If this Maurizio fucker was around right now, I would’ve made sure thestronzonever looked at Emilia again.
“Did you tell your father?” I asked angrily. “Or your brothers?”
Emilia smiled sadly. “I lost both my parents during the pandemic.”
“Oh shit,” I said, shocked. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. And I only have an older sister. No brothers.”
“I see…”
She continued her story. “When the cops said they couldn’t do anything, I wasterrified.I was certain he knew where I lived. I couldn’t sleep at night. Every noise I heard made me think he was inside the apartment.
“I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I called my sister to see if I could come stay with her, but as soon as she heard why, she said no. She has two little kids and didn’t want me bringing my problems to her doorstep.”
“But you’re family,” I said, incensed that her sister wouldn’t help.
“We were never close. I was an accident; my parents had me a year before my sister moved out of their house. I only saw her during holidays growing up, and even less after my parents died.”
“What about other family? No aunts or uncles?”
“Nobody I felt like I could impose on. So I took everything I could stuff into two suitcases, left one morning at 5 AM when I figured Maurizio wouldn’t be up, and caught a train to Florence.
“On the way, I called my landlord and boss and explained. They were both really nice about it. My landlord knew what I was going through, and she said she wouldn’t keep the deposit. My boss promised to give me any recommendations I needed for a new job.
“Once I got to Florence, I stayed in a hostel for a week. I found a new apartment, got a new job, and everything was going great – ”
“Untilanotheridiot in the mafia started bugging you,” I said, finally understanding everything that had happened between us.
She smiled. “Until a very friendly, very handsome guy started showing up at my shop.”
Thatmade me feel better – at least for a second.
“But after everything I’d been through,” she said, “I hope you can understand why I reacted the way I did.”
“Of course,” I replied. “I amsosorry – I would havenevercome on that strong if I’d known.”
“But you didn’t know. How couldyou? Besides, you were very charming.”
“Yeah?” I grinned.
“Yes,” she smiled back… but it faded. “Except… I think he’s found me again.”
I stopped in shock. “What?”
She looked at me hesitantly. “I don’t know for sure. Sometimes I think I’m paranoid and I’m just imagining it.
“But back in Milan, the hairs on my neck would stand up, I’d look around, and I’d see him. I haven’t felt like that since I left. Now the exact same feeling is back. I haven’tseenhim yet, but I’m worried he’s out there. Watching.”
My blood was boiling again. “That’s why you showed up to the photo shoot freaked out?”
“…yeah.”
I nodded, then said resolutely, “I don’t want you going anywhere without me. I want to pick you up from work, then take you back home – ”
She looked alarmed, and I immediately realized how I might have come off.
“That is, if you’re okay with that,” I said hastily. “I don’t want to do anything that you don’t want.”
