Hello Marco^^
**Enjoy! not edited!!**
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Marco with a rare smile, scrolled in enough to really see what was going on, with his hands in his beige shorts that tied nicely with his black shirt. He didn't stop in his tracks, his face dropped only slightly from the smile he had.
"Poor fella on the floor, Nicholas and the crew on the way? Last time I left blood on a penthouse floor, the maid wanted to call the cops-- which made a bigger mess cause I had to kill her too." Marco sighed, grabbing the back of Rafael's neck in a greeting gesture.
Now, could that be a joke story.. Or a real story?
That poor maid.
I was always dumbfounded when listening to Marco, he made everything so chill. I didn't even realize Amber was trying to wriggle out of my hold.
Marco frowned but then snorted, bending down to look at the guys' jacket. "A fuçking galloping goose."
Rafael just shrugged but then his eyebrows furrowed. "Random." He was obviously confused at why they'd want anything to do with their Mafia.
Marco got up before turning around to look at me and Amber like he was searching for someone in fear. But his eyes softened and relaxed when he looked at us. At the both of us. Or just Amber? Because all she did was look away quickly.
"Random my asś," Marco mumbled, his hand in a fist before he looked back at Rafael. "It's my fault, had a fight with a few of their members last night, at that bar that stinks like hairy bearded sweaty men with a hint of shįt."
Rafael shook his head, which is when a very tired looking Alec walked out of nowhere wearing his boxer briefs.
"Morning guys." He gave us a lazy smile before his eyes shot open at the body on the floor and all the blood. "Okay, that's a prank, right? Ha-Ha, you guys got me! Oh, fake dead body."
Marco and Rafael looked at each other, both clearing their throat in sync. Interesting to see them looking awkward.
"How'd you get it to look so real?" Alec walked closer squinting at the body. "His eyes look like they were just a minute ago full of life... Okay never mind, it's real!"
Alec took one look at Marco and Rafael and immediately backed away, turning around he looked at both me and Amber. We were still shaken, Amber more than me. I was kinda getting used to it, almost.
"Shįt! Are you alright?" Alec came straight to us, getting pretty close to check if we were okay.
We both nodded, Amber bit back a whimper before Alec pulled us in a hug. "What the hell happened?" He mumbled.
Oh you know, the normal everyday intruder trying to kill us like its a common game.
I peaked over Alec's shoulder to see Rafael like he had steam coming out of his ears, he clenched his fists and frowned at me before taking a step forward. Marco stopped his further steps by grabbing his shoulder.
"You don't need to worry about what happened." Rafael clenched his jaw, focused on Alec.
"Is that a joke? I don't know who the fuçk you are but I can clearly see by that bloodstain on your shirt that you've stabbed this guy. My girls shouldn't be exposed to this." Alec barked back, protectively pushing Amber and me behind him.
Crap Alec is writing himself a death wish. And in his boxer briefs really? He had an awesome body... But really?
Marcos eyebrows raised, taking in Rafael's expression, yep he's definitely pissed off and about to bite a head off.
Only Rafael decided to grin. That's worse. "You don't know who you're talking to but I'll gladly show yo-"
"Okay okay! Rafael, Cálmate. No te pongas enojado." I pleaded with him, moving past Alec to stand in front of Rafael. I told him to calm down and not get angry. Keywords I learned just for him...
"Someone has to call the cops," Alec stated.
Marcos's reaction was to laugh. "Alec, buddy. let's go for a walk."
"No! No-- Alec don't worry about what's going on, it's been sorted." Amber squeaked. "Come with me." She grabbed his arm and pulled him up the stairs.
I didn't even bother to look at anyone, only Rafael who was just staring at me like I was a weird animal.
I fiddled with his shirt that had some blood from the man on the floor. "Let's get you cleaned up." I cleared my throat before looking at his eyes.
He nodded stiffly, letting me pull him back up the stairs.
"Yeah alright, Marco always gets left with the fuçking mess, typical." Marco scoffed behind us, but we just ignored him.
I got Rafael into the bathroom and grabbed him a white linen shirt that was in his luggage. I hadn't even noticed his luggage was in the room already. He worked quickly.
"Is there a reason why you're suddenly dressing like an arrogant businessman?" I teased him, watching how he stared at himself with his shirt off and blood on his hands.
"I wasn't supposed to fuçking kill him." Rafael shook his head, cursing at himself before he started to rub the drying blood between his fingers.
Please don't get angry with yourself.
"Rafael, it's okay." Was it okay? No, it's not okay to kill someone on a daily basis, but Jesus I loved this man and I was going to do anything to make him feel better.
"No, no. I know it's not okay, but it's like my body has a mind of its own when someone threatens me or the people around me." He shook his head repeatedly.
I picked his shirt off of the floor, the one that was dirty already.
"Because it's in your nature, it's your instinct to protect... Look maybe you can teach yourself in small steps on how to not go as far as killing someone?" I suggested I wasn't sounding like a lunatic, exercises like breathing and training the brain to think about other things helped though.. It was all in the mind. Being able to control.
