by Angie Derek
He'd squashed the initial spark of attraction because he didn't think of her in that way. His job was to protect her. At least that's what he'd told himself. Lord knows he'd had plenty of other things to occupy his thoughts besides how sexy she was.
She looked over her shoulder, reminding him she'd asked him a question and wanted the answer to it.
He smiled at her frown. "No convincing. Just lust."
Old Ben walked undirected into the shed row. Marc swung his leg and slid down to the ground. Lessa hadn't dropped her frown and made no move to dismount after him. Holding Old Ben's reins in one hand, he held his arms up to help her down.
"Since when?" She didn't reach for his hands.
"What?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion. Where were her thoughts taking her now?
Her cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink. "Since when have you felt lust for me?"
He was about to tell her from the moment he saw her, but that brought up the tricky problem of her half-sister and his aborted engagement. "Since now."
The pink was fading as she narrowed her eyes. He put his hands out again, and this time she set hers on his shoulders, accepting his help off the horse.
"You're lying." She stated matter-of-factly as her body slid down his.
He didn't release his hold on her even though a part of him told him he should. The brain part. He pulled his mind out of the gutter to focus on her words. She held herself stiffly, clearly expecting him to step away. But he had her affectively trapped against Old Ben.
He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm pretty certain I desire you, Lessa."
She lowered her eyelashes, effectively shielding her eyes. "I believe you." Dropping her hands off his shoulders, she took a tiny step back and pressed against Old Ben.
The horse nodded his head, but training kept him still, and he didn't even shift his weight.
"What am I lying about?" Marc whispered, bringing up his other hand so he could cup her face. The desire to kiss her again was rising steadily.
Her lashes lifted. "Everything else."
He frowned, distracted away from his intentions. "I haven't lied to you."
Her expression didn't change, but she lifted her hands and pushed steadily against his chest until he took a step back. As soon as he gave in to her push, she dropped her hands, then rested one on Old Ben's neck before stepping away.
"You're lying now." She ducked into the tack room.
Staring after her, his impulse was to deny it again, but he bit his tongue and considered. Old Ben turned his head, nickering. Marc rubbed him between the eyes, just as he liked it.
"Come on, boy." He led the horse to his stall and unfastened the girth. Gripping the reins in one hand, he pulled off the saddle and pad with the other to set on the stall door. The bristle brush sat where he had left it from his earlier quick job of brushing dust off the gelding's coat. He made quick work of the saddle spot before slipping the bridle off and locking the horse in with his hay. "Night, Ben. You're a good boy."
He turned back to the tack room where Lessa hovered in the opening. The act of taking care of Ben had given him clarity. He might desire her, but that didn't mean he could have her. It was weak of him to let his mind stray from important matters. His job was to protect her, and the best way to do that was to keep her in the dark as much as possible. He walked toward her with measured steps.
Her expression was filled with unease. Probably wondering if it had been advisable to call him a liar when she depended on him so much. He was about to tell her the kiss was a mistake when he remembered the original reason for it. She planned to leave. Nothing he'd said could change her mind. At least, that's what she'd told him.
His phone vibrated on his hip just before he had the chance to say something reassuring. He pulled it out, pushing the talk button in one smooth motion.
"Yeah?"
"I might have a lead."
Marc's entire focus shifted from Lessa to Silvio's words. "What?"
"You were right. There was a regular tramp that homed around the club. I found someone who knows him. He should have been there the night Jiovanni was killed."
"Did you find him?"
"No. Just finished talking with his friend that lives in a shelter now. He'd come to check on him and was surprised to find his house empty. He might have ditched if he saw something or when the cops came. According to his friend, he took some of his belongings, but left most. Amazingly no one has swiped anything yet."
"Are you at the club?"
"Just down the block."
"I'll be right out." Marc disconnected. If the tramp had been there that night, he probably saw something. No other reason for him to lay low.
