Monster in Disguise

21. Marcello

Marcello

M y eyes flutter open to the warmth of a body pressed against mine. For a moment, I am disoriented and filled with panic at the unfamiliar sensation of another person so close to me. But as my mind begins to clear, I remember exactly who is lying next to me and what happened between us last night.

Lina's head is nestled in the crook of my shoulder, her soft breaths tickling my skin. Her hand rests on my chest, moving up and down in a gentle rhythm, while one leg is draped over mine. She looks like an angel in her peaceful slumber... so beautiful and serene.

I take a deep breath, savoring the moment and all the emotions that come with it. Just a few months ago, I never would have believed that I could be this intimate with another woman. And yet here I am, having spent the night with someone special.

And she's not just anyone. This is Catalina... the woman who has captured my heart for the past decade. The one who got away... until now.

Gently, I reach out and caress her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. I wish time could stand still forever. If only we could live in this blissful state for eternity...

But then she stirs in her sleep, turning towards me and pressing her backside into my groin, rubbing against my leg unconsciously. My body responds immediately, aching for her touch.

With great effort, I bring my hand up to my forehead to stifle a groan. Last night was beyond anything I could have imagined... the passion, the desire, the raw connection between us. I never dared to hope that she would welcome me into her bed... or into her body so soon.

I'd been completely honest with her when I told her I'd never made love to a woman before.

Everything had been just as new for me, too. From the feel of her skin against mine, to the sound of her moans and the look of her coming. I felt like an addict being introduced to a new substance. Her lips slightly parted, her pussy gripping me tight. The way she'd tentatively touched me.

I shut my eyes tightly, feeling the guilt of my actions assault me.

I didn't deserve it... any of it. And yet I took what was not mine to take. So greedy, so insatiable I'd been for her touch that I made myself forget everything. In that moment, there had been just us. No past, no mistakes. Just two people feeling deeply for each other.

At least I assumed that's how she feels. Catalina is not the type of person who'd go to bed with someone she didn't care for. And that's the biggest gift of them all—her affection. I don't dare call it love because...

I shake my head slightly at the thought, melancholy setting over me. I'm not someone she should love, but I'll take any scraps she can spare.

If she only knew how deep my feelings run for her. I turn my head and take in her sleeping form. Lina has no idea just how much I love her. She doesn't even remember me. Yet, I do. That one act of kindness is forever etched in my soul.

"Mhmm..." She murmurs sleepily, stretching next to me. Slowly, she lifts her head, a dreamy smile on her face. She seeks the warmth of my body, her face nuzzling my cheek.

Fuck !

My body is on fire, my cock aching and throbbing with desire. Each touch from her innocent hands ignites a new wave of heat within me, making it harder and harder to control myself. I try to focus on something else, anything else, but Lina's soft curves pressed against me are impossible to ignore.

Her delicate hand brushes against my chest, her breasts pressing into me with each breath she takes. My mind is spinning as I struggle to keep my composure.

"Lina," I groan, the sensations overwhelming me. My hand instinctively goes to her thigh, intending to move it away from my throbbing erection. But once it's there, I can't help but let it trail higher towards her round ass.

"Lina?" I breathe out, my fingers creeping closer and closer to her center. Her voice is barely audible as she whispers my name in response.

"Mhmmm..." She whimpers when I cup her ass, a shiver running through her body as my touch sends electricity through her veins.

"Are you sore?" I ask softly, my finger dipping between her cheeks and towards her wetness. She moans as I enter her lightly, pushing herself onto my finger and taking me deeper inside.

"No," she gasps, her voice breathy and filled with need. I use my thumb to glide over her clit, circling it faster and faster until she begins to tremble. Her walls tighten around my finger and I turn my attention to her face, watching as she surrenders to her orgasm.

"I..." She stammers as she comes down from her high, a beautiful smile spreading across my face at the thought of giving her pleasure.

Her small hand starts to move down my chest, wrapping around my now fully erect cock. The feeling of her tiny hand grasping at my girth only adds fuel to the fire that's been consuming me since the moment I woke up.

"Is this okay?" She looks up at me, her eyes wide and full of innocent interest.

I part my lips to respond to her, but before I can speak, she tightens her grip on me and moves down. A strangled sound escapes from deep within me.

"Lina..." I manage to choke out, unable to form any coherent thoughts as she takes control.

