Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Marco
Iwake up in a hospital room. I know it well. After I was shot multiple times by Will, I spent months in different hospital rooms, recovering, but they’re all the same. Same smell. Same look.
I jerk upright to discover Patrick sitting across from me. “What happened?” I immediately ask.
He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “It seems you were poisoned. It was enough to make you pass out but I called for an ambulance and they saved you in time.”
“I was poisoned… at your party. I remember drinking the champagne you provided and then… here I am.”
“It wasn’t me, Marco. I want this deal to happen. I assure you. I wouldn’t have offered you my daughter’s hand if I didn’t want you married to her.”
“I believe you.” Patrick wants power just as much as I do and he knows we can achieve it together. “Which means someone else doesn’t want me working with you. Who?”
“I’m not sure. But I’ll find out. I’m just glad you’re alive. This way we can proceed with the wedding. Ciara cried when I told her you were all right. I think she cares for you already.”
“Does she now?” I don’t believe it. Ciara does not want to marry me. That much was obvious when we spoke at the party. Was she behind this? The thought that I could marry a woman who’s willing to murder me…
No. She’s just a young woman who’s been sheltered all her life. There’s no way this was her.
Her brother then. Cormac hates me. But would he disobey his father and do this?
I don’t know the Sullivans enough to know what they’re capable of but I do know myself. And I know I am going to gain the power I lost. I am not going to lose another woman. I will marry Ciara and secure my deal with Patrick and that will be that.
Ciara
“Marco survived,” I hiss at Cormac as he bench presses weight I couldn’t even imagine picking up. Our private home gym is the perfect place to have these talks. Dad never works out so he never bothers to come in here.
“I know. I heard.” He grunts as he puts the barbell back in place. “The poison didn’t work. It must not have been enough to kill him right away.”
“So fix this. Kill him for me. I will not marry him.” I storm out of the room, feeling antsy and anxious. I cannot marry a man I don’t know, especially one who works for the Italian mafia. I want to choose my own life for myself. Not have it chosen for me.
One thing becomes obvious: I cannot stay cooped up in this house all day.
Dad never lets me leave anywhere without guards so I have no choice but to alert one of them to take me out to go shopping. The guard, Ian, follows behind as I go from shop to shop, buying as many clothes as I want. My dad’s credit card pays for all of it.
I walk past a bridal shop and stop. The dresses are beautiful – all shimmery and elegant.
I always dreamed of my wedding day. From the flowers to the cake to the dress.
But it included a man I love, not a stranger.
Since Marco survived, I won’t be surprised when my dad forces me into a bridal shop to pick out a dress.
I just hope Cormac can get rid of Marco before I have to marry him.
Is it wrong to commit murder? Yes. But this is the mafia and I don’t really care.
My mind flashes back to meeting Marco and how handsome I thought he was when I first laid eyes on him. I felt breathless, I’ll admit. But his good looks can’t make up for the fact that he’s clearly an asshole. He wants to marry me for this deal and has no intentions of treating me with respect.
I resume walking.
“Ciara, it’s time we return home,” Ian tells me. Screw that. I can’t go home yet. I need to have some fun. A little act of rebellion since my father insists on controlling my life.
I just have to get past Ian first.
“Just one more shop,” I say, batting my eyelashes.
He falters. “All right.” None of my dad’s guards can say no to me. They’ve all known me since I was a kid and have a soft spot for me, which I use to my advantage. I’m willing to do what it takes to get what I want, even if it means manipulating people.
I go into the nearest clothing store. Ian follows behind, keeping his distance. I pick out a summer dress and go into a changing room. I don’t bother trying on the dress. That’s not what I’m here for.
I peek out the door to see Ian flipping through a rack of clothes. His back is to me. Perfect.
Slipping out of the changing room, I tiptoe past him and walk right out the door.
It won’t take Ian long to discover that I’m gone.
The moment I’m outside, I take off running to the nearest subway station.
I’ve been driven around my entire life but I have money and I’m capable of buying myself a ticket.
My heart is pounding the entire time as I buy a ticket and rush to the nearest train. I get on it right as I see Ian enter the station. The subway takes off before he can get to me. With a sigh, I slump onto a chair and tell myself to breathe. I’m all right. I can do this.
I ride the train for a while before getting off in Manhattan. I know exactly what I need: a night of fun.
The sun has gone down and a new set of people are coming out.
There’s a darkness to the air and it has nothing to do with the sun being gone.
I notice men glance in my direction and I pick up my pace.
My eyes land on a lit up building with a long line out front.
