6. Marko

CHAPTER 6

MARKO

FRIDAY MORNING – MEETING LITTLE MISS POUTY LIPS

I t felt like forever before Melissa Martin finally left the bank, and she immediately turned towards home, looking a bit distracted.

Glad we were on the move again, I continued to shadow her from across the road, staying out of sight. We were about halfway to her home, on a quieter residential street, when I realised I wasn't the only one following her. A tall, muscular man in a dark jacket with the hood drawn up was quickly approaching from behind.

Shit! The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, a primal instinct warning me of imminent danger.

"Fuck!" I muttered as I watched helplessly from the other side of the road, unable to cross for the traffic.

What the hell was he up to?

A stream of cars blocked my path, and a van obscured my view. So, I didn't see him reach for her until it was too late.

As the guy grabbed her bag, Melissa tried to hold on to it, but he yanked it out of her hands, roughly pushing her down on the ground before he ran off.

"Hey!" she shouted, trying to get up.

As soon as there was a break in the traffic, I darted across the road and straight to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked, offering my hand to help her up.

When Melissa stood, I noticed how petite she was. Looking down at her small hand in my larger one, I was hit by a sudden feeling of rightness.

"That guy stole my bag!" she cried, pointing to where the man was now climbing onto the back of a motorbike with another guy. The driver sped off with the culprit and her bag.

"Shit!" she cried again, seeing them disappearing along the road.

Narrowing my eyes, I watched them go. Huffing a breath, I turned back to Melissa.

The men might have escaped for now, but hopefully not for long. I'd hack the security footage in the area and see what I could find out about that bike and the occupants later.

Meanwhile, I realised this was my opportunity to get to know Miss Martin.

"Are you okay?" I asked again. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine, but I had some important information in that bag. Damn!" she said.

Little Miss Pouty Lips looked visibly shaken, her hands trembling slightly when I suggested calling the police. I couldn't help but notice the uncertainty flickering in her eyes as she hesitated, before finally nodding in agreement. That second of hesitation piqued my interest, and I wondered what had prompted it.

Once the call was made, I guided Melissa into a nearby coffee shop. The warmth and aroma enveloped us as we entered, offering a brief respite from the tension outside. I bought her a coffee, hoping it would provide some comfort. Then we settled at a table by the window, where we could keep watch for the police.

"Thanks, and sorry about this. I guess I'm keeping you back from whatever your plans were."

"Not at all. I didn't have any plans that were important," I told her. "I'm Marko, by the way. Marko Rominov," I said, finally realising I hadn't introduced myself yet.

There was no point in giving a false name. If she was involved with Mathieson, she might have recognised me, anyway. When the police came, I would give a witness statement, and she would find out my name then anyhow. Besides, it was an excellent test of her reaction.

I watched her intently as I reached my hand out towards her to shake. She took it, with no sign of recognition in her eyes. Good! I couldn't help my overwhelming feeling of relief at that.

"Melissa Martin. Thank you for stopping to check on me and calling the police," she replied with a smile, which took my breath away.

"No problem. Hopefully, they will be here soon, and you can report the robbery. I'm just sorry that I wasn't there in time to actually do anything to stop it," I told her, and I meant it.

"Yes, there was something I wanted to pass on to someone else, something important," she replied cryptically, biting her bottom lip. I stared at it, totally distracted by those full, pouty lips. "And of course, there was my purse and ID and my new bank card," she continued, and I mentally shook my head and tuned back in.

"While we are waiting for the police, why don't you call your bank and make sure the card is stopped, and another one issued?" I suggested.

Melissa nodded and did that while I sipped my coffee, pondering on who had grabbed her bag and why. I couldn't help the feeling in my gut telling me it had something to do with Mathieson.

Afterwards, we chatted for a while about everyday things. Melissa's eyes sparkled as she spoke about her college course and her recent return to the UK.

"My dad passed away less than a year ago," she said, her voice tinged with sadness. "I moved back here after living abroad for a while. My mum passed away a long time ago, and I don't have any siblings, so it's just me now."

Melissa's openness made me believe she wasn't hiding anything, and there was nothing in her demeanour to suggest any nefarious intentions. Despite this, I couldn't shake the feeling that she had to be connected to Mathieson somehow.

While she talked, my attention kept drifting to her full lips, imagining all the things I would like to do with them. Her eyes, a gorgeous shade of green, were so expressive that I felt I could get lost in them. I wondered what they would look like partially closed in lust. The thought made me shift uncomfortably in my seat, and I forced myself to think of other things, trying hard to deflate the semi that was making its presence known in the confines of my jeans. Thankfully, I had just got it under control when the police arrived, and we had to give our statements.

When we were done, I insisted on walking her home, and was happy to get the chance to continue chatting with her. As we approached her apartment building, she seemed awkward, and I knew the feeling. There was tension between us, and it was definitely of the sexual variety, or at least it was for me.

"Melissa. I realise we didn't meet under the best of circumstances, but I really enjoyed talking to you and I would like to see you again. If you want to?" I asked tentatively.

"I'd love to." She grinned.

Hell yes! I mentally high-fived myself, grinning widely.

The slight blush rising in her cheeks was sexy as hell and made me think that this attraction wasn't all one sided.

"Give me your phone and I'll pop my number in."

Little Miss Pouty Lips eagerly handed it over, and my grin widened at her enthusiasm. Once I'd input it, I sent myself a text.

"And now I have yours," I told her, handing it back.

As I did so, my fingers brushed hers and the surge of attraction coursing between us took my breath away. My eyes flew to hers and in that moment, it was clear she'd felt it too.

"I'll call you soon to arrange something," I promised, smiling before saying goodbye.

Despite my reservations about her connection to my family's safety, I couldn't deny the enjoyable time we had spent together. I wanted to see her again on a personal level.

"So what the heck?" I thought aloud as I walked away. "I like her, and she seems to like me, too."

Back at the van, Luca was already waiting.

I'd known Luca Orlov all of my life. We grew up together, and he was Miki's best friend. Luca's dad, Stefano, had been my dad's best friend, too, and so Luca's family came to the UK when we did. Stefano returned with his wife to Russia when my parents were killed, but Luca remained here. He ran all of our legitimate entertainment venues because he was loyal and trustworthy, with a natural charm. He was more like another brother to us. As such, he had a room at our estate where he spent a lot of time.

"Any updates?" he asked as I approached.

"Yeah," I replied, filling him in quickly on the robbery and Melissa's safety.

"I'll leave you here to keep watch. I'm taking the SUV."

Luca nodded. "I've got it covered. I'll see you later for the night shift."

With a nod of thanks, I climbed into the driver's seat of Luca's SUV, which was parked behind the van.

As I drove to one of our nearby London apartments for a nap, all I could think about was Melissa. A quick message from Josh told me he'd pulled the security footage from the area where the robbery had taken place and emailed it to me. Unfortunately, he still hadn't found the connection between Melissa and Mathieson yet.

That was annoying, but wouldn't be a problem for long because the next time we met, I decided, I would figure out how to obtain that information from her. In the meantime, I went to bed with a smile on my face at the prospect of seeing my Little Miss Pouty Lips again soon.