PROLOGUE: A LIFE OF DUTY
Victor tapped on Eminem's song, Fuel, then put on his headphones. He wore his surgical gloves, nodding his head to the music blasting through his ears. There was nothing he enjoyed more than good music. He hummed to the beat, putting everything he was going to need in a tray. He walked over to the hospital bed that was in the middle of the room and placed the tray down.
"Hmmm. Hmmm." The man on the bed tried to speak, but his mouth was tapped, his whole body restrained. He only had his underwear on.
Victor grinned, showing off his perfect set of white teeth and the holes on his cheeks dug deep inside each cheek. What a handsome bastard! With his beautiful face, it was hard to believe that this was what he got up to, behind closed doors.
"What was that? I didn't hear you properly." He asked, still grinning.
Tears rolled down the man's eyes as his whole body shook with fear. Victor ignored him, the music still blasting through his headphones. He moved swiftly, setting everything up. He ripped the tape off his mouth and then hung his headphones on his neck. After music, he loved listening to their screams. He loved it when they begged for mercy.
"No, man, please. I'm sorry. I will tell you everything. Please." The man begged, tears wetting his pillow.
Vic ignored him and picked up a scalpel from the tray. The word sorry meant nothing to him, and the tears just fuelled his desire.
"I was working for David. He needed inside information about your business. He wanted your contacts and suppliers as well as your clients. He paid me a lot of money and I...im sorry man. That's all I know." The man continued to beg, his eyes glued on the scalpel in Victor's hand. He had heard rumours, but he never thought they were true, and he didn't want to find out either.
Vic shrugged with a grin on his face. "I know." He moved closer to the bed, his grip on the scalpel tight. Even with the sinister smile on his face, his eyes were cold and dark.
The man fought with the leather straps on his legs and hands. "No.. please. I told you everything. Just let me go. I swear i will disappear from your life. I have a family man."
"You told me what i already fucking knew. Did you think you were here to give me information?" Vic laughed shaking his head. "Oh no. You are here because you crossed me, Tyler. It's a shame really because your skills were exceptional but I don't like people who take me for a fool. I know everything that happens amongst my men and my business, I mean it's my job to stay three steps ahead always. I gave you a rope and let you hang yourself and now we are here. I hope you have a high tolerance for pain."
He sliced through the skin on his chest, right above the heart. Tyler screamed in agony as blood gushed out with him moving trying to free himself. His heart rate increased due to immense pain as Victor continued to cut through his skin, not minding the blood that was gushing out like tap water.
"Be still will you. You are ruining the whole thing." He placed the scalpel back in the tray and picked a sternal saw then cut through Tyler's ribs. The sound of cracking bones filled the room. It was times like these where he wished he was a vampire or at least a warewolf, he would just rip it out without putting in all the extra work but there was no fun in that.
Tyler's painful screams filled the room but Vic didn't care about that. In fact he loved how he was screaming like a little bitch, he loved how his blood was messing his clothes. That was the main reason he removed the tape and he didn't wear any protective gear. Finally, he cut through the ribs and he could see it. The heart! It was beating slow, like it was almost giving up.
Victor lifted his eyes and stared into Tyler's as he dipped his hand inside and grabbed his heart. He could feel it beating in his palm and the feeling was out of this world. That was the part he loved the most, having the power of life and death, just for a moment. He could choose to let the bastard live or die but he always chose the latter. He was the angel of death after all, at least that was what most people called him or the butcher but he preferred using his real name.
Tyler's screams had died down, only low painful grunts could be heard. What a disappointment! Vic expected more of a fight. He didn't think Tyler would give up so easily. His grip on the heart tightened and he slowly ripped out, snuffling the life out of Tyler. He stared at it in his hand until it completely stopped beating.
"What a waste of my time." He threw it on the floor and crushed it with his boot. Blood splashed over the floor and he let out a satisfied grin. Now that's what he called raw art.
His phone rang before he could fully take in the moment. He sighed annoyed. There was nothing he hated more than disturbances especially on these "special" moments. He took off his now bloody surgical gloves and threw them in the nearby bin then took slow steps to the taps as the phone continued ringing until it stopped. He washed his hands and his phone buzzed again. He wiped them dry then fished it out of his pocket. His father's name flashed on display, ruining his mood even further. The old man rarely called personally, he wondered what he wanted so important that he had to call him. He sucked in a deep breath before he pressed the answer button.
