ELENORA

I thank the Lyft driver as I step out of the car and pull my card out to enter the building. I expect to see Ruben behind the desk but he's not there. He must be on a bathroom break.

I better send a text to Rico. Knowing my mother, she might forget to tell him I won't be too long.

After the text, I check my mail and scan through it as I step into the elevator and something shiny on the floor catches my eye. Crouching down to get a better view I see it's Ruben's name tag. It must have slipped off. I pocket it; I'll give it to him on my way out.

I expect Mrs. Jones to come out when I drop my keys but she doesn't. She must be out, too. I flip on the lights when I walk in, setting my keys and mail on the counter before I head to my room and grab the pair of high heels I borrowed from Clara. She's going on some hot date and considers these heels her lucky shoes.

I chuckle remembering they happen to be the same shoes I wore the night I met Federico. I had joked that they were not so lucky after all.

As I walk back into the living room, I stop when something near the balcony doors behind the couch catches my eye. My heart stops as I approach.

It's a foot.

I walk slowly towards the back of the couch and Mrs. Jones is lying on the floor. There's a cut on her head that's bleeding profusely. I quickly move around on the other side of her. "Mrs. Jones! Mrs. Jones!"

I bend down over her and thankfully hear her breathing. A muffling sound gets my attention next and I look around to see where it's coming from. I slowly open the closet door and find Ruben on the floor with his hands and feet tied. A gag over his mouth and his face is bruised and bloodied.

What the hell is going on?

His eyes widen as he looks at me and starts to shake his head while shouting something, but it's hard to understand him. I start to bend down to remove the gag, but I'm stopped, being pulled back by my hair.

I'm thrown back against the wall and crumple to the floor with a heavy thud. I move my hair away from my face and look up in horror.

Standing above me is a man wearing a mask and gloves.

No, no, no.

This can't be happening. Not again.

Ruben is trying to escape his ties.

The masked man focuses on him for a moment and I use that distraction to junk punch him. He falls to his knees, groaning and I make a run for the door, but I know I'm not going to make it in time and head to the kitchen instead. I unsheathe a knife from the holder and point it out at him, stopping him from getting closer.

He laughs, shaking his head. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to bring a knife to a gunfight?" His voice sounds electronic and I wonder how or what he's using to modify it, but then I forget about that when he pulls a gun from his back.

He cocks it and aims it at me.

"What do you want? Money?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady even though my hand holding the knife is shaking enough that it doesn't matter.

"Just you." He cocks his head to the side. "Did you forget what day it is?"

I stare back at him and I know he sees the fear in my eyes. "Ah, you remember now, don't you? You've been so busy with a new man in your life that you forgot all about me it seems. And by the looks of it, he enjoys putting his hands on you."

He takes a step towards me and I raise the knife to stop him. My heart is thundering in my chest as I try to focus on slowing my breathing, but I can't.

I'm suddenly aware I wasted so much time being sad or crying all this time, when I should have taken the self defense training my father put my sisters and me through more seriously.

"I don't know if it's admirable that you still stayed in the building after what happened or stupid. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get to you outside after I realized there was surveillance, and inside would be too tricky with Ruben or George down in the lobby and of course nosey neighbors like Mrs. Jones."

My blood runs cold at the fact that he knows everyone by name. "How...how do you know their names?"

He chuckles. "Oops. I probably shouldn't have let that slip."

Ruben is kicking and screaming in the closet. "Shut up! Or I will put a bullet in your head." The masked man shouts over his shoulder.

But Ruben keeps kicking and thrashing around in the closet. He's trying to tell me something, but the gag in his mouth is making it hard to understand. The masked man cocks the gun and starts walking towards the closet aiming it and I launch myself at him to keep him from hurting Ruben.

The sound of the gun going off so close stuns me for a moment before I scramble back but he grabs on to my leg. "I guess your friend gets to watch me ravish you."

I scream as he climbs over me and repeatedly slams my hand until I let go of the knife. I yell out in pain as my hand throbs and I wonder if it's broken.

