Trust In Me: A Fight for Me Novel

by Jessica Linden

  Tony was silent for a moment. “I understand. I’m not trying to be an asshole. It just comes naturally.” He smiled wryly. “It’s in the genes.”

  “No shit,” Marco agreed.

  “So anyway, there’s nothing for you to apologize for. I actually like it here. It took a while for me to come around, but I’m happy. Or at least, I will be once all this shit blows over. But if it makes you feel better, you’re forgiven.” He waited a beat. “And all that other sentimental shit.”

  Marco grinned. “You’re so eloquent. Is that how you convinced Ginny to marry your sorry ass?”

  Tony’s lips stretched into a lazy smile. “You have no idea.”

  Tony’s talk of forgiveness made Marco think of Ryan. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Tony about the coincidence of Kat being Ryan’s sister, but he figured it wasn’t his secret to tell. That meant he would also keep the fact that he was acting as Kat’s bodyguard under wraps. There was no way to explain that one without getting into Kat’s relationship to X.

  “So tell me what I can do,” Marco said. “I’ll do whatever.”

  “Ingrid has been working on sorting through Dad’s files. It’s rather tedious and sucking up her time, but she can’t pass it to anyone else because it involves sensitive data. I’m sure she’d appreciate help.”

  Marco stood. “I’m on it.”

  As he was walking out the door, Tony called his name, so he turned.

  “I’m glad you’re home,” Tony said. “You’ve been gone too long.”

  A look passed between them, and Marco realized just how much he’d missed his little brother. For the first time since he’d been back, things felt right between him and his brother. Tony’s words were true—he had been gone way too long.

  * * *

  Marco stopped by Kat’s desk shortly before lunch. “I’m doing a food run. What can I get you?”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Wherever you want me to. I’m at your disposal.” Damn, he was using that phrase a lot lately. But he was completely and utterly hers to command. He would do whatever she asked of him.

  “There’s a sandwich shop around the corner,” she suggested. “They make a great turkey club.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  She leaned down to retrieve her purse from under her desk and pulled out her wallet.

  “I got it,” Marco told her.

  She shook her head. “You don’t have to pay for my lunch.”

  “Put your money away.”

  “But—”

  “You made me dinner last night. Now I’m getting your lunch. It’s fair, okay?” Marco tried hard to keep his tone light and neutral. It seemed all he’d ever wanted to do was help her out and it frustrated him that she was so reluctant to let him.

  She could definitely take care of herself—she didn’t need him to do it, but he wanted to. And that was the difference.

  Defiance sparked in Kat’s eyes and her fingers squeezed her wallet, making Marco think she was going to keep fighting him on it. But to her credit, she merely nodded. Marco left before she could change her mind.

  Though the cemetery was on the other side of town, he headed in that direction first. He’d swing by the sandwich shop afterward so their food would still be warm when he got back to the office.

  A funeral was in progress, so the lot was full, making it difficult for him to determine if anyone was staking out the car. He parked across the street and observed for a few minutes, but it was pointless. There were too many people milling around.

  There was an easy way to solve this. He couldn’t believe he didn’t think of it before. He pulled out his phone to look up the number for a towing company. After scanning several websites, he selected one that boasted a gated lot with camera surveillance. He’d have the car moved there and they could pick it up this evening. Kat might object to the cost, but he didn’t care. He knew she’d feel a lot better once she had access to her car, so he’d foot the bill to give her that peace of mind.

  However, he hoped she understood that even after they retrieved her car, she still shouldn’t drive it until they determined those men were no longer interested in her. How they’d figure that out, he had no clue.

  Still, as he drove in the direction of the sandwich shop, he was satisfied with this course of action. At least it finally felt like he was doing something proactive.

  * * *

  Kat sat in the break room across from Marco, surveying the spread of food. She’d only mentioned a turkey club, but he had gotten not only that but fries, coleslaw, potato salad, pickles, and cookies, too.

  “This is a lot of food,” she commented.

  “I wasn’t sure what sides you would want,” Marco said with a smile, “so I got all of them.”

  It was excessive but she hadn’t eaten breakfast this morning, so she was starved and didn’t have the energy to bicker.

  Her empty stomach was probably what was making her jittery. It most definitely was not the six-foot piece of male perfection lounging in the chair across from her.

  Nervously, she glanced around the sizable break room to see if anyone was paying attention to the fact that she was sharing lunch with one of the Adamo brothers. Normally she didn’t care what people thought of her, but she didn’t want anyone thinking she was getting special treatment. While she didn’t know about office politics per se, she definitely had experienced her fair share of restaurant politics from her time as a bartender.

  But no one seemed to notice her. She was being stupid, thinking other people would spend their lunch hour spying on her. What a bunch of ridiculous, self-important crap. She was no one special.

  Kat unwrapped her sandwich. “All of this looks good.”

  Marco’s eyes took on that boyish gleam she hadn’t seen since their date. It was like a zinger to her heart.

  He grabbed a spoon and dipped into the potato salad, holding it out for her. “Taste it.”

