Page 30 of Crowned In Blood
"It's my job to gather intelligence about the people I'm working with. And what I've learned about you, I likeverymuch."
The server arrived with our main dishes,providing a much-needed distraction. I swirled a bit of the creamy pasta around with a small slice of chicken and shrugged off his words. "Tell me about the other side of you, then."
He cut a piece of his filet mignon. "The other side?"
I bit into my meal and was immediately ejected into the stratosphere. It was sensational, the perfect amount of chew and softness, with hints of garlic, parsley, and thyme.
My relationship with food was still damaged, and I often had a difficult time trying something new. But this was damn good. I could barely keep myself from happy dancing in my chair.
Marco noticed. He didn’t even try to hide his smile and the warmth in his eyes.
I averted my gaze and circled back to my question. "Yes. You're clearly a flirt." I cut into the chicken with a little too much force. "But you have an edge to you as well, one that you rarely show, at least to me, but it's there. How else could you successfully run both your branch here and in Italy?"
His grin grew wider. "It makes me happy you believe I'm capable."
"Of course I do. I would be a fool not to. But what I want to know is if it's difficult for you."
His eyes hardened for a fraction of a second. "I've gotten used to it, but it has its challenges."
I wanted to ask him more. But I also didn't want to make him too uncomfortable.
He took another sip of wine. "When I went to Italy, it was because a rival famiglia shot my cousin and almost killed him. He was hospitalized for several months."
My eyes widened. "I'm so sorry to hear that."
Marco shrugged. "It's fine. It's an unfortunate part of the job, but I dealt with it."
"How?"
He stared at me and I could almost see the wheels in his mind turning. I set my fork down and met his gaze.
I wanted his ruthlessness, to know if it matched or exceeded mine. There was truth in that, an honor in cruelty that could never be matched, and that was the only version of Marco who could help me.
"Do you truly want to know?"
I was thrilled by the edge in his voice. "Yes. It won't ruin my meal, if that's what you're asking."
He hummed. "First, I made sure that we weren't in the wrong. You've been cleaning up Fernando's messes, so I'm sure you know what I mean."
I nodded. "And were you?"
"Not in the slightest. They were upset that we owned a particular piece of land and wanted to encroach. They came to my cousin with a deal. We both told them no, but they figured since I was in the States I didn't truly hold any power in Italy. Obviously, they were wrong."
I leaned back in my chair, giving him my full attention.
"I found the man who shot my cousin, tortured him for information, chopped him into little pieces, then served him to their leader in a restaurant not as nice as this one." He motioned around us. "The face he made when he saw the eyeball was priceless."
I laughed. It came out as a bark so sudden it startled me, but I couldn't stop. I kept laughing until I wheezed and my eyes blurred with tears. When I finally sobered and wiped my eyes, Marco looked like a blind man who had just seen sunshine for the first time.
I'd never seen anyone look so delighted.
"I was wondering what it would take to make you laugh. I didn't expect torture to be the answer."
I was still chuckling as I dabbed my eyes with the napkin. "I'm sorry. I pictured his face in my mind and?—"
"Don't be. I'm honored I got to see this side of you. I don't think you let it out very often."
He wasn't wrong. I shifted in my chair.
