Page 122 of Kissing the Villain

“I’m not worried about you protecting her from your enemies. If this job goes south, Alex will go off the deep end. Her condition is fragile.”

“I don’t know what you want me to do, Aiden. I’m not a doctor. I don’t know how to handle someone with her medical condition.”

“Luca doesn’t know what she needs,” he said with desperation in his tone. “He makes Alex the worst version of herself. She could get better if she were with someone else.”

I lifted an eyebrow at him. “You think I can do a better job?”

“I know you can.”

“Nothing will happen to you,” I said, dismissing his fears.

He shook his head, and curls fell in front of his clear blue irises. “What I’m doing for The Serpents is dangerous. I can’t tell Alex about any of this. She’ll only worry more.” Aiden sank back against the leather chair, pushing the hair off his forehead. “There’s a chance I won’t come back from this job. So I need you to promise you’ll help her. She likes you, Marcello. Iknow she does. And if anyone can bring her back from the dead, it’s you.”

“I promise,” I said, and I meant it.

As Alex continued running her fingers down my arm, she snapped me out of my memory of the past. I made a promise to her brother, one I intend to keep. So many times, I’d wanted to tell her the truth. That her brother was within her reach the entire time. The Knights had rules for a reason, and if Alex knew the truth, she would have gotten into trouble. And she was in enough danger.

Alex looked into my eyes as she stroked my arm. “What are you thinking about, Marcello?”

I held her gaze. “You.”

Always you.

48

LUCA

I satin the armchair across from the Knights. We gathered in my office instead of the temple to stay closer to Alex. With Marcello out of commission, I wasn’t taking any chances with her safety. She could hate me all she wanted. Alex could yell and push me away, but I wasn’t letting her pretty ass out of my sight.

I raised a snifter of scotch to my mouth, surveying the room’s mood. The Knights looked on edge. The attack at my estate had rattled each of us in different ways.

Sonny didn’t look as put together as usual. From searching the Dark Web for the past three days, Drake had dark circles under his eyes. Bastian, Damian, and Cole were out late last night looking for the Albanians with Alpha Command. They leaned back in their chairs as if they were seconds from falling asleep.

Sonny steepled his hands on his lap and glanced over at me. “Is Marcello coming?”

I shook my head. “He’s dealing with Alex and her nightmares.”

“It should be you,” Sonny countered with hate dripping from his tone. “Marcello isn’t marrying her. You should be downstairs comforting our queen.”

“Thanks for the reminder,Dad, but I have more important shit to worry about than Alex’s bad dreams. Like saving her fucking life.”

“Do you give a shit about anyone other than yourself?” Sonny snapped.

“I care about the Knights… and my family… and Alex.”

“Could have fooled me,” Sonny challenged. “If Marcello had died, we would have lost Alex, too.”

“You don’t think I know that, motherfucker! Stop hassling me. I’m not in the mood for your melodrama.”

“Marcello reached her when you couldn’t,” Sonny insisted. “She needs him. The Knights need him, too.”

I rolled my eyes at the annoying asshole. “Is everyone team Marcello? Where is your loyalty to your Grand Master?”

Sonny howled with laughter. “With how you handled Marcello’s shooting, you lost a lot of my respect.”

“Sorry if I don’t handle shit to your liking. But I don’t answer to you.”

“Until Alex agrees to marry you, you’re not the next Grand Master.”

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