The Twelve Zenati Pt. 26

The conversation between Olivia and Marcella had been long overdue, and Genesis was grateful that Olivia had finally spoken to her sister. He would have preferred to be present and able to hear the exchange, but he had no doubt she would tell him when she was ready. He glanced over to where she sat beside him as they drove home. He had asked if she was okay when they had left the casino and she had simply nodded not speaking, and he had been content to give her time to process the conversation and her feelings. He reached over and placed a hand on her thigh, and she startled, showing him just how deep in thought she had been.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't plan to do that, and now, I'm just confused," Olivia said and tugged on her seatbelt, pulling it tautly across her body.

"You told her the truth you have been hiding for a long time, and it's only natural that it was difficult for you both," he said cautiously remembering the surprise of Marcella thanking him. "It's only natural you feel a little out of control. It took courage to take the risk you did. To talk to her without preparing for the confrontation," he said noting how tightly she held the seatbelt around her body as if needing to anchor herself in the physical realm as she dealt with all of the emotions this morning had to have dug up.

"Do you think she will be safe tonight? That Noah will look after her?" Olivia asked quietly. "I was listening last night when you and your family were talking about the risks they were taking. I wanted to tell her that I knew she is the hero of the story, in case I didn't get another chance."

"You will get another chance. I am sure of it, and I believe Noah loves her like no one ever has before. He won't let her go without a fight," Genesis reassured her as they pulled into the garage. "For that reason and for you and Vivienne, Gideon and I would not let her go without an argument either. Now loosen the belt, little one. You can tell me about the conversation properly when we are upstairs, and you are more comfortable."

"I told her how I didn't know what she had been through and that's why I was so mean to her," Olivia said sadly.

"I know Little One. Now don't say anything else, until I speak to you. Understood?" Genesis instructed stepping into the dominant role he knew she needed right then before her whirling mind got the better of her.

"Yes, Master," She replied, also sliding into her submissiveness as he walked her up to their apartment and straight through into their playroom.

Without a word from him, Olivia began to strip as soon as they stepped through the playroom doorway then watched as he gathered several coils of rope and came back to her where she stood in display pose for him. She said nothing as he took his time binding her into a rope harness. It was something she had requested early on in their relationship as a way to help her through intensive emotional upheavals. Though he hadn't had the time for the lengthy ritual of binding her recently, he knew it was what she needed when she felt out of control and soothed her as her body stilled in the restraints and urged her mind to still as well. The chaos her life had become seemed to untangle itself into more manageable pieces in the stillness of her body and mind. In these moments, she would often reveal what was bothering her in greater clarity to him than she could without the settling effect of the bindings.

Calmly and taking his time knowing he could never create the artworks of the Shibari Masters, Genesis used the rope to create a firm collar around her neck to start with, then from that, he made a knotted frame around her breasts. Another rope criss-cross of ropes across her abdomen and back creating pleasing patterns while binding her firmly. He was as silent as she was thinking about how he would tackle this next conversation without pushing her too hard to share what had happened on that balcony before Noah interrupted the two women. Noah walked a knifes edge, and until he had Marcella's love in return, he would continue to do so and act out of character where she was concerned. Genesis had to remind himself of how unreasonable he had been when Olivia had denied his love for her in the beginning so he could allow his brother some lee-way to act over the top where Marcella was concerned.

In the prolonged silence, Genesis continued binding her with a bikini harness around her waist and pussy before moving onto her legs. There wasn't any need for words. She knew as she submitted to his will that he, as always, was giving her what she needed. Her mind slowed, and she relaxed under the careful binding of her body. Once a pretty patterned sleeve of rope wound up her legs, bringing them together, Genesis picked her up and placed her on the bed, then with a sleep mask removing the light from her eyes, he lay beside her and gave her permission to speak.

"Feeling better, Little One?" Genesis asked. "Do you feel you can talk to me now, without all of the confusion, or would you like a little while longer?"

"I am feeling better, thank you, Master. May I have just a little longer to think about things," Olivia responded in a small voice.

