Chapter 7

Maxie slammed the front door and threw her purse down on the couch in front of her.

"JOHNNY!" she yelled into the empty living room. Her hands fisted and unfisted, fueled by the adrenaline surging through her. She heard a noise on the other side of the door she just entered and huffed. She stomped back through the path she had just taken across the room and swung the door open. Milo jumped at the sound and tried to stand as motionless as possible in the face of Maxie's anger.

"Do you want to come in?" Maxie's voice betrayed her irritation. Milo was just following orders. She understood that and angry as she was she understood how tedious this kind of assignment could be. Being Mac's daughter taught her about stakeouts and she thought this particular stakeout would be boring and uneventful because Johnny was over reacting.

Milo carefully stepped back from the flame throwing little blonde in front of him. "No. I don't think so."

Maxie leaned against the door, "any chance you will just go home because I don't need you here?"

Milo shook his head, "none."

Maxie shrugged, "suit your self then. If you don't have anything better to do at night than stand in a musty hallway then who am I to interfere with your pathetic life?" She shoved the door closed and moved down the hallway toward the bedrooms and stopped in front of Lulu's door. Closing her hand into a fist she banged loudly.

"Johnny! I hope you are dressed because I'm coming in!" Maxie demanded as she banged again just as she turned the knob to reveal an empty room.

"Great," Maxie muttered as she backed out of the room. "I'm armed and ready for a fight and he's not even here to take the beating that's coming to him." She shut the door behind her and trudged down to her own room and slipped inside.

Why would Johnny go behind her back to Jason of all people to have her followed? Her mind rolled the question around as she began pulling off her work clothes and flipped off her shoes. Did she not look like someone that could take care of herself?

She sat on her bed in her bra and panty set and then lay back to stare at the ceiling as her mind went to the other problem at hand. Anthony Zacchara. Johnny said that Anthony wanted her. Was Anthony serious? Bile filled her stomach and she moved her hand to rub the bare area above her belly button. The memory of Anthony's hand on her arm twisted inside her. The lined face and cruel eyes danced behind Maxie's eyelids as she took a steadying breath. It had to be some kind of game. Maybe Johnny's father was just trying to get a rise out of him. If that were true though, why wouldn't Anthony play this game with Lulu? Was it some kind of mob man code not to go after your son's girlfriend but go after his room mate instead? That didn't make any sense. None of this made any sense which meant she was right the first time. It was a game and nobody played games better than she did. The best thing to do would be call his bluff and that would get the guy off her back. In the meantime, she would make sure Johnny understood that he had no right interfering with her running her own life. Part of running her own life was to handle things on her own.

Of course, since the guy wasn't here she couldn't fill his ear with exactly what she thought about the stupid move he made today so the best thing to do would be take a shower and wait until she could give him a piece of her mind. She slid from her bed and didn't bother with her robe since she was the only one in the apartment. She grabbed her camisole top and long pink flannel pajama pants to slide into after her shower and headed out toward the bathroom when she heard a sharp intake of breath. Startled that anyone was in the apartment with her and with her nerves on high alert because of Anthony Zacchara, Maxie screamed before she even turned to see who it was.

Maxie felt herself being pushed against the wall and a large hand go over her mouth to stop the piercing scream. Her eyes were closed and she tried to push her head to one side to get free.

"Maxie, Maxie!" she heard, "it's Johnny."

Her eyes slowly opened as she saw his deep brown eyes inches from hers. His body still pushed her against the wall and she felt just a hint of his thigh next to hers and her nerves tingled to awareness.

"Stop screaming," he said and she nodded her head in agreement. He slowly moved his hand away from her mouth and took a shaky step back. "What the hell are you doing?"

She saw his chest rising and falling underneath the fabric of his shirt with unnatural speed and she lifted her eyes to meet his darkened gaze and she saw something there that she didn't expect to see.

"What do you mean what the hell am I doing?" she bit back, "I'm going to take a shower not that what I do is any of your business which reminds me of something else…"

Johnny looked behind him to see if they were still alone and when he saw that the hallway was clear he took Maxie by the shoulders and steered her back into her room. He kicked the door shut with his booted foot without letting go of her shoulders.

"Maxie, what I mean is that you can't go walking around the apartment like that," he said as his eyes roamed down the length of her body clad only in the pink bra and panties. He watched as a small bit of color tinged her cheeks and he tried to stop his body from reacting. He quickly pulled his hands away from her and shoved them into his pockets.

Maxie pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "I thought I was here alone."

