On Dublin Street The Bonus Material - Samantha Young Page 0,41

toward the person who was still yelling for him and when he rounded the corner near the site entrance Marco froze at the sight of Cole Walker.

A visibly furious Cole Walker who was asking one of his men where to find him.

At work, Marco had to force thoughts of Hannah out of his head. Construction could be dangerous and a site supervisor whose head was up his ass over a woman, was an incompetent fucking site supervisor.

That didn’t mean Hannah wasn’t the first thing he thought about in the morning and the last goddamn thing he thought of at night. He’d twisted himself into knots for weeks trying to figure where it had all gone wrong. That shit she spewed about not wanting to take on his kid hurt. It also didn’t sit right.

He felt like he was missing something.

And that something by the looks of it had just stormed onto his site.

Marco would never tell Hannah who she could and could not be friends with but he wasn’t going to lie. He did not like the fact that her best friend was a guy like Cole Walker. He knew there was only friendship between them. Or at least he thought there was until the asshole showed up at his site looking ready to kill him.

“Looking for me?”

Cole’s head swung around so fast Marco braced.

And he was right to brace.

It took Hannah’s friend less than five seconds to breach the distance between them and drive his fist into Marco’s face with a power punch that knocked him back on his feet.

Burning pain ached in his mouth and he tasted copper on his tongue.

Dazed, confused, he didn’t give himself time to feel that shit, sensing Cole’s next punch and blocking it.

Fury shook through him. All his anger, pain and disappointment at losing Hannah suddenly laser-focused in on Cole Walker and Marco could give not one fuck why the guy attacked. He just wanted to attack back. It took everything within him to bottle the rage and remind himself that he was not that man. Not like his grandfather. Not like his uncle. Thinking first with their goddamn fists.

Cole came at him again and he caught his fist, jerked his arm away and then grappled him by the throat. Walker was tall, fit and a martial artist. But Marco was taller, bigger and had learned long ago to control the burn of anger that lived permanently in his gut.

“Back off, Walker,” he warned.

Then he thrust him away, hoping his show of strength would put Cole off.

It didn’t.

“You fucked her over. You never gave one shit about her,” Cole hissed, surprising him enough that he didn’t catch Cole’s fist before it slammed into his cheek.

His tightly leashed anger slipped its rein at Walker’s words and he threw a punch that almost took Hannah’s friend to his knees.

“Stop!” Marco heard Hannah scream and looked up through the crowds of men who had gathered to watch him fight. Suddenly she appeared, bursting through the onlookers and racing right for them. Movement from Walker drew his attention back and he braced himself for another attack. Hannah cried out, “Cole, stop i—” and was cut off when Walker’s elbow slammed into her head.

She stumbled under the force of it, her hands flying to her head in protection and horror flooded him as one of his guy’s grabbed hold of her as her knees gave way.

That burn in his gut, that beast Nonno and his uncle had created, a beast he’d fought hard to repress, roared to life. It wanted Walker’s face in the fucking dirt.

But just as he moved to lunge at Cole, Hannah was suddenly there. Her hands on his chest. Her scent in his nose. Her beautiful face pale, eyes wet, pleading with him not to hurt her friend.

He wanted to hurt Cole for hurting her.

But, despite the pain she’d caused him, Marco would move the fucking earth to make Hannah Nichols happy. Body coiled with tension, he reluctantly took a step back to let her know he wouldn’t hurt Cole. He’d tell her that but he couldn’t talk for the goddamn emotion choking him.

After weeks of silence from her he’d been accosted by her best friend and treated like the bad guy and he had no fucking idea why. He wanted to ask her but he was afraid he’d yell at her and he didn’t want their business aired in front of all of his men.

Hannah swung toward Cole. “He doesn’t know, Cole. He