"Father.."
"Victor. Be home early today. We have something important to discuss." His father's deep voice commanded. No hello or anything but he didn't mind. He was used to it by now.
"I have plans." No he didn't. He was just trying to avoid being in the same space as him.
"I don't care, cancel them. I want you here in an hour." The line went dead. Victor fought the urge to smash the phone against the wall. His father always had a way of getting under his skin. He tossed the phone aside then walked to the bathroom.
**
Minutes later, he walked out of the room with a change of clothes. He nodded at one of his men.
"Take care of the mess inside. Hang him on the bridge or something. I want David to know what I do to traitors. That should keep him on his toes for a while."
"Sure boss."
Victor walked away. He jumped into his car and reversed before driving off, leaving the warehouse. Dax's Dear God blasting through the speakers. He was never a fan of guards. He liked doing things solo, different from his father. The drive through the city seemed shorter than usual. He was dreading that meeting, whatever it was about. Whenever his father held his meetings it was never something good.
He pulled up by the estate, the imposing gates swinged open as he drove in. He sat in his car for a while, staring at the massive mansion in front of him. It lacked the feeling of a loving home. It became worse when his sisters moved out, it became like a haunted house at night. The guards looked like lost souls roaming the earth. He finally gathered the courage to step out of the car and slowly walked inside the house and took the stairs to his father's study.
He knocked once and let himself in. His mother was the first to catch his attention. She looked good as always in her silk evening gown and her makeup beautifully done. He never understood why she painted her face at night when she was going to wash it off in a few hours. He warmly smiled at her but she was too anxious to return it. She just gave him a half smile.
He sat down and poured himself a glass of scotch then leaned back, crossing his legs.
"You're late." His father said, shutting the laptop in front of him.
"I'm five minutes early." Victor said then sipped his drink, waiting for Elijah to get to the point.
"You know our legacy depends on strategic alliances." He began, his voice demanding everyone's attention. "That's why I've arranged a marriage for you with Natalie Murau."
Victor almost choked on his drink. He stared at his father, feeling like he had just been punched in the gut. That was one thing he never expected. He was feeling a lot of emotions inside but his expression remained neutral.
He cocked his head to the side. "Is that so?"
" The Muraus are a powerful family, and this union will solidify our position. You know I'm stepping down soon, I need you to produce an heir before I hand over my position to you. Natalie is the perfect wife for you, she was raised and groomed for this life."
He smirked, but he was hurting inside. "And here I thought people married for love. I've been running your business just fine without a wife, I don't need one especially that spoiled brat."
"Love is a luxury we can't afford in our line of work. And it's done, you are going to get married to Natalie and that's final."
He sank back on the couch, his heart racing. He couldn't believe what his father had done. He wasn't ready for marriage especially if the bride was going to be a spoiled brat who thought the world owed her something. Just the thought of marrying Natalie gave him heart palpitations. He knew her, he had met her a few times on family dinners and lunches and the girl was too spoilt for his liking. But he shouldn't be surprised, he should have gotten used to his father's dictating behavior by now. He spend his whole life, trying to please the man he called dad but everything he did was never good enough. Sometimes he wondered, how it would feel like to rip his heart out.
His mother spoke up, her voice trembling. "I think Vic should have a say in this matter. It's his life-"
Her husband's glare cut her off. "You should learn to keep quiet when men are talking. He will marry Natalie and that's final. He needs to settle down and leave that rotten behaviour of always changing women like underwear. I will not have your son drag my name to the mud and ruin my reputation. I've worked so damn hard to just let him ruin all my hardwork."
"Why do you include her in these meetings if you don't want her opinion?" Vic asked, trying so hard to control his rage. He could stand anything but not anyone insulting his mother, even Elijah knew that. Not even the warning gaze he send his way was going to make him keep quiet.
"Victor! Remember who you are talking to." His father warned. Victor almost rolled his eyes. How could he forget when he was always reminded everyday.
"Then stop talking to her like that! She is not one of your mistresses." He snapped, fighting the urge to punch Elijah in the face.
Elijah stared at Victor hard but Vic maintained the stare.
"This meeting is over. We will discuss a way forward tomorrow." Elijah finally said when he realised that his son was not going to back down.
"Of course it is." Vic said and walked out of the study. Being in the same room with Elijah was something he couldn't handle, not after that bomb he just dropped on him