20. Regina

"Jump"

"No way. Are you fucking crazy?"

"You need to learn a few survival skills. Your father's men won't always be there to protect you"

"But you will. Right? You are going to protect me forever..."

"Ma'am? Mr. Gambone is here"

I don't bother opening my eyes. I'm too tired to move. His cologne assaults my nose before fingers brush my hair back. Then they caress my cheek. He's so incredibly gentle that I find myself swallowing the lump in my throat. If my eyes were open, they would be shining with tears. I'm glad they're not. Up until this moment, I didn't realize how much I missed feeling someone touch me.

"Are you okay?"

The answer is no, I'm not okay. If Christian hadn't forced me to jump out of a moving car, who knows what would have happened? I'll admit, I'm shaken. It just occurred to me how easy death is. I've been numb for so many years that I didn't care whether I lived or died. When I took over as the boss, a lot of people tried to kill me. I got shot at in events, som