Now they were finally together, both free to go where they wanted. He had some money, but… what would their relationship even look like outside of the small room that had become their whole world? What could he tell her friends about his past? Would her friends even like him? He tried to reason with himself that they would make it work, and Charlotte would surely help him out with any troubles he might come across, but the truth was that his past life had been closer to what he had with Dom and Seth than her sheltered existence of private schools and elegant clothes.
“How long is the drive to the airport?” Charlotte asked once they were both back in the car.
Mark glanced at his watch, struck by what Domenico had told him when he gave it to him. A man can take his time in leisure, but has to be on time in business. And by business, Dom had meant their business. The business of blood, guns, and getting rid of their enemies.
“The next plane should be leaving in under an hour, but the airport’s very close,” Mark said. He swallowed, not wanting to worry her by saying that it would be the second—and last—flight for the day. If they didn’t make it, the risk of them being tracked down would be significantly higher, and Mark was prepared to pay a lot to buy seats off people about to board the plane tonight. He squeezed his hand over the bag containing his passport and the money that would ensure their safety, and felt a hollow feeling opening up in his chest.
No matter what Domenico did for him, it was time to close that chapter.
He groaned when he noticed a speck of dry blood on his forearm where he must have not washed it off. He’d killed before, but tonight somehow felt different. Less chaotic maybe? Even if desperate to kill, and to survive, to protect Charlotte, tonight he had experienced a moment of perfect clarity when every move that he had only practiced before came into play in a game of life and death.
He liked it.
Liked the feeling of being in control of his own destiny.
Liked the feeling of invincibility when he took down no one other but Samuel Moreno.
It wasn’t the blood or the murder itself that gave him a rush of power, but knowing that he wasn’t just some lowlife from nowhere, and that he could show others that he needed to be respected and taken into account as a threat.
“You okay? Did you see something?” Charlotte whispered as they skirted along the wall, toward the parking lot behind a large supermarket that spread its fat body in a space where several old houses had been reportedly demolished to accommodate it.
Music poured out of the car radio that he didn’t know how to turn off, buzzing in his head and making it difficult to think. The plane would take them far from here, to Bogota, where Charlotte could seek help at the British embassy, since she had no documents. They could then travel to Europe, far away from the dirty hands that could hurt her. He’d keep Charlotte safe, like he’d promised.
Mark nodded, glancing at a man in the street who seemed suspicious, but by the way he stared at the car, not its passengers, Mark figured he was no one to worry about. “Yes, I’m fine. Just… nervous, I guess. Tell me more about your family.” They talked about this before, of course, but he figured this particular topic was safe and would provide a distraction from the danger that could still catch up with them. He also needed to memorize all there was to know about her parents, brother, about the horses, and the relatives. Charlotte had said that they’d allow him to stay, but he wasn’t so sure her parents would be happy about a guy from nowhere moving into their house and fucking their ‘little angel’.
“My parents kept telling me I should be more cautious, that I shouldn’t ever lose sight of my friends when I’m out clubbing. But I don’t think they expected something to happen when I was on a trip with them. That was when I was meant to be safe, you know,” Charlotte said, opening a Milky Way.
Mark blinked, assaulted by the scent of chocolate, and only after a few seconds he realized she’d pulled it out of his shoulder bag. Seth or Dom must have put it in there for him at some point. Something in Mark’s stomach clenched at the memory of how happy he’d been when Domenico had bought him a whole pack of them after Mark hadn’t eaten for a whole day. He was salivating at the imaginary taste already.
The breeze from the window brought the aroma of some kind of fried dough—donuts?— as they drove through the last of the busy streets and into a residential alleyway. Mark needed distraction from his growling stomach. When was the last time he’d eaten anyway?
“You like to go clubbing?” Yet another thing Mark didn’t know about her. It filled him with growing anxiety that she could get bored with him in a few months, and then what? Would he have to depend on the charity of strangers? He sure as hell wouldn’t sell himself ever again. But could he even get a job with his fake passport?
Domenico would know.
Mark got himself a Milky Way from the bag as well and stuffed his mouth with it. There were so many questions she would still ask, and if he were honest, would she still like him? Could she love the real him?
He let her do most of the talking, and she told him all about how she liked to go out clubbing with friends, and how despite being sixteen, she’d be let in because the club owner was her dad’s friend. She couldn’t drink alcohol in the club because of it, but she would have a before-party with her friends at home anyway.
Mark tried to envision himself as a part of that group, but it was all a blur, as if he were attempting to rewrite his life into something it wasn’t. The idea of riding horses in the forest seemed like a dream-come-true when they fantasized about it back at Toro’s mansion, but now that it was becoming a real prospect, something about it felt fake.
“I want to go back to the way it was before,” Charlotte said with a deep sigh when they parked in front of the airport.
I wasn’t there before.
He nodded, looking into her pretty blue eyes and wondering if there was room for him in her life. He could worship the ground she walked on, kiss her feet, and fall asleep with his face in her hair, but was her infatuation with him just as intense, or was it just the circumstances that brought them together? How was he to know if he really loved her?
