Chapter 127 Long time no see
Dante's POV
The world, for a split second tilted as the driver's side door swung open.
Not in my wildest imagination did I expect to see the face that popped out.
Marcus, the man many call “The Ghost.”
True to his name, he's barely ever seen. Even as he works for me, I hadn't seen him in, God knows how long. Maybe months, could even be a year.
My pulse quickened all of a sudden as a cold spike raced through my veins like I'd been dipped in chilled water.
He had barely aged a bit, his broad shoulders looked as firm as usual, while there was something new now, a scar running down his jawline.
It fit perfectly where it was, matching his dark eyes that missed nothing.
My feet stood rooted to the spot with my breath barely leaving my throat as the memories flooded back.
Our old missions, shared fights, the kind of trust we had was forged in blood.
And I couldn't help but wonder what the hell he was doing here.
Serena, who probably was waiting for me, started moving towards me the moment I turned to her.
She stepped eagerly towards me, snapping me out of the little haze.
I closed the gap in three strides, pulling her into my arms before I could think. She melted against me, the warm feeling of her in my arms again washed away the shock.
“Serena," I murmured into her hair, holding her tighter than I meant to, as if letting go might make her vanish again.
From the corner of my eye, Marcus approached as his boots stomped over the floor loudly, like he was drawing our attention to him.
He then cleared his throat, before that familiar smirk tugged at his lips.
"Well well, Don, if I'd known you'd greet her like that, I'd have delivered her with a bow on her hair,” he teased.
I pulled back from Serena before reluctantly chuckling despite the storm in my head.
"Marcus, didn't expect to see you in a million years. What, you crawl out of whatever hole you've been hiding in just for this?" I joked back.
We shook hands like the buddies we are, his grip as firm as it has always been. The shake lingered a bit too long as the old times played back.
“It’s a bit like that," he said in a low voice. "Heard you were in a bin and figured I should drop by," he added.
I released his hand slowly, stepping back to stare at him properly.
"How'd you know about the attack? We kept it simple, except Nico told you,” I hummed.
Marcus glanced at Serena, who hovered nearby, looking relieved but exhausted.
He pulled out his phone, thumbing through and pulling out a message, holding it up for me to see.
“Dante and his men are in trouble, they were ambushed on their way to his safe house. Get there fast, coordinates attached.”
I hummed as I read the words slowly, over and over. I leaned back just as Serena startled slightly, like she was reading it too.
"Completely anonymous and untraceable," he muttered, pocketing the device. "I tried tracking it or hacking into it several times but no luck,” he added.
“Must be really good on its side,” I muttered in response.
“Really is. I came over, saw the massacre at the bend and fortunately met the van while it came passing. I shot a chip on it and kept track till I came across her running from some weirdos,” he explained.
“Yeah, I handled them,” I replied, but the mention of them reminded me of the driver's words.
“Ohh, was wondering what happened to them. I decided it would be better if we passed the night in an underground house, just let everything slide,” he continued.
I messaged my jaw as I took in everything he'd said. That tip was way too precise to be a coincidence.
“Sincerely, I appreciate it, Marcus. More than you know,” I offered warmly, but before he could respond, another familiar car pulled into the yard.
Nico's car stopped few feet from us, and he stepped out, looking a lot better than he did last night.
His eyes fell on me the moment he stepped out, but as he walked closer, Marcus came into his view and his steps faltered for a split second.
It was more like a near slip, a hitch in his step, like he'd walked into a stone.
He recovered fast anyway, but his shoulders still remained stiff. I nearly facepalmed myself, I thought he'd be done with this his resentment of Marcus by now.
Back then when Marcus worked more often, they barely talked to each other or interacted much, always preferred to keep things simple.
From the looks of things, nothing's changed.
"Marcus," Nico called in a steady voice, then extended a hand out to him.
Marcus nodded in his direction and they clasped hands together firmly with their eyes locking a lot longer than they needed to.
I raised a brow at both of them as they withdrew from each other quickly but Nico's hand still hung slightly in the air.
"I didn't expect you back so soon,” Nico offered.
Marcus responded casually with a shrug of his shoulders. "Life's full of surprises. How you holding up?"
Nico nodded, dropping his hand to his side finally and glancing my way. "Always good," he muttered.
I pushed aside their issue, I couldn't quite get the thought of a mole out of my head. I felt the weight of what could happen next pressing in.
I had loads to think about, the mole, Luca's next move, and it most certainly wasn't for everyone's ears yet.
“Serena," I said, turning to her gently. "Why don't you go inside and get some rest. You've been through hell. We'll handle the rest,” I suggested firmly.
She hesitated, searching my face, but nodded. "Okay,” he replied and walked towards the door.
As she pushed the door, I watched her go with a mix of relief and what if, going through my mind.
Whatever came next, she had to be protected.
Serena's POV
The door calmly shut behind me as their voices fell to a muffled low murmur from the yard.
My legs felt wobbly as I made my way through the familiar halls of the penthouse, but my mind was the complete opposite.
That message Marcus had shown Dante, it kept replaying in my head, especially the possible sender.
I couldn't help but wonder if it was him, the unknown number that had been texting me all along.
It had to be someone that had been watching the whole thing unfold. Just the way the unknown number seemed to know everything.
The timing, the precision, everything sat perfectly the way the unknown number would put them.
I shook my head, trying to push the stress down. Dante would figure it out, he always did.
I paused in the living room, glancing up at the clock. It was midday already and Valentina would be up already.
She'd probably be fussing over the kids. The thought alone brought a small smile to my lips. It was good to see a bit of normalcy in all this madness.
I decided not to bother her right now, and besides, I needed a good rest anyway.
Sighing, I headed upstairs through the elevator to my room, our room, whatever.
The bed looked inviting, but I needed to wash off the taste of that pervert first, yuck.
I still had goosebumps over me as I thought of what I brought myself to do. I guess that's really how low I've fallen.
I plugged in my phone and stripped down into the bathroom, letting the hot water spill over me, easing off the aches from the fall and the chase.
For a moment, I let myself breathe before stepping out after I'd finished.
I took on a pair of clean clothes, a soft tee and sweatpants from the drawer. Comfy.
As I towel-dried my hair, the thoughts circled back.
My phone still sat on the nightstand, charging. Since we'd arrived, I hadn't checked it properly yet, but now, curiosity was killing me.
I unlocked it, scrolling through notifications and sure enough, there it was.