“Yeah, that was the old me, though,” I smile, looking up at her.
“What do you mean?” she asks, hope edging her words.
“I mean that I’ve changed a lot since you first met me. I think we all have.”
My heart is racing a thousand miles an hour as I try to find the right words. “Maria…I, uh, I’m going to be there for you through all of this. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, because…uh…because I…uh…” How the hell do the movies make this look so easy?
Maria giggles and leans forward. Grabbing the front of my shirt, she pulls me toward her and kisses me.
She pauses, grinning. “I know,” she says, then kisses me again.
I pull away, confused. “You know?”
“I know you love me,” she smiles, her eyes glittering.
I chuckle and press my finger beneath her chin. “You do?” I ask, smirking. She nods.
“You’re right,” I tell her.
“I’m always right,” she says.
I press my lips over hers and kiss her again, slower this time.
***
That evening, after dinner, Benedikt carries Maria up to bed, insisting that the doctor gave strict instructions for her to get as much rest as possible over the next week. He almost didn’t want to let her out of bed to eat dinner at the table. We were all going to eat up in her room, but she insisted on getting a break from being stuck in there.
While Ben is upstairs with Maria, I get a call.
Pacing up and down the dining room with the others staring at me, I listen to the news.
“What’s going on?” Joseph mouths.
I put the call on speaker and set the phone on the table.
“…they came in through the back after taking out the security camera. Half of the product was taken, and one man was killed…”
“Another attack?” Joe hisses.
I nod. “West warehouse, along the docks.”
He sneers, and Artur clenches his fists, shaking his head.
My floor manager runs through the information that he has while we listen.
“Thanks, Tony,” I say when he’s done. “I’ll send extra men over there to assist with things. We’re going to sort this out. Stay in touch, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
Artur, Joseph, and I sit around the table staring at each other.
Ben walks in and immediately senses the mood.
“What now?” he sighs, sitting down too.
“Another attack,” Art fills him in.
“We have to deal with this once and for all,” I state.
