Page 107 of The Kingpin's Call Girl

Ice spears through my veins.

Gently, I take her bandaged arm, cradling it in my hands, and I’m vibrating with rage. “Hedid this to you.”

Her lips tremble. “He wouldn’t let go. He kept squeezing and twisting.” Her eyes glisten with unshed tears.

The room temperature seems to drop as ice floods my veins. “Show me. Now.”

“It’s nothing, just?—”

“Show. Me.”

She unwraps the beige bandages. The moment I see the hand-shaped bruise marking her delicate skin, something dark unfurls in my chest. I trace the outline with trembling fingers, memorizing every detail of what this bastard dared to do to what’s mine.

Her eyes widen in alarm. “You can’t go after him?—”

“Go after him?” I laugh, and it’s a terrible sound. “I’ll do more than go after him. I’ll hunt him down like the scum he is. I’ll break every bone in his hands, starting with the ones he used to touch you. Then I’ll start on the rest of him, piece by piece, until he begs for a death I will not give him.”

“Please, you don’t understand?—”

“No,hedidn’t understand. You’remine.” I’m shaking with barely contained violence.

“But he’ll kill my sister!”

I close my eyes. Right. The sister. “Do you think he kidnapped her?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that she’s somewhere against her will. I’m sure of it because why wouldn’t she call me? It’s been five weeks now, and she always reaches out. And he seems to know the people holding her...”

I cup her face in my hands, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Then he’s a dead man who just doesn’t know it yet. We’ll get your sister back. And then...” My thumb brushes away a tear. “I’ll make him pay.”

She swallows hard.

I trace the bruise one last time. “I’m going to tear this whole world apart to find her. I’ll make sure she’s safe. And then I’ll rain bloody hell on this Bender. I will make him so sorry, and then I’ll make sure nothing like this ever happens to you again.”

“Thank you.” She throws her arms around me.

“No thanks needed.”

She holds me more tightly. “I’ve been so scared. And just so tired.”

“I know.”

Chapter Forty-One

LUKA

I carry her to my spa bathroom, set her down in a chair, and start a bath. She tells me not to fuss over her, but that’s not an option.

I had every wrist-healing device and hot-cold wrap known to humankind sent over. Every salve and balm—even the hippie shit. I set them out methodically, arranging everything with military precision.

The pressure she’s been under blows my mind—it really does. But she’s made of tough stuff. This is a woman who’s used to fighting for things others take for granted, and she’s been carrying this huge burden alone.

She gazes up at me. Relief has softened her face.

I was an asshole, but she sees now that I have her back.

It hits me suddenly how much deeper I’ve gotten with her than I’ve ever gotten with anybody in my life. Sara and I were kids—sneaking around, defying authority—but Edie? I know her heart. Her sense of humor. I know the contours of her desire like I know the warmth of a fire on a cold night. I know she loves pastels and is a hat person. Thanks to that visit to her dorm, I know she plays the harmonica, of all things. And she’s an organizational wiz with several planners and an elaborate color-coding system.

“Tell me about your sister,” I command gently.