Enzo led me down the stairs with my hand in his and sat me down at one of the barstools in his kitchen. He pulled out plates and sandwich fixings and began making us a simple dinner. He even went as far to cut my sandwich in half diagonally. We ate in a heavy silence. What do you say to someone who saved your life? The silence was broken by barking coming from the backdoor.

"Oh, I forgot all about Tank." Enzo muttered to himself.

"Tank?" I asked hesitantly, but my questioned was answered when a huge German Shepard came bounding into the kitchen. I drew my knees up to my chest in an attempt to stay out of his reach, but the dog was big enough to sniff at my toes without even stretching himself. Lorenzo walked around the counter, back to his sandwich, and chuckled at my apprehension to his dog.

"It's alright sweetheart. He's a good boy and he'd never hurt you." Enzo pointed towards the dog with his chin, encouraging me to interact with him. Slowly I reached my hand down for Tank to sniff, which he licked happily. I couldn't help but let out a little giggle. I looked up at Lorenzo who was already looking at me. I focused my attention back on Tank in an attempt to hide the blush spreading across my face. I had to admit, this dog was very handsome, much like his owner. I hopped down off the barstool and plopped myself down on the floor to give him some proper attention. He rolled over and exposed his belly to me immediately with his tongue lolling out to the side. I obliged and gave him belly rubs enthusiastically.

I felt so comfortable in this home; much more than my uncle's home, even before he began selling me. Uncle's home was cold and I was always walking on eggshells around him. I was always worried I was going to do something that would trigger his anger. Where am I going to go when Mr. Enzo gets tired of me? I don't have anyone else. Maybe he'll let me stay here until I can find a job. I don't have any experience or skills in anything. Who would hire me? I'm useless. Hopelessness began fogging up my brain and my belly rubs became slower until they stopped completely. Tank rolled back over and nudge my hand with his nose bring me back to reality.

"What's wrong baby?" Enzo asked, joining me on the floor. This man is too perceptive for my own good. His body radiated warmth next to me. He still made me horribly nervous, but I had to resist the urge to lean into him.

"I-I was just thinking about where I could go." I didn't look away from Tank while I said this. I began petting the dog again just so I would have something to do with my hands.

"What do you mean sweetheart? Why do you have to go anywhere?" he asked.

"Well, I can't stay here forever. I'm sure you'd like your house back. You don't need me here getting in your way." I explained, sneaking a peek up at him. Hopefully he would give me some time to figure out other arrangements.

"I didn't bring you here just to kick you out immediately." He began, his brows furrowing. "I wanted to bring you somewhere where you could be safe and taken care of."

"But I'm not supposed to be a bother." I mumbled, and as if he could sense the sadness in my voice, Tank pushed himself further into my lap. I'd spent my whole life being a bother and I already owed him so much.

"You're not a bother to me or Tank," Enzo said matter-of-factly. "As long as you want to, you're going to stay here and that's final baby girl."

"But I should at least work or something to pay you- "

"You don't owe me anything, and I don't want to hear another word about it. Do I make myself clear?" Though his words were stern, his tone was warm, and pacified my worries marginally.

"Yes sir." I gave him a shy smile and he returned a smile of his own. I'd be able to sleep somewhere warm for a change. I had food in my belly instead of the usual scraps I got. I pushed the voices of doubt to the back of my mind. If Lorenzo said I wasn't a bother, I would believe him.

"Now I think you've had a very long day, and we should get you to bed." He stood and I took the hand he offered me, which he used to pull me to my feet. Now that he mentioned it, exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks. I had no time to recover from my appointment before all of this happened, not to mention the day's events draining me emotionally.

Back upstairs, he led me into a room just down the hall from his. It was much smaller than the master bedroom, but it was furnished with a queen-sized bed, a small night table and a dresser.

"The closet is full of filing cabinets, but we can get those cleared out." He almost seemed nervous, as if this room wasn't leaps and bounds better than my last one, if you could call that basement a room at all.

"It's perfect. I think I'll be very comfortable here." I replied politely.

"There's a bathroom directly across the hall. Do you need anything before bed baby girl?" he inquired but I shook my head. "Go on and hop in bed then." I did as I was told, and he pulled the covers over me. I hardly knew the man, but he had a way of making me feel small and safe. It was a welcome change.

"Thank you for everything today Mr. Enzo" I could feel my throat getting clogged with potential tears, but I pushed them down. "I didn't know if I would ever-, without you, I- just thank you." I knew there were no words that could even come close to expressing my gratitude for him.

"You're welcome sweetheart." Though I wasn't very articulate, his eyes softened in understanding. He reached down with a gentle hand and brushed my hair away from my face, bid me goodnight, and turned the lights out and closed the door behind him.

The warmth and safety I felt around him started to ebb away, leaving me shaking and growing more paranoid by the second. A cold sweat broke out all over my body. I twisted one of my too long sleeves to try and fidget away my nervous energy. It was as if the walls were closing in on me, and I pulled the covers over my head and curled myself into a ball. You're safe now. Mr. Lorenzo promised he wouldn't let anyone hurt me. I screwed my eyes shut and kept trying to convince my anxious brain there was no danger.

