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Jesus, she'll be the death of me.
We run in silence for a mile, the sounds of our feet pounding the dirt road and my ragged breathing. Isabella isn't even winded, the little minx. She speeds up, trying to lose me, but I catch up easily.
"Why must you always follow me?" she demands, breathless.
"You know why." To protect her. To keep her safe. Even from herself.
She shakes her head, sending her thick hair flying. "You can't protect me from everything."
"I can try." I grab her arm, forcing her to stop. "The Capo tasked me with keeping you alive. I will follow every order to the letter, even if it means protecting you from yourself."
Isabella jerks her arm away, eyes flashing with anger and something else I can't name. Before I can react, she increases the distance between us. I run to catch up. After running miles in circular laps, we return to the mansion.
I bend over at the foyer steps, panting to catch my breath. She, on the other hand, looks like she's barely broken a sweat.
She comes up to me, and bends to my level. I stand and she rises too. She looks me in the eye, gives me a sweet smile, and cuts me with her words.
"Not bad for an old guy."
An old guy? I'm only 32! Before I can respond, she jogs up the steps. I sigh, and follow.
She goes to shower, so I place a guard at her door, and go shower in the guest room. Within fifteen minutes, I am back at my post.
Isabella emerges from her room dressed in tight jeans and a sheer top, purse slung over one shoulder. "I'm going shopping. Alone."
I cross my arms, standing in front of the mansion's heavy wooden doors. "No."
She raises a brow. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I can't allow you to go anywhere alone."
"I don't need a babysitter!" Anger flares in her eyes. "You need to remember that you're not my fucking father."
As if I ever could. "I haven't forgotten. But my orders come from your new guardian, the Capo, not your father."
"The Capo isn't my guardian!" Isabella shoves past me and wrenches the door open. "He's nothing but a corrupt, murdering—"
I grab her arm, spinning her to face me.
"Watch your tongue, Isabella." My grip tightens as I struggle to rein in my temper. "You will not speak of the Capo that way. My duty is to him, and to keeping you alive. You will stay here, where I can protect you."
"Let go of me!" She tries to jerk away, but I hold fast.
The Capo was clear—Isabella's safety is my top priority, even if it pisses her off.
"I will not." I pull Isabella flush against me, trapping her arms at her sides. She struggles wildly, cursing at me in Spanish, but she can't escape.
Finally she goes still, chest heaving. "You bastard. You have no right—"
"I have every right." My voice is tight. "The Capo has given me rule over you, and I will keep you safe. Even if it means locking you in your room."
Isabella's eyes flash with fury and something else I can't name.
A long moment passes where we stare at each other, tension crackling in the air around us. Then she surges up on her toes and crushes her lips to mine. I stiffen in shock, my grip instinctively tightening on her arms.
Her mouth is hot and demanding against mine, and for a single moment I'm lost in the sensation. Then I wrench away, panting.
Isabella stares up at me, eyes dark with desire and challenge. I swallow hard, shaken by the force of my reaction and the desire still burning through my blood.
