Chapter 4
Cade locked his car and listened as the horn echoed off the parking deck walls. This early in the morning, the deck was virtually empty. He’d been so happy to wake up with Erin in his arms, that he wanted to call out for the day and taste her until she was writhing in his arms again.
But she had to leave, and he couldn’t stand looking at the empty space in his bed. So he went on his run to get rid of some of that built up energy, and now he was going to take a shower at the office and change. But as he got closer to the elevator doors, a shadow passed over him, and he realized that he wasn’t as alone as he thought.
“Good morning, Marquis.”
Cade turned as the Irish accent seeped into his skin. “O’Toole,” he said sharply.
“You didn’t answer any of my phone calls yesterday. I gather you’re having issues with my phone, so I thought I’d take some of the stress off you and meet you in person. I trust you’ve thought over my proposal last weekend?”
He remained calm and collected as he reached out and touched the elevator button. “I didn’t have to think about it, O’Toole. I’ve already given you my answer.”
The Irish mobster reached out and gripped his arm tightly. “I don’t think you’ll like the consequences. Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”
“You invested quite a bit of money into my company six years ago, but I would not be here if it were not for Simon and Grant. They did more than give me money. They backed me one hundred percent of the way, and I will not betray them to you.”
The man dark eyes held a touch of sympathy. “I liked you, Marquis. I really did. The people that I work for aren’t just going to take no for an answer. O’Shea isn’t going to let you walk away. You will give them what they want, whether you do it willingly or not. You would make both of our lives much easier if you simply did what we asked of you.”
Cade yanked his arm away and stepped into the elevator. He held his hand out to keep the door from closing. “Tell me, O’Toole. You have all the money you could ever need. Why do you work for them?”
O’Toole stiffened. “Once you’re in, you never get out. Besides, I want for nothing.”
“Except for true friends. A family that loves you. Peace of mind. Integrity.” Cade stepped back and let the doors close. “I won’t turn into you.”
He had to warn Erin. As much as it would kill him to tell her the truth, it would be even worse if she were caught unawares. It would ruin her career if she ran the story without knowing all the facts. And who knows what O’Toole would do to get what he wanted.
He leaned back and hit his head gently against the elevator wall. He’d tell her tonight at dinner.
* * *
Erin’s hands shook when she saw the headline on the magazine. “Cade,” she whispered as she pressed herself against him. It had been three weeks since he’d told her the news. For three weeks, she’d spent every spare moment she had with him. He did things to her body that no one else had, but there was fear lurking behind every moment.
“The Irish mob? Cade, are you insane?” she’d gasped.
“I didn’t know,” he’d said as he shook his head. “What can I do?”
As far as Erin was concern, there was only one thing he could do. He could come clean. And she’d done just that for him.
New York’s youngest and hottest billionaire defies the Irish mob: Cade Marquis saves hundreds of thousands of jobs by saying no.
He put an arm protectively around her and steered her away from the magazine stand. The air was chilly, but it was nothing compared to the fear that iced over her bones. “What do you think is going to happen now?” she whispered.
Cade kissed the top of her head. “Don’t go anywhere alone,” he said softly. “And keep the gun I gave you in your purse at all times. More than likely, this will be too public for them to retaliate. They’ll simply deny it and move on. Timothy O’Shea usually keeps a cool head about him. But O’Toole is a loose cannon.”
Erin nodded her head. They’d talked at length about this, but she didn’t know what she would do if something actually happened. She’d just finally gotten Cade back. She couldn’t lose him now.
A month ago, O’Toole had revealed what he really wanted from Cade. It wasn’t his money. Cade now had inside information on Simon and Grant, and O’Toole’s boss, O’Shea, wanted to bring Simon and Grant down.
But it was more than just Cade’s loyalties to the company. Thousands of workers would have lost their jobs, and Cade wouldn’t have that on his conscience. But Erin wasn’t content with Cade just saying no. She wanted to protect him and reveal the dangers of the Irish mob. It wasn’t just violence. Businesses were at stake. People’s jobs were at stake.
