I am Emily Rose

Chapter 7: Decisions

Riccardo P.O.V

I can tell she's confused. I'll have to choose my words carefully. "I can make up one of the guest rooms for you until you find your feet. I'll take care of Anna too. Just relax and breathe, we'll get through this." There's no f*****g way that I'm letting her go off on her own now. Who knows when the next hit will be? I need to do some digging to find out what that fucker is up to.

Emily's P.O.V

I look up into his blue eyes, "I...I couldn't do that. I hardly know you Riccardo. It's not your job to help me." It sounds outrageous! What will I tell my mother? She's going to freak out. "Hey, I'm offering to help you. As for not knowing me well enough, what do you want to know? Ask me anything." Riccardo has such a genuine smile on his face. It's hard not to trust him. I have issues though and my mom is worse than I am.

Third person P.O.V

"There should be nothing left from the apartment to trace her. She should not even exist!" I need to erase her from the system, take her away and start with my plans for her. I'll take care of Riccardo and Amanda when the time comes. I've been deprived long enough, it's time to get my money's worth from that b***h.

Emily's P.O.V

"Hi mom, I was going to call you. I'm just as shocked as you are." Oh, she's freaking out. "My dear child! I will come and get you wherever you are. Send me a location, and I'll be there in a few minutes. I've already had your room made up for you." Ugh! "Mom, please don't get all overprotective now. I'm staying with a friend for the meantime. Please don't worry about me, I'll get it all sorted. I promise to let you know if I need your help." Silence.... "Emily, Rose, Heath! I am your mother! I do not approve of you staying with people that I don't know. Who is this friend of yours? As far as I know, you don't have any friends." Here we go....

After a very long, frustrating conversation with my mother, she agreed to let me be on one condition: I have to introduce her to Riccardo over dinner tomorrow night at her place. I kind of left out the part that my friend is a drop-dead gorgeous Italian man....

Elanor's P.O.V

My heart is racing, I can't breathe, and my chest pulls tight. I am 100% certain that Emily's apartment did not burn down because of some accident. What if he found out where we are? Oh my God! How long will this go on for? How do I get through to her without exposing the truth? I need to protect my daughter from that monster at all costs.

Emily's P.O.V

Riccardo's housekeeper, Martha, had the guest room prepared for me. I go upstairs with her to see where I'd be sleeping until I get back on my feet. We pass many doors in the hallway, including Riccardo's bedroom right next to mine. She opens the door for me and what I see is absolutely unbelievable. This room is bigger than my entire apartment. There stands a king-size bed on the right side next to a huge window overlooking the ocean, a fireplace on the other side of the bed, a door leading to a massive bathroom with a huge bath and a shower that can easily fit 10 people. On the other side of the bathroom is another door leading to a walk-in closet. There is a wall mounted TV and sound system across from the bed and a leather couch. Another door leading to a balcony also overlooking the ocean. It's breathtaking.

Riccardo P.O.V

I'm in my home office, Martha is busy making "her" comfortable in the guest room. Hopefully, that won't be the permanent arrangement, I'm working on getting her into our bedroom, into our bed, where she belongs. I need to meet her mother in order to keep the peace about her staying here. That aint gonna go down very well. I'll need to improvise and give her an offer that she can't refuse. I will offer her protection around the clock.

My phone starts to vibrate, "Ricci, I've been digging and confirmed that the fire was definitely not an accident. We found a kid who saw a man dumping a can of fuel into the trash. Described him as a homeless looking guy. Maybe he was paid to do it? I'll get the surveillance footage from the convenience store across the street from the apartment building in the next few minutes. Call me when you get it through your email." Aldo's been working around the clock to get more information. "Thanks Aldo, I'll call you later."

There are many homeless people looking for the next buck, but willing to burn down an apartment building? I don't know so much. Sounds like someone disguised as a homeless person to me. This has Franco written all over it. I need to find that bastard before he gets closer to his goal... capturing my wife or her mother. I'll have a good chat with "Elanor" tomorrow night at dinner about what will need to be done to keep them safe.

There's a soft knock on the door, "I'm sorry to disturb you, I just wanted to thank you for the gorgeous room. I really didn't expect it to be so magical." She blushes again. f**k! I can feel my pants getting tighter. "There's nothing too good for you signora." I turn my chair and beckon her over with my forefinger. She's shy but slowly comes forward. I pull her down onto my lap and bring my lips to her ear, "I'm right next door if you need me." I rub my nose down her cheek and softly claim her lips in a soft, sensual kiss. She kisses me back, and I can feel the hunger coming from her body. I pull away, "Goodnight signora."