Chapter Eighteen
Marco
Waking up with Ciara in my arms feels like heaven on earth. Never have I felt this complete and comforted. This… content.
I gaze down at her as she sleeps. She finally gave me her body – all of her. Her mind and heart. I don’t deserve it but I want it. In this moment, I realize I don’t want to fuck it up.
We started off in a rocky place. I married her to get close to her father. She wanted me dead. It wasn’t good. But now we’ve made something and for the first time in my life, I want to choose someone other than myself. I want to choose her.
Ciara stirs awake and blinks up at me. Her eyes are soft. “Hi.”
“Hi. How are you this morning?”
“Sore,” she admits. “But I don’t regret it. I wanted that to happen. I wanted to be with you.”
“You still want to be with me now that it’s the morning?”
“Yes. I do.” She rests her hand over my heart. “I want us to make this work.”
I place my hand over hers. “Then we’ll make this work.”
We share a smile together – a moment I could stay in forever. Until my phone rings, breaking us apart.
“It’s your father,” I say, holding my phone up.
“It may be important.” She slips out of bed, showing me her delectable naked body, before she slips on a robe. “I’ll let you talk to him.”
I pick up the call after she leaves the room. “Patrick?”
“Marco. We have another lead on Will Taylor. I know he managed to escape. We can ambush his house this time. Kill him and his wife. That will hurt Enzo. Weaken him so we can take power.”
I hesitate. For the first time in a year, I don’t know if I need more power. “Patrick, is this such a smart idea? Going into war with the mafia.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “Isn’t this what you wanted? We both want more power.”
“Of course it is. But I’m not sure killing everyone in sight is the way to go. We can weaken Enzo by stealing his drug and gun shipments and taking them for ourselves. We can gain more money that way which will lead to more power.”
“Where is this coming from?”
I’m falling in love with your daughter, I realize. “I just don’t want my father-in-law to get killed. Frankly, I don’t want to get killed. I’m not sure this ambush is a good idea.”
“Well, I think it’s a great idea. We’re doing this, Marco. You married my daughter to be in an alliance with me. Don’t forget your place.”
How could I? “Fine,” I grumble. “We’ll go after Will tonight.”
“Perfect.” He hangs up before I can.
Shit. If I go after Will, Ciara may never forgive me. The only reason she gave me her entire body was because I didn’t kill Will. But this is what Patrick wants.
I don’t tell Ciara about the plan as I go about my day. I tell her I have to leave for work and she tells me she can’t wait for me to return home. She seems just so… happy. I’m going to have to break my promise to her all over again.
I meet up with Patrick so we can go over to Will’s house. “How did you find out where he lived?” I ask. “I’ve been looking for the past year.” I sit beside him in the passenger seat as he drives. Multiple men of his follow behind. This death is going to happen. Both Will and Gianna will be killed.
It should bring me comfort. I’ve wanted both of them dead for the past year. But ever since Ciara entered my life, things have changed. I’ve changed. I’m not sure I want to do this.
“I have contacts all over, Marco. I am a powerful man already. I just want more of it.”
“What if this war puts Ciara in danger? If we leave Enzo and Will alone, Ciara won’t be at risk.”
Patrick hesitates, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “I have thought of that. But we’re in too deep now. We both want this and we’ll both keep Ciara safe.”
“And Cormac? Did he tell you how he tried to kill me again?”
“I’ll handle my son. I promise. Now, let’s go take down an empire.” He parks the car down the street from Will’s house. “It’s just up there.”
“I’ll go,” I say, putting my hand on his arm. “I’ll kill them. I’ve wanted them both dead for a year now. Let me do this.”
“But you could end up dead. It would be better if we all went together.”
“I know. But this is my revenge. Let me do this.”
Patrick nods after a long moment. “Fine. I’m trusting you, Marco.”
I leave the car and walk down the street. Patrick gave me the address so when I come upon the right one, I know it’s go-time. Will and Gianna need to die for me to move on with my life.
There’s a guard out front, pacing back and forth. Using my silencer, I point my gun at him and shoot him in the head before he even has time to react. I go around to the back side of the house and find another guard. I shoot him dead within seconds. No one else comes running.
I grab the key off the dead guard and enter in through the back door. My footsteps are light. It’s dark inside the house except for a soft glow coming from a bedroom upstairs. I make my way up to it and look inside. Will and Gianna are naked, lying in each other’s arms.
I thought this sight would make me furious but… it doesn’t. Now that I have Ciara, I’m no longer bitter about Will taking Gianna from me. Gianna was never mine to begin with in the first place.
But Patrick wants them dead.
I step into the room with my gun drawn.
