I’d recommend the song ‘In your eyes’ by The Weeknd for this chapter.
***
Foolish.
That’s what my action depicted. An unplanned foolish act. I was not thinking properly blinded by the intense urge to leave this place. These people. Italy.
There was something I could not lay a finger on but my whole instinct pointed to it reasoning the cause of my dwindling future. The cause of my rock bottom. And it was approaching so fast.
What worried me was not merely the instinct. But the fact that my instincts always turned true.
That was what made me take a silly step.
Inexcusable. I know.
I jumped at the chance the moment I laid my eyes upon it. I should have planned it properly before getting into the line of doubt of Stefano. It was unquestioned that I was his first suspicion.
If I kept chopping my hair at such silly steps, I’d be bald by the end of the week.
So contemplating my plans ahead, I decided to be a little doll at their beck and call for the time being. An ordinary fish in this red ocean. Present in their world yet dodging their attention.
To create a path, I must first know the source and destination. So I must morph into something they would consider. A friend. A lover. Whatever the situation will demand.
As the night settled, it was time to leave. I wiped the slab and organised the baskets and gave it one more glance before packing my things.
Atleast for a week, I would pretend to be the sincere cook, a diligent employee to their master to balance the unstable platform I was wobbling upon.
“Myra?”
That voice was a seduction. A pull to never be ignored. So I turned around almost instantly.
Stefano was standing a feet away from the counter. A crisp black shirt rolled on the sleeves enhancing his toned muscles with a formal grey trouser and dress shoes.
He wore no belt. I noticed that particularly because it made him more attractive and I was unable to tear my gaze away even though I realised that I was openly checking him out.
Black was his shade.
All the troublesome thoughts I just threw away came back in cluster latching onto me piece by piece.
“Yes sir.” I said as poised as I could be.
I didn’t know why but I felt possessed near him. It excited me and scared me at the same time and the combination further fuelled the other. A gush of emotions and desire built and crashed. It felt as if I was getting engulfed by an unstoppable cyclone.
I was about to mess up this whole mission. Wasn’t I?
Because that’s what every cell in my body was screaming as I ogled him.
“Can you please come to my study?” His voice was rough, a huskiness in it.
An expression flickered on his face. Appearing and disappearing within seconds before I could read.
The way he walked was so arousing to look at. It was like watching the male models walk on a ramp. The difference being Stefano never tried. He seemed so assured of himself. It was what captivated me the most.
I watched him sit at his side of the table before gesturing me to sit at the opposite.
“You were about to leave.” I don’t know if he was guessing or pointing it out.
I nodded instead.
“Without fulfilling your promise.”
I was unsure of what he was insinuating. My brows knitted in confusion.
He took out a familiar file which I realised contained the papers I needed to sign.
I grimaced. I was so confident when I had blurted out. “Well, If I do show up tomorrow, I’ll sign it.”
I had remembered it the whole day until I got busy digging my grave for a stupid file.
“Oh!” Was my response.
A smirk lingered on his face trying to break free.
“Oh.” He mimicked emphasising it.
“I am sorry sir I must have forgotten during work.” I gave an excuse ignoring his mockery and pinning the pride under my shoes.
“Sure you did.” He stated but it did not seem like he was talking about the same thing anymore. “And do not call me that.” He passed me a pen to sign.
“Huh?”
“Call me by my name.”
I look at him a little confused. What was this man?
“Stefano?” My voice came out like a whisper.
But he heard me for he smiled appreciatively.
“Let me drop you. It’s late.” He offered sincerely. Or not. I don’t know.
“Its okay. I will take a cab.” I denied hoping he would agree.
But he did not. “I insist. I am heading out anyways.”
We walked outside where the cars were parked and I was taken aback by the breathtaking beauties. That lot was occupied by the top car models each standing proud at its designated space.
When Stefano walked to one of them which was a BMW, I gulped at the sight. I didn’t know what was more s*xy, him or the car.
I followed Stefano a little slowly than usual. He walked to my side before pulling the door open for me. “Allow me.”
His hand glided by my bare arm and I felt a shot of tingles run my skin.
Jesus!
Before starting the engine he turned to me. “Mestre right?”
In a reflex, I did something I didn’t want to do.
I scoffed.
A look of disbelief took over his face.
He already knew my address, my exact room for that matter. And here he was asking me ‘Mestre right?’ Bow to the duality.
