Setting my luggage down    on the floor next to me, I glanced around the seemingly unattended    counter, hoping to see someone so I could finally get a room and get    some rest. Sadly, it seemed like the luck I had been having all day was    dead set on continuing, the throbbing in my feet only growing more    steady as I closed my eyes and rested my head on the cool surface in    front of me.

It was bad enough that    my flight here had been delayed, not to mention missing the shuttle I    was supposed to take from the airport to the hotel, the lack of    available taxi cabs had combined with the traffic from visiting   tourists  to make it nearly impossible to get anywhere.

Releasing a sigh, I   felt  lucky that I had arrived here at all, considering how bad my luck   at  been thus far. Heck, I was lucky my luggage had arrived with me at   all,  rather than some other country where I would never see it again!

I was just about to   fall  asleep on my feet when I heard someone let out a soft cough from   behind  me, causing me to jolt upright, wide awake and hand pressed to   my  chest. Seeing a middle aged man standing behind the counter looking    nervously behind me, I slowly turned around and gave a nervous laugh   at  the well dressed man as he glanced down at his expensive looking   watch  before looking back up at me.

"Will you be taking    long? I have a meeting to get to after I finish here." His bored tone    was at odds with the words he said, but nevertheless I felt bad at    having made him wait already for an unknown period of time.

"Please, go ahead of   me.  I don't mind waiting a little longer. I'll just go sit down for a    moment." Covering a yawn, I grabbed my suitcase and wheeled it over to    one of the loveseats in the waiting area, sitting down and letting my    head slowly sink into the overstuffed cushions as I let my eyes close    once more.

Hopefully they would    wake me up after they were done, but to be honest I didn't really care    much if they did or not, as long as I got to sleep somewhere indoors    tonight.

--------

"Signora, please wake    up. Your room is ready for you." A firm hand shook me by the shoulder,    jolting me awake for the second time in the same night.

"Huh? But I didn't   check  in yet..." My tired voice was barely audible to myself and I   found  myself wondering if the gentleman I could blearily see before me   was  even able to hear me. Reaching up I began rubbing my eyes tiredly,    trying to regain my focus as I peered at the middle-aged man from   before.

"Ah, do not worry. It's    already been handled. Please come this way." I gaped at him as he    motioned towards the young bellhop that had appeared and was slowly    walking to the elevator with my luggage in hand.

Struggling out of the    overstuffed couch that had been so comfortable to relax in, I only had    enough time to gasp out one question before having to rush towards the    now opening elevator doors, the bellhop glancing towards me as he got    ready to step inside.

"Who handled it?" I was almost to the elevator when I heard his reply trailing after me.

"Signor Luciano. He wanted to thank you for not holding him up on the way to his meeting."

--------

After waking up early    the next morning, I stood on the balcony of the room I had been given    and looked out at the sun as it rose over the horizon, my eyes still    burning from lack of sleep as I sipped at the mug of hot coffee.

I had two hours to wake    up, get dressed and be at the meeting with the client I had been sent   to  try and persuade to join in on a business venture. Of course, it   would  be easier if they had given me a little information about him   other than  "He's important" and "Don't screw this up" before sending me   on my way  to visit another country.

Just because I seemed   to  have a little luck dealing with people, they seemed to think it was    fine to just send my anywhere and everywhere, sometimes with as little    as 3 hours to get packed and to the airport before my plane took off    without me. Thankfully, I did not have any pets to worry about and my    apartment was close to the airport, since I had moved after the second    time I had nearly missed the plane after one of their "emergency    meetings" they had sent me to.

Heck, the only reason I    kept this job after all the stress they put me through was simply    because I loved to travel and they pay was good enough to stay a couple    days extra. As long as I closed the deal, they never argued with me    about letting me stay extra to enjoy my time there, knowing that if   they  did try to make me come back sooner that I would just find a new    company to work for. Most likely one of their enemies and they were too    smart to release their "sure-fire closer" to a group that would end  up   stealing clients from them.

