Chapter 18 - Chiara

Stefano stands in the center of the bedroom, breathing heavily. A deep line is etched across his forehead, emphasizing the fact that he is always frowning, always angry.

I take a slow breath.

“Stef, please, just sit down so that we can talk.”

“That motherfucker has been holding me prisoner here, and you want me to sit down and have a little chat with you? He put a fucking bomb in my warehouse and killed my people. He tried to kill me.”

“Maxim did not put a bomb in your warehouse, Stefano.”

“Of course he did. The Dubrovs are murderers. They are heartless fucking snakes.”

“Please, will you just calm down?” I ask as softly as I can.

“How can I calm down when I am being held against my will? I am a prisoner in the house of my enemy, a bunch of killers, and you expect me to calm down?”

“We—not just Maxim, but me as well—have not been holding you prisoner. We have been taking care of you. They had the doctor come and see to your wounds after the explosion and made sure you had a safe place to heal.”

“He”s only helping me to try cover for the fact that he did this to me.”

“Can you stop focusing on the same thought loops?” I ask, beginning to feel frustrated.

He is so angry that he isn’t even able to have a normal conversation.

His body is shaking.

I look down to see his leg bleeding badly again through the clean white bandages I put on this morning. “I think you tore your stitches out.”

“My leg fucking hurts,” he complains.

“So sit down, for crying out loud. Why do you always have to be so difficult?”

He moves over to the chair near the window and slumps into it. He leans forward to examine his leg. “For all I know, these assholes cut me open and put a tracking device in my leg. They just bombed my warehouse, and I bet you they only saved me to cover their own asses.”

“For fuck”s sake, Stefano. You are just repeating the same things over and over. It wasn’t them. Their warehouse also got attacked. You know this.”

“It was horrible, Chiara.”

“I know. The bomb was apparently quite big.”

He sits up in the chair, rubbing his hands over his face. “I know. Did—uh—did anyone survive?” he asks tightly.

“They said about ten men lost their lives. There were some who got badly injured, the rest got out with scratches, or no harm at all.”

“Ten.” He swallows hard. “And their families? What are we doing to help them?”

“Dad has been handling it.”

“Does Angelo know where I am?”

“No.”

“What the fuck, Chiara. And you want to tell me I”m not a prisoner here?”

“I made the choice not to tell anyone, Stefano. I did that. Because we don’t know what is going on and I wanted to make sure you were ok.”

He falls silent, but his face is dark with anger. He won’t look at me.

“Stef, I thought it was you.”

“Me what?” he mutters.

“I thought you were the one who set the bombs at the Dubrov warehouse. But now I”m not so sure, because as much of an arrogant, angry, asshole as you are, I don’t think you are stupid enough to blow yourself up. Well, at least I hope you aren’t.”

He rolls his eyes.

“I’m leaving. I’m done with this shit.” He stands up, but as soon he does his leg collapses beneath him and he falls to the floor.

“Fuck, that really hurts,” he shouts.

“You need to rest, you idiot. You had a massive piece of metal in your leg. Just get back into bed and heal before you try running out of here.”

The door bursts open and Maxim rushes in. I glare at him.

“I heard shouting,” he says, staring at Stefano on the floor.

“Stefano can’t walk properly. I think he tore his stitches out.”

Maxim’s jaw clenches. He walks over to Stefano and crouches down to help him up. Stefano moves away.

“Stay on the floor, for all I care,” Maxim snaps.

Stefano takes a deep breath and wraps his arm around Max’s shoulder, letting him lift him to his feet. He helps him over to the bed and Stefano settles down, wincing in pain as he shifts his body into a more comfortable position.

I take a deep breath, feeling the tension in the room.

“I think we all need to consider that there is a third party involved messing with both of our families to make it look like we are attacking each other. Some other rival, maybe. We need to at least consider this?”

Both men avoid making eye contact with me.

Stefano huffs and leans back against the bed, closing his eyes.

Maxim leans his shoulder against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

Their silence annoys me.

I shake my head and walk out. I need a chance to think clearly, and I can’t do that with these two around me.

Over the next two weeks Maxim and I work together to help Stefano regain his strength.

Max and Stefano are still clearly against each other, and I can see the tension between them, but even with that going on, Max has been such a patient and compassionate man. I”ve been watching him going out of his way for someone he doesn’t even like.

He bumps against me when he leans over me in the kitchen as he dishes up some stew for Stefano.

“Sorry,” he grins, pressing his chest harder against my back.

“You don’t seem to be that sorry,” I giggle.

“Alright, you caught me, I’m not sorry at all.”

He runs his hand over my waist as he leans down to brush his lips over the sensitive skin of my neck. It sends a shiver through me.

“You are distracting me, babygirl.”

“I don’t think I was doing anything. I think you are the one who started this.”

“Not true, you started this by being so close to me.”

I giggle again.

He takes a breath and stands up, picking up Stefano’s plate of food. “Let me get this to that moron upstairs.” He rolls his eyes. “I”ll join you at the dinner table.”

He leans down to kiss me lightly on my lips and gently brushes a piece of hair behind my ear. Then he leaves, carrying the plate of food with him.

I stand in the kitchen, grinning, staring at the door. The more I get to know him the more amazing he seems. Even though he at Stef are at constantly exchanging heated banter, he is there the moment Stef needs help. And he has still made the time to be attentive with me. He still eats with me, makes sure I have everything I need, and we still share a lot of little moments just like the one we had now.

The smile is still on my lips when I turn back to the wine I was pouring for us.

I pick up the glasses and carry them through to the dinner table.

***

Every evening, once everyone is settled and resting, I pull out the folder I stole from Stefano’s office. I sit quietly and go through it, page by page, trying to find anything that might give me a clue to let me know if Stefano has been behind the attacks and sabotages on the Dubrovs” shipments. But in all honesty, my intuition is nagging at me, and I believe that there”s a third party at work. I think that one of their rivals is trying to turn them against each other. Neither of them were willing to hear me out when I tried to share my thoughts, but I can’t let the thought go.

Another family is involved here.

But who could it be? Who would want to take down both my father’s company and Maxim’s family? Do they have an enemy in common?

I need to try and talk to Maxim and Stefano about this again. I hope that they will take the time to hear me out this time.

A loud shout followed by a bang erupts from somewhere in the house.

I jump in fright.

I hear another shout. “Get the fuck off me,” Stefano screams.

I bolt out into the hallway and find Stefano and Maxim standing outside the library.

Stefano’s firsts are clenched tightly and the veins in his neck and forehead and bulging in anger. His eyes are fierce and locked onto Maxim.

Stefano flies at Maxim, swinging his fist. Maxim ducks out of the way, and Stefano’s hand slams into the wall, making him even more angry.

I bolt toward them, shouting at them to stop, but neither of them notice me. I am too scared to get close, as Stefano has gone fully off the rails and is kicking and punching at everything.

Two of Maxim’s security guys arrive just behind me, but he holds up his hand to tell them not to get involved.