14. Marco
Chapter Fourteen
MARCO
Some say ignorance is bliss, but when it comes to Cillian Moore, I need to have all the facts.
If I had known that Cillian was into the sort of stuff that involves selling young girls at auctions, I never would have struck a deal with him.
It takes a lot to rattle me after everything I’ve seen during my time, so the fact that I find myself horrified goes to show just how bad this situation is.
Clara is quiet on the drive back to the city, her thoughts no doubt filled with the horrors of what Ben just told us.
Her brother might have just handed over valuable information on Cillian, but I have no intention of handing him back his freedom in return.Just because he’s no longer rotting behind bars doesn’t mean he’s free.
Not even close.
I’ve built him a whole new cell, one with invisible bars where every move he makes will be monitored.
I assigned Dom to keep him on a very short leash because he’s the sort of man who doesn’t hesitate when given an order.
And my standing order is that if Ben so much as breathes wrong, if he tries to play me against Cillian, Dom will put a bullet in his skull.
While Ben’s story about Cillian might have lined up with what I’ve heard from my informants, that doesn’t mean I buy into his new reformed, helpful brother act. I know people like Ben all too well.
They’re survivors, which means they’ll fuck over anyone they can in order to stay alive, and I’m not about to let him. He might share Clara’s blood, but that doesn’t mean he gets my protection.
If there’s one thing I know about people like him, it’s that they always have an angle. And I’m still trying to figure out what the hell his is.
“You doing okay?” I ask Clara for what feels like the hundredth time today. I glance over at her, but all she does is nod.
It’s clear as day in her face that she’s racked with guilt over her brother’s situation, stuck between wanting to help him and needing to let him clean up his own mess.
An incoming call flashes on the center screen before she has a chance to answer, but when I see it’s Max calling, I breathe a sigh of relief. This might be just what she needs.
“Who’s Max?”
“You’re about to find out.” I smile before answering the call. “I’m here with Clara and you’re on speaker.” I turn up the volume on the steering wheel.
"Good." Max’s voice filters through the sound system.
I glance at Clara to find her frowning at me, and I flash her a smile.
Max’s voice comes out loud and clear. "Then I can let both of you know that Clara has an interview scheduled for tomorrow.”
“Interview?”
“For the New York Institute of Fashion.”
Clara goes completely still beside me and for a moment, I wonder if I made the wrong call by asking Max to get her an interview. But I don’t have the chance to ask before Max is talking again.
"You’ll need to meet with the admissions board at ten a.m. sharp. The interview will consist of a portfolio review, as well as a practical assessment where you are required to present two completed looks."
I glance at Clara and swallow a laugh when her mouth opens and her eyes widen.
This wasn’t exactly how I wanted her to find out about this, but at least it will serve as a distraction from what just happened back at the warehouse.
I ignore the way Clara is still gaping at me. "Got it. I really appreciate it, Max. Say thank you to Tana for me."
"Any time.”
I hang up the call before turning to look at Clara.
She’s still staring at me with a mix of shock and excitement on her face.
"What?" I try to act innocent.
"You…you did that for me? " Her eyes shine with tears.
I reach out to take her hand. "All I did was arrange an interview. You’re the one who’ll be getting yourself in.”
Her lips part, but no words come out at first. Then she shakes her head, trying to process it. “But it’s not just any school, it’s the school. The Institute of Fashion is the best in the country, Marco.”
“Is it?” I feign ignorance. “I had no idea.”
“This is huge! I wasn’t even considering them because I knew I had no chance of getting in.”
"Well, now you do, so you better get to work."
Her smile instantly fades as panic flashes in her eyes.
“Oh god. I-I don’t think I can do this. I don’t have a professional portfolio, let alone anything to present and the interview is in less than twenty-four hours. It’s not enough tim?—”
“Clara.” I reach for her hand again. “It’s all right, you can do this.”
“How, Marco? That is literally hours’ worth of work, and it’s already two in the afternoon. There’s no way I can get this all done.”
I can practically hear the gears in her head turning, already running through designs and fabrics, as she tries to plan.
"Relax, you can do this.”
She exhales slowly as she tucks her blonde hair behind her ear. "Marco, two complete looks is a lot ."
"Well, if there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you don’t half-ass anything. You’ll pull it off."
Clara chews her bottom lip as she stares straight ahead, lost in thought.
I only hope that she realizes that I mean every word I say. I have no doubt that she is going to walk into that interview tomorrow and smash it out of the park.
"Come on. Let’s get you home."
When we pull into the driveway of the Westchester house an hour later, Clara lets out a long breath, rubbing her hands over her thighs like she’s trying to settle herself.
I switch off the engine and unbuckle my seatbelt before shifting to face her head on.
“Talk to me, Clara. Did I make the wrong call with this interview? Because if I did, you can tell me, and I’ll call Max back and cancel it?—”
“Thank you.” Her eyes are on mine.
“You don’t need to thank me.”
