Chapter 3. I bet she tastes as good as she looks

Vanya took Damien back home after they got the job done at the strip club. Damien was still nauseous from the incident. He has had to endure many torments from his father and his men but never had to hurt someone this badly.

"Finally popped your cherry, eh mal'chik?" Vanya flashed him a toothy grin. Damien didn't respond. He tried not to think about the man's screams, but he could see that face full of agony every time he closed his eyes. Guess tonight's going to be yet another sleepless night.

Ivan was waiting for them at the house. He stood up with his hands in his pockets as he saw Vanya and Damien come in. His eyebrows rose inquiringly as he stared at Damien's pale face.

"What you got?" he asked Vanya directly.

Vanya smirked. "Got the job done. He paid up."

"Hmm...good work," Ivan looked at Damien. "What's his deal?" he narrowed his eyebrows.

"I asked Damien to cut the asshole's pinky off. You know, to give him that extra push, but your boy flinched," Vanya chuckled. "Didn't know you were raising a sissy, Ivan."

"I did what you asked me to do. What else do you want from me?" Damien barked.

Rage flickered in Ivan's eyes. He grabbed Damien's throat. His icy blue eyes bored into his. "You little shithead. I told you not to show any weakness. No son of mine will act like a bitch in front of my men! Come with me!" Ivan dragged him out to his car.

"Where are you taking me?" Damien cried.

"You're gonna do another job for me, and this time, you're gonna do it right," Ivan declared.

Oh great...what's he gonna have to cut this time? A toe? Damien thought.

Ivan instructed the driver to take to 25th street. Damien had been there several times, but he didn't remember any strip clubs there. Then again, his father had many different businesses all around the city.

They stopped in front of a small pawnshop. Shit...he knew this shop. It was owned by a kind old man named Jenkins.

Don't tell me I have to hurt old man Jenkins, Damien thought to himself.

"Let's go," Ivan ordered gruffly, and they headed inside the store. Jenkins looked up as the little bell on the door chimed as they walked in. His eyes turned wide as he saw Ivan and his men striding in. He knew exactly what was going to happen, and he knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Mr. Bolkonski, you're here early," the old man's voice shook.

"Early? I'm here on time. I believe you're late, Jenkins. Do you know what happens when people are late, Jenkins?" Ivan sneered.

Fear reflected in Jenkins's eyes. He inched backward, but he had nowhere to run. He was surrounded by the three men with his back against the wall in the tiny shop.

"Get him," Ivan ordered Vanya. Vanya didn't hesitate and grabbed the man's arms. He was frail and powerless compare to Vanya's muscular physique. There was no way he could wiggle out of his grasps.

"P...please...Mr. Bolkonski. I have a family. Don't kill me!" Jenkins pleaded.

"Oh, I'm not gonna kill. I'm just gonna hurt you really bad," Ivan cooed, then turned to Damien. "What are you just standing there for? Beat him!" he barked.

Damien hesitated. He knew his father didn't bring him here just to watch, but he didn't realize he had to beat this sweet old man. This seemed worse than cutting off that sleazy guy's finger somehow.

● But he had to follow his father's order.

Damien took a deep breath then threw a punch at the old man.

Blood gushed out of the old man's nose, staining his white shirt. Damien turned pale again, but he tried his hardest not to flinch this time.

Vanya let go of Jenkins and pushed him down on the floor. "This is all you got, boy? More!" Ivan roared.

Damien leaned down and grabbed Jenkins's collar. He lifted him up then punched him several more times, ignoring the old man's outcries. He let go of him, hoping this was enough to satisfy his father.

"You little pussy. You hardly hurt him," Ivan shook his head.

Damien looked at the old man on the floor, who was lying in the fetal position, whimpering. "Are you kidding me? He is beaten and bloodied. What else do you expect me to do? Kill him?" he exclaimed.

Ivan grabbed Damien's shirt then dragged him out to the street. "You little asshole. You dare to talk shit after failing a simple task? I told you to beat him to the pulp. That man is still awake, so you did a shit job. I'm gonna show you how it's done," Ivan hissed.

Before he could register what was happening, Damien felt a hard blow landing on his face. He saw stars as a sharp, stinging pain that overwhelmed his senses. He fell on the concrete sidewalk. A few people walked by but didn't dare to stop.

He felt a kick on his ribs, then another blow on his head. He thought about using one of the techniques he learned in systema to stop Ivan but held himself back as the beating will only worsen if he retaliated.

"And that's how you beat people up. I better see you do better next time," Ivan said after he was satisfied. "Now get up and get in the car. We don't have all day."

Damien didn't bother to dress his wound and decided to go to Robbie's house once he got home. He tried to sneak out but ran into Natasha, whose eyes turned wide at the sight of his battered face.

"Oh my god, Damien! What happened? Did you get into a fight at school?" she exclaimed.

"Dad happened," Damien said bitterly.

"I'm so sorry," Natasha tried to hug him, but he pushed her away.

"I gotta go," he barked and ran out of the house.

He arrived at Robbie's house within a few minutes.

"HOLY SHIT, DUDE. What the fuck happened to your face?" Robbie whistled.

"I don't want to talk about it," Damien dismissed him. Robbie's mom came out of the room and gasped.

"Oh no, honey, you're hurt. Come with me so I can clean those wounds," she said without wasting any time by inquiring about him. This wasn't the first time Robbie's mom had to tend to Damien's wounds. She had tried to ask him about his home life and if Damien's father was abusing him, but she never got an answer. She knew how powerful Damien's family was, so she decided to keep quiet, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor kid.

Damien didn't plan on goming over to Adeline's house and force his way inside her room. He wasn't planning on paying her an unexpected visit at all. He was going to go straight home after finishing dinner at Robbie's house, but when he saw the lights on Addie's room, he couldn't resist. The temptation of seeing her flustered by him was too strong.

And now that he was in her room, he smirked as she was standing there fuming. Most likely killing him in her head, over and over again.

"Get out! Get out now!" she proceeded to shout but changed her tone into a whisper as she didn't want to alert the whole house.

"Hey, calm down, okay? I am not going to do anything to you. I just...I just don't wanna go home yet," he said quietly.

Adeline looked at his wounded face, and her eyes softened. This wasn't the arrogant, aggressive Damien from school. The boy standing in front of her looked beaten and abused. "Fine, you can stay. But only for five minutes." she snarled.

"Five minutes is all I need," Damien smirked. He walked over to the table and picked up the bottle of Slimfast, and squinted his eyes. "What the hell is this?" he asked.

"Don't you know how to read the label?" Adeline said casually.

"I can. I just don't understand why you'd be drinking this shit. You're already skinny," Damien looked at her and waited for her response.

"What's it to you?" Adeline scoffed instead of answering the question.

"And why is there a chair on the doorknob?" Damien probed farther.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I put it there because my door doesn't have a lock and my stepfather and stepbrother are a bunch of creepers," Adeline tried to act like it was nothing.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Did they touch you?" Damien roared. His playful mood suddenly turned dark. "I'm gonna beat their ass," he announced and proceeded to open the door, but Adeline grabbed his arm.

"Don't! This is why I can't stand you!" she cried.

"What are you talking about?" Damien was confused.

"I don't like people who live their life through brute force, and I don't like you. I don't need any violence in my life, so just stay out of my business and leave!" she said.

"Adeline..."

"Just go!" Adeline motioned toward the window.

Damien sighed. "Fine, I'll leave."