Page 228 of Roberto

No… please God, no…

“The Italian mafia?” I asked shakily.

“Yes. My family is part of theCosa Nostra.We control the city of Florence and part of the area around it.”

Ten years of trauma suddenly reared its ugly head.

I was 16 again and back in the warehouse after I was kidnapped –

Staring at the bloody corpse of the first man I’d fallen in love with.

I was being marched out of my job at the bank by two thugs –

My father was screaming at me –

And then he slapped me in the face.

I was staring down at Kam’s bloody corpse as the Russian crouched in the corner.

Lau

my father

slapped me –

And I was scrubbing Kam’s blood off the floor as I wept.

My father –

Lau –

Triad gangsters –

I’d only ever wanted to get away from it all, to live on my own terms –

And instead, I’d fallen for a fucking Italian mobster.

“GET OUT!” I shrieked as I stumbled away from him.

He looked legitimately bewildered. “Mei-ling – ”

“GET THE FUCKOUT!”

“Mei-ling, we’re businessmen – we’re not murderers, or – ”

“I DON’T GIVE A FUCKWHATYOU ARE! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY APARTMENTRIGHT NOW!”

“But – ”

“NOW,GODDAMMIT, OR I’M CALLING THE COPS!”

He stood there looking stunned. “Mei-ling, please – ”

He wouldn’t leave.

So I did the only thing I could think of:

I ran for my purse and pulled out my gun.

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