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I blushed. “I really am sorry,” I said. “I just wanted to avoid that guy over there. He keeps staring at me.”
The girl glanced up. She narrowed her eyes, then turned back to me. “What guy?”
“That guy,” I said in exasperation. I stood up and pointed towards where the man had been sitting.
But there was no man there.
My heart leapt into my throat and I spun around, wildly looking in vain for the creepy man. When I saw him, I let out a little scream. He was standing closer than ever – so close that I could smell his tobacco.
“Oh, had a little spill, did we?” The man stepped closer and leered at me. His white teeth were gleaming in a scary, unnatural way and his beard was greasy.
“Leave me alone,” I stammered. “I don’t know who you are.”
The man grabbed my wrist and pulled me close. “You know exactly who I am,” he sneered. “And trust me, you little cunt – you don’t want to mess with the Amoruso family.”
I shivered and tried to pull my arm away. The man was strong, and he tightened his grip until my hand went numb and I cried out in pain.
“Leave me alone,” I growled. “Or I’ll scream!”
The man snickered. With his free hand, he pushed his coat to the side. I saw a gleaming silver pistol tucked into his waistband. Gasping in fright, I finally yanked my hand away from him and stumbled backwards, crashing into a nearby table and falling to the ground. The man didn’t take his eyes away from mine as I tumbled and landed with my limbs akimbo.
“That man,” I stuttered, pointing towards him. “He’s threatening me!”
One of the college kids darted over and grabbed my hand, pulling me up and back on my feet.
“Did you see that man?” I asked breathlessly. “He’s following me! He won’t leave me alone!”
The kid glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t see anyone,” she said. “Are you okay? Do you want me to call an ambulance?”
Heat rose to my cheeks and I flushed angrily, biting my lip. “No, never mind,” I said, pushing her hand away. “I’m fine, just leave me alone.”
My heart was still racing in fear but as I looked around the shop, I realized that the man had vanished. A cold chill ran down my spine and I grabbed my bag and darted outside. I knew I had to make it to the police station soon.
If I didn’t, the man would be able to find me. Suddenly, I felt terrified and agoraphobic. Most of the time, I felt nothing but comfort from walking alone in New York City, because I was never truly alone. I liked all the pedestrians and all of the cars – they helped me feel safe, like I was part of something truly larger than myself.
But now, knowing that there was a man out there who wanted to hurt me was terrifying. I realized that he could snatch me and it was likely that no one would even notice. New Yorkers are noted for always keeping their heads down, and I feared that if I was the victim of something horrible, it would happen in plain daylight.
I pulled the collar of my coat up around my ears as I stalked forward. Come on, I urged myself. Just a little bit longer. I kept whirling around and looking behind me, but the man was thankfully nowhere to be seen.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.
My phone buzzed in my purse and I paused, reaching and trying to dig for it at the bottom. People jostled and crowded around me – some even barked commands at me to get out of the way – and I took comfort in that, almost like I had a human armor.
Someone grabbed my arm and yanked.
“Hey,” I snapped. “I’ll be out of the way in a second, god! Just wait!”
The person yanked me backwards. My phone fell from my hands and clattered onto the pavement. I screamed as my body flew through the air. The hand gripping my shoulder was strong and muscular and I tri
ed to fight it off but the grip only intensified. When my feet touched the ground again, I realized I was being pulled away from the street and towards an alley.
“Help!” I screamed. “Somebody, help me! I’m being attacked!”
“Shut the fuck up,” a voice hissed in my ear. Before I could react, the hand left my shoulder and I heard a hard punch. I whirled around and saw a man dressed all in black, leaning over another man on the ground and threatening him with a fist.
“You leave her alone,” the man in black growled. “You stay the fuck away from this one!”
Before I could react, the man in black grabbed me and dragged me to the side. I cried out in protest but he was strong – even stronger than the first man who had grabbed me – and he tossed me around with ease, like I was a rag doll.
