Chapter 62 62
Stefan moved and she moved with him. Their rhythm set, they danced together, bodies joined, melded as they reached for the same, shattering end that awaited them. He stared down into her eyes, losing himself in their depths. She met his gaze and held it until finally, as he felt her body begin to fist around his, she closed her eyes, shrieked his name and shuddered violently as her body exploded from the inside.
His own release came a scant moment later, and Stefan heard himself shout as the tremendous relief spilled through him again and again, as if the pleasure would never end.
He carried her up to their bedroom, where she fell asleep almost immediately in his arms. He held her tight, lying awake and kissing her forehead repeatedly.
In the early hours of the morning after he'd showered and gotten ready to go, Stefan stood at the foot of the bed for a few seconds longer, committing the sight of his wife to memory. Then he turned away, heading for the door with quiet, deliberate steps.
The house felt colder as he moved through it to Juliana's room, the air heavy with the silence of everything left unsaid. He kissed his daughter, careful not to wake her.
When the front door finally closed behind him, the faint sound echoed like a promise — or perhaps, like a goodbye.
____________
The first light of dawn filtered through the curtains, brushing the room in pale gold. The house was still — too still. The kind of quiet that felt heavy, like it was holding its breath.
Alana stirred on the bed, blinking against the brightness. For a moment she was a bit confused. Her body ached a little, her cheek pressed into the pillow that still smelled faintly of Stefan’s cologne.
And then it hit her.
The memory of their argument came back in sharp, painful flashes — the shouting, the tears, her storming out, his voice calling after her.
Her heart sank.
She sat up slowly, her gaze darting to the clock on the table. 6:17 a.m. She knew he was gone, but still she hoped like an idiot that he'd somehow changed his mind.
“Stefan?” she called softly, her voice still hoarse from sleep.
No answer.
She tried again, louder this time, her pulse racing. “Stefan?”
Nothing.
The sound of her own voice seemed to mock her. She stood, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself as she padded barefoot to Juliana's room. The baby was still asleep, but Alana knew it wouldn't be long before she woke up.
She walked through the quiet house — downstairs, the living room, the kitchen, back upstairs, the hallway that led to their bedroom. Everything was as it was last night. The candles in the bathroom that had burned out, leaving trails of wax like small ghosts.
Her breath hitched. He really had gone, and she knew contacting him would be a waste of time. Alana pressed a trembling hand to her lips, trying to steady the ache in her chest. The air felt too thin, too sharp. She sank to the couch, clutching the edge of the blanket like it could hold her together.
A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it. Then another. She didn’t sob — she couldn’t. She thought of how he’d kissed her the night before, how he’d looked at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered, and yet he'd left.
She closed her eyes and whispered into the emptiness, “Come back to me, Stefan. Please.”
The morning light grew stronger, washing the room in pale brightness — but Alana sat unmoving, until the sound from Juliana waking up made her.
_________
The city was cloaked in gray. Morning fog rolled low over the narrow streets, swallowing the edges of old stone buildings and turning every corner into shadow. Bucharest at dawn was quiet — deceptively so — and Stefan Maynard moved through it like a man with purpose, his coat collar turned up against the chill.
He’d barely slept on the flight. Every time he’d closed his eyes, he’d seen Alana — standing in the living room, fire in her eyes, pain in her voice. Stay for me. Stay for us.
He’d heard those words all through the night. But Reese’s face had haunted him too, bruised and bound in the photo Carter had shown him. And that had decided it.
Now, as he stepped out of the alley into a cobblestone square, he scanned his surroundings with trained precision — corners, rooftops, reflections in windows. Old habits he’d never lost.
The winter air bit at his skin, but the adrenaline pumping through him dulled the cold.
He reached the car waiting by the curb — an old black Dacia with tinted windows — and rapped twice on the glass. The driver lowered the window halfway. A familiar face looked back at him: Petre Ionescu, one of his oldest contacts in the region.
“You came,” Petre said in his thick accent, relief flickering in his eyes. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice,” Stefan replied, sliding into the passenger seat. “You said Reese was still alive.”
Petre nodded. “For now. But the men who have him… they don’t keep their prisoners long.”
The words settled in Stefan’s gut like ice. He clenched his jaw, looking out at the foggy city streets as the car pulled away from the square.
“Where?” he asked.
“An abandoned factory, south of the river. They move every few days, but our intel says they’ve stayed longer this time. Something about waiting for someone.”
Stefan’s eyes narrowed. “Waiting for who?”
Petre hesitated. “Possibly you.”
Stefan’s pulse quickened, but he didn’t let it show. “Then let’s not keep them waiting.”
Petre gave a short nod and turned down a side street, the tires hissing over wet pavement.
As they drove, Stefan leaned back, pulling on his gloves and checking the small pistol tucked inside his coat. The weight of it was familiar — too familiar. It had been months since he’d touched a weapon. He’d sworn to himself he was done. That part of his life had ended the day he found out about Juliana.
And yet, here he was.
His fingers tightened around the grip. He told himself it was for Reese. But somewhere deep down, a voice whispered that maybe it was also because he didn’t know who he was without the danger. He pushed the thought away. He knew who he was now. He was a father. A husband. With a wife and daughter to get back to.