"What do I do?" Her voice is laced with uncertainty.

I gently cover her hand with mine and guide it up and down, from base to tip. Her focus is solely on getting it right, her teeth nibbling at her bottom lip and her brows furrowed in concentration.

The more she teases me, the harder it becomes for me to hold back.

With great effort, I stop her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Her question comes out small and hesitant.

"No, no. I just...want to be inside you when I come." I turn towards her and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I need to be inside you," I all but beg.

"Okay." She gives me a tentative smile, and I have to resist the urge to flip her over and ravish her like a wild animal.

Instead, I guide her on top of me, one leg on each side of my body. Confusion flashes across Lina's face as she settles against my hard length. The wetness between her legs makes it easy for me to slide against her as she grinds against my pelvis.

Gripping my cock with one hand, I position it at her entrance. She lowers herself onto me slowly until I'm fully buried inside of her.

"Oh." A soft whimper escapes from her lips as she leans forward, placing her hands on my chest for support.

Lina begins to wiggle her hips slightly, causing a jolt of pleasure to shoot through me. My head falls back at the sensation.

"Yes, just like that." I praise her, my hands guiding her movements as we find a rhythm together.

Soon she finds her own pace, and she starts riding me as if we've done this a thousand times in the past.

I like watching her like this. In control. Taking me.

My arm snakes around her waist and I bring her closer to my torso, my mouth seeking her neck. I trail wet kisses all along her jaw before I take her mouth, kissing her again.

She increases the speed, her hands clutching tightly at my hair. She's about to come. I can feel it in the urgency of her movements, the intensity of her kisses.

Her walls clamp down on my cock and I hold her as she shudders.

"Fuck!" I mutter and I turn her on her back, my hands on her ass as I thrust faster into her, chasing my own orgasm.

"Marcello," she moans, her head thrown back, her mouth agape. "I..." She trails off and she comes again as I empty myself inside of her.

After we've both showered, we head down to breakfast. Surprisingly, Venezia and Claudia are already in the living room. Venezia is sitting down dutifully on the edge of the couch and Claudia is playing with her hair.

"And what are you doing there, little troublemaker?" Lina stops next to the pair, observing Claudia's work.

"I'm trying a style I saw on the internet. I'm not very good though. I don't know how you always do it, mamma." Claudia frowns, her hands moving in Venezia's hair, folding and twisting.

"Show me what you're going for."

Claudia takes out her phone and gives it to Lina.

"Hmm, I think you should have parted it this way." She moves in and takes a comb, helping them.

They are both focused on what they're doing. Venezia patiently withstands their ministrations as they go about trying and failing and then trying again.

As I take a seat in front of her, I can't help but notice the subtle change in Venezia. Her posture is more relaxed and her expression less guarded. She bites her lip hesitantly, before admitting with some reluctance, "It's... nice."

I'm surprised by her easy surrender and realize that she has slowly changed since Catalina came to live with us. Gone is the bratty and rude girl, replaced by someone who is coming out of her shell.

"Mrs. Evans praised your progress," I mention, watching as her expression changes from shock to pleasure.

"She did?"

"Yes, she said you are taking your lessons seriously, and that you'll catch up in no time if you continue."

"That's... nice of her," Venezia responds, lowering her head. But Claudia interrupts, pulling on a strand of her hair and causing her to yelp in pain.

"Sorry," Claudia quickly apologizes.

I expect Venezia to snap back at Claudia like she used to. But instead, she just gives a brisk nod and remains calm.

"I want you to know that as long as you put in your effort and get your GED, you're free to go to any college you want," I tell her sincerely.

"You mean that?" Venezia seems genuinely surprised, and it makes me feel guilty for not properly communicating my expectations.

"Of course. You can become anything you want," I add, glancing at Catalina who gives me a nod of approval.

"Thank you... wow. That means a lot," Venezia says gratefully.

"Me too!" Claudia chimes in enthusiastically.

I raise my eyebrows at her.

"And what do you want to become?" I ask.

"A lawyer," she beams, her smile radiant and full of ambition. "Like you."

My heart flutters painfully in my chest.

"Like me?" I repeat in wonder.

"Yes, Mamma told me about how you put bad guys away," Claudia says, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "I want to do that too!"

My gaze turns to Catalina, who seems slightly embarrassed.

"I hope you don't mind that I told her about your job," she says, two pink dots marring her cheeks.

