"But Matt's achooch."
Markie arched an eyebrow.
"A loser," I clarified. Not quite what it meant, but close enough.
We stopped by The Pelican, Markie got the keys from Ariana, and then we drove to their apartment. I helped Markie with her luggage, while Bones checked out her apartment.
"You guys want something to eat?" she asked, heading for the kitchen. "I'm gonna make myself a grilled cheese."
We declined. I would have loved to hang out and eat sandwiches with Markie, but Father would no doubt have Tech tracking our progress. I didn't want him to see the Hummer parked in front of her building for too long. While she was in the kitchen I scanned the apartment, finding it clean of any unexpected devices. Bones slipped out the door to give us some privacy.
Markie filled the sink with soapy water and started dumping dishes in while her sandwich was grilling.
She spun around and leaned against the counter, looking up at me. "This was the best weekend of my life. Thank you, Angel."
She tugged a rubber band off her wrist and put her hair up into a messy bun. Little wisps escaped the sides and fell back against her cheeks. She blew them out of her face and dumped a few more dishes into the sink.
My conscience kept tugging me toward the door, reminding me the right thing to do was to leave, delete her number, and forget her. Markie was a good girl who didn't need to be wrapped up in my family's mess. We'd danced, we'd kissed, we'd fucked, and now it was time to end the fantasy and get back to reality. A stronger man would have done the right thing, but I wasn't that man. I was weak, and Markie was my strength. I breathed in deeply, and let the tropical scent of her invade my common sense. I couldn't walk away.
I tucked a few stray hairs behind her ears, letting my hand linger against her face. Eyes bright and full of passion, she stared at me. I leaned in and covered her mouth with mine. Warmth exploded on my lips and spread through my entire body. Her arms wrapped around me, and she pressed in, opening her lips to me. As I explored her mouth, my hands roamed, sliding down her back and to her waist. I instantly grew hard. My hands slid up her shirt, but Markie broke away and rested her forehead on my collar bone.
"There's something I need to tell you, Angel," she said, her voice somber.
"Okay?"
"I really can't stay in Vegas." Her chest expanded as she sucked in air. She took a step back, putting distance between us I couldn't seem to breach. "This weekend was incredible, but it doesn't change anything. I don't want to hurt you, so I need to make sure you understand that."
Regardless, her words did hurt. And they pissed me off. "Why do you have to leave?" I asked.
"I don't want to talk about it. Just know that it's unavoidable. I couldn't get out of it if I wanted to."
What the fuck?
"How long do you have here?"
She frowned. "I'm not sure. I never expected this. Never expected you. I'm sorry. I..." Tears flooded her eyes and she turned her back on me. "I need to get to these dishes. Will you please lock the door on your way out?"
"That's it?" I asked. "You're just kicking me out?"
Her shoulders shook with a sob. Straightening, she let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. I should have done it a long time ago. I'm sorry."
"Markie, whatever this is, tell me. We can get through it."
She looked at me over her shoulder and shook her head. "No. We really can't. I told you from the beginning, and the longer we do this, the harder it's going to be. On both of us. I'm sorry, Angel. Please go." It was barely more than a whisper, yet it shattered me like a roar.
"Yeah. Me too." Pissed and frustrated, I fled from the apartment.
The one person who made me feel like I was something more than a mob boss's son had rejected me. My chest hurt so damn bad I wanted to punch something. Vacation was over, and I was back to business as usual.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Angel
AFTER BONES AND I filled my father in on our San Diego trip and everything that had transpired between me and Markie, he asked Bones what we thought Markie was up to.
Bones shrugged. "I've been trying to figure that out, Boss. The broad seems genuine, but I don't know. The way she's been brushin' Angel off... Never seen anything like it. Could be she's an undercover cop or a mole for one of the families who caught a feeling and now she's tryin' to back out of it."
Father nodded and looked to me. "What do you think?"
