Page 210 of Never Die for a Sinner
“Myfatherwas pathetic,” Alex spits. “Marks ruined my future.”
Alex jerks me back, and the tip of the knife nicks me. It hurts, and I gasp at the sting. Levi’s expression slips—just for a second. But it’s enough.
Alex sees it too.
“Ah, yes . . .” I can practically hear the smile in Alex’s voice. “There it is. I never thought I’d see the day. Levi Cross in love with his mousy, little whore.” He flicks the blade, digging it deeper into my skin, and a cry rips free.
“You son of a bitch, let her go!” Levi growls, surging forward, but Alex holds the knife up.
“That’s the problem with you Cross siblings,” he hisses. “Always so hellbent on being right that you never care to see what’s right in front of you.” Alex removes the blade from my throat, sliding it instead down my cheek. “How I was able to take your whore, right out from under your nose. How I was able to infiltrate your house, watch your every move . . . It was too easy, really.”
“Let. Her. Go,” Levi urges. “Take me. I’m right fucking here.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Levi. You see, I’m going to make you watch while I fuck your whore. Then I’ll slice her throat and let you suffer helplessly while she bleeds out. Just. Like. My. Father.” Alex turns to grin at me, his hand fisting in my hair. “And you’re going to love every second, aren’t you, little mouse?”
“Go fuck yourself,” I grit through my teeth, but he only chuckles.
“My, my, Cross. She is feisty. I can see why you’re so obsessed. She was never this vibrant with me.” I whimper when his knife slips down my throat, over my racing pulse.
The blade digs into my flesh, slicing my skin as it goes. Levi’s wild eyes meet mine, and through the blurriness of my tears, I can see he’s panicking.
“Damnit, Alex! I’m right fucking here. You can have me! Just let her go!”
“How pathetically poetic. Willing to sacrifice yourself for her,” Alex tsks. “It was always going to end this way. You and me.” Alex leans down, his tongue sliding along the blood on my neck. Disgust recoils through me, and I try to move away, but he tightens his hold. The world starts to spin around me, the pressure in my skull setting off a throbbing tempo in my head that matches my heartbeat. “All the while you were worriedabout Palmer, I was right there under your nose. At the Tomb. At the funeral for your spineless father. I’m everywhere, Cross!” he bellows, and I jump.
“Let her go.”
Everything falls silent as Christian steps into the room, Nolan Marks in front of the gun in his hand.
My father.
“Finally,” Alex grins. He lowers his lips to my ear, his breath hot on my cheek. “Daddy’s here, little mouse.”
I blink through the tears as the man who’s supposed to be my father comes into focus. Levi’s eyes never leave mine, his chest heaving with each breath.
“I’m the one you’re after. These two have nothing to do with it,” Nolan says, stepping further into the warehouse.
“Mmm . . . but she does, doesn’t she? Tell me, Nolan, does Ava know the truth?” Alex asks, and the silence in my ears is deafening.
“Ava,” Levi says, his rough voice breaking through the haze. “Look at me, baby.”
Nolan doesn’t answer, his gaze unreadable as it sweeps over me.
“Ava,” Levi growls, and my gaze cuts to his. “Keep your eyes on me, baby,please.”
I wish someone would tell me what the hell is going on. I shiver when Alex’s hand slides down my face, to my throat. He swirls the blade along my skin, not slicing, but close enough to threaten.
A silent sob slips free from my lips, and Levi’s face grows redder and redder with suppressed rage.
“What’s the matter, little mouse?” Alex says softly in my ear. “Oh, that’s right. This is the first time you’re really meeting him, isn’t it?”
“Ava,” Levi barks when I look away. My gaze shoots back to his, and the desperation there is enough to frighten me.
“Did you know your daddy was in on it? See, it wasn’t just my father who had deals with the Russians. No. It was yours too,” Alex sneers, his voice maniacal in my ear. “Then your father screwed mine over. My father was murdered.”
“Let her go, Alex,” Marks says from the door. “It’s over.”
“Daddy left when you were just a little girl, didn’t he?” Alex sneers. “He left you all alone with Mommy and her shitty boyfriends. He never cared about you. Not the way you want him to. Who do you think the favorite was?”
