XV

Fluttering my eyes open, the brightness of the sun causes my head to throb. I am not surprised when I notice Marco is nowhere to be seen. I groan and reach over to the nightstand to grab a glass of water when I catch sight of him exiting the bathroom.

"You were right." He says. I glide my tongue along my top lip and tilt my head to the side. "About what?" I ask groggily. "I had Nico followed and you were right to not trust him - he's the spy." He explains.

"How do you know?" I ask. "My men followed him to a warehouse. He's right there now, waiting for Martínez to arrive." He reports.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

***

Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the warehouse. Marco reaches into his pocket and draws out his gun. I follow his lead and take out mine. "This is where the meeting should take place. Stay behind me." He demands. I walk behind Marco making a mental note to punish him later for bossing me around. We both keep silent as we advance through the warehouse. We turn a corner and spot Nico with a stranger whose passing him a small package.

We run towards them but the stranger slips out through the back entrance before we reach him. Nico turns around looking nervous to see me. "Who was that?" I ask Nico, trying to stay calm and not beat the shit out of him. "What are you doing here, Milana?" He interrogates, completely dodging my question. "Get on your knees and put your hands on your head." I demand.

Nico shakes his head in panic but does what he's told. He's on his knees when I approach him with a cold look smearing on my face. "Are you working against me?" I question. "No! Of course not!" He yells, trying to save himself from fatality. Nico keeps his head down and Marco approaches him from the other side. "I think its time I took control of the situation." He suggests. "Do it." I snap.

I don't look away when Marco throws a few punches at Nico. Nico tries to get up, but Marco forces him back on his knees. I lean down and grab Nico by the shirt, pulling him up so that is face is level with mine.

"Speak Nico. Or I swear to fuck I'll kill you." I yell, throwing him onto the floor. He sits up and raises his hands. "I'm not working against you!" He yells back, coughing and panting away. "Then tell me what you're doing here." I command.

"I know Marco killed Tony." He announces with a slight stutter. With shaking hands, Nico holds up the package. "And now I've got the proof."

I snatch the package away and stare at it for a few moments before showing it to Marco. "It's a photograph of us and Tony the night he died." I explain. I look at Nico for a few seconds. Then I hand him back the picture. He starts shaking his head in disbelief. "You two killed Tony?" He asks.

"I did." Marco steps in.

"Because I asked him to." I add.

"How could you do this to your own Uncle?" Nico asks in disbelief. "You mean the uncle who hunted me down like a dog for the past five years?" I snap. Nico gets up on shaking legs, looking at me with intense horror in his eyes. "But he was our Don!" He yells, furiously. "Not anymore." I mutter, rolling my eyes in Nico's direction.

"No... I-I cant work for you anymore." Nico announces before turning and walking hastily towards the back exit. "Nico. Keep your mouth shut. If you ever tell a soul I will hunt you down." I threaten. "And kill me like you did Tony?" He yells back, turning around for a moment.

"No. But I'll make you wish you were dead." I let anger burn though my body as I stare Nico down. He nods and leaves through the back door. Marco grabs my arm gently and turns me around to face him.

"Luca is planning something big. He must've hoped this picture would cause a riot inside your family." He says. "Yeah." I agree. He leads me out of the building and we head back.

***

After a very stressful day, we finally arrive back at Marco's penthouse. Marco unbuttons the top buttons off his shirt and collapses onto the bed. "Move. I'm tired." I say. He ignores me in defiance so I push him roughly down on the bed and straddle him, pinning him down by the wrists. "Move." I repeat. "Make me" He replies, a hint of playfulness ringing throughout his words.

"You know what, challenge accepted." I answer. Marco looks amused as I take off his tie and use it to bind his hands to the bedpost. "I'll wipe that smug smile off your face soon." I express. "And how will you do that?" He asks.

I pop the buttons on his shirt. Then run my fingernails down his chest, enjoying the feeling of his toned muscles. I start grinding myself against him, feeling his erection grow and my own need pooling between my legs.

"I always get what I want, Marco."

