Page 52 of Kissing the Villain

Taking in the scenery, he moved from one woman to another, hunting for his next victim. Despite his killer looks and charm, Sonny was like his friends. The founders’ children threw their wealth and power around like they ruled the world—because one day they would.

“Your bestie drugged me on my second night in the house,” I told him. “And locked me in a room for two days.”

Sonny scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Marcello told me. Don’t hold it against him. He’s loyal and will do anything for his family.”

“He does whatever Luca tells him.”

“Marcello likes order. After growing up in this house, he’s not used to freedom. He needs things to be a certain way.”

“Seems we have that in common,” I commented, wondering if Marcello was as innocent as Sonny claimed.

I didn’t know Marcello well and had much to learn about the Salvatores and their world. I would always be an outsider—the girl from the Midwest with a secret family legacy that forced her to marry a cruel prince.

“Now, Luca,” Sonny intoned. “He thrives in chaos.”

“How do you figure? Luca is always in control. I’ve never seen him lose it.”

“I beg to differ. He hasn’t been the same since you left Devil’s Creek. It seems you’ve finally gotten under his skin, Little Wellington.”

“I doubt that. Nothing bothers Luca.”

“You do,” he insisted. “You’re his only weakness.”

If Luca had weaknesses, I was not one of them. Most of the time, he barely tolerated me.

“The power dynamic has shifted within the Salvatore family.”

I wondered if he was telling me this to gain a reaction, and I didn’t let him see the effect this information had on me.

“How so?”

He nodded toward the Salvatore table. “Look at how close Luca and Marcello have grown in your absence.”

I glanced at the two of them. Luca propped his elbow up on Marcello’s chair, whispering as they stared in my direction, though their eyes never found mine.

“I thought they hated each other.”

“They did.” Sonny sipped from his glass. “But you brought them together.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to his confession. Sonny didn’t strike me as the type of person who shared random tidbits to hold down a conversation. No, he wanted me to know these things for a reason.

“I guess having a common enemy united them.”

“No, you misunderstand. You are the one person who binds all of us. We’re at your disposal. Whatever you need, you only have to ask.”

Confused as hell, I narrowed my eyes. “Who’s we?”

“The Devil’s Knights.”

I was well aware of the secret society founded by Luca’s great-great-grandfather. The Knights were the bankers of the criminal underworld, which earned them many enemies with axes to grind.

“I want nothing to do with Luca’s billionaire boys’ club,” I tossed back at Sonny. “And I can take care of myself.”

Sonny frowned. “I see your grandfather hasn’t properly explained our organization.”

“Just the basics.”

“We need to rectify this,” Sonny said in a firm tone, his focus on the Salvatores. “I’ll talk to Luca.”

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