Cedric. Try to run. I do enjoy a good chase."
Cedric pulled his clothes on with numb fingers, his mind racing through options. He could call Marcus. He could go to the police. He could disappear, change his name, leave the state.
But Gianni's men were outside. And his mother was at home. And Lily was sleeping in her room with the purple star pajamas.
He was trapped.
"One more thing," Gianni said casually, just as Cedric finished buttoning his shirt.
Cedric looked up, dread pooling in his stomach.
Gianni's smile widened, dark and knowing. "About that debt you owe me..."