Especially since most   of  their clients would just follow me anyhow. After all, even many of   them  claimed their companies luck went up when dealing with me. Me? I    disagreed with that thought. People might call it luck, but I believed    it was simply the hard work we all put into each dealing we had    together.

And that is why I refused to be late to this meeting.

--------

I walked into the empty    office, wondering where the gentleman I was supposed to be meeting  was.  I  wasn't late, if anything I was a few minutes early, but he  still  should  have been here. I mean, it was his office after all. Was  he  caught up  in traffic or something? I was just about to pull out my   phone and make a  call to the number I had been given, when I heard   voices in the  hallway, the occasional cheerful laugh carrying through   the partially  open door.

"It was my lucky day! Fantastico! Everything went perfecto!" One man's voice carried above the others as they neared the room.

Moments later, the door    swung open the rest of the way and a vaguely familiar figure was    standing before me, my finger tapping against my chin as I tried to    recall where I had seen him before. A fuzzy memory of last night popped    up a few seconds later, my eyes opening wide as I couldn't stop myself    from almost shouting.

"It's you! The guy from    the hotel last night! Thank goodness! I didn't think I would see you    again! I just wanted to thank you for setting up that wonderful room   for  me! The view from the balcony is so amazing! So really, thank you   so  much! Oh, but if you want, I can pay you back however much you paid   for  it! I don't mind because the room is totally worth however much   the  price is! I-" I was cut off by the sound of laughter from the men   behind  him, his own small chuckle making me blush at how good looking   he was  when he smiled like that.

"Signora, I do not  want   your money. But if you enjoy the room so much, stay an extra night  or   two in it and enjoy mio albergo. I am in a good mood today, so let us    get to business so I can go out and enjoy myself afterwards." An even    bigger smile appeared on his face, his perfect teeth almost shining in    the light from overhead, my heart giving an unexpected skip even if I    wasn't quite sure what he'd said at the end. My something, I think?

"S-sure, let's get down    to business!" I tried to hide my blush as I reached into my bag and    pulled out the relevant files for the meeting, praying I wouldn't look    like too much of a fool by the end.

--------

After making the call   to  let the company know the meeting with was a success, I went to take a   quick  shower and change into a more casual outfit for going out   sightseeing. I  planned to enjoy the next few days that I would be   staying here and  that meant getting to enjoy the local foods by finding   the places that  the locals actually ate at, not just the places that   were there to  attract tourists.

Stepping outside the   hotel, I took a deep breath of air, just catching the subtle scent of   the nearby ocean that was hidden by the buildings lining the streets for   several blocks before being halted by the boardwalk that followed the   sand like a barrier. Just the thought of the ocean being so close put  me  in the mood for lunch as I turned to follow the sidewalk that would   lead me closer to the deep blue ocean.

--------

Taking one last bite of   the fruit salad that had followed the small pasta dish I had ordered, I   leaned back in my seat and sighed, happily full of the amazingly good   meal I had enjoyed. I couldn't believe my luck at having found such an   amazing place, having come across this small cafe just as I was about  to  pass it by, the faded writing on the window only catching my eye as I   was about to cross the street to finish the last few blocks to the   beach.

Luckily my curiosity had   led me to enter, finding a small but adorable cafe inside that served a   variety of local foods in addition to some of the best coffee I have   every had. Standing up from my table, empty plates having been removed   by the young waiter who I guessed to be the owners son, I happily left   the money and a hefty tip behind before leaving with a cheerful wave to   the smiling family that ran the place and headed once more for the   beach.

--------

After a long day of   enjoying the beach and eating dinner in the same small diner as I'd had   lunch, I finally made my way back to the hotel, smiling as I entered  the  air conditioned interior. Seeing a small group of well-dressed men   huddled around Mr. Vargas, I paused for a moment before heading towards   the elevator, ready to head up to my room and take a nice relaxing  bath  before reading until I was ready to fall asleep for the night.

"Ah! Signora (y/n)! You're here!" I could hear Mr. Vargas call out to me as he saw me pass by.

Stopping in place, I sent him a curious look, turning to face him as I waited for him to continue.