“Not just for the interview. But for believing in me.”
The look on her face is enough to make my chest feel like it’s being cracked open.
I reach out to cup her cheek, stroking my thumb back and forth across her soft skin. "You should know by now I’d do anything to make you happy.”
“I know.” She leans into my touch.
My eyes flick to her lips, and I can’t help but lean in and brush my own against hers.
She lets out a contented sigh as I flick my tongue against her lips as I move my free hand to her bare thigh.
"You’re welcome to return the favor later?—"
"Oh, no," Clara wraps her delicate fingers around my wrist and forces my hand off of her. She shakes her head. "I need two complete looks ready by tomorrow. I can promise you there will be no sex tonight."
I raise a brow, fighting back a laugh at the look of determination on her face.
She reaches for the door handle. "In fact, you are on baby duty, because I’m pretty sure I’ll be up all night."
I chuckle as I sit back in my seat. "That’s fine by me.”
Clara narrows her eyes at me, as if she’s waiting for me to push back. But she should know by now that I am more than happy to spend some one-on-one time with my daughter, and if that helps Clara in the process, then it's a win-win for me.
I quickly climb out of the car and round on Clara’s side.
As she shuts the door behind her, I place my hands on either side of her body to cage her in.
“There’s just one thing I need.”
“Oh?” Her green eyes flicker.
“Once you secure that spot…" I let my gaze rake over her body slowly. "I’m expecting one hell of a thank you."
Clara takes her lower lip between her teeth as she looks up at me, and my cock twitches in my pants.
I fucking love it when she looks at me like that.
"Oh, yeah? And what exactly do you expect?"
I flash her a grin as I take a step closer to her so that my body is pressed flush against hers.
She lets out a little whimper as she feels how hard I am, and I smirk.
“I’ll leave that up to you, love.”
Clara’s eyes glaze as she moves her hands to my chest.
“How about…” She sinks her fingers into my shirt and pulls me closer. “If I get in, you can do whatever you want to me.”
I almost choke on my own breath.
The hard peaks of her nipples show through her sundress, and I fight back a groan as my mind starts playing all the naughtiest, dirtiest scenarios.
“Whatever I want?” I fight the urge to grind my painfully hard cock against her.
“Mhmm…” She runs her hands over my chest.
“You might come to regret saying that.”
“I don’t think I could ever regret giving you all control, Marco.”
“Christ.” I almost come right there in my pants. My cock strains against my zipper. “You’re torturing me, woman.”
I reach down to palm myself through my pants.
Clara grins before taking the opportunity to duck out under my arm and hurry across the drive.
“It’ll be worth the wait,” she says at me over her shoulder just as the front door opens, and Andre appears.
Clara rushes past him into the house.
He looks between us. “Do I even want to know?”
She doesn’t stop. “No time to talk, too much to do!”
I chuckle. “She has an interview at the Fashion Institute tomorrow.”
My brother turns to face me, flashing me a grin. “Interview? Clara finally got herself out of that ridiculous contract you gave her at Nox?”
I head across the drive toward him. “Fuck off.”
“I’m just busting your balls. Good for her.”
“She has a ton of work to do, so I’m taking Zoe for the rest of the day.”
“And good for you for being so supportive.” Andre chuckles, slapping me on the back. “Who knew that my baby brother could be so domesticated?”
I grit my teeth. “Was there something you needed to talk to me about?”
“I came to ask you how your little chat with Clara’s brother went.”
The atmosphere instantly shifts.
I tilt my chin up toward the open front door, and Andre quickly shuts it, just in case Lila or Rosa might be within earshot. This is definitely not something that they need to get caught up in.
It’s bad enough that Clara is involved, but there’s not much I could do about that when Ben was using her as a bargaining chip.
Once I finish telling Andre everything I learned about Cillian, he lets out a long breath and tucks his hands into his pockets.
“This is one hell of a mess to get dragged into.”
“Tell me about it. What do you suggest we do?”
Andre looks out over the front of his sprawling estate with a solemn expression on his face. “I don’t think we can continue to use Ben as a mole.”
“Too fucking right, the guy is a snake. He’d think nothing of throwing us to the wolves if it meant saving his own ass.”
“I get it, Marco, you hate the guy. But if Cillian were to learn he’s been feeding us information, it won’t just be a death sentence for Ben. It will be a death sentence for all of us.”
I let out a long breath as I rake my fingers through my hair.
Andre frowns. “At this point, we still need Cillian to trust us. We can’t afford to get on the wrong side of him just yet.”
“Or ever.”
“We need to play this very carefully, otherwise he might decide to add one of our own to his little business venture.”
My blood runs cold as I think of Rosa. She’s an innocent kid, and she doesn’t deserve to pay the price for me being stupid enough to call in a favor with one of the most sadistic crime bosses in the country.
I ball my hands into fists. “I’ll kill him before he ever gets close enough to even touch her.”
Andre clamps a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it hard.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that.”