Page 28 of The Almost One

“Shit, sorry, Kai!” Throwing my hands over my face dramatically, I peek through my fingers at him, relief flooding me when he starts laughing and hands me back the joint.

“Fuck, Riv. I think someone’s been a sneaky ninja and had some of those classes we discussed.”

“Maybe.” I’m nonchalant with my response, having a toke of the joint with a smirk on my lips.

The rumble of Marco’s Aston out front jolts me into full awareness, and my muscles finally relax at knowing he’s here.

Fuck… when did I become so obsessed with being around Marco?

“Sounds like we have company.” Petal lifts her head from Everest’s lap as she speaks, her eyes growing wider as they look straight past me and she gasps, immediately moving to stand.

I turn, my own eyes widening as I take in Marco’s ragged appearance. He has a graze on his cheek, his shirt is covered in blood, and he looks utterly beat. I’m up and rushing over to him as quickly as my legs will carry me, not that I have to go far.

“Fuck, Marco. Are you alright? What happened?” Wrapping my arms around his waist, I pull him closer and rest my head against his chest, being careful in case there are any injuries I can’t see.

Holding me tenderly, he gently rubs one palm over my shoulder while the other rests on the back of my head. He inhales into my hair, hopefully taking comfort in whatever it is I can offer him right now. “Tesoro. Ti amo.”

He’s told me he loves me many times, but I have yet to say it back, and even though I’m pretty sure I really do, now isn’t the time for that momentous occasion of finally admitting it out loud.

“Come over by the fire, Marco. Let me help clean you up. Here, River, finish mixing this up into a paste while I clean the blood off his face.” Petal hands me a pestle and mortar full of what smells like turmeric and warm water as she takes Marco by the elbow and guides him to where she wants him to sit.

Dread fills me at this situation and I’m a little shell-shocked. On one hand, I never wanted the drama of the life I’m living to affect my family, but Petal’s a pro. She’s not phased in the slightest as she uses a cloth to gently wipe away the blood covering Marco’s face and knuckles—I’m pretty sure it’s not all his either. On the other, Marco looks like he’s just gone a couple of rounds in the ring with Mike Tyson.

“What the fuck, dude. What happened?” Everest is right next to Petal, his arm over her shoulder as she does her mothering thing. She’s built for this shit—mothering, not cleaning blood from someone’s face.

Marco sighs, and turns to look at me with pleading eyes, but he obeys as Petal grabs his chin and spins his face back around to her. “I got jumped.”

Kai snorts at Marco’s words and I glare at him. He shrugs his shoulders unapologetically with a, “What? You believe him?”

“Shut the fuck up, Kai.” I continue to grind and smush the paste-like substance as the shock wears off and I sit beside Marco, handing over the pestle and mortar when Petal asks for it.

A thousand things are running through my mind. Did he really get jumped or is it something mafia-based? There isn’t anything I can think of, but Marco doesn’t exactly discuss the ins and outs of his work, especially not the bits that are illegal or inspire violence.

Petal uses her fingers to smooth the turmeric paste over the graze on Marco’s cheek and knuckles while the rest of us stay silent. It’s not uncomfortable, but I know it can’t stay this way.

“There. Bear, can you take this inside for me, please?” She hands him her tools and he obediently takes them inside the house. “Now, you listen to me, Mister.” Petal’s voice is barely a whisper as she leans into him, holding his hands in hers, and I strain to hear her words. “A person’s aura can say a lot about them. We are a family with no secrets, we’ve all learned that the hard way. So please, you know what you need to do.” Moving back, she looks up at me with a smile. “Go get your husband cleaned up, Riv.”

Marco smirks and lightly shakes his head, allowing Petal to hug him before she stands and pulls Kai up from where he was sitting in silence, taking him back into the house with her.

And then there were two.

With his elbows on his knees, Marco rests his head in his hands in some kind of defeat. I move to sit in front of him, resting on my knees, pulling his head into my chest, and brushing my fingers through the long strands of his dark hair.

We don’t speak. We just take comfort from each other’s presence, and I allow a lone tear to escape my eye at how this man with the world on his shoulders must be feeling right now.

If nothing else, I hope he takes strength from me in this moment. The same strength he has given me when I needed it.

* * *

“Are you going to sulk all the way home?”

Marco is wearing one of Everest’s White Stripes band T-shirts because he didn’t have time to bring spare clothes of his own and well, the white shirt he was wearing last night was burned on the fire. To say he’s unhappy about his attire would be an understatement, but I like the casual look on him. Jeans and a T-shirt isn’t something I’ve ever seen him wear.

“I’m not sulking.” Keeping his eyes on the road, he adjusts the crotch of the jeans with a frown on his face.

“Okay, well, are we going to talk about what happened last night?” I shift in my seat to look at him properly. I want to see his face as he answers.

There are secrets he’s keeping from me that I haven’t figured out yet and I’m allowing him to have. Things have been a lot lately, and I don’t think either of us have been in a position to be pushed about anything, but going forward, we need to be on the same page.

---