Paranormal Erotic Romance Box Set (61 page)

“Okay, fine. We’ll tell everyone. Whatever you say,” Paul
said and sat back on the couch.

“You’re so malleable, Paul,” Luca said and trained the gun
on him. “What’s that like? To have no conviction, to.go wherever the wind takes
that twisted mind of yours? How does it feel to have no allegiance to anything
or anyone?”

“That’s not true and I take exception to you saying that!”
Paul said. “I fight every day for good. I have allegiance. Fuck you for saying
I don’t!”

Luca ran toward Paul and jumped over the table. Katy
screamed as Luca landed on top of Paul and held the revolver to his temple.

“Paul!” Katy said as she cried.

“Fuck
me
, is that what you said? Fuck me? Or is
that another one of your expressions?”

“I-I...”

“You have no idea what it means to fight for anything! The
only thing you fight for is what you think will line your pockets so you can
pay for your little girls, you psychopathic capitalist pig!”

“What did you say?” Paul said as tears streamed down his
face.

“You heard what I said. That’s right,” Luca said and
winked.

“Look, buddy, I didn’t know, okay? They’re all above the
age of consent. If it was your sister...daughter...I’m not sure, that’s not on
me. Sometimes things slip through the cracks!”

“Paul!” Katy screamed.

Luca turned to Katy and laughed.

“Is that you being shocked? Please, you know. You’ve known
all along and are just as bad as he!”

“No, no...I didn’t. I don’t know...”

“What I’m talking about?” Luca said.

Katy hung her head and cried.

“Okay, I get it now,” Paul said. “This is a revenge thing.
I’m sorry. It won’t ever happen again, okay? I’m sorry.”

“And the children? What about them? What will your apology
do for them?”

“Money, okay. How much? Whatever you want.”

“Does it look like I want to start a non-profit for the
fucking whores you abused?” Luca said and slammed the butt of the revolver into
Paul’s knee.

Paul screamed and Katy grabbed his arm. He sobbed as the
pain from Luca’s blow crawled up his leg and hit every nerve receptor in his
body.

“I will do anything you want!” Paul said. “I will get
help. It’s a problem...a disease.”

“Your problem is pedophilia.
You
are the disease.”

“Yes, yes you are right.”

“I know I am,” Luca said and got off of Paul and sat down
on the coffee table in front of him. “So, what are we going to do about it?”

“I-I think we can work out some--”

“Excuse me, Luca?” Katy said and raised her hand.

“Yes?” Luca said and smiled.

“Well, it seems to me your problem is with Paul. I did not
do those things. In fact, I never even
cheated
on Paul. I’ve been a good
wife and a good, loving person all my life. Your issue is with Paul, not with
me. Please let me go.”

“Katy!” Paul said.

Luca tucked the revolver under his arm and clapped.

“Bravo!” he said as he lit another cigarette. “Did you
hear this Paul? Little Katy found her voice. Good for you!”

“Thank you, it’s true. Now, I need to get to the
hospital,” Katy said and stood from the couch. “Paul, I am sorry, but you
brought this on yourself.”

“Katy?” Luca said as Katy walked past him and Paul.

Katy stopped and glanced at Lena who had not moved in
quite some time. She said a silent prayer and walked toward the kitchen.

“Um, Katy?” Luca said. “Turn around.”

Katy turned around slowly and faced Luca. He stood from
the table and pointed the revolver at her.

“What?” she said as she raised her arms over her head. “I
thought this was all settled!”

“Did I say you could go?”

“I’ve got nothing to do with this! Just because I’m
married to him does not make me guilty of his crimes. Believe me, if I knew
what was going on behind my back, I would have called the police. I am the
victim here!”

Luca pointed the gun at Katy’s right foot and pulled the
trigger. She screamed and fell to the ground. Paul jumped from the couch and
watched Katy writhing around the living room floor in agony.

“Serves you right, you fucking bitch!” Paul said as he
pointed at her.

Luca walked over to Katy and kicked her.

“That’s enough with the hysterics, Katy. You’re fine.”

Katy curled up on her side and held her foot. Her face was
a mess of dried blood and contorted grotesquely.

“You shot me!” she said and screamed. “You fucking shot
me! I didn’t do anything!”

Luca knelt beside Katy and pressed the gun into her
forehead and his mouth to her ear.