The small, dark bedroom suddenly morphed into my uncle's basement. The exposed walls grew dark a pair of footsteps came closer. I tired climbing off the bed to hide under it, but the cuff around my ankle dug into my skin, making it impossible for me to get far. Panic started to fill me as the claustrophobia set in. Trapped. I couldn't move. There was nothing I could do to help myself. I tried to scream, but nothing came out of my mouth. The footsteps stopped and I looked up to see a sliver of light reveal Lorenzo's face. "Are you ready for our play date?"

I felt uneasy as soon as I shut her bedroom door. I wanted her within my sight at all times so I could be sure she was safe, but she didn't need another overly controlling man in her life. I went back to the kitchen, filled Tanks bowls, and went to my home office.

I balanced my phone between my shoulder and my ear as I turned my laptop on.

"Hey boss." Fiero's voice came through the speaker.

"What did you find out about Stuart and the girl?" I cut to the chase. I wasn't in the mood for small talk. The longer I was away from her, the more I worried. What the fuck is going on with me?

"I'm sending her files to you now. Looks like her parents are deceased and she was in and out of foster care before the state was able to locate her piece of shit uncle. She's been there for years. Child Protective Services was sent to the home multiple times after the school nurse continually found signs of abuse on her body. Nothing ever came from the investigations and her uncle pulled her from school. Guess they lost interest because no one ever followed up with them again." Fiero rattled off this information to me knowing I preferred a summary rather than doing the reading.

"Have someone keep an eye on Stuart. Who knows what he'll do to get our money. I put nothing beneath him at this point." I ordered.

"You got it."

"Thanks, Fiero."

"Get some rest man." Fiero was my oldest friend and my most trusted man. I knew he only spoke out of concern for me.

"I will soon." And with that I hung up. I stretched and went back upstairs.

I made my way to my own bedroom with Tank in tow. I went through the motions of getting ready for bed. I looked at my hand as I brushed my teeth, seeing my bruised knuckles, it made me wish I had done more than just punch Stuart.

I spent at least forty-five minutes tossing and turning in my bed. What was it about this girl that took up so much of my attention? I'd never given a woman more than a glance and a single night, but this girl occupied my mind like nothing else.

Tank pulled me out of my thoughts by pawing at the door to be let out. I opened the door for him and watched him stop in front of Nora's door and begin whimpering. He obviously knew something I didn't. I followed him, flicking the hall lights on my way, and cracked the door open. The light from the hallway seeped into the room and I could see Nora's body tangled in her sheets as she thrashed around in obvious distress. Adrenalin kicked in at the sight of her hair fisted in her hands as she pulled at it with her eyes screwed shut.

I rushed forward and untangled her body from the sheets and tried to pry her hands out of her hair. I didn't want her hurting herself. "Nora, wake up! It's just a dream sweetheart. No one is going to hurt you. You're safe. Please wake up baby." I pulled her onto my lap and held her close to my chest. "Shh. I've got you. You're safe here." What this poor girl must had been through to get night terrors like this.

She didn't say anything, but I knew when she woke up because her arms came up to circle my waist. I don't know how long she cried into my chest, but I knew I'd sit up all night with her if it would stop her tears.

"I get nightmares too." I admitted, slightly rocking her back and forth. "I haven't had one in a while, and I think it's because Tank is there to fight off the bad dreams." The pauses between her sniffling got longer as she calmed down. I rubbed comforting circles on her back. "I haven't had one nightmare since he's come to live with me, so I think he's more than qualified as a bad dream fighter. He should sleep in here tonight. What do you think?" she just nodded; her face still pressed into my chest. It was like she was ashamed and didn't want me to see her beautiful face. Hopefully she'd start feeling comfortable around me soon, but I wasn't going to push her.

I patted the bed, signaling Tank to hop up, which he happily did. I stood up with the tiny girl in my arms. She weighted too little to be healthy. I placed her back in bed, straightened out her covers and tucked her back into bed. As much as I hated seeing her to upset, I loved that I was able to calm her. Where were these feelings coming from? Who was I right now?

"Do you think you two will be alright in here?" I asked, giving Tank a pat.

"Yes Mr. Enzo." She wasn't meeting my eyes again. Her face was slightly flushed from crying, and it looked like she could burst into tears at any moment.

"Tank stay." I commanded. The German Shepard looked up at me briefly before fixing his eyes back on Nora. I was about to shut the door again, when her small voice called out to me.

"Maybe," she peeked up at me from under the covers. "Maybe, we could leave the door open a little bit and leave the hall light on?" She looked so vulnerable and I could tell it was hard for her to ask me for anything.

"Of course, baby girl. If you need me, you know where my room is." I did as she asked and left the door cracked.

Before going back to my room, I lingered by her door for a few minutes. As I was about to leave, I heard her talking to Tank.

"You know Tank," she whispered, "sometimes I wish I didn't exist anymore."

I made sure to leave my bedroom door open that night so I could hear if she needed me again.