Chapter 24
Elena
After Marco leaves the guest room—because of course he leaves, he always leaves—I text the girls that I'm heading to Vito's penthouse for movie night. I need something to distract me from the conversation we just had.
By the time I make it to the duplex elevator, Rina, Sofia, and Gianna are right behind me, ready to go. We all head upstairs, change into pajamas, and settle into Rina's massive living room with blankets and pillows everywhere.
"Okay, spill," Sofia says the moment we're comfortable. "What's going on with you and Marco?"
"Nothing's going on." I grab a handful of popcorn.
"Liar." Rina throws a pillow at me. "I saw how he looked at you tonight. And how you very deliberately sat as far from him as possible."
"There's nothing to tell."
"Elena." Sofia leans forward. "We're not blind. The tension between you two could power this entire building."
I sigh and sink deeper into the cushions. "It's complicated."
"Everything worth having is complicated," Gianna says quietly.
"He doesn't want me," I admit. "Not really. Or maybe he does but he won't act on it. I don't know. One minute he's kissing me like I'm the only thing that matters and the next he's walking away like it was a mistake."
Rina's eyebrows shoot up. "He kissed you?"
"More than once," I mutter.
Sofia grins. "And?"
"And then he walks away. Every single time." The frustration bubbles up. "He says I'm just a job. That it can't happen. That it's too complicated."
"Did Vito say something to him?" Rina's voice takes on an edge. "Because if my husband is interfering—"
"He told Marco to keep things professional. That I'm family and he needs to focus on keeping me safe."
"Of course he did." Rina rolls her eyes. "Overprotective idiot."
"It's not just that though." I pull my knees to my chest. "I'm keeping things from him. Important things. And he knows it. He says he can't trust me until I tell him everything."
"Can you tell him everything?" Gianna asks.
I think about the threats. The debt. The ultrasound picture hidden in my jewelry box. "I don't know. If I tell him, it becomes everyone's problem. Vito's problem. Your problem." I look at Rina. "And you have enough to worry about right now."
Rina's hand goes to her still-flat stomach in an unconscious gesture. "What do you mean?"
Shit. I wasn't supposed to know yet.
"Nothing. I just mean... with the business and everything."
Sofia's watching me with narrowed eyes but doesn't call me out.
"Look," Rina says, scooting closer to me. "I don't know what's going on with you. But I do know that Marco Conti doesn't do anything halfway. If he's fighting his feelings for you this hard, it means they're real. It means he's scared of how much he wants you."
"But Vito—"
"Fuck what Vito said." Rina's voice is fierce. "If Marco is who you want—and I mean really want, not just because he's forbidden or complicated or whatever—then you go for it. You don't let my husband's overprotective bullshit stand in your way. I'll handle him."
"You'd do that?"
"You're family, Elena. You're my sister in every way that counts. And I want you to be happy." She squeezes my hand. "Even if that happiness comes in the form of a six-foot-five Italian man with control issues."
I laugh despite myself. "He does have control issues."
"Most men in this life do," Sofia adds. "The question is whether you're willing to deal with them."
Am I? Am I willing to navigate Marco's walls and boundaries and professional obligations? Am I willing to trust him with my secrets?
The answer surprises me with its clarity: Yes.
We spend the rest of the night watching movies, but my mind keeps drifting to Marco. To the conversation in the guest room. To the way he admitted he cares about me. To the kiss we almost had before he pulled away again.
When I finally fall asleep around two a.m., it's with Rina's words echoing in my head: If this is who you want, then go for it.
I awake the next morning and reach for my phone—eleven-thirty. I need coffee.
After a quick shower, I head to the kitchen and find Dante and Luca at the island.
"Morning," Dante says while Luca just nods. He doesn't talk much.
I watch Dante grab his phone to text someone. Probably Sofia.
I'm at the espresso machine when Marco enters. His eyes find me immediately.
"Seems I have two babysitters now," I mutter, and Dante laughs.
Eventually Vito and the girls make their way to the kitchen. Everyone picks at pastries and fruit. I'm ready to get home.
"I already have everything," Marco says when I start toward the bedroom. "I packed your bag and wrapped up your dress. It's by the elevator."
"Oh. Thank you."
"Don't mention it," he says with a small smile.
We say our goodbyes and head down. The ride back is quiet, but it's a different kind of quiet than before. Something has shifted.
When we get to my building, Marco opens my door but doesn't offer his hand. We both know why—we're too charged right now. Any touch might ignite something we can't control.
Inside my apartment, I set my purse on the kitchen island and freeze.
There's a note. Plain white paper with two words written in harsh black ink: 48 HOURS
"Marco." My voice comes out strangled.
He's beside me instantly. "What the fuck?"
My hands shake as I pick up the note. "Forty-eight hours. That's all they're giving me."
"Forty-eight hours for what?"
This is it. The moment where I either tell him everything or keep lying. Keep pushing him away. Keep pretending I can handle this alone.
I think about Rina's words: If this is who you want, go for it.
I think about Marco admitting he cares about me.
I think about the fact that in forty-eight hours, the Costellos are going to make their move, and I'm out of time.
"My father's debt," I whisper. "He owes the Costellos a million dollars. Gambling debt. They've been threatening me to get him to pay. But he’s hard to pin down, so they're using me as leverage."
Marco's jaw tightens. "How long have they been threatening you?"
"Months. Since before you moved in. They've followed me. Sent men to rough me up. They know I'm Elio's daughter now. And they know I'm connected to Vito." I take a shaky breath. "And they know about Rina."
"What about Rina?"
I can't tell him about the ultrasound. Not yet. That's Rina's news to share.
"They've been watching her. Watching all of us. They sent me proof."
"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice is strained. "Why didn't you tell Vito?"
"Because I thought I could fix it! I thought if I could just find my dad, if I could just get him to pay or make a deal or something—" My voice breaks.
"But he doesn't care. He ran away and left me to deal with his mess.
And now I have forty-eight hours to come up with a million dollars or they're going to—"
I can't finish the sentence. Can't say out loud what they threatened to do.
Marco pulls me into his arms. "They're not going to touch you. I promise you, Elena. They're not going to touch you."
"You can't promise that."
"Yes, I can." He pulls back to look at me. "I told you I'd always be there. I meant it."
"But Vito said—"
"I don't give a fuck what Vito said." His hands frame my face. "You're mine to protect. And I will burn down every Costello operation in this city before I let them hurt you."
The fierceness in his voice, the absolute certainty, breaks something open in me.
"Rina told me something last night," I whisper. "She said if you're who I want, I should go for it. That I shouldn't let Vito's rules stop me."
"What do you want, Elena?"
"You. I want you."
"Even though it's complicated? Even though there are a dozen reasons this is a bad idea?"
"Especially because of that."
Something shifts in his expression. The walls he's been maintaining, the professional distance he's been forcing—it all crumbles.
"Fuck it," he mutters, and then his mouth is on mine.
This kiss is different from the others. There's no hesitation, no holding back. This is Marco giving in completely, letting go of all the reasons he shouldn't want me.
His hands are in my hair, on my waist, everywhere at once. I'm pushing his jacket off his shoulders, reaching for his shirt, desperate to feel his skin.
We stumble backward until I hit the counter. He lifts me onto it without breaking the kiss.
"Tell me to stop," he says against my lips.
"No."
"Elena—"
"Marco." I pull back to look at him. "Rina said she'd handle Vito. And I just told you everything about the debt. There's nothing standing between us anymore except your control. So let it go."
He searches my eyes for a long moment. Then he nods.
"Okay."
And this time, when he kisses me, I know he's not going to walk away.