The slight weight of Olivia in my arms was a crushing reminder that I had failed to protect her. Rage boiled inside me, a firestorm threatening to consume everything and everyone in its path. Bursting through the doors of the emergency room, my footsteps echoed across the linoleum floor as I carried her battered body towards help.
“Sir, you need to check in at the front desk first,” a nurse called out, but I ignored her. Olivia needed immediate attention, and I wasn’t going to waste time with bureaucratic bullshit.
“Someone get a fucking doctor over here right fucking now!” I bellowed, my voice resonating throughout the ER. My heart hammered in my chest, each beat fueling my anger and determination to make someone – anyone – pay for what those animals had done to her.
“Alright, alright, calm down, sir,” a doctor in a rumpled coat said, pointing me down the hallway. “I’ll take a look at her.”
“At least someone’s doing their motherfucking job today,” I muttered under my breath, kicking open the door to an unoccupied room and laying her down on the examination table as gently as I could. Her curly hair splayed out around her head like a dark halo. Blood and dirt covered her beautiful face.
“Watch your language, please,” the doctor chided me.
“Okay, okay. Look, just help her,” I pleaded, my hands clenched into fists. The doctor nodded, his face serious as he began examining Olivia.
“Easy, now,” the doctor said gently as he examined her. “I don’t see any serious injuries. Probably just a concussion from the head wound. We’ll patch her up and run some tests to confirm, Mr…?”
“Moore,” I spat out, impatiently pacing the small room. “Marcus Moore.”
“Okay, Mr. Moore, let me do my job, and I’ll keep you updated on her condition. Just give us some space,” the doctor said, gesturing for me to step back as a nurse wheeled a covered cart into the room.
“Fine, just make sure she’s okay,” I said through gritted teeth, finally relenting and stepping out into the hallway. My hands shook as I dialed Benjamin’s number, pressing the phone against my ear.
“Get everyone together at the emergency site,” I hissed urgently into the phone. “This shit has escalated and we need a game plan.”
“Understood. Give me thirty minutes,” he replied, concern laced in his voice.
“Make it twenty,” I demanded, inhaling sharply to calm my raging emotions. I ended the call and leaned against the cold hospital wall.
Another nurse slipped past me and entered the exam room. The door cracked open just enough for me to see Olivia’s tear-streaked face as they cleaned it gently. Her beautiful big eyes were wide with fear and confusion. One of the nurses was prodding at the back of her head and Olivia cried out in pain. She looked so small, so vulnerable, and it made my chest tighten. This was the one thing I couldn’t handle – seeing her like this. Not my sweet, sexy, vibrant Olivia.
Every bit of me wanted to go back into that room and hold her, protect her with my life. But I couldn’t. There was only one way to ensure Olivia’s safety now. I had to focus on finding the people responsible for this and making them pay. Blood for blood. That was my language, and they were about to learn it firsthand.
*
“Time for some goddamn answers,” I muttered under my breath, pulling up to the entrance of the warehouse on the outskirts of town I kept for emergencies just like this. Unable to be connected to me, it was as safe as possible from prying eyes. Killing the engine, I stepped out of the car, my boots crunching on the gravel below.
The warehouse loomed large before me, its rusted metal exterior a testament to years of neglect. With a deep breath, I pushed open the heavy door.
As I entered, the room buzzed with hushed conversations among my most trusted employees. They stood scattered around the dimly lit space, gathered in small groups, their faces tense and serious.
“Marcus,” Benjamin greeted me first, his brow furrowed as he took in my battered appearance. As my head of security, it was his job to worry about me – even if I didn’t need, nor want, his concern.
“Enough with the pleasantries,” I barked, stalking toward him. “We’ve got a war to plan.”
“Of course,” he replied, nodding curtly. He gestured to the others in the room. “You know we’re all here to do whatever you need.”
I glanced around, taking in my organization’s top people. Brynn, my financial advisor, leaned against a wall with her arms crossed, her piercing blue eyes studying me intently. She looked, as usual, like she’d been carved from ice – cold, calculating, and absolutely lethal in the world of high-stakes finance.
“Nice of you to join us,” she remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Not now, Brynn,” I snapped, my patience wearing thin. “I’m not in the fucking mood.”
“Whatever you say, boss,” she replied coolly, smirking at me from across the room.
Magnus towered over Azalea and Rave as they sat bent over a computer screen, pointing at things and whispering. The enforcer’s shaved head and long red beard made him stand out like a beacon, his whippet-thin frame belying the raw strength he possessed.
“Marcus, we need you to break it down for us,” Benjamin interrupted my thoughts, his voice urgent. “We need to know what happened today. Every detail.”
I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, wanting nothing more than to unleash my fury on whoever had dared hurt Olivia. But I knew Benjamin was just doing his job, trying to protect me and the organization. So I swallowed my anger and recounted the events at the food court as briefly as possible.
