Shackled (The Lord Series) by Carlos
230. Tyson - Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

The only person to tell me that I wasn't a mistake was Olivia. She used to tell me that we were always meant to be and that God never makes mistakes when it comes to babies. That my purpose on Earth was to be hers and her purpose was to love me forever. Fuck. And I ruined everything. Because my mom fucked me up so badly, the moment I saw the video with Olivia sucking dick while wearing the ring I gave her, I lost my shit. My trauma is not an excuse for what I did to her, to the love of my life, but is the catalyst that started my hate for her.

"That's me," I say.

Camila and Rueben were the first to really accept me into the family. Probably because I was the sibling that knew a lot of shit and always got into trouble while they got away with a lot of stuff. And then Ansel joined the family, when my dad and step-mom became his foster parents. Since then the three of us-Ansel, Rueben, and me-have been the best of friends.

"If my daughter is not here, then where is she?" Senator Deymar asks me.

I shrug. "She left this morning." Thank fuck, because having Olivia here right now would have been a tragedy. I jerk my chin in my blood-brothers direction. "We don't know where. Maybe she left the state. Hell, even the country." "After what you've done to her, no wonder." Senator Deymar pulls out his phone and shows me a video from the shed from when Rueben and I tortured Olivia. "My daughter might be a whore, but she is still a Deymar. I would have let you go unpunished, but then you went ahead and killed one of my men and put videos of you fucking my daughter on the internet. So you see, it ruins my image. So I'm here to ruin you and teach you what happens to those who cross me or try to harm my family," he tells my blood-brothers and me. "You also torture my son and for that, you all will pay a high price."

Who the fuck put videos of Olivia on the internet?

"The bastard shot Brayan in the face," Jason says.

Senator Deymar narrows his eyes. "Did you now?"

"He kicked in my door and got mud all over my rug," I reply. "How did you get that video?"

The Senator smirks. "I have eyes and ears all over the place." That means there are spies among us. Someone close to us. Not one of my blood-brothers, that's for sure. But who? "I never understood why my daughter liked to spend her time with you lot," the Senator narrows his eyes. "But since you think you are so smart, we are going to play a game. Get up," he orders me.

"Make me," I dare him.

"Jason," the Senator says.

Without skipping a beat, Jason pulls out his gun and shoots Gavin between his eyes.

Isak and Steven scream in their gags as the link between them breaks, while the rest of us are too shocked to react.

"Don't make me ask again," Senator Deymar says. Not wanting anyone else to die because of me, I rose to my feet. "Untie him." When my hands are free, the Senator gives me a baseball bat. "The game is easy. You get to sing 'Eeny Meeny Miny Moe,' and when you are done, you get to break the bones of one of your friends."

The blood drains from my face. "You are sick in the head."

"I don't think you understand how this works," the Senator says. "The moment I say something, you do it. Unless you want Jason to shoot everyone and leave you alive so you can remember how you failed them. Bastard." Shit. Shit.

"I don't know the song," I say, hoping he will stop with this sick game.

The Senator tilts his head to the side. "I say the song you hit with the bat. How does that sound?"

"No," I shake my head. "There's no-" My words die on my lips when Jason shoots Levi in the stomach. "Fine! I'll fucking do it. Just don't kill anyone else."

"See how fast you learn?" Senator Deymar chuckles and takes the bat from me and points it at Jasper. "Eeny." He moves one. "Meeny. Miny. Moe," he keeps saying as he keeps pointing the bat at Rueben, Mose, and Isak. "Catch a tiger by the toe." My hands start to shake. "If he hollers, let him go." The entire thing feels like deja vu. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." Like I have gone through this situation before. "My mother told me." But when? "To pick the very best one." I need to find a way to stop this. "And you are," the bat points at Jasper, "it. There, we have a winner." The Senator shoves the bat in my hands. "I want you to crush his left knee."

My fingers tremble.

"Do it," Jasper tells me.

"You know I can't," I whisper.

"So you can torture my daughter but when it comes to your blood-brothers and friends, you can't do the same. Very well. Grab him!"

Two men grab me by my arms and force me to lay my hands flat on the hood of a car. I don't try to fight them because it will only make things worse.

"My father always told me that if I want a job done right, I have to do it myself," the Senator says before crushing the fingers from my right hand with the bat. I grunt in pain.

"Tyson, do it!" Jasper yells at me.

"Do you want me to break the rest of your fingers?" the Senator asks.

Fuck. Fuck. How do we get out of this mess? We have no guns. Gavin is dead and Levi has been shot, slowly bleeding to death. If I don't do as asked, more people will die. I grab the bat with my good hand and go to Jasper, who already has his left leg outstretched. "I'm sorry, man," I say as I bring down the bat on top of his left knee. Jasper yells out in pain as it's his bad knee.

"Again," Senator Deymar tells me.

And I do so. Until I am told to stop until Jasper's knee is completely shattered and sweat covers him. I feel like vomiting.

"I'm going to sing the song again," the Senator says. This time, the bat stops in front of Rueben. "Perfect. Brother versus brother. How about we make this more interesting?" He has Rueben untied and gives the bat to him. "Hit him in the head, really hard."

Rueben being the motherfucker he is, hits me so hard on top of my head I fall on the snow. I don't lose consciousness, but suddenly, I can't see. I try blinking, but everything around me is dark. At least, I can still hear. I try to get up but I fall back on the snow. Something warm runs down my face. Probably blood.

"Atta boy," the Senator says. "I heard one of you is a chef."

Mose confirms it. "That would be me."

"It so happens I have a very sharp knife right here and I want to see how you use it on the back of your blood-brother," the Senator says.

Some commotion happens before I hear Rueben grunting in pain. Whatever is happening is bad.

But at least Olivia and Ansel are not here. And if Ansel is smart, he already took her far, far away from here. If there is one person who can keep Olivia safe, it's Ansel.

When the Senator speaks again, I know I'll do anything to bring him down. "How about I sing the song again and when I'm done, I want to see some brains scattered all over the snow. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." **End of part I**

**I'll take a few days off to sort out timelines and to draft the next chapter of part II - The Guardian. I think that the next update will be on Thursday.**