Ruben is making a valiant effort to scoot himself over to us, but the masked man leans over me, crushing me with his weight and throws a kick at Ruebens face, knocking him out cold.

"I didn't know how long you'd make me wait for you, they both told me you haven't been staying here, but I was prepared to wait as long as it took."

"Get off of me!" I scream.

He responds with a punch to my face. "If you scream again, I will gag you. I want you awake this time." I thrash under him and try to knee him from behind but he moves and I hit the back of his thigh instead. This time he slaps me with the back of his hand and then punches my stomach; I inhale sharply and then cough from the impact.

He leans back to punch me again and I clasp my hands together and bring them down on his stomach as hard as I can. He doubles over grunting and I scurry away from him but he grabs my foot.

I turn back and kick him in the face with my other foot and gain enough space to make a run for it. I head to the bedroom where I keep a gun, but he tackles me down again. I scream out for help as he grabs me by my hair and slams my head on the floor.

I expect another hit or blow to come but it doesn't. I look up and Mrs. Jones is on the back of the man. She pulls at his mask and everything stops.

"Leo?" My voice trembles.

He pulls at Mrs. Jones arms, getting her off his back and throws her at the wall. She cries and whimpers out in pain. I rush over to her, but Leo grabs me by my hair again and pulls me back, throwing me on the ground.

"Why Leo?" I cry as he looks down at me.

"Why?" He laughs, taking menacing steps towards me. "When we started dating, you told me you wanted to take your time before we had sex. So I waited and waited and waited. And then when you asked me to move in with you, I thought it was fucking finally going to happen after so much time of you being a fucking tease and still nothing!"

"I thought if you experienced it once, to show you what you're missing, you'd want to do it more and more, but you shut down completely. Worse than before; you wouldn't even let me touch you, let alone kiss you. And now, here you are a year later, with a tattoo'd motherfucker who you probably fucked on the first date!"

"You raped me because I wouldn't have sex with you?" Feeling the hurt and betrayal turn into rage. "I loved you Leo and you...you're a fucking monster!" I move my leg from under him and kick him back. I run back to the living room and pick up the knife and turn around, knowing he's behind me and slash at him, cutting his stomach.

"You fucking bitch!" He runs at me and we topple over the couch, knocking over a lamp. He's over me again but I'm face down this time. My phone rings and vibrates in the back pocket of my jeans and he grabs at it.

"Speak of the devil; Rico is calling."

"He's going to fucking kill you!" I scream.

He laughs. "I'll be long gone before he finds you, dead, sweetheart."

I push back and throw an elbow but he dodges it and turns me around. I scratch and claw at his face and neck. His hands come around my neck and he begins squeezing. I grab at his hands, but that only makes him add more pressure.

I reach out and try to grab for anything I can, but my vision is starting to go blurry. I feel the base of the lamp and tighten my grip on it and use as much strength as I can muster, swinging toward his face.

It shatters and he falls next to me, groaning. I gasp as I move away, rubbing my neck and scramble back with my hands. I sob as I frantically look around.

I find my phone and snatch it up and run into the hallway, slamming into George. "Miss Nora, what's wrong? What happened? People are calling saying they heard a gunshot and what sounds like things being thrown." He turns me in the hallway, and I hug him.

"Leo, he's here he...he was the one who—" George's eyes go wide as a gunshot rings out and he slumps down in front of me. I'm fighting to bring air into my lungs as I look up and Leo is standing outside my door with the gun aimed in our direction. I start backpedaling and run down the hall, there's no way I'm going to take the elevator.

The gun goes off again and I duck out of instinct as I hit the emergency icon on my phone.

Operator: 911 what is your emergency?

"There's someone attacking me!" I turn a corner and slam through the stairwell door, running down the stairs.

Operator: What is your name?

"My name..."

"Elle!" Leo is a couple of floors up from me and I start to race down the stairs once more.

"He's coming!"

Operator: "Stay on the phone, Miss, help is coming."

"Elle!"

"I live at the apartments on 2nd and Madison, my name is Elenora Borelli, the attacker's name is Leo Bianchi, please hurry."

