Page 20 of Inescapable Ties
I cowered against Emilio. It was like my body had forgotten how to move, and I couldn’t do anything.
Emilio let go of me, which I desperately did not want him to do. But, although we didn’t know each other well yet, I knew he could take care of this situation.
“It’s a shame you disturbed my wife and I,” he said.
I could barely tell what had happened because Emilio had moved so fast. He rushed the would-be robber, disarmed him, and pinned him to the ground. Emilio picked up the dropped knife and held it to the man’s throat.
“It looks like I’ll just have to take care of you,” Emilio told the man.
I would not let him kill this guy over an attempted robbery. From what little I could make out of the man, it seemed like he was pretty young. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy and sadness for this desperate, misguided soul standing on the brink of his own demise.
“Emilio!” I said, finally speaking.
“Yes?”
“Put the knife down. I think he learned his lesson.”
Emilio looked at me, back at the man, and scowled at him.
“You’re lucky to get off this easy,” he said.
He was trying to say it in a volume that was low enough that I wouldn’t hear, but I still overheard.
Emilio’s grip on the robber tightened for a moment before he lifted his upper torso and slammed the man into the ground. Dark blood oozed out of his hair down the sidewalk.
The tension between us was palpable as I stared at Emilio, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
“Did…you kill him?” I asked.
“Nah,” Emilio responded, standing up. “Knocked him out. I was accidentally a little too rough.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry you had to see that,” he muttered.
“It's alright.”
I knew what he did for a living, after all. He might be all smiles and sarcasm for me, but when he wasn’t around… I could only imagine the dark things he was up to.
Seeing “The Butcher” in action differed completely from theory.
Chapter eleven
Luciana
Withallthechaosof the arranged marriage, it felt like I hadn’t gotten out to film a new video in forever. I had been getting comments on my videos asking when the next one was coming out.
I planned on taking care of that today.
Emilio had left for the day. So, when I exited our bedroom, I expected to see Dino.
Instead, a strikingly tall and lanky man, impeccably dressed in a sharp suit, was perched on our plush sofa. He had chiseled features and his eyes gleamed with a carefree glint.
“Where’s Dino?” I asked.
“I’m Dino.”
He most certainly was not Dino. Dino was on the shorter side and was very stocky. This dude looked like a green bean.
