Page 266 of Kissing the Villain

But The Carver troubled him.

The Lucaya Group vanished from the map nearly twenty years ago, with only a few random appearances. Once they disappeared, they were untraceable. Considered the best in the business, they were a terrorist organization funded by the deepest pockets in the world.

“Get Drake on the phone,” I told Marcello. “See if he can dig up intel on The Carver on the Dark Web. Someone has to be talking about the auction.”

He nodded, then removed his phone from his pocket. His fingers glided across the keys as I looked across the table at my father.

“This complicates matters,” I told my dad. “But I’m not canceling my wedding. If The Carver wants Alex, let him come. He won’t get near her.”

“We can use the wedding to lure him out of hiding,” he suggested. “Someone like The Carver won’t be able to resist the challenge of stealing the bride on her wedding day.”

A shiver ran down my arms. The thought of losing Alex again, and on our wedding day, of all days, made me sick to my stomach. No one would lay a hand on her. I made a promise to her that I intended to keep. If The Carver wanted Alex, he would have to go through The Devil’s Knights.

97

ALEX

I stood at the mirror,fixing a loose curl into a diamond pin, when Luca popped his head into the bathroom. Licking his lips, he stopped a few inches behind me, dressed in his usual armor—a black suit that fit his muscular body like a glove. I wore a white Roman-style dress that swept over one shoulder with golden accents and a long slit up to my right thigh.

“Your family is arriving soon. You look divine. Like a goddess.” His fingers trailed down the length of my arm. “If we had more time…” He pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “The things I would do to you.”

“We don’t have time.”

He kissed my neck, then my jaw, and slid his fingers beneath my chin. I leaned back against his chest, drinking in his delicious scent.

“I’m a patient man,” he said against the shell of my ear. “But the wait is killing me. I want to make you my wife this second.” Luca buried his face in my neck, peppering my skin with kisses. “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t lose me, Luca.” I patted his hand on my shoulder. “I’m right here.”

“I have to tell you something.” His eyes met mine. “You won’t like it. But trust that I will keep you safe.”

My chest tightened at his words. “What is it?”

“We still haven’t found Cal Kurti or his father, which means someone is hiding them.”

Attempting to still my racing heart, I breathed deeply and relaxed against his muscular chest. “You will find them. I’m not worried.”

He released a sigh. “A dangerous man connected to the Kurtis won the auction. He plans to come for you.”

“Who is he?”

“An assassin for hire. A man I thought was a myth until now. They call him The Carver. That’s why Cal and his men roughed you up. This man has particular tastes. He likes to beat and torture women before he kills them.”

I gasped at his confession.

“We don’t know who he is. But we’re working on it. My dad thinks he’ll attend our wedding and try to take you.”

“I know him. I met him on the boat.”

“Then you’ll sit down with a sketch artist. Any leads on this monster can help. Is there anything you remember about him or the boat?”

“He looked like your dad.”

Luca pressed his lips together, and a worried look crossed his handsome face.

“I won’t let him take you. I promise. We invited friends and family to the wedding. We’ll have plenty of protection if he shows up.”

My chest heaved with each shallow breath I took. “Couldn’t we just pay him off?”

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