Chapter 29
Twenty-Nine
Marchello
Lissia was back where she belonged. One problem solved, ten more fires to put out. How had my life become so complicated?
I’m staring at the beautiful reason my world is in shambles.
I wanted to keep her with me, but I couldn’t do that if she couldn’t follow the rules. She wasn’t going to like her new life, so I would give her a choice. We had both set this path in motion, and now we had to face the consequences.
Once we got to the penthouse, I allowed myself a few minutes to make sure she was okay. I wanted more than anything to be normal with her, but we weren’t that couple. At least not until the threats could be eliminated. I didn’t see that happening anytime soon.
“Is this your penthouse?” She gazed around the two-story apartment with the killer view of the city. “It’s spectacular.”
Of course she would think so. It was worth millions.
“It’s mine and Milo’s,” I said. “Milo is going to stay at the main house while my father is gone to give us the time we need to figure this out.”
“Figure out what?”
“You’re hurt.” I held her chin so I could study her face. “He put his hands on you.”
The thought of her having to endure the last day filled me with rage. A rage that would only be sated when I took my revenge on Collins.
“It’s okay.” She looked at the floor. “That doesn’t hurt as much as my head.”
“What happened to your head?”
When Milo called with the status of Collins, I wished he could have told me they had found him in the woods, but that wasn’t the case. I wanted to take a crack at him for hurting Lissia. But I would have to wait a little longer for that opportunity.
“After Danny hit me, I fell and banged my head against the floor.” She rubbed the back of her head. “I was unconscious for most of the time I was with him.”
“So, he didn’t… I mean…” I couldn’t even bring myself to ask her. If Collins had forced himself on her, I would shoot her father between the eyes for putting her in that position. I would make his whole organization pay for her suffering, and I would take extreme pleasure in the bloodbath I would rain down on all of them.
“No.” She pressed her fingers to my lips. “You’re the only one, Marchello. Always.”
“I’m not asking because I’m being territorial.”
“I know.” She traced my lips with her delicate fingertips. “You were worried about me.”
I couldn’t allow her to make me drop my guard with her gentle voice and her tender touch. There was too much at stake. She had already gotten to me more than any rival ever had, and she was far more dangerous than my enemies because she had power over me.
“I’m going to have the doctor come up and look over you. I want to make sure you don’t have a concussion. He can clean up your feet too.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “You don’t have to do that. I’m just tired and want to take a shower.”
I led her to the sitting room that overlooked the skyline, trying to make her comfortable.
“You don’t have the luxury of telling me no.” I pointed to the sofa. “Sit.”
She stared at me, but I didn’t have time for her defiance. Why didn’t she know when to back off?
“Do not defy me.” I stepped toward her, forcing her to sit when my chest bumped her shoulder and knocked her off-balance.
She looked up at me when she dropped onto the cushion, but didn’t say anything.
“That’s better,” I said.
“You’re upset with me.”
“Do you think?” I held up my hand. “I don’t want to hear excuses. I don’t have the patience or the energy for them.”
“I’ve made mistakes.” She took a throw pillow from behind her and held it in her lap. “I shouldn’t have contacted my father. I should have trusted that you had everything under control. I know that now.”
“You could have gotten yourself killed,” I shouted. “Collins could have raped you.”
Saying it out loud brought back all the fear and anxiety I’d harbored since she went missing. Part of the reason I had taken so much brutality out on Ricardo was because, at the time, I had no idea who had her or where they had taken her. The men her father and I dealt with wouldn’t hesitate to make her suffer for our sins.
“I know,” she said.
“No, I don’t think you do know what kind of person he is. If you did, you wouldn’t have gotten yourself into that situation.”
“I thought my father would come for me. I didn’t know he would send Danny.”
“Now you know who your father is.”
She shook her head, almost as if she didn’t believe me. That would be a battle for another day.
“When you gave up my safe house location, you compromised my business,” I said. “You could have gotten Ricardo killed.”
“I’m sorry. Is he okay?” she asked.
“I guess that depends on what you mean by okay.”
Milo had insisted on taking Ricardo to the main house to let him recover from the beating I’d given him. Milo had a soft spot for our incompetent guard because his father was lost along with our mother. I used to tolerate Ricardo, but when he put Lissia in danger, my patience ended.
“This wasn’t his fault.” She held the pillow to her chest. “Did you hurt him?”
“I did.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because he failed me,” I said. “He defied me to help you, and in doing so, he put you in danger. He had to answer for that.”
“I never meant to cause you this much trouble.”
“You keep saying that.” I gazed out the window at the bustling city below us.
We may have been high up and away from any potential threats for now, but there was no way I could be so arrogant to think I could protect her from the bullets that were going to fly between our families.
“I don’t want to make things difficult for you,” she said.
“But then you do something that proves otherwise.”
“You keep saying you want to protect me. Can’t I do the same for you?”
“No!” I threw my hands in the air. “Why is this so difficult for you to understand?”
“Why can’t you understand how I feel about you?”
I didn’t have time for feelings. Those kinds of emotions could get me killed.
“This is your new home for the time being.” I motioned around the penthouse, trying to avoid the hurt on her face when I didn’t acknowledge what she tried to tell me. If she said words I wasn’t ready to hear, and I reacted in a way that would tear her heart out, she wouldn’t stay with me. I couldn’t afford for that to happen. “You have to stay here and do what I say if you expect me to keep you safe.”
“We’ve been here and done this.”
