Page 52 of Sinful Kingdom

“What do you need, Evie?” he asks, searching my eyes.

“They’re offering a trade. Me for them. I—”

“No,” he barks, jumping to his feet and crossing his arms over his chest. “Absolutely, one hundred percent no, Evie. Alex would kill me. No, not just kill me, he’d skin me alive and carve out each of my organs while demanding I watch.”

My lip curls in disgust at his vivid description.

“I’m not even joking, Evie. If he found out that I put you in danger…”

“They know where they are, Ant. And they’re just leaving them there, waiting for fuck knows what.”

He stares at me, his expression hard and unwavering.

“Do you remember what they did to you?” I ask, my eyes dropping to his body where I know he still bears the scars of his ordeal.

His jaw pops and his throat ripples with a rough swallow.

“You’ve got a little sister, right?” I ask, vaguely remembering when Alex tried to explain the Mariano Family tree.

His jaw tics again, giving me his answer.

“If they had her, what would you do?”

“Evie,” he growls.

“What would you do?” I push.

“Rip the place a-fucking-part to get her.”

“Exactly,” I state, pushing to my feet, going toe-to-toe with him. “But they don’t just have my little brother. They have Alex too. If I can get there, they’ll trade me for them, give you all an extra soldier with knowledge of the inside, and then you can bust me straight out again. Kill them all, burn it to the ground. Whatever you want.”

Lifting his hands, he combs his fingers through his hair and looks up at the ceiling.

“It’s not going to be that easy, though.”

“Why not? Don’t you know where they are?”

His eyes meet mine and I get my answer.

He knows. He knows everything.

13

EVIE

“Get dressed.”

“What?” I blurt as he stalks toward the bags of my clothes sitting ignored in front of Alex’s wardrobe.

One Blakely grabbed from our flat when I got back here, the other Theo and Emmie brought after they swept the cabin for evidence.

He rummages through and pulls out a pair of leggings and some flip-flops.

“Get dressed. We’re leaving.”

“You’re agreeing? You’re going to take me—”

He turns to look at me, the fierce expression on his face immediately making my words falter.

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