Page 54 of Fervent

Imagined Alex still down there, chained in their torture room, her flesh taking the brunt force of Brock’s whip.

No. I had to keep my head in the game. Alex was safe, chained to my fucking bed like the temptress she was. The sooner we finished this, the sooner I could get back to her.

Jax headed toward the door leading upstairs, and I tailed him, following his lead as we made our way to the main floor. Early morning sunlight gleamed off the counters in the kitchen. I checked to make sure the gun was still jammed into the waistband of my jeans.

He shot me a worried look. “You sure you can handle this?”

Murdering Lucas Perrone in cold blood? Not really, but I wasn’t about to back down. He’d destroyed too many lives, and I didn’t hold out much hope that law enforcement would dole out justice. He probably had judges in his pocket, in addition to cops.

“You don’t have to watch,” Jax said. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. The fucker deserves to burn.”

A shiver went though me at his tone. He talked about killing his father as if it were a chore we were debating. And I got it, I did. I’d wanted to kill Perrone and his men too, but when faced with the actuality of taking someone’s life…

“Maybe we should try the Feds, someone higher up.”

“He’ll never stop until we’re dead. Even if we get lucky and they put him away, he’s got too many connections. I would’ve run long ago, if I thought I could.”

Standing in Perrone’s kitchen, discussing his impending demise, made me twitchy. I didn’t want his psycho father coming after Alex. In fact, I wouldn’t be satisfied until he couldn’t speak her name.

But killing the bastard…

That only reminded me that Ihadkilled a man—I just didn’t remember it. My mind had blocked it out, buried the memory long before I’d wiped out the whole fucking eight years.

We stepped down a few steps, crossed the humongous living room, and Jax halted at a door. He tried the handle, but it didn’t budge. Stepping back, he kicked below the knob, just like I’d done with the shed, and repeated the blows until the door broke under the onslaught of his boot. He shoved it open and glanced at his watch.

“We have maybe fifteen minutes.” Perrone worked from home, so his morning jog was the only time Jax knew he’d be gone with certainty. Jax strode over to the built-in bookshelves and began flinging open cupboards, rifling through files.

I checked out the rest of the room. The space was free of Perrone’s nefarious nature—no signs of his thirst for sexual slavery. Deep mahogany paneling decorated the walls. The desk sat front and center, oversized and as masculine as the rest of the study, which reeked of prestige and money. I hated it on sight because it was so perfectly Perrone. Blatantly pretentious with an even larger collection of artwork and antiques than the wretched square box in the underground.

“Rafe, you’re gonna wanna see this.”

Keeping an ear out for his father’s arrival, I moved to stand next to Jax. He extended a file to me. “He’s got one on Alex.”

Letting out a curse, I took the folder and turned away. The photos I found inside were all of Alex. Sleeping, picking at her food, staring off into space with that faraway look in her eyes—the look she wore when she was sad, worried, or scared. I shuffled through the pictures, and when I came to a few displaying the naked expanse of her skin, drops of water trailing between her breasts from showering, I wanted to punch something.

No. I wanted to fucking rearrange Perrone’s face. He’d obviously been stalking her, putting her under surveillance, all while dating her.

The sick fuck.

I removed the photos and pocketed them before snapping the folder shut. “Anything on your sister?”

Jax slammed a drawer shut and opened another. “Nothing.”

“I’m sorry, man.” I handed him the empty file, but the chirping sound of an alarm froze us both. A series of beeps sounded, a door shut, and footsteps thumped over polished floors, drawing closer. I pulled the gun out and moved across the room with the stealth of a tiger in mid-hunt. The door shielded me from view, but Jax stood directly in front of the desk, arms crossed, preparing to confront his father.

Perrone stepped inside, still decked out in his drenched running shorts and T-shirt. I almost didn’t recognize him without his trousers, shiny shoes, and air of superiority.

“How did you get in here? I know I changed the codes, boy.” He wiped his face with a towel, and I used the distraction to come out of my hiding place.

“Go take a seat,” I said, jabbing the back of his sweaty head with the barrel.

“You’ve got some balls to break into my home. Into my office.”

“You’ve got some balls to take photos of naked women.” I propelled him forward, and the asshole laughed.

“Found the file, did you?” He meandered to the executive chair, his expression smug, casual, as if he didn’t have anything to fear.

“Shut the fuck up.” I shoved him to his ass and trained the gun on his temple. My gaze flickered to Jax.

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