“No, it’s different this time.” I gazed into her eyes. “If you can’t do what I say, I’ll send you back to your father, this war will be over, and your fate will be sealed.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but one stern glare from me stopped her.
“You can take your chances with the arms dealer.” I pushed a strand of her hair away from her eyes with my finger. “I’m not playing these deadly games with you anymore.”
I didn’t want to make these threats, but I had a job to do, and I couldn’t go running after her every time she decided she needed to help me.
“So, what, I’m your prisoner again?”
“No, you’re free to leave.” I nodded across the room. “There’s the door.”
“And what? Get killed?” Her eyes widened. “You would let them do that to me?”
“I think we both know what they have planned for you is worse than death. I’ll protect you, Lissia, but staying comes at a cost.”
“What cost?”
“Your pride. As long as you stay here, you will obey me,” I replied.
“Or what?”
“I told you, I’ll send you back.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.” I glared at her. “I’m not in the mood.”
“You wouldn’t.” She spoke quieter this time, shaking her head. My threats were sinking in.
“You’re a loose cannon, and your wild, unpredictable actions could get us both killed. I will go to the ends of the earth to protect you, but not if you willingly throw us all in harm’s way because you refuse to listen.”
If she wanted to be reckless with herself, why should I put my family out there for her? Why should I sacrifice my father or risk Milo’s life?
She ran her fingers along her forehead, still clutching the pillow in her other hand.
“So yes, I would send you back, and you’d be doing it to yourself. You either agree to my terms or you’re gone.”
I didn’t wait for her to respond. I went to the bar in the corner of the room and poured her a glass of water from the pitcher sitting there. She stared down at the pillow, squeezing it against her chest.
I had to be harsh with her. She needed to understand how serious this situation was. The Argentina cartel was no joke. They had set up a meeting for us in a few days in Florida. Milo and I were expected to be there to negotiate with people we didn’t trust.
We had no idea what they were going to propose or what they would ask of us. We had to be ready.
“You need to take care of yourself.” I handed her the water. “Drink this.”
“Thank you.” She took the glass from me and gulped the contents.
“When you left, I didn’t know what to do.” I caressed her cheek. “I didn’t like feeling so vulnerable and not in control.”
She ran her tongue along her top lip, tempting me and calling to me with her sultry stare.
“No one has ever had the power to do that to me.” I dropped to my knees in front of her and rested my hands on her thighs. “I’ve never let anyone in like that. I can’t afford weaknesses.”
“I don’t want to be a weakness for you.”
“But you are, and my enemies know it.” I twisted my fingers in her hair, being careful not to tug and hurt her head more. “The next few weeks are going to be unpredictable and dangerous. I can’t hesitate or get distracted. I have to protect what’s mine.”
She slipped off the couch and joined me on the floor, placing her glass on the end table.
“I won’t cause you any more trouble,” she said.
“I don’t believe that.”
“I’ll rephrase.” She stroked my cheek. “I won’t cause you any more trouble when it comes to your business.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll obey you.” Her voice was soft and unsure, almost as if she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep such a promise.
“No, you won’t.” I took her hips in my hands. “Not willingly, not at first, but I’m willing to give you a chance if you at least try to learn to behave.”
She nodded.
“I’m not going to make this easy for you,” I said. “I was serious when I told you if you didn’t behave there would be consequences. You’ve proven it’s the only way I can keep you in line.”
“I want you to punish me.” She bit her lip. “I want to prove to you that I can be who you need.”
“It’s for your protection.” I brushed my lips along hers. “I can’t have you going rogue on me and getting yourself into trouble far worse than death.”
“What could be worse than death?” She swallowed hard. “Other than being taken from you.”
“Men like me and your father are brutal and ruthless, but we are nothing compared to what else is out there.”
I couldn’t speak for Gian, but I knew the shit Collins was mixed up in, and if he got his hands on Lissia again, it wouldn’t be to marry her this time. It wouldn’t even be to kill her. He would traffic her to the highest bidder. She had run out of chances when it came to him. He would need to save face and prove that no one rejected him.
“I’m sorry I left you,” she said. “I won’t do it again.”
“I’m going to make you sorry you left me.” I moved her hair to the side and cupped her face. “Not tonight though. You’ve been through enough. You need a chance to recuperate.”
I circled the bruise along her cheekbone, vowing to slit Collins’ throat for laying a hand on her.
“After the doctor gives you the all clear, I’ll draw you a bath and make you something to eat.” I gently kissed her lips. “You’ll get a good night’s sleep. I won’t leave your side.”
A lone tear slid down her cheek.
“What’s this?” I wiped the tear away with my thumb. “Where’s my fiery girl now?”
“Well, it’s not like I have any makeup on to ruin.” She smiled as more tears escaped her courageous eyes. “Sorry, I’m a little overwhelmed.”
“Never apologize for showing me who you are.” I kissed away the salty wetness. “I won’t pretend that things will be simple for us, but they will get better. I promise.”
I took her face between my hands and kissed her the way I wanted to when I first found her in the woods. Slow, possessive, and full of desire.
“I trust you.”
“Good.” I got up off the floor and extended my hand to her. “That’s the only way you and I can work.”
I helped her up and then scooped her into my arms, holding her close and kissing the top of her head.
“What are you doing?”
“You said your feet were sore.” I glanced down at her cut and dirty feet, shaking my head. “It’s going to be a while before you can get a pedicure.”
“Don’t say that.”
As I carried her up the steps, she rested her head against my chest. She was with me, and that was all that mattered.
I had retrieved my hostage, but in doing so, I accepted that the war had only just begun.