Arianna has heard of whips with small pieces of metal or bones at the top used to cause disfigurement or serious trauma for the victim like ripping pieces of flesh from the body and though the bullwhip in the guard's grasp - made with braided leather- wasn't like that, she still couldn't help but panic.
She could see that Claudia was scared as well; her lips were trembling, beads of sweat on her forehead, and of course, the fear in her eyes.
If that whip landed on Claudia's body, in addition to causing her pain, she might approach a state of hypovolemic shock due to loss of blood. And as much as her cousin was a bitch, Arianna couldn't lose her.
She turned to Big Joe hurriedly, speaking with a hushed tone, "You said it was a cane, that doesn't look like one,"
"Don't cause any scene, just sit back and enjoy the show," Was all Big Joe said to her, causing her hands to fist with anger.