Page 36 of Marked

Epilog

Riley

~ six months later ~

“And this is the living room!” I announce as I lead Alena through the wide archway that leads from the dining area to our living room.

Our living room. I still can’t believe it.

My sister follows me inside, nodding appreciatively as she takes in the high ceilings, the beautiful stuck décor and the French doors that lead out to the balcony.

“Wow, it’s beautiful!” she agrees.

“I know it’s nothing compared to your little palace in New York,” I comment, winking at her. “But I love it. I still can’t believe we actually got it.”

“Are you kidding me, this is perfect for you guys!” Alena says, smiling. “Come here, I’m so freaking happy for you!”

She pulls me in for a hug. It’s a long one, sincere and warm, a hug that is born out of deep love. I sigh, closing my arms around her a bit closer as gratitude and affection warm my chest.

Alena has always been and will always be my hero, my protector, my one and only living blood relative who not only sacrificed a large part of her life for me, but possibly even saved it when I found myself in true danger.

Danger that would not have befallen me if it wasn’t for Cain. There was a time a few months back when a day wouldn’t go by without Alena reminding me of that fact. She hated it him at first, and I can’t blame her for that.

It was mostly thanks to Nate, her husband’s brother, that she was willing to give Cain a chance at all. As it turns out, Nate used to work for the Covey and shares Cain’s hatred for them. He got out a while back, when he was involved in a deal similar to the one that Cain agreed to when he started working with the Scivola Mafia family. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the story of how he met his wife Malia, who I have met at Alena’s wedding, but never gotten to know really well. I never knew the story of how she and Nate met, but forged an instant companionship with her, once they told me.

Because it is this story, this connection that tore both me and Cain out of the syndicate’s grip.

Nate managed to get out of the Covey’s dirty business, but he still had some contacts within their world—and within the Scivola family’s henchmen, friends who were just as willing to quit as he was back then, but hadn’t found a way to do so. When Alena learned of my sudden disappearance and told Raad everything she knew about the day I disappeared, he shared the news with his brother, asking him to put his feelers out to see whether the Covey could be involved in this.

And that’s how they found out.

I remember Cain and his thugs talking about a contact disappearing for a while and then returning, nixing Cain’s plan with an allegedly new idea that would change everything. In truth, that contact shared all he knew about Cain’s endeavor to take down the Covey in exchange for Nate’s help to get out of the crime family’s business, because Nate clearly knew how to do it. He told Nate about the rendezvous at the bar, so they knew that I would be there and planned an ambush to take me out.

However, no one, absolutely no one expected Cain to be present that night.

And no one expected me to protect him.

“I can’t wait to see it furnished,” Alena says as I guide her back to the hallway, where the guys are waiting for us.

“Ready?” Raad welcomes us in his usual brooding tone. “We have reservations at eight.”

“Oh, relax, we’re well on time,” my sister assures him, her eyes scurrying through the hallway. “Where’s Malia?”

She turns to Nate, who is standing a bit offside the rest of the group.

“She had to use the bathroom,” he says, shrugging and casting us an apologetic smile. “Again.”

“Well, a baby dancing on your bladder all day will do that to you,” Alena responds, grinning and regarding her husband with a meaningful look. I have a feeling that it will be only a matter of short time until she’s the one excusing herself to pee ever five minutes.

“There she is,” Nate announces, nodding to the corridor to my left that leads to the bedrooms and the master bathroom. Malia is waddling toward us, holding her large bump and smiling coyly.

“Sorry,” she excuses herself. “Let’s go, I know we’re running late.”

From the corner of my eye, I see Raad nodding in agreement, already ushering my sister to the door.

“You guys go ahead, we’ll be right there,” Cain says, wrapping his arm around me as if to stop me from going anywhere.

I throw him a bewildered look, while the others just nod and smile, as they leave our newly bought home. It’s a three-bedroom apartment on the top floor of a charming brick stone building with beautiful arches and ceiling high windows. I never dreamed of owning such a beautiful home in the middle of the city, and my joy over it is only enhanced by the fact that I am going to live here with him.

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