Chapter 3 I'm Watching

The way Massimo spoke, it was as if he would burn the world down just to protect her.

Arriving at the hospital, Max had jumped out of the car, catching Talana before she could stumble. His hands were firm, his touch steady. "I've got you," he had said, his voice softer than in the driveway but no less resolute.

Later that evening Gianna appeared at the hospital, eyes wide and panicked. "Talana! What happened? Are you okay?"

Max's jaw tightened. The doctor had examined Talana thoroughly and reassuringly. Talana hadn't suffered serious injuries, just bruises and a few scrapes, but the fear etched into her face said more than words could.

Massimo's gaze never left her, sharp, calculating. "She'll stay here tonight. No exceptions," he ordered when the doctor suggested she go home.

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "She's stable, but if you insist."

"Fine. I'll post a guard outside," Massimo replied, voice cold and commanding.

Talana lay back on the hospital bed, eyes fluttering shut briefly. "Why... why are you doing this, Max?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, tremulous with emotion. "Why do you care so much? You don't even know me."

Max leaned closer, his face inches from hers. The air between them seemed to ignite. "Do you think I don't know you, Talana?" His words were slow, deliberate, each syllable vibrating with intensity. "I've known you from the moment I saw you. I know more about you than you even know about yourself."

Her pulse quickened, a shiver racing down her spine. "More than I know?" she asked, breathless, unsure if she wanted the answer.

"You're not just anyone, Talana," he said, pausing, the weight of his words pressing against her chest. "You're..." His eyes flickered, revealing more than his words would, "someone strong, dangerous, and beautiful. Strong even when you don't feel it. That's why I can't let anyone touch you."

Gianna's gaze lingered on him, confusion and suspicion warring on her face. "What did he know about Talana?" she wondered, unease curling in her stomach.

Massimo straightened, his presence a fortress of authority and danger. "Talana needs rest. That's all you need to know for now."

Later, in the waiting area, Gianna cornered him. "Who are you? What the hell do you want with my best friend? Why are you involved in this?"

Massimo's dark eyes softened fractionally, though his posture remained rigid. "Calm down. I'm Max. The one who saved Talana."

Gianna's jaw tightened. "Saved her?"

"Yes," he said simply. "I'm not here to hurt her. There's a lot I can't reveal yet, but she... she means something to me."

"I'm warning you," Gianna said, voice trembling with anger, "hurt her once..."

"I won't," Massimo cut her off. His tone was absolute. "I promise."

Later that morning, Talana's phone buzzed endlessly, messages from her father demanding she come home immediately. She ignored them, letting out a dry laugh. "The usual," she said. "He probably got himself into debt again."

Gianna, who had stayed the night, handed her a glass of water. "Who are the messages from?"

"Dad," Talana replied. Her stomach twisted. "The usual. Gambling, debt, lies..." She let the glass slide through her fingers with a sigh.

The next buzz was an unknown number. Hesitant, she answered. "Hello?" she said.

A distorted, chilling voice whispered through the phone. "Do you think he can protect you? Do you think this is over?" The words sent shivers crawling up her spine. That voice, familiar, predatory, made her chest tighten.

"Listen to me, you piece of shit! Come near me again, and I swear you'll regret it for the rest of your miserable life!" Her voice trembled, but her fury was undeniable.

The line went dead. Talana's chest heaved as tears stung her eyes. Gianna wrapped an arm around her. "Max needs to know, Talana," she urged softly.

Moments later, Massimo returned with soup, the subtle heat of his presence filling the room. Talana recounted everything, the messages, the unknown number, her father's threats. His jaw clenched, fingers tightening around the soup container.

Just then, the nurse entered to check on Talana, and as the door clicked shut, Gianna turned to Max, her anger barely contained. "Spill it. Who are you? Why is Talana in the middle of some psycho's obsession?"

Massimo's eyes flared with frustration. "There's a lot you don't know, Gianna, and for her safety, you don't need to." But before he could continue, the door opened again. Talana appeared, pale, trembling, eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Massimo was instantly at her side.

"The doctor said..." she stammered. Her voice broke, "they found something. Something small, behind my ear."

Massimo froze. His heart slammed against his chest. "A tracker?"

Gianna gasped. "Who would do that?"

Talana swallowed hard. "It must have happened at the bar... the first incident. I didn't feel anything at the time."

Massimo's mind raced, piecing the puzzle together: the bar, the messages, the stalking, the eerie feeling of being watched. It was calculated, targeted.

"Doc, remove it immediately," Massimo instructed, his tone a razor-sharp blend of command and menace, "and find out who's behind this."

Talana's voice trembled. "Why me?"

Massimo cupped her face, his eyes dark with determination. "I don't know, angel, but I promise... I'll stop it. No matter what it takes."

The hospital room was quiet, almost too quiet. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly, a sterile hum that contrasted sharply with the chaos of the night outside. Talana sat on the bed, trembling slightly, Massimo's presence an unyielding force at her side.

