Page 59 of Marko

It would be some time for this whole business to be dealt with, but with the MP’s arrest, at least we were now one step closer.

I checked the news. As expected, the MP’s arrest was on every channel. The authorities hailed it as a great success, charging the MP and several of his men with numerous counts of murder.

Unfortunately, despite the seriousness of the charges, many of the men, including the MP, had been granted bail. As a prominent member of the British government and a wealthy man with global business interests, he wasn’t considered a flight risk, apparently.

That was likely true, at least for now. He had to resign as Foreign Secretary, but he still controlled a substantial fortune and several businesses, so I doubted fleeing was in his plans. At least not quite yet.

I figured he would try to beat or at least reduce the charges first. He was an arrogant bastard and in his arrogance he would probably believe he could get out of this unscathed. The evidence was stacked against him, but money talks and I expected he would do everything to avoid prison.

Miki was convinced that until he was convicted, he remained a threat to all of us. I agreed, so I was monitoring all his communications, ready to alert the authorities if he tried anything. The media frenzy since his arrest would probably keep him virtually under house arrest, with reporters camped outside his home. That would help curtail some of his actions and hopefully stop any further attacks against us, but nevertheless, we were being extra vigilant.

The MP would likely suspect us of being behind his capture. So, for now, we needed to watch our backs.

The sooner the trial happened, and he was convicted, the better. We intended to do all we could to ensure that happened, and that he didn’t decide to run after all.

Even after conviction, he could still pose a threat to us.

However, while committing his crimes, he used many petty criminals, prostitutes, drug addicts, and runaways for his “hunting” parties. These people had families, and many of his victims’ loved ones wanted to see him suffer for his crimes.

As such, he would have numerous enemies when he got to prison. We intended on capitalising upon that. We would not be killing the MP in jail ourselves, but we would ensure that our contacts inside made it easier for his other enemies to do so. That way, he would receive the justice he required, but with no direct connection to the Bratva or the Polish Mafia.

We just had to bide our time.

“But you can wait to get started on things until Daniel gets here later,” I told Luca.

“Go grab some time to yourself. I’m taking Melissa over to meet with Anton and the architect designing her rebuild. I’ll catch up with you at dinner,” I said, logging out of my system.

“Yeah, catch you later,” he replied as I left the room.

Melissa was renting out her building once it was re-done to Anton. We’d finally had “the talk” a couple of days after we’d sent the info to Interpol, and she’d agree to be mine and stay here with me. I was over the moon.

Our relationship had been even stronger since we’d cleared up any concerns we’d had about our feelings for each other.

After viewing the MP’s files, Melissa had been distraught. She’d needed a distraction from the awful stuff we’d seen, and I gladly provided her with one. All night long! In fact, every night since and whenever else I had the opportunity. Distracting Melissa had become a bit of an obsession for me. One that both of us were thoroughly enjoying, and I suspected we always would.

Those thoughts naturally drove me wild with need, and I decided to pass the wait, reliving some of those wonderful distractions.

CHAPTER 31

MELISSA

THE SAME DAY – FINDING MY PLACE

Carefully lifting the photographic paper out of the developing fluid, I pinned up another photograph to dry.

I was in a small basement room, which was once a large storage cupboard, now converted as my darkroom with Miki’s approval. Marko had also set up a desk for me in the corner of his outer office, where Luca, Daniel, and others worked. This setup allowed me to work on my digital projects and course assignments comfortably, and my sexy Russian said he enjoyed having me nearby, which was sweet.

Working in the darkroom was amazing. While I made many digital prints, I had several old-style cameras that required film, and I loved taking photographs with them and developing the negatives. Recently, I spent a lot of time there, especially when I wasn’t in college, developing photographs for my final portfolio and my very first show.

The Glowacki’s were hosting several business associates and some family from Poland soon and wanted something small but interesting. An exhibition of my work was Sonia’s idea, and she and Marcie were helping me plan it. Over the past few weeks, I had built a relationship with all the women in the house, getting to know them well through using them as models.

Marcie was particularly supportive, offering helpful tips on how to pose the models and suggesting interesting locations for the shoots. Sonia, being naturally glamorous, enjoyed modelling and made a great subject. Nonna, with her ageless elegance, brought a unique charm to the photographs. Using the house’s beautiful grounds and various Rominov properties, especially Glitz, provided stunning and varied backdrops, making my work even more dynamic and interesting.

The entire process of preparing for the show, from shooting to developing to planning the exhibition, was a thrilling experience. The support from everyone, especially Marko, who often checked on my progress, made it even more special. With everything coming together, I felt a mix of anticipation and nervous energy, eager to showcase my work at the upcoming event.

Even Marko’s stunning aunt Marta and her stepdaughter Magdalena posed for my photos, which piqued Glowacki’s interest in my work. Photographing all the men would have been great, but so far, Marko was the only male model in my collection. The black-and-white prints of him in a tux had an old-school charm that I loved.

Plans for my next set of photographs included capturing everyone in black and white, inspired by Marko’s photos. The idea was to photograph them in their sports cars, at their desks, and more. Also, a themed shoot, maybe from the 1930s with old-fashioned cars, seemed like it would turn out beautifully if the family could be convinced. They usually preferred to keep a low profile in the media and were rarely seen in photographs by the paparazzi, but they had intimated they would be happier being photographed by me. Especially now they had offloaded some of their criminal activities and were not as concerned with piquing the interest of reporters or law enforcement as much.

---