I’m just not sure how easy that’s going to be.
Chapter Thirteen
Marco
“You’re back early,” Patrick says to me when me and Ciara meet up with him at his house. “You were supposed to stay in Italy longer.”
“Cormac happened,” Ciara explains. “He tried killing Marco. I stopped it.”
Patrick does a double take at her words. “He did what?”
“He tried killing Marco. You need to get him under control. I don’t want him to ruin his life because of this. We came back early because we thought it would be safer. You can keep Cormac in line.”
“I’ve always struggled to keep your brother in line.”
“If it means his life or his death, then you better try,” I say. Patrick’s eyes tighten. Clearly he doesn’t like being told what to do. “Ciara and I are back now. I’m ready for you to hold your end of the deal up. Let’s go after Enzo Bianchi and Will Taylor.”
“I’ve been doing some digging into them while you were gone. I know Will likes to frequent this one restaurant. We can ambush him there. Grab him and get him to tell us where Enzo is. Then we’ll kill them both and take over this city.”
“That’s exactly what I want.”
Ciara looks between me and her dad with an uncertain expression on her face. After we leave her father’s house, she says to me, “Is this really smart? Going after other mafia men? I mean… couldn’t you die doing that?”
“You wanted me dead at one point.”
“And I saved you from my brother so I think I’ve shown I don’t want you dead now.”
I can’t stop the urge to push her hair behind her ear. To my surprise, she leans into my touch. “I have to do this, Ciara. I have to.”
“You sound like you’re so obsessed over killing both of those men when you could gain power another way that doesn’t involve death. That doesn’t involve a war.”
“You really don’t want me to die, do you?” I ask softly. The memory of putting my mouth between Ciara’s legs returns. I want nothing more than to claim her body but I never thought I would have her mind too. I didn’t let myself care about another woman after I lost Gianna to Will but with Ciara, I could finally have the perfect woman I’ve been looking for.
“Not anymore,” she whispers.
This changes everything between us. I’m starting to see that I can trust Ciara. Can I really be happy for once in my life?
I’m not sure of the answer and that terrifies me.
Ciara
Making good on his word, Marco and I make an effort to focus on our marriage by going on a date. I can tell he’s antsy and wants to go after Enzo but he knows he can’t right this moment. I try not to let that sting. Does my husband care more about revenge than spending time with me? I know we married for political reasons and not love but I’ve let Marco touch me in a way no one ever has before. That means something.
We settle in at our table at the fine, French restaurant he took me to.
“Not an Italian one?” I ask.
“Despite being Italian, I don’t only eat Italian food. Sometimes French food will suffice.”
I smile. “Thank you. For going on this date with me.”
“It’s the least I can do. You did save me from your brother after all. And… I know you want to make this marriage work. I also don’t want to be miserable so I’m happy to work at it too.”
“Thank you,” I repeat, feeling a sense of warmth spread throughout my body. Can I actually be happy with Marco? That thought brings me comfort.
Marco orders our food effortlessly, speaking in French. It’s sexy, I’ll be honest. His handsome face shines more when he looks relaxed and not so tense. It’s wild for me to think that I wanted him dead at one point. Now, I can’t even imagine it.
“I guess we should get to know one another,” I say while we wait for our food.
