Disastrous: Cautious Part 18

"We need someone to make sure it happens, someone to let us know their every move: what time they arrive, when both Lou and Salvi are spotted together, and the time of the exchange."

"You do understand that Lou doesn't trust us now, right?" I leaned back in the chair, placing both of my hands on the back of my head. "How do you expect us to retrieve that info? We didn't even know about the Lombardi trade."

"Lou hasn't trusted you in months, Marky. Ever since he was suspicious of you and found out the info on Mia, he's been watching you. I've been watching you for him. We had a meeting a few days back. He took you out as second in command and gave it to Gio, so you know what that means."

I absolutely did. It meant that, if for some reason Lou was killed, the second in command would take over. I was supposed to be the one that would take Lou's position if there was ever a hit on him. I never wanted it to begin with, and it didn't surprise me that Gio took over my position.

"Okay, so the question remains: how do you expect us to retrieve that information? Do you really think he'll let us near the job at this point? No, he won't. His trust in me is shot to h.e.l.l."

"I just need you to be at the club on the day of the exchange. I don't know for sure what your involvement would entail, but that Sunday morning, we can meet up, probably here, go over all the details with my men, and then move on from there. You have my word. If you two do this for me, you will not be mentioned at all."

Jimmie shook his head in disbelief. "But the bust will take place at the club that Marcus owns. With all the media attention that has occurred in the past couple of years increasing people's suspicions about our involvement with the Sorrentos, how would you pull that off?"

"Well, I've thought of that. Every month there's inventory done at the club?" He raised a brow in question. I nodded in response. "Well, the two of you will be at the club for inventory that week."

"What about the media?" Jimmie questioned.

"We'll take care of them. Granted, no matter what, the media will have their own take on things. Reporters may mention your names, no doubt about it, but if we play it right, we can pull it off."

We sat there for a few moments silently, taking in that bit of information that had been provided. Jimmie turned his head and looked at me with a raised brow. Even though he didn't speak, I knew he was waiting for my take on it. After another few minutes, I nodded my head at him.

He looked at Vinnie and with a shrug said, "Okay, we're in."

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.

MIA.

Two weeks. That's how long it'd been since I'd seen Marcus. He had texted me a few times, but his messages were short. I wasn't bothered by it as much as I thought I'd be, because I knew he was busy with work and I was distracted with school. I aced my last exam, which was a huge stress reliever. My next exam wasn't for another couple of weeks, and then the final was in December. I was certain that if I continued the way I was going, I'd pa.s.s the cla.s.s.

Because I had busted my b.u.t.t for the past few weeks, I had decided to take Sat.u.r.day off. I had texted Marcus to see if he wanted to go out to dinner or stay in or just spend some time together, but he was busy that night, which turned into a night of wearing PJ's, eating junk food, and watching old movies. That was until Megan barged out of Jeremy's room.

I jumped at the sound of her slamming his bedroom door behind her. "I can't stand him!" She rushed over and slumped beside me on the couch. With a wrinkled nose, she crossed her arms and huffed.

Before I could ask what happened, Jeremy stormed out of his room and came over to us. "Seriously, Megan? You won't even let me explain anything . . ."

"I'm not speaking to Jeremy at the moment, Mia. Can you please let him know that?" She asked me as she turned her head, looking away from Jeremy.

When my eyes glanced up to Jeremy, he'd rolled his eyes in frustration. "So we're five now? Awesome."

"Shut up, Jeremy!" She angrily wiggled in her seat but kept her glare toward the wall beside her.

Jeremy shot me a look that said, "Can you help me out here?" Since I had no idea what the h.e.l.l was going on, I shrugged my shoulders in response.

He let out a heavy sigh and tossed his arms in the air. "Fine, act that way, Megan. I'm out!" He turned his back on us, marched toward the door, and grabbed his keys by the table before slamming the door shut behind him.

Megan sucked her teeth. "Can you believe him? Ugh."

Still alarmed by the entire show, I asked, "What happened?"

"It's a long story. Let's go out." She jumped from the couch and reached for my arm. "We'll find something hot to wear and hit Club21."

