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Her voice catches, and I realize she is speaking of him in the past tense. My chest aches, and I wish I could take her into my arms.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," I tell her, realizing from the way she spoke that he no longer was a part of our world.
She nods, blinking back tears. "He was a good man. An honest man, in a world where that is rare. I don't know how I'm going to go on without him."
"You will," I say gently. "Because that is what he would want. Because you are strong, like he was." I offer her a smile. "And because you are not alone. I will help you in any way I can, Isabella."
Again she squeezes my hand, and I feel our unspoken bond grow stronger. "Did you call Juan?" she asks.
"I did. Help is coming. Although, I don't know how long it'll take to come. But I will stay here by your side until then."
We have been through much together already, it seems, though we only just met. I know little about who she really is, beneath the fear and grief—but I want to learn. I want to discover the woman who inspires such depth of feeling in me, a near stranger.
The door opens, and we look up to find Luca gazing down at us, one brow raised. "Now, isn't this cozy?"
My stomach drops like a stone.
Shit. How did he find out about this? I was so careful not to involve him, not wanting to drag Isabella into the dangerous world my boss inhabits.
Luca's gaze lands on me, narrowing. Then he looks at Isabella—really looks at her, in that way he has that seems to strip a person bare. His eyes widen almost imperceptibly.
"Well, well," he says softly. "What have we here?"
My heart pounds. This is bad. This is very, very bad. Luca's interest in Isabella can only lead to trouble.
But I no longer have a choice. What is done is done. I'm in too deep to back out—and I won't leave Isabella alone to face this. I stand up, putting myself between them to hide her from his view.
"Boss," I say evenly. "What are you doing here?"
"I think the better question is, what are you doing here, Stefano?" His tone is deceptively mild. "And you, the lovely creature that you are, must be Isabella Torres."
I glance at Isabella. She has no idea who Luca Conti is. She watches us with wary eyes, sensing the sudden tension.
There's no escape now. Isabella is part of this, whether I want her to be or not.
All I can do is hope to protect her.
Chapter 9
Isabella
Istareatthisacquaintance of Stefano's who has just walked in here. How does he know who I am?
“Did you call him?” I ask Stefano.
Conti snickers. Just then, three FBI agents walk in. The man motions in my direction and one of the agents jogs over, as fast as he can.
“Hands,” he says.
I show him my hands. He unlocks my handcuffs and step aside as the tall, dark-haired man walks over to the table. One of the agents follows.
"Mr. Conti," he says, tipping his hat to the man who is now responsible for releasing me from the cuffs.
Conti slides a thick stack of bills across the metal table.
"Grazie, signori."He thanks the cops.
His Italian accent is smooth as silk. The agents grab the money and practically run out of the room.
