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“Once Felipe finds out you took her,” he continued, “he's going to be pissed at you. He will come after her.”
“Let him try!”
“Oh, he will,” Joseph affirmed indignantly.
I clenched my fists. “I will fucking murder him if he so much as looks at her again!”
It was then that I noticed everyone's eyes were on the staircase. I quickly turned my head, my gaze meeting Isabelle. She was uneasily shifting her weight back and forth on the bottom step, wearing a robe with her wet hair falling over her beautiful face. She timidly glanced around the room, then her eyes found mine.
“Um,” she mumbled, “can I talk to you for a moment please?”
“Of course,” I smiled, attempting to pretend nothing had happened upstairs.
She turned away, climbing the steps back toward the bedroom.
I spun to Joseph. “We will continue this. For now, please contact William and tell him to handle Jesse immediately before he comes here.” I spoke in Italian so Isabelle would not understand what I was saying.
Joseph nodded.
I ascended the stairs, skipping steps along the way. So much for being honest, but I wanted to make sure from this point on, she knew everything from me first. I sauntered with wide strides down the hallway, stepping into my bedroom. Quietly, I closed the door behind me.
Isabelle stood in front of the wide windows, facing the city with her arms folded over her stomach defensively. She held her robe tightly against her body even though it was tied. I did not take another step toward her. Instead, I exhaled deeply, lowering my eyes to the floor. Preparing a statement, I rehearsed in my head what I wanted to say.
“Isabel--,” I sighed.
“Who are you?” she questioned sharply without turning around to face me.
I slid my hands into my pockets, lurching to the middle of the room, remaining within her view. I knew she was studying my reflection and every move in the window. I wanted to play dumb, but I also knew at this point there was no use. In any other circumstance, I would have hidden my world from them. She had been exposed and there was no turning back now. I chose my response carefully.
“How much did you hear?” I mentally braced myself.
She spun to confront me, quietly murmuring, “All of it.” Taking a shallow breath, she snapped, “I don't give a crap about my boss!”
My eyes widened, “You speak Italian?!”
She shook her head, rolling her eyes, “I heard his name, so I figured you were speaking about him, however, I do know Spanish and sometimes can understand certain words.”
A sigh evaded my mouth, forgetting that she knew Spanish, but relieved she did not fully understand Italian.
“My only regret is that I cannot watch him die,” she continued, narrowing her eyes.
I bit my bottom lip, struggling to hide a slight smile. She had suddenly turned aggressive. I had to admit that I was amused and wickedly turned on by her confrontational demeanor.
She threw her hands in the air, gesturing to me. “But, what the hell, Valentino?! I'm in danger okay cool, but you are too!”
I cocked my head, wondering where she was going with her statement.
She pointed at the door, snapping, “What about them?”
“I am only worried about you, Isabelle.”
She sarcastically snorted. “Um, well you need to worry about more than just me!”
I cautiously approached her, placing my hands on her arms. Slowly, I ran my fingers up her arms. She relaxed mildly as I placed her arms around my waist. Leaning her head against my chest, she gave in to my touch as she exhaled a sigh of relief. Holding her tightly, I pulled her harder against my body. We were both silent for a moment before she finally spoke again.
“This is nice,” she admitted, “but it does not answer my question.” She tilted her head back, looking up at me.
My gaze lowered to hers. “Who am I?”
