Chapter 24 - Stefania #2
“No, I just need a few stitches. The bullet grazed me.”
“The bullet meant for me. You saved my life,” I reply.
My eyes drift to my brother, who is watching us closely.
Jaroslav pulls his mouth tight, then holds his hand out toward me. “Come on, Stefania. We’re going home,” he says, my other brothers standing right behind him.
I shake my head. “No, I’m staying with Marlen,” I tell him calmly.
“We’ll make sure he gets help. There’s no need for you to stay,” Jaroslav growls.
“I’m not only staying to help him, J,” I say.
His eyes narrow.
Behind him, Zakhar scoffs. “What the fuck? You’re free, Stefania. You’re not his prisoner anymore.”
“I haven’t been his prisoner for a long time. I wanted to explain it to you at the meeting, but you didn’t give me a chance,” I sigh.
My brothers look at each other, confused. Evengil steps forward. “Are you saying you’re in love with him? You’re staying by choice because you love him?”
I sigh softly. This isn’t exactly how I wanted Marlen to first find out that I love him. I pictured something romantic and sweet. Not the ending of a massive shootout in which we both almost died.
“I’m staying with Marlen,” I say again, more forcefully.
“I guess that answers it then,” Jaro huffs. “Let’s get this mess cleaned up. Marlen, do you need someone to drive you back to your place?”
“I’ll drive him. Let me take one of your cars,” I say.
Zakhar throws me his keys, and I guide Marlen to the car, helping him into the passenger seat. He groans, then chuckles. “I’m not used to being on this side of the car,” he muses.
“Let’s go home,” I say, starting the car.
“Actually, let’s go to my penthouse. I assume the mansion is a bit of a mess after they attacked?”
I bite my lip, remembering what I saw there. “Yes, and your guards…” I whisper sadly.
“I’ll make sure their families are taken care of. They knew the job when they signed up for it, and I know they did their best to keep you safe,” Marlen says, reaching for me. He rests his hand on my leg as he directs me to his penthouse.
On the top floor with beautiful views of the city around us, Marlen is sitting on a wooden chair, complaining about how much the disinfectant stings, while I kneel between his legs and nurse his wound.
I laugh, shaking my head at how dramatic he’s being.
I’m so happy to be here with him. To be safe. To be together. I know he’s in pain, but the relief is overwhelming everything else.
“You’re being a giant baby. You didn’t kick up such a stink last time I cleaned your wound, and it was almost identical.”
“Last time it wasn’t as deep as this. I didn’t need stitches, and we had that numbing spray,” he sighs, squeezing his eyes shut and looking away as I dab more disinfectant on his skin, cleaning around the wound.
“The offer still stands. I can take you to the hospital,” I say, glancing at him.
He rolls his eyes. “I’ll hate hospitals.”
“Then sit still and let me work,” I demand, biting the tip of my tongue as I peel open the emergency stitches bandage.
“How in the world does this thing work?” I ask, reading the instructions out loud.
“Place one strip on either side of the wound, yes, ok, oh my word, I see now. You pull the little tabs, and they knit the wound closed. This is so clever,” I exclaim excitedly.
“Told you, you would have to actually sew me up.” He laughs, but then stops and groans in pain again.
“OK, but the deal is that if this comes undone or you start bleeding again, then you are going to the hospital, right?”
He nods. “Yes, mam,” he smirks.
“Don’t smile at me like that. It’s distracting,” I blush.
Dragging my eyes off his gorgeous face, I press the bandage down as per the instructions and yelp with excitement when it works exactly as it’s meant to.
I’m biting the tip of my tongue with intense focus as I carefully stick bandages over everything.
Marlen has been quiet the entire time, letting me get this done.
I’m about to declare him fully nursed to perfection when he cups his hand beneath my chin and pulls my face up toward his.
I rest my hands on his thighs, still kneeling between his legs.
“You are amazing, Stef,” he mutters, his voice husky and low, sending a shiver through my entire body.
“I… I don’t think it’ll come off,” I murmur, unable to look away from him.
“I wasn’t talking about that. Not just that. I mean you. You’re beautiful and smart. You’re kind and caring and compassionate even when the people around you don’t deserve it…” He pauses, taking a deep breath.
“Who doesn’t deserve it?” I ask, confused.
“Me,” he sighs. “I don’t deserve it.”
My heart aches for his beautiful soul.
“If you saw yourself through my eyes, you would understand how amazing you are, Marlen.”
“Not after what I did to you,” he insists.
“No, you don’t understand. I don’t care about that.
You made a mistake. You believed in your brother.
There isn’t anything wrong with that. Besides, whatever happened in the beginning, all of that crazy…
weird… stuff… It all led us to this moment.
If you didn’t kidnap me, I would never have met you,” I say, laughing at how crazy the world really is.
Marlen grins, shaking his head. “You see the good in everything, don’t you?”
“I see the good in you. You’re…” I hesitate, but only for a moment. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. I love you.”
I watch his eyes as he hears the words.
His pupils dilate. His lips part as he stares at me in wonder.
“You love me?” he whispers, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer.
“I love you, and I want to be with you,” I tell him.
“That’s probably the best news I’ve ever heard in my life, Stef. Because I love you, and I want to be with you. Always.”
We’re smiling when we kiss. Our teeth bump together, and we both start laughing. My heart soars with happiness. I’m finally free to be with the man I love, and best of all, he loves me too.