My phone rang then.
“Are you fucking shitting me?” Marco snapped, and I looked up to see him standing in his doorway, phone to his ear. Oh fuck!
“Dammit. I’m sorry. I had a… never mind. I’m on my way.” What a great way to piss him off, before I even tackle this quagmire of shite.
I locked the car, running to his door, and he just stood there for a minute, those huge arms crossed over his chest. Jesus, he was a scary motherfucker.
“Look, man. I’m so sorry I kept you waiting. Please. This is important.”
With a really heavy sigh, he backed up, jerking his head in the direction of the kitchen.
“Five minutes, Adam. I can’t leave Lenore tied to the bed unattended for long.”
I ran a hand over my face. “My god… you fucking people are insane.”
He raised his eyebrows, those arms still folded. “You know, insulting me while you want my help, is a really dumb fucking move. And judging what people do, in the privacy of their own home, is also a dick move.”
I glanced at the doorway. “She’s really tied to the bed?”
It didn’t sit right with me, but Marco stayed silent.
“I mean… after what she’s been through…”
He glared at me. “You think she’s not safe with me? You think she has any reason to fucking fear me?”
I backed up a step.
“Sorry. Not my business, Jesus. Just tell me one thing. This Harvey guy. Uh…”
Marco’s face took on an even more thunderous expression, and I thought he was already pissed.
“Don’t go there, Adam.”
His hands were now clenched at his sides. I could see why he was their enforcer. He looked like he could literally tear me in half, with those fucking hands.
“Look… I’m not trying to make trouble, but you have to understand. I’m the one in the thick of it. I’m the one whose fucking face everyone’s going to remember, if this goes south. I need to know. Did she?”
Those huge hands moved really fucking fast, suddenly grabbing the front of my shirt, slamming me back against the wall, in a move I didn’t see coming. Because I’m a fucking idiot.
“I mean it, you fucker! This isn’t your business.” He snapped.
I tried pulling at his wrists, but he had me fucking trapped, like a little girl.
“Marco, come on, man. I’m not trying to get into a fight here.”
“Good, because you’ll fucking lose. I will do anything… ANYTHING… to protect that woman upstairs. You hear me? If I have to leave a trail of fucking corpses, starting with yours, and disappear with her, I’ll do exactly that.” His voice was cold. So fucking cold, and deadly. So this was what people saw and heard before they died.
I tried to take a breath, but honestly I was starting to panic. It wouldn’t take much for him to kill me.
“Marco… I’m not trying to cause trouble for her. They said they’d do anything to protect the person responsible. I get it. I fucking do. I just need to understand.”
His hands softened on my clothes suddenly, and I felt like I could breathe again. It turned out to not be a good thing. A huge fist slammed into my face, and I hit the floor hard. Jesus, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. I sat back against that wall, checking my nose carefully. Yeah. Broken. Bastard. I could feel the blood pouring from my nostrils.
Marco suddenly crouched in front of me.
“Adam, I like you. Most of the time. But Lenore comes first, every damn time, and if that means I have to hurt people I like, to keep her safe, I won’t even have to think about it. Now, everything you’re doing, is to keep our people safe, and out of jail. So try your best not to fuck that up. Because, if anything comes back on her, you won’t be able to find somewhere to hide. I will always find you.”
I felt a wave of nausea. In that moment, I realised that I could easily die for this job, and I also realised that it had only been a suspicion before. Now it was a certainty.
He moved away from me, and I took a chance to breathe, and try not to let my life flash before my eyes.
He returned, and shoved a wad of kitchen roll at me. I stared up at him as I reached for them, watching for a further attack.
“Sorry.” He said gruffly, as I took the paper towels, and started tentatively mopping at my face.
“I take it they were for my face, and not for the floor?” I muttered bitterly, and he laughed.
“Jesus. Wait here.”