Maybe he needed to meditate. I almost snorted thinking about Rafael doing yoga.
But I remember Amber in school when some girls used to try to bring her down and she'd breathe, count and think about how close she was to leaving school and that she didn't need another suspension on her record.
"I don't know. I'll try-- Mierda." Rafael muttered, staring at the blood on his hands, still rubbing it between his fingers like he was examining it. "Sometimes I can tell the difference between someone's blood, whether it's thicker or a slightly different color." His eyebrows furrowed together, his eyes lost in thought.
I gulped.
Rafael cleared his throat, pulling himself out of his thoughts before turning on the tap to wash. "But I always have to be careful that I don't get HIV or something."
A shiver ran down my back. What a thing to say.
He'd seen so much and acted like he was still sane but he was hardly hanging on. I had a hatred for Fabio, the man that forced Rafael and his mother into this life.
A knock on the door made me jump but for Rafael to continue what he was doing like he didn't hear a thing.
"We're going out for brunch, hurry up." Marco's voice came after the knock.
"Go get your friends-- I just have to pull my head together and put some clothes on."
I nodded before slipping out of the room, taking a moment to breathe and not to overthink things like I always do. I had to go with the flow, which was a little fuçked up, I mean oh yeah, sure, let's just not be human and act like robots that couldn't care less that they had experienced more murders than seen a drunk man talking to a pole on the streets of Chicago...
Yeah, I'd seen a few of those.
Once I found Amber and Alec talking, someone grabbed my arm forcefully in the other direction and into another room.
"What the hell!" I didn't get to yell loud enough since Marco's hand was over my mouth, making my words muffled. My quick reaction was to bite his hand.
He rolled his eyes and pulled his hand back. "Before you start rambling 'oh Marco why would you grab me like that! What is wrong with you? You can't go around grabbing girls like that' etc." He did a pretty good high pitched girl impression... Not going to lie. "One, I can and like to do whatever the fuçk I want. That's just me. Two, nothing is wrong with me I'm perfectly semi kind of a sane man. Three, you'd be surprised at how many girls get turned on by it."
I definitely want to roll my eyes. Yeah, I feel my eyes rolling.
"Get to the point of why I'm in front of you," I told him.
He gave me an almost pained looked but it was soon washed away.
"It's about Amber. Don't go saying anything to her yet..." He gave me a pointed look like he wanted my trust. Did he want trust from me already? "Yeah, I know you don't trust me since... What happened." He shrugged. "Not like you remember much. But anyways your best friend might be in a situation where her ex-boyfriend and his gang are trying to kidnap her."
"Ambers involved with criminals too?." Jokes I'm not surprised. "How would you know?" I raised my eyebrow, watching his movements closely. This is getting freaking suspicious.
I wasn't as suss when Marco frowned at me. "It would be a disgrace and embarrassment for me and Rafael not to know what was going on around us. We know everything, it's standard."
"Wait Rafael knew this?" Both of my eyebrows were raised now, my arms crossed. I would have expected him to tell me. Heck, I would have expected Amber to tell me.
"He doesn't think you should know anything that's dodgy. He thinks the less you know the safer you are... Which is true.." Marcos's voice wondered off with his mind before he shook his head. "Look Amber wouldn't tell you either because she knows if she tells you about her ex then it gets complicated. Like you talking about Rafael.."
Yeah, I get it, basically secret cult crap. Tell someone about an existing Mafia and I might as well get my throat sliced.
I sighed, uncrossing my arms. "So why are you telling me?"
"Because you knowing this information might make everything go smoothly. None of your countless questions, when they won't get answered. We just need to get you and Amber back to Chicago in one piece, preferably." Marco shrugged, a small smile on his lips. "Just need to make the problem disappear."
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"Are you feeling okay?" Rafael asked me, we were about to get in Marcos white Mercedes convertible, I didn't really see him as a Mercedes guy. Rafael definitely looked like a Maserati guy. I pictured Marco in a high truck, Yano that stereotypical car that 'werewolves.' In movies would drive.
"Is that a no?" Rafael furrowed his eyebrows at my lost face. I really got to stop thinking so much.
"No, I'm okay, better than okay. Just in Christina world--" My voice wondered off, cringing at my choice of words but slid into the back seat after Alec. Who was totally chill about everything..
I watched at how Marco close behind Amber he was. Amber stood at the passenger seat not taking one movement to open it.
Rafael was obviously at this, was I the only one noticing things? Rafael sat next to me, putting his arm around me purposely so I wasn't closer to Alec.
I heard Marco groaned, his expression clearly annoyed. "Just get in the fuçking car Amber."
She huffed and looked the other way, she was obviously not happy with being near Marco... Was it because he knew everything about her now?
Marco looked at the blue sky that was semi-covered by Palm trees before he muttered. "Not worth the headache really."
He reached out, in one swift moment, he picked her up, lucky she was wearing jean shorts and a shirt. He placed her over the door and into her seat, he made it look easy.
"Asśhole!" Amber huffed, crossing her arms over his chest.
"I know right." Marco winked before starting the car.