Maddox was pushing the issue, and he wouldn’t let it go. Finally, I snapped. 

“Why can’t you just fucking let it go? You want to know why I don’t look you in the eyes, why I can’t stand to look them in the eyes either. You’re right, Marco is to blame, his anger! He was so angry all the time and when I would look at him, he would get angrier. Eventually, I just realized it’s safer not to look people in the eyes.” I screamed, losing my temper with Maddox. 

He didn’t lash out at me, he just looked sympathetic towards me, and I didn’t like it.

“Don’t look at me that way. I don’t like it.”

“I’m not trying to offend you, Theo. But please, you need to tell me how and when this started.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore, Maddox. I just want to forget it even happened.”

“That won’t help you though, Theo.”

“Why do you suddenly care, Maddox? You’ve never cared before.”

“You were fine before. Now you’re not.”

“You clearly have no idea how long this shit has been going on, Maddox. I haven’t been fine in a long ass time.” I snapped again, feeling cornered. 

“Theo, I’ll only ask nicely once about all the details before I start doing things even you don’t want to find out about.” Maddox said, almost threatening me.

“You don’t get to demand things—---”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You are my only cousin and though we have never always seen eye to eye or been close. I will not allow Marco Di Salvo to get away with damaging you.”

“You know nothing about what happened.” I hissed in anger. 

“Then fill me in, Theo, for fuck’s sake, tell me what the hell happened!” Maddox yelled. Frustrated with me now. 

“What the fuck do you want the know? All the times he cheated, pushed me around, walked all over me, took his anger out on me! None of this will change anything that he did to me, Maddox!”

“He will come to regret doing all those things to you, Theo. I will make sure of that.”

“Just fucking drop it! Leave Marco alone. We are divorced, things are over and we don’t keep in contact. It’s been six months since the last time I had anything to do with him, and I just want to keep it that way.”

“I hate you are protecting him. You are a Vincent, Theo. He deserves to receive everything he gave two fold.”

“He is my ex-husband, and I did things my way. Respect that. I’m serious, Maddox. I’m at a point right now where I could check out on company time and the dice roll.”

Maddox caught on to what I was saying and he was on the phone before I could comprehend what he was doing. He had called Zev, Dr Martin. Pulling my hand through my hair, I stood up. 

“Sit down, we are not done here.”

“Oh yes, we very much are. I’m not about to play head games with your in house shrink.”

“He is going to do a risk assessment, so that I know you're not going to leave here and do something you would regret.”

“I didn’t say I was actually going to do it!” I yelled. 

“You said it and that’s enough.”

Lowering my voice, I cursed angrily in Italian, and Maddox gave me a look. He got up and unlocked the door and Zev was quick to let himself into the office. Maddox ran him up to speed on our conversation, leaving out most of the shit about Marco, and asked for a risk assessment. 

“Theo, we are not—--”

“This is why the fuck I don’t talk about what the hell is going on. I’m fine. I actually just want to go home and forget this shit ever happened.”

“Not happening Theo. If you’re going home, you’re taking someone with you.”

“I don’t need a fucking babysitter, Maddox. You are really pushing it now.”

“Theo, watch the way you speak to me. You can lose a lot really quickly.”

“Now you’re going to emotionally black mail me? Are you fucking kidding me! I am really getting sick of you fucking Mafia lot. Fuck you, Maddox.”

“Leave my office, and I can promise you won’t get down the hall.”

“How is this any better than what Marco did to me, huh? He held me against my will, claiming he fucking cared about me, too.”

“I’ll deal with Marco. He will get what is coming to him.”

“You clearly are not understanding me, Maddox. Leave Marco Di Salvo alone. That chapter of my life is closed and over. I want to keep it that way.”

“You won’t look people in the eyes who have been kind to you. But you’re fine, right? I don’t fucking buy it, Theo. Not in the fucking slightest.”

“Ive been dealing with Marco’s shit for the last five years Maddox, I’m pretty sure I’ve got it fucking handled.”

“This has been going on that fucking long, Theo? Are you fucking kidding me?” Maddox was livid. 

“It wasn’t anyone else’s business about how my life has and is falling down around me.” 

“I’m sending someone home with you. I’m not letting you go home alone.”

“I already told you I was—--”

“Shut up, I don’t buy it Theo. Zev fit Theo into your schedule and send Alexi the bill.”

“Dr Martin, I don’t need—--”

“Don’t listen to him. He is refusing help, even though he very clearly needs it.”

I would have thrown the fact that he needed help in his face, but he was already getting help and had been for quite some time. Settling on the face that Maddox wasn’t going to let me win this war, I shut up, crossed my arms and glared at him. 

My new normal fear of looking him in the eyes, gone for the moment. 

“Demitri, Sasha’s underhand is going home with you.” Maddox declared, setting his phone down. 

“I know who he is. He deflected Marco last night before he could make a scene.”

“I wasn’t aware he caused—-You know what it doesn’t matter, I’m going to make sure he understands. He isn’t allowed anywhere around you.”

“Why do you need to do this shit?” I bitched, just wanting Maddox to drop it. 

“Why? That’s easy. I am going to make sure that Marco stays away and knows that I know what he did to you.”

“Do whatever the fuck you want, Maddox. You’ve made it pretty clear you don’t give a shit about my feelings.” I said, uncrossing my arms as Demitri came into the office. 

Maddox filled Demitri in on his task, which was watching me. I ignored him. I was livid and getting worse by the second. Demitri left to pack some things and Maddox made me wait in the office. 

“Theo, I’m doing this to protect you.”

“Keep fucking telling yourself that.” I muttered, feeling Dr Martin’s eyes on me. 

Demitri returned with a black canvas and leather bag, and normally I would have been into the look of this man because he was good looking and I liked to look at him. Today, he was marked as my enemy. 

“Let’s go. I want to go home and sleep. I will leave you behind and face the bullshit from Maddox,” I said, not very nicely as we left the office. 

Demitri kept the same pace as me the entire way out of the complex and toward my car. He got in and buckled up, not saying a single word as I backed out of the spot and flew out the gates of the complex. 

Demitri texted the entire way back to my condo. 

“Sorry, you have to babysit me. I told him I didn’t fucking need this shit.” I groaned, debating just smashing my head off the steering wheel until something clicked or made more sense to me. 

“I don’t view it as babysitting. It lets finish work quicker. That way, we both are free for other things.”

“Correction, you are free for other things. I am up to my neck in bullshit Mafia paperwork.”

“I see.”

“Oh, you will if you have to stay here long enough.” I muttered, getting out of the car and waiting for Demitri to get out so I could lock it. 

Scanning my card on the door leading inside, it popped open, and we walked to the elevator. Demitri was texting again, and it was amazing how this man could manage to text, walk and pay attention all at the same time. I would have tripped or walked into something. 

I had to remind myself this man was my enemy, too. 

He was polite and easy to talk to and I found myself spilling my guts in the elevator as to why he was actually here, and about how I told Maddox I was ready to toss my cards in. He frowned, but waited until I was done to speak.

“I think Maddox has your best interest at heart, even if you or even I think it isn’t the right way to go about doing things. He does them his way.”

Getting off the elevator, we walked down the hall and I opened the door, letting him inside and he looked around for a few moments before he started asking me where everything was. I showed him around and then we ended back up in the living room. 

“That pretty much covers everything. If you need anything, just ask.”

“Alright, I will.”

I retreated to my room, closing the door and cursing. I was so fucked. This man was going to be a big problem.