“Sorry.” I muttered instantly and nodded realising how I needed to act shy and submissive.
I could see him biting on his bottom lip. His right arm on the steering wheel and left on the gear. His eyes held amusement.
“What was that for?” He asked but lacking seriousness.
“I thought you already know my address.”
His lips puckered a little and he nodded not denying it. He looked straight while giving me the benefit to stare at his side profile. That jawline. That f**king jawline was arousing me. Jesus!
He suddenly turned to me feeling my gaze on him.
“Relax.” He said in that accent but there was nothing assuring. I felt hot instead.
“Mind?” He asked before turning the speakers on.
A local station was playing R&B songs.
I tried to calm myself and looked out of the window to erase the tension. But the song ended soon for my liking.
The next song is called In your eyes by The Weeknd.
The music started slow and I leant on the headrest of the seat, unconsciously tapping my fingers on the back of the phone to the rhythm.
I just pretend that I’m in the dark
I don’t regret ’cause my heart can’t take a loss
I’d rather be so oblivious
I’d rather be with you
Before I realised, I was humming the lyrics. I could feel Stefano’s eyes on me but I refused to look at him. Although I was supposed to do that I just didn’t feel like doing it. Although my body ached to look at him, I couldn’t take the intensity he looked at me with.
When it’s said, when it’s done, yeah
I don’t ever wanna know
I can tell what you done, yeah
When I look at you
I gulped and tried to keep my eyes fixed on the moving trees. But when I realised the meaning of the lyrics I was instantly flustered. I had never paid so much attention to the lyrics of a song as I did right now.
Stefano was often staring at me. I could feel it .When I turned to him, he did not try to hide the fact.
In your eyes
I see there’s something burning inside you
Oh, inside you
Our eyes locked for a good second before he focused back on the road. I quickly turned my eyes away too. But my chest felt constricted.
I took a deep inhale trying to erase the unknown emotion taking over me.
Why did I feel the roles were reversed. I wasn’t the one who was playing with feelings anymore.
I think I saw the same reflecting from his body. His jaws were clenched visibly and his eyes were now staring straight at the road.
You always know just what to say
I always look the other way
I’m blind, I’m blind
In your eyes, you lie, but I don’t let it define you
The song I used to enjoy felt like a burden at this moment. Once it was over I felt like a heavy weight was lifted from my chest.
I was grateful when my phone rang abruptly. I was very quick to pick it up.
“Hello?” My voice came out a little parched.
But there was no reply.
“Eva?” I said again.
“Myra where are you?” Her voice trembled.
“Are you alright? What happened?” I asked quickly detecting the fear in her voice.
Something was wrong.
Sensing it, Stefano’s attention also zoned on me. He was looking at the road but I knew he was listening.
I could feel the tremble in her voice as she spoke. “Myra they dragged me to the Dragon. Please call the poli-”
I heard a loud thud before she could finish her sentence.
“Shut up b*t*h.” A man shouted.
That was the last thing I heard before the call was forcefully cut.
In an instant, I turned to Stefano who was looking at me attentively, waiting for me to say it. “Can you please take me to Dragon? It’s urgen-”
The wheels screeched as he quickly took a back and U-turn.
“What happened?” He demanded. Although his voice was low I could feel the authority in it. It was like the first time I saw him. Powerful and Dominant.
“Someone dragged my roommate. She is not safe.” I told him quickly, worry lacing my tone.
Stefano quickly made some calls to his men who reached there before us.
As soon as we reached the bar, I climbed off the car and ran to the gate.
A muscular arm grabbed me by my waist and I felt a sudden pain in my muscles. I was about to give him a kick when another hand stopped me by my arm.
“Calm down.” Stefano’s stern voice fuelled my anger.
He gave a glance to the man holding me who took the cue and released me before reporting the situation.
“Ten men in total Capo. It’s James Walsh. The girl is with him and is safe as we speak. The employees and few of our men are inside. We could only convince him to release the customers.”
Stefano nodded and turned to me.
“Stay here.” He warned and walked to the men standing in a row waiting for orders.
I gritted my teeth in anger. But I knew he was right. I tried to calm myself down and breathed in and out slowly.
I could see Stefano looking at me from feet away as his men informed him of something. His hands were resting on his sides in an active stance and those muscles were particularly taunting me to touch it.