Lessa stepped out of the tack room, movements nervous. He focused on her eyes and the questions in them. She'd heard enough to be curious, but not enough to know what he'd been talking about.
"I'll walk you back to the house." He took her hand to lead her out of the barn. His thoughts went briefly to why he felt the compulsion to always be touching her, but thoughts of finding a witness quickly eclipsed any other feelings.
He took the short way back, cutting through the grass instead of taking the dirt lane. He unlatched the gate to the pool, and they came in through the children's play room. At the foot of the stairs, he turned.
She dropped his hand. "I'm in the house."
"I'll walk you up."
Shaking her head, she took the first step. "You have things to do. I can make it up to my room without incident."
He frowned, not liking the idea of leaving her alone.
"I'm fine, Marc." She turned and headed up the stairs.
He watched until she turned out of sight, then glanced at his watch. If he punched it, he could get in to the city in an hour. Pivoting on his heel, he strode outside to where he'd left his car parked near the garage.
The drive to the city was a blur, and he pulled next to where Silvio had parked on the corner a block away from the club. A skinny little man stood next to his right-hand man, a giant cup of soda in one hand. The remains of what must have been a major purchase from a fast food chain sat on the hood of Silvio's grey sedan.
"Boss, meet Murphy Farley. He's friends with Sam, who lives in the alley next to the club."
"Right next to it?" Marc looked down the street toward the garbage alley. Jiovanni had been shot at the alley's mouth. If Sam had been there, he couldn't have missed it. Unless he was passed out drunk or too high to notice.
Silvio nodded. "Murphy's been kind enough to give us a description of his buddy. I assured him we don't want anything to happen to Sam and will make sure he's protected."
"Of course, we can do more than that if Sam saw something that could help us. We really need to talk to your friend, Murphy." Marc emphasized his name to try to get the skittish man's gaze to lock onto him. Murphy jerked his head a little and met Marc's eyes for a moment before staring back down at the ground. "Do you know where Sam's other bolt hole is?"
Silvio had probably already asked, but he didn't want to be sloppy. This was the first flippin' lead they had.
"He comes to the center when he gets scared, but he ain't there." Murphy's voice was just above a whisper.
Marc hadn't gotten a good enough look at his eyes to see if he was high. He glanced at Silvio. Silvio leaned against his car and nodded. He felt the guy was legit.
"Anywhere else?" Marc pressed.
Murphy shook his head with a jerk, the soda in his hand jiggling from nerves. "Sam never bugged anyone, so he didn't need a place to hide."
"Did he have any other friends?"
"Sam was friendly with everyone nice to him. He had friends from here to the center. Maybe even farther."
"How long you been in the center, Murphy?" He had to be clean to remain there.
Murphy finally looked at him, pinched face scrunching up. He didn't look healthy, but his eyes were clear. "Time's hard to judge."
"Do you remember what month you
went in?"
Murphy shook his head, then his eyes lit up. "Spring. They were planting flowers out front when I started."
He'd been in there for at least five months, possibly seven. Marc relaxed a bit. More than long enough for the meth to have worked its way out of his system, and for him to be thinking clearly again.
"Is Sam using?"
Murphy shook his head. "He likes the drink."
Marc cast a look at Silvio to see if he'd gotten the same answers.
Silvio nodded again, but stepped away from his car. "Yo, Murphy. Give me and the boss a minute, 'kay?"
Murphy's head bobbed, and he slurped his soda.
Marc and Silvio took several steps away.
Silvio pitched his voice low. "Told me the same. I asked him if anyone else hung out here, and he said he didn't believe so. Used to have his home about two blocks from here."
"Why no communities?"
Usually, the homeless preferred to stay in packs to prevent victimization.
"Said they got busted up too much by the cops. Too obvious, but the cops didn't seem to notice them if there was just one in an alley behind a dumpster."
"Still, it's pretty far away from each other."
