Chapter 35
ALEX
My eyes shot open, my heart thumping as a surge of emotions ripped through my chest. Pressing my palm to the mattress, I pushed myself up, and my fingers grazed something wet and thick. I raised my hand and inspected the sticky substance.
It wasn’t a dream, which meant…
I was in danger.
Running my hand over the soaked sheets, my fingers brushed a cold, metal surface. Blood dripped from the knife.
No.
“Not real.”
Dropping the knife, I slid off the bed and rushed into the bathroom. I turned on the water and scrubbed my hands. Streams of blood dripped from my fingers, staining the white porcelain.
There was so much blood.
Too much.
You’re imagining it.
Not real.
Adding soap to the mix, I cleansed myself of this nightmare. By the time I finished washing away the past, my skin burned. I threw cold water on my face and stared in the mirror.
“I stabbed him,” I whispered. “I tried to kill Luca.”
Shame washed over me, sinking deep into my bones. I did the worst thing imaginable.
And he wanted revenge.
I clutched my chest to still my rapid heartbeat. It hurt to breathe, the ache so intense it felt like I’d stabbed myself.
In and out. In and out.
Five, four, three, two, one.
My head pounded, working in unison with my heart. I tried to kill my future husband because I thought he had murdered my brother.
Did I kill Aiden?
I rushed out of the bathroom and opened my bedroom door, surprised to find the hallway empty. Dressed in lacy pink pajamas, a shiver raced down my arms. Tiny bumps dotted my sweat-slick skin.
Where were the guards?
Where was Marcello?
What happened after Luca and his brothers chased me through Beacon Bay?
I had no idea.
Someone was always on duty, even when I slept. Luca made sure his men watched his prisoner at all times.
Was he letting me go?
Testing me?
I raced into my bedroom and grabbed the knife from the bed. If Luca put it there, he wanted me to remember. He wanted to play another game. And I would not lose this one. He did nothing without reason.
He wants to kill you.
Watch you suffer.
Ignoring the blood, I held the knife in my sweaty palm, bolted down the hallway, and headed toward the back stairwell. There were staircases everywhere in the mansion. It was easy to get lost in this prison on the bay.
The top step creaked beneath my weight. Taking my time, I used the railing for support and tiptoed down the stairs. Drops of blood hit the walnut floorboards, and I wondered if it was Luca’s blood on the knife or mine.
I would have done anything to find my brother. But murder? No, that was Luca’s kink.
I didn’t have it in me.
Or did I?
Push a person to their breaking point, and they could do the unthinkable. Couldn’t they? Luca killed men because he enjoyed inflicting pain and suffering. In his line of work, it was necessary. But I had no reason to harm anyone… until Aiden disappeared.
When my bare feet hit the bottom landing, I felt chills run down my legs. I should have put on shoes.
Oh, well .
It was too late.
This was the closest I had gotten to leaving the estate since I arrived. So, I moved through the Butlers’ kitchen in the dark, using my senses to guide me. A sliver of moonlight shone through the windows, the soft glow illuminating a pathway.
Following the light across the room, I walked toward the main hallway. I turned left out of the kitchen and clung to the wall, hoping it would hide me from the camera’s view.
The house had dozens of exits. I just had to find one without an armed guard. At least the hallways were lit. Unfortunately, the rest of the rooms were pitch black.
I hated the dark.
Navigating the house in the daytime was hard enough. They had more rooms than a castle, a never-ending set of doors, and mysteries to uncover. As I passed the sitting room, loud music blared through the speakers, the bass vibrating the floor.
I stopped mid-stride and held my breath. Someone was in the room, but I couldn’t see shit. “DON’T CHASE THE DEAD” by Marilyn Manson floated through the room.
My blood ran cold.
Aiden’s favorite song.
I choked back a sob and moved toward the sound. The room was so dark, and the walls felt like they were closing on me.
But I had to know.
“Aiden,” I muttered.
Someone put a hand over my mouth and yanked me into the room.