Chapter 44: chapter 44

A/NHello, Lovelies.This chapter contains the1 story from the day Xavier told everyone his plan to the day they leave. There will more than three POVs in this chapter. All the emotions everyone felt during this period will be here. I hope it will not turn out messy. I will try to make it as clear as possible.So enjoy.***********************Mark's POV-He is out of his mind. He just got her back and now he is ready to sacrifice his happiness again. We all can see how much he cares for the girl. I don't understand why can't he let us all fight this together and then we all can get our lives on track.Will she be okay?"Mark, wait I need to talk to you," Xavier said as we all were exiting his office. I stayed behind."What?" I asked curtly."Why are you being moody?" He asked."Why do you think?""I told you my reason." He said."Yeah, but that doesn't cut it. You are making us feel guilty. We all joined you because we wanted to or needed to. It's not like you forced us to do so. You don't have to face all the hardship alone." I said."Yeah, yeah. I get it. But I called you for some other reason." Xavier said."What now?" I asked. God knows what he wants now. He keeps on giving shocking or bad news."Nothing for you to worry about. I wanted to ask you about the girl. Leah. You want to take her with you or should she go with Ohio and Anita after you settle there?" He asked."Well, I don't know. I should ask her about it. But she never talks to me unless it is veryUrgent. I think she is scared of me." I told him. I wish she could come with me. She gives me happiness. From the second I saw her I knew I will be on my knees forever only for this girl. "You think? Look at your size, obviously, she is afraid of you, and after what she has been through it's natural for her to be scared of any man. The point is you want her to go. You just need to ask her." Xavier said.I sighed and was about to leave his office. But he said something from behind."Whatever the situation, but she only trusts you here. You were the one who saved her. I am sure that she would agree to go with you. And you already love the idea. *********I knocked at her door. It was past midnight, so maybe she was sleeping. I turned to return to my room but I hear some rumbling from her room. She opened the door. She looked sleepy. She must be sleeping. She looks like an angel in this sleepy face. She looks like a frightened bunny when she got scared. But it is painful that she is scared of me. "What ha...happened?" She asked timidly."Nothing serious. I just want to discuss something with you." I said.She looked confused. Surely, what could be there a gangster discuss with an innocent girl like her. She nodded slightly. Then I started to walk towards the garden. She followed me closely. We exit the house. Two men were standing by the door. I smiled at them and patted their shoulders. Then I saw Leah was all alarmed with the guys around her. I step back and stood beside her and put my arm around her shoulder and started to walk. My body reacted on its own. But now my heart was suffering from that little stunt. Why did I never felt like this with Bella or any other woman? I mean, I had Bella in my arms too, and I had spent nights with different women in my time. But that never felt anywhere close to what I am feeling with this small girl in my arms right now.She cleared her throat. I looked at her and she was looking at my arm on her. I removed it immediately.She stepped away from me. "I am sorry... I just did that to make you feel safer. Don't worry. It will never happen again unless you want me to." She looked shocked by my words.I mentally slapped myself. Idiot, she doesn't know you're a flirty way of talking. She will misunderstand. God please, she doesn't think of me as that bastard Richard.I started to panic."I was just kidding. I talk nonsense sometimes. Don't mind me." I said hurriedly.She stared at me and then started laughing. She clapped her hands and continued her laughing session.It was funny and cute to watch her laugh so freely."You looked scared...hehehe... It was funny...your face." She said in between."Are you laughing at me?" I asked faking my anger.She went silent immediately. "I am...sorry. I didn't mea...mean to offend you." She said afraid.Did I overdo it? Idiot Mark, why can't you do one thing right?"It's okay, sweetie. I was just messing with you." I tried to comfort her.We both went quiet. We took a long walk. I was enjoying this wordless company. It's like we don't need something to say to show our presence. I can feel her beside me with my body's reaction."What you wanted to discuss?" She asked quietly."Oh yeah, that. Boss gave us all some orders. I had to go to Italy, to take care of some business. You have two options, one you can come with Ohio and Anita, with other gang members or you can come with me. I am going before them. It will take me, maybe, a month before they will come to Italy. So now you decide." I told her.She looked deep in thoughts. I stayed quiet to let her decide. She was taking too much time. My heart started to sink. So in fear of rejection, I decided for her."You know what, you should come with them later. I can not handle the burden of your safety there. You should stay." I said those words without thinking much.But I regretted it soon after. The pained look on her face made my heart crunch in my chest.Why am I like this? How could I say such words to her? I lifted my hand to wipe her lone tear but she stepped back and looked down."You are right... Ummm I should go inside now." With that, she ran into the house. I stood there motionless.What the hell just happened? I messed it up again.