"Oh, I don't know, Megan I was sort of content with just chillaxing at home."

"Come on, Mia. Please." She pleaded with her big hazel eyes. "I can't stay here, and I need to let out some frustration. Drinks and the dance floor will do the trick, but I need my best girl there. Please." She begged again.

Why I allowed her to influence me in any way was beyond me. Her lips curled into a slight grin, after my nod. "Can I borrow an outfit?"

I rolled my eyes and nodded again. I knew that was coming too.

"I'll have a cosmo, please. Thank you." The bartender nodded before heading toward the end of the bar to prepare my drink.

Letting out a deep breath, I sank my chin into my hand. I knew tonight was supposed to be a fun girls' night, but Megan refused to mention what happened between her and Jeremy. It was just the two of us, and I hate to dance, so as Megan demolished the dance floor, I sat by the bar and tried to drink away my boredom.

"Can I buy you a drink?" A deep tone pierced through my thoughts. Turning my head, I was presented with a familiar face. At first, the name didn't dawn on me.

"Gio, right?"

"The one and only." He gave a charming half grin.

"Well, it's nice to see you again. How are you?"

"I'm doing a lot better now." He said in a seductive way and then winked at me.

I felt my cheeks turn a burning red. The bartender brought my drink right on time, allowing me to hide the embarra.s.sment with a few sips of my cosmo. I'd only met him once when he stopped by Marcus's house, but there was something about him that was pleasant. I didn't feel uncomfortable around him. Maybe it was his upbeat persona. Yes, he was a very good-looking man, but I was madly in love with Marcus. Gio didn't compare to Marcus, not in the least. No man could ever win my heart except for Marcus, but I wondered if he still felt the same about me. It was hard not to think that way because he had been so distant lately.

Gio straightened up and ordered a beer before speaking. "So where's your man?"

"I have no clue." Though, I wish did. "I'm here with my cousin, who's out there on the dance floor, sweating off some frustration." He looked over to where I pointed at Megan. She was shaking her hips, swinging her arms, and grooving to "Locked Out Of Heaven" by Bruno Mars. She was also pushing away every man that had tried to dance with her. Megan was beyond angry and needed to let loose. After a few shots, she was doing just that.

"Ah, I must have a talk with Marky. I mean if I had a beautiful woman like you I would never leave your side."

Rolling my eyes, I c.o.c.ked my head aside and stared at him for a few seconds before replying. "Marcus is a busy man. That's all."

His eyes slightly squinted as if confused by my response. "Busy doing what exactly?"

"On jobs. What else?"

Laughing once, he took a long pull of his beer then placed the bottle on the bar. "Is that what he's been telling you? Marcus hasn't handled a job in the last four weeks. Vinnie and I have been taking care of them."

Staring at Gio in disbelief, my throat closed and instantly felt very dry. All the excuses Marcus had given me sprinted through my mind: he was busy; he couldn't make it; he was sorry, but he needed to work on a few things.

Why would he lie about it all? He promised that he wouldn't keep anything from me. Suddenly, I felt more detached from him than I'd ever felt. "Excuse me, but I have to go." I muttered while grabbing my clutch from the bar. I tried to stand, but Gio put his hands on my shoulders and forced me to sit back down.

Angrily, I snapped my head and glared at him. "What are you doing?" Just because I was a bit comfortable around him, didn't mean he knew me well enough to put his hands on me.

"Look. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that to you. Maybe he was given a separate job to handle."

"Bulls.h.i.t. Don't try and cover his a.s.s now." I crossed my arms while tapping my foot along the leg of the metal barstool in front of me. What was Marcus doing on those nights if he wasn't on a job? Jealous thoughts began to take over, causing my blood pressure to rise.

"Look at you! You're working yourself up over something that's not even an issue. Come on. Let me grab you another drink." Raising a brow, he flashed a wide grin. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was overreacting. He ordered us another round of drinks after I let out a deep breath and nodded.

"You gotta live a little, Mia." He exclaimed as he ruffled a hand through my hair.

"Hey!" I jabbed his shoulder. His mocking wide-eyed expression made us both laugh.

