Pain stared at him as he paused to take another swig. “Wait, your father? Commander of the Black Eagles? So you’re what, the Crown Prince?”
“Not anymore, and amen to that.” He raised the flask in a mock toast and drank some more. A few seconds passed before he said, “He’d made a deal with Eugene. Behind our backs. I couldn’t trust him anymore, didn’t want anything to do with that. It was against everything we’re taught.”
Pain swallowed hard. “What kind of deal? Why?”
“So Eugene wouldn’t disrupt our business, like he did with HQ. A simple deal—we give his men a pass, and he doesn’t go after ours. Martin had all kinds of reasons, of course, but I just… I saw red when I heard. He hadn’t even asked us, hadn’t asked Mom. Alecia left instantly, offered me to come with her, join some of her friends in the city. I refused at first, but then Martin and I got into that fight, so I left on my own. Didn’t even take anything, just Grandpa’s sword. Mom left a couple weeks later. It all fell apart. And it was his fucking fault.”
Pain’s eyes stung. She reminded herself to blink, to breathe, to say something. But there were no words.
She took a sip from the flask, the bitter warmth spreading through her body, calming. “What about your mother? Where is she now?”
“She got her own squad in Queens. Females only. Badass as hell.” Marco grinned proudly. “They mostly work in the East.”
“Wait, females from Queens—your mom founded the Amazons?”
“Yep. Did you work with them?”
“Yeah, that one time when we needed backup in Istanbul. They were nearby, so Peter contracted them to help. She wasn’t with them, though.” Pain drank from the flask, blinking in amazement. “Wow…”
Marco just shrugged. “Alecia has been working with them for a couple of years now, too. They call me when they can. It’s not often, but considering their work, it’s okay. I’m used to it.”
“And you haven’t spoken to your dad at all since that day?”
“Nope. Last night was the first time he showed up like that. Dunno why. But I saw him every now and then in the city.”
“And you don’t want to…” She waved her hand. “I don’t know, work it out somehow?”
Marco frowned, turning to look in her eyes. “Work what out? There’s nothing to work out.”
“Well, you’re clearly still pissed at him, but it’s been years. You don’t have to go back, but how are you ever going to move on?”
He jumped to his feet suddenly. “What are you, my therapist now? You’ve met the man, you’ve seen what he’s like!”
Pain got up, hiding the flask from the guards as she said, “You know my situation, Marco. I’m sorry this happened to you, even though I’m not sure staying with them would’ve been good for you, knowing your lifestyle. And I know he’s an ass, but he’s still your father. I would’ve been a shitty friend if I lied and said you’re doing yourself a service staying stuck in the past like this.”
“This is so not fair, you of all people telling me this. Knowing I can’t argue.”
“Well, life’s not fair. My parents are dead. Martin made a mistake, and he paid a dear price for it. You can’t keep punishing him forever. In the end, you’re the one getting hurt. You have to move on.”
He turned away, rubbing at his freshly trimmed mohawk. For a minute, he just paced back and forth, muttering to himself.
Pain drew a freezing lungful of air and let it out in a sigh; then came up to face him. He ignored her, so she grabbed the front of his coat and pulled him down.
“You may not agree with his methods, but he made you who you are today. And if you ask me, he’s done a damn good job. I’m not saying you should take the high road or anything. I’m not even saying you should speak to him. All I’m asking is for you to think about it and make sure that if tomorrow he dies, you won’t regret it for the rest of your life and drink yourself into an early grave.”
Marco was silent. His eyes a whirlwind of emotions, he just stared at her, struggling to accept her words.
At last, he regained his usual annoyed expression and breathed, “Bitch.”
She gave him a grin and a rough pat on the cheek. “I love you too.”
The sky was gray by now, the city shrouded in fog. Pain returned to the edge, watching the sun crawl over the horizon. Her body was so numb with cold that she had stopped caring.
“How did you find out about me?” Marco asked, making her turn to him with a quizzical look. “I mean the Black Eagle part.”
She chuckled. “Remember that dummy prank you played on me? Scared me half to death. You dressed it in a t-shirt, the one you were wearing when they found you. It had a small eagle label on the collar.”
“Damn labels. I always said it was stupid, but no, nobody listened.”
“I didn’t know it was their logo, but it pushed me in the right direction.”
They were silent for a minute, until Pain yawned, stretching her arms. “So, can I tell Jane now?”
“You haven’t told her?”
“No. I had a feeling you wouldn’t want me to.”
Marco arched a brow, an impressed look on his face. “I feel like I ought to hug you.”
Before Pain could jump
