her while she fell asleep. Might make me hard as a damn post, but I wouldn’t make a move until I knew she was ready. Kissing her was one thing. Getting naked with her might be an issue.
“You’re safe, MaryAnne. Take a shower. I’ll be in my room when you’re ready for bed. Just give me a shout down the hall.”
I kissed her forehead and walked out.
When I got to my room, I pushed the door mostly shut and stripped out of my clothes, kicking my boots aside. She wasn’t the only one who needed a shower. I set the water as hot as I could stand it, then stepped under the spray, letting my mind wander back to the first month she’d been in my house. The haunted look she’d had in her eyes, the way she’d flinched whenever someone got close. I’d been pissed as hell and decided to take my anger out on someone who deserved it.
Wizard had tracked down one of the orderlies who’d raped and tortured her. I shut my eyes and let the memory wash over me.
Bart Zimmer glared at me, his gaze full of hatred as he struggled against the duct tape holding him to the chair. There wasn’t a point in taping his mouth shut. Besides, I was hoping he’d give me even more of an excuse to hurt him. Raping MaryAnne was enough reason for him to die, but I wanted to make him hurt first. Make him bleed.
I used the tip of my knife to clean my fingernails as I leaned against the table, ankles crossed and my posture as relaxed as I could make it. So far, he hadn’t admitted shit, but it wouldn’t take long to break him. I’d only been intimidating him so far. Once I started cutting, chopping off body parts, and having a bit of fun, he’d squeal like the pig he was.
“You ain’t got shit on me,” Bart said.
“That what you think? Let me guess. You’re innocent of any wrongdoing. I’ve got the wrong man.”
He nodded.
“Wrong. I saw the videos. I know exactly what you did to MaryAnne. Don’t worry. You’re the first, but you won’t be the last. Every single man who dared to touch her will pay the ultimate price.”
He paled a little and beads of sweat started to form on his brow. Good. Now he knew I meant business and he wasn’t leaving this damn barn. Not alive at any rate.
“She screamed and begged for you to leave her alone. You got off on her pain and her fear. Now you get to see what it feels like. Except I won’t be fucking you. Not my type. No, I have something else in mind.” I moved as fast as a rattler, pressing down on his hand as I hacked off the index finger on his right hand. “You didn’t deserve to touch her.”
He screamed and begged for his life, pleaded with me to stop as I removed each of his fingers. I walked over to the burn barrel and lifted the hot poker. With a smile on my lips, I pressed the iron to his bleeding hand, cauterizing the wounds. Couldn’t have him bleeding out before I was done with him.
The pussy passed out, so I waited. Gave him time to snap out of it. When I got tired of standing around, I tossed a bucket of icy water over his head, jolting him back to reality. The begging started again. Didn’t matter. He could say whatever he wanted, promise me the entire world, and I wouldn’t stop until he’d breathed his last. No one hurt Little Bit without paying for their sins.
Yeah, I was fucked. I already considered her mine, even if she was hands off and too damn young, and a little broken. If MaryAnne needed anything right now, it was a friend and a protector. I’d gladly take on both tasks. Making this asshole, and the others disappear, would ensure her safety. And if she ever asked about them, I’d let her know she had nothing to fear from them ever again.
I spent several hours removing pieces of Bart and keeping him from bleeding out. By the time I’d finished, I mostly had a pile of body parts and a torso to dispose of. I could have asked my brothers for help, but this was personal. I removed the corpse’s hair and teeth, bagged it into five trash bags, and disposed of dear ol’ Bart across several pig