Page 46 of Kissing the Villain

“Not like this,” Marcello said. “She has to choose atLegare.”

“If we even make it toLegareat this rate.” I rubbed a hand across my face, annoyed by the thought of Alex with anyone but me. “The doctor said sex helps her cope. Touch can bring herback when she’s having one of her fits. If she needs an orgasm, give her one. You can handle that, right?”

“Fuck off, dickhead.”

“What, Marcello? Afraid you can’t handle your queen?”

I loved taunting him.

“Please,brother.” His laughter pierced my eardrum. “You’re the one who should be afraid. Alex has been begging for my cock from the second I dragged her pretty ass into my car. Consider yourself lucky I haven’t taken her up on the offer. Because if I were to fuck her, she’d never want your sorry ass again.”

I snickered at his boldness. “Keep dreaming, little bro. I’ve already left my mark on her. Fucking you would be a half-assed replacement for the real thing. She would come crawling back to her master like a good girl.”

I didn’t wantanyman touching her. But if she needed a release and wanted to use my brother until I got home, I could live with it.

“Shit,” Marcello shouted. “Are you looking at the feed in her bedroom?”

I glanced at the video and gasped. With her eyes closed, Alex moved a table across the balcony and stepped onto it, her movements fluid, as if she were awake.

“Marcello, get in there. Now!”

She hopped onto the table, arms stretched out at her sides like she was Rose fromTitanic, pretending to fly. The wind blew through her hair, strands smacking her in the face. Unfazed, she stood there as if she were invincible.

Did we fuck up already?

Marcello carried Alex into the bedroom and set her on the bed. She blinked rapidly, staring like she wasn’t in her body. My brother waved his hand in front of her face. Lips pressed together, she sat with her palms on her thighs and stared at the wall.

What the fuck?

“What do you want me to do?” Marcello turned his back on her and walked toward the ensuite bathroom. “She’s out of it. Unresponsive.”

“Plan B.”

He tugged at the ends of his messy black hair. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

I hung up and dropped my phone onto the couch beside me, staring at the ceiling. If anything happened to Alex, my family would lose everything.

21

ALEX

The darkness found me again.It always did.Hello, old friend, it whispered in my ear.Welcome back.

Like most nights, I tossed and turned, forced to endure my own personal hell. Images flashed before my eyes. Colors swirled together, the room spinning around me. Hands slid down my arms, touching me in places Luca had claimed for himself.

I rolled onto my side, and the hands slipped away. The room spun on its axis. A gray mist swirled around my head, the room replaced by a new nightmare—a new version of hell.

My body ached from my feet pounding the cement. Every muscle cried out for me to stop, begging me to slow down. But I couldn’t. They were too close, right on my tail.

I ran through the crowded streets of Beacon Bay with a group of men chasing me. They called out my name, taunting me with each step.

Don’t stop.

Keep going, Alex.

They took Aiden from you.

Don’t let them take you, too.

---