AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She laughed. “So you think.”
As soon as I came within a hundred yards, the powerful outdoor floodlights snapped on, highlighting every single inch of the property. I noticed she leaned forward, gripping the dashboard.
After parking, I cut the engine, taking a deep breath then grabbing the flashlight from the glove compartment. Her breath skipped as my arm brushed across her leg. The damn current remained the same, jolting through me like a live wire. I had to find a way to fight my attraction. “Wait here. I mean it. Do not move until I return.”
“I thought you said it was safe.”
I wasn’t going to belabor the point that nowhere in the world was one hundred percent safe. There was some credence to keeping her in the States, taken to a location I had full control of. The Russians were at a disadvantage on US soil. At least that’s what I’d initially thought. Right now, I wasn’t certain of anything. I left the rifle, but removed my Glock from the holster, taking cautious steps toward the front door.
I’d reinforced the windows and locks, but that didn’t mean some asshole hadn’t carved his way inside. After unlocking it, I slowly opened the door, immediately shining the flashlight inside. Nothing appeared to have been disturbed since I’d left it only ten days before, heading to DC to argue about my pension. Who knew I’d be flagged down? I flicked on the light, moving from room to room, checking windows and looking in closets. Nothing had changed. I returned to the living room and Isabella was standing in the doorway.
“What did I tell you?” I snapped.
“You said it was safe.”
“You don’t follow directions very well. Go sit down while I get the bags.”
Her body language fit her demeanor, stilted. I wasn’t used to anyone not following my orders, the precarious situation making her even more difficult to handle. As I walked outside, I tried to remind myself that she’d been through a terrible ordeal, but the hard-nosed streak running through her wasn’t going to be erased. She reminded me a little of myself after I’d enlisted. I remained surprised to this day I hadn’t been kicked out on a half dozen occasions.
But tender loving care wasn’t a possibility.
I jerked the items from the trunk, grabbing the rifle then locking the Mustang’s doors. I’d hide it in the small shed later, but right now, I wanted to get her settled. Hell, I needed to catch a few hours of sleep myself.
I tossed the bags inside, immediately locking the doors. “Help yourself to the bathroom down the hall. There’s food and drinks in the kitchen. I’ll take you to your bedroom later.”
Isabella stared at me, refusing to acknowledge what I’d said. If this was the game to be played, then so be it.
I moved to the fireplace, grabbing a couple pieces of wood and some kindling. The woodpile was stocked, at least enough until morning broke. She stood huddling with her arms crossed, watching me as I started a fire.
“Don’t you want to know why?” she asked out of the blue.
“Why what?”
“Why I act the way I do?”
Was she looking for admonishment? Did she expect, even want me to pull off my belt, tanning her bottom? Why did it seem like she needed to confess her sins? I wasn’t the best person to do that with.
“None of my business.”
“Yes, it is,” she said softly. “At least you said so.”
I waited until the fire was started before standing, turning around to face her. She was one of the most brilliant minds in the country, her IQ somewhere just over two hundred. She’d entered college at fourteen, graduating in two years, heading to medical school with two degrees under her belt. Her first highly respected white paper was at twenty. She’d been privileged her entire life, growing up in the Hamptons, never knowing a single day of strife, yet the woman standing in front of me was almost childlike at this moment. It was fleeting, something I had to keep in mind, but as much as she needed punishment, the pain providing the same kind of relief I understood, she also needed encouragement.
Fuck me.
I wasn’t equipped to handle this. Hell, there were times I couldn’t fight the demons threatening to control my life. The angst in her tone helped me realize the terror of what she was going through had shoved her into a crossroads, speeding traffic headed her way.
“Why, Isabella?”
She laughed, as if what she was about to say was trivial. Her answer wasn’t what I’d expected. In fact, it almost gutted me.
“Because my father is responsible for the death of my sister.”
CHAPTER5
Isabella
I’d never told anyone about my secret, a belief I’d had since I was very young. Why I’d blurted it out as if it was some push for acceptance or maybe forgiveness I didn’t know. Maybe it was because he was the first man who’d showed real interest in me for years.
