Page 29 of Light in Your Eyes (Romero Brothers #1)

Layla

I stare at myself in the mirror, combing my hair. My mind wanders to Jaxon. There’s still no news about him, Cole, and Levi. I just hope that nothing bad happened to them. Kellan would be devastated if something horrible happened to them.

The door opens as Kellan steps into the room. He just finished his morning jog.

I watch as he takes off his shirt and tosses it onto the floor. He then searches for another one in his closet, and I walk toward him to help him. I hand him a new shirt for him to change.

“I’m going to train some newcomers,” he says.

I nod, appreciating him letting me know about his schedule without me having to ask him in advance. A smile forms on my lips. We’ve come a long way, and I’m glad about where I stand in my relationship with Kellan now.

“Can I come with you?” I ask, hoping that he will say yes.

Kellan shakes his head in disagreement. “No, the basement will be full of our members. And they won’t take the flight lightly. It may lead to some chaos.”

I open my mouth to protest, but I know that it would be useless. Once Kellan made a decision, there’s no way for me to change his mind.

Somehow, his words warm my heart because it means that he doesn’t want me to encounter any danger.

“Okay, then.” I sigh. “I think I’m just going to drop by Zoe’s place.”

Kellan nods, agreeing with me. Then he heads to the door and exits the room.

After he leaves, I take my phone with me and leave the room too. While I’m walking along the hallway, a voice calls me.

“Layla.”

I halt, and when I turn around, I see a guy rushing to me.

I squint at him, trying to remember who he is. But then, a light bulb pops in my head.

He’s Marco, the guy who once helped me when Luca and his friends bothered me.

One of Luca’s friends is Marco’s brother, but Marco is different. He’s not a bully.

“Long time no see.” Marco smirks.

I shrug, giving him a smile. “I’m always around. I guess we didn’t encounter each other that much.”

He chuckles. “I know. I went for a training outside the base for a few weeks.”

My brows furrow. “You did? I thought all Black Wings members can’t go outside this mansion unless they’re on a mission.”

Marco nods. “It’s not a mission, but it’s a preparation for it. I’m going to one soon.”

My eyes widen. Marco’s face falls, and I notice that he doesn’t want to go.

“I actually don’t want it, but I have no other choice,” Marco says with a hint of anger.

He once said that he never wanted to join Black Wings in the first place and that he hated this place just like I did, so it’s no wonder that Marco feels angry about being chosen to go in a mission.

“What kind of mission will it be?” I ask with curiosity. I can’t help but feel concern for him. “Is it going to be dangerous?”

I realize how stupid I sound.

Of course, it will be dangerous. He may have to kill people, and vice versa.

Marco sighs. “I’ll survive. I’m worried about you, though.”

I frown. “Me?”

“Yeah. You,” Marco says. “I know that you’re with Kellan, and that you’ve survived this long in this place.

But...” He huffs. Worry crosses his expression.

“Seriously, Layla. During my training, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.

I was concerned about your safety. I was afraid that something horrible would have happened to you.

And now that I’m going to leave again for even longer time, I don’t want to feel like that again. ”

My eyes soften as I give him a small smile.

I think we can be good friends because we have the same mindset.

The reason we were here in the first place was quite similar, which was to help our family.

Marco was here because he wanted to help his brother, while I was here because I wanted to help Nana and Archer.

“I’m going to be okay,” I say. “It’s you who will have to watch out. You’re going be on a dangerous mission. Please be safe.”

Marco smiles. “I will. I just want you to do me a favor.”

“What is it?” I ask.

“Can you give me your number?” he asks with a hopeful tone. “I was so stupid that I didn’t ask for your number earlier. I just want us to keep in touch.”

My mind is contemplating for a moment. My phone number was given by Jaxon, and until today, I only use it to receive his calls and to call my family. But I guess that there will be no harm in adding Marco to the list.

“Sure,” I say to Marco.

He grins and takes out his phone. Then, he types my number and gives me a missed call. “It’s my number. Save it.”

I nod, smiling at him.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” he says. “Are you doing okay? With Kellan, and everything.”

I can hear genuine concern in his voice, and he scrutinizes me like he’s searching for the truth.

I sigh. “I’m doing okay. It’s not as bad as it was at the beginning. In fact, Kellan has warmed up to me, so it’s not that hard to be with him nowadays.”

Marco frowns. I don’t know if he heard about my tattoo, since he was away for quite a while during the training. It would be quite shocking for him if he didn’t hear about it.

“Marco,” someone calls .

Both Marco and I snap our heads toward the source of the voice, only to find one of Luca’s friends watching us. I’m instantly on alert.

“Don’t worry. It’s my brother,” Marco says in an assuring tone. “He won’t hurt you.”

His brother squints at me, but Marco is right. Without Luca, I see no threat from him. He just wants to talk to Marco.

“I gotta go now,” Marco says. “I’m going to stay in touch with you. See you later.”

I watch as Marco rushes toward his brother, who speaks to him frantically. I’m guessing that it’s about the mission Marco is about to go on. A sigh leaves my mouth.

I just hope that he’ll be alright, because unlike most of the people here, I feel like Marco doesn’t belong in this mafia world.