Chapter 8
Iwasn’t the type of man to be scared. Fear didn’t serve me in the shadows. But looking up from an argument with Dominic to find the only person I cared about gone, while she was being hunted, terrified me. Knowing Mari had been shot at while I was too busy arguing with an asshole made it worse.
So why was my first step to throw him the keys?
“Have you always been this miserable, or is it new?” Dominic glanced over for the fourth time in a city block. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to get a read on me or if his only goal was to irritate me, so I ignored him. Men like Dominic thrived on attention, and I didn’t have any to spare. All I cared about was the steady red dot we were following. Thank god for trackers.
We’ll need to get Dominic one soon, I thought. Especially if they start dating.
The idea soured my stomach even more, but I had to push it away. Mari was my best friend, and that was what she needed me to be. If she wanted a possessive boyfriend, I had no doubt Dominic was up to the task. It was how it had to be. It was what Antoni had wanted.
“She’s fine, man.”
I didn’t bother to correct him. Dominic had no clue what Mari was or wasn’t. He’d been fucking his way through the Chicago skyline while she’d been here, buried under the weight of family obligations. She’d rebuilt her empire on the ashes of her father’s and buried the bodies of the old guard with it. Bodies that included her beloved brother and now her favorite cousin. The ones who’d survived were either highly protected or the human equivalent of a cockroach.
And through it all, I’d been at her side.
Her confidant, her protector. Her partner in everything but sex. I kept her truths and held her heart so no one could destroy it. My blood was soaked into the ground at her feet, my name carved into the stone. I was the foundation that kept her steady. Dominic was ignorant to all of it, but he’d learn soon enough.
I ignored the part of me that whispered, Someday, he might.
Glancing at the dash told me we had at least twenty minutes until we found Mari. Time to use them wisely. “You could have come back at any time in the last ten years, but you didn’t. Why now?”
“It was time.” There was no squirming or wincing. Only the tightness of his shoulders told me he was uncomfortable. He was decent at hiding his feelings, but he’d need to get better.
My fingers tapped the armrest. “A decade is a long time, Dominic. Did you think that she’d still be here waiting for you to save her? The na?ve girl you left died a long time ago.”
His humorless laugh filled the car. “Trust me, I know it.”
Suddenly, it made sense why he’d taken so long to come back.
“You’re a chickenshit.” His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t turn to me. He didn’t need to. I’d already seen the guilt he was all but drowning in. “You kept tabs on her while you were gone, hoping you’d be back in time to stake your claim. You didn’t expect her to take over, and when she did, you couldn’t handle her becoming a monster. So you kept away. Did insulating yourself from the truth help, or did the denial make reality more painful?”
Silence was his only answer, and damn, it was loud.
I couldn’t help myself. He’d been poking at me since he’d arrived, and now it was my turn to repay the favor. I leaned back, smirking. “Now that you’re back, what’s the plan? You going to swoop in like the gallant knight you think you are, or are you going to make her fall for you and hope you can stomach what she is?”
I could hear his teeth grinding, and a sick part of me was satisfied to know I could get to him just as easily as he got to me. He’d been an enemy for so long, I wasn’t sure how to put down the weapons, especially considering the prize we both coveted.
“I know who she is, Grey. I always have. She’s still the same girl I left behind.”
That time, I laughed. “No, she isn’t. Don’t let her fool you, Dominic. Mari’s had to be both God and the devil since she took over for Antoni. Even if she hides it, she’s had to learn to be ruthless. Don’t forget that.”
“You ever think that maybe she needs someone to remind her who she was? It didn’t have to end like this, Grey. She could’ve been anything.” I heard heartache in his voice, and I felt it echo in my chest. How long had I wished for a different life for her? One where she could choose her own path, her own partner. One where she could exist and enjoy whatever she wanted. I’d put those dreams away when Antoni died, packed them up and buried them with him. Knowing that Dominic still had them dug at me, and I couldn’t find it in me to poke at him.
“No, she couldn’t.” His eyes were burning with rage when they met mine, but I’d been in his shoes. I’d had to face the truth a long time ago. If he was going to stay, he had to do the same. “I know you wanted more for her, I did too, but if you can’t see that this was always where she was going to end up, you’re being intentionally obtuse. She was never meant to be a trophy wife—she was meant to rule. She’s good at it.”
“She’s tired.”
I huffed. “Of course she is. After everything she’s been through, I’d be tired too, but she’s done good in the city, Dominic. Seattle’s thriving, and she’s not going to let it go without a fight. Ruling is what she’s built for, and it’s what she wants.”
He shook his head, but it was more to himself than at me. Like he was sorting through his thoughts. “Is it what she needs, though?”
Part of me wanted to say yes, but the truth was, I didn’t know. I doubted even Mari did.
