Chapter 14 - Chiara

I shake my head in disbelief, staring at Maxim as though he”s told me something incomprehensible.

“It can’t be,” I whisper, unwilling to accept it.

“This device tells a different story, though,” Maxim says, turning the explosive over in his hands. I stare at it, the evidence, with Stefano’s name all over it.

“My family wouldn’t just kill innocent people. My father wouldn’t do that,” I say, desperately fighting against it.

But this is the mafia. Who am I to deny that these things happen every day? People die, lives are taken, senseless violence and murder is the norm of this world. That is exactly why I wanted to leave and never be a part of it.

Humans are expendable chess pieces to the mafia lords and bosses; they are replaceable and meaningless.

“I’m sorry, Chiara,” Maxim says, stepping toward me and lifting me into his arms. I am in such shock about everything, that I just lean against him, my mind flooded with chaos.

***

Two days later, after helping Maxim and his brothers arrange funerals, compensation for the families of their workers and coverage all of the medical costs for those who were hurt, I have to start admitting to myself that I was wrong.

The Dubrov family is going out of their way to help the people who they employ, and when they speak about things and make plans, I can see the genuine grief among them for the people they have lost.

“Who does shit like this?” Kiril says gruffly as he sits down at a family gathering with his brothers after a long day. Maxim pulls my chair close to his and slips his arm around my waist.

He whispers in my ear, “Are you doing alright?”

I lean my head against his chest. “I am. Are you?”

“I am with you here with me.”

I smile.

Paval sighs loudly. “I understand that our world involves death, but not like this. Not innocent lives. Why didn’t they come after us, the bosses, the ones in charge, instead of the people just trying to earn a living?”

“Because they are heartless,” Fyodor says, staring at his drink as he swirls the clear liquid over blocks of ice. He looks exhausted. Everyone does.

Maxim sits quietly with me, listening to his brothers” conversation. I take it all in, understanding that this family is different. They kill. They have done dark things, but they target the people who are meant to be targeted. They would never go after innocent lives.

“Where are the children?” I ask Kat, who is sitting across from me, next to her husband, Fyodor.

“Darya has them. We didn’t think they should be here, you know, with everything our husbands have had to deal with over the past two days. They need to discuss things that children shouldn’t hear.”

I nod. That makes sense.

This family really takes care of each other.

The brothers are all there to support each other, and their wives are a source of strength to them, not trophies, like I”ve witnessed with other mafia families.

I have never felt a family bond like they have. I lost my mother, and for a long time it was just my father and me. Then he remarried, and he lost his second wife as well. Then it was Stefano, my father and me. Stefano and I never got along, and honestly, as much as my father took care of me financially, he was too busy to actually be there when I needed him. Not in the way Maxim and his family are there for each other.

“I told Chiara why we arranged the marriage between us. I told her the truth, about needing to find out who is behind the sabotage,” Maxim says. His words cause a hushed silence across the table.

“What the fuck,” Kiril blurts out.

“You should never have done that,” Fyodor says angrily.

Maxim holds up his hand, waiting for them to calm down.

“Maxim, you should have spoken to us first,” Paval comments.

“Chiara was not involved in this in any way,” he tries to assure them.

“She might not have been, but now that she knows we suspect her family, she might warn them. Where does her allegiance sit? She”s a weak link,” Kiril snaps.

The other brother chime in, agreeing with Kiril, and I feel myself getting annoyed.

“You”re wrong about me,” I blurt out. “I am not okay with anything that happened here. I don’t stand for innocent people dying, either, and for the last few days I have been here to help in any way that I can.”

“But family is still family,” Kiril says as they continue to argue.

“It isn’t my family, it is only one person. One person who acted alone. Stefano, my stepbrother.”

“You can’t know that for sure.”

“I will prove it, though. I can do that.”

“How do we know you won’t go running back to your father and warning him?”

“It’s not my father, it’s Stefano. And as soon as I have proof to show you and my father, this entire issue can be resolved.”

They all stare at me in silent thought for a while, obviously weighing up the risk of my offer.

“Honestly, I don’t think we have a choice but to give her the benefit of the doubt,” Fyodor finally says.

“But, with caution perhaps?” Paval adds.

”I think this is an all or nothing scenario. We are just going to have to trust her and accept her offer to help us get the evidence we need against her stepbrother.”

Maxim’s eyes flare as he shoots me a glance, the muscles along the edge of his jaw are tight with disappointment. I respond with a quizzical expression, scrunching my nose and knotting my brows, wondering why he would be upset with me after I just calmed his brothers down and offered to help them solve this issue.

“Do you have an idea of how you would go about getting evidence?” Kiril asks.

I turn toward him as I run my hand along Maxim’s leg to try and reassure him that everything is going to be alright.

“Stefano has been making comments, ever since this marriage was arranged, suggesting that he really doesn’t like the Dubrov family. He gave me a recording device on the night of the wedding and told me to get any information I could about you—”

“What have you given him?” Kiril snaps angrily.