  She eyed it hesitantly for a moment before taking the bite in her mouth. Closing her eyes as she chewed, she savored the perfect consistency of creamy dressing and potato pieces.

  “Good, right?” he asked.

  She opened her eyes. “Amazingly good.” And that wasn’t just her empty stomach talking.

  “I had a sample at the restaurant.” He opened all the containers and proceeded to make plates for both of them. It was on the tip of her tongue to protest that she could do it herself, but instead she sat back and watched him.

  Lord help her, but watching him fix their lunches was a zinger to another part of her. Damn, he was sexy. How could a man spooning coleslaw be sexy? It wasn’t right.

  “If you like this potato salad,” he said, setting the plate in front of her, “then you’ve got to try Nonna’s. Hers is a million times better.”

  Kat shook her head. “No offense to your grandmother, but I don’t think that’s possible.”

  He eyed her and raised one brow with a mischievous grin. “I like you, so I’ll forgive the slight to Nonna. But seriously, her potato salad is to die for. One summer she wanted Nonno to do something for her—I don’t even remember what it was. Maybe hang some pictures or something like that. Nonno was great, but he could be stubborn when he wanted. Nonna is crafty, though, and she withheld her potato salad until he did what she wanted. It only took a few days for him to cave.”

  Kat laughed. “Your grandparents sound like a trip and a half.”

  “They are.” His smile slipped a little. “Were. Nonno passed away while I was deployed.”

  Kat put her hand on his arm, wanting to ease his obvious pain. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” His gaze shifted to her hand and he swallowed before returning his gaze to hers. In his eyes was a mixture of need and turmoil.

  She yanked her hand away, busying herself with her lunch. Marco was a complicated man.

  Tony walked in and immediately the air in the room shifted, somehow grew tighter and became laced with tension. Several em
ployees darted nervous glances in his direction.

  Kat sighed. Tony was a good man and a great boss. It pained her that his employees were wary of him since his father’s arrest.

  He walked over to their table and Marco nodded toward an unopened bag. “That one’s yours.”

  “Thanks.” Tony put his hands on his hips, surveying the room and no doubt taking in the dubious expressions of his employees.

  Kat’s heart went out to him. She wished she knew her co-workers so she could tell them to get their shit in line. Tony was not his father and any idiot could see that.

  “Join us,” she said, no longer caring if anyone got the impression she was in cahoots with the boss. Tony was her friend, and that was more important than what these ignoramuses thought.

  “I’m going to eat at my desk.” Tony flashed a wry smile. “No rest for the weary.”

  “I don’t know how much you’re paying Ingrid,” Marco said, “but that woman deserves a raise. I don’t know how she does it all.”

  “You’re not kidding,” Tony replied. He looked back and forth between Kat and Marco, frowning slightly. “I didn’t realize the two of you knew each other.”

  “We met last week when Kat was having car trouble,” Marco said smoothly. “I helped her out.”

  “Good,” Tony said. “I’m glad you were in the right place at the right time.” He waited a beat. “For once.” He cracked a smile, obviously taking joy in ribbing his brother. Kat could relate. She was glad that despite everything, Tony could still joke around with Marco.

  Marco coughed, which sounded mysteriously like “ass.”

  “Anyway, I’ll catch up with you two later.” Tony gathered his food and left.

  Kat rolled a french fry between her fingers. “Thanks for being discreet,” she said quietly, so no one would overhear.

  “Of course,” Marco said, like it was no big deal.

  For Marco, it wasn’t—it was second nature. Since she’d met him, he’d been nothing but courteous, kind, and an all-around good guy. She hadn’t know the “Mark” who’d gotten into the accident with her brother, but Marco was a class act.

  Why should she continue to judge him for his past mistakes, especially considering he was doing everything in his power to atone for them? She’d certainly made some stupid decisions in her life—the difference was that her choices had mainly affected her. Either way, she didn’t want to be judged for them.

  If she’d learned about Marco’s role in the accident and Ryan wasn’t her brother, would she judge him so harshly? No. She wouldn’t. It was just that she’d do anything for her brother, even hold a grudge that didn’t deserved to be held.

  Except she knew deep down that Ryan wouldn’t want that. If he was willing to forgive Marco, then why shouldn’t she?

  Chapter 14

  After work, Marco turned in the opposite direction of her apartment.

  Kat frowned. “Where are we going?”

  “I had your car towed this afternoon. We’re going to pick it up.”

  Kat opened her mouth to protest his making that decision without consulting her, but the words didn’t come. It was actually a brilliant move. Anyone who might have been watching it would probably assume it was being towed as an abandoned car.

  “Thank you,” Kat said.

  Marco’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No arguing?”

  “Nope.” She was nearly as surprised as he was.

  “Let’s see if we can go two for two then. I want to make sure you realize that you can’t drive it yet. I figure we can park it at my parents’ house with my truck.”

  Now that she did want to argue about, but she couldn’t fault his logic. Her car was old and beat-up, making it distinctive. She doubted there was another maroon compact in the same model year with a dent in the quarter panel and a rust spot the size of a Frisbee on the hood.

