Chapter Eighteen
Cormac
Ireturn to Marco’s home to tell him what I plan on doing.
“I won’t kill Josh,” I announce after we’re in his office.
Marco stiffens before sitting back in his seat. “Well, that’s a shame, Cormac. If you don’t do as I say, me and my brother will have to take action.”
“You can’t kill me. That will go against what my father wants. He worked hard to save me. You’re just going to throw it all away?”
He pounds his fist onto the desk. “To save my niece? Yes.”
“Huh. How ironic. You sound exactly like I did before. I thought I was doing the right thing by trying to save Ciara but I learned that she never needed saving from me. And now you’re going to go to war over me and Arianna? She’s happy with me.
He huffs. “I doubt that. There’s no way she can be happy with the man who kidnapped her.”
My mind flashes back to my mouth on her pussy yesterday. How she let herself get lost in the pleasure of it all. Her mouth on my cock. Her eagerness to learn.
“You don’t really know your niece. You’ve barely been in her life. It’s what Arianna tried telling me when I first kidnapped her. I know now she was telling the truth. I won’t kill Josh for you.”
“Because he’s your friend?”
I snort. “Fuck no. Josh was once a friend but he’s not anymore. I just don’t want to kill him because I refuse to work for you. I refuse to let you have power over me.”
“See… that’s where you’re wrong, Cormac. I do have power over you. I work closely with your father. I’m his right hand and he’s mine now. You have to do as I say.”
“Or what?” I ask, crossing my arms. “You’ll kill me? You know my father won’t be happy. I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t hurt Arianna since we married. I never hurt her to begin with.”
“But you kidnapped her.”
“Yes. I did. But I never physically hurt her.”
“You threatened to cut off her fingers!”
“But did I? I never hurt her. Arianna is not in danger because of me and I think you know that. My problem was always with you. Not her. I will not hurt her because of you. Not when you’re the one I want to hurt.”
Marco sits back in his seat, running his hand over his mouth.
“You know, Josh Murphy has been trying to mess with my income stream lately. Going after some of the clubs I own. Trying to steal money from me. I looked into him. It’s how I found out you two were friends.
But you know something interesting? I also found out about your other friend.
Sam. I knew I wanted you to kill Josh to prove your loyalty to me, which is why I didn’t kill Josh myself.
I easily could have. But I didn’t. Instead, I found your friend Sam and I asked him some questions.
What kind of man you are. What kind of man Josh is.
And he revealed something interesting to me. ”
Dread settles in the pit of my stomach. “What?” My lips barely move.
“He revealed to me that he and Josh were also there when you kidnapped Arianna. That Josh tried to beat on her. That you stopped him. I didn’t believe it.
But Sam was adamant. Josh was in the wrong and he, Sam, had nothing to do with it.
But then he also told me that after you married Arianna, you had him and Josh over.
And Josh hurt Arianna’s wrist. Arianna told me and my brother that you didn’t hurt her.
I guess it wasn’t a lie. But the fact that you let your friend inside your home and he hurt my niece means that you’re responsible for her being hurt.
She wasn’t supposed to get hurt after you married.
That was the deal and yet, she still got hurt. ”
Marco stands up and leans over his desk, glaring at me.
“That means, Cormac, that you need to kill Josh to prove to me that Arianna will never get hurt again. If you don’t, I will kill you.
I will make it look like an accident so it’s never tied back to me.
My brother will be happy. He wants his daughter free of you.
If you don’t kill Josh and end those ties, then I will have you killed.
Hell, my brother just might do it for me.
Now, I am trying to prevent that from happening.
I don’t want blood on my brother’s hands.
Not after he tried to get out of the mafia life.
This is the only way I’ll be able to know if I can trust you or not.
Kill Josh. Or you’ll die. Arianna can never get hurt again.
If you claim you’ve never hurt her, then this is how you can prove it. ”
I clench my hands into fists. It’s taking everything in me not to punch Marco right now.
But fuck… he has a point. Arianna got hurt on my watch after we were married and that is my fault. Josh needs to die. Fine. I don’t care about that.
The question is: can I allow Marco to have this control over me? Can I learn to let my anger go and show my loyalty to a man I hate?
If I’m dead, then that means I’ll never get to see Arianna again. That thought hits me in the stomach. I want to be with her. I want to see her every day for years to come.
I do have a choice in this. I can choose my anger and get myself killed or… I can push it aside and prove that I won’t hurt Arianna. That I am on the same side as Marco.
That just means doing what he says. The man I hate. Fuck.
