Page 51 of Fervent

“Say it, Alex.”

“No more hiding. I’ll come to you. I promise.”

The stench of tobacco ruined the crispness of approaching dawn, though considering what Jax and I were about to do, I wasn’t going to tell him to snuff out his cigarette.

“She cut herself last night.” I rubbed my arms for warmth. Birds chirped an annoying morning song of delight, and I wished for a fucking pellet gun.

Jax took a drag from his cancer stick, and his lips rounded as he blew it out into the chilly morning air, creating rings. “Did you put a stop to it?”

“Fuck yeah, I shut it down.” I frowned. “Probably went too soft on her.”

“How’d you handle it?”

“Took my belt to her ass. Withheld orgasm.”

He snickered around another drag. “From what I remember, that works on her.”

I gave him a funny look. “How close were you to that fucked up situation on the island?”

“Not as close as you’re thinking. I was busy juggling work and the old man’s demands. But like I said, you and I used to talk. You told me things.”

“Fuck, Jax, when I saw her slicing herself up…I can’t fuck this up.”

“You’ll get there. You guys are still figuring shit out.”

“Yeah, well this latest disaster is creating a new problem. I don’t trust her to leave her alone. Not so soon after what happened.”

“Sounds like a simple fix to me. You rigged that bedroom to restrain her. Check underneath the end of the bed.”

I arched a brow. “Why’d we get this place?”

“In case shit went to hell on the island. I kinda pushed for it. You couldn’t see past imprisoning her on that island. Talk about single-minded focus.”

That seemed to be my problem when it came to her. Even back when she was fifteen, before I’d gone to prison, I couldn’t go near the De Luca mansion without my head getting stuck on the seductively forbidden jailbait of Alex fucking De Luca.

How ironic I’d gone away for something I hadn’t yet done. My pulse skyrocketed. Maybe I’d deserved that prison sentence. Eventually, I would have crossed the line.

Probably.

Definitely.

“Check under the bed, man. Do it before she wakes up. It’ll make things easier.” He reached for the doorknob. “We need to get going soon. Bastard never misses his morning jog. It’s fucking clockwork.”

“You don’t think he allowed access to any of the other guys?”

“Not a chance.” He chewed on his lip. “He allows very few people inside the estate, and now with Cleft gone…”

Now he had a chance to get inside, unobstructed, in hopes of finding his sister’s whereabouts.

We entered the shadowed house, and I padded down the hall, hoping Alex hadn’t awakened yet. Considering her late night date with a knife, and the subsequent lashing and sexual mind-fuck I’d put on her, I expected to find her out cold for at least another hour. The sun had barely crawled an inch above the horizon.

So I was caught off guard when I found her by the window, arms folded around her body as if she could ward off the next attack with sheer willpower alone. It would take a while before she believed no one was coming to hurt her. Perrone and the rest of his men would pay for what they’d done, and Jax and I would free those slaves today.

The real question though, was how far was I willing to go?

Gawking at Alex’s nude form, cast in silhouette in front of the window, I knew I’d go to the blazing pits of Lucifer’s den to ensure her safety, to give her peace of mind in knowing Lucas Perrone would never threaten her again.

I crossed to the bed and bent to search underneath, where I found a hook in the floor and a coiled chain attached. Despite my quiet presence, she didn’t stir from her stance. I sank to the hardwood and reached behind me, curling my fingers around a shackle.

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