Chapter 45
chapter forty five
i was your father figure
There had been many times in my life when I thought fear might kill me.
Not the kind of fear that makes you flinch, but real fear. The kind that slips in quietly, coils around your ribs, and squeezes until you’re convinced you won’t survive it.
The first time, I was a kid, standing over the shattered pieces of my mum’s Virgin Mary figurine.
I wasn’t afraid of the broken porcelain; I was afraid of the silence that would follow once she saw it.
The stillness before the storm. I remember thinking it’d be easier if I just disappeared before she realised it was me.
Years later, it was Lana. Watching, frozen, some asshole’s hands all over her, while I stood useless on the other side of the room. That same cold thing crawled up my spine, sank its claws into my stomach, whispering that I wasn’t enough to stop it. That I never would be.
And now.
Now, as I stood there watching a man pull a gun on my brother, watched him fire, my eyes caught on Cora.
Her hands were cuffed, her body trembling, her breath too fast. That thing in my chest came back, sharper than it had ever been.
Not just fear. Something worse. A knowing.
The kind that told me, this time, you’re too late.
For one heartbeat, I believed it. Let it sink in.
Then I remembered. Fear only won if you stood still and let it.
Not this time.
As I stepped out from the shadows, I held on to nothing but the look in Cora’s eyes.
I’d seen flickers of that look before: when I held her in my arms the night we first kissed, when I stole her away from those events, when I found her at the top of my stairs crying her heart out.
But this look was different. I couldn’t find her in there.
Whatever had happened in the time between losing her and finding her had torn at her, like claws through a tapestry.
“Marcus,” she whispered as I got close enough to hover over her.
My hands moved to cup her face but slid off instantly because of her tears.
Chipped another piece of my heart off as they did.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered, dragging my thumbs underneath her eyes, wiping away the black streaks.
“Looky what we have here. You took your time didn't ya?”
The short man standing behind Cora spat the words, melting every happy feeling of seeing her alive. Anger solidified in its place. I stepped around her, guarding her body with mine, planting my feet.
I looked over him, trying to place him, and it all came back.
I was outside the bakery. Waiting for Cora. He walked in after closing. I caught him on the way out.
Then the texts started, and I forgot all about him.
He stepped forward, and I acted without thinking, pulling my gun from my holster and stretching it in front of me.
His hands shot up, his gun still lazily dangling from his thumb. “Alright, mate. Chill out.” His hands lowered. “I haven’t even introduced myself yet.”
“You.” I sighed, lowering my gun slightly. “Who the hell are you?”
His smirk peaked. “Arthur Holland.” That smug look returned to his face, but now there was an edge I didn’t like. “Or, if we want to skip the formalities, why don’t you think of me as the new CEO of Romano Security?”
My smile was humourless, stretching wide as I shook my head. “And what makes you so confident of that?”
He shrugged, casually. “The fact that in about three minutes I will be.” His head bobbled.
“You see, watching someone for as long as I’ve watched you, Marcus, you learn things.
Little things. And one of the things I’ve learned is that you’ll do anything to save the ones you love.
” His eyes narrowed. “Ain’t that right?”
I didn’t move. Didn’t so much as blink.
Arthur paced, the gun he’d used to shoot Oscar swinging by his side.
“Well, I know it is. Which is why I know you’re gonna do anything to protect my daughter.” His eyes narrowed. “Including handing over Romano to me.”
Every sound in the world muffled in my ears.
Suddenly, everything clicked.
“You…” I shook my head. “This whole time it’s been you?”
He shrugged, pointing his gun at Oscar without even looking.
“Well, with a little help from brother-of-the-year over there, but yes, I’ll take the credit.”
I couldn’t breathe. My mind was still playing catch up that Oscar—Oscar—was at the centre of all this. He'd been by my side as we tried to find the snake slipping through the woodwork of the company. And all this time… he knew.
Arthur traced the question embedding in the cracks in my face, rolling his eyes like the explanation was the part of this he wanted to skip.
"Whatever you're thinking, it's true. All of it. The clients, the files, sending you to London while I was in your computers stealing everything I needed to know to make this moment worth it.” He licked away a smile. "It was me."
I shook my head. “I don’t even know you.”
“No, but I know you.” He paced. “You built the company out of nothing but the guilt of not being able to save your precious sister. And now it’s grown into a security giant that stole everything I gave up to be the best.”