"You're scared," he said softly, his hand brushing hers. The contact was light, possessive, sending a shiver straight through her. "And you have every right to be, but right now, you're not alone."

Talana swallowed hard, trying to steady her voice. "It's just... this isn't random, is it? Someone wants to hurt me."

Massimo's jaw tightened. "No, angel. This is deliberate, and whoever did this... they'll pay."

She tilted her head, studying him. There was something primal in the way he stood, the way his gaze pinned her like he was both her protector and predator. It made her heart hammer, and her body ache in ways that terrified and thrilled her.

"You can't decide that for me," she murmured, her voice trembling despite herself.

Massimo smirked, leaning closer, the faint scent of his cologne wrapping around her. "Oh, Tesoro," he whispered, his tone dark and heated. "I don't protect you because you ask me to. I protect you because I can't stop myself, because if I didn't, I'd be failing. Failing at something I can't afford to fail."

Talana's pulse raced, her fingers curling into the hospital blanket. "Max..."

"I can feel you, angel," he murmured, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. "Every tremble, every shiver. You don't even know what you do to me."

Her breath hitched, caught between desire and fear. He was dangerous, impossibly so, but he was hers to lean on, at least for this moment.

Massimo slid one hand under the blanket, slow and deliberate. His fingers traced along her skin, teasing the boundaries without crossing them, his control absolute. "Soon, angel," he whispered, voice rough with need. "Soon, you'll feel what I've been holding back."

Talana's back arched slightly, heat rising in a rush she couldn't tame. The room felt smaller, charged, intimate, as if every breath they shared carried electricity, but fear still clung to her like a shadow. The memory of the tracker, the unknown number, the threat from the bar, everything reminded her danger was never far away.

Massimo straightened, dark eyes locking with hers. "I know you're scared," he said, voice low, steady. "And you should be, but you are not alone, not tonight, not ever, and anyone who tries to touch you... will regret it."

Talana's hands found his, squeezing tightly. "Max... what if he comes back? Or someone worse?"

A flash of anger crossed his face. His hands tightened around hers. "Then I'll burn this city down if I have to. I will protect you, Talana. You don't get a choice in that, but I promise, nothing will ever hurt you while I'm here."

Her body quivered under the intensity of his presence, her mind a whirlwind of fear, longing, and raw need. She leaned forward, almost instinctively, letting him feel the heat of her closeness. "Then show me," she whispered, voice small but daring.

Massimo's lips curved into a dark, possessive smirk. "Not yet, angel," he murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her damp forehead. "You need rest. You need strength, but soon... soon, you'll understand why I can't let go."

The door creaked, startling them both. Massimo's head snapped up, eyes scanning the hallway. Talana stiffened, clutching him instinctively. "Stay," she whispered.

He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her temple, possessive and tender all at once. "Always," he murmured, the word a vow and a warning.

Moments later, Gianna returned, coffee in hand. She froze, seeing the closeness between them, the tension crackling in the air. "I'll leave you two to... whatever this is," she muttered, more than aware she was intruding on something she couldn't name.

Talana let herself exhale, sinking slightly against Massimo's chest. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she admitted, voice raw.

"You won't ever have to find out," he whispered back, thumb stroking the back of her hand. "I'll be here. Always. You don't get a say in this, angel. You're mine to protect."

The words were intoxicating, terrifying, and overwhelmingly magnetic. Talana's pulse raced, her body humming with the tension between them and yet, beneath that heat, fear lingered. The tracker, the phone calls, the bar, psomeone was watching, waiting, ready to strike again.

Massimo seemed to sense it, leaning closer, lips grazing her ear. "They'll come," he admitted, voice husky. "But when they do... they'll regret ever thinking they could touch you."

Talana shivered, both from his closeness and the promise of retribution in his words. "Max... I'm scared," she whispered.

"I know," he said softly, brushing her hair back. "But that fear... that fear makes me want to protect you even more. I won't fail. I won't let them win, and I won't let anything take you from me."

Her gaze found his, dark, magnetic, impossible to resist. Desire mingled with fear, and for a brief moment, the world outside, the hospital, the danger, the stalking, the threat, seemed to vanish.

Then the phone buzzed again. Talana's stomach twisted. Massimo's hand tightened around hers, a silent warning.

Talana's hand trembled as she reached for it. The screen displayed a number she didn't recognize, but the tension in the room snapped instantly. She didn't need to answer to know the message would not be friendly.

Massimo's voice was low, controlled, deadly. "Do not touch it."

But before they could act, the screen flashed with a single, terrifying word: I'm watching.

Talana froze, heart racing, and Massimo's eyes narrowed, every muscle in his body coiled, ready to explode.

The hospital room, once a sanctuary, now felt fragile and exposed. Outside, shadows waited. Inside, desire and danger intertwined in a suffocating dance.