"Sorry for bothering   you, I just wanted to thank you again for the hard work in closing the   deal earlier today. I have already had many profits come in from this   deal and it has not even been a full day since it happened. Never have I   had such good results from a single business endeavor." The charming   smile he sent me caught me off guard before he continued smoothly. "I   was wondering if I could treat you to a night out with me? Maybe a   couple of drinks and a bit of fun in one of the local casinos? I promise   to be on my very best behavior!"

The playful smile on his   face made me curious of what his usual behavior would be, beginning to   wonder if maybe he was the kind of guy I usually avoided spending time   with so as to avoid having my emotions played with. If not for the  worry  that refusal would impact the continued business dealings between  him  and the company, I would have said no simply to save myself the  trouble,  but with that concern in mind I soon found myself slowly  nodding to  him.

"Very well, but please   allow me to shower and change first before we head out?" So much for my   luxurious bath and time spent reading the novel I had been wanting to   finish during this vacation.

"Perfecto! I shall await   your return, bella signora." His smile seemed a bit too cheerful as he   watched me walk to the elevator, eyes not leaving me even as the doors   closed and blocked me from his view.

--------

I felt a bit awkward   sitting next to Luciano, but he had requested that I stay close 'for my   safety and his peace of mind' since I was his guest tonight. It  wouldn't  be so bad if he didn't brush up against my side every time he  reached  out for a new card at the Black Jack tables or had me blow on  the dice  'for luck' at the Craps table, grinning victoriously each time  he got a  good card or a lucky roll.

It had been fun at   first, I had to admit, playing the various games as we moved from table   to table but I had never had that much luck with games of chance. Now  it  was nearing 1 in the morning and I told him I needed to get some  rest,  the look on his face changing from one of glee to one of  surprise.  Gathering his winnings from the table, he led us over to the  exchange  counter and turned the chips in for cash. Accepting the  currency back  from the lady on the other side of the desk, he turned  and tried to hand  half to me, his eyes widening at my immediate refusal  of the large  amount of money.

"Thanks but I don't need   the money. I was only playing for fun and I didn't win at anything. My   personal luck at these things is horrible, but sometimes it's just fun   to take a chance and roll the dice. Besides, it's not like I actually   did anything to earn a share of your money. Unless you count the past   few hours of me breathing on dice for you and keeping a hand on your   arm." The unexpectedly cute blush that appeared on his cheeks was almost   worth the past few hours of moving from table to table, watching as he   tested his luck at the different games this casino offered.

The arm thing had been   the result of me confronting him about the constant brushing up against   me, him actually blushing a bit as he admitted that he considered me to   be good luck for him tonight, since his winnings were much higher than   usual for him or so he claimed. Although I didn't believe in such  things  as luck, I'd still just sighed softly and agreed to keep a  more...  comfortable level of contact with him to satisfy his need for  some  harmless idea of good fortune that he had attached to me in his  mind.  It's not like it was new for someone to consider me lucky.

Being the gentleman that   he was, Luciano proceeded to walk me back to the hotel, not leaving my   side until I was once more shielded from his sight by the elevator  doors  closing between us. I barely managed to catch the soft words he   whispered to me before the doors cut him off.

"Buonanotte , mia signora fortuna."

--------

After enjoying the   feeling of waking up slowly in a soft, well made bed, I soon found   myself wandering the streets outside as I looked through the windows of   various shops to see if anything caught my eye. I already had a few   small bags in on hand, small souvenirs to share with the handful of   people I considered to be real friends, mostly people I had met through   work that just seemed to click on some level or another.

It was my way of showing   them that they mattered to me, taking the time to find something that   reminded me of them, some personality trait they had or some memory we   shared from the various times we would meet up and just spend some time   catching up on life. Of course, sometimes I would pick up something  for  myself to remind me of the fun I would have before leaving whatever   place I was sent to for work, but only if I saw something that really   captured the feeling of the place.

Usually I just took lots of pictures the last day or two I was there.

