Love & Lies

Chapter 16: ~Natalia~

The doorbell dings as they walk inside the store. The old pawn shop displayed a variety of both old and new jewelry. The way some of the pieces on the display got to be in the possession of the owner of the shop were undoubtedly due to severe circumstances. Natalia knew the owner and his ways of conducting his business. Massimo Da Silva was a man of will and purpose. His word meant everything to him. Natalia had sworn she would not need to return, but the world had other plans for her.

Natalia could hear cursing from the back of the store and the sound of tools clacking as they were thrusted harshly against metal. They both walked closer and could hear the male voice speak more clearly.

"Foda-se esse pedaço de merda!" he grunted out loud. As they walked through the cloth that divided the main room with the back, Natalia saw the dark-haired man hunched over the table wearing his eye magnifying mount, muttering under his breath. The man was fusing together a piece of jewelry. An intricate silver bracelet with diamonds and blue sapphires. It was a beautiful, breathtaking piece, and only him could ever achieve such thing. It was the kind of jewelry she preferred to wear and so she spoke out loud, announcing her presence.

"Bem, eu sei que meu querido amigo nunca trataria mal uma joia tão bonita. Você está claramente de mau humor." She said with a smirk and joking tone. The man lifted his head when he heard her voice, taking off his head mount while doing so.

"Bem, bem. Esperei muito tempo para ver a Monarca entrar em minha loja como ela prometeu. Isso só pode significar que algo ruim está para acontecer." He said in surprise as he watched her walk closely to his table.

"Nem todas as visitas são ruins, meu amigo."

"Nem todo mundo anda livre do diabo e vive para contar a história. Não como você."

"Eu mal posso dizer que estou livre do Diabo." Natalia smiled softly and looked down at the bracelet once more.

"Interested?" he asked her with his Brazilian accent when he noticed her looking at it.

"Always." She smirked once more. He smiled back at her revealing his perfect white teeth. The man walked around the table over to where she stood and hugged her.

"You can't afford me." He said and they both laughed out loud. It had been so long since she had seen him.

"I missed you Massimo." She whispered at him as she hugged him tight and closed her eyes, enjoying their embrace.

"I missed you too, my love." Massimo let her go and looked at her in the eyes. He was always able to read her like an open book, she did not need to say a word. He knew once he looked at her there was something troubling her. Natalia pleaded silently for him to not say anything out loud when Alejandro could listen. He understood.

"And you are?" Massimo turned to Alejandro who stood behind Natalia attentively watching their exchange. Natalia looked back at him and gave him a small reassuring smile and turned back to Massimo who looked back at Alejandro inspecting him from head to toe. If she did not know who Massimo was, she would feel either intimidated or threatened for the way he was looking at him. Massimo was a strong man and would scare anyone with his intense stare alone. He was also very overprotective when it came down to the things or people he loved. Natalia became one of the few people he cared about while they continued to spend time together through their work. But he also preferred the company of men than the one of any women.

"This is Alejandro." She answered him and lifted her eyebrows expecting Massimo to react at the mention of his name. Massimo was the only one she ever talked to about Alejandro. Mainly because when they worked together, she woke up at night screaming and crying from having nightmares. She called out the name multiple times while sleeping and Massimo would come rushing to her room. He would always stay until he was sure she was alright. It took a few restless nights for her to be able to tell him the source of her nightmares, but when she finally did, it felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. She was grateful to be able to talk to him about it.