Operator: "Help is coming, stay on the phone. Where are you right now?"

"I'm in the stairwell, he's right behind me." I look over my shoulder and Leo is catching up to me.

Operator: "You're doing great, Elenora, keep running."

I come to the main floor and yank the door open. "I'm in the lobby now." But I trip over the threshold of the door and sprawl out on the floor, dropping my phone.

I scramble up to my feet when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I swing a punch, screaming and backing away as fast as I can. But Leo kicks me in the stomach, sending me flying towards a wall.

I don't have a chance to defend myself when he punches me and blood begins to drip out of my nose, but I block another hit and grit my teeth as I use my leg to push him away.

But he hits me and my vision becomes spotty. I grimace when he pulls me by my hair dragging me across the floor. His heavy breathing and grunting matches mine as he pulls me through a door. The cold from cement in the garage parking seeps through my jeans.

"I'm going to enjoy this more than you fucking know, Elle."

He opens another door, dragging me through it as I try to get my hair out of his tight grasp. The foul smell of garbage infiltrates my nose and I realize we are in the trash room.

Leo comes over me and begins lifting my shirt and then tugging on my jeans. "Stop it! Get off of me!" I scream as my tears mix with the blood on my face.

He punches my stomach a few times and I cry out knowing I'm losing this fight and for what is about to happen, again. "Please stop!"

Another slap snaps my face to the side and he pushes against my head with his arm as his other hand continues working on my pants. I know it's pointless, but I call out to Rico. I shut my eyes as Leo's hand roughly covers my chest and then I don't feel anything.

This must be what it feels like to go numb. My mind is taking me somewhere else. But then I realize Leo isn't over me anymore. I slowly turn my head and I see Rico.

Maybe I'm hallucinating. But when Leo trips over me after Rico punches and kicks him, I know it's real. I sit up and move away as they continue fighting and then Leo throws a kick Rico wasn't expecting and it sends him sprawling back, hitting his head on a dumpster. I panic when he doesn't get up and Leo turns his attention to me again.

Leo wipes at his face and spits blood on the ground. He looks terrifying with the blood covering his face and teeth. "He ain't as tough as he looks."

I back up hitting a wall and he gets down, pulling my legs towards him. I squirm to get out of his hold, but he pins my legs, keeping me in place. "Don't do this, Leo."

"It's okay, Elle, I promise you're going to enjoy this."

I shake my head, whimpering and crying as he pins my hands down and leans down, but then his eyes grow wide. Rico is standing behind him, holding him by his hair and runs a knife across his throat. Blood sprays over me as Leo clutches at his severed throat, choking and gasping and falls to the side of me.

Rico falls to his knees and pulls me into his arms and I sob holding on to him, burying my head into his chest, not wanting to hear the gurgling and gasping sounds Leo is making.

"He...He was...he was the one who...Ruben...Mrs. Jones, George." I continue to sob and his arms tighten around me.

"Shh, you're safe. You're safe." He quietly repeats, stroking my hair.

I whimper when the door opens, but Rico tells me it's Domani and Ciccio.

"One dead, two others injured."

"He shot George." I sniffle, but don't recognize my voice and shake my head trying to get the image of George dead in the hallway out of my mind, too. Rico lifts me in his arms and carries me out of the room.

"It's over, Elenora." He kisses my head.

"Mickey says cops are coming." Domani says. "I called Duko to let him know what's going on so he leads all the questioning."

Domani hands Rico my phone. "Should I call Tiziano?"

I shake my head at him. "No, I don't want my family to worry."

"They already know, Elenora," Rico's fingers skim over my face as his eyes roam over me. "Let's get you outside for some air."

Tenants from the building are starting to come down, but Rico shields me from their questioning looks. The sirens grow louder when we step outside of the building and then I see the flashing lights.

The police cars screech to a stop in front of the building, and a couple of officers run out of their cars. "Don't leave me," I whisper to Rico.

"Never."

"Elenora Borelli?" A couple of policemen walk towards us and I nod. "Can you tell us what happened?"