I'm suddenly overwhelmed with humility and gratitude toward both of them.

"Not at all," I hurry to reassure them. "What kind of bad guys would you put away, Claudia?"

Her eyebrows furrow as she purses her lips in deep thought. She looks so cute in that moment.

"Those bad nuns, like Mother Superior or Sister Celeste," she answers finally. "They were always mean to me, Mamma, and Aunt Sisi. One time..."

"I don't think Marcello wants to hear that, sweetie," Catalina interrupts gently.

"No, let her speak," I insist.

Claudia shrugs before continuing. "They would call my mother horrible names and give her more chores than the other sisters. And when she got sick, they wouldn't even allow her to see a doctor."

"Claudia!" Catalina gasps in shock and dismay.

I turn to look at her, needing confirmation that these accusations are true. My heart clenches at the thought of anyone mistreating them.

"Is that true?" I ask Catalina softly.

"It is! I understand more than you think." Claudia looks at her mother with sad eyes.

And it hurts. It hurts to know how badly they've been treated, and there was no one there to defend them.

"You don't have to worry about your mother ever being mistreated again, Claudia. I promise you," I assure both of them.

She regards me with hopeful eyes and sticks out her hand, her little finger in the air. "Pinky promise?"

I look at the raised finger, and then I look back at her. She's smiling, and I can't find it in me to refuse her.

I hold my breath and slowly wrap my little finger around hers.

"Yay!" She jumps up, removing her hand from mine.

My finger is still in the air. The contact had been so brief... but I did it.

I look up and Catalina is gazing at me with such tenderness... I almost want to think it's love.

"I want to be a policeman then," Venezia suddenly intervenes and crosses her arms in front of her, almost put off that we hadn't included her in the conversation. "They catch the bad guys," she says smugly.

"But..." Claudia frowns. "You're not a man."

"Why would I be a man?" Venezia suddenly turns.

"Well... it's policeman, right? So it's a job for a man."

"Women can be police officers too. Think of policewomen if you want," I explain. "I told you, you can be whatever you want. Your gender shouldn't stop you. Just replace the 'man' in the profession with 'woman' and you can do it."

Both Claudia and Venezia look pensive but agree with my observation.

In the meantime, Amelia comes in and informs us that breakfast is ready.

The girls race towards the dining room, while I stay behind and offer Lina my arm.

"You were great, you know?" She rises on her tiptoes to give me a kiss.

"I meant everything I said."

"I know. You're the best." Her eyes are sparkling with warmth, and I take her mouth for a quick kiss.

"Damnation!" A voice curses out.

I look to see Assisi on top of the stairs shielding her eyes.

"Sisi?"

My sister casually comes down the stairs, ignoring Lina's question.

"Sisi, wait!" She says as Assisi makes a left for the dining room.

"What?" She huffs out a breath.

"What's that?"

Lina's hand goes to Assisi's neck and she moves her hair aside to reveal a red spot.

"Are you ill?" She asks, worried about her friend.

"What? No... something must have bitten me." She stammers, her eyes looking anywhere but at Lina. "I'm hungry. I'll see you in the dining room."

"Odd..." Lina remarks once she's back by my side.

"I agree." I frown. I'd noticed for a while now that Assisi's behavior had changed. I don't claim to know her well enough to comment on her personality, but she's completely different from what she'd been like in the beginning.

And there's also the matter of her being extremely secretive, even with Lina. She's taken to not getting out of her room, and that worries me.

"Guerra wants Assisi to meet his son," I tell her, grimacing at the thought. I explain our conversation and that I'd tried to refuse.

"Where does that leave us?" she asks, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"I agreed to a casual meeting, nothing more. I couldn't refuse and risk a confrontation. Or I should say another confrontation. But don't worry. I told him it would be Assisi's decision in the end. Nothing's going to happen."

"I hope so," she whispers, but clearly she isn't convinced.

"Think of it as keeping our enemies close," I add.

Because certain things just don't add up. And I mean to discover who exactly is terrorizing my family.

"I didn't think I'd be sitting in a room with you two again." Adrian crosses his arms as he regards me and Vlad.

We moved to the study to discuss things of a more confidential nature. Catalina, Claudia, and Venezia are still in the living room, chatting. Assisi had been rather abrupt in her departure, but given her behavior lately, it wasn't entirely too surprising.

