Chapter 10

Aiden.

I swallowed hard, but my throat remained constricted. My heart felt heavy and my chest tighter than it should be. As much as I wanted to go into denial and tell myself that I was okay, deep down, I knew I was far from okay. My mind kept racing back to Anna like an endless loop. It felt like there was a gaping hole in my chest, where my heart was supposed to be. I groaned, playing with the bottle in my hand. I released my grip from the bottle and placed it on my chest instead. I gently massaged my chest to ease the tension that was building inside me. I needed to breathe. I stood up and paced as the space began to seem airtight.

“Boss. Are you good?” Viktor asked, his brow furrowing with worry. “You've seemed a little bit disturbed lately.”

I shot him a glare and he averted his gaze. “Sorry, boss,” he muttered.

At what point did I lose it? When did I become this weak and helpless over something as fickle as a broken heart? I wasn't even supposed to have a heart, growing one seemed to have been the beginning of my downfall. I wasn't supposed to fall in love, such inconsequential feelings only made one weak and vulnerable. My phone buzzed, breaking the silence and immediately making the hair on my skin stand on end. I grumbled as I fumbled through my pocket and picked the call.

“Aiden.” Gabriel's voice came through the speaker. He seemed a little less condescending than he usually did and this struck me as a shock

“Gabriel.”

“Marcus requested a meeting.”

“That's strange. What could he probably want with us?” I said in a gruff voice. It was quite obvious what he wanted: Liam and Anna. The duo were in our territory, so Marcus couldn't come after them, as entering our territory would be seen as an act of war.

“He said some rubbish about ushering in a new age. Anyway, I won't be attending the meeting. I'm at a date with my fiancee—”

'My fiancee,’’ a voice screamed in my head. Anna was mine.

“Don't disappoint me, Aiden.”

The condescending tone was back. The line went dead and I realized that I had missed every other thing he said. I received a text message from Gabriel. It was an address and a time, so I figured that he wanted me to go to the meeting in his stead. Viktor was looking at me, unsure of what to do next.

“Gather the boys. We have a meeting to attend.’

“Boss. Are you coming with us?”

“Yes.”

A few hours later, we parked the vehicle in front of an abandoned warehouse. Some cars were also parked in front of the warehouse.

“Seems like he's here already,” Viktor said, looking at my face through the mirror. “Any instructions, boss?”

“No. It's just a meeting. They won't dare step out of line.”

Seeing our arrival, Marcus stepped out of his car and began to walk towards us. He was a short balding man, clad in a suit that flapped with the wind. He had an unthreatening appearance and a sweet tongue; the type that makes you drop your guard, but anyone would be a fool to fall for it. Jacob McClain had fallen for it and now his seat belonged to Marcus. I dropped from the car and walked forward.

We stopped midway between our vehicles, with a healthy distance between us. Conversation could get heated quickly, and it's safer when the other person isn't within striking distance.

“I was expecting a Martinez with a little more power, not. The. Bastard. Son.” He punctuated each of the last words to let them sink in. His voice was deep and intended to intimidate, but the effort just made my lip curl up in a smile. I sized him up and cocked my brow.

“How can I help you, Marcus?” I said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. I took a deep draw and watched as the realization that I can not be intimidated dawned on him.

“How's Lilian?”

“Very well, Marcus. Now, can you tell me why we're here?” I was beginning to grow impatient and angry. The anger wasn't entirely because of this meeting, it was because I couldn't rid my mind of Anna.

“You have something that belongs to me and I want it back.”

I scoffed. “If we took it then it is where it belongs,” I retorted, holding his gaze. His eyes were a mirror of mine, the same shade of blue, yet devoid of any color or life.

He took a step closer. “I'm very much aware that Jacob and Lilian had their issues. I was his second, but I'm not Jacob. I believe myself to be more…open-minded. Our two families could work together—”

“What do you want?”

“In exchange for partnership,’’ he said, his voice rising a notch higher. “You would need to return Liam and Anna to me.”

I laughed, while Marcus stared blankly at me. “What makes you think that you can tell us what to do?”

“It's a family affair. The Martinezs' shouldn't be interfering or hiding the McClain's children. They are mine to do with as I please. You know better than to be in my way.”

It was my turn to take a step closer, as I looked down at him. My height towered over his, but the old man stood his ground, refusing to be intimidated like most others would have been.

“Liam and Anna are now family. You should understand why we interfere. It'll be best if you get off their backs.”

He looked at me a little puzzled. “What could possibly come out of such a union? Surely, whatever they're offering can't be as valuable as my partnership.”

Yes, he was right. Only partly. Liam had promised us Jacob's hidden stash to fund us. Marcus' partnership could do the same. Marcus had more power, not to mention that a fight with him would make us lose a lot. Practically, it was wiser to go partner with Marcus. But Lilian was strangely more interested in a partnership with Liam. That and the fact that I'd die before I let him lay his hands on Anna.

“That's none of your business. Just bear in mind that they're in our territory and under our protection. If as much as a strand of hair falls from their head, I'll paint the whole city red with your blood. This meeting is over.”

I turned.

“You are willing to risk war and the lives of your men to protect them?” he called after, as I left. “I'll find them and I will end them," he barks.

I knew that he meant every word. He wasn't going to rest until he had them killed. That would mean war. War was the last thing we needed, but if Anna's life was at stake; I'd fight a thousand wars.