Page 55 of Allure
If Asli wasn’t worried, Marco needed to learn not to be. Whatever happened, he was sure they’d survive it.
“Thank you,” Marco murmured. “I know we don’t always say it to each other, but sometimes it’s nice to hear. So thank you.”
Asli waved a hand in front of his face. “I already called our lawyer and left a voicemail to meet at Garrison Inc.” He spoke, completely bypassing the sentiment. Theirs wasn’t a friendship that relied on spoken words for reassurance.
“I assume she already knows what’s going on because Evelyn is amazing. By the way, we need to give her a raise as soon as possible. Some days I think she’s the one who actually runs Garrison Inc and not us. I already asked her to check in with things for Sirens to make sure that, even if we’re stuck in whatever caused this mess,” he nodded toward the burned down buildings, “that stays on schedule and we don’t have to scrap anything.”
Marco felt some of the weight shift off his shoulders as Asli carried some of the load. He felt more balanced, and his head was getting clearer. It was further proof of how well they worked as a team. “Good, because I’d rather not give Ms. Santiago a reason to punch me in the face. She already dislikes me because she thinks I set all this up to get Syra back here.” He was worried about Sirens when Evelyn initially told him something was wrong with the company, and after this fire he was almost positive they’d have to slow things down with Sirens. He didn’t want that for Syra and her friends. He didn’t want it to fail on account of whatever was happening with Garrison Inc, especially since he all but strong-armed them into going into business together.
Asli laughed. “Speaking of, Link called before I got here. The ladies made it home okay. But, are you going to tell me the real reason you’re out here instead of in bed with your little star?”
Marco’s body tightened at the mention of Syra in his bed. The need to go to her was strong, but something in him wanted to keep his distance. Maybe it was self-preservation—something warning him not to get too close again or hold on too tight because she could easily slip through his hands again like sand.
“You know, I watched you with her six months ago and again last night.” Asli’s voice dropped; it sounded like he was sifting through the memories of both those nights. “You were different with her last night. Six months ago you were harsh—that fucking was angry in the sense that you were still upset with what you lost. But last night?” Asli hummed low in his throat, and the sound made Marco curse under his breath.
He didn’t need the reminder of how good last night had been—how right everything had felt. He tried to keep his walls up, tried to keep her out, but she buried her way deeper inside of him. Last night might have been in a less intimate setting, but Marco hadn’t been able to hold on to his bitterness when it came to her. He had succumb to his baser desires and need to have her. It was why he asked her to come home with him.
He wanted her there, plain and simple.
“You don’t have to say it,” Marco grumbled, “I felt it. You know what was supposed to happen, but I can’t find the energy to stay mad at her and how things ended. I want to, though. I think things would be easier if I could. But being around her is like being able to see the night sky filled with stars after being surrounded by the city lights. It takes my breath away and puts me in a standstill even if my world is shaky. She’s this masterpiece of silent beauty and shyness, but she’s bold and expressive.” He let out a breath. “There’s a history there that makes things easy between us, and when I’m not around her….”
“You miss her,” Asli finished for him. “Maybe it’s time you two sit down and talk.”
Marco glanced at his friend. “Maybe.¿Y tú?”
Asli had the nerve to look lost like he hadn’t spent most of last night buried in his estrellita too. “What about me?” His gaze swept the area as more people seemed to come out with their phones ready to take pics of the aftermath.
“She wants you too, you know that, right? Whether that’s just to fuck or something deeper, you need to have that talk too.”
“And when it comes down to it, we will. You two need to figure your shit out, and we can’t do that here.” Asli clapped him on the shoulder. “We should go. I think we’re being watched.”
Colton yawned as he walked over to where Joel had parked his car. For someone who wanted to meet in the daylight hours, he was doing shit to be inconspicuous. It was almost as if he wanted Marco and Asli to see them out here. Basking in the joy of the rubble and ash that used to be a Garrison Inc property. Colton’s brain was too tired to argue the point as he stood behind Joel. The last thing he wanted was for either Marco or Asli to see them together. They may have run in the same circle at Crimson National, but that didn’t mean they needed to be seen together outside of the club.
“You know, the story of the fire has been ongoing since late last night. If you wanted me to see your handiwork,” he reached into his pocket to pull out a SIM card he knew Joel was going to ask for, “all you had to do was tell me which news station was your favorite, and I could have watched it from my bed.”
Joel turned, a smirk on his otherwise serious face. There was something different about him. Maybe it was the morning light or Colton’s need to face plant into bed, but Joel looked more confident and sure of himself than he ever had before. He usually had this nervous energy, especially when they talked about their plans for Garrison Inc. This morning he seemed calm—almost too calm.
“The news stations haven’t gotten the picture quite right, or the story for that matter.” His smirk widened. “Plus isn’t it better to see this destruction in person?” He inclined his head in the direction of where Marco and Asli stood. “And the audience here is captivating.”
“You’re not worried they’ll see you?” Colton eyed him. The shift in the air he felt back at Dos Amigos settled in around him. Something was off with Joel, but he wasn’t exactly sure what it was.
“Nah, Marco was here by himself for a while. He looked so defeated until Asli showed up. I think we might need to do something about him,” Joel murmured before he held out his hand. “Did you get something we can use?”
Colton cocked his head and really looked at Joel. He was staring at the same person he handed over the documents to yesterday, but it felt like he was talking to a different version of him, one he hadn’t encountered before. It made him tighten his hold on the SIM card, unwilling to give it up just yet.
“What did you have in mind for Asli?” he questioned. Asli and Marco were a packaged deal, and no doubt once Garrison Inc crumbled, it wouldn’t just be Marco’s name that went down but Asli’s too. Any plans they made had centered around Marco and blows he needed to take to keep him down. They hadn’t paid too much attention to Asli, and maybe that was Colton’s mistake, but Joel shouldn’t have been able to pick up on it either.
He wasn’t some mastermind, his loss of business accolades and his wife proved that he didn’t know how to play to win. In fact, it was Joel who had come to him asking for help to get back at Marco. Now he was making smart suggestions like he knew all along how to move people around like little pieces on a chess board.
Joel shrugged. “Something that will keep him distracted and distant from Marco. You haven’t been watching as long as I have, but Asli is Marco’s armor. When we made these plans to take down Garrison Inc, it was surface level at best. We don’t want Marco rising from the ashes again, and he’ll do that if Asli is still in the picture.”
Joel glanced behind him and Colton followed his line of sight. He watched the same as Joel did how Marco and Asli interacted with each other. He couldn’t tell from where they stood what they were talking about, but few words had passed between them, and Colton watched as a level of resolve shifted into Marco’s features. It almost looked like Asli had given him a solution that would solve their problems.
“What did you have in mind?” Colton asked, wondering if this new side of Joel had a plan already in place.
Joel shrugged, turning back toward him. “Didn’t he fuck Jamie? We can use the husband to not only pull out of Garrison Inc but use his jealousy to hit Asli. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” He sounded like he was talking to a child about a problem he didn’t have time for. Joel used the back of his hand to scratch under his chin and that’s when Colton noticed the dried blood and scratch marks.
“What happened to your hand?” Colton was curious as to what else Joel was getting into. Those wounds weren’t something he would have gotten by setting the fire. He had no reason to break into the buildings. They had figured out the security codes and cameras a long time ago. No, those looked like attack wounds, ones someone of the opposite sex would leave. Colton should know; he’d gotten numerous ones throughout his life, and some very recently.