"I didn't think so either," I reply drily. In all honesty, I didn't think Adrian would ever forgive me for what I'd done. After visiting him in the hospital, he'd dropped by to tell me he's had some time to think things through, and while he doesn't know if he can forgive me, he's willing to try. It had been such good news, considering he's my dearest friend.

"Come on, boys, don't be so pessimistic." Vlad makes a tsk sound, getting up from his chair and pacing around, his eyes perusing the stacks of books in the library.

"Why don't we just get to the point?"

"The point." Vlad twirls around, raising an eyebrow. Adrian groans out loud.

It's well known they don't get along. Adrian has a strong dislike of Vlad because of his close relationship with his wife, Bianca.

For all our old acquaintance, not even I knew about Vlad and Bianca's partnership. They've known each other for some ten years, being partnered up for assassination jobs. Vlad is somewhat of a loose cannon with his rage issues, so Bianca ended up being the perfect partner for him with her cool temper. Not to mention that she literally had his back in missions. Vlad prefers reckless close-range killing, whereas Bianca is addicted to her pistols and rifles.

I glare at Vlad, my patience wearing thin. He always seems to be on the move, never able to stay in one place for too long. "You said you had news," I remind him sharply.

"News? Oh, indeed." He nonchalantly pulls a pack of gum from his pocket and pops a piece into his mouth. Lazily, he takes a seat on the edge of my desk, stretching out his legs in front of him.

I narrow my eyes at him as Adrian speaks up, curious about this so-called news. "How did you get in touch with Quinn?"

"The normal way." Vlad's tone is dismissive, as if resorting to violence is just another mundane task for him. "I dropped by his gym."

My gut tells me there's more to this than he's letting on.

"As I was saying," Vlad continues, unfazed by our skepticism. "Quinn wasn't behind the recent attacks. He believes it wasn't his father either. Things have been chaotic since Jimenez's death."

"Chaotic how?" I press, wanting more information.

"They've lost their backing and resources. They may even need to leave New York and return to Boston." Vlad chews thoughtfully before adding, "Quinn was surprisingly cooperative when I spoke to him. It's unusual for him."

"After Jimenez's death, all the cartels under his control started vying for power," Vlad explains further. "Even Ortega is making moves to strengthen his position and bring others onto his side. The empire that Jimenez built is already crumbling."

"That makes sense with the data I have too," Adrian adds. "I've spoken with some people. I thought I should take advantage of this while I'm still alive ." He jokes, referring to his plan to fake his death. "As Jimenez's son and designated heir, I would be the first target if anyone wanted to recreate Jimenez's reach. There have been a lot of petty crimes reported in the last month. If you compare that with previous months and previous years, it's definitely an outlier."

"So you think that because they suddenly found themselves sans leadership they just went crazy?"

"It would make sense. The issue is not the crime rate. It's the fact that these people are ripe for plucking. Anyone could come along and give them a purpose. And that would make them dangerous," Vlad comments, his eyes suddenly focused.

"Well, whatever happens, I'm out of this particular issue." Adrian raises his palms, imitating a surrender gesture.

"It's something I'm monitoring," Vlad gives him a look. "After all, it's my job to make sure the market remains in equilibrium." He winks at me. "But I don't think it's going to happen right now , which gives our shipment problem priority. That and the fact that whoever did it tried to blame the Irish." He shoves some more gum in his mouth before continuing. "Although, there is one thing that I've noticed."

Both Adrian and I look at him expectantly. There's no denying that for all his instability, Vlad is brilliant – and even brilliant might be an understatement.

"There's suddenly a lot more clamor within the five families. Your new involvement notwithstanding, I don't think there's been so much traffic in New York since..." he bites the inside of his cheek, trying to find his words, "the '90s. You only have to look at who's present. When was the last time that the Marchesi stepped foot in the city? What about Guerra? I don't for one second buy that the banquet was to threaten you. I bet Benedicto doesn't even care that his wastrel nephew died."

He takes a deep breath, and I can see he's getting excited. Of course, Vlad always gets excited when it comes to chaos and mayhem, and this seems like the perfect recipe for him. "And lastly, we have DeVille. They've been the most active. If I were Benedicto, I'd watch my back."

"You forgot Enzo."

He dismisses my words with his hands.

