Page 112 of Roberto

She still looked angry, but at least she didn’t pull the gun out.

I figured that was progress…

Even if the Smith & Wessonwasstill aimed at me.

“Why are you following me?” she asked angrily.

This was the moment I’d been waiting for, planning for, hoping for – the moment it all came down to.

I could have said,Because I want you more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my entire life.

That would have been true…

But it wouldn’t have been thewholetruth.

There was no point going halfway.

Either she felt the same as me, or she didn’t.

So I decided to lay down all my cards on the table.

“Because I’m in love with you,” I said.

I heard her gasp, and she took the tiniest step backwards.

I moved towards her slowly. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone else.Never. I think about you every moment I’m awake;I dream about you when I sleep. I need you more than the air I breathe. You’re more precious to me than my own life.”

I was only a few feet away from her when she whispered, “Stop.”

There was no conviction in her voice.

If anything, she sounded afraid.

I didn’t know if she was afraid ofme,or afraid of what she was feeling – and I didn’t care.

I stopped right in front of her, my face just inches away from hers.

I could feel the gun pressing against my stomach through the fabric of her trench coat.

“If you’re going to kill me, then go ahead and do it,” I said quietly. “You’d be doing me a favor by putting me out of my misery – because I can’t live without you. Iwon’t.”

She stared up at me. Her cheeks were wet – with rain or tears, I couldn’t tell.

Her lips quivered –

And then I heard a man’s voice about 30 feet away.

He spoke Chinese, so I couldn’t tell what he said – but I didn’t need to know the words to understand the leering tone in his voice.

I looked over Mei-ling’s head to see three scruffy assholes standing at the mouth of the alleyway.

The nearest one had spoken. His clothes were shabby, and he was in desperate need of a haircut and shave.

Mei-ling whirled around to face the stranger.

When he saw her, the leader laughed nastily and started walking into the alley. His two grinning flunkies followed close behind him.

Mei-ling yelled at them, her tone sharp.

---