Page 99 of Kissing the Villain

A gunshot to the liver gave him about a thirty percent chance of survival, but Marcello was in good hands with Pops. Before his retirement, my grandfather was one of the top surgeons in the country. He’d even perfected a surgical method that won him awards and earned him lots of praise. But even with his skills, the mortality rate was high.

I can’t lose him.

Leaning forward, I cupped my knees with my hands and breathed deeply. In and out, I tried to steady my nerves. My heart raced so fast I thought it would break through my chest.

Luca cupped my shoulder and whispered, “Calm down.”

“That’s the last thing you say to someone when they have a panic attack,” I shot back.

He tried to hug me, and I knocked his hand away. Luca had never been there for me when I needed him. He was usually the reason for my pain and suffering.

“Drea,” he groaned with a pissed-off expression scrolling across his tired face. “What the fuck is your problem? I’m just trying to help.”

“I don’t want or need your help, Luca.” I closed my eyes and breathed through my nose. Sweat slid down my forehead, dripping onto my eyelids, forcing me to blink a few times to clear my vision. “I have to work through this on my own.”

“If I were Marcello, you’d let me touch you,” he said.

He was right.

I would have flung myself into Marcello’s arms and allowed him to stroke his fingers through my hair. When I was with Marcello, I truly felt at peace. We had a special connection I’d only felt with my twin. Sure, I had an attachment to Luca, but we formed our bond out of hate, not love. Our mutual and shared traumas tied us together.

My emotions were so out of whack, I needed someone to blame, someone to hate. Luca was the perfect scapegoat. He’d caused the worst moments in my life, but there were a few times when he’d shown me so much pleasure and joy. I wasn’t sure how I felt about either of the Salvatore brothers. Torn between two Devils, a piece of my heart belonged to each of them.

Luca bent down, his mouth inches from my ear, the heat from his breath warming my skin. “Do you have feelings for Marcello?”

I glanced up at him, tears clouding my vision, and wiped them away. “Marcello might not live, and you’re worried about my feelings for him? Give me a break, Luca.”

He crossed his suit-clad arms over his chest and snarled at me. “I almost lost you today. My enemies won’t stop until they pry you from my dead hands. We’re at war, Drea, which means we need to be united.”

“I’m still here,” I pointed out. “Those men are dead and rotting upstairs and are no longer our concern. You should worry about Marcello’s life, not me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, baby girl.” His fingers slipped beneath my chin, tilting my head until our eyes met. “I alwaysworry about you, even when we’re apart. You are my one constant. My number one priority.”

“Yeah, right?” I snorted. “When have you ever put me first?”

“Always,” he challenged with heat behind his words. “I may not be there physically, but I’m always watching you.”

“Because you’re a psychopath,” I snapped. “Not because you care about me.”

“You want a choice between us?” he grumbled. “Don’t you? If he lives…”

“Luca,” I groaned. “This is not the time for this conversation.”

“I need to know,” he challenged. “Help me understand why you care so much about my brother when you didn’t give a shit about me last year.”

He must have taken the stabbing a lot harder than he let on. I could see the hurt in his blue eyes, which looked like denim. His eyes changed colors with his moods. It was creepy but also beautiful.

“Luca,” Drake interrupted, raking a hand through his dark hair that looked like he’d yanked on the ends. “Alex is right. We could lose Marcello. If he dies, it won’t matter if Alex likes him.”

“Fuck you, Battle.”

He yelled loud enough to draw the attention of the local members of The Devil’s Knights. A few guys I didn’t recognize lifted their heads, staring at us from across the room. Damian and Bastian moved to Luca’s right side like planets orbiting the sun, while Sonny and Cole Marshall stood beside Drake.

Luca’s nostrils flared as he shoved Drake with all of his force. “Get the fuck out of my house! I don’t need your opinion.”

Drake stumbled backward, and Sonny was there to grab his arm.

Caught in the middle, I pushed my arms out to keep them apart. “You’re not fighting.”

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