Claimed

Chapter 38 

ALEXIA GREEN. 

Today was cool. 

I got to hang out with Millie, walked in the park while my assistants; Brenda, Layla, Xavier and Wes covered for me at the clinic. 

They all know Christian Volkov and the men that work for him and if any man comes in with a wound or something serious, they are not supposed to question anything but just do their job. 

By the time I got back, a lot had to be done like signing over the latest inventory, treating Volkov’s 

men who had a rather violent fight down at the 

bar the whole process included taking out broken pieces of glasses from a man’s hand. 

By six, everyone was beat and I offered to close 

up with Millie going home with Brenda. 

Looking back now maybe I should have closed up and gone with Brenda too. 

But I’m not going to lie, evening walks all by myself have been normal–ish or as normal as a woman would feel working in an illegal place that looks legal to the outside world. 

“I’ll take you home.” 

1/10 

Setting 

15:84 

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” 

“Don’t be stubborn. 

“Don’t force me to do things I don’t want to in the 

first place. 

“Maximo is driving you home then.” 

That was minutes ago. 

A few minutes ago a giant of a man cut his palm with scissors because I didn’t want to talk to him 

and left this clinic leaving with a tiny fragment of my heart with him. 

I despise him. 

Yet I miss him. 

I can’t shake him off. 

Yet I don’t want him too far away. 

What sort of Stockholm syndrome is this? 

What is happening to me? 

I’m in the middle of cleaning everything up when 

the main door to the clinic buzzes. 

My hopes rise above my conflicting emotions. 

Is Volkov back? 

I’ll send him away. 

Yeah, I’ll do that. 

It’s not like I want to talk to him or generally do 

anything else with him for that matter. 

I’m already up from my desk. walking slash running slightly down the hall to the door. 

My hand shakes as I pull the tinted glass door 

open. 

“Don’t tell me you…you? What are you doing here?” 

“Can we come in?” 

No. 

“Sure.” 

Her perfume smells like cherry blossoms and something Dior. Demetri who is behind her smells like sandalwood and leather. 

She removes her coat and her NYU cap that’s really doing nothing to hide her face. 

Demetri is wearing regular old jeans, black tee and the occasional leather jacket. 

He doesn’t seem happy. 

He’s never happy but tonight it’s extra. 

“You should not be here!” I whisper shout. 

Malyshka…no….Kat steps forward taking my hands 

in hers. 

“I heard you were shot, Demetri and I couldn’t get to the hospital because my brother had his men all over the place.” 

“Okay.” 

What should I say to that? 

Gee, thanks because you wanted to visit me while your brother never even tried stepping foot in my hospital room? 

Ooh and your brother might be a few minutes near here and he could see you and kill me for thinking I’m working for your Russian fiancé or whatever? 

“We were worried. I had to make sure you were okay. Are you fine?” 

“I’m fine, Kat better than fine but you really shouldn’t be here, do you understand? Your brother was here? What if he decides to turn around and come back here? Maximo is also waiting for me outside if he-.” 

Her eyes dilate, her smile wobbles. 

“Max is…is here?” 

“Malyshka“, Demetri warns, “coming here was a 

bad idea as it is. Engaging Di Marco right now is worse than bad, it’s suicide.” 

“Can I see him?” 

What the… 

“Can you call him here?” 

Tears spring from her eyes, I look at Demetri, he 

replies back with, “Do not call him or I will burn you and everything else in here.” 

I thought my clinic was a safe haven. 

Turns out the Volkov siblings plan on tainting this place with blood. 

Their blood? My blood? I have a feeling it will be both. 

He’s smoking a cigarette in the dark. 

Heavy army boots, black leather jacket, a buzz cut that screams mercenary and military trained, Maximo DiMarco is the epitome of villainy. 

He looks like a villain, he talks like a villain and he works for the biggest villain, Christian Volkov. 

I’m signing my death certificate for even doing. 

this. 

“You like to smoke a lot?” I ask him. 

He stops leaning on his car, standing upright to 

face me. 

How did he not see them come in if he was 

parked across the street from my clinic? 