“That’s good. You should forget all this. Not let it impact you.” Because you’re perfect the way you are. Mark squeezed her hand.
She gave him a shy smile. “I bet my parents won’t let me forget. We used to fight a lot, you know.”
“How come?” Mark played with her fingers, still in awe of how pale and pink they were.
Charlotte laughed nervously. “They think I’m too wild. But hey, maybe now they’re gonna spoil me? Who knows. We’re family. Other people can leave, but family is forever,” she said, finishing her chocolate bar.
Her words stabbed Mark in the gut. He squeezed the empty wrapper in his hand, the ache already prominent in his heart. She was his princess. Why would he walk away after what he’d done for her? And yet, her words kept carving their way into his soul and made him bleed all over.
The airport looked more like a large bus station, only with a tower behind the main building and several large satellite dishes to mark its true purpose. Covered with sheet metal in earthy colors, and with barred windows, it wouldn’t normally strike Mark as welcoming, but when he and Charlotte left the car, the sight of the people inside, waiting for their flight or seeing friends off, had his heart soaring with hope.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, elated despite the stuffiness of the air in the hall. It was a relief to see that the waiting area was small enough for him to easily see all the faces. None belonged to Toro’s men, or anyone else he’d seen at the villa.
Some of the passengers had family or friends waiting for the flight with them, and Mark swallowed hard, once again remembering Domenico and Seth, who were still in danger, still at Toro’s mansion. He hoped they would be fine after tonight. He was the one who’d killed Samuel and left them with the mess after all.
His shitty real family could be dead for all he cared, but Domenic
o and Seth? They’d shown him a warmth that no one else had before. One that didn’t expect anything in return. They’d became not just his friends but his chosen family. Domenico was his freaking Godfather, and no matter how in love Mark felt when Charlotte whispered his name, he had no idea if she would still be there for him out there in the real world.
What was it that Domenico had said about love? About knowing that he loved Seth?
“When you know you couldn’t live on without him, that’s love.”
Right now, it felt as if not having Charlotte in his life were the end of it altogether, but could that stand the test of time? If she got back home without him, would she try to find him, or would she settle back into her life of family, friends, her horse, and school, secretly relieved that the thug she’d met in Colombia had never followed her?
Mark squeezed her hand, standing in front of her as she sat in the plastic seat by the wall. The plane was leaving in less than half an hour now, and no matter how much he wanted to make her feel safe, they needed tickets. His brain already pulsed with the worry that he’d have to ask around in his broken Spanish among the passengers. The planes he spotted through the window were small, and with only two flights on weekdays, there was a chance the one to the capital could have been sold out already.
“Stay here. Don’t worry, I will be looking out for you,” he promised and leaned down to kiss her soft, lovely lips.
Charlotte's mouth pressed into a thin line, and her fingers shivered in his hand, but she nodded, giving him permission to deal with whatever needed to be done.
Mark gave her a reassuring smile and walked up to the ticket office, which looked like one at a small-town train station, but that was good, because there was no line and a seller was bored enough to dedicate all her time to him. He half expected for this to be difficult, but there were still seats available, and he could hardly believe his luck when he paid in cash and accepted two tickets, as if this were a spontaneous weekend trip, not an escape from the clutches of a powerful gang.
Charlotte squeezed her body into the corner, watching her own hands, as if there was nothing more interesting in the world. She tried to be inconspicuous and remained as she was, unmoving and silent.
Mark slipped the tickets into his passport, but froze and kept it open, staring at his own last name. Vincitore. Son of Domenico Vincitore. For a moment he couldn’t even breathe.
He glanced up at the board announcing that it was time to board, so despite his throat clenching, he rushed up to Charlotte.
“Let’s go,” Mark said and passed her a ticket, but a storm was already brewing inside of him. He only realized that the tension in his body made him grab her too hard when she yelped, attracting attention.
They both apologized at the same time, but neither of them smiled. She must have noticed by now that it was the last plane tonight.
The doors opened, and all the passengers left the building, walking across the asphalt to a small airplane decorated in the colors of the Colombian flag. The aircraft looked well-used, and would easily take on board two dozen people. He swallowed, squeezing Charlotte’s hand tighter. Some of the passengers were already handing their luggage to staff, and Mark was glad they had nothing to slow them down. Within a minute or two, they would be in their seats, and then they would be off. Safe. He would succeed in fulfilling the promise he made to Charlotte when they first met. Would that not prove he was worthy of her attention?
“You could join my school.” Charlotte smiled, with her eyes glistening. “We have these dark green uniforms. You’d look so handsome in it. Have you ever thought which university you wanted to go to?”
Mark stared, hit with the question as if it were a sledgehammer. He hadn’t even finished high school. The line to the stairs was moving all too slowly, giving him too much time for hesitation to grow.
“I bet you’d be good at rowing with arms like these.” Charlotte stroked his arm, confusing him even further.
Rowing? He was good at killing.
“Hold the bag, I think I dropped my ticket somewhere. I’ll be right behind you.” Mark passed her his shoulder bag, but slipped his passport into his back pocket.
