Page 24 of Marko

My voice rose a bit at the end of this last question as my nerves started to take hold. Maybe I was in danger from him after all? Marko obviously sensed my worry as his voice took on a soothing quality when he next spoke.

“Yes, Melissa, but you are not in any danger from me. I promise. However, I need you to tell me how you are connected to Aiden Mathieson? It is very important that you are truthful because you are obviously in danger from someone. I will help you with that, but I can’t do it if I don’t know who is endangering you,” he said, and I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding as I relaxed a little at his statement.

It was a relief to hear that he wasn’t a direct threat to me, though he was right—I was definitely in danger.

I chewed on my lip, deep in thought. He had promised to help me, and I knew I needed all the allies I could get. Besides, I had already realised that Marko’s help was crucial. His tech skills were exactly what I required. I just hadn’t figured out how to ask him for help, but it seemed like fate had provided a clear path forward. So, I bit the bullet and decided to be as truthful with him as he’d been with me.

“Aiden Mathieson is my biological father, but I only just discovered that,” I rushed out. I saw his lightbulb moment when I told him my mother was called Jessica Adams.

“That’s why there was an account in her name,” he said, nodding.

“I guess so,” I replied before telling him everything I knew about Mathieson and the MP.

Marko looked pissed when I told him how Mathieson had tasked me with obtaining the evidence to bring the MP to justice.

“Why the hell did he ask you to do that?” he asked incredulously.

“Well, I have some special skills that he seemed to think made me the ideal candidate unfortunately,” I replied, my voice laced with irony.

Then, I told him about my dad being a cat burglar and me having the same skills. Not something I had ever wanted to disclose to anyone, but I needed his help to break into the MP’s place and get the evidence Mathieson alluded to, so I’d had to suck it up and tell all.

His eyes widened in amazement when he heard, then he smirked sexily.

“I’ve always liked a woman with skills. You’ve got hidden depths, Melissa, and I’m looking forward to peeling back each of your layers and discovering all of your secrets,” he grinned and I gulped hard, as my knickers got damp.

“Yes, please!” my inner voice screamed as I stared at him. He could peel back my layers anytime he wanted. And I didn’t doubt for a second that I was the only one with hidden depths. Marko had his own secrets, and I was eager to uncover them.

In fact, I wondered if we might start unearthing some of our secrets together right now. My mind raced with several intriguing possibilities, and I couldn’t help but lick my lips. My cheeks flushed when I noticed the way he was grinning at me, clearly aware of the shift in my thoughts.

Suddenly feeling overheated, I blinked rapidly and turned away from that captivating grin and the mischievous sparkle in his eyes before my impulse took over and I jumped him. There would be time for that later, I hoped. For now, we still had important matters to discuss, so I pushed the tantalising thoughts aside and forced my focus back to the task at hand.

Fetching my backpack, I poured out the contents and showed him the letters. Once he’d read them, I opened my phone and pulled up the pictures I took of the photographs from the safety deposit box.

“These were what was stolen with my bag, along with a small dictaphone,” I said before playing the recording of the phone conversation that had been on it.

Mr Sexy Nerd gazed at me with a mix of awe and admiration as I explained the precautions I had taken at the bank—how I’d split up the evidence, but made sure I had everything I needed on my person as well as in my bag. His smile, so undeniably sensual, made my cheeks flush and sent a tightening sensation through my core. The effect he had on me with just a look or a grin was electrifying. I was so screwed!

“There was another attack on one of our businesses yesterday, and I believe the MP might be behind it. It is likely we have a common enemy, Melissa. Even if it wasn’t him, he sounds like a foul bastard anyway, so it looks like we need to work together and take him down,” he said vehemently as I pondered his words.

“Besides, it gives me another reason to have you remain by my side.” He winked, and his slow grin full of secret promise made me gulp.

My heart pounded, and I squirmed, looking away from him as I tried to push away the rush of sexual need I felt every time he looked at me like that.

Marko had laid out his family’s moral code regarding women when he talked about his sister. I could respect that, but getting too entangled with this man and his family made me uneasy. Yes, I desperately needed an ally and had hoped to leverage Marko’s IT skills, but could I really get in bed with the Bratva?

“You already did!” The annoying little voice in my head chimed in. My hand flew to my mouth as I stifled a cough to hide the giggle threatening to escape. The voice had a point—there was no denying it.

As I paced the floor, I chewed anxiously on my bottom lip. Danger was closing in, and I had already determined that I needed backup to stay safe. Marko was that backup. Yet, the idea of getting more personally involved with him made me hesitant. Engaging in criminal activities together was risky enough, but becoming emotionally entangled with him would complicate things even further.

My head was aching from all of this thinking. I’d returned to the UK for a quiet life. Why the hell couldn’t danger have left me alone? It was as if I was a bloody magnet for it.

I’d sworn to leave the dangerous life behind and pursue something more stable. A brief brush with danger was one thing, as I had no choice if I was to navigate this current mess, but I refused to be pulled back into old habits and a world I’d only just escaped. The idea of getting involved with Marko felt like a slippery slope back to that world. Clearly, shutting down this growing attraction was the smartest move, no matter how good we were together.

However, as he quietly watched me, with his eyes full of admiration and his smile undeniably sensual, my body had other ideas. Damn it! Just his gaze made my knickers dampen, making a mockery of my resolve.

“Well, I’m a grown woman, I can resist his charms,” I told myself. But despite my words, I wasn’t convinced.

Huffing out a breath, I sunk heavily onto the sofa.

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