#Chapter 17 – Heart to Heart

Suddenly, quite suddenly, it’s all too much. I burst into tears, burying my face in my hands again, sobs shaking my shoulders as I blubber against my palms. I start to cry so hard that I can’t even catch my breath, and then I panic because I know these tough mafia guys are looking at me like I’m an idiot. But honestly, I can’t even care – because Christian is asking me whether or not I want to save Steven’s life, the man who tried to sell me into sex work, who is the whole reason I’m being held captive for my own protection… Some part of me hears Christian saying something to Nico and Frankie, telling them to make themselves scarce for a moment while he has a word with me. But the majority of me is so focused on my disaster of a life that I jump when I feel a soft blanket settling around me. I look up at Christian in surprise as he sits down next to me on the couch, slipping an arm around my shoulder. “It’s all right,” he murmurs, reaching a soft hand out to wipe the tears off my ch