Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Ciara
Iwait outside for my brother to arrive. When his car pulls into the long driveway, my heart begins to pound so fast, I can barely breathe.
Cormac rushes out of the car towards me. “Ciara. Let’s go.”
“No. Marco is just going to come for me again. And I don’t want you and him trying to kill each other. I don’t want to lose you, Cormac. So just go. I never asked you to come here. I never asked you to protect me. Just go.”
“You’re telling me that you want to stay here with that asshole? Where is he anyway?”
I can see the glint of Cormac’s gun inside his jacket pocket. “How did you get a gun here?”
“I have my ways. Contacts. I bought a gun right after I landed.”
“So you can shoot Marco. Is that it?”
“If he’s dead, then he can’t hurt you anymore. Is he inside?” He tries stepping past me but I get in the way.
“Marco isn’t here right now. He doesn’t want to fight with you. So just go. I am telling you, Cormac, that I am fine. I may not be in love with my husband but he doesn’t abuse me. It could be worse.” My mind flashes back to Marco’s mouth on me and I can’t stop the blush that crosses my face.
“Why is your face red? What aren’t you telling me, Ciara? You only blush when you keep things from me.”
“It’s none of your concern. Just go. I don’t want you getting killed and if you go after Marco, he will kill you. So please, Cormac. Just go.” I gently shove him back. “I’m fine here.”
“I refuse to believe that. How can you be happy with a man like him?”
“A man like him? Marco has never hit me. He’s not evil.” The image of him killing Waiter Marco invades my mind. “He’s not a good man. But…” I sigh. “Just go. Please.”
“No.” Cormac rushes past me towards the house.
“Cormac!”
He kicks the front door down and runs inside. It takes all of my energy to follow behind. I hear the sound of a grunt before I run around the corner and see Cormac and Marco in the living room together. Marco is on the ground, a red welt on his face.
“I will not let you hurt my sister.” Cormac pulls his gun from his pocket and aims it at Marco’s head.
If Marco were to die, then a lot of my problems would go away. I wouldn’t have to be married to a man who insists on me being lonely forever.
But I don’t want Marco to die.
I run forward and place myself in front of Marco. “Don’t shoot him.”
Cormac hesitates and lowers his gun. “Get out of the way, Ciara.”
“I will not let you kill him. He made a deal with Dad. Dad will be furious if Marco’s dead.
What happens to you then? Did you think of that?
Dad could kick you out. He could make it so you’re no longer a part of our family.
I love you, Cormac. I don’t want you to ruin your life over this.
So just… go. Please. I will not move. If you want to shoot Marco, then you have to shoot me. ”
“I would never hurt you.”
“So then go. I will not let you ruin your life. I will not. And I will not let you get killed because you’re an idiot. So just go. I will return to New York soon. I will be fine.”
“You wanted Marco dead.”
“Yes,” I admit. “Weeks ago. But not anymore. Listen to my words. Don’t kill him so you don’t have to die. Please just go. Just listen to me. I need you to listen to me.”
All the fight finally leaves Cormac’s eyes as he stumbles back, putting his gun away. “Ciara…”
“Just go. I will be fine. I promise you that.”
“How can I believe you?”
“Because I am your sister and I have never lied to you. Just go.”
Cormac shoots a glare in Marco’s direction before he leaves the house. I run to the front door and watch as Cormac gets inside his car and drives away. It’s only then that I let out a breath of relief.
I can feel Marco behind me.
“Why did you do that?” he asks.
“Save your life?” I ask before turning to face him. “Because I meant what I said. I don’t want my brother’s life ruined over this. He’s too stubborn. It’s going to be the death of him one day and I will not stand for it.”
“So it had nothing to do with me? Just your brother?”
I hesitate and Marco nods, like he knows he’s right. He starts to turn away from me before I grab his hand without thinking. That stops him. “It wasn’t just because of my brother. I… I didn’t want you to die.”
“Why? You can’t stand me.”
“Because we could have something together, Marco. I didn’t want to marry you at first, true.
Yes, I once wanted you dead. But I changed my mind.
I need you to believe me when I say that.
I need you to trust me. I don’t want to be stuck in a loveless marriage with you for the rest of my life.
We’re bound together now. Why can’t we make this work? ”
“You really want to make this work?”
“I put myself in front of my brother’s gun to help save your life. Doesn’t that mean anything?”
His eyes finally soften. “It does.”
