CHAPTER 3 – Marcus
I pour myself two fingers of whiskey, watching the amber liquid catch the light as I swirl it in the crystal tumbler. The study's leather and mahogany surroundings offer a comforting familiarity after the... unexpected developments upstairs.
Leona Varela. All fire and defiance wrapped in a delicate frame that belies her strength.
When she launched herself at me, there was no hesitation in her eyes—just pure, undiluted fury.
Most people who know my reputation wouldn't dare to breathe too loudly in my presence, let alone attempt to attack me.
Her foolishness should irritate me. Instead, I find myself replaying the moment—the flash in her eyes, the precision of her first strike, the heat of her body against mine when I restrained her.
I take a slow sip of whiskey, letting it burn down my throat.
"Problems?" Gabriel asks, entering the study without knocking.
"Observations," I correct, setting down my glass. "Our guest is proving... interesting."
Gabriel raises an eyebrow. "The Varela woman? Causing trouble already?"
"Nothing I can't handle."
"Of course not." His tone is carefully neutral, but I catch the subtle judgment. Gabriel doesn't understand why I brought her here rather than to one of our secure holdings. He doesn't need to understand. He only needs to follow orders.
"What's the status on the Delgado surveillance?" I ask, changing the subject.
"Their main forces are still in the warehouse district. They've doubled security at all known locations." Gabriel hands me a folder. "We've intercepted communications suggesting they're planning to move something significant tomorrow night. Details are still unclear."
I scan the documents, absorbing the intelligence reports. "And the bounty?"
"Growing. Up to six million now. They're desperate to find her."
A curious development. The Delgados aren't known for their generosity. Six million for one woman suggests she's worth far more to them than simple leverage against Cody.
"Have we located her brother yet?"
Gabriel shakes his head. "Nothing confirmed. Last intelligence had him somewhere in South America, but the trail goes cold after Brazil."
"Keep looking. If the Delgados are this interested in his sister, he's likely to surface soon."
After Gabriel leaves, a memory surfaces—Leona at sixteen, standing in Cody's shadow at some family gathering I'd attended for business purposes.
Even then, she had that same defiant tilt to her chin, that same refusal to be intimidated.
She'd grown into that promise, becoming a woman who carved out her own path far from her family's criminal empire.
Only to be dragged back in by circumstances beyond her control.
I understand her position more than she realizes. The suffocating weight of a world you didn't choose, the constant vigilance required to survive in it. The difference between us is that I embraced that world, mastered it, while she ran from it.
Now she has nowhere left to run.
I finish my whiskey and head back upstairs. It's time to establish the parameters of our arrangement.
When I unlock her door, Leona is standing by the window, silhouetted against the city lights. She's changed into jeans and a simple blouse from the wardrobe I had prepared.
She doesn't turn when I enter, though the slight stiffening of her shoulders tells me she's aware of my presence.
"I've reconsidered my position," she says, still facing the window. "I'll accept your protection, but with conditions."
I can't help the smile that tugs at my lips. "That's not how this works."
Now she turns, arms crossed over her chest. "Everything is negotiable."
"Not this." I step further into the room, noting how she holds her ground despite the wariness in her eyes. "You're not in a position to make demands, Leona."
"Then what am I in a position to do?" Her voice is steady, but I catch the underlying tension. "Sit here like a decorative pet while you and the Delgados fight over me?"
"You're in a position to survive." I move to the armchair in the corner, taking a seat and gesturing for her to do the same. "Whether that survival is comfortable or not depends entirely on your cooperation."
She remains standing, a small act of rebellion. "What exactly does my 'cooperation' entail?"
"Simple things. You stay here, in my protection. You don't attempt to leave. You don't contact anyone without my approval." I watch her face as I lay out the terms. "In return, you live in comfort, with everything you need provided for."
"Prison with better furnishings is still a prison."
"Prison is what you make of it." I lean forward. "This arrangement doesn't have to be adversarial, Leona. I have no interest in making you miserable."
She laughs, a sharp, bitter sound. "Just in controlling my every move."
"In keeping you alive," I correct. "The methods are secondary to the outcome."
Leona finally moves away from the window, pacing the length of the room. The energy coming off her is almost palpable—a caged wildcat looking for weakness in the bars.
"And how long does this arrangement last?" she asks, voice tightly controlled.
"Until the threat is neutralized."
"Meaning what? Until the Delgados forgive and forget? Until my brother magically reappears?"
"Until I decide it's safe." I stand, reclaiming the height advantage she's been using to maintain her illusion of control. "Or until the Delgados are no longer in a position to threaten anyone."
"You're planning to eliminate them."
"Eventually." I shrug. "They made the first move. I'm simply responding accordingly."
"With a war that will get people killed."
"People are already being killed, Leona. That's the reality of this world."
She stops pacing, turning to face me fully. "A world I left behind. A world I want nothing to do with."
"Yet here you are." I step closer. "You can pretend all you want that you're separate from this life, but blood is blood. Cody's choices, my choices—they shaped your path whether you acknowledge it or not."
Her jaw tightens. "I make my own choices."
"Do you?" I lift a hand, brushing a strand of hair from her face, noting how she tenses but doesn't pull away. "Then choose. Accept my protection on my terms, or take your chances with the Delgados. I won't force you to stay."
It's a calculated risk. I have no intention of actually letting her leave, but the illusion of choice is a powerful motivator.
"You'd just let me walk out the door?" Skepticism colors her voice.
"I'd have someone drive you wherever you want to go." I let my hand drop. "But I wouldn't recommend it."
She searches my face, looking for the lie, the trap. "Why are you doing this? Really? It can't just be about Cody or power games with the Delgados."
An interesting question. One I've asked myself more than once since seeing her in that video. The standard answers—strategic advantage, territorial control—seem hollow when I look at her.
"Perhaps I'm curious," I admit. "About what made Cody's little sister run so far from her family, only to build a life analyzing the very violence she tried to escape."
"Curiosity seems like a weak motivation for someone like you," she counters.
"And what am I like, exactly?" I step closer still, testing her boundaries, watching for the minute tells in her expression.
She doesn't retreat. "Calculating. Cold. The kind of man who measures everything in terms of leverage and control." She turns away. "I need to think," she says finally, her back to me.
"Take all the time you need. My offer stands." I move toward the door, pausing with my hand on the handle. "But Leona?"
She glances over her shoulder.
"Don't mistake my patience for weakness. There are limits to how far you can push before I push back."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a reality check." I open the door. "Dinner will be brought up in an hour. I suggest you eat. Tomorrow will be... instructive."
I lock the door behind me, pausing in the hallway.
The lingering scent of her—something clean and floral despite her captivity—clouds my thoughts more than it should.
I roll my shoulders, working the tension from my muscles.
No woman has gotten under my skin like this in years. Especially not one I've barely touched.