“The hitters, they were well-trained, extremely disciplined. The moment they heard help coming, they bolted. No stragglers or disagreements.”
“So the message was the point, not the pain,” Benjamin mused, his brow furrowed in thought. “Could it have been Jonathan Ware? He was pretty pissed off at you, Marcus.”
“Nah, Ware gave me twenty-four hours to fix the so-called ‘problem’ he holds me responsible for. He’s a fucking asshole, but he wouldn’t send goons to rough me up before the deadline. This was someone else.”
“Whoever it is, we’ll find them,” Benjamin assured me, his eyes narrowing with determination.
“Damn right,” I muttered, my thoughts consumed by revenge, and the picture of Olivia’s pained face burned in my mind.
As my crew continued discussing possible enemies and motives, my thoughts drifted back to Olivia. I couldn’t help but feel like I’d failed her – that this was all my fault. In a moment of weakness, I sent a quick text message. When I turned my attention back to the meeting, Brynn was staring at me. “What?” I barked at her.
“Marcus,” Brynn called out, her voice somehow managing to cut through the heated discussions and strategizing. “Can I speak with you privately?”
I shot her a glare, not wanting any distractions at the moment. “Not now, Brynn.”
“Please, it’s important,” she insisted, her blue eyes pleading.
“Fine,” I sighed, relenting. I knew Brynn well enough to know that she wouldn’t back down until we spoke. “Let’s make it quick.”
She flashed me a triumphant smile as I followed her to a secluded corner of the warehouse, the others’ voices fading into a distant murmur. She pulled a small pack of wet wipes from her purse; her face a mixture of concern and satisfaction.
“Here, let me clean you up a little,” she said softly, reaching up to wipe away the dried blood around my nose and neck. Her touch was gentle and practiced, and I couldn’t help but notice the way she seemed to savor the closeness between us. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t enjoyed her company before, but right now her touch was working my very last nerve.
“What do you want to tell me?” I asked impatiently once she’d finished.
“I overheard something earlier, just before you arrived. It concerned me.”
“Go on,” I prompted, my curiosity piqued despite myself.
“Azalea and Ash were talking about some surveillance footage. It sounded like they think someone was waiting for you and the girl at the food court. Who knew you’d be there?”
“No one. Olivia suggested it right before we went.”
She nodded, as if she’d expected as much.
“Brynn, I’m not in the mood for mind games. Why does that matter?”
“I had my questions before, but it’s all starting to come clear. Ever since that girl entered your life, everything has gone to hell. What if she’s a plant? A distraction meant to keep you off balance or gather intel?”
I clenched my jaw, struggling to control the overwhelming urge to kick Brynn out of my organization and my life. “You’re reaching. Olivia’s the one who got hurt, remember?”
“True,” she conceded, her gaze finally dropping from mine. “But it would be the perfect cover, wouldn’t it? No one would suspect her of being involved if she was a victim as well.”
“You’re wrong,” I growled, anger flaring within me. “Olivia is innocent. She just got caught in the crossfire.”
“Maybe,” Brynn said with a shrug. “But you have to admit, the timing is suspicious.”
“Enough,” I snapped, turning away from her. “I don’t want to hear any more of this.”
“Marcus, I’m only trying to protect you,” she insisted.
“Fine,” I growled through gritted teeth, desperate to end this infuriating conversation. “You shared your theory. Now let’s get back to the others and figure out what the fuck we’re going to do about this situation.”
“Whatever you say, Marcus,” she said with a tight smile, her eyes lingering on me for a moment longer before we rejoined the group. But even as I focused on the matter at hand, Brynn’s words echoed in my mind, planting seeds of doubt I couldn’t entirely shake off.
“Listen up,” I barked when we rejoined the group. “We need to deal with this shit show on two fronts. First, hunt down the motherfuckers who were bold enough to put their hands on me. Second, find the rat. Someone on the inside is working against me. I want to know who so I can pull their insides outside.”
“We also need to find Enzo and his team,” Benjamin reminded me.
“Right. There’s no way all of this is a coincidence. Someone is taking a run at me. We’re gonna stop them in their tracks. No matter what it takes. I want everyone working on this. Hit the streets, talk to your contacts, do whatever it takes to find out who’s trying to fuck with us. And when we find them, we show them exactly what happens when you cross Marcus Moore.”
The room filled with determined nods and murmurs of agreement as my team prepared for the fight ahead. But as I stood there, ready to wage war against an unknown enemy, my thoughts kept drifting back to Olivia.
I prayed that she was truly innocent in all this. Because if I found out she had betrayed me, the consequences would be biblical. Every single person who had anything to do with this attempt to ruin me would pay – even my Olivia.