--------

Sitting in the diner   once more, I enjoyed the small talk I was having with the owner's son,   the room mostly empty of customers at this time of the day. I had   already been given permission to take a few pictures of the place and   was asking the boy if he knew any other places that I should check out   before I left for home tomorrow.

I had to admit, the   thoughtful look on his face was rather cute and if he was just a few   years older, I would likely be quite happy to respond to the occasional   flirtatious words he sent my way. Sadly, he was just a bit too young  for  me to feel comfortable doing so, even if I did see his dad send him  an  encouraging nod and a thumbs up earlier on.

Smiling and giving him a   hug, during which I did my best to ignore the not quite subtle attempt   of his to give my backside a squeeze since I figured I wasn't coming   back here anyhow after this, I thanked him for the information and left   as soon as I had finished paying for the meal. I figured I would try   someplace new for dinner tonight, hoping to find something a bit less   casual to see what one of the fancier restaurants in town might have to   offer.

Until then, I would snap   pictures and see what there was to find in this town, having already   put my purchases back in my room before having headed to the cafe for   lunch. Time to enjoy myself.

--------

This place was amazing!   Sure I'd felt the need to go back to my room and change into something   more formal before daring to head inside the place, but it had been  more  than worth it! The elegantly carved woodwork, the exquisite  paintings,  the soft music playing in the background, even the  mouthwatering smells  that carried across the room and had me eager to  taste the things that  were taunting my nose with their aroma, it all  added together  harmoniously to create a place that was pleasing to all  the senses.

I happily followed the   waiter as he led me to a seat near on of the windows, a view of the   ocean waves caressing the beach visible through the clear glass.   Everything was perfect so far and I accepted the menu offered me with a   smile, a small blush tinting the waiters cheeks as he almost stumbled   over his offer of wine.

Giving a soft laugh and   another smile, I gently refused the offer, asking instead for a simple   glass of ice water to cool my parched throat from spending too much  time  in the sun shopping today. Watching him hurry to the back room for  a  moment, I soon turned to the menu and began flipping pages, quickly   realizing the one problem I had in my endeavor to attain sustenance.

I couldn't read Italian...

"Ahh, would you like me   to translate the menu for you, mia bella (y/n)?" I almost jumped out of   my seat when I heard the voice come from next to my ear, turning  quickly  to see Mr. Vargas step back to sit down at the next table over,  an  overly friendly smile on his face as he watched me. How long had he  been  watching me? "Ah, I am most sorry. I did not mean to startle you.  I  just happened to see you struggling with the menu."

The look on his face was   not quite what I would call sorry, looking more pleased with himself   than anything else. More worrisome than that however, was the little   voice in the back of my head wondering just how this had come to pass.   Sure I could believe that he would come to a restaurant like this often,   since he seemed to have more than enough money if I went based on the   high end clothing and expensive accessories he wore.

But for him to just   happen to come here tonight? At the same time as I came here? And to   find me among all the people crowding this place? I had waited in line   to get in here and I know I didn't see him in that line anywhere, so how   had he managed to get in here so quickly? Or was he already here when I   arrived? But wouldn't he be eating already if that was the case?

It didn't help that I   had felt watched all afternoon, something I had been able to pass off as   simple paranoia from being in another city, another country that my   own, simply being looked at for acting like the tourist I was for once   with my camera out and taking pictures every so often. Now I began   wondering just how much was simple paranoia and how much was me actually   being followed. I could feel my heart begin racing with fear, any  trace  of a smile gone from my face in an instant.

"No need, I've lost my   appetite. Goodbye Mr. Vargas." Getting up, I walked out of the   restaurant and headed back to the hotel, any desire I'd had for food   long gone.

I could almost feel his   eyes following me the whole way to the distant hotel, fighting the  urge  to shiver every so often. Maybe I should just order room service  after  packing everything up so I could leave early tomorrow morning...  At this  point, I just wanted to be home again, where I didn't have to  worry  about being followed.

It really didn't help   that I could still smell his cologne lingering where he had touched my   hair when he'd been offering to translate, swearing he'd been trying to   smell me of all things, even after taken a shower to try and get rid of   the smell.

