Page 43 of Blood Ties
"Father," Marcus breaths. "Shall I continue from before?"
"Please do."
There's a long pause before Marcus goes on with his confession of all the wrong he's done this week being pretty vague. He goes quiet, shifting in his seat. "Father, are you still there?"
I step out of the booth, and yank open the door on the side Marcus is on. He gasps in surprise reaching for his gun, but I'm faster. I grab him by the arm, twisting it behind his back while I slam him into the wall. "Easy, precious. I have a special surprise for you."
"How did you know I was here?"
"Because you're way too damn predictable."
I pull a syringe from my pocket and shove the needle into his neck. As soon as he stops fighting and his body goes limp, I carry him to the front of the church and call Cesar to pull up to the side of the building. He does as I ask and doesn't say a word when I gently place Marcus in the back seat. "Drive."
"To Lake Smithville?"
"Yes."
I hold Marcus in my arms, stroking his face. We will go someplace they haven't tarnished. A new place we can claim for our own, somewhere none of our enemies have yet to step foot in. The middle of the lake alone with Marcus sounds better than hiding inside the suffocating walls of any house or building. I close my eyes and an old memory of Marcus sneaking into my office drags me away temporarily.
Take me somewhere special, a place you've never been with anyone else. Something that can be only ours.
Chapter 19
Marcus
My eyes blink open and my head aches. My stomach lurches from nausea and the smell of fish doesn't help. Neither does the swaying of my body as the surface I'm on rocks beneath me. I'm on a boat. I try to move, but my body is being restrained by rope.
"Hola, sleepy head. I hope your head doesn't hurt too bad." The voice comes from behind me, deep and familiar. I tug on the rope, shifting in the seat. I twist my neck to face the person the approaching footsteps belong to.
"Why am I here?
He grins cheekily, inching closer with confidence in each stride. "For our perfect date I promised to take you on."
"Do you usually kidnap your dates? If so, there's plenty of ways to woo people and this isn't it."
His brows furrow. "What do you mean? Did I do it wrong?"
I glance around taking in the champagne, glasses, and dinner laid out on a small table connecting to the boat.
"You're supposed to ask people to go on the date first."
"I did ask, and you said you'd think about it. I thought I could help you make up your mind."
"That's…that's not how it works."
He shrugs. "Sounded logical to me at the time."
I sigh. "Well in the real world the word yes has to actually be said to the person asking. Normal people don't put the person they're pursuing to sleep by injecting them in a church's confession booth. They don't tie them up before bringing them for a romantic dinner on a boat in the middle of the lake either."
He squints, frowning. "I’m still not sure what the issue is. I thought you’d be pleased with all the effort I put in and since when are we normal people?"
I sigh, not even sure how to respond to that. He's right. Nothing about my life has exactly followed the expectations of most people. Especially when it came to him. Nothing between us was ever that simple and easy. Not to mention I did leave him tied up in a hotel room after distracting him with sex and wrote a threatening message on the mirror. "I guess it was only a matter of time before I was the one to wake up with my hands tied behind my back."
"Consider us even."
I huff. "I guess since I'm here I might as well eat. Looks like we are a long way from land and the food does smell delicious. You must have guessed my dinner time correctly, because I'm starving."
He cocks his head, grinning. "Isn't it endearing that even after all these years I can still read your mind?" He runs his fingers down the center of my body, lightly caressing my belt. I shudder, hoping the tenting in my pants isn't noticeable.
