Chapter 16 – Serena
After the ride share left, I wandered back outside the terminal. Leaning against the wall, I let out a long breath. Markos wouldn’t be far behind. I had minutes if I wanted to slip away.
But...I couldn’t bring myself to move in the direction of the ticket counter.
I looked over the bustling metropolis. The hot sunlight fell over me, giving me a sense of peace.
I liked Florida, and I didn’t mind my situation.
The longer the heat sizzled my skin, the more the guilt of deceiving Alexios faded.
It was just a job. There were far worse things done in the mob than spin a lie.
Still, my gaze roved about, seeking a sign of retribution. I didn’t find one. Instead, there was a sign above my head decorating the side of the bus stop. A red pirate flag with a skull and crossbones, and underneath was written #GoBucs.
Tampa, the city of pirates.
And there was mine, slamming on the brakes and launching from the white van.
“Took you long enough,” I called out in greeting, trying to keep my voice light and my words easy, though the truth was anything but. The way Markos nearly leapt from the van told me enough, and it sent a strange excitement through me.
He came for me. There was a silver lining to his anger: It meant he cared.
Surprise flashed over his terrible countenance. Madonna! He was pissed.
“Did it work?” I asked, fidgeting with my uniform.
Markos grabbed me, pulling me down the sidewalk with a bruising grip until we were concealed by an alley. I tripped to keep up with his long strides. His breaths were rough and ragged, stopping just short of a snarl.
No words came out.
“What the hell crawled up your ass?” I spat, attempting to twist away from him. “I’m not escaping, if that’s what you think.”
He pushed me against the wall. His chest heaved.
“I did exactly what you said, boss. I planted the bug,” I snapped. “I played the part beautifully, and I did it right under his nose. Why are you so angry?”
“Because—” Markos released me and swiped his hand through his hair in a violent, desperate gesture of frustration.
A sane person would have retreated from the enraged beast. I stepped into him, feeling the electric thrill of pushing him, seeing just how far I could go.
“The Skorpios scum had his hands all over you,” Markos finally admitted. His eyes blazed bright and dangerous, filled with a fury that was chaotic and exhilarating.
I was right in front of him, so close I could feel the heat pouring off him, but I didn’t touch. “And that bothers you, why?”
Let me hear you say it. I took a staggered breath.
The scent of sandalwood and sea filled me.
Another deep breath grounded me. I was tempting fate.
What if he didn’t feel this thing between us?
What if it was all in my head? As it had been twice before.
I was sure there was something this time.
The need to prove that I wasn’t the silly girl with crushes drove me to pursue this, even though the sinister, jaded part warned me that Markos wasn’t a beast capable of feeling.
But the look on his face.... Let me hear you admit it. Let me hear the words I’ve been waiting for.
Markos clenched his jaw tight. I saw the battle in his eyes, the stubborn ass. He wasn’t going to say it.
“Why, Markos? Why does it bother you?” I knew the answer, but I wanted to force it from him. “It was part of the job. I handled it well, after all.” I held his terrible gaze, daring him, taunting him, not about to let him off the hook.
“Because you’re mine, Serena.” His mouth crashed against mine a moment later. It was an explosion of release, of madness, of claiming. It was everything I’d wanted and more—it was admission and possession, and it sent a thrill through me that was terrifying in its intensity.
My mind spun with the dizzying realization: I was right.
I’d been right all along. Beneath the fear and anger, beneath the deception and danger, it was there, and now there was no denying it.
I was his—if only for a maddening, tumultuous moment.
A wild, reckless happiness surged through me, and I kissed him back hard, hoping the timing wasn’t too good to be true.
Markos broke away with a curse. “No, no!”
He slapped the wall.
The sound reverberated through my soul. A raw pain formed where my heart split. I wasn’t enough.
Drawing in a stilted inhale, I gave him a nod. “It’s over, Markos. Don’t worry about it.”
I stepped around him. The sidewalk blurred as I made my way back to where the van loitered in a no parking zone. I would not cry. The pirate wasn’t worth my tears. I was a stupid girl, capable of summer romances, castles in the sky, and crushes. Nothing more.
Dreams didn’t come true.
I was doomed to forever be the lonely princess, stuck in the castle tower.
As I ripped the door handle open, I glanced back at the bus station. The truth was glaringly obvious. I needed to leave. Staying here would only break my heart.
“Well, that was entertaining,” the unnamed man in the back of the van observed with an amused laugh.
I gasped, clutching at my chest. “Merda! You scared me.”
The sound of the other man's voice jolted me so much that I dropped into the seat with a thud. I hadn’t expected someone else to be in the van, and his sudden comment was like a splash of cold water.
He chuckled again. “Sorry, sweetheart.”
Markos tore open the driver’s side door with a fury that matched my own emotions. His anger was molten and terrifying, simmering with an intensity that turned to rage on his scarred face. It was enough to silence any further laughter.
Ignoring the men, I turned toward the window, trying to work through my disillusionment and considering my options.
How did I leave? Should I just disappear?
Did I have the strength to slip away from them, or was my resolve as useless as my heart was?
My body sagged against the door as the realization of what that kiss meant suffocated me.
“The money,” Markos finally grumbled after a long, uncomfortable silence, his voice low and gravelly and filled with accusation. He didn’t look at me, but I felt the pressure of his demand.
I moved a protective hand over my pocket, defiant. “I earned it, and I’m giving it to Evangelia. It’s the least I can do since we pillaged her closet.”
The words came out more bitter than I intended. I hadn’t realized until that moment that it mattered to me. It shouldn’t have. I should have hardened myself to it.
Markos’s mouth twitched, and I could almost hear the internal argument raging.
He wanted to fight me on this, to have one more chance to exert control.
But beneath that, I sensed a reluctance that came from a place he wouldn’t dare admit existed.
He dropped it. Instead, he put his hands on the wheel and clenched it with knuckles so white they looked like they’d shatter.
The unnamed man in the back shifted uncomfortably, keeping silent while Markos’s stormy emotions filled the van.
I swallowed hard. I wouldn’t give Markos the satisfaction of knowing how much his silence crushed me.
Was this really goodbye? Could I do this?
Was it truly over, and if it was, could I live without knowing where this thing could go?
This was the first time in my life I felt something.
And as we drove, the option to stay faded away.
But the alternative was far worse. If I stayed, if Markos kept this distance, it might break me.