I’m too distracted to notice the pulsing red light of the camera in the corner.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
I freeze in place as a familiar, sultry voice suddenly crackles into the room through the AV system.
Isabella Natali chuckles in response. “I thought you were smarter than this, Teo.”
8
ISABELLA
Ihad honestly expected it to take weeks for the Guild to make their move.
In fact, I’d almost gone out for dinner instead of wasting another evening in front of my laptop, monitoring every branch of the Prince’s Guild.
There were others who switched out with me during the day, handing me reports of the general comings and goings with an impressive lack of boredom.
But seeing the look on Teo Vitale’s face was entirely worth all those grueling hours of monitoring nothing at all.
On my monitor, three men desperately look around the maintenance office for the camera, finally finding it tucked in the corner.
“If you wanted to get my attention, you could have just asked for my number,” I purr into the microphone.
There’s a slight delay before my words reach them. I know the moment they do, because Teo relaxes back into his chair as if he doesn’t have a care in the world.
“I’m assuming you can hear me?” he replies, a little louder than necessary.
“I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to hear those dulcet tones again,” I flirt back.
Across from me, one of the other IT technicians gives me a thumbs-up, a phone pressed to his ear.
Good. Backup has been notified.
On the screen, Teo smirks to himself. “Did you want something, Isabella?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“I’m a very rich man, Natali. Can’t blame me for finally wanting to blow off a bit of steam at a casino.”
I don’t let him hear my laugh. “Usually, our patrons don’t find themselves wandering through the basement.”
“Perhaps I’m feeling a little lost.”
I hum thoughtfully. “Well, maybe I could show you around sometime.”
“I suppose it’s the least you could do. I saved your life, after all.”
I don’t miss the way the other men in the room glance back at Teo in confusion. I realize one of them is Dante. The man that caught me at the wedding. Interesting…
“I think you’ll find that my life debt has already been paid,” I correct him.
A glance at the screen tells me I have three more minutes.
“First I’m hearing of it.”
“Leon was about to start a war to get me back,” I explain, taking my time not to rush my words. “You’re lucky I was there to calm him down. Otherwise, your head would probably be on a spike right now.”
“Why, Isabella. I didn’t know you cared.”
