Today is the day I meet Amil.

I have no idea what to expect. Jake reassures me he can help with Trevor and the stalker, but I'm not confident. From what I've heard, Amil is a dangerous man. Do I want to deal with two dangerous men with more danger? I figure I'll meet him first before making a decision. Meeting the man Jake is involved in can't end too badly, right? Jake drives over to the other side of town. He keeps checking his rearview mirror every couple of minutes and it begins to spark my paranoia. "Are we being followed?" I ask him with a slight panic in my voice.

"Not that I know of. I'm making sure it stays that way," Jake responds. When we begin approaching a derelict area, he throws a blindfold in my direction. It lands in my lap and I stare down at it with a questionable look on my face. "What is this for?" I ask him.

"Amil's orders. He wants you to put it on so you don't know where we're going." Jake says before glancing over at me apologetically. His posture is rigid and he's been quiet all morning. Is he worried about my initial meeting with Amil? "Does he really expect me to wear this?" I ask before lifting the blindfold. "Yeah," Jake tells me quietly. He grips the steering wheel a little tighter with frustration and I release a sigh of defeat.

"Okay, sure. I'll put it on." I say quietly. I wrap the blindfold around me and everything turns dark. Nerves begin to bubble away in the pit of my stomach. "Can you tell me more about him?" I ask Jake. I feel like I'm being walked into the unknown, and it would be nice to have more information on the man I'm about to meet. "He's one of the most powerful men in the city." Jake begins. My throat dries out with nerves, and I feel my palms beginning to grow clammy. Jake reaches out to place a reassuring hand on my knee. I can sense his nerves despite being blindfolded."I want you to listen to me carefully, okay?" Jake begins.

"Okay," I whisper, wondering what he's about to tell me. "Amil is a dangerous man with dangerous amounts of power. I want you to let me do most of the talking. Don't speak unless he asks you a question. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand. Am I in danger?"

"No. I won't let anything bad happen to you, I swear. You trust me, right?" Jake asks before giving my thigh a gentle squeeze. "Yeah, I trust you." My heart thuds ferociously inside my chest, and I take several deep breaths to remain calm.

"I'm bringing you to Amil because he can help. He has connections all over the city, so we can find out who your stalker is before he gets a chance to hurt you. We'll find out whether he's linked to Trevor, and if he is, we're going to deal with it. We can't fight this alone which is why we need outside help." Jake says to me. His words are spoken in an icy tone that causes a shiver to run down my spine. I don't respond with words, but I nod once to let him know I hear him.

"This is all going to be over soon," Jake tells me in an attempt to subside my anxiety. It doesn't work. He keeps driving for twenty minutes before the car rolls to a slow stop. I wipe my hands on my jeans before exhaling a deep breath. Amil sounds like a paranoid man, which means he's done things to warrant being paranoid. Jake steps out of the car before walking round to the passenger side. He helps me out of my seat before snaking an arm around my waist to guide me.

"Follow me," Jake murmurs down my ear. I can't see anything, but the smell of damp and sewage is overpowering. My nose turns up in disgust, and I wonder whether Amil asked to meet me here to deter me away from his usual hang out spot. I feel Jake stop in his tracks before knocking on a door. He knocks three times before leaning down and banging his fists in the corner of the door. The two sounds are totally different and I hold my breath with curiosity. Is he knocking in code?

The sound of the door clanging open causes me to jump. I shuffle closer to Jake while wishing I wasn't blindfolded. Having my sight taken away from me makes me feel incredibly vulnerable, but I figure that's what Amil wants. Jake is greeted by a deep male voice before I feel him guide me inside. The warmth of the building I'm in hits me, and I hear music playing in the distance. The music grows louder with every step we take. Jake leans down until his lips are aligned with my ear.

"Almost there, Wentworth. Remember what I told you." Jake murmurs. I can hardly hear him through my heartbeat thumping in my ears. I'm guided through to a different room, and the scent of thick smoke hits me. Jake stands behind me before slowly removing the blindfold. I blink several times as my vision adjusts to the lighting in the room.

The room is dimly lit, and it mainly consists of a bar area and a large snooker table. There's a leather couch pushed up against the wall and a man is sitting on it. He's wearing a jet black suit that matches the colour of his hair. His beard is trimmed meticulously and not a single hair is out of place. His dark hair is swept back and gelled into place. He looks polished, groomed and well presented. He's holding a cigar in one hand and a glass in the other. From the intense stare he's throwing my way, I figure this is Amil.