“In the foot. Getting shot in the foot is not a big deal...just
a flesh wound. And if you pull the martyr card one more time, Katy, I will
shoot you in the head. I know what you did and I know how long you’ve known.
Okay? Wonderful! Paul, get over here and carry your wife back to the sofa so we
can continue.”

Paul flew over to Katy and gathered her in his arms.

“I should drop you off the balcony, you fucking disloyal cunt,”
he said as he walked to the couch.

“Good, put her down here and sit,” Luca said and walked to
the entertainment unit with the revolver. “We need to talk.”

Luca turned his back to Paul and Katy and rested his head
against the glass door of the cabinet. He rifled around one of the drawers
while he listened to Katy’s whimpers and Paul’s sniffles. He twisted his head
and looked at Lena.

He thought that she looked like Sleeping Beauty and his
heart broke. When he couldn’t take the emotion any longer, he closed his eyes
and took a deep breath.

“Now, are we ready to talk?” Luca said as he turned to
face Paul and Katy and scratched the side of his face with the revolver.

“Yes!” Paul said. “Anything.”

“I’ve been thinking about allegiance, Paul. In my old
life, I was never loyal, but I’ve grown a lot. Lena, on the other hand, well,
she’s loyal to the extreme. Do you know this woman once drove her piece of shit
car all over the United States for an entire summer to follow some shitty
band?”

“The Grateful Dead?” Paul said as he looked at Lena.

“No, but good guess. No, these guys were nobodies. They
played in bars all over the place, mostly for the free drinks, a variety of
pussy and to escape responsibility. I certainly don’t begrudge them that. But,
not the point. My wife, that exquisite woman you see over there laying in
shards of glass, followed this band around because she was in love with the
drummer. Do you want to know what his name was?”

“Um, sure?” Paul said and nodded.

“Mickey Sexual. I kid you not.
Mickey Sexual
. Can
you believe?”

“Huh,” Paul said and forced a chuckle.

“So, anyway, Lena follows Mickey Sexual all over the
United States just to be near him. She takes whore’s baths in filthy rest stops
and sleeps in the back of her beat-up car because she didn’t have money for
hotels
and
tickets to the shows. Dedication, no?”

“Total dedication,” Paul said and seemed to relax a bit.

“But, what do you think a man with a name like that thinks
of my beauty? Right...not very much. But every night, if he had nothing better
going on, he’d bed down with Lena in some shit-shack motel and use her. And she
came back and back and back. That, my friend, is loyalty. Of course, she needed
therapy after degrading herself in that way for so long, but she’s grown a lot
too.”

“That is a...really nice story, Luca,” Paul said and
sighed.

“Yes, it is. That said, where is your allegiance, Paul? Where’s
your loyalty? Katy here, we know where her loyalty is. Totally misguided like
Lena’s was with Mickey Sexual, however, it is easily definable. It’s yours I
wonder about,” Luca said and sat on the coffee table and rubbed Paul’s knee
with the butt of the revolver.

Paul stared at Luca while he pondered his question and then
glanced down at the gun.

“Well, you’re going to think this is total bullshit, but I
really want to make the world a better place.”

Luca looked at Paul and did a line of cocaine.

“In Italy, we call them
anarchico
, you know...the
anarchists. They fought for people who did not have a voice, for the common
good. Yes, they made mischief, but a little mayhem never hurt a population, you
know? But I don’t think that’s your fight, Paul. I don’t think you really have
what it takes to stand up for something that’s bigger than your ego.”

“I-I didn’t. But now, I do.”

“Really? And
I
brought about this change?”

“Yes, you did. You really did! I was lost and--”

“Now you’re found?” Luca said and smiled.

“Well...I mean it on a deeper level,” Paul said and
cleared his throat.

Luca looked at Katy and tapped her on the head with the
gun.

“Open your eyes, pretty. I want you in on this
conversation.”

He packed one of the straws with cocaine and sat down on
the couch between Paul and Katy. Luca pulled Katy up and jammed the straw up
her nostril. Katy whimpered and clawed at Luca’s hand.

“Here, this will help,” Luca said as he held her mouth
closed with his other hand.

When Katy could hold her breath no longer, she was forced
to inhale the caustic cocaine. Tears streamed down her face and fresh blood
trickled from her nose as she cried.

