The Mafia's Angel

Chapter Four- The Man in Question

Frustrated at how a few simple intimidating words had managed to make her head spin, Gabriella retired to her room under the companionship of two of Maximus’s guards before tearing the clips from her hair that kept her thick locks in place. When her hair was messy and loose, she did not cease her gait until she now stood in the front of the bathroom mirror-observing the mess he had now made her in to; or better yet, the flaws she had tried so desperately to bury having now emerged as if they were tattoos on her skin. She clenched her jaw at the thought before gliding her feet over the cold stone floor and to the shagged rug present before the shower. Wishing to wash off the feeling of his fingers tracing her skin as well as the two gallons of hairspray she had forced on her flyaways, she slipped into the steam that fogged the room rather quickly.

But even as the stream of water fell to her skin, she was left fantasizing about Maximus’s hands coming to her body and taking her by a consenting force-passionately. Not wishing to imagine it any further, she brought her soap soaked fingers through her hair and attempted to think of another plan to escape in opposition to these s****l thoughts that seemed to rouse her in a way she had never experienced quite like this before-and certainly never with Alec. But her hatred for him and everything he was had allowed her to keep her hostility forward above all else...at least for now.

At the final moments where she was able to stabilize her thoughts and feelings, a desperate knock came onto her bathroom door. Quickly stealing a sumptuous towel from the rack beside the door, she wrapped her curvy figure as a pair of long fingers wrapped around her side of the door and she now stood on the only portion of the floor that would keep her warm against the frigid air of the entryway ajar.

“You are requested Miss Driscoll…” She recognized the voice as having belonged to Luca and understood that she could hold a potential ally in him if she would be able to gain his trust. But only being allowed one hudnred days-now having lost one with her attempts to escape and a faux dinner, she could not place the entirety of her eggs in this proverbial basket. Because of this, she had simply decided to remain cordial to him in place of resentful as she hoped her kindness would make him trust her anyhow. But she knew deep down within her soul that whatever relationship Luca had with Maximus, it could not be broken by her.

“I am preparing for bed-” She attempted to rival what was requested of her before she brought her hair into a spun towel to keep her long chestnut tresses from sticking to her damp physique.

“I’m afraid I must insist…Maximus’s father is having another...another episode…” He explained for lack of a proper description as she was rather anxious to witness the details of this for herself. Due to this, she quickly dressed in the most decent set of pajamas left for her; which consisted of a silk top and matching shorts. Tearing a robe from behind the door, she was now covered in black silk accented with lace as she discarded the towel holding her hair in place before forcing her hair into a messy bun at the top of her head.

“Take me to him.” She spoke eagerly as Luca nodded and led her from her bedroom, beyond the staircase, past the kitchen, and into a set of double doors guarded heavily by two strong men who looked at them both with uncertainty. Luca took the lead first and stretched out his arms on either side as he was pat searched, while her eyes grew wide.

“They will not let you in otherwise…” He explained to her as she rolled her eyes before copying his movements as she was now left with another man’s hands upon her body. For a moment, she wished she could torment Maximus with a comment in regards to another man having known how she felt within his hold-but when the doors came open, she suddenly sympathized with the man she had only known hatred for until this moment. The memories of arriving at the hospital to sit beside her mother’s bed as she was in the cruel clutches of a losing cancer battle had reminded her of the scene unfolding before her as Maximus was beside his father, his hand taking that of his paternal figure as he was struggling to breathe.

“She’s here…” Luca spoke as Maximus lifted from his seat and stood over her as she did not even take a second to humor him with a glare or an exhale in his direction. Instead, she moved to the patient as he looked at her before his eyes then moved to his son.

“You will have to forgive my offspring...He does not understand how death comes for us all…” Maximus averted his gaze to keep his own emotions in check as Gabriella turned to him for a second to witness this before turning back at the elder Arcangeli.

“You do not want to live?”

“I have. I have married my better half, raised an empire, and enjoyed the fruits of my creation...I wish to leave it to my son but he rejects it. I can only imagine the promises he made to you to try and convince you to aid the life of a tainted old man…” For a brief moment Gabriella thought of the humanity present within Maximus as he had only taken her from his own desperation as she had believed deep down that Maximus’s father had wished for her to be present.

“Well although it is quite an empire...I don’t believe it is ready to be handed off quite yet…”

“I like her Maximus...She actually has a bedside manner…” Maximus rolled his eyes as he did not have the heart to explain to his father how only an hour ago she had attempted to end his life with a nail file. Instead, he remained quiet.

