Chapter 5 Marco
Marco
I've been glancing at the penthouse security cameras more today than ever before. I keep telling myself it's to check and make sure Elena isn't getting into any trouble, but honestly, she intrigues me in ways that have nothing to do with professional surveillance.
Last night was troubling on multiple levels.
Elena meets with some random criminal in a god-awful part of town, and she didn't even want to leave when I dragged her to my car.
I'm hoping this isn't how she normally spends her free time, but right now I'm not sure of anything when it comes to Elena Messina.
Then there's that sassy mouth of hers. The way she whispered "harder" when I pulled her into me still echoes in my head.
I groan at the memory of her pressed up against me, that fucking smirk playing on her full lips.
The thoughts that follow—what I could make that mouth do—are dangerous territory I have no business exploring.
I inwardly chastise myself for these reactions.
No, Marco. She's Vito's family now. I’m not authorized to cross that line.
She's so seemingly oblivious to the level of danger in our world. She's highly aware of her surroundings but appears unaware of how the situations she puts herself in could bring her demise. It's like she lives on the edge, dancing one step away from falling over the cliff.
I've gotten almost nothing done today. Elena apparently invited herself over to see Rina and while Rina sleeps in this morning, Elena has been busy making herself at home in nearly every room in Vito's penthouse, which is impressive considering he owns three entire floors of this building.
She's evaded the camera angles a few times, but after hearing Tony's recount of yesterday's bathroom escape, I'm not surprised.
The woman clearly has skills and I don't doubt that she's testing them out.
Right now, she's in the kitchen stealing some fruit that’s been cut up, and even through the grainy security feed, I can see she's beautiful. Even in a loose sweatshirt and sweatpants with her hair pulled back in a claw clip, she's stunning in a way that makes my chest tighten.
I blink myself out of this trance and head for the elevator. Part of me would rather live in a house away from the city with some land—no one to bother me for miles—but that's not conducive to my lifestyle.
I'm Vito's consigliere and I would do anything to protect him and the family. He changed my life when I met him at twenty years old, and I'm forever grateful. Still, sometimes I long for peace and quiet.
The elevator brings me to Vito's lower level. We use it for meetings, parties, extra guest rooms, and anything else we need. Vito likes to keep his penthouse as his home, not his office, and I respect that boundary.
The elevator opens directly into the foyer, and I'm immediately greeted by voices from the kitchen. Rafa greets me first, then Luca, with a couple of head nods from the rest of the guys scattered around the space.
"So I saw Elena at breakfast this morning," Rafa says, and I look at him with furrowed brows while he just smirks. "Rough night?"
My grunt is the only response he's going to get right now. I'm not discussing Elena with anyone until I understand what's happening myself.
"I need help with some research," I tell him, deliberately skirting past this conversation about Elena.
He nods toward the tech room—what's essentially become his personal office since he's our resident hacker. He enters his pin code, and we step inside, the door automatically locking behind us. We don't need anyone snooping around sensitive information.
"Alright, Marco. What's up?" Rafa asks, settling into his chair and pulling up multiple screens.
"I need you to find some videos for me." Rafa smirks again like he knows something I don't, which is irritating.
"And what kind of videos am I looking for?" he asks while typing, not even bothering to look at me.
"Elena met with a man at The Dirty Dozen last night.
It's a bar in the South Bronx. I need his name and anything you can tell me about him.
From the look on his face when I walked up to their table, he knew me, but I didn't recognize him.
" I pause before asking my next question.
"Then, when you're done with that, I want to know how Elena escaped her detail yesterday. "
Rafa laughs at my second request. "Giving you a run for your money already, huh?" He leans back in his chair and raises an eyebrow.
"Just do it. And have the report ready when you come to brunch today," I tell him before heading for the door.
The chatter in the kitchen has died down when I step out—good, I'm sure they all have actual work they could be doing. I head back to the elevator, scan my keycard, and press the button.
When the doors open, I walk straight to Vito's office and knock. I don't hear him respond immediately—all I hear is some scuffling sounds from inside. I knock again, and this time Vito tells me to come in.