--------

Yawning tiredly, I   pulled my luggage behind me as I exited the plane, hating the feeling of   jet lag that always seemed to hit me after every flight. It was bad   enough I had ended up unable to find all of my stuff as I packed, angry   and slightly frightened at the idea of someone having somehow gotten   into my room while I was out.

At least nothing really   important or valuable was missing, although I had been sad to see my   favorite ring gone, always taking it off when I went to bed at night   since I didn't want the small gemstone to catch on the fabric and come   loose. It wasn't expensive, but it had held years of memories in that   one ring. Even now I couldn't stop rubbing at the bare spot, the small   pale line of where the ring had been standing out against the tan I had   gotten spending two days wandering along the beach in Italy.

At least tomorrow I   could sleep in, not due in for work until the day after since the last   time they had made me come in the day after a flight... Well, let's just   say it wasn't pretty. Some of my coworkers still flinched for a while   each time I came back from one of my trips, taking a few hours to relax   around me.

Luckily for them, I   usually only took a trip once every few weeks, doing most of my work   either online and through the phone or with local customers that I could   meet up with in the city. Although, I think I will ask my boss to  avoid  sending me back to Italy for a while or having me work on  anything to  do with Mr. Vargas.

Frowning at the thought   of ever having to see Luciano Vargas again, I gave my luggage a harsh   tug and continued through the airport, the people around me clearing a   path as they saw the scowl on my usually pleasantly smiling face and   choose to avoid crossing my path.

I couldn't help the   small chill I felt every time I saw some Italian man dressed in a suit   as I hurried through the airport but I refused to even consider that he   would bother doing something as crazy as sending someone to watch me. I   mean, that would just be insane of him to do. Nobody would go that far   just for someone they'd only met for the first time a few days ago,   right?

Right?

--------

Reaching out a hand,   fingertips brushed against the fabric of the dress (y/n) had worn that   night in the restaurant, Luciano's lips curving upwards for a moment   before turning down again. Turning swiftly, he exited the room that was   filled with various items he had 'collected' from her before she left   and closed the hidden door, locking it securely before heading   downstairs into the meeting he was holding.

"Tell me everything you   know about (y/n), where she grew up, her likes and dislikes,  everything.  And then pray that what you found out is enough to satisfy  me until I  can meet up with her." With a sinister smile he picked up  one of the  small collection of photos laying on the table, staring at  the young  lady caught in the image as she was looking at something  hidden outside  the frame, a gentle smile on her face.

"You will be mine,   sooner than you realize (y/n)." Placing the picture of his obsession   inside his jackets pocket, Luciano turned to the others in the room with   a cold expression, light catching on the gem of the ring that barely   fit his slim pinky finger. "Report!"

--------

The feeling of being   constantly watched was even stronger now than it had been the day after   returning home. Every so often I would catch a glimpse of a seemingly   familiar face from the corner of my eyes but as soon as I turned to   look, they were gone and I was left staring at an empty space in the   crowds. Other times it would be an almost restless feeling that I needed   to move from where I was, getting up and walking away from the area  but  if I turned around at the right moment, sometimes I would see  someone  looking down at where I had been sitting with a smile. I was  always too  far away by then to see who it was but it left me feeling  too unnerved  to go back there.

I had no place left that   I felt secure anymore. Even work had become a place that drove the   paranoia I felt even higher, the new employee making me nervous every   time I heard his Italian accent. What was worse was how my own home had   become a source of stress for me, especially after finding that camera   in the bedroom when I saw some light reflect off the screen while   changing one morning.

I'd taking to grabbing   my clothes I would wear and heading to random places to change, the   nearby convenience stores and fast food joints becoming used to seeing   me use their bathrooms for changing, especially after I explained what   happened and how the police had just brushed it off and refused to   actually do their job.

It didn't help that I   had a feeling they had been paid off, watching as they had climbed into   their shiny new cars with their leather interiors.

--------

"You're what?" My boss couldn't look more panicked as I took everything out of my desk and put it into a box.