He walked her to her apartment and pulled her close. “Tomorrow, we’ll tell our parents,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her.
She melted into his embrace. “Tell them what?” she teased. “That you give me three orgasms every night? That I strip naked for you and give you lap dances at the dinner table?”
Cade groaned. “Keep talking like that, and this block will see just how many orgasms I can give you,” he hissed.
What would he tell their parents? She was more curious about that than she was about their reaction. He didn’t talk much about their future.
“Stay inside today,” he said with another searing kiss.
“Keep doing that, and the tabloids will tell my mom before you do,” she said as she pulled away. He gave her one last longing look before he turned and walked away.
He made it two steps before the bullet rang out. “Erin,” he screamed as he turned, but the bullets weren’t for her. Fear forced her into action. As he fell to his knees, blood seeping through his shirt, she pulled the gun from her purse.
She couldn’t lose him. Not now. She didn’t even hesitate as he aimed the gun at the large man on the corner. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. She fired until she realized the gun was no longer spilling bullets. She fired until it was just a clicking noise. She fired until someone finally wrenched the gun out of her hand.
The man was on the ground, not moving, but she didn’t give a damn about him.
“Cade,” she screamed. The world stilled as she spun raced towards him. He reached up to touch her cheek, but the blood was coming out too quickly. “Hang on,” she muttered as she stripped off her jacket and pressed it to the wound on his side.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“Shut-up,” she snapped. “You say the worse things.”
He managed to laugh, and she smiled. “You can tell me how you feel when you’re not bleeding out on the side-walk. And when that happens, I’ll tell you exactly how I feel about you.” Tears were flooding down her cheeks, and she leaned down and pressed her lips to hers. “If you die, Cade Marquis, I will tell your father that you took my virginity when I was nineteen.”
But his eyes were closing, and she began to rock back and forth. He would live. He had to live.
Please.
* * *
The response was overwhelming. She’d wanted to keep it a small affair. Cade wanted it that way, but more than just family and friends wanted to come out. Business associates from all over the country demanded to be there, and before she knew it, the whole thing was just out of control. Every seat in the church was taken.
She couldn’t believe that it would end like this. She’d been in love with him ever since she met him, and it took a bullet for her to realize it. For her to realize how much time they had wasted thinking they knew what the other was thinking.
Cade had only wanted what was best for her, and Erin thought he was ashamed of her. Instead of embracing the unexpected love, years of silence and heartbreak had separated them.
Too late now, she thought as she walked slowly down the aisle. She couldn’t go back and change the past.
But as she saw his eyes light up with love and awe, she knew that their future was going to be filled with love.
O’Toole was dead. O’Shea put as much distance between him and the investor as possible, and they hadn’t heard more than an apology from him in the past year. Apparently he realized that the printed word was more powerful than money and blackmail.
Cade had pulled through with surgery. Rather than finding out over dinner, her mom and his dad had learned the entire truth of their affair at the hospital. They’d surprised her with a roll of their eyes.
“It’s about time,” her mom had snapped. “I thought I was going to have to lock you two in the room together to get you to admit your feelings.”
Three weeks later, he’d slipped a ring on her finger. She’d glared and grumbled. Of course they loved each other, but that didn’t mean they could make it work. He was neat. She was messy. She wanted a smaller house and dogs. He wanted a bigger house and another car. She wanted two kids. He wanted five.
But he refused to take the ring back, and she realized that she was never going to take it off. Cade Marquis was hers. And even if they bickered and fought for the rest of their lives, he belonged to her and her alone. Just as she belonged to him.
Her dress trailed behind her as she finished the walk. Her stepfather leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I thought it would be weird to give you away to my son,” he admitted with a smile. “But there is no one else I’d rather see you with.”
She blushed and reached out to take Cade’s hand. Breaking tradition, he leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. “I love you, Erin.”
“I love you, always and forever, Cade,” she said honestly.
Twenty minutes later, she was Erin Silva Marquis. And she was the happiest woman in the world.
THE END