"Take as long as you need, Little one. Are you comfortable?" He kissed her then and was pleased as she arched up against him, seeking more of his contact. He let his fingers stroke and tease around the ropes binding her breasts for a few moments before kissing her again and rising from the bed. If he was going to give her the few minutes she asked for, then he couldn't lie there like that, or they would both be too distracted to deal with the situation. Her comment as they left the casino bothered him a great deal. It hadn't occurred to him that the risks, they had all discussed last night while she listened in would have such a profound effect on her that unbidden she would ask to speak to Marcella alone.

"Yes, Master," Olivia whispered.

*****

As soon as Olivia had left, Marcella had hurried back to the bathroom and locked herself in, running the shower. Torn between forcing himself into the bathroom again or letting her work through whatever Olivia had said, Noah was left to pace agitatedly outside the locked door. When she emerged, she was back to her ass-kicking bossy in command self which worried Noah all the more.

"Talk to me, Kitten," he'd urged, but she had rounded on him as argumentative as always.

"We have a job to do and a meeting to get to, or did you forget? There's nothing to talk about at least not right now. First, we deal with this shit and get my sister her life back, and then we deal with the other shit. Right now, I am not your Kitten, nor am I a sweet submissive table woman so stop with all that macho trying to look after me shit. We both know I can look after myself," Marcella lectured him.

"Three shit's in a row, I'll consider myself warned and be happy to have the bass-ass Marcella back for the meeting," Noah held up his hands in surrender. "It's your show, so what do you want to do now?"

"I want you to go back to your family and let me handle this alone," She said abruptly.

"Bea knows I'm involved and that I would have had to get the documents from my family. I am already neck-deep in this shit, as you so eloquently put it, so it's a bit late to be sending me home now," he argued logically.

"As long as I have the paperwork she won't care if you're there or not," Marcella huffed.

"I'm coming with you," Noah said with no emotion in his voice, just stating a fact. "You agreed we would do this together. Or you can assume my family will be there watching every move you make." He wished he could take the threat back as soon as it passed his lips and fell silent when she didn't automatically bite back at him. He watched her finish getting dressed. She wore tight black pants and a soft white T-shirt, boots with reasonably high heels. However, Noah had seen her in higher. "You don't have to do this alone, Marcella. You never did," he said with a softer inflexion. "Trust me, please. I can look after myself just as you can. You don't have to be the one pulling the macho shit and trying to look after me either."

"Fine," she huffed again. "Let's go then I want to get there before they set up so we can see the inner workings before the crowds arrive," Marcella said grabbing a jacket and large shoulder bag with the paperwork. She didn't want to put him in any danger, she never had, but things had changed between them, and she couldn't bear to see him get hurt trying to protect her more than ever.

"We have hours before the markets even open, let alone our meeting with Bea," Noah said, taking a step toward her. Since waking up this with her in his arms this morning, they had grown steadily further apart, and he desperately wanted to bridge that gap between them again. His desire for the feisty little Kitten standing in front of him was riding him hard again and reminding him there were much better ways to while away the time before their meeting.

"Yesterday was an anomaly," she tried to say in a harsh tone, but it came out softer with the emotion and care she felt for the man who was standing by her side to help her sister despite the danger to himself and his family. "I need to make sure this goes off without a hitch, and I have a plan to ensure it will, but there are risks just as you keep warning me which is why I need to keep my head on straight and not let you fuck with it like you did yesterday."

"And this morning was that an anomaly too?" he asked feeling both amused and annoyed by her denial of all they had done and said to each other as meaning so much more for them. It was true she had pushed him away at the end and tried to distance herself physically, but he knew she felt the pull between them. She had to feel it because he could barely think straight with his need for her to embrace him and their fate riding him hard.

"This morning was fun," she shrugged nonchalantly and hated herself a moment later for the look on his face. It was only a moment, but then the blank face that was prepared to argue with her was back. She sighed and slumped. "Noah, I care about you, which is why if you want to save me any more stress then you will stay here if you won't go home. I will call as soon as I have the location and time."

