Note: for Milo's fans, skip this chapter because it contains explicit torture. I warned you.
***
Milo shivered violently, his teeth chattering so hard they ached. He looked up, his eyes adjusting to the single bare bulb hanging from a cord above him.
"Look who's finally awake," a smooth, familiar voice drawled from the shadows.
Milo's heart froze.
Nero stepped into the circle of light. He was dressed in a pristine gray suit, his hair perfectly combed, looking entirely at ease in the squalor of the basement.
Sean and Pablo stood two steps behind him. Sean's eyes were calm as usual, fixed on Milo, but this time filled with pure hatred.
"N-Nero..." Milo choked out, his voice a raspy whisper. He tried to crawl backward, but his bound limbs made him slide clumsily across the concrete, scraping his hip against the grit.
Nero chuckled, a soft, malicious sound. He walked over and knelt down on one knee right next to Milo, entirely unfazed by the dirt.
