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“Isabella,” I repeat.
“We shouldn’t have.”
“No, we shouldn’t have.”
She nods, as though hurt by me agreeing. She picks up her paintbrush and begins to work on her canvas again. I whisper, ever so lightly, that I don’t know if my voice reached her ears.
“But I’ve wanted to since a long time.”
The way the corners of her lips turn up, so gently, tells me that she heard and liked what I said.
Isabella stands and brushes the grass from her sundress. "I should head inside. The Capo will send his guards to check on us if I'm not in my room soon."
I nod reluctantly, though reluctance weighs heavy in my chest. "You're right."
"Would you like to do this again?" I ask, tentatively.
"Very much so," she says, her eyes sparkling in the fading sunlight. God, I want to kiss her so bad. Instead, I affirm. "Then we'll do it again."
We walk back to the main house together. At her door, Isabella pauses and turns to face me.
"Thank you again for today, Stefano. You made me happier than I've been in a long time."
"You're welcome, Isabella. I'm just glad I could put a smile on your face."
She gently reaches out and squeezes my hand.
I look around and she whispers, “No one saw. I made sure of it,”
With a teasing smile, she walks into her room, closing the door behind her.
I make my way to the Capo's office, knocking once before entering. He looks up from the papers scattered on his desk, dark eyes narrowing at the sight of me.
"The girl behaved herself today. No trouble." I keep my tone neutral, though my heart is pounding.
He grunts in acknowledgment. "That's good to hear."
I breathe an inward sigh of relief, but it's short-lived. The Capo stands, clasping his hands behind his back as he strides to the window.
"There's going to be an attack on the Carlisis tonight. Demands for justice after what that bastard, Felix, did by killing my last underboss."
My stomach drops. "An attack? Why wasn't I told?"
"I'm telling you now, aren't I? I'm doing this for you. You're the underboss now. If the crime goes unpunished, then you might be next." The Capo turns, fixing me with a hard stare. "You're to stay here and watch the girl. Keep her under control."
"But Capo, I should be there to help—"
"You questioning my orders, Stefano?" His voice is deceptively soft, but the threat is clear.
I swallow hard, clenching my jaw. "No, Capo. Of course not."
I keep my expression straight despite the unease twisting my gut. This attack on the Carlisis could ignite a war within the families, and I've seen enough inter-mafia battles to know just how dangerous they can get.
Most of all, it puts Isabella at risk.
"I'll watch over her," I assure the Capo.
I will protect her with my life, if need be.