Charlotte stared at him, already urged by the flight attendant to get into the cabin.
Mark smiled. “Keep the seat for me, and don’t eat all the Milky Ways.”
That reassured her. Mark leaned in for a kiss she was all too eager to give, and at least he’d have that as proof that she did in fact want him. But then it was time to step back. He rushed off to the waiting room inside the airport building, pretending to be looking for the ticket that was in his passport.
He didn’t belong in her world, and it was time to admit it. She would be fine without him. Much better off even. She’d find a boyfriend who went to the same university, who had a horse, and who was in a rowing club. One her parents would greet with open arms.
He took deep breaths to stop his eyes from itching when he looked back at the plane through the window. He would not cry. He was a man, and a master of his own emotions.
He was not Prince Charming, nor was he the dragon that kept her trapped anymore. He wasn’t part of a fairy tale at all, so the princess had no place in his world. He’d chosen his future when he shot that man in Louisiana, and he would not be shying away from it now.
Chapter 24 - Domenico
Domenico walked out through the main doors with Seth trailing behind him like a shadow. The glow of the solar-powered lights scattered in the garden made it look more eerie than usual, but it was the ring of silence, disturbed only by the distant sounds of the forest that had Dom’s senses on high alert. If someone was still up after Dana’s tranquilizers and hadn’t yet left the villa, then they needed to be found and disposed of.
Thick clouds blocked out the stars above and gathered around the slim moon, which was visible for once, casting just enough light that Domenico knew where he was going. There were far too many people waiting for Dom’s knife tonight, and he couldn’t even count them as he made his way through the property. He stopped, wondering how best to find them all in the dark. Flashlights weren’t enough considering their manpower, and he needed something as efficient at finding the Sleeping Beauties as a machine gun was at eliminating multiple targets.
The infrared goggles he saw in the armoury would be ideal, and using them suddenly made the laborious task ahead turn into a platform game.
He smiled at Seth and pulled on his arm.
“Let’s get some infrared visors and make this fun.”
Seth groaned. “Seriously?”
But the moment Domenico heard a rustle in the nearby bushes despite there being no wind, he pushed Seth to stand behind his back. Adrenaline flooded his veins so fast he felt it trickle down his spine.
Unlike back in the cemetery, where he met the jaguar, he was the predator now. These hunting grounds were his, and the poor fucker hiding in the dark didn’t even know that yet.
“We know you’re there,” he shouted coolly, straining his eyes to somehow see the man lurking in the dark. It was too dim to see beyond the human-shaped outline, especially in the tangle of branches and leaves obscuring the view even further. The shadow raised his arms, not knowing that surrender wouldn’t save him tonight.
“It’s me! Don’t shoot!” Mark’s voice blindsided Domenico and made his shoulders slump.
Seth moved to stand next to Dom, breathing more deeply. “Mark?”
But Domenico was already moving forward, arm stretched out to protect his face from any branches that could be in the way and might dig into his face. “What are you doing here?” he asked, at a loss. “Did something happen?”
His hand met with Mark’s face too abruptly, but Seth was right behind him with a flashlight and made Mark squint when he cast a beam of bright light at his face.
“No. I just… I needed to know you were fine,” Mark muttered.
Domenico swallowed hard, his ears ringing with the silence all around them. It fel
t like there was danger encroaching from every side. “Where’s Charlotte?”
Mark bowed his head enough for his unruly hair to cover his eyes. “I got her to board the airplane.”
Seth came closer and patted Mark’s shoulder. “We’re fine, Mark. We’ve managed. You can go.”
“I don’t want to go!” Mark rasped, taking deep breaths as his stiff shoulders rose and fell in an abrupt rhythm. “I don’t want to go to England, and live in her house, and ride her horse, and count on her parents’ help. I want to be my own man. On my own terms. With my family.”
The outburst left behind a silence that absorbed even the distant cries of nighttime birds that had made the night feel so very peaceful. Domenico stepped forward and pulled Mark into his arms, patting him on the back, maybe a bit too hard. Their relationship had never been very physical, but Mark’s slim form fit so well in the embrace Domenico felt himself grinning. He took a deep breath.
“Welcome home.”
Mark clutched the back of Domenico’s shirt, but somehow Dom knew Mark wouldn’t be crying. Over his shoulder, Seth smiled at Dom for the first time in a long while. Only Mark could decide if his choice was right, because only he knew what he felt for Charlotte, but him coming back still filled Domenico’s heart with so much pride he could burst.
“You are growing up after all. Who would have thought?” Domenico asked, forcing himself to pull away, only to look into Mark’s eyes in the pale glow of the flashlight.
Mark groaned and punched Domenico’s chest. “I’ve been telling you I’m not a kid.” And that much was true. Domenico could see it in his focused expression and the specks of blood on Mark’s T-shirt.
Domenico swallowed, taking him in once again. Beyond the reach of Domenico’s eyes, Mark had changed throughout the past few weeks more than anyone could have expected. “Seth, give me a loaded one,” he asked, reaching out an empty hand while watching Mark without flinching.
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