Johnny leveled her with an intense gaze, "well, you aren't." He wished he had a better comeback for her but his mind felt scrambled as he took in the perfect curve of her hip and soft silkiness of her skin. His eyes moved up to the fabric stretched across her breasts and knew there was no way he was going to control his reaction.

"Can you please get a robe or something?" Johnny said.

Maxie lifted her chin defiantly. "Can you stop telling me what to do?" She made no move to get the short red terry robe she had hanging behind the door to her closet. If he couldn't handle the sight of her in her underwear then that was good. Payback is hell when he sticks his nose in her life.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "I don't stick my nose in your life."

"Really, Johnny?" she snarked at him. "Do you think Milo is planning on getting an apartment in this building or do you think there's another reason for him to be standing out in the hallway?"

Well that didn't take long for her to find out, Johnny thought. Either Milo was the least stealthy guy on the planet or something happened for him to come forward.

"I did what I had to do, Maxie," he explained. "I can't let anything happen to you because of my father. I already told you that."

"And I told you that I can take care of myself," she stepped close to him and poked him in the chest with her forefinger. "I guess you weren't listening."

"I heard you but be serious. You have no idea what you are up against. My father is crazy. You do know that much and not just normal crazy. Psychotic crazy, okay? And I don't know how you fit in to whatever is going on in that warped mind of his. Until I do, I'm not taking any chances."

"Johnny, my dad is a cop. I'm not just a pretty face in sensational shoes and a keen fashion sense. My dad taught me how to be safe and how to protect myself."

"Yeah, from a mugger maybe," Johnny supplied, "but not this. Don't argue with me about this Maxie. I'd follow you around myself but it's a little harder to job hunt sitting around Crimson or following you to dress shops."

"Why did you go to Jason? Why not my dad?"

Johnny hesitated, "I've already got a black mark against me just because of my last name. If he thought that I did this to you somehow…"

Maxie tilted her head, "you are worried what he thinks about you?"

"I don't want to be on his bad side. Let's just put it that way," he responded. "Besides Jason knows how my father operates better than the police do. If the police know how to deal with him, they would have done it by now."

"My dad can take care of Anthony Zacchara," Maxie defended.

"But he's held back by legalities," Johnny explained. "Jason is not."

Maxie considered his words and thought back to Anthony's face at the Metro Court. Johnny sounded reasonable damn it. She wanted to be able to stay mad at him. It made things a lot easier. She felt more in control of the situation.

"What happened today?" he asked.

Maxie tried to sound unaffected, "what makes you think anything happened?"

"You made Milo a little too quickly," he retorted. Why the hell wouldn't she put on a damn robe?

"I could have made Milo anyway," she insisted. Why couldn't he step back a little bit? She could feel the heat from his skin radiate over hers.

"Maybe," he considered, "but something still happened."

Maxie shuffled her feet. "Anthony sent over some drinks at the Metro Court."

Johnny's face was instantly concerned, "And?"

"And I talked to him. That's when Milo stepped in. He told Anthony I was under Jason's protection and not to talk to me."

"What was his response?"

Maxie shrugged, "I don't think he liked it too much."

"What did he say to you?"

"Nothing much really, he didn't have time but," Maxie stalled.

"But what?" Johnny was alert.

Maxie blew out a breath, "he was definitely coming on to me which was completely disgusting. He ran his hand down my arm like I belonged to him or something."

"And you wonder why I think you need to be protected?" Johnny questioned.

"I know how to tell a guy to buzz off no matter how creepy he is," Maxie maintained.

"Don't say anything to him, okay? I mean it, Maxie. If you see him coming, turn and go the other way."

Maxie could see the concern in his eyes. He was completely serious, worried and…

"You really do care what happens to me don't you?"

"Of course I do," Johnny scoffed, "I may be a Zacchara but I'm not a monster."

Maxie shook her head, "No, not just because it's your dad." It was a statement but was still sort of a question.

Johnny cleared his throat and then looked at the ceiling. This was getting a little too close to uncomfortable. It wasn't just because it was his dad. They were friends but that didn't really cover the whole story either. He just didn't want to know what the whole story was so he did what any red blooded male would do. He diverted.

"Go take your shower, Maxie," he told her. "And for my sake please, don't walk around the apartment like…" Heat poured out of his gaze as his eyes locked on hers for a second before he moved towards the door. "I…it's just not a good idea."

Maxie watched him open the door and slip back out of the room. He closed the door quietly behind him and she let out a heavy sigh. Why did she feel little pins of electricity when he looked at her? They were friends. He was smoking hot but he didn't belong to her and she needed to remind herself of that before she let herself get out of hand.