Silvio nodded. "Said Sam was a loner. Didn't hurt anyone. Friendly, but preferred his own company. He doesn't even know Sam's full name."
Marc glanced around them again. It was hard to see anything with very few working street lights and the fog starting to creep in. They needed something to verify Murphy's story besides their own gut instincts.
"Let's take him back to the center and make sure he's Murphy, not Sam."
Silvio looked surprised. "You think?"
"No, but we need to be sure. Then we'll come back and check out Sam's hole. Did the cops notice it?"
Silvio grinned. "Murphy had to show it to me. Sam's pretty smart. He's got some wooden crates in the corner past the dumpster. You pull the wall off and voila a little tiny house. Stinks to high heaven, but I don't think he'd just leave it by choice. That type of set up takes time."
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lessa stood over a sleeping Marc. With no alarm clock, she'd slept in, but apparently she wasn't the only one. Every other morning, he'd already been up by the time she woke up. She hadn't been quiet taking her shower and getting dressed in slightly more casual jean shorts and white shirt, and in no way had she tip-toed out of the bedroom. But now she did as she stepped closer to him.
He slept on his back. He was shirtless and the comforter was around his waist, giving her a very good view of his chest. Remembering their kiss yesterday, her pulse kicked up at the sight of him. The kiss had occupied her thoughts until she'd fallen asleep. What made it worse was she couldn't honestly tell herself she hadn't wondered for some time what it would be like to kiss him. Despite knowing he was engaged to her half-sister, she liked how often, although casually, he touched her. But it was an arranged engagement, now broken, she reminded herself.
Which was probably why his touches hadn't been casual last night. His head turned, and she nearly jumped, afraid of being caught spying. But his eyes didn't open. His breath remained steady. Heart thudding, she tip-toed past him to the outer door. She closed it behind her as softly as she could before turning to face the family on her own.
"Stop it," she whispered to herself. It wasn't like this was the first time she'd been without Marc. In fact, she'd spent more time independent than with him, but for some reason she was reluctant to leave the safety of her room. Squaring her shoulders, she walked down the stairs purposefully, refusing to hesitate as she approached the second floor. No one was in the hallway, and she continued down to the main floor.
There she did hesitate, uncertain of where to go. The prospect of running into Tony reared its ugly head. She had decided yesterday she was going home. Until Marc kissed her. The niggling suspicions he'd kissed her to keep her here didn't stop her from wanting to stay and kiss him again. She needed to figure out the puzzle of her protector.
When the office door opened behind her, she spun to face whoever came out. A frowning Jio. His frown deepened when he saw her, and he beckoned her to come over. Lessa held back a sigh, walked across the hall, and preceded him into the office. The room was empty, and she relaxed a fraction.
He closed the door and waited for her to turn to face him. "I want to apologize for leaving you with Tony yesterday. Ryan called and informed me of the way he spoke to you. I assumed he'd behave himself with Ryan there, but I know my brother and shouldn't have believed he wouldn't take advantage of having your undivided attention."
At his pause, Lessa knew she should say something, but found nothing came to her to ease the awkward moment.
"You won't have any more run-ins with him. I've sent him to meet with my father-in-law in South America. It'll get him out of your," he smiled a little, "and my hair for a short time."
A small slash of guilt hit her. "You didn't have to do that. I already knew how Tony felt about me."
"Tony doesn't like any of us." Jio shook his head. "I was already planning on finding something for him to do . . . You saw his reaction to the trust. Hopefully, this will make him feel he has an important part in the business."
Lessa nodded as if she agreed or understood, but she wondered at his openness.
"Anyway, I just wanted you to know I'm sorry I didn't prevent his misdirected anger. You know it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with…our father." He glanced at his desk. "Speaking of our father, Vivian put a rush on the test and you passed."
"Passed?"
He shrugged. "The DNA test confirms you're our half-sister. Welcome to the family, Lessa."