“Can we try? I don’t want to be alone.”
“I don’t trust easily.”
“I’ve gathered that. And I know I didn’t help matters with wanting you dead before. But I hope today shows that I don’t want you dead any longer. Not even when you scare me.”
“I have… baggage.”
I huff. “Doesn’t everyone?”
“I…” He stares down at my hand in his. “I lost a woman before. To another man. It’s why I got so angry when you flirted with that waiter and that man at the club.”
“So that’s what you meant when you said you didn’t want to lose another woman.”
“Yes. That man in question shot at me. Left me for dead. I had to spend the entire year recovering because of it. I lost a lot of power in that time. It’s why I need your father’s contacts to help me regain power. To end Enzo Bianchi and Will Taylor.”
“So… this woman. She left you for another man. How long were you two together?”
“We didn’t really date. It’s not… not what you think.”
“Then tell me,” I demand.
“She’s someone I tried to use in a power struggle. She slipped out of my grasp. It’s nothing more. But it’s why I struggle to trust you. How do I know you won’t fall for another man and then leave me for dead?”
“Because I just saved your life today. I could have stood back and let Cormac kill you. I would have been free of you then but I didn’t stand back.
I stopped him. Yes, because I love my brother and I don’t want him ruining his life because of this.
But also because I just didn’t want you to die.
I want us to start over, Marco. I want passion in my life.
I want excitement. I got that when you…” I blush, feeling suddenly shy.
“When I gave you an orgasm?”
“Yes. That.”
“So you just want me for sex?”
“No. I want connection. My dad made it so I was never allowed to date. I tried dating some boys back in high school but things never went far before he stopped it. And now we’re married so I’m stuck with you forever.
I want to experience that passion with you again.
I want to live for once.” And maybe fall in love for the first time as well but I keep that to myself.
That’s too intimate for Marco to know right now.
“You mean all of this?”
“I mean every word,” I say without any hesitation.
Marco stares into my eyes for a long beat before he nods.
“You’re right. You didn’t have to save my life today but you did.
So… thank you for that. And I like you, Ciara.
I really do. I just struggle to trust. But as long as you don’t give me any reason to distrust you… then I can make more of an effort.”
“You will?” I gasp.
“I’ll try. Just as long as you stop flirting with other men.”
“I can promise that. As long as you stop pushing me away and start to trust me.”
“I think today proved that I can.” He gives my hand a squeeze. “It’s late. It’s been a long fucking day. We should get some rest. Tomorrow we head back to New York.”
I frown. “But we still have five days left of our honeymoon.”
“Your brother is going to be a problem. What’s to stop him from coming back here? I have no guards. No protection. But your father can provide that for me. We should go back to New York. Maybe that will calm your brother down. I need to work on my plan anyway.”
“But what about us?” I hate how pathetic I sound when I ask it.
“We can still work on our marriage. Working won’t get in the way of that.”
“You’re sure? A lot of men say that but then work always gets in the way.”
He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear.
“I meant what I said. I like you. I… care for you. You are mine, Ciara. That won’t change.
Now, let’s go to bed. I’m fucking tired.
” He drops his hand and walks away from me.
Even though we resolved a lot of things, I still feel so much uncertainty in my stomach, like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff, just waiting to see if I’ll fall off or not.
Marco and I don’t sleep next to each other.
I stay in my room and he stays in his. I want to go over to his room and sleep beside him but I’m afraid to.
We had a breakthrough tonight but that doesn’t mean things are perfect between us.
And when we go back to New York, I’m worried any progress we made today will be obliterated.
Marco drives us in silence to the airport. I’m desperate to ask him more about this woman who left him for another man but I can tell it’s a touchy subject and I don’t want to upset him.
We get a flight for New York at the last minute and within ten hours, we’re back in the city I grew up in. For the entire flight, neither me nor Marco speak to each other.
When I step foot outside JFK, I inhale the familiar scent of my home city. It should put me at ease but I only feel more anxious and I’m not sure why.
Marco drives us to his home out in the suburbs.
A large mansion that’s colored white and black.
A pretty tree-lined driveway leads up to the house.
So this is where I’ll be living for the rest of my life.
It doesn’t make me as unhappy as I thought I would be.
As long as Marco promises to try with me, I’ll try with him. There’s a chance for us.
We just have to keep to our word and learn to trust each other.
I’m just not sure how easy that’s going to be.