A nightclub. Perfect. I’m over eighteen. Surely, they’ll let me inside.
A night of dancing is just what I need to forget all about Marco and how he survived Cormac’s attempt on his life.
The nightclub is packed with people when I enter with a stamp on my hand. At twenty, they won’t let me drink. That’s fine. I don’t need to be drunk. I just want to dance.
I make my way to the dance floor and jump around with all the other people beside me. I let out a shout and a woman beside me laughs, holding up her drink. I smile back. This is what freedom is. Getting lost in a crowd of bodies. Dancing the night away. Nothing could be better than this.
…Until I see Marco Amato himself coming my way.
I stumble to a halt. “What are you doing here?” I shout above the music.
He’s upright, looking healthy like he wasn’t just poisoned a day ago. “I came out for a fun night. What a coincidence I would find you here.”
I cross my arms. “Were you stalking me?”
“It was just a coincidence, Ciara. I assure you. Come with me.”
“No.”
“That wasn’t a suggestion.” He nods for me to follow him and with a sigh, I do. Something tells me he won’t leave me alone otherwise.
Marco leads me to a private booth near the back of the club. The music is muffled back here, making the rest of the club seem so far away. “I didn’t know you liked to party.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me seeing as we’re strangers.”
He sits down and nods at the spot next to him. I’m not sure what compels me to sit but I do. “So, let’s talk. Get to know one another.”
“You almost died.”
“Somebody poisoned me. I’m just trying to figure out who. It wasn’t your father. He wants to work with me too much.” He tilts his head to the side. “Was it you?”
I can’t help the blush on my face but it’s dark in here, so hopefully Marco can’t see. “No.” Not technically a lie.
“Do you have murder in your heart, Ciara?”
“Do you?”
“Yes,” he answers point blank, taking me aback.
“Would you kill me if we were married?”
He frowns. “Why would I do that? I want this deal with your father. Killing you would ruin that.”
My body relaxes slightly. Marco makes a good point. “I don’t normally party,” I admit. “I’m always followed around by a guard.”
He makes a show of looking around. “I don’t see a guard with you right now.”
“That’s because I snuck away from him.”
“So you’re here by yourself? You could have been hurt.” The sudden passion in his voice startles me.
“Why would you care if I’m hurt or not?”
“Because you will be mine, Ciara. I don’t want my wife getting hurt. I won’t lose you.”
A shiver runs down my body but I’m not sure it’s out of fear. I’m not sure of anything really. Marco is not what I had been expecting. “I just needed a night to dance. After everything. I’m allowed that.”
“Not if it leads to you getting hurt.”
“I wasn’t hurt, was I? I’m not bleeding.” I show him my arms and his gaze lingers on them. “I’m ok.”
“We live in a dark world. You know that. Somebody just tried to poison me yesterday.”
“Whoever it was didn’t succeed.”
His smile is dangerous. “Clearly. Was it your brother?”
I force myself to keep my eyes on his. “No,” I lie.
“You’re sure? He didn’t seem happy knowing we’re to be married.”
“My brother wouldn’t go against our father’s wishes. I promise you.”
He leans in close to me, making me gasp. His lips are so close to mine. If he just leaned down… “How can I trust your word? You just told me you snuck past your bodyguard which tells me there’s a rebelliousness to you. That can’t be trusted.”
I swallow deeply and keep my composure. All the boys I attempted to date in high school were just that: boys. They didn’t have this dark, dangerous aura that Marco has. This element that makes me want to draw closer and run away at the very same time.
“I can’t trust you either,” I say, not moving away from him. The moment I speak, his eyes flit down to my lips and linger before moving back up to my eyes.
“So, it seems we’re at a standstill. Whatever will we do?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I guess we’ll have to figure out if we can trust each other after we’re married. I will say, Ciara, that I don’t like the idea of having to look over my shoulder constantly. Will I have to do that with you? Will you murder me in my sleep?”
Yesterday, I would have said yes. But right in this moment…
Before I can give Marco an answer, two men approach the private booth and grab Marco by the shirt, hoisting him to his feet. One of them punches Marco right in the face. I gasp.
“What are you doing?” I ask without even thinking about it. I shove the man away and the second man turns to me and pushes me to the ground. I land on my hip, hard. An intense pain rips up my side.
“Don’t touch her,” Marco growls, punching the man who punched him first.
I get back to my feet. The man who pushed me growls, “Stay out of this, little girl.”
I watch as he takes a small knife out of his jacket pocket and runs right for Marco.