They send others inside to the apartment and I begin to tell them what happened when I arrived and how I found Mrs. Jones and Ruben before Leo attacked me.

"So you're saying he was the same person who attacked you a year ago? But he was your boyfriend at the time?" The cop questions, the skepticism in his voice obvious.

"Yes." I share the reason Leo raped me and the tears fall down my face as the emotions barrel through me again; anger, embarrassment, shame and sadness.

"I slept next to him, in the same bed, for six months after he raped me." My voice is monotone, remembering how heartbroken I was over him.

I catch the policemen glance at each other. "We may have some more questions for you later."

"Miss, can we take a look at you and make sure you're okay?" A paramedic walks over to me and tries to pull me away from Rico, but my fingers are still curled tightly around the lapels of his suit jacket.

"It's okay, Elenora; I'll be right here with you." His hands come over mine and he loosens my grip on his jacket, leading me to the ambulance. He moves away but I reach out for him, feeling the coldness in the air without his arms around me and he stands as close as he can while the paramedic assesses me.

When they check my right hand I wince and hiss at the throbbing pain and I explain how Leo slammed it down over and over again to have me let go of the kitchen knife. Rico's jaw clenches as he stares at the bruising that's starting to form on my hand.

"You'll need to have it x-rayed," The Paramedic tells me. "It could be a bad bruise or sprain, but better to rule out a broken hand."

I look up when I see them wheeling out someone in a stretcher with a sheet covering the body and I know it's George; fresh tears fall. Then another stretcher comes out and Ruben is on it. I hop off the ambulance and pull Rico with me. "Ruben, I'm so sorry!"

"Girl, I know you're not apologizing for that motherfucker!" Ruben groans. His left eye is swollen shut. His right cheek and his lip are split and swollen. "Did they get him?"

"Rico did."

"Rico, papi, I'm sorry you have to see me like this; I tried to stop him," He gives Rico a small lopsided smile.

"You did good, Ruben. Take it easy and get well soon." He pats Ruben's shoulder.

"I hope this doesn't mean you're leaving for good, Nora." They lift Ruben into the back of the ambulance. "But I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"Don't think about that, Ruby Tuesday." I force myself to smile. "Just focus on getting better." He gives me a thumbs up before they shut the doors.

"Nora!" Mrs. Jones calls out to me and I rush over to her next. "Oh thank god, you're okay, dear."

"Mrs. Jones, I'm so glad you're okay and thank you for helping me." I lean over and hug her, she quietly moans and I pull away. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Don't worry about me, dear, did we get him, did we get that asshole?"

"Yes, Rico did."

"Ah, Federico. I knew you were a keeper." She smiles at him.

"You're one tough cookie, Vivienne. Thank you for looking out for Elenora." Rico holds her hand. "Get feeling better. I'll have someone come help with your recovery."

"Oh, don't you fuss about an old fart, like me, Federico. I'll manage, you just focus on taking care of our girl, here." She tells him before she reaches her weathered hand to my face. "Nora, I'm so sorry for what he did and what he put you through. You deserve the world young lady, don't you forget it."

I nod as tears fall. "Thank you, Mrs. Jones."

"I didn't do anything, kiddo." She winks at me as they load her up into another ambulance.

"Thank you for coming for me, Rico." I cry into his chest. "If you hadn't come." I sob harder and his arms tighten around me.

"Come on, let's get you to the hospital so they can look at your hand."

He leads me to the SUV and Domani opens the door as Rico helps me into the seat. He closes the door and he talks with Domani for a moment before Domani gets in the driver's seat and then Rico gets in on the other side of me and brings me close to him.

I wish I could erase the last couple of hours but as I listen to his strong heartbeat I feel a sense of calmness. I turn into him more and inhale his masculine scent as he rubs my arm gently.

"You're safe with me, Elenora."

I want to respond but I can't form any words. I glance down at my hands, which are shaking violently.

A choked sob escapes and the dam of the emotions I've struggled to keep in, breaks free and I let go, because for the first time in a long time, and despite what happened tonight, I truly feel safe in his arms.

***