Beneath The Surface

Chapter 52: Breaking the Chains

--- Ace's POV ---

We waited until the house was completely silent, the kind of quiet that only comes when the world is deep in sleep. Marco and I had been careful, making sure Raven was tucked away safely in her room before slipping out into the night. Tonight wasn’t just about revenge, it was about reclaiming something that had been stolen from us, from Raven. The drive to the warehouse was filled with an oppressive silence, thick with the weight of what we were about to do.

My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as I thought about what Alexander had done, what he had taken from us. Every memory of Raven’s pain, every scar on her back, fed the fire burning in my chest. We weren’t just going to make him pay, we were going to make him suffer.

When we finally arrived at the warehouse, the building loomed before us like a dark monument to every evil thing Alexander had ever done. The thought of him tied up, waiting for us, almost made me smile. It was our turn now.

As we stepped inside, the cold air hit us, the space echoing with each of our footsteps. Alexander was there, just as we planned, bound to a chair in the center of the room. His head hung low, but the moment we approached, he lifted it, a twisted grin already on his lips.

“Marco, Ace,” he greeted, his voice carrying that same mocking tone that had haunted us for years. “Right on time.”

Marco didn’t waste a second. He stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides, his voice a low growl. “You’re finally going to pay for what you did.”

Alexander’s grin widened, bloodshot eyes glinting with a dark amusement. I could see Marco’s restraint slipping, his anger boiling over. He grabbed Alexander by the collar, yanking him forward until their faces were inches apart. “You murdered our sister,” Marco hissed, his voice trembling with barely controlled rage. “You killed her to get back at our mother. And then you took Raven and did the same damn thing. You’re going to pay for that, you sick bastard.”

Alexander’s eyes gleamed with malice. “Your sister was weak, just like your mother. She deserved what she got. And as for Raven ... well, she’s always been mine. Those scars on her back? I put them there. Every time she screamed, every time she begged for mercy, it just reminded her that she would never escape me. Those scars ... they’re my brand. She’ll never forget who she belongs to.”

The words hit me like a sledgehammer, each one stoking the fire of my anger. I wanted to rip him apart, to make him feel every ounce of the pain he had caused Raven. But I forced myself to stay calm, to stay focused. This wasn’t about losing control, it was about making him suffer.

The sound of Marco’s fist connecting with Alexander’s jaw was satisfying in a way that nothing else could be. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and for a brief moment, it looked like Alexander was finally going to feel some real pain. But then he looked back up at us, that sick grin still in place.

“You think that hurts?” Alexander spat, blood running down his chin.

The rage that surged through me was unlike anything I had ever felt. The thought of what he had done to Raven, the scars he had left both on her body and her soul, made me want to tear him apart with my bare hands. But I held back, knowing we had to make this last. This wasn’t just about revenge, it was about making him understand what he had done.

Marco’s voice trembled with fury as he spoke, but there was an icy determination behind it. “You’re going to die for what you did, Alexander. But not before you feel every ounce of pain you inflicted on her.”

Alexander just chuckled, his laughter filled with a dark, twisted joy. “You think you can scare me? You’re just boys playing at being men. Weak, just like your sister. Just like Raven.”