“Your symptoms...do they come and go quite often?” Gabriella began her slew of questions as she moved about the bed, using the stethoscope and monitors purchased for Stefano Arcangeli’s home care under her hand-all while Maximus watched in reserved awe at her brilliance and compassion to a man who was a complete stranger to her.

“They seem to happen only when I try to rest...perhaps my life is catching up behind me.” He chuckled to himself before finding it difficult to breathe as she quickly took an oxygen mask from the tank before finding that it had been cracked and therefore useless.

“Do we have another one of these?” She asked Maximus who released a nod of approval and a ‘hmph’ before moving to a box behind the hospital-grade bed his father was lounging within. The new mask in hand, she tore it open with her bare fingers before connecting it to the machine and allowing him a sense of relief. “Do you have any allergies?”

“Every spring-”

“I mean something you need an epinephrine auto-injector for?” Everyone within the room looked at her as if she had spoken an entirely different language to them. “An Epi Pen?” She simplified as they nodded in understanding.

“I have vices, my dear, but nothing that has been able to kill me quite yet.” Stefano coughed once again, this time with blood having now emerged from his lips. It seemed as though Maximus could no longer stomach the sight of his ailing father and so he began to march into the opposite direction of the room before leaving her with Luca and a few other guards.

“I hope you do not allow his foolishness to frighten you...You have been the most gentle medical aid I have ever received and I don’t want his desperation to ruin that.” Stefano was the reason a smile grew upon her face as she thanked him before adjusting the blood pressure cuff on his left arm and noticing a small tray beside his bed of a tea cup, an empty plate, and a wrapper of an Italian snack she could not pronounce-telling her that he at least held an appetite at one point. However, as Gabriella continued to prod him for questions-she was beginning to believe that whatever was ailing him had been that of an ingestible upset and a reaction set forward by it. Because of that, she ceased her analysis and excused herself politely from the room before moving out into the hall alongside Luca.

“He is probably within the study…” Luca explained as he pointed to a single door down the hall from where he stood before he turned away from her, giving her an inch of freedom that she paused to consider using to her advantage. But as she familiarized herself with the not knowing pain of a dying family member, she placed herself aside as she had done with most things in her life before knocking kindly on the door before entering.

Set behind a thick mahogany desk littered with files, a miniscule version of a globe, and a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels, Maximus was stirring a whiskey glass with the simple use of his wrist-lifting his eyes to her for just a fraction of a second before returning them to the deep amber liquid in his grip.

"I suspect that he is having an allergic reaction to something." Gabriella spoke without an attempt to make small talk as her indifference showed through her tone.

"To what?"

"I'm not sure. But I think after a diet plan is written up for him and he is put in proper observation that you will learn it."

He rose from behind the desk, eyes narrowed at her.

"You think because you give a weak diagnosis that I will simply let you go back home? The grounds for your return are if his symptoms ceased."

"I have done all that I can. I am not a nutritionist or an anesthesiologist."

"You are also not going anywhere." He added to her loss before moving to the door before she presented her anger in the form of hurtful words that stilled him from leaving her behind in his wake.

"Have you ever theorized that maybe it is simply his time? Our bodies decay more every year..He is content with his life and wants peace...but you continuously make him uncomfortable with new doctors and different tests. Maybe it is YOU that is killing him!" Maximus crossed the room quickly, took her by her wrist and forced her against the bookshelf closest to him. A few famed titles falling at their feet, neither seemed to care as they were too involved in this bickering session.

"You need to learn to sensor your thoughts before you say something that-"

"What? That will make you kill me? I have already tried to escape twice and you have yet to make good on any of your threats!"

"You are a bold woman." Maximus spoke through clenched teeth. "Reckless but bold. Now you have ninety nine days left...I suggest you ditch any attempted efforts you are currently conjuring to escape and try to figure out what is ailing him as saving him is your only chance. For I have not made good on my threats for the sole purpose that I need you. But the second I don't…" he pulled apart from her as she had become temporarily familiar with the feeling of his figure pushed against her own. She was allowed the outline of his muscles tensing against her to keep her in place and the desperation in his eyes that he pushed to keep dominant over his fears.

"I will leave that to your imagination…" he explained finally before leaving her within the study, where she had an opportunity to escape once again as the door over the garden was left open. Only this time, she would not let it slip away. Immediately, she looked towards the door to ensure it would not come open before forcing herself into the brisk Italian moonlight and away from her confines in the first real chance she had to escape.