I stop just inside the door when I see who he's with. He's standing in front of his desk, speaking quietly to Rina. She looks flushed and is smoothing down her skirt, while Vito kisses her and whispers something in her ear that makes her breathing quicken. She nods at whatever he's said.
Rina walks toward the door, smiling at me sheepishly as she passes. "Rina," I say with a knowing smirk.
"Marco," she responds in the same tone. She closes the door behind her, and I walk over to sit in one of the chairs facing Vito's desk.
He circles around to his chair, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. I raise an eyebrow at him.
"What? I was starving," he says with a devious smile.
"I'm sure the chef left you something more nutritious for breakfast," I point out with my own smirk. He doesn't respond, knowing he's been caught but clearly not caring in the slightest.
"How are things with Elena? Any news yet?" he asks, shifting into business mode.
"She met with someone last night after she escaped her detail. I found her and brought her back here. I have Rafa looking into the man she was with—I don't recognize him, but he definitely knew me." I answer a few more of Vito's questions, but I don't have anything substantial to report yet.
We both stand and walk out of the office. "I'll meet you in the kitchen in a little bit," Vito says, heading toward the stairs that lead to the top level. "I have a snack to finish."
I chuckle to myself as he disappears upstairs. He's completely whipped, but so is Rina. They make each other lighter and happier, and I'm genuinely glad for my friend's happiness.
I walk down the hall and turn right into the grand salon. A few people have already arrived for today’s family brunch, and I can smell the feast being prepared in the kitchen. Ben must be outdoing himself today.
I greet Gianna, Vito's sister, and Enzo, one of our capos. Dante and Sofia enter next, followed by Elena, and my breathing immediately increases at the sight of her. She must have changed since I left her on the security feeds.
She looks stunning in a plum-colored pantsuit with a black corset top that showcases her curves perfectly.
Her dark hair cascades down her back, and she's wearing black sneakers that somehow make the entire outfit look effortlessly elegant.
Classic Elena—refusing to conform to anyone's expectations while still looking absolutely beautiful.
Too bad she's still a pain in the ass.
She greets everyone in the room before her eyes find mine. It's easy enough since I was already staring at her like an idiot.
What is wrong with me?
I tell myself I can't stop thinking about her because she's being secretive and it's my job to figure out what she's hiding.
But the truth is more complicated than that.
She's sassy and beautiful, and I got hard as hell when she teased me last night.
I need to stop this train of thought before it goes any further.
I turn to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows that line this side of the penthouse, trying to clear my mind and focus on literally anything else.
Rafa appears at my elbow. "Marco," he says quietly. "A word?"
He gestures toward the hallway with a subtle tilt of his head. Away from the main room. Away from Elena's sharp eyes and sharper ears.
I follow him down the hall until we're out of earshot.
He places a folder in my palm and begins speaking in low tones.
"Marcello Farina. He's a criminal and lowlife who will betray anyone to save his own skin.
He knows Elena's father—I traced back several years and found that he and Elio used to run in the same gambling circles, but nothing recent.
In fact, he hasn't been around for a few years. He's been lying low."
"Why is he back now?" I ask, though Rafa just shrugs.
"No idea. Elena's phone records don't show any unknown calls, texts, or emails in the last few weeks, so I don't even know how she contacted him."
The plot thickens. My little fox is even more clever than I thought. She must have a burner phone or maybe she's using someone else's device. I'll figure it out eventually.
"And these pictures?" I ask, pulling out screenshots from yesterday's cafe surveillance.
"She walked right out of that bathroom like nothing was amiss," Rafa explains, handing me his phone with the video queued up. I watch intently as Elena emerges through the galley kitchen, like giving the slip to a trained guard is just another Friday for her.
And then I see it—she looks directly up at the camera and blows a kiss while making a peace sign with her fingers.
"What the fuck?" I mutter.
"Dude, she's good," Rafa says with obvious admiration.
"Shut up," I tell him, though he just chuckles. "Send the video and all pertinent information to my encrypted email."
I nod and step away, heading back to Vito's office to secure this information until I can review it more thoroughly at home.