Page 6 of Run to Me

“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.Shewill 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 wholefamigliawas 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 goddamnRomano.”

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.

Chapter Three

Robyn

“Girl, we need to get you laid,” Lia says from where she’s sprawled out on the floor in front of me.

We make a point of having a girl’s night every Friday, and we’re currently three hours deep of binging Grey’s Anatomy while drinking her latest cocktail recipe.

Lia likes to think of herself as some sort of cocktail connoisseur, always coming up with new ideas. Honestly? They’re usually pretty disgusting, but I’m a good friend so I tend to choke them down and plaster a smile on my face to keep her happy.

My best friend is gorgeous, she could pass for a model with her thin physique, golden skin, long blonde hair and bright blue eyes.