Dominic nodded like I’d answered. “She needs someone to remind her that she gets to be a woman and a ruler. She gets to have joy and power. Love and strength. This doesn’t have to be an either/or situation, Grey.”
It bothered me that he was right. I’d been so focused on getting him out of our lives that I didn’t consider what he brought to Mari’s. Thinking back, I could see it. The small changes since he’d come home. She smiled easier, slept easier too, though my habitual need to watch over her was something I kept to myself. She had a lightness that hadn’t been present in a long time. Not since Antoni died.
It killed me that I wasn’t the one who brought it out in her.
Silence swarmed the car until we stopped at a red.
“You’re miserable without her.”
My whole body tensed. “I have her.”
“You don’t. Not the way you both need.”
Right again, but what other option was there? Mari needed me at her back, not at her side. And Antoni…how could you break a promise to a dead man?
“Are you playing matchmaker now? I thought you were going all in.”
Dominic lifted a shoulder. “All I want is to take care of her. If you’re something that she needs, why would I stand in the way of that?”
I shook my head. “We can’t.”
“Why not? There’s nothing publicly binding her to anyone else, and you’re single. Why not be together while you can?”
I’d rather get my teeth pulled without anesthetic than admit anything to Dominic normally, but we had common ground between us now and I didn’t have it in me to be spiteful. “Despite the fact that she’ll have to move on to someone else eventually, I made a promise.”
In all the years since Antoni had died, I’d never uttered a single word about our agreement. His plea, really.
“She needs a safety net, Grey, and I’m not going to be around forever. Let’s be honest, I’ll be lucky to last the year. Be that for her, protect her.” He looked at me with something just short of anguish on his face. “I know you love her, but this is more than that. I need to know you’ll push her to do whatever it takes to stay alive, even if it means aligning herself with someone with the means to protect her better. Even if it means breaking her heart. Promise me.”
I hadn’t hesitated. Antoni had been my brother in all but blood, but Mari had my heart. I had no problem doing whatever it took to keep her breathing. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for the girl who’d owned my soul since we were born.
Even watch her with someone else.
Dominic didn’t ask who I promised. He knew. “When?”
“Before he died.” Antoni had been right; he hadn’t made it a year. He hadn’t even made it two months. I always wondered if he’d had a sixth sense about it, a feeling that the end was near. I almost didn’t want to know. Confirming that my best friend had lived out his final days aware that they were numbered was almost too painful to stomach.
“And you’re dead set on honoring that promise, even if it’s not the best thing for Mari?”
“The best thing for Mari is to survive. That’s all I care about.”
Dominic’s long, slow exhale was full of disbelief. “Then she deserves better than you.”
Wasn’t that the truth.
We fell into silence again, and this time, I didn’t break it. I was so focused on the red dot that I barely noticed he’d stopped the car. A quick glance up showed me Mari, whole and alive, and my chest compressed with a relieved breath I felt in my soul.
“I needed time to come to terms with my part in this, but I was always coming back for her,” Dominic said quietly. “We both know that, eventually, she’ll let me back into her heart and her bed. I could have her to myself if I wanted, but I’m trying to do what’s best for Mari. So, I’m hoping that you’ll realize the living are more important than whispers you’ve given to the dead. She needs you as more than her friend. Don’t deny her that.”
We opened our doors at the same time, and my mind whirled as I stepped out. Was I hurting Mari by staying away? Was I damaging us further by putting Antoni’s wishes above hers? I loved him, but he was dead. Gone. Mari was still here.
* * *
By the time I assessed the area, Dominic had Mari wrapped in a hug. “Mariposa, looks like you had a busy drive.”
If you counted a dozen dead bodies as busywork, sure.
Mari rolled her eyes, and that lightness I’d noticed crept into them. Despite how much he irritated me, Dominic was good for Mari. I had to admit that.
While Mari filled us in on the ambush, I crouched next to the closest body. I wanted to hold her, to pull her into me and know that she was safe. Here. Alive. But we’d barely spoken in days, and for once, that didn’t feel right. So, I kept my distance even as I ached to get closer. Peeling back the dead man’s shirt, I found the Ace and swore under my breath.
“This is definitely a complication.”
“Why was she alone?”
I twisted to find a man leaning against Mari’s car. The Good Samaritan. I ran my gaze over him, cataloguing as I went. He had strength in his arms and legs, muscle he tried to hide. He had those good ol’ boylooks that ladies flocked to, and he was quiet. Too quiet. It felt like he was trying very hard to be unassuming. Something about him sent my instincts into overdrive, and I vowed to look into him more when I could.
I pulled out my phone, texting the incoming crew with specific instructions for cleanup.
