บท 18: She Is Mine

Wirata stopped. The voice that she recognized well without the need to turn to look at. Inside she felt tired of her poor fate.

What the heck?!

Of all the hundreds of restaurants in Vegas, and he happened to be at this one, right here, right now, and right behind her! Wirata thought with sick. She pretended not to hear him and continued walking to Bernardo's table.

"Wirata!"

The aggressive voice called again. Wirata ignored and walked to Bernardo. She stopped in front of him. The Grand Costa mafia gave her a charming smile and extended his hand in front but before Wirata accepted, the tall figure came to stand behind her.

Wirata then turned to look, pretending to be surprised a little. Stefan Mackenzie, all big and powerful in his prime looks. Beside him, there was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair holding his arm.

Bernardo lifted his eyebrow when he saw Stefan followed his guest, and stood behind her with no consideration, the bastard's ill-mannered as usual!

"What's up? Didn't think I'd see your face here."

Bernardo spoke with a calm voice. Stefan nodded. The expression was clear that he did not like the face of the man in front of him.

"Me either." Replied with a cold voice and looked at Wirata. She looked at him, too.

"Mr. Mackenzie."

Wirata greeted him with a formal tone. At the end of the day, he was her boss. She did not know before that the two men knew each other and it looked like they were not fond of one another, saw some waiters were intense with pale face. Wirata was not sure what kind of situation she was facing at the moment.

Seeing her boss's insidious face, his eyes were looking at her like she was doing something wrong and it displeased him very much.

"Didn't you hear me, Wirata?" He asked with a serious voice and stared and waited for an answer. Before Wirata could find the answer, Bernardo turned to look at her and asked...

"Do you know him, Wirata?"

Wirata thought here came her luck. Now, she had two men asking her questions. Wirata could feel the tense atmosphere around her.

At the corner not far, the restaurant manager and the staff gathered there. They were watching very closely. Since seeing the two godfathers walked in. Stefan Mackenzie and Bernardo Costa, these two influential and powerful businessmen (mafias).

Once in the past, they were facing each other just like this and the restaurant had to close for five days for repairs! Good job that they both paid for it! And now they were eyeing each other as if a tiger and a leopard that had encountered the same delicious victim!

"Do you know her, Stefan?"

Bernardo changed target to ask Stefan when nobody seemed like to say out. A hint of laughter in his throat. He felt an interesting thing was going to happen.

Stefan moved his eyes from Wirata to Bernardo. The thing was he hated talking to Bernardo, rather liked to give this bastard's smirking face with something more worth his time, like... his fists, for example!

The two men stared without breaking eye contact, yes, they were communicating in silence, then Stefan jerked his head to signal Bernardo, Bernardo nodded in agreement.

The two enemies understood each other just only using gestures. Both sent a language that no one understood except the two of them. And everybody's watching with different thoughts but the same feeling they had in common at this moment was...fear.

"Andrea, please wait for me at the table."

Stefan said to the woman hanging on his arm without moving his eyes from Bernardo. And Bernardo did the same...

"Wirata, please wait here, I will be right back. And if you're hungry, please order whatever you like." He said with a smooth gentleman's tone to Wirata. She nodded a little, didn't try to make any move to stir up the already bad and unsafe situation.

Still did not understand the attitude of the two influential tall and muscular men that didn't talk. Then they walked out of the restaurant. The manager and staff turned to make eye contact with relief.

"Thank God! Such a relief! I was thinking, how long it would take to fix the shop this time!"

Wirata saw the manager let out a sigh of relief and whispered to the waiters who were gathering near him. She saw a staff walk 'Miss Andrea' to a table at the corner.

Wirata sat down, her head was thinking of leaving the place but then was thinking again about uncle John's agreement with Bernardo. She already gave her words and here she was, already wasted her night, so let's not make it truly a waste. It was only an hour or two to eat and then uncle John would get another month to sort out his problems.

When she agreed with herself, Wirata ordered some food, couldn't just sit here waiting like an idiot, couldn't she? She had no ideas what's happening out there, but what she should do for herself, for now, was to install her energy as much as she could, in case she needed it. Two strong thugs to fight with, obviously, she would need... a lot!

*****************

Stefan led Bernardo to the parking lot behind the restaurant. The bodyguards of both sides immediately rushed to join their bosses. The situation looked serious as the war kind of situation!

The parking lot was surrounded by three walls and the restaurant in the front as the fourth wall. There were 'Entrance' and 'Exit' ways on each side of the building. Now Stefan's bodyguards' cars had parked at the 'Entrance' and Bernardo's at the 'Exit'. Each car had a driver ready behind the steering wheel, meaning they were ready to drive off any time their bosses gave an order.

"Tonight I came here just to eat, Stefan."