“Nothing. I haven’t touched the recording device. Honestly, I don’t even know where it is at the moment.” I stare directly into his eyes. I am trying to be open with him, and still he”s challenging me. “This isn’t going to work if you don’t trust me. I am trying to tell you what I know, and why I suspect Stefano.”

Kiril pulls his mouth tight, shutting it and nodding ever so slightly.

“So, I know my stepbrother does not like your family—he is very aggressive about letting me know that—and then, of course, the explosive device was from his supply. It was one of his products. My father has stepped back from the smuggling side of the business since Stefano took over there. I think he”s wanting to take on less, perhaps even looking to retire soon. I’m not sure.”

We discuss the option of me feeding false information to Stefano, and the possibility of me trying to get more involved with his shipping business, but I know he isn’t too fond of me, so he wouldn’t want me to be a part of it. We continue to come up with different approaches until all of us are too tired to think and decide that we all take some time to come up with other ideas.

Maxim and I say goodbye and head back home. My head is swimming with worry about my father and how I”m going to manage all of this. But I am determined, and confident that I can.

We walk into the house, neither of us having spoken much since leaving the family dinner.

I make my way to my bedroom, eager to have a nice hot shower and climb into bed to get some rest. Maxim doesn’t say anything as I head down the hallway.

I flick the shower on and step under the hot flow of water, letting it wash over me, my mind still buzzing.

The bathroom fills with scent of wildflowers when I wash my hair, and the mirror is fogged over with steam when I climb out to dry myself. I feel a little better, a little more relaxed, as I heard into my bedroom and pull on a pair of sweatpants and a crop top.

“Chiara, why would you do something like that?” Maxim says, standing in my doorway.

My eyes shoot up towards him, surprised to find him there.

“Something like what?” I ask, confused.

“You have purposefully put yourself at risk. How can I keep you safe when you keep disobeying me and putting yourself in the line of danger? You are impossible.” He is angry, his voice is deep and dark, as he walks toward me.

“What are you talking about, Maxim? How am I putting myself in danger?”

“By offering to get evidence against Stefano,” he snaps, standing over the bed where I am sitting.

I sigh, pulling my hair into a messy bun. “Who else is going to do it? I”m the closest person to my own family.”

“I don’t care, anyone else can do it. Just not you,” he shouts.

“Maxim, you are being ridiculous. Stefano isn’t going to hurt me.”

“You don”t think so? Not even when he finds out you”re spying on him? I”ll kill him if he does anything to you. I don’t want you anywhere near that monster of a human being. I don’t want you involved in any of this. You are mine, and I have to protect you.”

“I am already involved,” I say, feeling more drained by the second. “Stefano and I share the same surname. He is my family whether I like it or not. I am involved in this. I became involved the day you chose to marry me, to use me to get closer to my family. Now, when I offer to do exactly that, you get angry with me.” I throw my hands up in frustration.

Maxim sits next to me on the bed.

“That was before—before I—”

“Before you what?”

“Before I met you. Before I knew you,” his voice softens, sounding strained and filled with worry. I realize that all of his anger is only fear of something happening to me.

I shift closer to him.

“Maxim, I can do this. And I won’t be stupid about it. I am not going to blaze in there in frenzy. We will make a plan, a good one, and I will stick to it.”

He nods, then wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me onto his lap, cradling me against his chest.

“Chiara, you mean so much to me—I can’t handle the idea of losing you.”

My heart tugs in my chest, as I breathe in the scent of his skin. Feeling the strength of his arms as he holds me, I nuzzle my face into his neck.

“You can’t lose me, Maxim. You”re stuck with me. You married me,” I giggle.

“This isn’t something to laugh about,” he mutters in annoyance, burying his face in my hair and breathing in.

“No, it isn’t, but you and I are in this together. And where you go, I go. The problems you face are my problems to face, too. We are a team now. And I know we have each other’s backs. You mean so much to me too, Maxim, and that is why I have to do this. For you, and for your family.”

His long fingers stroke down my back and send light shivers down my spine. When his hand traces over my ribs, I giggle and squirm.

“I didn’t know you were ticklish,” he laughs, squeezing my ribs a little harder. I squeal and try to escape his arms, and he laughs again. He spins me around and throws me back on the bed, using both hands to grab my ribs and pushing his fingers down in a disastrously tickling maneuver.

I kick and wiggle, but I can’t escape him. And soon I am laughing so hard that tears are streaming down my face and so is he, his entire body is shaking from it.

“Please,” I beg, through my laughter. “Stop.”

Eventually he does, with his body over mine, both of us breathing hard and grinning.

He leans forward and kisses me. It is so tender and intimate. His mouth is soft against mine, and the kiss is slow. My entire body relaxes as I feel his heart beating against my chest.

He lifts his head to look at me and brushes a stray curl away from my face.

I run my hands through his hair, twisting the ends around my fingers.

“We should try and get some rest, it’s been a really long few days,” he whispers.

“Will you stay with me tonight?”

The smile on his face lights up his eyes.

He pulls me toward the pillows, lifting the blankets and throwing them over both of us. Then he pulls my back against his chest and wraps his arm around me.

I have never slept better in my life, feeling complete happiness in the warmth of being so close to him.