Innocence (Tales of Olympus #1)(83)

He shook his head, his voice a bleak whisper. “We were both kids. Teenagers. I thought they’d leave us alone.”

But it hadn’t mattered to Cora’s mother. Marcus should have known any Ubeli would be considered a threat as long as they drew breath.

Marcus hadn’t even considered it, though. Because his father lived by a Code. Women and children were left out of it, kept separate from the business. It was Gino Ubeli’s most sacred law.

But he should have known that the Titans had no such scruples. He should have known and, even though he was young, he should have taken up the mantle his father had left behind. He knew the business. His father had begun schooling him from the time he was eleven. All the players knew him well.

They certainly hadn’t minded taking orders from him a year later when he was sixteen. Then again, he hadn’t been a normal sixteen-year-old. After Chiara’s death...

Mom had always said he was a sensitive child. But he’d numbed any sensitive parts he had left and made himself a robot.

He executed men without even the blink of an eye. He felt nothing. And he’d gone on feeling nothing. For so long that it became normal. It was good for business. He could make the ruthless calls without emotion.

“Until you, Cora,” he whispered, lifting his head and looking up at her. “Please come back to me. Come back to me, Cora.” He cupped her face roughly. “You have to come back to me. You’ve made me feel again and it scares the shit out of me. I was never supposed to feel this deep ever again. I was never supposed to love anyone—”

He pressed his lips to hers but they were cold and unmoving underneath his.

“Wake up,” he commanded. “Wake up!” She was always so good at obeying before. Why the fuck not now?

He shook her shoulders in frustration. With great effort, he stopped. What the hell was he doing? He let her go and stood up again, taking a step back. Jesus Christ. He turned his back on her and scraped his hands through his hair.

What the hell was he doing? He was acting crazy.

And he didn’t love her.

He couldn’t.

What was he doing here day after day, hovering over her bed like a lovesick schoolboy? It was because of her that he hadn’t taken action sooner against the Titans.

Again. He’d been lulled into thinking that there was a path forward that could actually lead to peace, when long experience had taught him that brute force and violence was the only language the world understood.

He turned for the door. No, softness had no place in his life.

He opened the door only to find Sharo on the other side, his fist raised like he was about to knock.

“What is it?” Marcus barked.

Sharo looked him up and down. “Brother, are you all right?”

Marcus glared at the bigger man even though Sharo towered over him. Things had really gone to shit if his second in command thought to question him so intimately. That was not how their relationship worked. Marcus gave commands and Sharo enacted them. Sharo offered wise counsel at times and could play devil’s advocate with the best of them. But never did they ask one another about their personal lives or their fucking feelings.

“Report,” Marcus demanded.

Apparently Sharo wasn’t giving in that easily, though. “It’s okay to take a minute,” Sharo rumbled. “You care for the girl. I see how you are around her and I like what I see.”

Well now Sharo was really starting to piss him off.

“You saw me playing a part,” Marcus snapped. “Cora was always a chess piece for me to play against the Titans. And she served her purpose. She drew Demi out and now we know who’s the real brains behind the operation. And as an added bonus, wifey dearest made herself a shield and took a bullet for me. I’d say that’s mission accomplished as far as she’s concerned, better than I ever could’ve hoped for. Plus, she’s a great lay, so—”

“That’s enough,” Sharo cut him off, stepping up and getting right in his face. “I know you’re hurting and that’s the only reason I’m not—”

But then Sharo’s head jerked up as something behind Marcus’s shoulder caught his eye and he pushed Marcus to the side.

“Bella, you’re awake!”





Twenty-Six





Ten Minutes Earlier



Everything was dark. So dark and cold.

Cora had never felt colder in her entire life, or more alone. It was like being locked in the cellar but a million times worse. In the cellar, at least she’d been able to feel the floor beneath her feet. She could count the steps up to the door, nine steps up and nine steps back down. There were the brick walls. How many hours had she spent feeling along the contours of each one, memorizing them?

But here in the void, there was nothing. She tried to scream but no noise came out. She tried to flail her arms but they wouldn’t move. She couldn’t even feel them. She heard voices, muted, coming from very far away through the dark fog.

I’m here! I’m right here. Come and find me!

But no one ever heard her. No one lifted a hand down into the darkness.

The voices moved away.

But they’d come back. Closer. She concentrated so hard. Please, she begged.

And she heard it. Clear as a ringing bell.

His voice. Calling her name.