My laughter immediately stopped when I saw Gio stare over my shoulder. He straightened his position as his facial features went from humorous to stern in a nanosecond. Confused by his instant change in demeanor, I turned to see what had caused it. My heart dropped at the sight of Marcus storming across the dance floor. The look on his face caused my body to slightly tremble with fear. I'd never seen him that angry-the grimness in his eyes, the tightening in his jaw, the thin line of his lips, and the command in his stride. With every step he took, my heart pounded just as quickly.

Gio grabbed his beer and leaned back onto the counter smoothly, as if Marcus's behavior didn't intimidate him. I twirled in the barstool to fully face Marcus as he approached. Once he was in front of us, his eyes never left Gio. "Marky." Gio said while lifting the beer bottle in salute and then chugging the rest down. Marcus didn't respond, not even a nod in acknowledgment. He continued to grimace at Gio. Then Marcus slowly tilted his head and looked down at me. My chest heaved in and out from the angry stare-down. Why was he making me feel as if I had done something wrong?

To lighten the mood, I breathed out a smile, stood, and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Hey baby, I've missed you. How was your night?" I tried to sound upbeat and excited, but his continued glare left me uneasy.

He didn't respond; instead, he wrapped his hands around my wrist and pulled my arms away from his neck. Still with a tight grip, Marcus turned and hauled me through a swarm of dancing drunks. He was walking so quickly, winding through the crowd that I had to practically run to keep up. Megan waved at me as we pa.s.sed her. I didn't have time to wave back as he pulled me up the stairs and toward the second level. The music died down the moment the door closed behind us.

Once we reached the hallway, he let go of my wrist but continued his way down the hall and into the VIP room. Following him, I shut the door behind me. Marcus paced back and forth in the room while staring at the wooden floors the entire time. I didn't know what to do or say, so I leaned against the wall and waited.

Finally, he stopped by the table. Tightly gripping the back of the chair, he shut his eyes as his breathing became heavier. "Why didn't you tell me you were going out?" His voice was in a low cruel tone.

My lips slightly trembled as I let out a shaky break. What brought on this hostility? "It was a sudden decision. I didn't realize I had to keep you posted on my whereabouts."

He laughed with no sound of humor echoing the room. "Here I am busting my f.u.c.kin' a.s.s to keep you safe, and I have no right to know your whereabouts? f.u.c.kin' perfect. As I try to better our future, you're over here flirting with him!"

What did he mean keep me safe? When I was going to question him on it, I remembered his last harsh statement. "You cannot be serious about me flirting with Gio?"

"I'm. Completely. f.u.c.king. Serious." He ran a hand over his face in frustration.

"Marcus, I was not flirting with him. Not in the least." I moved toward him until we were a foot away. "He was comforting me."

His head snapped up at me with dark eyes. "Comforting you? Why would he be comforting my girl?"

Marcus sarcastic and harsh tone left me uneasy. "He was comforting me because I was extremely angry when I found out my boyfriend had been lying to me for the past few weeks." I crossed my arms and dropped a hip, waiting for his response as his mouth slightly opened.

Then his eyes grew angry as his jaw clenched together. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"No? So you weren't lying to me for the past few weeks? You were, in fact, on jobs for Lou? Or were you so busy at the firm that you had to stay extra late hours with Stephanie, I wonder?" I raised my hands in question with a mocking tone.

"You need to stop right there." Marcus sneered as he turned his back on me and walked over to the bar area of the room. Grabbing a gla.s.s and a bottle of whisky, he poured a gla.s.s.

Anger rushed through me. Storming over toward him, I pulled the drink from his hand and dumped the liquor into the sink.

"What the f.u.c.k, Mia!"

I inched in and pointed my finger at his shoulder. "We have not seen each other in two weeks, Marcus. Two whole weeks! We were doing so well. Are we back to arguing and not discussing our issues? I know that you're hiding something from me. I can feel it." I reached my hand up to touch his beautiful face and stared into those damaged eyes. With a lower tone I went on, "Why are you not telling me? I don't understand. Are we back to that now?"

He exhaled at my touch and shut his eyes, contemplating, and then he lifted his eyelids open. "Do you trust me?"

