XIV

"As much as I would love to, I have a game to play." He announces, motioning to the elevator that opens on cue. A group of men in tuxedos march out, all clutching drinks in their hands.

I take this as my cue to leave and follow James to the bar. I look over my shoulder for a moment and see them setting up for poker. "Promise that you will get me drunk." James says as I turn my head back to him. "Haha, I promise." I reply.

We each order a shot of tequila and cheers. Every now and then I turn my head to watch the poker for a little while. I watch as a man tosses a $10,000 chip into the pot.

Marco's rich anyways, what's the point of playing for money?

I begin to step forward when my gaze falls on the cards in Marco's hands. I quickly calculate his odds in my head. He throws down three cards and I gasp in my head. b"Risk taker, are you?" I ask, feeling the alcohol begin to have it's effect on my body. His voice comes out strong. "And you're not?" He replies with a smirk.

He draws three new cards and flashes me his hand. I see that he's pulled two ace's and a 10 from the risky draw, giving him a full house.

"Bet for me." He orders. He glances over to me, power, fierce and unyielding, radiates from him. I take a breath and focus on the cards. Taking a chance, I lean over and push all his chips forward. My hair brushes over his cheek for a brief moment and we both tense.

"500,000 dollars." The dealer calls out. The rest of the players quickly fold and the dealer passes the mound of chips back to Marco. He turns to me, shooting me an impressed look. "I will say, bella, I didn't think you had it in you." He says, chuckling softly. "Don't ever underestimate me." I reply, confiscating his drink from him and taking a sip of it. He takes a long, lingering look at me.

The chair beside Marco begins to decline as a man gets up from it. "Nice win, big guy. Now how do you feel about sharing your lady luck with the rest of us?" The man proposes.

"What makes you think I share?" Marco replies, the flat, dangerous tone in his voice making me shiver. "Ever heard sharing is caring?" The man asks, pushing his body over the table. "Ever felt my fist on your jaw?" Marco replies, they both laugh quietly but Marco does not look impressed.

Oblivious to how much danger he's in, rich guy leers at me and pats his thigh. "Come on, sweetheart. I can pay double what he's paying." He proposes. "I doubt you could afford it." I reply.

"You can't talk to me that way! Do you know who I am?!" He asks, nose flaring in ferocity. I swirl my drink around in it's glass and take another sip. "No and I don't really care." I reply, totally unbothered.

"Shut your mouth, you whore!" He yells.

Suddenly, anger gets the best of me and I rise from the leather chair I was slumped down on. In one swift moment, I yank the man away from the chair and smash his face onto the table. "Fuck you." I yell, grabbing him by the head and smashing his face into the table again.

Blood spews from his nose and mouth all over the table. I watch in entertainment as he raised his hand to his face before pulling something from his mouth.

"MY TEETH!" He yells, raising a handful of them in horror. I laugh before sitting back down again, casually. I glance over at the dealer who picks up the bloodied man and carries him out of the room. The other men look at me in disapproval and hurry out of the room, closely behind the dealer. Marco chuckles and shakes his head.

"I will admit, he deserved it." He says almost approvingly. I don't bother replying before James stumbles over, knocking over various objects on the way.

The three of us spend an hour together in the VIP room, drinking, talking, and finally relaxing after this eventful day. I finish my fourth glass of whiskey and can feel the alcohol having it's way with my body. James is too busy flirting with the waitress to care about anything else and Marco is barely drinking. The waitress appears with another tray of drinks and I lean forward to grab another one but Marco's powerful hand stops me.

"No." He commands, snatching the drink from the tray and clutching it in his hand. "Hahaha boring, your not my dad" I say, laughing my head off for some reason. "How many have you had" He asks. "I don't know like five." I reply, standing up and trying not to trip over my own feet. "Five what?" He asks. I ignore his question and make my way over to James. Marco sighs and follows. Suddenly I feel like I am about to throw up so slip out of the room to get a glass of water.

I walk back onto the casino floor, kicking off my heels and carrying them in my sweaty hands. I stumble over to the bar to get a glass of water and right when i'm about to take a seat, a man gets up from the stool on the right and intercepts me.

"Hey." He says. "Heyyy." I reply, not even bothering to look at who it is. He goes silent for a moment and I look up at him confused, struggling to make out his features. "Who are you?" I ask. The man lowers his voice to a whisper, and i'm forced to lean in and listen.

"It's me David. I'm in disguise." He announces.

Oh my god it really is him! It's David Logan. If Marco sees me with the detective who convinced me to betray him five years ago, we're both dead!

I notice he's wearing a white button-down, half untucked in his black trousers. His sleeves are folded and pushed past his elbows. "You can't be here David!" I shout, downing water in attempt to sober up. "It's urgent, Milana. Can we talk?" He asks.

My mouth falls open slightly and I try to contain the anger I feel. "Are you insane?! If Marco sees us together, he's going to think I plan on betraying him - again!" I yell a lot louder than expected. I glance around nervously as David takes a seat at the bar, looking unperturbed.

"Relax and sit down. You're drawing attention to yourself." He speaks with an eerily calm sense to his voice. I squint my eyes at him. "David, I wont betray Marco." I snap. He rolls his sleeves up further past his elbow and presses his hand to his forehead. "I wouldn't ask you to." He replies, stretching his left arm out.

