Emiliana   It felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Finally the air felt clearer to breathe and I was no longer second guessing myself. Being able to speak to Oli and fall into easy conversation made everything more bearable. It wasn’t that I missed New York, but I certainly missed the familiarity and my friends. Oli and I spent another hour catching up and discussing all things wedding related. It seemed the news had sparked excitement for Oli and it had taken all my energy to refuse the extravagant Bachelorette party he had planned. We finally hung up and I made my way downstairs needing some sustenance after the lengthy phone call. I couldn’t deny that as much as I missed Oli, he was exhausting at times. But that only inclined me to love him more. “Chiquita,” Vinnie hollere

Emiliana   “Em!” He called after me, but I blocked him out. My vision blurred as I made my way up the staircase. I tried to focus on every step so carefully, but it was exhausting and only slowed me down. I could hear Giovanni’s steps. He was closing the distance.  “Em!” He called again, only this time his voice was harsher, angrier.  My footsteps landed on the cool tiles of the second floor, and I could see the bedroom door within my reach.  “Em!” Giovanni was behind me now, steps away from his grasp.  Tears rolled down my face. Even though I knew this was his life, his job and it never ended; I had hoped he would have pressed pause just for

Giovanni   I glanced down at my watch for the tenth time, my patience was waning and all I could think about was getting out of here. My phone flashed with Vinnie’s name and my heart raced. Standing abruptly I left the room to answer the call. “Hermano,” (Brother,) I grunted, hoping it would disguise the worry in my voice. Vinnie never called unless there was something serious, in fact he never called. “Voy a sacar a Emiliana.” (I’m taking Emiliana out.) Vinnie announced. He wasn’t asking, This was a courtesy call. He didn’t need to call because I knew that Emiliana would be safe with him. He had built up this profound sense of protectiveness around her and he would seek death himself before letting any harm come to her. Not once had I asked him to, but I could tell Emiliana was like a sister to him.

Emiliana   It had been two days since the ranges and I had, strangely enough, successfully removed the chilling thoughts that surrounded that night, out of my head. I had to get used to the idea that those sorts of screams would be a regular occurrence and there was nothing I could do about it. This was Giovanni’s business, and I was just an outsider making her way in.  Ignoring the events of the other night, I brushed aside the disturbing thoughts and made my way to the kitchen. Vinnie sat against the kitchen island, reading his newspaper in silence. “Are we going to the ranges today?” I jumped up to the counter excitedly, perching on one of the stools that lined it. “No,” Vinnie answered without lifting his eyes to me. “It’s self defence today.”

Emiliana   Vinnie took me in his arms and twirled me around, the gentle lace that lined my dress floated effortlessly around me. We swayed to the music that played from the orchestra and laughed together as he made jokes about some of the guests. I enjoyed Vinnie’s company. He smiled often and widely, it was something that both warmed and relaxed me. He was my voice of reason, the unwilting support that I sometimes required and up until now I had certainly needed it. I had sensed that somewhere along the line, Vinnie had realised that the world I had so willingly joined was far different from I was used to and he was ensuring that I understood the ins and outs of this lifestyle.  While I didn’t have a choice in the company he kept with me, we had certainly grown as friends and I knew Vinnie woul