Or was he here having a smoke and recounting 

the people he has ended? Probably zoning out on how thrilling it is to be Christian Volkov’s 

right–hand man. 

“Are you ready to leave? I don’t see your bag with you.” 

“No, yes, I mean I thought we would chat a bit.” 

“Is something wrong with your child?” 

“What? No.” 

I’d offer to babysit if you want.” 

1 pause. 

You want to babysit? I thought you guys hated children.” 

“Millie is a special kid.” 

“How so?” 

“She likes tattoos.” 

My baby does not. Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“No she doesn’t.” 

“Get your bag, close the clinic, it’s getting a little late. 

“About that…” I swallow saliva and feel like it’s 

choking me. “Well…I just need you to like come 

with me back to the clinic for a…” 

“No.” 

His voice is final. 

He’s already starting to move toward the driver’s side of the car when I speak out loud, “I think. 

there’s a mouse in my clinic!” 

“A mouse?” He asks incredulously. 

Yeah, a mouse is better than the Russian man and 

his girlfriend who you supposedly think is dead. 

“Yeah. I have a phobia of mouses….I mean mice. Can’t you just come and kill it so I can get my bag?” 

He sighs before he crosses the road. legs fast and heads to my clinic. 

I follow behind with sweaty palms. 

They are going to kill each other. 

This is a terrible idea. 

Maximo opens the door. 

Catelina doesn’t give him time to breathe because there she is, standing at the reception, gorgeous brown eyes, brown hair, perfection written in her clothes even though a single tear falls from her eyes when she whispers. 

“Maximo.” 

Maximo doesn’t move. 

He stills before he does the one thing I thought 

would be the last resort for him. 

He takes out his gun like a maniac pointing it at 

Cat who’s standing a few feet from him. 

It doesn’t get better when Demetri shows 

himself. 

“Malyshka“, it’s a call for warning 

Get Maximo under control or I kill him for 

pointing a gun at you. 

“It’s okay, she hushes. 

Maximo’s finger is on the trigger. 

Cat starts moving towards the gun. 

“Max? It’s me. remember? 

“Bullshit“. Maximo voices, raw emotion in his 

veins. 

God. help us all because I think Demetri wants to take out his gun too. 

“Remember when you found me under that fountain at your mom’s party? I was five, you were ten and you told me pretty girls shouldn’t 

have wounds on their hands. 

When you were twelve and your father..he cut 

you, i–I hid you in my room and you said a pretty thing like me shouldn’t sob for something broken like you. When I was… when you followed 

us to America, you said home wasn’t the same 

without me. home was where I was because I 

was-.” 

“Trouble“, Maximo’s harsh tone splices the air, “My kind of trouble.” 

She only takes a few steps in our direction before Maximo meets her halfway grabbing her whole 

670 

Setting 

life form and smashing it with his body. 

They embrace like lost lovers in a maze having 

found each other. 

“H–How? How?” 

He asks. 

But you feel it in his voice. 

The emotion, the longing, the feeling of a man coming back alive. 

“A miracle. I–I’ve missed you. I’m here, I’m 

here.” 

“Alive. Alive? You. Are. Alive?” 

“I’m-.” 

Maximo wraps his hands around her clamping his lips with hers, kissing her like he believes he is in 

a dream. 

Demetri watches. He’s pissed but you can see it in his eyes. He’s happy for her. Happy for them. 

“Demetri saved me that night“, Cat whispers, her hand reaching out to Demetri who gladly takes it. 

“Saved you how Catelina? We saw your body, your brother he–he…” 

“I know. It’s a long story and I want to explain it 

all to you.” 

“Get your hands off her“, Maximo growls. 

Demetri thunders back, “I have every right to hold my fiancé the way I see fit.” 

“Fiancé?” 

“Hey, hey! No one is starting a fight here. Demetri is her fiancé; apparently you love her as well Maximo and she loves the both of you. Solve your problems elsewhere the more we stay here, the more scared I am of Volkov showing up.” 

The more scared I am that he will hate me for 

keeping his sister a secret. 

!