Chapter Three- Starstruck

Mia felt punch after punch being delivered to her sides and stomach. Her arms were wrapped around her head as she hunched her body over and into a fetal position. This defense tactic was something she learned to help protect her vital points. She made sure to maintain her breathing, using the exercise as a mantra to pull her through the pain. Just take a deep breath in and then let it out. Maintain the pace. In and out. The action helped distract her mind but a particularly brutal kick to her stomach left her winded. The air escaped her lungs in one fell swoop while her eyes bulged out in alarm. A long pained groan left Mia’s lips and she stopped from letting a whimper pour out. She knew very well that the sight of her in pain egged the perpetrator on even more. She didn’t know why she had been targeted. It was so random but she knew nothing was. There must be something else behind this. She couldn’t possibly have such bad unintentional luck. “Hey, man. Maybe ease up. We can’t have her be killed,” Mia recognised the voice from the other man. This man seemed a bit hesitant and merely enjoyed watching from the sidelines. Even the snickers and gleeful noises from the girl with them stopped abruptly. “Jason. Relax. Beat her up but don’t kill her,” The whimsical voice of the woman stood out to Mia. It sounded like a petulant child speaking but the face and body it belonged to was nothing like that of a small child. “Please. Stop. Don’t kill her. We don’t want to go to jail.” Her beater, Jason, merely grunted in response. She felt her hair being yanked up as he spat in her rough general direction. Luckily, no spit landed on her but she still felt like the most worthless being on Earth. Mia closed her eyes, she wanted nothing to do with the man beating her so violently. The sight of her shrinking pissed the man off even more. It seemed that nothing she could do would help her. Everything seemed to set Jason off even more. Mia heard the sound of air whooshing; a clear indicator that someone was going to punch her senseless once more. Mia squeezed her eyes shut and readied herself for the impact only for nothing to come. Instead, a loud pained groan echoed around her but it didn't leave her mouth. Opening her mouth, Mia was taken off guard. Another man loomed over Jason, a large fist wrapped around his neck as he was practically yanked away from her. Mia barely understood what was happening and it all seemed so sudden. Her eyes were blurry from shutting them for so long. All she understood was that someone else had butted in. There were loud swear words exchanged before the three people ran off. Jason gave her a long hard look, nothing but malice in his eyes. “The Williams won’t settle for anything less than death.” There it was. Jason’s words brought fear to Mia’s heart as she realized it truly wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t her bad luck that followed her everywhere. No. It was her ex boyfriend who wanted her head on a platter for some reason. She didn’t know what she had done wrong. Mia Stefano was innocent but people were recklessly cruel to her. The blurriness from Mia’s eyes started to dissipate and she soon realized that there wasn’t one man but there were two. The other man stood far away from her while the man closer to her simply retreated and walked out of the shop. “Are you alright?” The mystery man’s voice was deep as he stepped towards her. She was taken aback by how handsome he was. He was incredibly tall and he had to bend at the waist to reach his hand out to her. The man had jet black hair and a slight stubble on his angular face. He looked muscular but he wasn’t the man that had stopped Jason from punching her. This man was equally handsome as he was haggard. He looked tired and defeated. As if the entire worlds’ weight rested on his shoulders. “Yes. I think so,” The lie fell easily from Mia’s lips. It hurt her to even speak. Her abdomen erupted in a flare of pain with every breath she took. She was used to lying and dismissing her pain. No one ever took it seriously. Not when the person next to you had lethal stab wounds. A broken rib didn’t compare to that. “No. You’re clearly not,” The man didn’t seem as if he was talking to her. He appeared to be mumbling to himself. “She needs to be checked by a medical professional.” He didn’t wait a second and helped to lift Mia to her feet. Putting her down on her stool, he swiped at the side of her mouth where blood pooled from being smacked. The man helped her clean up. She was sure her ribs weren’t broken because she knew that pain all too well. This was mere bruising and Mia was aware of the protocol. No strenuous movement. That was it. Maybe apply an ice pack if one feels bougie. “How do you know the Williams Family? Did you cross their wrong side by any chance?” Mia wasn’t shocked to hear that he knew of them. The Williams Family were rich and powerful. Something she was surprised about because she was never sure why Andrew dated her in the first place. Mia knew this guy was rich too. He smelt like how rich people did. He had an aura about him too. “I was his ex. We dated for a short while. Before I went to prison…” The words left her mouth before she could stop herself but the man heard it soon enough. “What’s your name?” His tone was demanding and it took the young woman off guard. Why did he want to know? Was he after her too? She wasn’t sure who worked with Andrew Williams and she couldn't trust anyone so readily. Her guard was up. “Why do you want to know? Are you working with him too?” The fear was evident in her voice even though she tried to appear confident. “I swear. I don’t have anything against him. I just want to live a peaceful life. I don’t want to involve myself with him again.” A sarcastic laugh escaped the man but it came out weary. “I’d rather cut off my tongue then pledge my allegiance to those sick sons of bit- I’m the person who works against the William’s Family.” This got Mia’s attention and she peered closer at the man. “Who are you?” The man propped an eyebrow at her before shrugging. “My name is Lorenzo. Lorenzo Morino.” Mia’s heart skipped a beat because the name suited him perfectly. The man stepped back and that’s when she saw his eyes clearly. He looked practically defeated. His eyes were obscured in a darkness, something that she had seen in the mirror daily when she realized everyone had betrayed her. Her heart hurt immensely at the sight. The man walked away without a second glance back and Mia couldn’t help but follow him. She didn’t want to be alone in this place anywhere. Sending a quick text to Mikey, she locked the door behind her. It took her a few minutes but when she went to walk to her house, she realized Lorenzo was still there. There was no sign of the other man or any car in the vicinity. Lorenzo was merely sitting on a bench next to the gas station. Mia knew she had to repay the man somehow. She shouldn't trust anyone so easily but she needed to return the favor. “Do you have nowhere to go?” Lorenzo merely shook his head as he eyed the watch on his wrist. “It's too cold out here. You’ll freeze to death. Come with me.”