Page 271 of Kissing the Villain

Alex rushed over to him. “You found it.”

He nodded. “Turn around.”

Alex turned toward me, her back facing Drake as he lowered my mother’s necklace over her head. She smiled as our eyes met. I loved when she fucking smiled. It was the only thing that kept me sane some days.

Alex’s eyes swept over the weapons on the kitchen island. Drake had gathered a collection of guns, knives, ropes, chains, and surgical tools. She gripped the edge of the counter, studying each weapon carefully.

I moved behind her, slid my hands to her hips, and breathed against the shell of her ear. “Are you happy, my queen?”

She glanced over her shoulder at me and smiled. “Very.”

“You’re the judge, jury, and executioner, baby. How do you want to kill him?”

Alex lifted a scalpel from the table. “After what he did to me, I was thinking death by a thousand cuts.”

“Brutal,” I commented, though I was proud of my girl for having the guts to go through with this form of slow, painful torture.

Cal deserved much worse.

“This could take all night,” I told her.

Alex tapped the blade against her palm with a wicked look on her beautiful face. “I have time.”

She spun around to look at Cal, then stormed over to him with the blade in her hand.

I gave Drake a look, and he nodded. “Sonny tied the knots. He won’t get out of them.”

Sonny was a master sailor. From all the years he’d spent on his yacht, Sonny could bind and restrain prisoners better than the ex-Navy SEAL members of our team at Salvatore Global.

Alex stood in front of Cal. “Remember me, you fucking bastard?”

“My father will come for you, whore.” Cal tried to spit at her, but the mucus landed on the floor by his foot. “He’ll slaughter every one of you.”

Cal struggled with his restraints, and Alex raised her leg to slam the heel of her shoe into his chest. “Don’t fucking move,” she growled. “I haven’t even started with your sorry ass.”

“He’s not going anywhere, baby.” I stroked my fingers down her bruised arm. “Sonny’s an expert with knots.”

“Alex,” Aiden said from behind us.

She glanced at her twin.

“Are you sure you wanted to do this? You can’t go back once you cross this line.”

She nodded. “You can’t even imagine what he put me through.”

“This will change you forever,” he shot back.

“I’m already changed because of him.”

Aiden attempted to reach her, and I threw my hand out. “Leave her be.”

“I knew you would fuck her up, Salvatore.”

“Shut your mouth,” I snapped. “Stop disrespecting our queen.”

Alex released a deep breath. “This is my choice, Aiden. You’ve made yours. Now let me make mine.”

She moved with speed toward Cal and made the first cut down his arm.

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