“How did he get in?” I asked to the man in front of me focussing on the need of the situation. However my eyes were particularly glued to Stefano.
But the man stood unresponsive, further infuriating me. I glared at him menacingly before asking again. “I asked how did he get in?”
“It’s Friday night. Too much crowd. He took his chance.” Stefano said coming to stand next to me.
I lifted my face to look at him.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked with arms akimbo.
He looked at me with a little surprise. His tongue rolled against his cheeks before replying. “Don’t worry. Some of my men are inside and they are handling the situation well. But we are outnumbered. So I need few more men to get inside for backup.”
“Wow!” I let out an exasperated sigh. “You really think that’s going to work out?” I asked forgetting that I was working under him for the time being. And I had forgotten to address him so.
“James Walsh is behind me. Eva is just a pawn. He won’t let her go until I go inside.” I said now a little frustrated emphasising each word for his thick skull to formulate quickly.
“He will kill you.” He stated flatly.
I could see the anger building up in his eyes. He definitely disliked me raising my voice at him in front of his men.
His face now resembled a blank canvas thick with only one thing.
Power.
“Do you want to die?”
I knew he was ruthless. But right now seeing it live made my blood boil. He was really testing my patience.
I didn’t want to feel helpless again. Not another sick game of losing people.
“Then you take care of me.” I demanded without a glance as I collect my hair to tie.
“And give me my hairtie.” I held out my hand impatiently.
By now we had caught the attention of the men. They had a look of disbelief as they stared at us.
When my awaited palm was bare of my hairtie, I scowled at him. His hand slowly made its way out of his pocket to my palm.
I felt warmth seeping from the mere touch but it vanished when I was suddenly twisted and my back collided to his front. His hand held mine close to my belly restraining any moves.
I was about to shove him away but his strong hands didn’t let me budge.
“Don’t.” He warned.
His hands slowly replaced mine that was holding my hair on place. My head was slightly pulled back and I realised he was tying it for me.
“Now I will take care of you Myra.” He whispered near my ear giving rise to goosebumps.
The way my name rolled out of his tongue excited me. I wanted to hear him say it again. His fingers travelled down my arms slowly. “But don’t ever defy me.”
Those were not just mere words but a clear warning. I was barely able to stand on my feet without tumbling at the sensation from his proximity.
“Always Follow My Command.” He emphasised each word as his breathe stroked and teased me breaking the control on my body.
Slowly his presence near me withered and I was left fighting the numbness in my legs, in my tongue, in my whole body.
What the hell just happened?
I took a step away from Stefano when Marco approached us.
“Steph you don’t have to go.”
Stefano shook his head. “As much as I hate to say it, but she is right.”
He turned to the men standing in a row.
“Four of you will barge in through the main gate with Marco. For diversion.”
“Four through the back door. To attack.”
“We will go through the underground passage.” He said indicating to me and himself.
All of them nod and I was soon standing alone with Stefano. I was not aware there was an underground passage.
“Can you use this?” He asked showing me the gun.
I was a little skeptical to reply but I shook my head anyways. All of them had guns so I was sure I won’t be harmed.
He lead me to the basement where several cars were parked. It was a large space with only the two of us.
I patiently waited for him to take a step then followed it. He would look behind every once a while to check on me.
When we reached the staircase, I felt a little fidgety.
Feeling me tense, Stefano raised his brow. I shook my head to imply I was fine.
“Relax.” He rubbed the side of my arm with his palm.
“I won’t let anything happen to you and your friend.” He assured.
I nodded and for the first time it was because of genuinely trusting him. He was behind me as I ascended the stairs.
“Wait for my cue.” He said in a hushed tone before standing close to the door. His left hand was on the door handle and right holding a gun.
I took a step closer to hear Marco’s voice from the other side. But I was met with silence. The heat from Stefano’s body engulfed me completely. I could feel his toned abs on my back. I hesitantly lifted my chin only to find him looking at me.
“What do you want Walsh? A death like your brother?” Marco’s voice caught our attention.
He sounded relaxed and uncaring while mocking the person who had the upper hand.
“Where is she?” I heard James speak.
“Release the girl Walsh.” Marco demanded.
The metallic door vibrated erratically on my ears and I instantly took a step back. There were two more shots fired and I could hear screams of the people.
I turned to Stefano who was looking at me with the same thing in mind. It was time.
“Let’s go.” We said in unison.
