Page 237 of Kissing the Villain

He shoved a hand through his black hair and tugged at the ends. “I want her alive.”

“She’s a loose end,” I pointed out. “The girl knows too much about our family.”

“It was my mistake. She hasn’t talked in the last five years.”

“If she ever opens her mouth, we could lose everything.”

“There’s only one way to keep her quiet,” Marcello said with irritation.

“Marry her,” I muttered. “But that’s not happening as long as Dad is alive.”

“I can’t stand the sight of her,” he shot back. “Like fucking hell I could marry her.”

“You don’t seem to have a problem fucking her.”

He snickered. “It’s a hate fuck.”

“Are you sure?” I raised my eyebrows in question. “Because you seem to like hate-fucking her an awful lot.”

Marcello rolled his eyes. “I see her once a year.”

“You think you’re so slick, bro, but I know the truth.”

He lowered his head, staring at the gray carpet as he cracked his knuckles. “There’s nothing between us.”

We hadn’t been this close since… Ever. Somehow, fighting over Alex and later sharing her had bonded us. After she chose me, we’d grown even closer. And now that we had a common enemy to fight, we were finally acting like real brothers.

It should have been like this all along. I was too much of a miserable asshole to see that I needed him.

We were broken.

Alex fixed us.

Marcello cupped my shoulder, then shot up from the bed. “I have to speak with my team before we land.”

I rose to my full height, standing beside my brother. “What’s the plan?”

“I’m still working out the final details,” he said in a firm tone. “We’ll have divers entering through the jungle. They won’t have as much security on that side of the island.”

I nodded. “That’s smart. We can catch them off guard.”

“This is an ambush.” Marcello scratched the dark stubble along his jaw. “Whoever took Alex wants all of us dead.”

“That could be anyone,” I said to state the obvious. “We have more enemies than we can count. But who would be interested in taking out the Knights and the Irish?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. My team is working on finding a link toIl Circoand us. So far, I have found nothing out of the ordinary.”

“I can’t think of anyone who’s worked with us and the Irish and had a problem.” I pressed my lips together, deep in thought. “I’ve gone over every deal with Salvatore Global and the Knights for the past few years.”

“Maybe this isn’t about us.”

“Dad?”

He nodded.

“But why would they take Alex?”

“Because she can’t produce a Salvatore heir if she’s dead.”

---