"And you forget I have ears in his office." He chuckles. "He's floundering, although nothing to do with business. There are a few things I found that are... titillating. I would have never guessed that about him." He smiles sheepishly, and both Adrian and I are waiting for him to reveal what he knows.

"He's not going to tell." Adrian shakes his head, already resigned.

"I won't have to. It's going to come out sooner or later." Vlad shrugs.

"Anyway," I start, moving away from that particular subject. "From what you're describing, I'm getting the sense that you suspect one of the five families."

"Bingo." His hand shoots out, and he points at me with a fake smile. "Although," his smile immediately falls, replaced by a slight frown, "they made a mistake in that they involved me too. Now I feel compelled to intervene." He says in all seriousness.

"As if you wouldn't have otherwise," I reply drily. He's always involved in other people's business.

"You might be right on that, but not with so much pathos. I'm already losing sleep over this."

"I think you're losing sleep for other reasons." Adrian chuckles.

"Hastings, did you just make a joke?" Vlad turns to him, scandalized. "You might be saved still." Vlad leans towards him to whisper, not too quietly. "P.S. though, it wasn't that funny."

"Anyway," I clear my throat again, sensing the impending conflict. "If it's one of the families, then that changes things. I'll try to be more vigilant," I say, already going through everything that happened at the banquet and cataloguing everyone who was in attendance.

"Good, because you have a bigger problem on your plate. I've had someone run an analysis on this Chimera's work." He tosses a file on the desk.

"I see." I frown as I go through the reports. Every single Chimera incident had happened at the same time I'd been in the area. It's uncanny.

"It's personal," I utter out loud what I've been thinking for a while now. "And Catalina's being targeted because whoever it is knows what she means to me."

Vlad nods, his gaze intense.

"It has to be someone around you. Who else would know Chimera's M.O. to a T? Another question is why now ?"

"See, the ones that we know of started two years ago. I think they're trying to play with me."

"Mind games. Could be."

"The only other person who would be so intimately aware of Chimera is dead," I add, knowing both of them will catch my meaning.

"And dead people don't go around killing other people," Adrian replies drily. "I asked around, and the FBI is seeing the cases as top priority. They've brought in some famous forensic psychologists and criminal profilers, and they had a few things to say."

"Go on," I nod at Adrian, curious for any insight.

"There was more care given to females. And they were always accompanied by some sort of religious symbol. There was one instance in which the female had a cross carved in her palm, another where the cross was physically present next to the corpse.

The opinions are split, really. One profiler said it might be some internalized misogyny, going on about how the woman is inferior to the man in different religious interpretations. Then another suggested the opposite, that the killer is giving special care to females, and that it might be a case of recreating a certain type of death all over. Conversely, the males are always subjected to the worst treatments, and their corpses are the ones desecrated."

"That's..." I frown, thinking back to the nun. I turn to Vlad and see he's thinking the same.

"Theoretically speaking, the nun wasn't desecrated. It was almost like an offering, with how the organs were put on display. The religious symbols are certainly most prevalent in this instance."

"You're right. And the position of the teeth inside her cavity... her womb," I add pensively.

"I think it's a man," Vlad suddenly says, standing up. "If my previous theory is right, then the nun offered herself up, exactly as an offering. Why would a woman do that for another woman? Now, I'm sure it could be a case of sapphic love, but what are the odds, really? My bet is on a man though – a very charming man. And you're right about the placement of the teeth. We have to think about this as the killer would – every detail is intentional. The teeth could be interpreted as some symbol of fertility; he's laying his seed in her body."

"Was the nun also sexually assaulted?" I don't remember reading that in the forensic report.

"No, she wasn't. But then none of the other victims were either."

"Right, purity not profanity," I say, going back to the very basic concepts that religion and Chimera both have in common.

"Yes, the women are treated almost reverently, and the men oppositely."

"I think we're going off the deep end," Adrian puts a hand up. "You're looking into this too much. Do you really think everything is a symbol?"

"That's the thing. The original Chimera's M.O. was to appeal to the baser instincts. He would intentionally use any personal references to elicit a strong reaction," Vlad mentions, giving me a side glance.

"Then why don't we try to look at the clues through Marcel's lens? If he is the target, then the symbols are directly connected to him."

"A woman with strong religious connections?" I give a dry laugh. "I think I know a few of those."

"Right," Vlad suddenly says, pursing his lips. "Well, let's take them one by one."