She wasn't sure how to respond since she had already believed she was Jiovanni's daughter. "So, what do we do now?"
"You visit with your new family. Let me know if anyone hassles you." He reached behind him to open the door. "I believe Virginia's still serving breakfast in the dining room if you're hungry."
She stepped out of the office and turned to her half-brother. "Thank you, Jio."
His small smile crept up again. "You're welcome. Nina's planning a hike and picnic in the vineyard with the children if you'd like to accompany her."
Sent off with another babysitter. She smiled anyway. "I'll find her."
Jio nodded and stepped back into his office.
Marc woke with a start. Confused, he sat up and looked around. Lessa's sitting room. The light shining through the window showed the early morning fog had already burned off. He rubbed his face and consulted his watch. Just after ten. He'd gotten maybe five hours of sleep.
He stretched as he stood and stepped over to look into the bedroom. The bed was already made. The faint scent of her shower gel lingered. She'd snuck out on him. Her purse sat next to the bed, so she hadn't run home. Probably gone down for breakfast or to call for her flight.
Pulling his shirt on over his head, he slid his pistol from under the couch pillow and stuck it in his back holster before putting his jacket on over it. His cell phone was secure in his jacket pocket, but he didn't take it out. He needed to report to Jio before he woke Silvio.
He found Jio in his office as expected. Papers were spread over the entire surface of the desk as Jio no doubt tried to get a grip on everything the Tazio empire entailed. He looked up gratefully as Marc shut the door behind himself.
"Report?"
"Silvio found a friend of the guy we suspected lives around the club. We found his hole in the alley, but he's gone to ground somewhere. Silvio and I started the search last night. I'll take a couple more men out to look today."
"We already looked around the club."
Marc nodded almost smiling as he thought of the crates. "Sam, the guy, he's smart. It won't be easy finding his second hole even if it's temporary. You'd have to see the first one to understand why."
Keeping his eyes focused on Marc's face, Jio tapped his pen. "All right. Take who you need."
Being in the office reminded M
arc of the last time he'd been there. And brought up something else to deal with. "Tony went after Lessa yesterday."
"I know."
Marc narrowed his eyes. "It was unnecessary and wouldn't have happened if you'd stayed with her."
Jio's expression didn't change, but he leaned forward an inch. "Telling me what to do, Marco?"
"I can't protect her and search for your father's killer at the same time."
Jio leaned back. "It's already been dealt with. Tony's on a plane to South America as we speak. That do?"
"Yes." But Marc didn't get up.
"Anything else?"
"How honest do you want me to be with you?"
"What do you mean?" Jio's mouth thinned out.
It was Marc's turn to lean back in his chair. "I worked effectively for your father because I never worried he'd take what I said the wrong way. I always told him the truth within the doors of this office. If you're going to jump down my throat for speaking freely, you should get someone you trust to be your second."
Jio's eyes narrowed just a fraction.
"I'm not telling you how to run the business, but maybe you should transfer me."
"Thinking of leaving us?"
Marc smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it, but perhaps you feel I would be more effective somewhere else."
"What about the investigation? Lessa?"
"Lessa will be gone soon, and hopefully the investigation will be over before that."
Jio nodded slowly and set his pen down on the desk. "I'll think about what you said and get back to you."
Marc obeyed the dismissal this time and rose to his feet. "I'll keep you updated. Lessa?"
"Is spending the day with Nina and the kids in the vineyard. I have two guards on them."
Marc nodded and strode out. Frowning, he tried to analyze the sensation he felt. He hadn't even considered removing himself from his position until he'd spoken the words. But it felt right. He'd worked his ass off for years to be second-in-charge under Jiovanni.
Jio wasn't Jiovanni. It wouldn't be the same. Jio didn't trust him as Jiovanni had, and Marc didn't have the patience to have to start over and earn the trust again. He needed to step back from the power base. Work somewhere else where he wouldn't be stepping on Jio's toes.