“Stop that crying!” Paul said. “You have a flesh wound and
a broken nose, stop acting like a baby! I’m sorry, Luca, please continue.”

Luca stood up and sat on the table opposite Paul.

“Thank you. That showed a bit of your fight. Still, I
really don’t think you have what it takes. Do you see this scar?” Luca said and
traced the barrel of the revolver down a scar that began at the top of his
pectoral muscle and ended at his ribcage.

“Yes. What is that, a cross?” Paul said.

“Eh, kind of. I got this scar from that knife,” Luca said
and picked up his knife off the table and stabbed the blade in the remaining
brick of cocaine. “I was, as I said, a bad man. I did bad things all the time,
but it eventually caught up to me. I was given a second chance and during my
reeducation, I was brought into a room and questioned. The Illuminati wanted to
know if I was proud or ashamed of my misdeeds.”

“Wait a minute,” Paul said and pointed to him, “are you
CIA?”

“Close,” Luca said and laughed. “Anyway, of course I said
that I was gravely ashamed of every bad thing I ever did. But you know what,
Paul, it was a lie. I wasn’t ashamed in the least. I was proud of my
wickedness. It is a part of who I am; the same as what you do is a part of who
you are. And the interrogators knew this. Every time I betrayed my heart, I was
lashed with a whip with razor blades attached. Until I caught on.”

“That’s amazing,” Paul said and shook his head. “So they
wanted you to admit to loving the things that you did?”

“Exactly!” Luca said and jumped from the table. “And
finally, when I did that, they said:
acta non verba
and handed me the
knife. Do you know that phase?”

“Let’s see,” Paul said, “um, verba means words and
act--well, I’m trying to remember. It’s been a while since I studied
Black’s
Law
, but I--”

“Shut up!” Luca said. “
Acta non verba
--deeds not
words! The Illuminati was tired of my bullshit...they couldn’t believe anything
I said. So, when I answered in the affirmative when questioned about the level
of pride I had for my corruption, I had to prove it. I carved this symbol into
my chest to prove it! Now, what will you do to prove your pride? Show me your
fucking allegiance!”

“You want me to cut myself? I can, I will cut myself!”

“Listen to me you stupid, sniveling asshole!” Luca said
and grabbed Paul by the hair. “Do you have what it takes to cut your heart out
just to prove your point? Look at me! You know how much I love Lena, don’t
you?”

“Y-y-yes!”

“You tell me how much heart this fucking takes,” Luca
said.

Luca cocked the hammer of the gun and crossed his arm over
his chest. He aimed the revolver at Lena and looked at Paul and raised his
eyebrows.

“Could you do it?” Luca whispered.

“Please don’t,” Paul said and stared at Lena’s body. “It’s
not her fault.”

“That’s what makes it so sweet.
Acta non verba
!
Deeds not words, Paul! Deeds not fucking words!”

“No!” Paul screamed.

Luca fired the gun once into Lena’s body. He stood from
the table and walked over to her. He rubbed his forehead with the barrel of the
gun and nudged her with his foot.

“Shit,” Luca said and chuckled, “went right through her
chest. Ah, well.”

Luca fired three more rounds into Lena’s body and turned
to look at Paul.

He sobbed with his head down and sat in a puddle of his
own piss. Katy’s eyes were frozen open and her mouth moved up and down like a
guppy.

“Look at me, Paul!”

Paul slowly lifted his head and stared at Luca. He
trembled and sputtered as he sobbed.

“Will you murder the thing you love to stand by your evil?”
Luca whispered.

Paul shook his head and swiped at his nose. He slammed his
fists into his thighs and screamed.

“I’m confused! Do you want me to murder Katy?” Paul said.

“Oh, for the love of fuck can we move on?”

“Oh my God,” Katy said and tried to get off the couch,
“Lena!”

Lena stood from the floor and wiped glass dust from her
skin.

“Well, how do I look?” Lena said as she held her arms out
in front of Luca.

Luca looked at her and smiled.

“You are beautiful, baby,” he said and hugged her.

“Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” Paul
Kirschner screamed.

“We had to raise you adrenaline levels to the acceptable
rate,” Lena said as she walked toward Paul and Katy. “The cocaine wasn’t
enough. You needed to perceive a threat.”