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Marco’s gaze hardens. “You would have been dead if I hadn’t stepped in. This isn’t a joke, and these people…everything about them is part of a game. You weren’t getting him to talk. He was gettingyouto talk.”
I scoff, shaking my head. “Not true.”
“He wouldn’t have told you anything of use, trust me, but by the time the conversation ended, he would have had your number. This isn’t your world. As much as you’d like to act like you have it handled, trust me, you do not. Especially when you’re practically ready to topple over.”
“I’m not drunk.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you were, but there is no excuse for being drunkandsloppy.” His eyes narrow. “You would get into more trouble than you’re worth. Your best bet is to stick with me, because I know Stefan, and I know the best way to take him down.”
“Oh, you seriously think I’ll just believe you when you say you want to take care of your brother?” I cross my arms over my chest, frustration bubbling alongside the alcohol in my veins.
“Yes.” It’s as simple as that. “I know the best way to take him down, one that hopefully won’t get us killed.”
Us.
I don’t know this man beyond rumors of his ruthlessness. Or perhaps that’s the shadow of his brother tainting everything it falls on. I have no idea what’s real and what’s not at this point.
Marco approaches me with a hand held out in front of him, like I’m some kind of wild animal he’s trying to soothe. “No, you have no reason to trust me, but I have a few secrets of my own. Maybe sharing them with you will get you to trust me, even if it’s just for this case.”
“Try me.”
“I fucking despise my family business.”
The stark truth of those words shoots through me, arrow-straight and aiming for the heart. “What do you mean?” Wes is silent in my ear, listening to all of this.
“I’ve been clandestinely working from the inside to bring down the syndicate without getting caught,” Marco replies. “I tried feeding the last agent information, but he refused my help. He thought I was setting him up, and it ended up getting him. killed”
“I’m wondering the same thing,” I blurt out. “If you’re setting me up.” Okay, I’m a little tipsier than I thought. “How can I trust you?”
“I believe, if we work together and combine our wit and intelligence, we can find a way to dismantle the syndicate once and for all. You, my drunk and obviously pissed off savior, are the key to my escape.”
It’s not enough to get me to trust him. It’s not enough for me to forget all my bureau training, although getting even a little tipsy at a party like this is a rookie move. I’ve made mistakes, and I wonder if trusting Marco will be one.
I take a step forward, then another, bringing my palms flush with his chest. “You really want to help me?”
He shakes his head. “Oh no, sweetheart. I want you to help me. There is a big difference.”
I’m not sure which one of us is holding the cards at this point. Neither of us, maybe.
“I do think you aren’t here by chance tonight.” He’s the one to move now, crowding me backward step by step. “I think you’re smart enough to understand what it means to have someone like me at your disposal. And the little voice inside your ear knows it, too.”
“Don’t trust him, Lace,” Wes whispers. “We can do this without him.”
Still, I know without having to ask that Wes understands what I do in that moment: Marco is an invaluable asset. He’ll have insider information, and he could have ratted me out a dozen times, could have let me get myself killed or worse, but he stepped in.
Marco reaches out to push against my collarbone at the same time my knees hit the back of the fainting couch. I go down hard, still holding his eyes.
“We are going to tear each other apart in this partnership,” I tell him.
His smile turns wolfish. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”
The drink in my veins makes me more reckless than I like—more reckless than logical, which is my only excuse for being alone with him like this.
The talk is heated, and the look in his eyes is hot enough to scorch me. God, he’s good looking, especially when he’s smirking down at me the way he his. Marco reaches out and tips my chin up to face him.
“Let’s get one thing straight: we’re helping each other, but we both know who the muscle is in this operation.”
“As long as I’m the brains.”