Bernardo spoke out first. His hands in his pockets, stood leaning against a car trunk.

"Me too."

Stefan replied with a strong gaze towards Bernardo. He stood with his legs apart and folded his arms across his chest, sending some signal to his enemy that he wasn't in a good mood to mess with.

"So, what is the problem?"

Bernardo lifted his brow. Because Stefan who made a call to meet out here. As both of them had a long history. They had collided and fought with each other on and off all these years. And when it happened, shops, places, and the innocent people who unfortunately was near got injured. Causing the two mafias to use a manly agreement that if they bumped into each other and thought of violent activity, they would find a suitable place for it, so no one would get suffered which was an unusual thing ever happened in mafia phenomenon.

"The problem is that Wirata is my woman."

Stephan announced, his dark blue eyes fixed on Bernardo. That announcement made Bernardo raised his eyebrow again. He had only talked and looked at the woman for less than five minutes. Therefore Bernardo still didn't know much about John's step-daughter.

But since Stefan said that she was his woman... that pulled his attention in right away. Once his woman was taken away by Stefan. And maybe this was his turn to teach his enemy a lesson, what it felt like to lose his favorite bird from a cage!

"Your woman? That must be a joke, Stefan. This one I'm sure she's an independent lady, I even asked her stepfather for permission to take her out for dinner. I'm a manly man, never snatched anybody's woman as some dog did!

Bernardo said. Stephan listened, lifted a corner of his mouth up mockingly.

"That was an old story, Birdie. Your woman, she escaped from you by herself, nothing to do with me. She came to me asking for help. But, tell you what, I don't give a shit about this anymore."

Bernardo narrowed his eyes, felt so irritated. He didn't like anyone called him 'Birdie'. People said his full name. Family and close friends called him ... Bern ... which was his short name. But Stefan always knew how to make him feel itchy under his feet and wanted to kick somebody's ass...Stefan's ass for the start.

Then Bernardo came to realize that it's his enemy's tricks trying to make him angry. So he stayed calm, just for a little more longer.

"Me either, I am easy going as you know. Let's forget the past and start the new, shall we? I like Wirata. And she is here with me, I picked her up from her house. So... what is your story?"

Bernardo gave the statement, his eyes challenge Stefan to answer.

"Listen, BIRDIE! I don't care where you picked her from, but she's going back with me."

Stefan said in a confident tone, so sure that he could do what he said.

"Hey! It's not that easy. Who do you think you are? It's up to the lady who she wants to be with. And as we see, she's with me tonight, and she's not your woman. I'll make her mine."

Bernardo made the announcement clearly. Stefan's face was stern, his eyes went dark. He moved a little and that made his men move to get ready as well.

"Tell you what, let's get it over with!"

The end of his words, the bodyguards of both parties moved immediately as it's usually the saying before they jumped at one another, but this time Stefan and Bernardo both raised their hands up at the same time and shouted out...

"Stop!"

Just like that. Then the bodyguards understood that the two bosses wanted to have all the fun to themselves. They were allowed just to watch! No participation! And that was not fun.

"Chris, Cliff ... You two go watch the police. If you see them come, call immediately."

Bernardo ordered his men with a brutal tone, pulling his sleeves up, as well as Stefan. Stefan turned to Ben and James, communicating with silent language. The two bodyguards bowed with understanding.

And before anybody knew, Stefan had moved so quick, flung a fist straight to Bernardo's stomach and followed with a heavy kick on his thigh. That was the start, after that the two big men exchanged their fists and kicks. The bodyguards were watching with no blinks for the action scene that nobody called a CUT to stop it!

Each side was waiting for an order to go ahead. Because seeing the bosses having fun like this, made them come alive, wanting to leap to join the band as well.

"You know that Wirata is the daughter of my debtor. Her step-father has sent her to please me. "

Bernardo said after being hit by Stefan's heavy fist.

"Shut the fuck up!"

Stefan roared with anger, raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eyebrow that just got hit by Bernardo's elbow and then moved quickly to swing a punch straight to Bernardo's jaw. It was hard that made the brutal noise. Bernardo staggered and bumped into a car.

"Police!"

The henchman's voice shouted loudly, that had stopped the fighting immediately. Both big bosses broke away, turned their back to each other, wiping the blood off their face, pulled the sleeves down, adjusted their clothes. Then Bernardo went back into the restaurant as nothing happened and Stephan nodded and signaled his men, they took the order, got into the cars and drove off.

Bernardo frowned when he got inside, at his table, which he expected to see the beautiful Asian woman named Wirata sitting and waiting there. But to his surprise, The chair was empty. Nobody was waiting for him. He turned to look at Stefan's table, then saw Andrea, Stefan's date was there with her face very very unhappy! Bernardo knew right that seconds, he had lost to Stefan this time!

"Bastard!"