“Even if I do this,” I hiss, “you’ll still hate me. There’s nothing I can do to make you not hate me.”
“And there’s nothing I can do to make you not hate me. We’re destinated to hate each other forever, Cormac. But we can learn to live with each other. We can learn to put up with each other.”
“The only cost is that I have to bend to your will. And yet, you don’t have to bend to mine.”
“Need I remind you that you kidnapped my niece?”
“And need I remind you that you married my sister when she didn’t want it?”
Marco clenches his jaw. “Ciara and I love each other now.”
“And I care for Arianna. You can grow but I’m not allowed to? How is that fucking fair?”
“Just kill Josh. And then we can move past this. I’ll never come for you again. I’ll tell my brother that you’re not a terrible man and that his daughter is safe. All will be well. We’ll have peace. That’s it.”
“I just have to let you control me. If I do this, then you have to give me your word. I do this one thing and then we’re done. You never try and control my life ever again. And I won’t come for you. And that will be that.”
Marco glares at me for a long moment before nodding. “Deal.” He extends his hand out to me.
I hate this with every fiber of my being but I have to do what’s right… for Arianna. I take Marco’s hand and I shake it.
It’s not hard to find Josh. He’s at his apartment, drinking beer and playing a video game. I watch him from the window. The bastard doesn’t even know I’m here to kill him.
I have to learn to let my anger go and this is the only way to do it.
I pick the front lock and step inside. Josh doesn’t see me at first. That gives me the chance to walk over to him. When he finally does see me, he scrambles to his feet. “Cormac. What are you doing here? How did you get in?”
“You’ve been messing with Marco Amato, haven’t you?”
“Of course. I fucking hate the mafia, just like you do. I figured I could steal some money from him.”
“Well, he wants you dead, Josh.”
Josh’s face blanches. “What?”
“He wants you dead. He wants me to be the one to do it.”
Josh scoffs. “That’s fucking crazy. You would never kill me. Not when we’re friends.”
“We’re no longer friends. Not after how you treated Arianna.”
“You mean that bitch?”
I grab his shirt and yank him towards me. The small whine that escapes him makes him seem even more pathetic. “Never speak of my wife again. You need to die so I can have a future with her.”
“You’re going to do what Marco wants? You’re going to let the fucking mafia control you?”
“If it means seeing my wife again, then yes. She’s the only good thing to happen to me in a long time.
I’m not going to lose her, especially for you.
So you’re going to die and I’m going to find happiness and I’m going to let my anger go.
It’s the only way.” The truth of this settles inside my stomach. I want that. Pure happiness.
And I want it with Arianna.
If this is the way to get it, then so be it.
I shove Josh back so hard, he falls onto the floor. That’s when I pull my gun out and aim it at his head.
His eyes widen. “No. Please!”
I don’t hesitate to shoot him in the head. Josh slumps onto the ground, the life leaving his eyes.
I call Marco. “It’s done. Have someone deal with the mess. I’m not going to.”
“Fair enough. You did the right thing, Cormac. Now I know I can trust you more.”
“Just leave me alone from now on and I’ll do the same. I won’t interfere with you and Ciara. I’m happy with Arianna. I won’t hurt her. Make sure her father knows that. And we’re done now. Don’t ever think about controlling me again.”
“I won’t. Just as long as you never come for me again.”
“I won’t,” I spit out, feeling anger course through me. But as soon as the anger hits me, it fades. It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. All the pain and anger I was holding onto for Marco is… gone.
I have something else to live for beyond revenge. I have someone to live for.
Arianna has shown me what kindness and forgiveness is. I want that in my life. I need that in my life.
I walk out of Josh’s house, leaving his body behind. Leaving the past behind.
I arrive back at my apartment, ready to start my new life with Arianna.
But the moment I step out of my car, I hear a loud bang and then feel an intense hot pain shoot up my shoulder. I stumble forward before turning around.
Antonio. He’s here, in the parking garage, holding a gun.
“I have to save my daughter,” he says with a panic in his eyes. “I can’t let you remain married to her.” He shoots at me again but I dive out of the way. I run around the side of the car and tackle Antonio before he can shoot at me again. I punch him in the temple.
“What are you doing?” It’s Arianna’s voice.
Whirling around, I see her standing there, her car keys in hand. “Cormac?”
I open my mouth to explain when I suddenly feel woozy. It’s then I remember the gunshot to my shoulder. I slump forward as a darkness overtakes me.
The last thing I see is Arianna’s face hovering over me, like the angel she is.