Chapter 34
Max stormed down the hallway, his temper still burning from the argument with Lexie. He hated leaving things like that, but his schedule was stacked with back-to-back meetings, and for now, seeing her would have to wait until dinner.
She was just being stubborn—too stubborn for her own good.
He was about to turn into his office when a movement caught his eye. Ramone, his second in command, was standing nearby with a look that immediately put Max on alert. Concern etched deep lines in the man’s face. Max stopped short.
“What is it?” Max asked, his voice low and clipped, eyes narrowing.
Ramone hesitated before gesturing toward Max’s office. They stepped inside, and Ramone closed the door firmly, shutting out the noise of the hallway.
“It’s about Lexie’s house,” he said.
Max’s gaze dropped to the folder in Ramone’s hand, his chest tightening like a vice. “What about it?”
“There’s been some unusual activity in the area,” Ramone began, his tone measured but edged with tension. “Yesterday, one of my men spotted a blonde woman peering into Lexie’s windows. At the time, we didn’t know who she was. Now we do—her name’s Deirdre Mannin. Enzo’s girlfriend.”
Max muttered a string of vicious curses under his breath, but Ramone held up a hand. “That’s not all.”
Max’s head snapped up. “What?”
“George was there too.”
“At Lexie’s house?” Max’s brow furrowed, his mind instantly spinning through possibilities. “Why?”
“I don’t know all the details, but…” Ramone trailed off, shaking his head as though he still couldn’t believe what he’d seen. “Julianne was there as well.”
Max stilled. “Tony’s ex?”
“Yeah.” Ramone rubbed at his forehead, clearly frustrated. “My men tailed the three of them after they left. They’re plotting something, but we don’t have the details yet. Not… yet.”
Max’s jaw tightened, his fingers gripping the edge of the desk hard enough to make the wood creak. “And you’re just telling me this now?”
“I didn’t want to alarm you or your fiancée until I had more information,” Ramone said carefully. “I’ve got a team shadowing each of them. By tomorrow morning, we’ll know exactly what they’re up to.”
Max’s gut churned. He was about to respond when a knock came at the door. One of his guards stepped inside, his posture rigid.
“Sir,” the guard said, voice clipped, “Ms. Stacias left the house about ten minutes ago. She took her car.” He extended a small envelope. “She asked me to give this to you.”
The tension in Max’s chest spiked. “What?” He was already moving toward the hallway, the note clutched in his hand. “Where is she going?”
“She didn’t say, sir.”
Max didn’t answer. Anger and worry pushed his stride faster.
When he reached the security office, he pulled up the live camera feeds on one of the monitors.
His heart sank. On the screen, Lexie walked toward her car, shoulders stiff, chin lifted—but the faint shimmer of tears on her cheeks was unmistakable.
“Damn it,” he muttered, his expression grim.
Ramone stepped in behind him. “Should we follow her?” he asked quietly.
Max replayed the footage, watching her expression more closely this time. Hurt. Determined.
She thinks I don’t understand her. She thinks I’m trying to control her.
The crumpled envelope in his fist suddenly felt heavier. He tore it open and scanned the short, precise lines written in her familiar handwriting. A mix of resignation and frustration tightened his chest. Folding the note, he shoved it into his pocket.
“No,” he said finally. “Let her go.”
Ramone frowned. “Sir?”
“She needs space,” Max said, though the words scraped like broken glass in his throat. “But I want two guards posted at her house around the clock. And someone keeping eyes on her while she’s at work—discreetly. If anything unusual happens, I want to know instantly.”
“Yes, sir,” Ramone said, but his unease lingered as he left to carry out the orders.
Alone, Max dropped into his chair. His phone felt heavy in his hand as he typed a message.
Lexie, I’ll pick you up tomorrow night for dinner. We’ll talk. Take your time, mia cara. But I’m not letting you go.
He set the phone down and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. Slowing down with her was the right thing to do—he knew that. But the thought of her out there, away from him, unprotected, made his gut twist into knots.
She was everything to him, whether she realized it yet or not.
I’ll wait for you, Lexie, he thought with determination.