She walked home alone again.
At night.
In New York fucking City.
I swear my angel is trying to give me a fucking heart attack.
Does she not realize what goes on at night in this city? Does she not understand the danger she’s putting herself in?
She walked home at one a.m. for fuck’s sake!
It’s a good thing she has me to look out for her.
Luckily, dinner at my father’s didn’t last too long. I left as soon as Luca and Izzy did, not wanting to hang around. It was bad enough that I had to take time away from Robyn during the day so I could do odd jobs for my dad, I didn’t want to be at dinner too late in case she needed me.
And it’s a good thing I left early, because there’s no way in hell I would have survived if she had to walk home alone without me watching her.
I can tell she’s starting to realize she has someone watching her, following her. I don’t want to scare her, but I’m also not going to stop doing what I’m doing.
What if I stop following her because she’s uncomfortable and something happens to her? I’d never fucking forgive myself.
My whole family think I’ve gone off the deep end. I can tell they’re worried, though they were worrying for the wrong reasons. Apparently, Dad had asked Luca to check in with me and make sure I wasn’t going to hurt her.
Fucking hurt her.
I’d never hurt her, I want to cherish her, protect her, be her motherfucking knight in shadowed armor, watching over her.
It’s been a month since I first laid eyes on her. The first few days after the night at the club were hell. I had no idea how to track her down, how to figure out who she was and where I could find her. Luckily, my new sister-in-law—who it turns out isn’t the spoiled Mafia princess we were all expecting—seems to be some sort of tech whiz and helped me out by hacking the clubs’ cameras.
It turns out that Izzy is the complete opposite of the woman we thought she was. That became clear on the night of hers and Luca’s wedding, when she took Luca to a cabin in the middle of nowhere to show him the three men she had tied up in a basement. I like her. She’s good for my brother, and has been giving me good advice on Robyn, since I’m pretty fucking clueless when it comes to women.
My obsession with her only escalated after I knew more about her from Izzy. Once I knew her name and where she worked and lived, I started parking on the corner of the street at night to make sure she was staying inside where it was safe. Then it escalated, and I started driving this way during the day, slowing down just enough to get a glimpse of her.
She has a bad fucking habit of walking home from her friend’s house at night, so I make sure to be around in the evenings so I can see if she’s leaving her apartment because there’s no way in fuck I’d ever just leave her on her own.
My angel isn’t alone anymore. She may not know me, she may not have any idea of the full depths I’m going to for her, but she isn’t fucking alone. She never will be, if I have anything to say about it.
She’s the most precious thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone get near her.
Luckily, she doesn’t seem to be interested in dating, because if I had to see her with another man? I’d lose my fucking shit and probably end up gutting him right in front of her.
I really don’t think she would appreciate that.
As much as I enjoy watching her, I need to get fucking close to her but I can’t get too close; I don’t want to bring her into my life. I don’t want to put her in danger, but I also can’t stand not being able to see her up close. Which is why I bombarded Izzy with questions at dinner about what she likes to do in her free time. I needed an excuse to take her to the bookstore, since I don’t have a fucking clue about what books are good to read, I need my sister-in-law there as a buffer.
And I’ll finally get to see my angel up close, I’ll be able to look into her eyes. I’ll be able to talk to her, hear her voice. Maybe I’ll even get close enough to find out what she smells like?
I’ve thought about breaking into her apartment when she’s not home, but I’ve somehow managed to restrain myself, knowing if I do that, there will be no coming back from it. I’ll end up breaking in every fucking day, whether she’s home or not.
And then I really will spiral out of control.
The chaos has been absent lately, my need to create mayhem obsolete since I’ve been watching her.
It comes back sometimes when I’m away from her for an extended period of time. But when I’m in her vicinity, I’m at peace.
And it turns out peace is really fucking nice.
“Are you nervous?” Izzy asks from beside me as we grow closer to our destination.
“Nope,” I lie as we approach the door. I take a deep breath and pull open the door.
A bell chimes above my head as we step into the bookstore and then she suddenly appears, looking like a fucking wet dream wearing ripped, distressed jeans and a cream sweater that clings to her chest.
Her long brown hair cascades down her shoulders and I get the sudden urge to reach out and feel it, glide my fingers through it to see if it’s as soft and silky as it looks.
I stand and stare at her as a wide smile takes over her face that feels like a fucking gut punch. Christ, that smile alone could probably solve world peace.
The smile reaches her emerald green eyes, and my breath halts as I realize that I’m the one that put that smile there.
Well, Izzy too, but she doesn’t count in this situation.
“Hey, welcome to One Last Chapter. Is there anything specific that you’re looking for or are you just here to browse?” Her light voice washes over me and it’s like a fucking balm to my soul.
Her voice is like a symphony, calling out to me and guiding me home.
I can’t take my goddamn eyes off her. She’s even more breathtaking up close. I just want to fucking bottle her up and keep her away from the world.
Maybe this was a bad idea, because looking at her now? All I want to do is throw her over my shoulder and get her the fuck out of here—away from other people—and keep her to myself. I want to hold onto her and never let her go.
Maybe there’s a way I cou—
I’m pulled from my spiraling thoughts by Izzy jabbing her elbow into my side. Clearly, I’ve been staring at her while thinking for way too long and judging by the way they’re both looking at me expectantly, I’ve definitely missed something.
“Nice to meet you,” I say with a nod, not knowing what else to do while ignoring the exasperated look that Izzy sends me.
Way to be fucking cool, man.
Luckily, I recover quickly and follow her as she leads us down an aisle that showcases this month’s bestsellers.
“I want to build my sister-in-law a library as a wedding gift so we’re going to need as many recommendations as you can give us,” I say, wanting to make it clear that Izzy and I are in no way involved, even though I don’t plan to take this any further than a simple customer encounter.
