Page 32 of Kissing the Villain

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Thinking about taking a nap.”

“The pilot can see your pussy from the cockpit. Put some fucking pants on.”

“Calm down, Marcello.”

He leaned against the door. “You’re lucky Luca isn’t here.”

“What a shame,” I deadpanned. “Speaking of the King of the Universe, when can I talk to him?”

His chest rose and fell as his eyes moved from my face to between my thighs. “When he gets home from Italy thisweekend. He doesn’t have time to play games with you, so don’t even ask to call him again. The answer is no.”

“What the hell is going on?”

“It’s none of your concern.”

Nerves stirred in my belly, making me sick from all the dark thoughts swimming through my head. My grandfather was equally obtuse over the phone, careful not to share too much information.

“Marcello,” I groaned. “Please tell me what this is all about.”

“Get in the shower,” he said and closed the door behind him.

15

ALEX

After Marcelloand I touched down in Hartford, Connecticut, we took a quick helicopter ride to Devil’s Creek. We landed on the helipad at the Salvatore estate, which had three hundred-and-sixty-five-degree views of the bay and a four-story gothic mansion that reminded me of a castle.

My grandfather stood beside Arlo Salvatore on the blacktop.

I rushed over to him as Marcello handled my bags. “Pops, what’s going on? Marcello won’t tell me anything.”

He guided me toward the bay and didn’t speak until we were out of earshot. “I need you to stay with the Salvatores.”

I stared at him in horror. “Why can’t I go back to Wellington Manor with you?”

“I will explain everything tomorrow night over dinner.”

“Does this have to do with Aiden?”

Pops shook his head.

We had to be careful with our words. The Salvatores had eyes and ears everywhere, cameras posted inside and out. Trained soldiers guarded the estate like a military base.

I took a deep breath, trying to push down the nerves stirring inside me. “Do you trust them after what they did to Aiden?”

“No,” he muttered. “But we must work with them.”

“I thought Luca didn’t want to marry me anymore.”

Pops sighed. “I thought so too, but he’s changed his mind. And I owe the Salvatores.”

I’d never pushed him to tell me what he’d done to owe a life debt. He said knowing the truth would make me an accomplice.

The wind whipped through my hair, blowing long strands in my eyes. I glanced at the steep drop, listened to the water crash on the beach below me, and my stomach twisted into knots.

I was trapped here.

---