Lia arrived at the bistro visibly shaken.  From anyone else the encounter on the elevator may have been rude and off putting, but there was an undercurrent of menace with Eric.  She wasn’t just freaked out, she was scared.

Mimi saw the distressed look on Lia’s face as she walked in the door.  “Lia, what’s wrong?”  Lia sat at the table and recounted her interaction on the elevator with her neighbor.  Lia hadn’t realized that she was shaking like a leaf until Mimi mentioned it.

“Oh, honey you’re shaking!  Let me go back to that building and see that motherfucker.  He’s gonna get these paws Brooklyn style!”

“I don’t want to go back there right now! Let’s just wait a little bit.  I don’t want to see that man again”.

“Okay, sweetie.  We’ll wait”.

**************************************

In his apartment Eric was pacing and berating himself.  “You SCARED her, you IDIOT!”  He shouted.  “You’re never going to win her over if she’s AFRAID of you!”  He began violently slapping his forehead.  “You have to figure out how to fix this”.  

Eric continued to pace.  How could he have been so stupid.  He was too aggressive with her, he just lost his cool when he saw that ring on her finger.  How could she say yes to that bastard?!  She’s mine.  She’s meant to be mine!  He picked up a glass sitting on an end table in his living room and threw it against a wall.

“Eric!  This is why she’s afraid of you.  You don’t know how to control your emotions”.  He said to himself.  “Get a hold of yourself and think.  How do we win her back?”

He suddenly stopped his pacing and smiled.  He knew just what to do.

*****************************************

Mimi and Lia walked back to the apartment building about an hour later.  Lia had lost her appetite, but still bought a sandwich because she didn’t like the thought of sitting in the little restaurant taking up space without buying something.

As they waited for the elevator, Mimi noticed that Lia was wringing her hands nervously.  She’d never seen her this out of sorts.  Even when that idiot Shawn Pettway harassed her at school, she never gave him the satisfaction of showing any nervousness or fear.  Mimi was livid.  She knew Lia didn’t want another interaction with that creep, but Mimi had hoped that fucker was on the elevator when it opened.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on which of the two women you asked) he was not on the elevator.  Lia had relaxed a bit, but she was still shaken up.  Mimi but her arms around her friend and pressed her head against hers.

They walked into the apartment to find Dom, Giovanni, Giuseppi, and Gianni in the living room watching a ball game.

“Hey darl-”, Dominic began before he saw the stricken look on her face.  “What happened, baby?”

“She ran into that creepy dude on the elevator again.  He grabbed her arm and was inappropriate with her, in general”.

“Sorellina(little sister) who is this guy and where can we find his ass. I can guarantee he won’t be ‘inappropriate’ with you again”, said Gianni.  He was the least volatile of her three brothers, but where family was concerned, especially his little sister, he quickly came out of character.

Lia could see a muscle begin to work in Dom’s jaw.  “He put his hands on you?”.  Dominic was still and speaking softly...not a good sign.  He was a hairs breadth from losing it.  “Do you know what floor he’s on?”

Both women shook their heads.  They knew he lived on the 24th floor; they remembered that from the time they were on the elevator with him.  Neither of them saw the wisdom in setting four angry men on the path to catching a case.

Dominic walked over to Lia and pulled her into his chest.  He was beyond angry and if he saw the guy he was going to work out some aggression on his ass; no one puts their hands on the woman he was currently holding in his arms without getting handled.

Dominic placed his finger under Lia’s chin and lifted her head so that she was looking into his eyes.  “I will NEVER let anyone get away with hurting you.  EVER.  I know you and I know you don’t want me to take this matter into my own hands, but I will see that guy about this.  Trust me”.

“And if he DOESN’T, your fratelli(brothers) WILL put hands on that fucker”, Gio said, angrily.  The other two Mariani brothers nodded in agreement.

“I don’t want any of you getting in trouble for doing something crazy”.  Lia said wearily.  “I’ll just make sure to stay clear of him from now on”.  

Mimi shook her head vigorously.  “This guy is obsessed, Li.  He’ll find a way to feed that obsession.  I’m not trying to scare you, sweetie, but we need to be proactive here.  I’m gonna call Ellis later tonight and see what he suggests”.

Ellis was Mimi’s cousin.  He was a police officer and would definitely be able to advise them on what their options were.

Dominic would do whatever it took.  He never wanted to see the woman he loved with that look of fear on her face again.