Gianna screams while Will places his body in front of her. He goes for his gun but I tell him to stop.
“Don’t,” I warn.
“You just can’t stop, can you?” Will asks.
“You left me for dead. Shouldn’t I kill you for that?”
“You were trying to force Gianna to marry you. I couldn’t stand for that. I’ve heard you’re married now. To an Irish woman. I feel terrible for her.”
“You’re a fucking hitman,” I snarl. “You’re no better than me.”
“Will is twice the man you are,” Gianna says.
I turn my eyes onto her. “I remember you were a scared, little girl when we first met. You’ve grown up. Good for you.”
“I will not let you kill her,” Will says. “If you want me dead, then shoot me and leave Gianna alone. She’s innocent. You know it.”
“I know. But killing both of you would put this anger inside of me to the side.” And it would. I could be happy with both of them dead.
But Ciara would not be. And I don’t want to make my wife hate me so much she wants me dead again.
“I’m tired of being angry,” I admit, lowering my gun.
“I could kill both of you in the blink of an eye. But I’m not going to.
This is my message to you. I will not kill either one of you.
But don’t ever come for me again. Don’t come for my wife.
The man I work with, Patrick Sullivan, wants power.
We’ll try to take it and you and Enzo will try to take it back.
But I won’t kill you two. So I suggest you get Gianna out of the city for a while if you don’t want her getting hurt. ”
“Why?” Will asks. “Why are you doing this?”
“You want me to shoot you?”
“No,” Gianna says. “Of course not.”
“I just don’t understand,” Will says.
“I don’t either,” I admit. “But looking at you two, naked in bed… I don’t care anymore. You both look so small. Not worthy of my time or attention.” I back away from them, in case Will tries to shoot me in the back, before I leave the house. I hurry back to Patrick’s car.
“How did it go?” he asks.
“I couldn’t kill them.”
His glare is furious. “What?” He reaches for the door handle but I stop him.
“Don’t. Leave them alone.”
“Why? You wanted them dead. We both want power. This will give it to us.”
“I don’t want Ciara put into danger. And neither do you. This war will lead to that and you know it. You already have power, Patrick. We can gain more without death. You know it’s a better plan.”
He stares at me for a long moment before sighing. “I don’t want my daughter to be hurt. That is true.”
“Gianna and Will are not worth our time. And maybe one day we can try to kill Enzo.”
“He’s too well guarded. You know that.”
“I do. In the meantime, we’ll go after their money. Weaken them that way. But we don’t need to kill to achieve it. I don’t want that anymore.”
“You don’t sound like the man who came into my restaurant over a couple of months ago, asking to make a deal.”
“Your daughter has changed me. I want something else now.”
“What?”
“Happiness,” I admit. “I’m tired of letting my anger dictate my life.”
“Well then… I can’t say I’m upset by that. I’m glad you want to keep my daughter safe. I want that too. If you think this is the best way…”
“I do. We’ll gain more power, Patrick. One day. Let’s focus on making more money. That will do it. Death will just lead to more death. That’s what I’ve learned.”
He places his hand on my shoulder, startling me. “I’m glad I made a deal with you. You’re good for my daughter. I believe it.”
“How so?”
“I’ve seen her fight for what she believes in more than ever since she married you. Before, she was aimless. But now she has a purpose in life.”
“What are we going to do about Cormac? He’ll still come for me. You know it.”
“Leave my son to me. Go back home to Ciara. Make sure she’s safe, always.”
“You won’t come back for Will or Gianna will you?”
“Now that you’ve left them alive, they’ll probably move anyway, making it harder to get to them.”
“True,” I say. “I know it’s not ideal.”
“No, it’s not. But you’re right. Death will just make things messy. All I’ve wanted is power. I don’t care how I get it. If focusing on taking down their empire through money is the way, then so be it.”
Patrick calls off the ambush and drives me back to my home. The moment I step foot inside and see Ciara in the living room, a weight lifts off my shoulders. My heart feels lighter. I was confronted with what I thought I wanted but it was never what I truly wanted.
What I’ve needed was someone to choose me and for me to choose them in return.
“Ciara,” I say, going to her.
“You’re home late.”
“Your father and I went after Gianna and Will.”
She tenses. “What?”
“But we didn’t kill them. I couldn’t kill them. I had the chance but I didn’t take it.”
Her eyes widen before she slowly stands up. “Why?”
“Because of you,” I admit. “I don’t want to lose you now that I’ve just gotten you. I’m tired of being angry. I just want to be happy.”
“I want that too,” she gasps, resting her hands on my chest. “I want that more than anything.”
I lean down to kiss her when a loud boom comes from the entranceway and before I can even react, Cormac comes running into the living room.