"You mean not again." I snap. He rotates his body so that he is now completely facing me. "Since you keep mentioning what happened five years ago, do you mind telling me what the hell you're doing back?" He asks eagerly.

"I told you I'd come back one day." I mention. David stares at me for a moment, unblinking, chest rising and falling. "So what, you're back in the family business?" He questions. I take another cautious look around, then sit on the stool next to David's.

"That's none of your concern. What are you doing here?" I ask in confusion and indignation. "Do you know Luca Martínez?" He questions.

I uncomfortably shift in my seat and remember the night at the butchers shop. "Maybe." I reply, trying hard not to give anything away. "He's a dangerous man, Milana, and he's put a hit on you." He announces. I look at him impassively for a few seconds. "Why would he do that?" I ask.

"I suspect he's had a working relationship with your uncle, who most likely wants you dead." He addresses. I cock an eyebrow at him, pretending not to care but David smiles knowingly. "I have it on good authority that Luca Martínez is not happy your in New York." He explains. "Your concern is touching, but my people are watching my back." I say with a smile.

"You have a spy in your midst, Milana. Someone close to you is working with Luca" He informs. I think for a moment, thinking about what has happened the past few days. "Who? Nico?" I question, unsure on whether to believe David or not. "Your fathers right hand? I know he served Tony with loyalty." He explains.

I run my hands through my hair and scrunch up my plastic cup. I cup my face in my hands and let out a deep sigh. "So I keep hearing." I reply to his previous statement. "Do you think he has any reason to betray you?" He asks.

Maybe he wants to get rid of me and seize control of the Mafia.

"Is this man bothering you again, bella?" A voice behind me asks.

I don't even have to turn around to know who the voice belongs to. I turn to David and shoot him a hateful glare then shake my head, tossing the scrunched up cup over the bar. My face emits a sweet smile when I turn around to face Marco.

"No Marco, it's okay." I say in exhaustion.

David stands up and begins walking over towards the door. Marco bumps into him with force when they pass each other. "Watch it." Marco snaps. "Sorry." David replies apprehensively.

Marco follows David with his gaze until he exits the casino, then he turns his attention to me. I look around the room, looking anywhere except in Marco's eyes. "Im drunk and tired, I'm going to bed." I announce. With a knot in my stomach, I walk quickly to the elevators without waiting for an answer.

As soon as I arrive back up to the penthouse, I practically rip off my clothes and immediately stumble into the shower without closing the door behind me. I begin to relax as I feel the lukewarm water run through my hair and over my body.

I hear some footsteps coming from outside but do not react or think anything of it. I'm facing the wall and scrubbing down my legs when I'm suddenly pinned against the wall from behind. He leans close to whisper in my ear.

"Why did you speak to that cop?"

Gathering all my strength I grab Marcos arm and twist it. He gasps in pain and pushes me harder up against the wall from behind, forcing my completely naked ass to dig into his crotch.

"It's not what you think." I reply.

"You think you're so smart, huh? I know who he is. I have his ID." He explains.

"Listen-"

"How can I trust you when all you do is lie to me?" He asks aggressively. I tilt my head up and take a few breaths before responding. "David Logan was here to warn me." I explain, still roughly pressed up against the wall. "You're lying". He assumes.

I flip my hair across my shoulder to get it out of my face for a moment and pause before replying. "Am I?" I question. Marco's hands find my throat and tighten around it as I feel his cock pressing up against my back.

"What the hell does he want with you?" Marco whispers in my ear. I look over my shoulder and lock eyes with him for a moment, my ass still pressed into him. "He said someone close to me is working with Martínez." I explain, attempting to wiggle free from his grip.

He fights my thrashes, wrapping his strong arms around my waist to keep me tame.

"How could he possibly know that?" He asks, waiting for an answer. I shrug and attempt to break free from his grip again. "The question is, Lana. Should I trust you?" He questions.

"Yes, you bastard! I haven't given you a single reason not to trust me since I came back!" I yell as my eyes begin to burn from all of the water flooding into them. "Until tonight." He states.

"You have serious trust issues, Marco." I say, trying to make a point. "And I only have you to blame for that." He replies.

Marco turns me around to face his furious gaze and I fight against his grip, but his hand is like a vice. "I'm not going to apologise to you." I clarify. "I don't want you to. Fuck. I don't want anything from you." He addresses.

I pause for a moment and smile.

"Tell that to your little friend. You can't even keep it in your pants." I joke. We both look down at the same time but he grabs my head and holds it up. "Your imagining things." He snaps back. "Really? Then why have you been hard since you had me by the neck?" I ask innocently.

"This, you mean."

Marco pulls me towards him. I gasp, and he immediately fills my mouth with his tongue. I manage to resist for all but two seconds before twining my tongue with his, battling for dominance. Marco releases me, and I pull him under the water stream. His clothes get soaking wet, tightly pulling against his lean body.

"Why don't you trust me?" I ask, breaking the kiss and steadying my breathing. "I should, shouldn't I?" He replies.

Marco's lips inch closer to mine, slightly parted and ready to attack. His eyes are filled with lust, a reflection of my own. I suddenly place a palm flat on his chest and push it to create some distance.

"Yes, you should trust me. And, since you don't, the least you could do is let me finish this damn shower in peace." I snap.

Marco throws me a frustrated glance, and then exits the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

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