Bullets were fired in all directions. The screams and cries of fear were unheard.
As soon as the door was latched open, we caught their attention. And the first thing I heard was James f**king Walsh say b*t*h!
The action halted as they all looked at me.
Walsh sneered at us. “There’s the little fecker.”
Eva stood beside him teary eyed. She was not tied but I could tell the cold metal on her temple was scaring the shit out of her.
Stefano grabbed my arm to push me a little forward without letting me go.
“Now will you release the little girl Walsh?” The words were spoken as if he was heavily bored with the drama.
“I could say the same.” Walsh retorted further pushing the gun on her skull.
“Tsk. Tsk. Wrong answer.” Stefano provoked with an intelligible threat in it.
I could see the men behind Walsh making a fence of protection for him.
“Come here you b*t*h.” Walsh ordered me through his gritted teeth.
Stefano pulled me back harshly so that my back hit his front. I could feel the fury radiating from his body. His eyes were cold and absent of any emotion.
He let his muzzle travel up my arms slowly. “If you want her, come here and take her.”
I frowned at what he was doing.
Where were his men? I looked around to see Marco and his men near the front gate. I could also see Palmas and Yakub on the counter with two men holding them still.
Stefano was not looking at the men anymore. I was a little scared now. Was this his plan?
“Calm down sweetheart.” He whispered in my ear.
Why was he diverting my attention? I tried to stay focussed refusing to acknowledge his proximity in the situation.
I saw one of their man raising his arm to fire at us. My pupils dilated and I cursed internally for not accepting the gun before.
I was about to snatch the gun from Stefano’s hand when I saw the man dropping his gun at a far corner. He was shot at his arm. And another bullet was fired hitting his chest.
His body collapsed on the floor immediately.
I did not feel the metal on my body any longer. Stefano was firing back with me still buried in his arms.
Walsh fired a bullet at our direction and I quickly dodged it pulling Stefano on the ground with me on top. He fired back at them but Walsh was now backing away with his men creating a shield.
The gunshots were unstoppable. There was no stopping the bloodbath.
I frantically searched for Eva and got up from my spot. I ran to her direction.
Walsh was simultaneously dragging her with him and dodging the bullets while his men fought ours.
I took the table between us as a leverage and jumped giving him a front kick. It was enthralling to see him roll back. His physical strength was equal to zero.
Stefano’s men took the chance to shoot their guards.
As Walsh tried to stand up, I slid on the floor and strike him at his right foot causing him to fall again. I picked his gun and cocked it before positioning it on his heart.
The echoes from before stopped abruptly. And I was brought back to reality. Realising the situation I did not fire it.
“Póg mo thóin, James.”
(Translation- Kiss my ass, James.)
I looked at Eva who was standing there trembling with puffy red eyes.
Two of Stefano’s men came around to drag Walsh away.
Marco and Stefano soon came in the picture. Marco kicked him on his leg while Stefano quietly stood next to me. His eyes were reflecting a piqued interest, a dilemma and curiosity.
“So it is death like your brother.” Marco mocked Walsh bitterly.
He went around to hold Eva and wrapped his coat over her trembling body.
“This girl will kill you Romano.” Walsh shouted to deaf ear. But I clearly heard him. Even if he was speaking blindly, the truth was only known to me.
But it seemed I was not the only one who heard him.
“I know.” Stefano’s voice was merely a whisper but loud enough for me to hear.
***
Once we reached our apartment, I helped Eva get to the bed and eased the comforter over her.
“What happened back there?” She asked meekly.
I felt guilt wash over me as I saw her state. The fingerprint on her cheeks were distinct. Although I was used to such situations, I knew how hard it must be for her.
I had asked Stefano for few days off because I wanted to take care of her. I was glad he didn’t deny it.
“Please do not think about it Eva. We will talk about it tomorrow. You should try to get some sleep now.” I said not knowing how to comfort her.
She nodded on the pillow, holding the edge of the duvet as if somebody would pull it away.
“Good night Myra.”
I smiled at her apologetically and ran my palm over her head. “Good Night Eva.”
I changed into pyjamas and took out the device I had hidden in my room. I turned it on to see it going wild with cryptic voice.
I pressed the button to reply but heard his voice instead.
“Took you long Love.”
***
Phew! 3750 words.
What do you think, who is more hot?
Myra or Stefano?