  But she hated having Marco chauffeur her around. It discomfited her any time people did things for her. It had been the opposite her entire life. Even her job as a bartender centered upon serving others.

  Yet arguing with him was pointless on many different levels.

  Marco pulled up to a swanky looking building and when Kat read the sign she did a double take. She didn’t realize towing companies could be swanky, but that’s exactly what this was. With the metal wrought-iron fence and security, it looked like an expensive gated community.

  This place had to charge a fortune. Why the hell wouldn’t Marco have chosen a place that was more affordable and closer to her apartment? Then she realized that’s exactly why he’d chosen this place. The tow trucks were nondescript and unmarked, so anyone watching her car would have to follow the truck to see where it went. Also, it appeared the towed vehicles were stored behind a solid brick wall, so they couldn’t be seen from the street.

  So it was a genius plan, much better than her idea of waltzing up to the car while it sat in the cemetery parking lot.

  Once inside the building, Marco handled the bill while she produced the necessary identification to claim her car. Then the associate escorted them out to the lot.

  Her car was a sorry addition to the fleet of high-end vehicles lined up in the parking spaces. There was even a Jaguar. They’d parked her car off to the side, as if its sad and run-down state might spread to the other cars.

  Whatever. Kat had saved her money and paid for the car in full, so she owned it outright. Though a newer car would be nice, she wasn’t eager for a car payment and higher insurance costs.

  She stuck her key in the door and before she even opened it, she knew something wasn’t right. There had been a box of tissues on the passenger seat along with an extra cardigan, but now those items were in the backseat. She peered at them, wondering if perhaps she was remembering wrong.

  Except she knew she wasn’t.

  Marco noticed her distress. “Is everything okay?”

  “I think someone has been in here.”

  “Why?” Marco pulled her away from the car, which only served to make her more anxious.

  She pointed to the sweater and tissues in the backseat. “Those were in the passenger seat before.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Positive. I put them there the morning of the funeral.”

  Marco ran his fingers along the window frames, then peered at the locks. After that, he laid on the ground next to the car, inspecting underneath it. She watched wordlessly as he popped the hood and searched there as well.

  “Nothing appears to have been tampered with. Check inside to see if anything is missing.”

  “I don’t keep anything in there. Nothing of value, anyway. Just some mints and sunglasses.” She’d learned her lesson after her car had been broken into. It was the price for living on the south side.

  “Well, that’s good.”

  “Except . . .” She got into the car and opened the center console, frantically searching through the spare napkins stashed there. “Oh, shit. My badge. It’s . . . wait. Here it is.” She clasped the badge to her chest and leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was somehow get Adamo involved. Tony already had enough of a mess on his hands.

  “Perhaps we should leave the car here,” Marco said.

  “Is there room in your parents’ garage?” Kat asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Then let’s move it there. I don’t even want to know how much it cost to have it towed. I especially don’t want to know how much it costs to keep a car parked here.”

  “You know I—”

  “And I know it’s a waste of money. I know you have plenty of it, but there’s no need to throw it away on something stupid. Take the money you would have spent here and”—she waved her hand—“send it to a charity or something if you’re dying to offload some cash.”

  Marco chuckled. “I’ll be sure to do that. Do you remember the way to my parents’ house?”

  She nodded. “I’ll see you there.”

  *
* *

  Marco must have called his mother en route because when they got there, they simply stowed the car and left, not bothering to step inside to let her know. Kat appreciated that. The Adamo ladies were lovely, but she was in no mood to socialize.

  This week felt like one of the longest in her life, and it was only Wednesday. She still had two more days until she could spend the day on the couch in her pajamas with the remote and a bowl of popcorn. She’d earned it. Or maybe not earned it, but she definitely needed it.

  She trudged up the stairs half a step behind Marco, but before she reached the second-floor landing, he put a hand out to hold her back.

  “What?” When she looked at her door, she saw the what. An envelope was hanging off her front door.

  Where it had been stabbed with a knife.

  Her blood ran cold and for a moment, her mind turned to Leo. That was something he would do. She quickly dismissed the thought. Leo was in prison. This was a brand-new heap of shit she’d found herself in.

  She’d spent years of her life scared and it had taken equally long to recover from Leo terrorizing her. It had taken hard work to reclaim her life, so dammit, this just pissed her off. Who the hell did these men think they were?

  “Fuck this shit,” she muttered, striding purposefully to the door, intending to rip the letter down.

  Marco put his arm in front of her to stop her. “Be careful. Someone could be in your apartment.”

  She sometimes had the habit of leaping without looking, which was how she’d ended up with Leo. But this time, she knew what she was doing.

  “I don’t think so,” she said, pushing past him. “If they were going to ambush me in my apartment, I doubt they’d leave a welcome note.”

  “Agreed,” Marco said, “but I’d rather play it safe.”

  Kat ripped the letter from the knife and wrapped her hand around the hilt, yanking on it. The damn thing was really stuck in there. Whoever had done this was strong, really strong.

  “Allow me,” Marco said and she stepped aside to let him have at it. He removed the knife from the door, making it look effortless.