"I'm moving. And no, I   am not going to tell you where I am going or leave you a way to contact   me. You're lucky I'm telling you anything, rather than simply vanishing   without a word." Grabbing the last item from the bottom drawer of my   desk, I froze for a moment when I saw the new hire watching me from the   corner of his eyes. "I.. I need to go... Now..."

Picking up my box I   rushed to the elevator, a chill running down my spine as I saw the new   hire on their phone, texting someone while they glanced between me and   their phone. As I watched, they lifted the device and smiled at me, the   flash of their phone's camera going off just before the elevator doors   shut. Each floor I passed on the way down had me feeling that much more   frightened that something bad was going to happen when I got to the   bottom.

Finding the main lobby empty when I got out of the elevator somehow made everything even more terrifying.

--------

I couldn't stop my hands   from shaking as I sat in the back seat of the taxi, watching the   streets pass by like I expected to see Luciano appear at any moment.   Every red light was time I spent trying to keep my heart from exploding   in my chest as I almost waited for the door to be flung open and him to   reach in and pull me out of the car.

I almost couldn't   believe it when the driver finally pulled up in front of the airport,   barely an left hour to check in and get to the right bay to catch my   flight, a process that usually took at least half an hour to an hour due   to all the safety procedures set up to keep terrorists off the  flights.  Sadly, it didn't seem to keep Luciano's men out of the country  and away  from me.

Finally making my way to   the front of the line I had nervously waited in, I showed the lady   working the desk my ticket, explaining my nervousness as wanting to get   away from a guy who 'didn't know how to take no for an answer' and  going  to stay with a friend in another country for a while. It wasn't  exactly  a lie, since a friend I had, had offered to let me stay at his  house until I found a place  of my own.

Hopefully I would be  able to hide in the crowds of tourists and Luciano wouldn't expect me to  escape someplace so close to him instead of running as far away as I  can.

--------

Stepping out of the  airport, I let out a sigh of relief into the warm summer air, surrounded  by tourists and citizens alike as I moved with the crowd. I was  determined not to let myself be found, even if somehow Luciano did  manage to find what country I had gone to. Surely I would be safe if I  could keep from standing out too much, wearing the most average outfit I  could find for this trip as I did my best to blend in.

Pulling my luggage  behind me once more, I hurried towards the tall brunette male that send a  worried smile at me as he opened the trunk, lifting my suitcase inside  as he motioned for me to get into the car quickly.

--------

"So how did you manage  to get a stalker after you?" He asked softly, setting his empty teacup  down after having spent the past 15 minutes quietly staring at me and  taking small sips.

"I wish I knew so I  could make sure never to do it again..." I didn't even bother to lift my  head, my cheek resting against my arms as I slouched over the dining  table.

Another few minutes of silence passed before I felt his hand begin rubbing circles on my back.
Looking up finally, I met his gentle brown eyes and gave him a grateful smile.

"Don't worry (y/n),  everything will be alright. I'm here for you and I'm not going to let  some crazy guy hurt you." Somehow, all my worries washed away at his  words, a warmth filling me as I smiled up at my friend.

For the first time since I'd left Italy, I felt protected. I felt safe.

--------

"No... No, no, no! NO!"  My screams filled the air as I collapsed to the floor, the smell of  blood mixing with the cleaning supplies I'd used to mop that same floor  just a few hours before. A single beam of light filtering down from the  overhead window reflected off a pair of polished leather shoes before  Luciano stepped aside to avoid the growing pool of blood.

"Now (y/n). This is your  own fault, you know. None of this would have happened if you had not  tried to run away from me and into the arms of another man. After all,  you should have known I would do anything to have you." Leaning down, he  pulled me away from the body of my friend and into his arms. "After  all, who would pass up a chance at having their own personal Lady Luck  at their side?"

I didn't even have the  energy left to struggle, tears trailing down my cheek as I felt him run  his fingers through my hair. Holding me against his side, he began  leading me to the door, softly humming for a moment before he began to  quietly whisper the words of an old song into my ear.

"I've got the whole world, in my hand."