Page 16 of Run to Me

Not after last night.

Last night, when I spent around an hour crying on the floor before I finally managed to pick myself up, triple check all doors and windows were locked and get into bed.

I then spent the night tossing and turning, straining my ears, and flinching at the slightest noise coming from the street below.

Today hasn’t been much better. Every time I hear the bell chime above the door, I’m bracing myself for another visit from the man from last night—even if he did say I had two weeks.

Two weeks to try and get in touch with my brother and tell him to sort his shit out.

Right as the store dies down and I’m finally able to take a breath, the bell chimes again and I spin around to come face-to-face with the woman who was here with Enzo the first time he came in.

I give her a warm smile and she grins at me in return.

“Hey… Robyn, right?” she says, and I nod while I try to remember her name.

“That’s right, and you’re… Isla? Izzy?”

“Izzy,” she says with a raspy chuckle.

“Right, sorry… your brother-in-law came back in again after that first time,” I say as I think back to just over a month ago when he found me sitting on the floor and helped me with my ankle.

Can he really be that bad if he helped me when I was injured?

He stalked you, he can’t really be that—

“Yep. I just got back from my honeymoon and came in for the second book in a duet he bought me,” she says interrupting my thoughts and I spend a couple of minutes finding the book and taking payment at the register.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I ask her the question that’s been burning at the back of my throat since the moment she stepped through the door.

“I know this is really unprofessional… but can I ask what the deal is with your brother-in-law?”

“He’s single, if that’s what you’re asking,” she says with a grin, and I shake my head.

“No… that wasn’t what I meant, but…” Considering he’s stalked me for the last however long, him being in a relationship never once crossed my mind. “You know what? Never mind, just forget I said anything.”

Her brows furrow. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course, thank you so much for coming back,” I say with a tight-lipped smile and I watch as she nods and leaves the store.

I let out a sigh of relief as I glance around the empty room, thankful that I now have a moment alone for the first time today.

Thankful I don’t have to give anymore fake smiles and use false enthusiasm when speaking to someone.

Thankful for the peace I feel in the only place that feels like home now that my apartment is tainted from the memory of last night.

Chapter Eight

Enzo

Izzy’s been taken.

I don’t give a fuck what the rest of my family says, what that asshole Luca says.

I would bet my life on the fact that she’s been taken against her will.

That girl loves my oldest brother with everything that she has, there’s no way in fuck she’s been with someone behind his back—never mind run off with him like they believe.

But of course, Luca has jumped to conclusions. And Marco—fucking cynic that he is—wholeheartedly agrees with him.