Aching for His Discretion (The Discretion Dynasty #1)

34. Teegan

Chapter thirty-four

Teegan

“ Have you heard from Alec recently?”

I shook my head as I told the partial truth. “No, I haven’t...”

“And Dr. Harrington?” Beverly questioned, and I sighed.

“Beverly. I’m going back upstairs,” I said, growing slightly irate. Turning, I made my way up the stairs when she spoke again, making me stop.

“You really couldn’t just have given Alec a chance?” she asked.

I turned around and looked directly at her. “What?” I muttered, confused.

She simply stared at me as she responded, “I just don’t get it. He was after you . He wanted to date you … you didn’t even bother to give him a chance.”

Stepping down the steps, I tilted my head in confusion. “Beverly... he assaulted me and demeaned me. I told you that, and you’re trying to tell me that I shouldn’t have turned him down? I think you’ve had too much to drink.”

She practically fumed. “That has nothing to do with this! What really matters is now you are dating the fucking devil , and for all we know, he could have done something to Alec,” she retorted, and I furrowed my eyebrows. The devil? Levi?

“Beverly... what has gotten into you?” I asked, and she crossed her arms.

“What’s gotten into me is Alec has gone missing… And everyone is acting like nothing happened. And you know something? I thought I was doing you a favor, pushing you to be with the guy that I liked because he was interested in you, not me,” she said sincerely.

I bit my lip at her revelation. I had no clue she was interested in Alec. I knew she would often encourage me to talk to him, but she knew my dislike for him as well as the cruel things he’d done to me… and after all that, she still likes him?

“Bevs… Alec and his father… we all know they weren’t good people. Alec did whatever he wanted, and his father allowed it and abused his power, too.”

“You didn’t know him like I did!” she said angrily as she approached me, and I backed up slightly. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My friend Beverly… could I even call her a friend? She was putting Alec and Dr. Harrington before our relationship like none of it even mattered, like I didn’t confide in her when I felt hurt or afraid.

We both jumped as the basement door slammed closed, and heavy footsteps began descending the steps slowly. My heart raced slightly, but it relaxed as Micah came into view.

“Little Mama… what are you doing down here?” he asked me cautiously, and soon his eyes caught sight of Beverly, who looked like a deer in headlights.

“Where the hell is Alec?” she snarled, pushing down the fear that showed through her eyes.

Micah didn’t say anything. When he wasn’t his usual bubbly self, he somewhat scared me. I was used to this kind of treatment from Elliot, Nico, and Levi, but seeing Micah look as stoic as ever, I was petrified.

“The boy. He’s... been relocated,” he said, but I had a weird feeling as he glared at Beverly, not exactly thrilled to see her.

“Bullshit. I know you all did something to him,” she seethed.

Micah looked over at me for a moment before he looked back at her.

“Well, he did something to Teegan.” He shrugged.

Beverly scoffed as she walked to the steps. “Regardless, I’m going to figure out what the fuck you guys did to him and bring him back home. Don’t be surprised when the police come to tear this place apart.”

She pushed past him angrily, and I listened as she ascended the steps.

Micah looked over at me and approached me slowly.

“What are you doing down here, Teegan?” he asked seriously, and I gulped softly.

“Beverly thought we’d find something, I guess… She said something could have happened to Alec.”

He hummed, and I played with my hands as I looked up at him.

“D-did something else happen to him?” I asked, and he remained silent before he nodded to the steps.

“Let’s go upstairs. You shouldn’t be down here.”

Deciding not to defy him or worry about his blatant disregard toward my question, I nodded slowly as I followed him to the steps… but I felt myself stop.

Hearing something move behind the steel door, I looked up at Micah, and he seemed conflicted. However, his eyes looked at me in a pleading way as if he was begging me not to be curious.

All of a sudden, we heard a tumbling sound from the steps, and my hand flew to my mouth as Beverly ended up at the bottom, unconscious. I couldn’t tell if she was breathing, but I could already see bruises forming on her. I quickly grabbed Micah by the arm as tears came to my eyes, and he ran his hand over his face.

“You fucking idiot,” he said in Italian as someone descended the steps, and Elliot came into view slowly. However, once he saw me, his face looked void of any color. I’d never seen him look so shocked.

“Why the hell is she down here?” he growled, and I felt a tear fall as I choked back a sob, looking at Beverly unconscious on the floor.

“The whore you just threw down the steps brought her down here to look for the boy.”

Micah gazed down at me, and I felt my hands become numb, feeling overwhelmed by the entire situation. All of a sudden, the steel door opened behind me, and I felt even more terrified as I heard wheezing… as if someone was straining to breathe.

Hearing footsteps, I glanced over my shoulder and regretted the decision the second I saw the person responsible for the wheezing of another emerge, shirtless, sweaty, with bloodied knuckles and disheveled hair..

“Tesoro,” I heard him say, and I felt my heart sink to my feet.

Teegan…

“ Capo ... no. Not right now,” Micah said in a slight panic, and Levi’s jaw ticked slightly as he ignored Micah and approached me. I felt absolutely terrified at that moment. His eyes seemed to be void of emotion, almost like he was on autopilot.

