Chapter 9: Hello Cousin

*BONNIE’S POV*

Bonnie instantly pulled away from Marcus at the sound of the door knocking. Her eyes widened while her face turned as red as a fire engine. Her heart hammered frantically in her chest from what she had almost given in to.

‘Oh my God! What the hell am I thinking?’ she mentally chastised herself.

With wobbly knees, Bonnie stood up from the couch. She couldn’t bring herself to even look at Marcus for fear of letting that maddening, lustful feeling take over once more.

Marcus, on the other hand, looked as if he was getting ready to hurt whoever was standing on the other side of his door. He rolled his eyes and sneered at the inconvenient interruption while also lifting himself up.

“What?” he barked angrily.

It was hard to believe that this was the same man who was caressing her hand just a few seconds ago.

The two watched the door creak open to reveal Wolfgang’s trusted employee, Trixie. The woman calmly entered the room, knowing fully well she had just ruined what could have been a very intimate moment. Nonetheless, what neither of them realized was that a whole new problem had just entered the club.

Trixie locked her eyes on Marcus but kept her voice fairly leveled. “We have company,” she said bluntly.

Wolfgang didn’t need to ask any further questions. Bonnie could tell, based on the disdainful expression on his face that he knew well enough who had just shown up. Marcus rolled his eyes in distaste, coupled with a weary sigh, while Bonnie was instantly making a b-line toward the open doorway.

“Well, in that case, I should be heading back to campus,” she began.

“Bonnie, wait—”

Wolfgang tried stopping her from leaving, but Bonnie held up her hands. Her face still held onto its deep blush.

“No, really, it’s okay. I shouldn’t take up any more of your time. I simply meant to come here to thank you for helping me and for the flowers,” the young woman explained.

Marcus’ eyes softened which caused her insides to flutter uncontrollably.

“In any case, Trix, please show Ms. Renolds and her friend out and make sure they get to their car safely,” he ordered.

And just like that, he was back to the same caring man that had her wanting to share her worries and problems. For a moment, it baffled her that she felt hesitant to leave when earlier, she couldn’t wait to go. But now?

Bonnie shot a look over her shoulder to steal just one last glance at Marcus before heading back to the main lounge where she had left Stella.

***

*MARCUS’ POV*

Wolfgang hated to see Bonnie leaving like that, but this meeting which no one anticipated could not wait.

The second he lost sight of her, Marcus grabbed Trixie by the collar of her jacket and hauled her back to speak into her ear.

“Tell me now, has anyone else shown up yet for their shift?”

Trixie spoke briskly and shook her head. “No.”

“Good. Where is Julius right now?” he asked darkly.

“He’s in one of the private rooms in the back of the lounge.”

Marcus nodded his head and kept his eyes locked on the door.

“Alright. The second you and I get down there, you are going to lock up the main doors and you’re going to tail Bonnie and her friend all the way to campus,” Wolfgang continued. “Make sure they get back inside of their dorm, and then come straight back here.”

She nodded her head one last time before the two of them took off down the hall. The thought of Bonnie being in the same building as his deranged cousin made Marcus cringe. Whether she ever cared to admit it or not, his little bunny had the ability to capture the attention of everyone she shared a room with. Marcus did not need Julius seeing her, or any of his minions that followed the bastard around.

Once Trixie left The Mad House, Wolfgang found himself making his way to the back rooms. He instantly felt the atmosphere of the place change the second his feet hit the end of the hallway.

The very air itself seemed like it was filled with venomous gas. One spark was all it would take to light the room ablaze.

Marcus knew well enough why Julius was back in the country, more specifically, why he was back at The Mad House. The twerp was still trying to fight for the inheritance which he so legally handed over to Marcus several years ago but all of sudden decided that he wanted to take it all back.

‘Well, the little sh*t is going to leave here disappointed once again,’ he thought amusingly.

There was no way, come hell or high water, that he was going to ever hand over the title or his chair at the head table to someone as unstable as Julius.

Princeton, a person who upon first glance appeared to be nothing more than just another pretty face in a well-made suit. But what lied beneath the surface was something distinguishably far more chaotic. Some would even say insane.

His eyes were his greatest facade. On the outside, they were a chilling shade of silver, but behind them was a malicious alternative lurking, waiting for the opportunity to claw its way out.

He always wore a serious expression that was meant to intimidate those around him. But, Wolfgang was never persuaded nor alarmed by the guy. After all, they were cousins.

All the more reason why Marcus had snagged his handgun from his desk alone with a few of his daggers. He held no intentions on hurting Julius, but he’d be a fool not to come prepared.

Wolfgang headed around the curved sofa to find Princeton sitting and accompanied by two other guards. He raised his brows in amusement.

‘Oh, this should be fun,’ he thought.

“Hello, Julius,” Marcus greeted him.

A faint smile curved his lips. “Hello, cousin,” Princeton greeted. “Long time, no see.”

Marcus took a seat across from him and folded his legs.

