Chapter 46
The whole thing in the alleyway freaked me out.
It seriously scared me.
But Adriano put me at ease…
And as I stared into his eyes, I believed him.
You are beyond important to me.
Those words made me melt when he said them.
You are beyond important to me.
It was too early for us to be saying I love you …
And he WAS in the mafia, after all.
I mean, just ten minutes earlier, I thought he was a raving psychopath.
But the tenderness in his eyes when he said it…
What I heard was, You are beyond important to me…
But what I felt was, I love you.
And there was another thing I knew:
That he was absolutely sincere about killing anybody who tried to hurt me.
Before today, hearing a guy say that would have freaked me out.
But when Adriano laid it all out in the bar, and I could hear the warmth and concern in his voice…
It made me feel safe.
Which was a huge relief, because I walked through the world feeling unsafe all the time .
Not just from the mafia and the shit that was happening today –
But the ordinary, everyday things I had to deal with.
The things every woman has to deal with.
Be careful where you walk and be aware of everything around you.
Don’t go out when it’s dark unless it’s a well-lit street, and even then be careful.
Be mindful of what you wear, because who knows what asshole might use it as an excuse.
Don’t drink anything from a cup a stranger hands you, because who knows what he put in it. Only drink out of a beer bottle or soda can that you open yourself – or that you watch get opened in front of you.
Have your key in your hand when you go up to unlock your door so you can use it to stab an attacker’s face.
Carry mace or pepper spray in your purse.
Honestly, it was exhausting.
Fear was a built-in part of my everyday existence.
But suddenly, Adriano was there saying, Not anymore.
I got this handled.
You can relax…
Because if anyone messes with you, they won’t live to regret it.
I could feel the tension draining out of my body.
I knew there was still danger to come… a lot of danger…
But now I knew there was somebody who had my back.
Somebody who was powerful…
And brave…
And not afraid to fight for me.
Not afraid to stand up for me.
Not afraid to do whatever it took to keep me safe.
And that made all the difference in the world.
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