During the last part of his sentence, his eyes glided over my shoulder. Landing on Cora. It was the look you pulled out when staring at something you thought you'd never see again. It was all longing and nostalgia. But it made no sense. How did he know Cora?
I turned my head to face her, finding her eyes on him. The nearly onyx things were narrowed in anger, and I knew it was anger because she'd looked at me like that once before. My head hshifted back to Arthur, then Cora, until the constalation in my head connected by earth shattering asteroids.
My eyes sank into Cora's. "Do you know him?"
Slowly, her eyes found me, and almost like she didn't want to, she nodded. "He's my father."
My stare bouced between those teary eyes, then slowly, they shfited to Arthur, who I didn't even have to question. That knowing look was written all over his wrinkled face.
Then, his arms shot out. “I left my daughters to chase this dream, and you swoop in with your martyr’s drive and make everything I did look pointless.”
“Maybe it was,” I shrugged, gun still firmly pointed. “Maybe you just weren’t good enough. Did you consider that?”
He peered around me, staring at Cora, and I watched his eyes soften into something sad. “I missed her life because I wanted this. And you… you made that worthless.”
I shook my head, sweat-drenched hair plastered to my forehead. “I hate to break it to you, but that wasn’t my fault. Leaving those girls, leaving their mother—that was you. Not me. And I’m sorry you think otherwise. Sorry you’re too blinded by your own pride to see it.”
His bloodshot eyes narrowed, swinging his hands like I was speaking Spanish. “No, no, this… This started with you.” He stopped pacing, features hardening. “And it’s going to end, with you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what you think—”
“About thirty minutes ago, your brother spiked Cora’s drink with something that, in the next ten minutes, will kill her.” My stomach dropped. “I have the neutraliser in my pocket, and all you need to do to get it,” he pulled out papers from inside his suit jacket, “is sign these.”
As the white sheets broke through the darkness, I felt my heart clench. My head whipped around to find Cora, tears filling her eyes as mine were. Her head shook, and I felt that familiar, chilling dread.
These claws dug into me like before. Only this time, there was no doubt they’d kill me.
My eyes flicked back to Arthur, time moving in slow motion.
His smile was psychotic. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a pen.” He clicked it, nodding at me. “Off you pop.”
He wandered, and all I could think about was Cora.
I spun to her, untying the ropes around her back. Her hands sprang free as she sobbed, the rope cutting her skin raw. I held her face and let her cry into my palms.
“Marcus,” she sobbed, shaking her head. “You can’t… please, don’t throw it away.”
I shook my head, despair pouring out. “You’re insane if you think my company is more important than you.” I ran my hands through her hair, cradling her head. “Nothing—not one thing—is more important to me than you.”
She sniffed, sobs racking her body. “You don’t mean that.” Her head dipped. “Don’t lie to protect me.”
“I never really needed to protect you.” I smiled, tears sliding over my lips. “You did a hell of a job of protecting yourself.” Her smile was small but enough. “And believe me, I’m not lying.”
She sighed. “Marcus—”
Without thinking, I crashed my mouth to hers, kissing her tears, kissing her hard enough that she knew she was the only thing worth saving tonight. I kissed her again before pulling back, the wind nearly sweeping us away.
“It’s you, Cora.” I shook my head. “It’s always been you.”
Her eyes softened. Her head tilted. “But you love this company.”
I shook my head. “Not as much as I love you.”
Relief flooded her eyes. I’d been an idiot to wait this long to let her feel that. I’d been an idiot not screaming that I loved her from the rooftops. But now that I had, I never wanted to stop.
Her eyes batted. “You love me?”
“I’d be insane not to.” My hand slipped to her jaw. “I’ve loved you for a long time, and I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner.”
She shook her head. “It’s okay—”
“No.” My hands clasped hers like she’d disappear if I didn’t. “It’s not. I let you think I didn’t care, and I’m so sorry. I promise, if you’ll let me, I’ll never let you feel like that again.”
For a heartbeat, she looked at me, memorising my face. Then, with a soft, trembling breath, she nodded. No words. Just that tiny, devastating nod—handing me the part of her heart she’d kept barricaded for years.
With tears in my eyes, I whispered, “It’s you.”
She blinked, tears rolling down her cheeks. But this time, her eyes weren’t sad.
I pressed my mouth to her forehead, wishing the world would stop spinning, and slowly turned to face Arthur.