Be Mine #3
Alex’s entire world fell apart in the most violent way possible, and now he seeks vengeance on every person who destroyed his happily ever after.
Alex Walker’s life is all about revenge, and he doesn’t care if it takes him down with it. However, there are many people who love him and are willing to help him retaliate against those who took the love of his life away from him while keeping him alive. With his life on a path to self-destruction, it will take his best friend to push him out of the way and make him see that he’s not dead inside, he’s only just starting to live.
Danny Brooks has been hopelessly in love with Alex for years. He watched him fall in love and get married, then lose it all. Danny had every intention of quietly pining for his best friend until the end of his days and for him to never find out. But secrets never stay under lock and key, and now Danny not only has to keep Alex alive, he’s also hoping he won’t lose the one person who means everything to him.
With a war in their midst and bodies in their wake, Alex gradually learns to lean on Danny and accept his comfort while they navigate new emotions, dangerous situations, and try to build a forever that neither of them saw coming.
Be My Vengeance is book 3 in the Be Mine series. This is not a standalone book. It’s recommended you read book 1 (Be My Monster) and book 2 (Be My Ruin) first.
I knew Danny and Alex would be special, and boy is their journey amazing. It's dark, it's full of mayhem, questions, answers, more questions, but above all its full of heart. Once again, Davidson King has proven she is a Queen of Mayhem, and in such a heartbreaking and warming and most certainly, delicious way. I found it delicious but if you have triggers, be sure and read the author's trigger warning in the beginning because I know not everyone is like me with no triggers.
I am spoiler-free reviewer so I won't touch on any particulars but just know I was kept on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Danny and Alex are amazing, as friends, colleagues, and eventually more. Some might think their journey from friends to lovers is out of left field but love can hit you like that sometimes and lets face it, not every label, every box to be ticked is clear or even there from day one. Not to mention, grief has a way of changing everything. Alex is definitely hit with grief and there is no set formula on dealing with that kind of pain and loss, so why wouldn't his journey take him somewhere he never expected?
The world that these men live in may not be "everyday" and the men themselves may not be "every man" because of the darkness that clouds their path but despite all that, these are still 2 lads you could meet in your daily life. It's the author's ability to combine the multi-facets of their personalities and struggles, their pain that makes nearly giving in and still surviving, their realistic and fantastical sides, that truly make this an intriguing read. Many people can create a story of revenge but not everyone can make mafia troubleshooters into lovely heart-filled gents you wished were in your life on any given day, but Davidson King knows how.
I'll stop there before I find myself revealing too much. I'll just add that Be Mine is a series to be read in order. Be My Vengeance is a perfect title and a near perfect story, not of redemption, not just of revenge, but moving on when you thought there was no way to do so, that life or fate just might know what its doing even if you don't. I'm not going to say it's a fun read due to the dark nature but it is definitely entertaining and one I wouldn't have wanted to miss.
And on a personal note, I understand the grief journey, in January 2025 I lost my mother and having been her 24/7 caregiver for over 30 years we were together all the time and it has been a huge change, left a hole that still has not filled, and most days I have a hard time moving on to put it mildly, but I keep plugging away because I know that is what my mom would want. I mention this because I want to thank Miss King for once again giving me a few moments of distraction but also showing just what grief can do to a person and that it isn't a timeline anyone else can or has the right to dictate. I may not be using the same coping mechanisms as Alex but I understand his pain and for that, Be My Vengeance(and the whole Be Mine series) has been one of the best things I've read in almost two years. Thank you.
PROLOGUE
6 Months Ago
Alex
It was July twelfth, a little over six months ago, that I’d held my wife of seven hours in my arms…dead. Her lifeless eyes staring blankly beyond my gaze. Her white dress drenched in blood where she’d been shot through her heart and stomach. Rage like I’d never experienced had coursed through my veins, leaving room for nothing else.
Gideon, my boss, had captured two of Mila’s brothers and Benito Calvern, three men responsible for her murder. Lev had been killed by Gideon and while I wished he’d felt my wrath, I’d moved past it.
For six months I’d gone to the crate the three men had been held in, and I’d made them feel my loss with my fists, knives, hammers, saws—anything and everything at my disposal.
I’d listened to their pleas until I couldn’t bear it. I’d removed their tongues, put them into a blender, and fed the bloody mixture to them. I’d killed them in inches, keeping them alive and waiting for my blood lust to be sated. Gideon had repeatedly brought in medical teams to make sure none of them died before I was ready.
Day in and out, I saw how Toni and Danny watched me. Stone-cold men grimacing as I tore flesh from Benito’s body, flinching when I gouged out all of their eyes. Toni looking away as I used a cheese grater on their skin. Nothing was too much, and nothing extinguished the fire of hate that burned in my soul.
Last night I’d realized I had no more to give, and I’d ended it…them. I’d felt numb as I’d driven to Gideon’s home to tell him it was done. That numbness was better than the pain but as soon as he embraced me, it was as if the doors had opened, and it all came rushing back. I’d fallen apart, and he’d held me through it.
Now, as I stood in his shower, watching the flaking blood of Ivan, Mikhail, and Benito swirl down the drain, I nearly choked on my hate. Mila and her parents had been killed by the Bratva and Benito Calvern. The pakhan had given the order because rules had been broken. She wasn’t supposed to marry me, and the minute Mila had said, “I do,” the pakhan had ordered his soldiers and associates—or boyeviks and shestyorkas, as they referred to them—to turn my wedding into a massacre.
