Marco’s POV “Baby!” I freaked out from a wave of panic attacks. Violet lay in my arms, bleeding, dying. My body curled to wrap her against my chest; I pulled out my gun, aiming upward from where the bullet had been fired. One of the men pressed behind a pillar, firing towards my team. I pulled the trigger, taking him out of the equation as he fell over the balcony, breaking his bones, and bashing his head on a rock. Blood and brains settled beneath him. “Don.”Kaid came shortly, providing a cover as he fired in their direction, both arms extended. I scooped Violet in my arms, avoiding any chances of her being shot at. My back was to them, a good enough shield. I raced towards the car, my body was bathed in a mix of my blood and hers. A soldati ran in my direction. He zoomed past me, opened the car for me to get in, and took over the wheel. We drive off, leaving Kaid to clean up the mess. “Hey, mama.” My bloodied hand grazed her chin. Her eyes were shut. “Please, look at your p
Marco’s POV A call from Kaid made my heart skip. “We've trailed the vehicle to a remote area. We're close to their hideout.” I pulled away from the window in a swift response, the phone still pressed to my ear.“Drop all information. I'm on my way.” I groaned into the phone and ended it. Elara sat up, eyes on me as she tried to make out the reason for my reaction, her ears alert. “Marco…” She jumped down from the bed, reaching out to me. “Go home.” I dished out a stern plea.“Look, I…”I retreated as if she was a plaque. Pain sliced through her face as if she felt humiliated. Such a good actor. “Don't touch me, Elara.” I sighed and dodged her hand. “Go home.” She stood, speechless, eyes teary as she watched me leave. Dr. Schwartz and the nurse were standing outside of the door. I signaled for them to go on, and gripped Schwartz’s arm before he could get in. “Send her home right away.” My eyes feasted on him. “And don't let her see her friend.”Again, he got the coded message
Marco's POV ‘Violet is your child!’Evelyn’s words hit me so hard in the chest that I went dumbstruck. My hand was still on the plunger but frozen. My mind hopped out of my body, sailing into space without a care.What the fuck?!I tried to put a stop to my skyrocketing blood pressure. I was clearly going crazy. A desperate lady like her would do anything including lie, to save her life… Also, one like her would barely tell a tell. So, which was it?The drip bag dangled. I just stared into space, confused. “She met you in an unconventional circumstance.” She began, sensing the effect of the news on me. “You had mistaken her for one of your slut and she needed a saving?”I scoffed. All lies. “She told you that?”“Doubting?” Her tone was steady. “She was horny because her drink was laced by those fuckers who wanted to get in between her legs…”“Woman…”“Get a grip.” She sighed, nonchalant. “There would have never been a devil in her life if not for one silly mistake. The baggage she
Marco’s POV “The second pie.” I gave a coded response to Kaid. “First, the lady Evelyn spoke to earlier today isn't her mum.” He dropped the bombshell. “She is a lady, the same age as herself. They also date back to being childhood besties until they separated for their American dreams.” He paused rapping, and I hummed, giving him a signal to go on. “” Also, she isn't relocating to her hometown.” He spilled more secrets. “They plan on leaving the country for Africa, far away from here. And their flight is set in twenty-four hours.” My hand clenched around my phone, about to snap it in halves. “They got a dream apartment of 350k dollars, including other luxury items her peanut salary can't afford.”My eyes fell on Elara’s face. She was slowly drifting asleep. I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Who is the sender?” “He's very discreet. The transaction was done via Bitcoin wallet.” He sighed. “It would take a while to crack.”“Be there soon.” I dropped the call. Elara had now falle
Marco's POV “Time isn't our friend, Kaid.” I clenched my jaw. “The life of my child is involved.”I noticed the confused look on his face as his brows furrowed. “Your child?” He asked, unable to keep it in.Slowly, I nodded, eyes ahead as I watched the landscape. “I wish to gain the right as her father, do all the process… I'm just drawn to the little girl.” He blinked, stunned by my revelation. “When all this is over I'd ask to be her foster father.” Now, I turned to face him. “Not a word of this should slip out… It's for your own good, anyway. Elara would slit your tongue.”His lips thinned in a small smile then he nodded. “Get to work.” He slightly bowed before taking his leave, the soles of his shoes clicked the hard floor. Alone, I walked back to the room, not wasting one more second. Evelyn stepped out right on time. Head bowed, she mumbled her greetings and hurried out. When I walked into the room, Elara was sitting with her back pressed to the wall. She stared into spac
Marco’s POV The door silently opened. I perched on the frame, my dark eyes on Evelyn, watching, listening to her whispering. She curled like a toad, pressed to the wall, with her phone trapped to her ear as she murmured and sniffled. “I can't…I hate myself, God… It's not okay…” She stopped to sniffle. “I shouldn't have accepted to look over Violet… Jeez…” She puffed. “I'm leaving town…”A short silence followed. As if she learned of my presence, she stopped all she was doing and slowly turned. When our eyes met, she gasped, breath caught in her throat. “Let me… Let me call you back.”For a few seconds, my hands remained crossed, hanging along my body. I finally pulled away from the door and strolled in. A vacant seat was by her bedside, good enough to read all her reactions. “Marco…”“Only Elara calls me that.” My low groan was more than enough warning. “Mr. Conti to you or better still, Don.”She nodded like a moron. Seeing I was here for her, she sat up, knees drawn up to her c