Page 17 of Marko

I thought of the excitement of Christmas mornings, racing to their room to see if Santa had arrived. We always spent the holidays in London while Mum was alive, because she insisted that Christmas there was special. I wished I had managed to return for one last Christmas filled with memories here, instead of being alone in Monaco. If only I had known what was coming.

Marko leaned over and wrapped his arm around me once more, and I leaned into him. His presence felt comforting, and I desperately needed it. Resting my head against his chest, I let the sobs escape.

A few minutes later, the fire crew arrived.

“I don’t want to leave you alone right now but someone needs to talk to them,” Marko said. “I can deal with it if you don’t feel up to it?”

“Please!” I sniffed and nodded my head gratefully as I rubbed at the tears with the back of my hand.

“I doubt that whoever did this will still be hanging around, but just in case, lock the door behind me and don’t let anyone in but me. I’ll have my eye on the van at all times. If you are worried about anything, blast the horn. Okay?”

I nodded again and Marko smiled.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, then kissed me gently on the forehead before heading off to meet them.

A warm glow enthused my whole being as I watched Marko walk away. I knew it was my responsibility, really, but after the shocks of the last couple of days, I just didn’t feel like dealing with anything else right now. Having Marko here to help me was such a relief.

There was more to my Mr Sexy Nerd than simply the concerned bystander he appeared earlier, and we would definitely need to talk about exactly who he was and what he was doing in my life. However, for now, I was just glad he was here, and I didn’t need to face all of this on my own.

As I peered out of the window, watching the fire crew attempt to douse the flames, tears threatened to engulf me once more. Brushing them away, I pulled a tissue from my bag and blew my nose loudly, refusing to give in to them, anger replacing my despair.

If Mathieson were still alive, I’d kill the bastard myself for dragging me into this mess and jeopardising my life. A searing rage bubbled up inside me, a blazing fire that scorched my insides just like the one that scorched my home. Fuck the bastard! And fuck the MP! If this was his work, I was going to make him pay. Whatever it took!

Just as that thought crossed my mind, a loud crash rang out, and yet another piece of my life shattered under the relentless pressure of the water being blasted towards the shell of what used to be my home. My anger turned to despair once more, and I could no longer keep hold of my emotions as the floodgates opened in earnest this time.

CHAPTER 10

MARKO

EARLY HOURS SATURDAY MORNING – A TASTE OF LITTLE MISS POUTY LIPS

“I’ll be right back,” I said, kissing Melissa on the forehead. I hated leaving her, but someone needed to talk to the fire crew, and she wasn’t up to it. Besides, as I’d told her, I would be keeping close watch on the van and if there was any sign of danger, I would be by her side in seconds. I doubted the person responsible would be hanging around now however, not with the fire crew having arrived, however I wasn’t going to take any chances. As long as I had her in my sights

After a quick chat with one guy where I confirmed nobody else was inside the building, I supplied them with our contact details then I left them to it and called Miki to appraise him of the situation.

“Fuck! You need to be careful. If this has anything to do with Mathieson, we need to find out, but we also need to avoid police scrutiny. You were a stranger to Miss Martin until a few hours ago and now you’re a witness to her being robbed and turn up at her house just when it blows up. We need to come up with an explanation for that if she or anyone else asks,” Miki said, huffing in frustration.

“I know. Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered. I’ll just say that I was driving home after visiting Vlad at his flat, and passed her street because I wanted to know where to pick her up for breakfast in the morning. That will account for me being in the vicinity and I will come up with a plausible explanation for anything else if, and when, I need to,” I replied, trying not to cringe when he shouted as I expected he would.

“What the fuck, Marko? What are you doing arranging to have breakfast with the woman?”

“We need to find out what her connection is to Mathieson and anything else she knows. Talking to her is the best way of doing that. Besides, we hit it off. There is something about her that draws me to her like nobody else. I don’t believe she is any danger to us, and I really want to get to know her better,” I said, keeping my voice firm.

Miki would not be happy with me messing around with Melissa when we didn’t know her involvement in things, but after his involvement with Eilidh I figured he’d understand.

There was silence for a few seconds, and I knew Miki was mulling things over. I just hoped that he had faith in me and didn’t order me back home and put someone else in my place watching over Melissa. Because pakhan or not, that was one thing I would not obey him on.

“Well, in that case I believe in your judgement on the matter, but something is going on here and obviously Miss Martin is in danger, so just watch your back,” he replied, sighing heavily.

Raking my hand through my hair, I sighed myself, but it was one of relief.

“I’ll get in touch with my contact in the Fire Brigade who investigates suspected cases of arson. He will ensure that the outcome of any investigation is simply a gas explosion with no foul play. I’ll also let Vlad know about your alibi, just in case the police or the fire brigade follow up on it anyway,” Miki said.

“Good. I will stay with Melissa and keep her safe,” I told him.

“Fine. Keep me informed,” he said before hanging up.

The fire would be officially labelled as an accident, and the earlier robbery would remain unsolved. That would ensure that whatever was going on here wasn’t linked to my family through my involvement.

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