The man huffed. “Why was she alone? Doesn’t she have guards or something?”
He knows who she is. My eyes narrowed, and I stood. We were the same height, but despite that muscle he was packing, I was ready to snap his neck if he even thought too hard at Mari. “I don’t answer to you.”
“Greyson,” Mari snapped. “Nate helped me. Don’t be an asshole.”
“He helped you out of what looks like an ambush.” I peered over at her. Dominic’s arm was tight around her waist, but it was less embrace, more restraint. “Forgive me if I’m not feeling very na?ve.”
It was the wrong thing to say. Dominic’s arrival had fractured us—my fault—and instead of talking things through, I’d let them fester. I could practically see the chasm growing with every misstep I made.
“I’m not going to tell you again. Watch yourself,Greyson.”
The woman staring me down wasn’t my best friend; she was my queen, and for once, I didn’t want to back down.
But I did. I always did. Because I was her rock. I couldn’t wobble when she needed me most.
I pulled back the suspicion, the intuition shouting at me that something wasn’t right. My humanity. I put everything away. “My apologies, reina. I overstepped.”
Mari’s shoulders drooped, like the weight of the world fell on them. I could see how much our bickering cost her, but I didn’t know how to fix it yet. I needed time to think it through. “Greyson?—”
The cleanup crew arrived, and the sounds of them setting up broke our standoff.
“We should go home.” Desires warred in me until I finally gave in and stepped close, pressing a kiss to Mari’s forehead. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
She sighed, and I saw a little of that weight disappear again. “Is there room in the car for another? We’re bringing Nate home with us.”
“Like fuck we are,” Dominic snapped. The crossed arms and fierce expression told me a battle was on the horizon.
“Excuse me?” Mari’s eyebrow rose.
“We’re not taking in strays right now, Mari. It’s not safe.”
“You’ve been back in town for all of two seconds, Dominic. Don’t act like you have any power. Nate’s coming.”
“I’m your right hand. By default, I do have power, and I’m using it now. He’s not coming.”
Mari stepped up close and ran a hand across his chest. It would have irritated me if I didn’t know exactly what she was doing. “In this case, you don’t get a say. I owe Nate my life, and I’m not taking that debt lightly.”
Alarm shot through me so deep, I felt it in my bones. A life debt was a big deal. Wars had been started and settled on life debts, even in our world. It was also a massive vulnerability at a time when we couldn’t afford one.
This situation was quickly moving from bad to catastrophic.
“What the fuck are we going to do with a civilian?” Dominic asked.
Mari took a deep, aggravated breath. “It wasn’t that long ago that you were a civilian yourself, Dominic. Don’t be an asshole. We can figure things out at home, but Nate stays, end of discussion.”
Then she was gone.
“Guess we have a new houseguest.”
I hummed under my breath and pulled out my phone to send instructions to Tennessee and Moore to start a background check. “I’ve got it covered.”
Dominic nodded and clapped my shoulder, pulling us both along behind our queen.
Nate had stepped back toward his car, watching with wary eyes as Mari moved closer. Everything about her was softer than I’d seen it in ages, and it reminded me of talking to Dominic earlier. Maybe she needed to be soft sometimes, to be vulnerable. Just not with a fucking stranger.
“Come with us,” she said. “We’ll get you home.”
“No thanks.”
Her expression was almost enough to make me laugh. Dominic did, though he kept it quiet. “What?”
Nate shrugged, opening his car door and sliding into the driver’s seat. “I’m good. Just glad you’re okay.”
She grabbed the door, holding it open when Nate tried to shut it. “It’s not a suggestion.”
“I’m aware. I’m also aware that I need to keep my mouth shut about anything I witnessed. Don’t worry, I’m not going to rat you out.”
“That’s yet to be determined,” I mumbled.
Instead of getting offended, he shrugged. “Fair enough. I’ll have to prove it to you. I have no beef with you and no desire to get into whatever the fuck this all was. I’ll keep it to myself.”
He held her gaze and stared her down like she wasn’t the baddest thing he’d encountered. I didn’t like that one bit, but Mari nodded and released the door. Before we could do much else, he yanked it shut and peeled out, leaving two black marks on the road and the lingering smell of burned rubber behind.
“What the fuck was that?” Mari whispered.
I don’t know.
Dominic shoved a hand through his hair before nudging Mari with his shoulder. “Come on, mariposa. We’ll give you a ride home.”
While he set off for the SUV, Mari stayed rooted in place until Nate’s car disappeared in the distance. Like she had to watch him until the very last second. Finally, she tore her gaze away and turned to me. “Can we find him?”
I didn’t know, but I could already smell the hint of obsession in the air. Whoever Nate was, he’d caught her attention, and Mari wasn’t going to let him go without a fight.