"Because your a spoiled princess used to getting it her way?" He asks, distracted by my rough hip movements. "Yes. And I will get it my way, no matter how hard you fight"

"Want to bet?" He asks.

I continue slowly grinding on top of Marco, watching his face at every moment. I slide the strap to my top over my shoulder, exposing part of my bra.

"Anything you want to say to me?" I ask.

"You're killing me." He announces.

Just when his breathing becomes unbearably erratic, I stop and pull myself up. "What are you doing?" He asks. "What does it look like?" I reply.

I get up from the bed and readjust my bra, pushing up my boobs in the progress. I look over at him on the bed, helpless and panting with need. He snaps his hands out of the tie, breaking loose with ease. He snorts with exasperation while sliding his shirt back on. I let out a small laugh as Marco pats the empty spot next to him on the bed. I ignore his invitation and stride off to the bathroom. When i'm back, Marco's scrolling lazily on his phone.

BANG! BANG!

"What the fuck?!" I yell as glass and wood shatter and fly all over the room. Gunshots ring throughout the entire building.

"DOWN!" Marco yells, twisting me around to protect me with his body. "It must be Martínez's men." I whisper. He nods in agreement and picks his gun off of the nightstand.

I cover my head with my hands as I surreptitiously assess the danger. I look around and notice Marco is no longer with me. He's now creeping carefully towards the door. "Stay there, Milana. I'll handle it." He says as he releases the safety of the gun. "You and I both know that's not gonna happen." I reply, following him to the door. I hear muffled yells from outside the door, and my body begins to shake uncontrollably

Marco opens the door slightly and takes a quick look, left and right. Then ducks back inside, closing the door. "Attackers stopped shooting but their searching the rooms." He explains, voice cool and composed. He turns around to face me and cups my head in his hands. "Listen to me. Do not stop running until we are out. Okay?!" He says harshly.

There's not a single trace of that flirty smile when he looks at me now. Marco is deadly serious. "Do you understand?" He asks. "You don't need to boss me around all the time but fine." I reply. Marco grabs my hand and tugs me along with him. He peeks through the door again, hiding me behind his back. Once sure it's safe, he steps out. In the hallway, Marco doesn't waste time. He glances around and then moves us both towards the back door.

"This way." He instructs, my trained senses running wild. We finally reach the back door. Suddenly, a strange feeling in my gut makes me turn my head left. Just in time to notice one of the thugs aiming his gun at Marco, about to pull the trigger. I stop dead in my tracks, deciding.

"Die!" The thug calls out.

I almost hear him pull the trigger and don't even think before I throw myself into Marco will all my might, pushing him away.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

We both fall into the nook of a door, hidden from the sight of the attacker. The gunshots stop, but now heavy footsteps approach. Without thinking, I roll over Marco and squat, searching for weapons.

I grab a large shard of glass and, as soon as the attacker shows up, pierce it through his hand. The glass completely penetrates the skin, creating an extensive hole in his fleshy hand. A small stream of blood runs down the hand and drips onto the floor. The gun drops as he cries out in pain.

"Go to hell!" I yell, picking up the gun. The next moment, a body pushes past me, directly towards the attacker. Marco shoves into the man, crushing him into the wall. The men exchange quick hits but with a right hook to the throat, the thug comes crashing down onto the floor. I hold the gun to his head and watch as the man curls up into a ball on the floor.

"Take that, fucker." Marco yells to the attacker. His eyes close as he lays down flat on his face. Marco turns to me, breathing heavily. I step closer, inspecting him. At that moment, I glance over his shoulder, and down the hallway, I see another man. The gun in his hands is aimed at Marco's back.

"Cortez!" The intruder yells. I level the revolver in my hand at the intruders chest and without thinking, pull the trigger, sending a bullet through the flesh in his thigh. The blood came thick and strong, flowing down his leg as he clutches the wound in agony.

My eyes instantly divert to the open window, the fire escape providing me with some type of solace. Before anymore attackers can run at us, I quickly pry the door open with a metal rod and we leap out of the building.

What the fuck just happened?!

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