Once he was a few feet from me, he beckoned me over with two fingers. I had half a mind to hold onto Micah, but I slowly felt myself going over to him. Once I was near him, he took in a deep breath before my eyes bulged open as his hand wrapped around my throat.

“What. The. Fuck. Are you doing down here, little girl?” he seethed as he towered over me and put pressure on my neck. Tears filled my eyes as I felt utterly helpless in his hold.

Even though he looked absolutely murderous, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me… at least, I hoped he wouldn’t . So I found the confidence to say my following words freely.

“What did you do to Alec?” I whispered.

His eyes darkened before he tsked as if he was disappointed in me.

“I told you I’d let him and his father go, Tesoro…” he muttered, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Let him go where?” I questioned, and he tightened his hand on my neck, making my hands grip his wrists in fear.

Teegan.

“To hell.”

The moment he said that, my face dropped as I felt sick to my stomach. I could feel the guys watching our interaction closely, but I knew they had to be cautious.

“They’re dead?” I whispered, and he clenched his jaw as he remained silent.

“A-and Theo?” I asked softly, and he pulled me in closer, forcing me to go on my tiptoes.

“He’s right there with them,” he muttered, and my bottom lip wobbled as he seemed unfazed by my fear. He gazed down at my quivering lip as my tears continued to fall, and he placed a small kiss on them as his other hand wiped a few of my tears away.

“ My pretty girl… no tears, hmm? You know I had to keep you safe, Tesoro.”

“You didn’t have to kill them,” I cried, and he shook his head.

“No, my sweet girl… you told me not to hurt them. I did exactly as you asked. Elliot, Micah, and Nico… can’t say the same for them, baby,” he muttered, and I continued crying as he shushed me, softly… as if I’d be silenced in a dark basement being caressed by a shirtless deranged man who manipulated me for our entire relationship.

“ Capo , he’s losing too much blood,” I heard Nico’s voice as he emerged from behind the steel door. Levi let go of me, and I watched his back as he walked into the room, enraged.

“He was just about to fucking talk,” he seethed, and I cringed as he punched the man sitting in the room across the face. Looking closer, I noticed it was Mr. John. He was barely recognizable anymore.

Levi pulled Mr. John’s head back by his hair and looked down at him in disgust.

“Was it fucking worth it? Hmmm? I haven’t even killed you yet, and you’re trying to give up on life already… it’s not going to be that fucking easy. You’re going to tell me where the fuck my father is, even if it’s on your deathbed,” he growled, and paused for a moment before looking over at me as I did my best to hide behind Micah.

“Actually...” he muttered, and I flinched as he walked over and grabbed my arm harshly before dragging me over to the room.

“Levi. Don’t,” Elliot said as he walked over, but Levi ignored him as he shoved me closer to a weak, frail, and practically unrecognizable Mr. John.

“Stop his fucking bleeding before he dies,” he ordered, and I looked up at him in complete shock as he rolled over a cart of first aid supplies.

“I-I can’t,” I whispered, sobbing, and he grabbed me by the back of my neck, jerking me closer to him as the guys stood in the room. It looked like they were struggling, wanting to intervene but not being able to do so because of the unhinged man holding me captive.

“I didn’t fucking ask what you could and couldn’t do,” he seethed, and I felt like throwing up as he pulled his gun out of his hip, aiming it straight at Nico. He didn’t flinch once as his eyes stayed locked on me.

“Do it, or I fucking kill the man who took a bullet for you… He could take another one, can’t he?” he asked.

The room was silent as my heavy sobs filled the air. I felt like passing out. This wasn’t the Levi I knew. I didn’t know this man. This crazy, bloodthirsty, vengeful man… I could barely even recognize him.

But from the looks on the guys’ faces, it looked like they were used to this behavior. All of their faces showed fear for me… Nico especially, begging me with his eyes to do as Levi said. Not for his safety, but for my own good.

I shakily nodded, and he let me go, gun still pointed at Nico.

Looking over at Mr. John, I did my best to remain calm as I assessed his condition. He was fading in and out of consciousness. His face and body were both bruised, and there was an immense amount of blood coming from his head. I leaned down and, with shaky hands, found the multiple contusions and lesions that contributed to his excess blood loss.

Going into the first aid kit, I bit my lip as Levi stopped me. He pulled out something familiar from the kit, and a smile came to his face. Lidocaine … “He won’t need much of this, Tesoro. I want you to fix him… but I never said I didn’t want it to fucking hurt.”

Grabbing some gauze and alcohol, I did my best to clean the wounds that leaked blood. In the next fifteen minutes, the guys watched me silently attempt to suture his wounds closed. He was still in and out of consciousness, but the blood loss was definitely a significant contribution to it. When I finished, Levi threw the loaded gun to the floor, and I whimpered as he pulled me over by the arm.

“Take your pretty little ass home, and you better be waiting for me when I get back,” he fumed.

I looked over my shoulder to look at Beverly, still unconscious on the floor.

“W-what about Beverly?” I whispered, and he smiled as a small chuckle left his lips.

“I told you, Tesoro. Anyone who hurts you, they will be taken care of ,” he said, and I felt myself wanting to cower as he leaned down and placed a bone-chilling kiss on my forehead.

“So don’t you worry, baby. She’ll be in good hands .”