Page 24 of Dangerous Obsession

“Seven and a half, but eights will work…. Why are you being so nice to me? Have they told you what’s going on?” I ask, nervously taking the shoes. I unfurl my legs, putting my feet on the floor and she shrugs.

“Sven keeps his business to himself, but I can only imagine. He said the Italians tried to hurt you and they’re after you.” She shakes her head and bends to take my hand. “I was in a pretty messed up situation with my ex and Sven really saved me. I know Leo is trying, but he’s failing. Sven will help.”

I take my hand back from her and sigh. I don’t want help. I want to go back to my normal life, but maybe with Leo in it now. That’s all. And I don’t feel like that’s ever going to happen. I stand and she walks toward the bed. I have to admit some of these things are really nice. They are designer, looking like they cost a lot of money.

“I just kinda want to go home,” I mumble and pick up the bra and panties. After changing in front of that other man, I have no hang-ups anymore. The silky fabric feels good between my fingers. I can’t wait to put these on and feel fresh again.

While I strip off the dirty clothes and put on the undergarments, Allie digs through the pile. She pulls out a few things that catch my attention and I point to the pair of jeans in her left hand.

“Those, what size?” I ask, and she looks at the size tag.

“Four… Think they’ll fit?” She hands them to me so I take them and try them on.

The jeans feel like they were custom made for my body, hugging my hips and smoothing my tummy. I've wheeled suitcases filled with cash totaling five million dollars and I never thought to buy jeans this expensive. I stand in utter shock as Allie claps her hands and squeals.

“They look great on you!” She picks up a pink blouse and tosses it at me. It’s cashmere—a summer sweater—and my god is it soft. I hold it to my nose and breathe it in. It smells like a floral perfume or soap. “Put it on, put it on!” she urges me.

So, being a little giddy at the makeover and special treatment, I slip the sweater on over my head and smooth it down, then turn and look in the mirror. It’s the first time I’ve looked in the mirror since Leo dyed my hair and I’m shocked by my appearance. I look tired, and sad. Bags beneath my eyes show dark circles, and just as I predicted, the black hair is awful with my skin tone.

“You don’t like it?” Allie asks, and I shake my head.

“No, I love it. I just look like an old hag. Leo dyed my hair and it’s just not my color.” I quickly run my fingers through my hair and rake out some of the tangles before twisting it around on top of my head and tying it in a knot. At least it’s out of my way, and up on my head it doesn’t look as bad.

When I turn to face Allie, she hands me a pair of socks and points at the shoes I left sitting next to the armchair. “Go, put them on.”

I sit down with the socks and shoes feeling like a brand-new woman. I’m not sure what is next in this plan Sven has for me, but so far I’m enjoying it way more than the one Leo has. He’s done nothing but starve me, neglect my needs, and talk down to me. Sure the sex is amazing, but actions speak louder than words. I find myself settling in already with these new people and feeling safer than I’ve felt since that night in the alley.

As I’m tying the laces on the sneakers I hear men’s voices shouting. The hair on the back of my neck and my arms stands on end. I look up at Allie who doesn’t seem to be scared or on alert at all, but I am. My mind immediately goes to the worst-case scenario, that those men are the Italians coming to hunt me down. They’ve finally found me and now that I finally have new clothes and feel like life might be able to be normal again one day, I’m going to die.

“What’s that?” I ask, straightening.

Allie shakes her head, a fake smile plastered on her face. It’s as if she knows what’s happening, who the men are. Almost as if she knows Sven’s plan is to hand me over to them to keep the drama away from his family. Would they all conspire against me to turn me over to them just to protect what’s theirs? Especially when they know how Leo feels like I’m his property? Are they trying to protect him from me again? The way his father did?

“I have to leave. I can’t stay here.” Darting for the door, I trip and nearly fall. Allie makes it to the door before me and tries to stand in the way but I shove her aside, pulling the door open. The voices grow louder the closer I creep to the top of the stairs, and Allie recovers and tries to drag me back in. She’s too polite though, tugging my arm but not really moving me backward.

“Please, Willow, stay in the room. You’re safe there,” she pleads, but the closer I get the more I recognize one of the voices as Leo’s.

“Let me go, Allie.” I yank my arm free and round the corner, standing at the top of the stairs. Leo is ready to punch his brother in the face; I can see his fists balled up. He looks up at me and our eyes meet, and I can tell he’s afraid, not of his brother or of the Italians. He’s afraid of what they plan to do to me. That bit of healthy fear sends a shiver down my spine, making me instantly distrust Sven and his wife.

“Don’t do this, Leo,” Sven says in an angry voice but Leo completely disregards his brother.

“Willow, come down here and get in the car.” Leo pulls his gun and aims it at his brother and Sven holds his hands up and backs away toward the stairs. I want to go down, but I’m afraid he will just grab me and we’ll end up in a hostage situation. Apparently Leo feels the same way, because he uses his gun to gesture for Sven to move. “Away from the stairs, Sven. Don’t make me do this.”

Sven purses his lips and moves away, looking up at me as I come down the stairs cautiously. “Leo, please don’t hurt anyone. I’m listening to you. We’re together again. I’m safe; they didn’t hurt me. They just gave me new clothes.”

“Yeah, and bought you a plane ticket. They were going to ship you to France under a new identity.” He keeps the gun trained on Sven as I walk up to him. The news of what the real plan was for me shocks me, and I feel gratitude and relief wash over me that Leo came for me. “Go to the car.”

Leo stays behind as I walk out the front door and see the first man who took me from Alexsi’s house. He stands next to a running car glaring at me. I tiptoe down the steps, knowing Leo won’t let anyone hurt me, and I approach the car.

“I’m telling you, you’ll be safer with Sven.” He doesn’t stand in my way, probably afraid of Leo and the pistol he’s waving around. Or maybe someone called him off, someone higher up.

“In France? No thank you.” I open the door and stand there waiting for Leo to appear.

“You have no clue, do you?” He shakes his head. “Leo is obsessed with you. He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t know what love is. He’s a mental case and he’s been one his whole life. Wonder why he never let you out of his sight for more than a decade? Because he’s an addict. So blinded by you in his life he nearly cost the family our leader… I’m warning you, you need to get away from him.”

This man, whose name I still don’t know, stares at me with a ferocity I’ve never experienced. I feel dread in my gut, churning and roiling. I can’t believe that’s true. No, Leo never said he cared about me, but the way he came for me? The way he washed me after sex. The way he has been watching out for me, protecting. He fucking killed a man for me. That has to mean something, doesn’t it?

“Get away from her,” Leo shouts, now waving the gun at this man. “Matty, I mean it. I’ll shoot you right now.”

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