************Leah's POVIt's been a few days since that horrible walk in the garden. It still hurt thinking of that night. I was very excited to go on a walk with him. I never thanked him properly for saving me. There was so much I wanted to tell him but he made his thoughts clear about me. That I am a burden on him. And what else I could be? What the hell I was thinking? That he will want to spend some time alone with me? He is so good looking. He must have had many beautiful girls in his life. Why would he even spare a glance at someone as broken as me?"Oops... Sorry. I was not looking." I bumped into someone, I apologized immediately."It's okay dear. I can clearly see that you were not looking where you were going. What are you thinking so deeply about?" It was Isabelle, who I bumped into."Nothing." I said. I am not comfortable in talking with others but Isabelle is different. We were in the same horrifying situation. She helped me a lot. Maybe I can share my feelings with her.I looked at her to confirm my thoughts. She looks easy going. "Actually, there IS something I want to discuss with you." I asked hesitantly."Tell me, what it is?" She asked caringly.No doubt she is a wonderful mother. She is so patient and humble and caring. Anyone will love her. Mark adores her too. He talks so much about her. But who will not? Even I can talk about her a lot and all the good things. "It's... The thing is... I..." I took a deep breath."Mark is going to Italy, he asked me if I want to go with him but then he said he won't take me with him. As you can see I am not comfortable around anyone but you two. I really wanted to go with him. I feel the safest by his side but he thinks of me as a burden." I said it all in one breath."Wow...wow...sweetheart. Slow down..." She looked overwhelmed with all this thing. "Have you told him that you want to go with him?" She asked. I shook my head in a no."So he doesn't know that you really really want to go with him? When he asked you for the first time, what did you say?" She asked again."Nothing." I replied."What do you mean by nothing? You must have given him an answer, right?" She asked."Nooo..." I said in doubt. "So that's the problem." She sighed. Then she gave me a big smile."I think, I was going Mark's direction. I haven't talked to him in a very long time." She gave me a wicked smile.What is she planning?"No, please sister. Don't tell him what I told you. He doesn't want me to go with him. I can not burden him." I pleaded but she ignored me and walked away.What the hell is going to happen now? I hope he will not get mad at me?***********Isabelle's POVI was kind of angry at Mark. How could he not listen to Leah wanted to say? It was her decision to make.I barged into his room without knocking. I knew it was not proper for me to enter a man's room but at that moment I was very angry.The first thing I saw was a bag with clothes in it. Then a very sad Mark sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands.And I was planning to give him a good beating."Why the hell are you sad now?" I asked without greeting him.He looked up and suddenly a small smile spread on his face. He stood up and took long strides towards me. He took me in his arms. "Okay, I get it. I missed you too." I said with a chuckle."I made a stupid mistake Bella. I don't know what to do now?" He said still holding me close to himself.I got out of his arms and put my hands on his shoulders."Tell me what did you do?" I asked."I made her cry. It tore my heart. I got scared and hurt her in the process." He said looking down."Are you talking about Leah?" I asked. He nodded.My God. Why in heaven, are they both so stupid and cute at the same time? They both are worried about each other but didn't realize it yet. Am I going to play Cupid in between them? Well, it will be fun."What exactly you said to her to make her cry?" I asked."Well,... I kind of told her that she will be a burden on me?" He said with doubts."What? Are you out of your mind? Why would you say something this rude thing to a girl?" I said."I... I didn't want to. It was just...the. I asked her to come with me then her expression was like that she totally hated the idea. I got scared that she will reject me so I did it first, I guess." He said hesitantly."You guess?" I hit him on the back of his head. "How could you be so insensitive?" I can not believe this man."I know." He sounded defeated."You know, I just talked with Leah," I told him.He immediately looked at me in the hope to find something. But I wanted him to suffer a little more."She was very hurt. She thinks that you see her as a burden and she wants to stay far away from you so that you could not feel any burdened by her. She even told me that she will ask Xavier to let her go. She will move to some other city, alone. She was worried that she troubled you very much. I guess she was on her way to Xavier's office." I lied to him. But his reaction was worth it.He didn't stop for one second and ran out of the room.Mission accomplished.I mentally patted on my back. I followed him to see how it unfold.************Chase's POVLeah and I were sitting in our room. She called me for something important."Chase, we have to leave tomorrow." Leah said."Where?" I asked. I was confused. Where are we going? Will Angel go with us?"To Italy with Mark." She said."And Eva?" I asked."She will come with us." She told me.What? Why? I don't want to leave her. Will she be safe here? I will not be here to protect her. I promised her that I will always protect her."She will be safe with the boss and Isabelle." She said. Will she? I still want to stay with her. But I can't trust Leah with anyone else too. What should I do now?"Please, Chase. I will be alone there. You should come with me. We will have a good and safe life there. Mark will protect us both." Leah said. Suddenly I heard someone crying. I turned to look and My Angel was standing by the door with teary eyes and running nose.She must be crying for long. "Are you leaving me, Chase?" She asked in between her cries.Seeing her like this broke my heart.How could I leave her behind? I don't think I could live easily with a constant reminder that she could be in danger. She depends on me and I on her. She was looking at me with so many emotions in her eyes that I made my decision in that instant.**************Hello, lovelies.Finally, this chapter is over. I had this feeling that I am writing and writing for days.It has so much going on in it. It is almost 2500 words.The longest chapter I have ever written.But I enjoyed it. I had so much more to write in this chapter but I had to literally stop writing for an hour, to stop myself from carrying away with it. Well, I am talking a lot. I will stop here.Only two more chapters are remaining. I will really miss this story.