“Elle, stop and listen to me for a second.” She pauses, breathing frantically, as I explain. “I saw something… um, that is to say, I picked something up that I shouldn’t have. I was confused and I made a mistake. And that mistake put me directly in the path of my neighbor. Who is… well, you know the rumors. They’re mostly true.”
“For f**k’s sake, Alyssa,” Elle hisses in a tense whisper. “You’re wrapped up in some hardcore mafia shit.”
“Bratva,” I correct automatically. “And yes.”
“And this guy… he’s protecting you from it?”
“Yes. I really shouldn’t get into the how and why now, Elle. I shouldn’t even be talking to you. I just really needed someone to talk to.”
I’m fingering my charm bracelet, trying not to word vomit all over my best friend. But after days of isolation, it’s hard not