“What brings you here?” he asked the fair looking man.

Last time he had checked, his cousin was reported to have been traveling overseas for work. So, why the hell was he back now?

Julius reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes along with a custom designed lighter. He took one long drag of the freshly lit cigarette and exhaled before speaking.

“Have you ever seen the sun set over the mountains in Greece? The colors are explosive. Even the stars glow brighter over there. But here, it's like everything has been dulled.”

“Is that why you’re here? To blow a little life into the place?” Marcus said calmly. “I’ve got news for you, this particular line of work isn’t exactly oriented around embracing life. As you well know.”

Princeton’s smile widened. “You and I both know that to be a solid fact. Just as well as we know who rightfully owns this club, and the kind of business that goes on inside of it.”

Wolf reached across the table for Julius’ cigarette. He put it to his lips and took a deep inhale. It had been years since he gave up smoking. Karoline was pressing about his health and how needed to take better care of himself once she left for school. Being a man of his word, Marcus did give up the nasty habit.

“Is that why you’re here? You still want the club?”

“And everything in it,” Princeton stated pompously.

“You know that doesn’t include me or my people,” Wolfgang clarified.

Princeton leaned back against the sofa. Her shoulders shrugged.

“That won’t be a problem. I’ve already started enlisting a few people myself.”

Wolf took one last draw from the cigarette before crushing it in the ashtray beside him. His eyes narrowed as he spoke.

“The answer is ‘no’.”

A cold streak of anger flashed across his cousin’s eyes. “You’re sure about that?” Princeton’s voice was on the edge of threatening, yet Marcus remained unfazed.

“You seem to forget the reason as to why your family is no longer at the head table. Perhaps you need a reminder—”

“On the contrary, I believe it is ‘you’ who needs the reminder, dear cousin. It is true that my family history is a tad bit malformed.”

Wolf’s lips pulled back into a smile. “Not quite the word I’d use. But I’ll let it slide today.”

Princeton rolled his eyes.

“You know as well as I do that after the death of my poor mother, my father went insane. While yes, some of his actions were a little over dramatic, you can’t tell me that he didn’t actually run the business well.”

“First off, Giles was losing his f*cking mind long before your mother died. And while we’re on the topic of Brianna, that woman was no godd*mn saint either. Apart from working for this club, she was caught on numerous occasions selling drugs to minors as well as leaking private information to others houses. Now, Giles?” Wolf chuckled. “That b*stard was very sneaky, but bat sh*t crazy, nonetheless.”

Marcus leaned forward and peered into Julius’ eyes the same way a predator stalked its prey. The room fell silent. No one dared to move a single muscle.

“Tell me, Julius. Do you think insanity is hereditary?” he asked coldly.

Princeton glowered at Wolfgang in absolute hatred. “God, I hope so, for your sake,” he added. “That way, when the police finally get their hands on you, you’ll at least be able to avoid the death penalty.”

Princeton flashed another smile as he, Marcus could only assume, recalled his father’s infamous court trial where he had ended up pleading insanity. For the past decade, the man’s been locked away in solitary confinement.

“You mean go out the same way good ol’ dad went? Not a chance. You can call me psycho all you want, but I’m way smarter than he ever was,” he hissed.

Marcus sighed in boredom. “Smarter, maybe. But far too predictable.”

This conversation was over in his mind. To think he had lost valuable time with Bonnie to sit here and listen to the useless ramblings of a lunatic. Marcus got up from his seat and rounded the couch on his way out. All he wanted at this point was a strong drink and to hear from Trixie.

“We’re done here,” he muttered.

“We’re done when I say we’re done,” Julius stated.

With that said, one of the large men that arrived with Princeton stepped in front of Marcus, purposely blocking his path to leave. His face held no sign of concern. Wolfgang merely spoke over his shoulder.

“Call off your sad dogs, Julius. I just had these rooms redone. I’d hate to ruin them so soon,” he said warningly.

The man who stood in the doorway remained unmoving. Julius must have given them some sort of signal as the two men readied their stances, preparing to attack. Wolfgang’s reflexes were sharper than either one of them. As they swung their fists, Marcus ducked and dodged every strike.

In response to their failed attempts, he began to swing back. He knocked the first man square in the jaw and back kicked the other man into the wall behind him. The second man stumbled, slamming his head into the hard paneling, and ultimately falling to the floor.

Thanks to the brief few seconds of that minor distraction, Marcus slipped one of the hidden blades into his closed fist and turned back towards the first guy. With only the end of the knife exposed, he started thrashing his arm back. The point of the blade made direct contact with the man's face several times before he, too, staggered back a few feet.

Marcus took the opportunity to grab the lowly henchman by the back of his shirt and knock him down to his knees. The man’s face was streaked with blood while Wolfgang appeared unscathed. He took the knife he still held in his hand and brought the blade to the man’s throat.

“Take a good long look at his face, Julius,” Marcus snarled. “If I ever see you around this place again, I will destroy that pretty little face your mother gave you.”