Bernardo cursed angrily in his throat. Stefan had taken Wirata, and Bernardo didn't know when!

***************

Ben opened the penthouse door to the boss, looking at his battered condition.

"Where is she??!!"

The angry voice shouted the tall figure walked into the living room. James saw the handsome face of the boss was bruised all over and there was a little crack on the left brow.

The bodyguard was surprised that his mouth was unscathed. James was so glad for him. Maybe the boss had learned from his previous experiences that, not to use the mouth too much when fighting! Otherwise, he wouldn't enjoy his Tom Yam Goong soup with his cracked lips!

Wirata was walking back and forth near the big glass door, she turned when hearing the voice.

"Damn you...Stefan! Let me go home now!"

The voice yelled out and then quickly walked straight to Stefan, wanting to give him some hard punches, for his madness for ordering his bodyguards to drag her here.

But she suddenly stopped when seeing his face and crumpled clothes as if he had just been bitten by mad dogs!

Wirata was shocked by his condition, the hand that was intended to smash on his face stopped and just holding onto his upper arm instead.

"What happened??"

She asked. the voice was a bit softer because of his near-dead condition to her. Wirata pulled the tall and tough but wrecked body of Stefan to sit down on the couch.

Because Wirata had never seen any 'seriously wounded' men before, so she thought this was very bad. But she didn't know that, to the bodyguards, this was considered... not that bad.

"Could you please bring some hot water and towels?"

Wirata asked Stefan's bodyguard which James quickly go get the First Aid box, the special one that had all kinds of essential medicals for fixing men after fighting.

They were used to fixing themselves all these years. Who's gonna call doctor every time they got injured... it would be ridiculous! Manly men were not supposed to do that. It's Stefan's motto!

Wirata opened the box. Stefan leaned against the back of the sofa closing his eyes. Inside, he was angry that John White had sent Wirata to please Bernardo as the bastard was barking about it. So the anger also carried onto the person sitting next to him.

"James, Ben, you can go have a rest now."

Stefan immediately ordered his followers. James and Ben looked at their boss. If they read his mind right, it meant... he wanted to be alone with Miss Pretty Wirata.

"Okay boss, if you need anything, please ring."

Ben said and then they left.

Stefan opened one eye to see what the woman's doing. Stefan rubbed his jaws gently, it hurt like hell.

"Fuck!" He swore in his throat when touching his cracked brow.

"If I knew that you like getting beaten before going to bed, I surely would give you a hand."

Wirata said sarcastically, using a damp cloth to wipe the red face, bruising and cracking eyebrow. James prepared the first-aid equipment like a professional as a mafia's bodyguard with regular fighting.

"Shut up!"

Stefan was still frustrated when thinking about what Bernardo had said. He knew that she was John's step-daughter from his informant, but had never thought about using her as John's payment. Because he believed she was Sam's girlfriend.

Also, Stefan believed that whoever created the problem, that person had to solve it by himself.

And it was John who had put himself in a shit hole, so it was his responsibility to dig himself out. John didn't have any right to drag his step-daughter to take care of his debt.

However, that belief was when Stefan thought Wirata was Sam's lover. But now... she was not his brother's girlfriend. And tonight she dressed up very pretty and looked so willing to go out with the bastard Bernardo! And she also sent an impressive smile to his enemy in front of him!

Stefan pushed the hand that was using the cloth to clean his face away immediately. His bruised face turn hard and grumpy, his eyes were angry.

"Enough!" He said with an edgy voice.

"You need to make sure the wound is clean."

Wirata said, tried to wipe dry blood from his brow. But he pushed her hand off again.

"Who cares!"

"Alright. I don't!"

Wirata said, she thought she had had enough for tonight, put the dirty cloth in the bowl and stood up.

She was thinking of Sam when she saw Stefan got hurt. Her best friend's brother. But he didn't deserve her kindness. So she gave up. In fact, she shouldn't have bothered at all if considered what he had done to her all this time. He's just a mad crazy bossy evil mafia boss!

"I am going home."

Wirata said. Stefan looked up at her, he narrowed his eyes like he was thinking of something, something that was not good for Wirata.

She quickly stepped away. But the injured man who was leaning with half eyes closed was quicker than she thought.

The strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her to sit where she sat before. Wirata was stunned with shock. he moved again then, just one quick move, then he pinned her down on the couch under his tall and muscular body.

"Stefan! What are you doing? Let me go now!"

"Let you go where?" He asked, lifted a corner of his mouth...

That smirking face was so close to her face. Wirata's heart was beating fast as the previous experience was still as clear as crystal in her mind.

"Don't be crazy, let me go. I want to go home right now!"

Wirata shouted at him with an angry voice. Stefan pressed his heavy body down on hers, felt better to see the fear in her pretty eyes for once!