Theirs to Protect - Julia Sykes Page 0,15

refusing to allow his evasion.

His jaw ticked as he chewed on words he refused to speak aloud.

“Marco.” My tone dropped deeper, commanding his full attention. “If Ashlyn is in danger, you have to tell me. She needs to be protected. I know you’re strong, but she needs both of us to keep her safe. I can’t protect her properly if I’m blindsided. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”

Some of his resistance cracked. “You can’t tell Ashlyn.”

My blood ran cold at the thought of my angel being threatened. “I won’t. I don’t want her to be afraid, either. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it. Together.”

“Someone was stalking her,” he admitted hoarsely. I tensed but forced myself to remain silent, biting my cheek hard enough to draw blood. “He followed her after she got out of class. He was dressed like a student, but the clothes were wrong. Too new. So, I texted you to join us at the café and watched him. He tailed her.” Light flashed over his black eyes like white-hot flames. “He watched our girl. I knew…” He swallowed hard. “I knew he wasn’t a student. I told myself there was a chance that he was just some guy who’d become obsessed with her, and I had to question him to find out.

“I sent the two of you away,” he continued. “He followed you, and I cut him off a few blocks down. He said they want to kill us, Joseph. He said…” Marco gnashed his teeth on a low growl, an enraged predator intent on protecting his pack. “He said ‘Maybe I’ll take a turn with your pretty slut once we’ve buried you and Russo.’ He knew our names. He called us ‘fags.’ He knows who we are, Joseph. And he will hurt her to get to us. I can’t…” He closed his eyes, his throat working, choking on words he couldn’t bring himself to say.

Finally, he whispered, “I stabbed him. He pulled a knife, and I stabbed him.”

I couldn’t suppress my sharp intake of breath, and Marco flinched. “Alive?” I asked, not daring to elaborate in case I said something that might hurt my friend even more.

“Yes,” he bit out. “I used his phone to call 911. Don’t worry,” he added, his voice hollow. “I know how to clean up after myself.”

I placed my hand on his shoulder, squeezing in solidarity. “I’m sorry you had to face that on your own. I wish I’d been there to help.”

His jaw ticked, and he shook his head sharply to the side. “You needed to guard Ashlyn. It’s not just this one guy,” he ground out. “He said we. There are people that want us dead, Joseph. And Ashlyn…” His mouth twisted in a snarl. “They know about her. They’re stalking her to get to us.”

Rage burned through my veins, and my protective fury surged to match Marco’s. “But who are they? No one has a reason to target us. My dad made it clear that we’re exiled and hated. If these guys are trying some sort of power play, killing us doesn’t make any sense.”

Marco grimaced and folded his arms over his chest. His bulky muscles swelled and flexed, but there was something defensive about his intimidating posture. “I don’t know why anyone would target us. I called Leo for answers. He wasn’t interested in sharing information.” Each cold word dropped from his lips like a block of ice.

My heart squeezed. Marco must’ve been desperate if he’d chosen to call his father instead of talking to me about the threat. He must’ve been terrified that I would abandon him as soon as I found out that things might get violent.

Fuck. I didn’t realize that Marco was still so wounded by what I’d done. It’d been shitty of me to run away from New York. I’d killed a man, and I hadn’t been able to handle the horror of taking another life. In my blind panic and revulsion, I’d left my best friend behind. There would never be words that could express the enormity of my regret over the pain I’d caused him.

But maybe I should’ve tried harder. Instead, I’d been a coward and allowed the subject to be buried once we both became obsessed with Ashlyn.

“I’m sorry.” The apology caught in my throat.

Marco shrugged his tense shoulders. “It’s not your fault that my dad is an asshole.”

“I’m sorry I left you,” I clarified. “I’m sorry I ran away to Cambridge and didn’t take you with me.