What We Owe

Chapter Twenty Six

I waited out back and Stefan came out with Dex's blood on him. I had my arms crossed over my chest. He stopped short of me and just looked at me.

"Stefan.. Stefan I'm so sorry." I let out. "I messed up so bad. I don't know what I was thinking. I need you, I can't be without you, please." He walked towards me and picked me up in his arms. His hand held me on my ass, forcing my legs around him and the other was in my hair. I hugged him as tightly as I possibly could. Despite everything, he still came to save me.

"Take me home, please." I whispered. He gently tugged at my hair making me pull back and look at him.

"You never not had me, Claire. I was yours from before you even knew I existed." I kissed him, hard and deep.

"Take me home." I said again. He kissed me, walking us back towards the car that was waiting out here. He set me down outside of the passenger door but shoved me back against the car. He hands went under my dress and I pulled his hair, bitting his bottom lip. He growled and went to my neck, sucking.

"I'm going to have to tie you up, butterfly." He said into my skin. I wasn't going anywhere unless he was by my side. His phone started buzzing and I watched as he hesitantly pulled it out and answered, having to pull away from me. He took one of my curls and wrapped it around his finger as he listened to the call. He hung up without saying anything and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He looked around us.

"We have to go." He said, pulling my door opened but kissed me once more.

I got in and he drove us out onto the main street. He wrapped his hand around mine and brought it up to his lips. I rested my head back and just stared at him as he drove. He kept my hand at his lips, kissing it every few minutes. He looked over and smiled at me.

We pulled into a hospital and I felt guilt squeeze my chest. Matteo. Before Stefan got out, he let go of my hand and reached over in the glove box on my side. He pulled out a box and handed it to me. I opened it to find my ring. I looked at him and he grabbed it, slipping it back on my finger. He leaned down and kissed my hand again.

We walked up to the room Matteo was in. He was laying in the bed with Ox sitting next to his side. His leg was in a brace. The nurse came in and looked over to us, standing at the end of his bed. I wondered just how bad I fucked him up. I was seeing red when I shot him, I hadn't been thinking clearly.

Stefan asked the nurse how he was and she said the bullet hit his knee right to the side and was inches from missing him entirely. He only had some soft tissue damage but wouldn't be walking for a while. I tried to avoid his eyes, looking any and every where but directly at him.

"I want to speak to the girl." He said. Stefan put his arm around my waist and squeezed.

"No, not without me, Matteo." Stefan said sternly.

"No, it's okay." I said quietly. I looked up at him and I could tell he was not a fan of the idea. The nurse walked out and Ox came over, putting his hand on Stefan's shoulder. He reluctantly let go of my waist and shot a warning glance to Matteo. They left the room with a simple click of the door. I sat in the chair Ox had just vacated. I finally swallowed down my fear and looked at him.

I set my elbows on the arm of the chair and fidgeted with my fingers. He looked down at the ring back on my finger. We sat in silence, him just looking at me. I bit my top lip so tightly, I tasted blood. I wasn't going to speak first. What was I going to say? 'Sorry I shot you.' didn't seem appropriate or even like enough. I went to stand to pace but his voice stopped me.

"I met your father once." My fingers stopped moving and I titled my head at him, furrowing my brows. "Stefan's father sent me to check in on the operation. You were six years old. I was twenty five at the time and you were playing in his office while he sat at his desk. You came up to me, do you remember that?" He asked. I shook my head.

"You came right up to me and asked me if I believe in Santa Claus. You said your father kept telling you he was real but you didn't believe him. You asked me if he was real because you want to be able to defend yourself against him if he ever tried to get in your house again. Your father laughed at you and just looked at me, seeing what I was going to say." He repositioned himself up on his bed, wincing at the pain.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I told you that there would be men you would need to defend yourself against eventually, but Santa was not one of them. You looked at me and asked me how to tell the difference." He paused, looking back at the ring and then back up to me. "I told you the ones who look at you like you owe them something just for simply existing are the ones to stay away from." I raised an eyebrow incredulously at him.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because I expected something from you. I looked at you that way from the moment Stefan took you. I was waiting for you to fuck up so I could get you away from him. I never liked you." He said simply. I laughed at that and for the first time, he smiled at me.

"You protected yourself against me. Warranted or not in the moment, I always thought about that little girl and if she would grow up to learn the difference. You did." I huffed out.

"I didn't see it in Dex." I told him.

"That's the thing though, people only let you see so much. I need you to understand what I'm saying because I can't defend Stefan right now and there are people that are going to come for him, always. When his father died, I took over the role of looking out for him but I need you to do it now. I need you to love him enough to look everyone around him in the eyes and see in them what others can't."

"What makes you think I can protect him? He's the one saving me. He's the one protecting me. I can't protect him, not like you do."

"You love him. You give him something to survive for. It's something his father never had. It's something men in our world are supposed to avoid, but he broke the rules to love you anyways. You're a glaring weakness for him now but you can use that to expose people. You did it for work. I need you to be the gun no one expects by his side. There's a war coming in the Mafia, and you're going to get a front row seat. Use it to save him." I saw Matteo for the first time then. I saw someone who wasn't just a loyal lap dog like I had always thought of him. He was a man who loved and cared for his boss. And he was scared for him.

"I will." I said. He nodded once, looking back down at his knee. I wanted to apologize in that moment but I knew he did't want me to.

"I never liked you either." I finally said and his eyes smiled at me. "And if it makes you feel any better about your knee, I was aiming for your dick." His eyes grew wide. We all knew I had terrible hand eye coordination. I think Matteo would appreciate it more now.

I went out to the hall to find Stefan leaning on the wall across from Matteo's room. He came to me with questioning written all over his face. I put a hand on his cheek and smiled. I would protect him anyway I was capable of.

"All good?" He asked.

"Mhm," I hummed and kissed his lips. Stefan said goodbye to Matteo and led me out of the hospital. We got back in the car and he looked over to me.

"What now?" I asked

"Now, we go home."