With all my heart, I trusted him, but he obviously didn't trust me. "Do you trust me?" I shot back.

His eyes focused on mine as if the question was difficult to answer. I couldn't believe him. I'd never for one second given him a reason not to trust me. I'd stuck by him through all of his decisions, good or bad. I'd accepted his lifestyle, because I knew deep down it wasn't what made him who he was. Whether he believed it or not, he was a good man.

My eyes blurred as he continued to stare at me but didn't answer my question. Removing my hands from his face, I studied his features. "Wow." I couldn't believe it. He didn't utter a word, but, judging from his actions, it was clear that he did not trust me.

"Mia, listen." He reached out to grab my arm.

I pulled away, stepping back. "No. I get it."

"Mia, no, you don't."

"I've done everything in my power, Marcus, to show you what you mean to me-that I love you more than I care to breathe. It hurts me, and I mean a terrible heartrending pain, for you to stand there, look me in the eyes, and basically admit that you don't trust me." Sniffing back, I couldn't keep the hot tears from streaming down my face. His expression broke at my words. "What do you want from me? What else can I give you?"

He leaned into me and stared down. We were so close I could feel the heat from his body against mine. With his unsteady breathing, his tortured eyes danced along my face. For a moment, it looked as if he was going to crack, but then he contained himself, took in one deep breath, and shut his eyes. "I need you to trust me when I say it's important for you to grab Megan and go home." His eyelids opened, and my heart swelled in pain at his words. He reached up and grazed my cheek with the back of his fingers. I was beyond angry. He was pushing me away when he should've been able to confide in me. Before the warmth of his touch seeped through my skin, I tore my face away and stepped back again.

"Mia." He tenderly whispered.

"Whatever you say, Marcus. I'll just go home with Megan and sit around and wait for whenever I get to have my Marcus back. Because the one in front me at this very moment . . . I have no idea who he is. I want my Marcus: the loving, caring, and pa.s.sionate one." His face was broken, but I needed to say how I felt. "Let me know when he's back."

With my back turned to him, I stormed out the door, dragged a highly intoxicated Megan off the dance floor, and grabbed a cab.

Something deep down within me knew that Marcus was involved in something deeper than he had disclosed. It left me nervous and unsettled. Guilt began to seep through me as I thought of the way we had left things. I should have kissed him and held him tightly against me. My deepest regret that night was that I didn't pull him in and hold him, even if it was just for a few seconds.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE.

MARCUS.

"Marcus. Marcus. Yo, Marcus!" I broke out of my daze as Jimmie hovered over my desk, snapping his fingers. "What the h.e.l.l? I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes." His brows bunched together, concerned. "You alright, Bro?"

Having had no sleep, I blinked my dry eyes and ran a hand over my face. There was nothing that could rid me of the exhaustion I felt. When Mia left the club the night before, I wanted to tell her everything that was going on, but it was better to keep it from her for now. It was the only way I could keep her away from the Club and the only way I knew to protect her. It was the day of the bust, and I would be f.u.c.king lying if I wasn't running all the possible scenarios of what could go wrong through my mind: the thought of possibly not coming out alive, never having a chance to express the love I had for Mia, to show her that it was always true, and that my reason for everything was her.

Then I thought of my niece and mother as I looked into Jimmie's same fearful eyes. "Sorry, Jimmie. When will Vinnie be here?"

He slumped back in the seat of my home office. "Soon. I told Mom that you and I were dealing with inventory at the Club today. She took Elle out for breakfast and then a trip to park since it's nice out." He quickly glanced at his watch. "It's still early, only nine. Vinnie said the bust will happen at two this afternoon." He nervously ran his hands along the thighs of his jeans. "Marcus, I need to ask you something." Jimmie looked up at me. "If anything happens to me, I need you to take-"

"Don't talk like that!" I slammed my hand against the desk in frustration. The last thing I wanted to hear was my brother being weak. "We are going to get out of this. You'll be home with Elle, and I'll be home with Mia. It'll all be okay. We are going to be okay." It felt as if I was trying to convince myself more than him.

His eyes clouded over as he cleared his throat. "You're right."