"You care," he grinned at her. It was more than she had ever willing given him before.

"So, you'll stay here and wait for me?" she asked hopefully.

"Not a chance, especially now," he continued to grin at her as he stepped closer, trying to close the distance between them again.

"Did you not hear anything I said?" she asked, holding a hand out before her in a stopping motion.

"I heard and you're in charge, but we agreed that we would stay together until this was done and honestly, I am enjoying the together part of this scenario so very much," he grinned at her again. He knew it had cost her in some way to admit she cared, but it was out in the ether now, and she couldn't take it back no matter how hard she tried. "I was just going to grab my wallet and keys off the table," he indicated the table she stood beside. "You wanted to go, right?"

Marcella huffed again. She didn't know whether she was just plain frustrated with the man or totally exasperated, so she huffed a second time as she reached the door and opened it to leave. She was stopped short as a young man, dressed in typical surfer wear straightened from where he had been bent in front of her door with an envelope in his hand.

"What the fuck!" she exclaimed, and before he could react, she snatched the envelope from his hand.

"It's not what you think!" he exclaimed, holding his hands out to show he meant no harm.

"Zan?" Noah asked in confusion, coming into sight behind Marcella immediately after hearing her exclaim

"I needed her to know what I know without anyone else knowing," he babbled breathlessly lowering one hand to rub his chest. "I'm sorry you were never supposed to see me here. No one knows I'm here. I swear!" Zanto couldn't help the verbal diarrhoea that fell from his mouth.

"Get in here, and be thankful she didn't plant one of those pointy boots in your balls," Noah grumbled and grabbed him by the collar dragging him inside.

"Fuck! I'm not a kid you can just drag around anymore," he growled at Noah and reefed himself out of his cousin's grip. "You and everyone else had better stop thinking you can push me around. I'm here for her, not you!" He glowered at Noah when his cousin returned his growl even louder.

"You hacked my phone?" Marcella accused. She had split the envelope and begun reading as soon as Noah had grabbed the man and dragged him into the room. They obviously knew each other, and while he looked familiar to Marcella, she couldn't place him the way he was dressed just then.

"Yes, but there were reasons, and I argued against it," Zanto slumped and sat on a couch opposite to where Marcella stood reading and placed his head in his hands. This had been a bad idea; he knew it, but he had wanted to... to what? To see her? To warn her? To offer his help? He didn't know anymore.

He watched as she reached into her large shoulder bag and withdrew her phone to listen to the voice mail in her message banks as Noah took the letter from her and began to scan it for himself. Noah swore and pinned Zanto with a curious stare.

"Why not just call or message us?" Noah asked.

"Not everyone has put all of the pieces together yet, and no one is interested in what I have to stay most of the time, so I told them all to get their heads out of their asses and wise up at the last meeting, when they talked about this deal with Bea," Zanto admitted.

"How did that go for you?" Noah chuckled trying to imagine the youngest of their generation telling his brothers to wise up or else.

"Pretty well once Papa agreed with me," he shrugged.

"Wait you told the full table to get their heads out of their asses?" Noah's eyes widened, and he laughed.

"It was one of those 'you had to be there' situations," he shrugged.

"So, you think her Uncle is here and trying to kill her as well as her sister?" Noah asked. "Pretty much and Oscar confirmed it to Xavier I think, but they are pretty tight-lipped except about wanting one of their men with each of the sisters. Oscar is pretty pissed that Marcella wouldn't come in when called."

"They've already declared Olivia dead so I doubt her father or Uncle would take the risk in targeting her, but Marcella is a definite risk to making everything they planned and plotted come undone. Only she has the power to discredit them once and for all now that Oscar and Nathaniel are involved. You know they wanted their own man with her to protect her. They didn't even know what she was doing with the Suebi but rather because, as I found out, the Uncle has disappeared and in all likelihood is here somewhere with a view to kill her," Zanto took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry Marcella, but you needed to know, and everyone else was happy to leave you to do this first but what if he's made a deal with them for you and Olivia?"

