Page 10 of His Aries Heiress
He registered her words and nodded slowly as his thoughts weighed him down. “You said everyone left?” he asked for clarification.
She shrugged. “Aside from one guy. I think his name is Goldie.”
Marcellus relaxed a bit. If all the guards left, he would have had to lay a few niggas down. Just because Grim was gone didn’t mean he could be vulnerable. He added that to the list of shit to sort out in the coming days. His heart sank even lower as he stared at Cassydie. He had a feeling she had no idea that she was there to rock his entire world and change shit up for him. Her existence ultimately meant he didn’t have one among the council. His heart grew cold at the thought, and he straightened up after he realized he still held onto her. His hands dropped to his sides as he said, “Bet. You gon’ come home wit’ me.”
Her head reared back as if he had slapped her. If he wasn’t so mentally exhausted, he would have laughed. Poor baby looked utterly confused.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re excused.” Marcellus walked around her and toward the waiting room. He found Goldie sitting there, alert but with sad eyes.
Goldie straightened up when he saw Marcellus. He got his nickname from his light brown eyes that almost looked gold. Against his dark brown skin, it was a striking feature. When he was young, he got teased for it. Now, he got hoes for it. The circle of life.
“You good, man?” Goldie asked. He stood and dapped Marcellus up.
Marcellus shook his head, but before he could speak, Cassydie came into the room with her fiery spirit. “Excuse me, I wasn’t done talking to you,” she snapped.
Marcellus clenched his jaw and slowly turned to face her. He didn’t miss the look of amusement on Goldie’s face as he watched the two.
“I was done talkin’ to you, shorty.”
She cocked her head to the side, which Marcellus found oddly cute. “I get the sense that you’re used to people doing as you say, but I ain’t one of those people.”
He lifted a brow up at her. “You say that to say . . .?”
She huffed out a breath. The way she rubbed her swollen eyes and her slow movements gave way to how exhausted she was. Marcellus felt a small twinge in his heart once again.
“I’m leaving,” she stated firmly before spinning on her heels and attempting to walk away.
Marcellus caught her arm and pulled her into him so her back was to his chest. “Ain’t I tell you that you was comin’ home wit’ me?”
She tensed. “That’s what you said, yeah.” She spoke through gritted teeth as she tried getting out of his grasp. He held on tighter.
“Then act like you got some sense and hold on a minute.”
“Who do you think?—”
Marcellus ignored her as he turned both their bodies so he could speak to Goldie again. “You got the information from her about that PI?”
He’d texted Goldie earlier while he was still in the room with Grim, telling him to get that information from Cassydie. He knew that was something he could control and check off his list, so he delegated that task.
Goldie nodded. “Yup. Tech already got back to us. Was just waiting on you for the next move.”
Marcellus didn’t have to think about it long or hard. “Handle that. If he was nosy enough to find Grim, ain’t no tellin’ what else he might find.”
Goldie nodded. “Bet. What else you need from me?”
Marcellus thought about it. He needed a lot right now, but he tried to focus his thoughts. “I’m going to call for a meeting tomorrow. Just need you to ride wit’ me there.”
Goldie looked at him in understanding. Nobody but the council knew about the council, but there was definitely speculation. Marcellus knew Goldie was a smart man. He’d been kickin’ it with Grim long enough to put two and two together on some shit. The thing was, unless a person was actually inducted into the council, they couldn’t even fathom the shit they had their hands in.
“Just let me know what time to scoop you,” Goldie said before slapping Marcellus on the shoulder. “You good for the night?”
Marcellus nodded. Goldie had just lost a good friend. He deserved the night off. Marcellus could get him and Cassydie home safely.
The two men said their goodbyes, and it wasn’t until then that Marcellus realized he still held on to Cassydie. He looked down at her, and he almost smiled when he noticed her glaring up at him.
“Come on, let’s go.”
