Page 25 of Always Yours

I’ll keep her safe. There is no way the DeLuca’s will ever get their hands on her.

As long as I am breathing, Lily will be protected.

Chapter Six

Liliana

One week later…

I’ve spent every night with Razor. There was one night where I tried to sleep in my own bed after we had fooled around. He fell asleep first, so I went to my bed. It wasn’t even an hour later when I was woken up by him picking me up and carrying me back to his room, telling me that I need to go back to his bed where I belonged. Nik often teases me about that night, but I can tell he’s starting to warm up to the idea of Razor and me.

Nick has also started prospecting with Razor’s support. That leaves me a lot of time during the day to myself.

Today, I was making another grocery run with a couple prospects. I couldn’t believe how much food we had gone through already. It seems like every day the dinner crowd grows bigger and bigger.

The prospects were loading up the vans when I heard a noise from the side of the building. Curiosity got the better of me, so I moved to look over. I walked closer when I noticed someone was looking through the garbage.

When I got closer, I noticed how small they were. Fuck, I sure hoped it wasn’t a child.

“Are you okay?” I ask softly, hoping I don’t scare them.

The person turns around startled. Her eyes widen when she looks at me. I hold up the water I was about to drink since it’s hotter than heck outside.

“Do you need help?” I ask, trying to seem unthreatening.

The woman bursts out in tears.

“This was not how my life was supposed to go,” she says in between sobs.

I see the prospect walk closer, but I hold up a hand. They stop where they are, but don’t take their eyes off the woman and me.

She doesn’t talk for quite some time, but her sobs have quieted so I decide to ramble to hopefully keep her calm.

“I know it seems weird having a stranger coming up and helping you, and you don’t know if you could accept their help. I was like that only a week ago. I ran away from the only home I knew and hoped I had found good fucking men. They seemed alright, but there are a lot of people out there who wear masks and I still am waiting for that other shoe to drop. Heck, I would probably be right beside you if they didn’t give me a place to sleep or food to eat. I don’t know what would have happened,” I say.

“Why did you leave home?” she asks softly.

“My parents wanted me to marry someone from a family who doesn’t give a shit what happens to their women. I figured a life for me was better out here than back home,” I tell her honestly. I don’t know what it is about this woman, but she makes me want to open up to her.

“I heard my father was going to sell me to cover some debt with the mafia and I ran. That was four months ago. I took whatever money I could get, changed my appearance, and I didn’t stop travelling until I ran out of money,” she tells me.

I still when the words mafia leave her.

“What did your father do with the mafia?” I ask hesitantly.

“My father is an accountant, so he probably helped them move money around; but he had a big gambling addiction. After my mother died, he was all I had. Then I heard him on the phone, and I knew he didn’t see me the same,” she says.

“Can you tell me which mafia he is associated with?” I ask.

“I think it was one of the Irish families. I’m not really sure. I tried to keep myself out of that business,” she says.

I feel relief that she wasn’t promised to one of the Italian families. That would have made hiding a lot harder. Well, it will still be hard since we will now have to be looking out for two mafia families who are on the hunt for us. There is no way I’m going to leave this woman to fend for herself.

“Have you been on the street this whole time?” I ask.

She nods her head. “Yeah, like I said I kept going until money wore out, so I couldn’t afford to stay anywhere. I was lucky that my money lasted over the winter months so that I didn’t have to freeze,” she says with a chuckle.

“But you do have to worry about heat stroke in this weather,” I tell her.

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