CHAPTER 8 | HAUNTING MEMORIES

MARCUS'S POV

"I wish you'd just let me in, just once," Susan clutches my arm as she slides under my chest.

"I can't Sugar, it's too dangerous. The things which haunt me are supposed to be secret. People will try to kill you for it," I said, pulling her closed, safely tucked in.

"I'm ready to do anything for you Marcy, I'd die for you," She told, tears dripping from her doe eyes. Everything around me blurred as she looked at me.

"I don't want you to," I kiss her hair, wiping her tears.

"Well, I don't want you to suffer alone either," She stood up, pulling me up on the balcony.

Lucy enters the balcony, I didn't know why I trapped her when Susan was already there. They looked at me, without speaking anything.

I wake up from the dreadful dream. The bedspread was covered with sweat, but the balcony was open, adding to my uneasiness. I close the balcony door and turn on the air conditioner. I lay thinking in my bed about Susan. The dream indeed was something that happened in the past, except the last part.

It was almost morning, the sun was just rising above the horizon. I felt that taking a bath would clear my mind, and lift the heavyweight from my chest. The shower made me feel much better, as the water traced through every inch of my body, dripping down my muscles. I wrap the towel around me and walk out. I realised that the air conditioner hadn't been turned off, and I was feeling agitated by the cold.

I dress in the black suit with no tie, the usual attire. I use the perfume which Susan loved, she didn't forget to get me the perfume every 3 months - exactly when the perfume gets over. I buy them myself now, a living memory of her.

"Marcus, I know why you didn't kill Lucy yet," Aiden screams as he enters the room. He slams the door so hard.

"I told you yesterday," I tell him.

"You want to use her for your marriage ritual don't you?" He gives me an evil look, and that's when I think of that possibility.

Our family despised women, often described them as unlucky. It all started when our grand-uncle, Dominic was lured by his wife. He was brainwashed and seduced, she made him join his father and made sure he felt it made sense to attack his own brothers. Since then, it was a ritual to kill the wife after the heir is born, making it look like an accident. Though the gang is free to have sexual pleasures, it's forbidden to let his wife last long. I can't betray my father, he'd kill me and my wife without a second thought.

I didn't marry Susan for this reason. She wanted to have kids with me, she often imagined a son who looked like me.

"Answer me," Aiden screams again, causing me to jerk a little. But, it didn't take me long to regain my posture.

"Yes," I lie, maybe he'd believe this one.

"You're sick!" He says as he launches himself out of the room. I check my watch and I realised that we had a meeting with the Runihuras* about the territory issue.

"Jeremy," I call him, he appeared a few seconds later.

"Prepare for the drive to Sandalks, we're meeting the Runihuras," I say. Sandalks was an isolated place on the outskirts of the city, managed by my father. It was a heavily armed place, and no one could easily penetrate.

"Yes Boss," He says, marching out of the room. I wanted to check how Lucy was doing, but I changed my mind when Aiden appears with Lucifer and Hayde. These were the people in my inner circle, knowing the deepest secrets of Vipers. Aiden was close only because we had an unofficial relationship.

"I checked the gang this morning, nothing unusual was planned," Lucifer tells me and I nod. We walk towards the garage and Hayde calls some of the Vipers to get in the cars behind us. Jeremy drives the car as usual, with Aiden sitting on the other front seat.

The weather was calming, everything felt so normal. The drive wasn't long enough for me to overthink the dream I had this morning, but the breeze lifted my mood.

"We're here," Jermey announces as we drive inside the high compound building, securely guarded with armed men on either side. They bowed as our car enters the building. The orange Audi was parked outside, the Runiharas were already here.

Even though I always felt powerful about being here, it felt new every time - as if I didn't belong here before this. We march towards the assembly hall, which looked more like a circular enclosed dome.

"Hello Jr Rivera," Quinlan announces with a handshake.

"Long time," I answer as I sit opposite to him, placing my gun on the table. He doesn't react, even it had made him feel anything.

"Yes," He hesitates before answering.

"The northern states are ours Mr Shaw, and we believe that you've granted access for selling your goods," I chuckle, making it seem like I was joking.

"I presumed it was mine, a fault," He tells me nonchalantly as if he didn't care.

Aiden grabs the gun on the table and points straight at Quinlan's head. Aiden smiles as Quinlan's fear was obvious now, but he smiled...grabbing the barrel right into his forehead.

"Lucy, an amazing name isn't it? Common yet amazing," He laughs. How could he possibly know about Lucy?

"She isn't alive," Lucifer spits back, trying to make it sound real.

"Well, we did try to kill Lucy today, but unfortunately she's stuck at my home. She wouldn't return unless you leave me alive out of here," He licked his lips as Aiden slowly removed the gun from his head.

"Shoot him," I order. I didn't care about Lucy, my Mafia was more important than her.

"Esther, bring me that phone," He orders his secretary who looked as if she has seen a ghost. I realised that she didn't sign up for this.

"Esther," He shouts again, she jerked and brought his phone.

"Call Rick," He said. She began dialling him while watching Aiden's gun. Both of them were clearly scared and confused.

"Yo Boss, should I leave her?" The voice on the phone asks him.

"Show her," He tells him, looking at me.

There she was, sitting in the chair with her hands tied behind. She looked drugged and unconscious, her hair was messed and I saw a hand holding it up. Her mouth was bleeding, the cut on her cheek looked serious.

"Lucy," I whisper, trying not to cry or look angry. I don't know why I felt this anger, I didn't love her of course. I didn't reassemble her with Susan, I was concerned for her. I couldn't bear that someone was forcing her to look up, she looked soulless even though her eyes looked milky and tired.

"Help," She mouthed. That was all I needed to change my mind.

(*Runihuras - Egyptian, Destroyers )