Chapter 9 - Ask Me Again
The bullet missed Maxim's heart by two inches.
Bee spent fourteen hours beside his hospital bed.
When he woke, she was furious.
“Hi,” he whispered.
She burst into tears.
Then slapped his arm.
“Ow.”
“You idiot.”
“I got shot.”
“I noticed.”
“You hit the injured man.”
“You deserved it.”
Maxim smiled weakly.
Bee leaned down and kissed him.
It was not gentle.
When she pulled away, his eyes were wide.
“Ask me again.”
“What?”
“The rooftop.”
Understanding crossed his face.
“Do you want me?”
Bee cried harder.
“Yes.”
He touched her cheek.
“Good.”
Then his expression changed.
“Because I have another question.”
“If you propose while wearing a hospital gown, I'll shoot you myself.”
He laughed and immediately regretted it.
“No proposal.”
“Good.”
“Eventually.”
“Maxim.”
“Eventually.”
The attack changed the investigation.
The shooter was captured two days later.
He worked for one of Carlo's former partners, Vincent Marelli, who had inherited the remaining criminal network.
Marelli believed killing Bee would collapse the employee trust and force Maxim back into the organization.
He misunderstood both of them.
Bee refused to hide.
Instead, she testified.
So did Maxim.
The process took months.
It was ugly.
Old crimes surfaced.
Maxim admitted what he had done and what he knew.
His attorneys negotiated.
He lost businesses.
Properties.
Money.
People who once called him powerful stopped returning calls.
Bee watched him become lighter with every loss.
One rainy afternoon, nearly a year after they met, they returned to Gina's.
The cracked booth had been repaired.
The neon sign was new.
Gina had cried when Bee quietly bought the building and transferred ownership to an employee cooperative.
Maxim sat in the corner.
Bee placed a steak before him.
“Well done.”
He looked horrified.
“You did that intentionally.”
“Yes.”
“This is abuse.”
“Call the police.”
“They know me.”
She laughed.
Maxim reached into his coat.
Bee pointed a warning finger.
“Don't.”
He froze.
“Don't what?”
“You have proposal face.”
“I have a proposal face?”
“You absolutely have proposal face.”
He slowly removed his hand.
“Fine.”
Bee sat opposite him.
“Try again when I'm not expecting it.”
“You're impossible.”
“You love me.”
“Unfortunately.”
She kicked him beneath the table.
“Ow.”
The bell rang.
Russo entered carrying a newspaper.
Marelli had been arrested.
The remaining network had collapsed.
It was over.
Really over.
Bee stared at the headline.
She expected relief.
Instead, she thought about Patrick.
Her father had hidden evidence knowing he might die.
He had trusted that someday his daughter would notice what everyone else missed.
Bee went to the cemetery that afternoon.
Maxim stood several yards away, giving her privacy.
She knelt before Patrick Callahan's grave.
“Hey, Dad.”
Wind moved through the trees.
“I found it.”
Her voice broke.
“I found what you left.”
She told him everything.
About Maxim.
About Margaret.
About the company.
About the diner.
About how scared she had been.
Finally she whispered, “You were right. I noticed.”
When she stood, Maxim was waiting.
He held no ring.
Good.
He simply took her hand.
As they walked away, Bee realized something.
She had spent most of her life believing survival meant becoming smaller.
Taking up less emotional space.
Speaking more quietly.
Ignoring insults.
Accepting crumbs.
Then she had threatened the wrong man.
Or perhaps the right one.
At the cemetery gate, Maxim stopped.
“Adelaide?”
“Yes?”
“Dinner tonight?”
“Where?”
“My apartment.”
“You cooking?”
“Yes.”
She stared at him.
“That sounds more dangerous than organized crime.”
“Have some faith.”
“In you? Occasionally.”
He kissed her forehead.
Then Bee noticed Russo standing beside the car.
The bodyguard was smiling.
“What?” she demanded.
“Nothing.”
“Anthony.”
“Boss told me not to say.”
Bee slowly turned toward Maxim.
His expression became suspiciously innocent.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“Maxim.”
He opened the car door.
Bee folded her arms.
Then she saw the small velvet box hidden beneath the passenger seat.
She looked at him.
He looked at the box.
Neither moved.
Finally Maxim sighed.
“You weren't supposed to see that.”
Bee began laughing.
“Worst mafia boss ever.”
“Get in the car, Adelaide.”
May you like
She did.
But she made him wait.
