Page 25 of The Forever One
CHAPTERTWELVE
MARCO
Throughout the night, I have to pull River into my arms as she whimpers and cries out obscenities at her inner demons. Those same demons are the reason I can’t sleep and every so often, my wife wakes and takes comfort in my love.
It’s morning and we’ve showered, deciding we should finally get some food in us.
“You said something a while back about the first time you saw me. It didn’t make sense then, but I’m guessing it will once you explain it to me.” River is sitting cross-legged on the couch, a plate stacked with waffles bathed in syrup and whipped cream resting on her thighs as she cuts into them and takes a forkful into her mouth. I’m content just watching her stuff her mouth like a kid at Christmas as I sip at my espresso. I have missed real coffee and no matter how hard we try to make our coffee exactly the way we’ve had it served here in Italy, it just doesn’t work out that way.
“You probably don’t remember me, but the first time I saw you was like a brick house fell on my head.” I take a sip and push back a chuckle at River’s answering facial expression.
“Lovely. So, seeing me was like getting a concussion?” She’s talking while chewing, whipped cream on her lips and waffle dough in her teeth. My gaze darts to her plate and there are a thousand things I’d rather be doing with her food and she picks up on it. “Down, boy. I need sustenance. You have to feed me if you want to keep making me come. It’s the law.” Cocking her head to the side, she looks like she’s five years old with her bright eyes and goofy grin. My happiness is short lived, the gash on her cheek bringing my anger back tenfold.
“Does it hurt?” I nod to her cut, but she just waves her hand at me and pins me with her death glare.
“Do not deflect, Marco. I asked you a question and you’re being all romantic about ‘oh you hit me like a ton of bricks’ blah blah blah.” Her index finger points at my face and her lips pucker into a pout as she adds, “Spill.”
Leaning in, I kiss the top of her head and rise to my feet. I’m going to need more coffee if we plan on emptying our bags right away.
“Our families had planned for us to be united. The two most powerful families in New York, one of which had a strong following in Italy, would be impossible to take down once united.” I wait for the machine to fill the bottom third of my espresso cup with a ristretto before continuing. “My mother and your father were childhood friends. When he met your mother, he realized that he didn’t want anything to do with the family business, the life. But…” Sipping at my coffee, I take a second before turning her entire world upside down. “In our world, you’re either in or you’re dead.”
River’s head snaps to the side, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. “You mean, it’s like in the movies? If you want to leave, it’s in a coffin?”
I shrug, “It’s the only way to survive, to make sure those who want to leave can’t talk.”
“So, my father was risking his life every day?” She gulps a mouthful of waffles down, her happiness faded a little.
“Yeah, but our families understood and let it slide. The problem is that the threat of you taking over one day and forming this unbreakable alliance, well, it was still very much alive.” River takes her plate and puts it on the coffee table before she curls up in my arms, listening to the story of her life. “Your grandparents had a huge party and they begged your father to bring you. At seventeen, you were close to being your own woman and able to choose your own path. They probably threatened him or promised him it would be the last time or something, I don’t know, but he brought you to the party.”
“It was the night of the accident.” Her voice is barely audible, her hand on my chest and fingers curling into my cotton robe.
“Yes. You see, that night, my parents wanted me to meet you and see if we hit it off. I told them to forget it, I wasn’t checking out a seventeen-year-old to see if I wanted to marry her. Lina was just turning seventeen and any man my age looking at her as a trophy wife would make me murderous.”
“I don’t think we stayed very long. I don’t remember seeing anyone, really. I remember seeing my grandparents, but I wasn’t allowed to speak to them much.” I rub a soothing hand up and down River’s arm, nodding at her comment, even though she can’t see me.
“Your father probably made them promise not to, he didn’t want you anywhere near this life. He was trying desperately to protect you.”
Fuck, I understand his need.
“I guess it didn’t work out the way he wanted.”
“No, Tesoro, it didn’t. You see, that night wasn’t an accident and you weren't supposed to survive it either. When Nathaniel came to us with his plan to get revenge on you, I had an investigator check you out. At first, it was to protect Nate from himself. I thought if I could make you disappear, it would appease this crazy notion he had and we’d get our friend back. But the more he started digging, the more I realized who you were, and Tyler beat me to it. That fucker…” I kiss River on the top of her head, inhaling the scent of whatever essential oil she chose to use this morning. “Figured he could protect you by hiring you, keep you close, being the control freak he is.” River glares at me with a raised brow. “More than me, yes. Trust me, he’s not one to delegate.”
“Fair enough. Continue, please.”
“So, I had to bide my time, and in doing so, I dug up all the information I could, including the fact that your parents—and grandparents, for that matter—were a hit job and you were supposed to be dead, too. I don’t know how you survived or how you fooled them into believing that you hadn’t, but once you were in the system, they lost track. Or maybe didn’t bother verifying if you were alive or dead. But here’s the thing…” River looks up at me, eyes wide with curiosity. “At the time, no one knew you had a brother. Your parents kept that from everyone.”
We stare at each other as River digests the information I just gave her until there’s a pounding at the hotel suite door.
“Hold on.” I kiss her lips, lingering and licking the whipped cream taste off her lips, reminding me of the things I’d love to do to her, when the knocking starts right back up.
“Ok,arrivo, arrivo.” I look through the peephole and sigh. Enzo in the morning, pounding on the door, is never a good sign.
“Come on in.” I open the door wide and let my gaze roam his features. He’s got bags under his red-rimmed eyes and his mouth is tense.
“The local capos want to meet River. They want to pay their respects and be given instructions for the future.”
River sits up, kneeling on the couch and tightening her robe across her chest.