Seventy-two people killed or injured. Family, friends, and those there to celebrate love slaughtered because of a stupid rule. I pounded my head against the tiles. I didn’t understand. Why in all the time Mila and I had been together, had her brothers or parents never explained what would happen if we went through with the marriage? I was sure Gideon could’ve talked to the pakhan, brokered some deal, anything. This could have been avoided, and I could have been in bed with Mila in my arms instead of her in the ground.
I shut the water off, wrapped a towel around my waist, and stepped out of the shower. The bathroom was thick with steam, my skin flushed red from the hot water. There was nothing but anger. A fleeting thought whispered through my brain, and I wondered if this numbness was how Penn always felt since he wasn’t able to feel pain or fear. I shook that thought away and wiped my hand across the mirror.
A man stared back at me, but I didn’t recognize him beyond the monster that lurked behind his eyes. A monster who wanted the pakhan to hurt, beg, and die. Gideon had promised I’d have my vengeance, so I needed to be patient. I really hoped I could be.
I dressed in borrowed clothes of Penn’s—maybe Gideon’s, I didn’t know or care. As much as I didn’t want to leave the bathroom and face anyone I knew, I couldn’t stay in here all day. I reluctantly opened the door and padded downstairs, where voices echoed through the open-planned first floor.
Gideon, Penn, and Danny were all in the living area, coffees in hand, talking. I’d slept on the couch the night before, but there was no evidence of it. I must’ve made a noise, because all three men turned toward me in perfect unison.
The silence was uncomfortable, but I wasn’t sure what to say. They knew what I’d done to Benito, Ivan, and Mikhail, and I was sure they were disgusted with me.
“Coffee?” Penn offered as he made his way to the kitchen, not letting me respond.
My gaze flickered to Gideon, who was regarding me with a sympathetic expression. I’d cried and come apart last night, something I’d never wanted my boss to see. Unable to meet his eyes any longer, I moved to Danny.
His blue eyes were unreadable as he stared back at me. His curly blond hair wasn’t styled like it usually was, and his clothes were rumpled. I gathered he’d stayed here last night as well. He rarely left me alone—always close, watching, and for what? To make sure I didn’t off myself or do irreparable damage outside of the crate?
“Here you are.” Penn handed me a mug. I took a sip. Perfect, just how I liked it.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
“How’d you sleep?” Gideon asked. I didn’t want to do this small talk.
“How long until the pakhan is in front of me?”
Gideon sighed. “Alex, I promised you he would be, but the timing has to be right. You don’t take out the head of the Bratva by waltzing into his home and shooting him. He’s well guarded. I also need to figure out what faction he’s a part of, which Toni is elbow-deep in finding out.” He took a step closer to me. “I need you to trust me.”
I did trust Gideon. He blamed himself for what happened, but it wasn’t his fault and I didn’t have the spoons to make him feel better about it.
“I want to be involved in everything.” I’d never made demands of Gideon, but this was different. My life had been over the moment Mila’s was, and the pakhan’s was now forfeit. Dead man walking, just needed to locate him.
“You will be.”
I sipped the coffee and nodded. “Great, what’s first?”
“Alex.” Danny rubbed the nape of his neck, something he did when he felt unsure about something.
“What?”
“Maybe…” He glanced at Gideon and Penn before his eyes were on me again. “You should allow yourself time.”
“For what?” I glared at my best friend.
“To grieve.”
I scoffed. “No. I don’t need time to grieve, Danny. And if you’re gonna continue to play therapist, you can fuck right off.”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “Yeah…fine.”
I looked at Gideon. “So, what’s first?”
“We wait for Toni to get back to me.”
Wait. Not something I wanted to do. “Aren’t there Bratva cells in Northchester?”
“Probably,” Gideon agreed.
“Maybe we start there.”
“You don’t even know the faction yet, Alex. You can’t go off half-cocked, killing anyone affiliated with Bratva,” Danny argued.
I put my mug down and spun on Danny, fisting his shirt. “I don’t need your help if that means you get in my way.”
“Alex.” Gideon’s tone was firm. “Release him.”
I did and turned to Gideon. “There’s more than one way to find shit out.”
“There is. And we’ll do it my way. Right now, we wait.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “I know this is hard, but you have to do this my way.”
I sneered and shook him off. “I’m going home.”
I wasn’t sitting here and twiddling my thumbs while Toni tinkered on his computer. If I had to wait, I’d be doing it away from them.
I stormed out of Gideon’s house, Danny’s footsteps behind me. “Fuck off, Danny.”
“No!”
I got to my car but stopped before opening it, facing him. “I want my space.”
“Well, you don’t fucking get it.”
I clenched my jaw. “Leave me alone.”
“No.”
I narrowed my eyes, opened my car door, and got in. I watched as he raced to his car, but I wasn’t waiting. I sped off the property, Danny disappearing in my rearview mirror.
Davidson King, always had a hope that someday her daydreams would become real-life stories. As a child, you would often find her in her own world, thinking up the most insane situations. It may have taken her awhile, but she made her dream come true with her first published work, Snow Falling.
She managed to wrangle herself a husband who matched her crazy and they hatched three wonderful children.
If you were to ask her what gave her the courage to finally publish, she’d tell you it was her amazing family and friends. Support is vital in all things and when you’re afraid of your dreams, it will be your cheering section that will lift you up.
EMAIL: davidsonkingauthor@yahoo.com
Be My Vengeance #3
