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My heart is still pounding as I stride down the hall to Isabella's room.
Relief that we escaped the Capo's wrath wars with frustration at how careless we were. What were we thinking, spending the whole night together in the open? Anyone could have seen us. Anyone could have told the Capo.
I fling open the door to Isabella's room, startling her.
She jumps up from where she was sitting by the window, eyes wide. "Stefano! What - "
"How could you just leave like that?" I demand, slamming the door behind me. My hands ball into fists. "You vanished! Do you have any idea what could have happened?"
Isabella's eyes flash. "Last night was a mistake. I needed to get back to my room."
"You could have woken me up!" I shout.
"I will not be ordered around like a child!" Isabella shouts back. "You don't own me, Stefano Nitti!"
My anger wars with the urge to crush her in my arms. How can she not see I only want to keep her safe? But she is as stubborn as she is beautiful, and will never be controlled.
I drag a hand through my hair and turn away, trying to calm myself. Shouting at her will do no good. But she must understand - our lives depend on caution. On secrecy. One misstep, and all is lost.
"We can't afford mistakes like this," I say through gritted teeth. "And I did not mean to shout," I say. "But losing you, I thought you might have run away again, or have been caught and were facing consequences by yourself - I could not bear it."
She walks over to me, calmly and rests her head against my back, her warmth seeping through my shirt. "We will be more careful. No more picnics under the stars, I swear it."
I turn and enfold her in my arms, breathing in the scent of her hair. "No more close calls," I murmur. "No more risks. Or my heart won't survive it."
Isabella tilts her face up to mine. "No more risks," she echoes.
"Stefano," Isabella says, pulling away from me, "there is something else you should know."
My heart clenches. I know that tone - it bodes ill. "What is it?"
"I encountered your Capo on my way back."
"What?" Panic rises in my chest. This is the last thing I wanted to hear. "How did he seem? Did he say anything?"
"He seemed...not himself," Isabella says slowly. "His eyes were strange. Feverish. And he grabbed my arm, hard enough to bruise."
She pushes up her sleeve to show the marks, and rage boils in my veins.
"He said...terrible things," she continues, hesitating. "About owning me. Controlling me. As if I were property, not a person. He… he tried to take me." Her eyes fill with tears, and she looks at me beseechingly. "Stefano, I do not feel safe here anymore."
I pull her close, cursing under my breath.
This changes everything. The Capo has always been reasonable, honorable. I cannot reconcile the man I have known for years with the one Isabella describes. And yet, her fear is real.
"Isabella," I say, pushing away a strand of hair. "Are you sure you haven't misunderstood the situation? I just saw the Capo and he never mentioned seeing you. If he had, he would have skinned me for allowing you out unattended. Please, think. Are you sure you weren't ... confused?"
I regret the words the minute I say them. I realize now that it sounds like I'm accusing her of being dishonest.
"Isabella," I try to say, to explain I didn't mean it the way it came out. "This is just a shock and please –"
But before I can ask her to forgive me, beg her to tell me everything, she steps back, her eyes red with anger. "Get out."
"What?"
"Get the fuck out of my room. I knew it was a mistake trusting you. I knew I shouldn't have slept with you the minute I woke up." My heart stings with the viciousness of her words. "You're no better than the rest of them. I was a fool to ever trust you."
"Isabella," my voice comes out low, and controlled. "If you'd just let me finish. I was about to –"