My Robyn takes my request in stride, and before I know it, I’m asking random questions about different books while the pile I’m currently carrying seems to keep growing. Knowing I’m probably helping her small business makes me feel a sliver of pride but is quickly doused out by the fact that this will be a one-time visit.
There’s too much at risk for me to come back. If my family’s enemies sniff out so much as a whiff of a weakness, they won’t hesitate to use it against me. They won’t hesitate to hurt her.
And then I’ll have to burn the city ash before fucking shooting myself for allowing her to get mixed up with me.
It’s better for everyone involved to not bring her into my life, even if it already feels like she holds the other half of my soul in her hands.
I soak in every single second I have in her company, allowing myself to chat to her, joke with her, laugh with her. Just this once.
Because when I walk out of those doors, Robyn will never see my face again.
It’s the way it has to be, even if the thought of never speaking to her again makes me feel like someone is reaching into my chest and ripping my goddamn heart right out from where it sits, beating for her.
Only ever for her.
Needing to get the fuck out of here before I do something irrational, I tell Robyn that we have everything we need and make my way over to the counter so I can pay for the stack of books I’ve been carrying around before paying in cash.
“Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope to see you again soon.” Robyn smiles and I return the gesture before hightailing it outside before what’s left of my control fucking snaps.
Izzy is right behind me as I start to walk down the sidewalk.
“Do you feel better now that you’ve spoken to her?” Izzy asks after a couple of minutes of silence.
Do I feel better?
I got to see my angel up close, it’s all I’ve wanted to do since I laid eyes on her a month ago. I got to speak to her, and fuck me, hearing her angelic voice and looking into those vivid green eyes while she smiled at me had only made me want her more. So, do I feel better? I honestly don’t know.
“Yes… no, I don’t fucking know. I just want to keep her away from the world. She’s too fucking light to be tainted by my darkness,” I murmur as bile crawls up my throat at the thought of something happening to her because of me. Then again, something could happen if I were to stop watching her. I can’t win.
“But she’s also a fragile little bird that needs caring for.” I take a deep breath and squeeze my eyes shut as I try to control the chaos swirling around at the thoughts of someone hurting my angel. This shit is going to be the fucking end of me. She will be the fucking end of me.
“I know you didn’t ask for my advice, but you’re getting it anyway. I grew up in this world, like so many other women. But I got fucking lucky to be a part of your family. You may see our way of life as darkness, but there’s light within it, Enzo. Think of how much safer Robyn would be at your side, you wouldn’t have to keep her safe from the shadows anymore…” She has a point, but can I really let myself bring her into my world knowing what could happen to her?
“Her being known as yours would offer her a layer of protection as it is, but if the whole famiglia was behind her? She’d be untouchable.”
Her words swirl around in my mind, and as much as I’d love to agree with her, she also doesn’t realize how different their situations are. Izzy has grown up in this world, there has never been a choice for her, and while it’s fucked up that she never had that right, it’s also a different fucking playing field.
“She shouldn’t have to change her entire life for me though, and there’s still the dangers that comes with being mine. What if someone wanted to hurt her to hurt me? She’s my weakness,” I say, pain evident in my voice.
“How much would really change? She’d still be able to work at her store, she’d still be able to do everything she usually does. She’d just have to have bodyguards to protect her. Is that really a bad thing? You’re so hell bent on doing things your way. Have you ever thought about what she would think? I saw the connection between the two of you just now, maybe you should try and date her, tell her who you are from the beginning and let her have a choice.”
Izzy finishes her rant and turns to face me as we reach the car. I’m pretty sure she’s waiting for me to argue with what she’s just said, but I’m too busy reeling from how she said she saw a connection between the two of us.
Could it be real between us? Could Robyn ever really feel anything for me? I’m not really sure how I feel about her other than obsessed.
Could I ever love her the way she deserves? I’ve never been in love; I’ve never really allowed myself to feel many emotions until she came along and took a fucking sledgehammer to every belief I’ve ever had.
“Take it from someone who’s had decisions made for her for her whole life, you need to let her decide,” Izzy says with rare vulnerability that I’ve never seen her with before and I give her a nod before reaching for the passenger side door of the car to help her inside.
I hear a click as I open the door, a click that I know all too fucking well.
I reach for Izzy, wrapping my arms around her before I practically throw us both out of the way, making sure that I land on top of her just as my ears ring and the car explodes.
The force of the blast still moves us, and I watch in horror as Izzy’s head flies back in slow motion and cracks off the pavement.
I shout her name, or at least I think I do, it’s hard to know when my ears won’t stop fucking ringing.
People surround us as Izzy blinks rapidly before closing her eyes and going limp underneath me. Panic like nothing I’ve ever known surrounds me as I try to wake her up.
I’m not sure how long I try, but the next thing I know, there are paramedics surrounding us and loading Izzy into the back of an ambulance.
Usually, my family would use our own doctors whenever something would happen, wanting to avoid the hospital at all costs since they tend to ask too many questions. But right now? Right now, I don’t really give a fuck who asks what questions as long as Izzy is okay.
I climb in the back of the ambulance and watch as one of the EMT’s checks her vitals; waiting for her to twitch, open her eyes, call me out for being a dick, just something, fucking anything.
Fuck! She needs to fucking wake up.
I pull the gun from the waistband of my jeans and point it towards the EMT.
“I don’t care what you have to do, just fucking help her. That’s Izzy goddamn Romano.”
The guy looks at me with wide eyes and nods frantically. I let out a deep breath before pulling my phone out, ready to break the news to my big brother.
This isn’t going to go down well.