Marcella sat listening to the increasingly threatening messages on her voicemail on repeat as her brain froze with the sound of that far too familiar voice. Realising her hand was shaking she dropped it with the phone to her lap where Noah quickly scooped up the phone and listened while putting a supporting arm around her where she had collapsed back onto the couch. Noah swore loudly and profusely beside her. He would be in more danger now, she realised. She had to get him out of this mess and get the information for Olivia on her own. This new information only made it more urgent for her to do it as soon as possible now. She knew she was on a clock or at least assumed she was as her family, Apollo and the Battaglia all circled the city looking for her.

"Okay, first things first. I can't alter the meeting, even if I could, I wouldn't," Marcella pulled herself together with added steel in her voice. "Olivia has to come first. Once that is done, we can talk about this," she indicated the letter and phone which Noah now held. "I need a few minutes to sort it out in my head. Noah go with Zan and make sure none of our friends spots him. Then I'll be ready to go," she instructed.

"Not on your fucking life, you forget I know where and when this meeting is too. So you go with Zan, stay safe, and I'll do the meeting with Bea and let you know when it's done," he growled low and threateningly.

"Fine, but the deal we made is off so before I go take this off," she held out her wrist showing the slave bracelet with the tracker in it. "And if you fuck this up for Olivia I will never and I mean never, speak to you again."

"No," Noah ground out unable to hold back his anger at her family, the Suebi and every fucking thing keeping them from going home and starting the life they were meant to have. "The deal is not off, and your tracker stays on."

"Whatever, I need some space," she said, snatching his keys from the side table and stalking to the door. "I have things to do. You two duke it out for who's the biggest arsehole." She opened the door, but it slammed closed before it got wide enough for her to escape with Noah's large hand trapping her inside.

"Marcella stop," Noah said quietly. Too quietly, she realised and looked up into his eyes, trying to read his expression.

"Why? We both know this makes not one iota of difference. I have to go to this meeting because I need that information, nothing you or anyone in your family has said in the last two days has changed that, so leave me alone to do what I need to do," she said stubbornly. "As it is, I need a new identity and place to stay now that your family has been all over this place this morning. Fuck, this is why you being here was such a mistake, Noah. You and your family are putting me in danger, not the other way around. Go home, and just leave me alone."

"No, we do this together or not at all," he ground out.

"The deals off Noah and unless you want me to lump you in with all of the other arseholes in my life who forced me into places and situations unwillingly then you will let me go," she said sadly and knew by his stricken face that her point had hit home.

"Please, don't go," he pulled her into his arms. "I need you. I know you don't need me or anyone, but I need you," he said as she momentarily melted into his hug and then pushed on his chest. "I love you, Marcella," he said.

"If you truly love me, then you will do what I ask and let me go," Marcella replied with the same sadness.

Noah let her go, not knowing what else he could do. If he kept her, it would hurt her more but letting her go was killing him. He watched silently as she left the room and walked away, not quite believing that he would let her go.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think..." Zanto said softly making Noah turn to face him his pain evident on his face. "I only meant to slide the letter under the door; it was just bad timing. She needed to know there was another danger out there."

"Don't be, sorry. I get it. If the deal is off then the family is in, I kept them away for her but if she thinks I will continue to protect her from them and you while she does this on her own, she is wrong, so very wrong. Just give me a little time to work it out with her." He said confidently though he didn't feel confident at all when it came to the fiery Kitten he loved. She would hiss and spit and scratch at him, but she would realise what they had was worth keeping." He sent her a text with the agreement they had made attached.

Noah: "I will give you one hour of space and time to reconsider whether you want to dismiss all of the promises I made in our agreement. Come back to me. Please, Marcella."

Then he sat back and waited for her response knowing there was nothing else he could do for the moment. He tapped on the ap that would show him her tracker and relaxed as he watched her in his mind's eye through the little green dot on his phone.