I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing thoughts. The revelation about Vanessa and Marco’s involvement in my failed marriage left me reeling, but there was something else gnawing at me,
“You said weapons.“I met his gaze. “What kind?”
“The kind that could level city blocks.” Marco’s jaw tightened. “They’re not just targeting your family anymore. They want to make a statement.”
“And what statement is that?”
“That no one is untouchable.” He ran a hand through his hair. I paced the room, my heels clicking against the hardwood floor. “My father needs to know about this.”
“Your father already knows.”
I froze. “What?”
do…
“Why d
you think he agreed to our arrangement so quickly?” Marco’s words hit like a punch to the gut. “He knows what’s coming. He knows you need protection.”
“So everyone’s been lying to me?” The laugh that escaped my throat was bitter. “Perfect. Just perfect.”
“Not lying. Protecting.”
“Stop saying that!” I spun to face him. “I’m not some delicate flower that needs protecting. I’ve been handling family business since I was eighteen.”
“And you’ve done it brilliantly.” Marco stepped closer. “But this is different. The Kabbaros and Riccis together? With Alexander feeding them information about Romano operations for years? They know too much.”
I thought about all the meetings I’d attended with Alex, all the documents he’d seen, the conversations he’d overheard. My stomach churned.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Marco’s silence spoke volumes
“Marco.”
“They have proof.” His voice was low. “Documents linking your father to certain operations from fifteen years ago. The kind that could put him away for life.”
The room tilted. Fifteen years ago – the expansion period. When our family rose to prominence. When competitors started disappearing.
“How did they-”
“Alexander wasn’t just your husband.” Marco’s expression darkened. “He was their inside man from the beginning. Everything was calculated.”
|
I sank into the leather chair, my fingers gripping the armrests. “Five years. Five years of my life wasted on a lie.”
Miða Quemi Engaged to. The Lion
“Not wasted.” Marco knelt before me, his hands covering mine. “You survived. You grew stronger.”
“Did I?” The words came out as a whisper. “Because right now I feel like a fool.”
“Look at me.” When I didn’t, Marco’s hand cupped my chin. “You’re Isabella Romano. The woman who walked away from her family’s protection to build her own life. The woman who faced betrayal and still stands tall.”
His touch sent warmth through my skin, but I pulled away. “And now I’m right back where I started. Making deals.
Playing games.”
“This isn’t a game.”
“Then what is it?” I stood, needing space between us. “You show up with this marriage proposal, claiming it’s for protection. But you knew about Alex, about the weapons, about everything. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Would you have believed me?” Marco’s question hung in the air. “If I’d approached you a month ago Information, would you have trusted me?”
with this
He had a point. I’d been so wrapped up in my perfect life, my perfect husband. The truth would have seemed impossible
“What happens now?”
“Now?” Marco pulled out his phone, showing me a series of messages. “We move fast. The Kabbaros are
meeting with their suppliers tomorrow night. If we can intercept that shipment-”
“We could delay their plans.” I leaned closer, studying the details. “But they’ll have security”
“They will.” A small smile played at his lips. “That’s why we’re not going alone.”
“We?”
“Unless you’d rather sit this one out?”
The challenge in his voice sparked something in me – a fire I thought I’d lost. “I’m in.”
Marco’s eyes held mine, and for a moment, I saw something there beyond business, beyond strategy. But he
blinked and it was gone.
“Good. We leave at midnight.”
I checked my watch – 11:45 PM. The weight of my father’s old Beretta pressed against my lower back as I slipped on a black leather jacket
“You ready?” Marco appeared in my doorway, dressed in dark clothing that highlighted his broad shoulders.
“Born ready.” I pulled my hair into a tight ponytail. “Where are we meeting your team?”
“No team.” He checked his phone. “Just us.”
“What?” I stared at him. “You said we weren’t going alone
H
“I said we’re not going alone. Different thing.” A ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Trust me?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Always.”
The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard. Since discovering Alex’s betrayal, trust felt like a foreign concept. Yet here was Marco, offering it freely.
We took his car – a sleek black Audi that purred to life. The city lights blurred past as he navigated through empty streets. Neither of us spoke, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
“The meeting’s at the old shipping yard,” Marco finally said, turning onto a dark road. “They think they’re safe there because the Romanos never operated in that territory.”
“But you do?”
“Let’s just say I have friends in interesting places.
I studied his profile in the dim light. “You’re not what you seem, are you?”
“None of us are, Isabella.” He parked behind an abandoned warehouse. “That’s the first rule of survival in our
world.”
The distant sound of waves lapping against concrete filled the air as we stepped out. Marco reached into the trunk and pulled out two bulletproof vests
“Put this on.”
“I thought we were just gathering intel.”
“Rule two – always be prepared for the worst.” He helped me adjust the straps. His fingers brushed my neck, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.
“And rule three?” I whispered
Marco’s eyes met mine, dark and intense. “Never let emotions cloud your judgment.
But as he said it, I noticed his hand lingered longer than necessary on my shoulder. Maybe I wasn’t the only one struggling with that rule.
I crouched behind a stack of shipping containers, my heart pounding against my vest. Marco pressed close. beside me, his breath warm against my ear as he whispered.
“Two guards at the entrance. Three more inside according to my contact.”
“How do you know all this?” I kept my voice low
“I have my ways.” His hand brushed mine as he reached for something in his jacket “Stay here. I’ll create a distraction.”
“Like hell I will.” I grabbed his arm. “I didn’t come here to watch from the sidelines.”
A flash of admiration crossed his face. “You really are something else, Isabella.”
*Save the compliments for when we’re not about to crash a weapons deal”
Movement caught my eye – a sleek black car pulling up to the warehouse. Through the darkness, I made out Shanya’s distinctive silhouette stepping out, followed by two burly men
“That’s not just any weapons dealer,” Marco murmured. “That’s Viktor Petrov. He doesn’t usually handle deals personally.”
“Then why is he here?”
“Because this is bigger than we thought.” Marco’s jaw tightened. “The Kabbaros aren’t just buying weapons. They’re forming an alliance with the Russians.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. The Russians controlled the entire East Coast weapons trade. If they joined forces with the Kabbaros and Riccis….
“We need to get closer,” I said “Hear what they’re saying.”
Marco nodded, leading us through the shadows toward a side entrance. Each step felt like walking on razor’s
edge, knowing one wrong move could expose us.
The warehouse door was cracked open, voices drifting out in hushed tones. I caught fragments of conversation. numbers, dates, locations. Then Shanya’s voice, clear and cold
“Once the shipment arrives next week, we move on the Romanos. All of them.”
