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This is hell.
“I’m not a part of the operation,” I repeat lamely.
But Drago is done with me. “You are now.”
21
RICARDO
She went to visit Drago alone.
Into the den of the goddamn beast after we talked about it, and she only took one guard and a driver.
What the fuck is she thinking? She’s not prepared to deal with Drago on her own. Especially not in his house. Did she even think of taking a gun? What about some kind of surveillance? Does she have men with her?
Anxious thoughts bully my psyche the entire drive through the city. There’s more traffic than usual, a universal twist designed to piss me the fuck off and make my bad mood even worse. Not a bad mood, I correct. Worry. Pure gut-wrenching worry for whatever Isabella is going through right at this moment.
Drago is the type of sick fuck who will play mind games before she is even aware of being bullied. Or worse, he’ll have his brutes from the night before take her back into the living room and follow my lead right there on the rug.
I’ve got my phone open, and the screen shows a small green dot to mark her location. It hasn’t moved in the past ten minutes while I navigate traffic; the other drivers on the road are determined to keep me downtown.
My gut churns incessantly in time with the thoughts battering my brain. She has no idea. She’s an innocent, trapped in a situation, and now she’s out there today to try to prove she can handle it?
I know she can handle herself.
She’s not the problem here.
Drago is the problem, the wild card.
The phone vibrates in the holder and I glance down, stopped at a red light, in time to see the small green dot start to shift across the screen. My eyes bulge, pain shooting through to the back of my skull. She’s on the move.
The light turns green and I slam my foot down on the gas, the car shooting off with a screech of tires and smoke. She’s on the move faster than I bargained for, the car no doubt speeding down the driveway and out toward the exit to the cul de sac.
I change direction at the last minute and end up plowing through a stop sign, flashing my middle finger at the harmonization of three different car horns.
Shit. I can’t afford to lose my cool right now. Not when blowing a head gasket will make things worse.
I also can’t let her go back to the mansion on her own. She’s clearly alive, but I need to figure out what she said, what they spoke about, and what Drago expects now.
Pushing the car toward the outer limits of the speed limit, I force my grip to loosen on the wheel, forcing myself to breathe.
She has to be okay. Right?
She has to be okay because any other alternative is unacceptable.
I take the back roads to intercept her and almost choke when I see the sleek contours of the black town car heading my way. At the last second, I yank the wheel and cut her off, sending both our vehicles toward the side of the road. Gravel and grass cause both sets of wheels to skid. The trunk of my car blocks the front of hers, and although the driver and the guard are both wide-eyed in the front seat, they take one look at me and wisely keep their doors locked.
The back door slams, and Isabella stands in the open air seconds later, sputtering mad.
I push slowly out of my own seat and school my features into a cold glare when our eyes meet. “Are you out of your goddamn mind?” I at least have the satisfaction of watching her go pale. Her lips thin into a tight line as I look her over from top to bottom. “You went there alone.”
She jumps at the sound of my voice. Her eyes…the luster I’m used to seeing has dulled, something hollowed out inside of her. She meets my gaze without an ounce of embarrassment for going against the plan we’d agreed on.
“You said you trusted me.” Even her voice is missing an intrinsic quality, a joie de vivre.
“And apparently, I made a giant mistake in trusting you. Why.” The word is a single bark of command. I take a step forward, and she doesn’t try to move as I crowd her against the warm metal of the car’s hood. “Why did you go? Why did you fucking lie to me?”
She shrugs. “Because I had things to accomplish, and I knew there was no way I’d be able to get it done with you there.”