My gaze travels down to a small object sitting beside him on the couch. It's a gun. A small gasp slips through my lips, and I don't know why I didn't prepare myself to see a gun. I've never seen one in person before and the sight of it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I shouldn't have agreed to meet Amil. I take a small step back and my eyes grow wide with uncertainty.

"Jake," Amil nods in Jake's direction. Jake clears his throat before walking toward Amil. He shakes his hand in greeting before dropping down on the sofa beside him. Amil silently hands him a cigarette and Jake lights it before taking a drag on it. I stare at the interaction between the two men. Jake looks incredibly comfortable in Amil's presence, and it suddenly dawns on me that this is the world he's accustomed to. Jake Melvin belongs here.

I tear my eyes off Jake before noticing a second guy standing in the corner by the snooker table. I was so distracted by Amil, I didn't notice him at first. He's holding a pool cue, and he offers me the second one with a cute lopsided smile. "Do you play?" He asks me. I shake my head in protest before exhaling a deep breath. "No." I whisper in response. Amil's voice cuts through the silence in the room. "You'll have to excuse him. It's been a long time since we've had such a pretty girl here."

His words stir up the contents of my stomach. I turn to look at him, and the predator-like gaze in his eyes makes me feel overwhelmed with nausea. Coming here was a mistake. I feel like a piece of meat hung up in a den of hungry lions. He suddenly stands from his seat before walking toward me. I hold my breath in fear as he grows closer and closer. His expensive cologne fills my senses, and I resist the urge to scrunch my nose up at the overbearing scent.

"What is your name?" Amil asks me while his eyes drift up and down my body. "Emily," I whisper, hating that I sound so weak right now. Vulnerable, scared and intimidated. That's me. "Pretty thing suits you much better," Amil says with a humoured smirk plastered on his face. "My name is Emily," I correct him. His dark eyes blaze at my sudden confidence, and he tilts his head to the right to study me.

"Are you scared right now, Emily?" Amil asks me in a lowered tone. He takes another step toward me until he's invading my personal space. If he moves another inch closer, his body will be touching me and I feel sick at the thought of that happening. I hear Jake clear his throat from the other side of the room, and Amil slowly takes a step back. He still doesn't give me enough space to make it feel like I'm breathing my own air.

"You don't need to be scared. You are a friend of Jake's, which means you are a friend of mine." Amil smiles at me. His smile isn't displayed with good intentions. His smile is filled with secrets, lies and uneasiness. I remain silent and wait until I'm asked a question before I respond. I want to speak as little as possible to Amil. I want him to know as little as possible about me.

"You are in danger. Am I wrong?" Amil questions me before reaching out his hand. He loosely wraps my hair around his fingers before dropping it. The action causes disgust to crawl through me and I take another step away from him. I suddenly feel the need to shampoo twice, maybe three times to get rid of his touch.

My eyes drift over to Jake's. He's sitting on the couch while showing no emotion on his face. He holds the cigarette in his hand, but he makes no attempt to smoke it. His fist is clenched tightly on his free hand and his jaw is razor sharp. He looks like he's fighting the urge to show his true emotions. My eyes connect with his before filling with disappointment. He shouldn't have brought me here. Jake should know me well enough to know I don't want any part in Amil's world. I want to run away from the danger, not run toward it. I've spent so long of my life being scared without choice. Now that I have a choice, I choose to remain safe. I know Jake thinks he's doing the right thing for me, but this is all wrong.

Amil may be able to help me with my situation, but I dread to think what I have to do for him in return. Working for a man like him guarantees signing off some aspect of freedom.

"No. I'm not in danger. I appreciate your willingness to help, but I'm going to leave now." I say to Amil. Did Jake ever question what I would have to surrender for Amil's protection? I don't want to spend my life in debt to a man like him. My words take him by surprise, and his dark brows knit together with confusion. He turns to look at Jake with a questionable look on his face. Before he has a chance to speak to me, I turn to walk out of the room. Before I leave, I glance over my shoulder to look directly at Amil.

"As far as I'm concerned, I was never here. You don't have to worry about me telling anybody about this. I know when I need to keep my mouth shut," I say firmly before walking out of the door. I keep walking through hallways that are dimly lit until I reach an exit door. I release the chain and lock before pulling it open.

I don't wait for Jake. I walk away from the darkness and danger, which means I walk away from him. I keep walking until I find a bus stop. I keep walking until I'm safely back at Jake's house. I keep walking until I'm in my bedroom with the door securely shut. I climb into bed to immerse myself in the comfort of my bed sheets. I curl up into a ball while fighting the urge to cry.

All I want is to feel safe and protected. Is that so much to ask?