Isabella's POV
The house remained motionless. Also rather silent. a kind of silence that made my skin get tingly and my ideas fly. Although I should have been happy when Enzo departed hours ago to see Ren, I couldn't shake something eating at me.
Perched on the edge of my bed, my hands shivering slightly, I tried to sift the whirl of emotions from our last meeting. Enzo was difficult to read and agitated me nonstop. One minute he was the vicious mafia boss; then he showed these minute weaknesses that left me reeling.
But just now I found it difficult to concentrate on it. Not while I was still a prisoner here, a piece in a dangerous game I didn't completely understand. As my fingertips brushed the edge of my phone, I understood I hadn't even tried to call anyone in days. As it happened, nobody was supposed to call. My father had guaranteed me of that when he auctioned me off to Enzo like a piece of real estate.
Rising from my seat, I traversed the room trying to release the stifling sensation of control. I was not going to sit here and let whatever disaster was just waiting to hit pass. I thought I ought to have a plan. I had to get off.
A faint tap on the door shocked me and I tensed right away. Not Enzo's knock; too polite, too light. I turned immediately as the door creaked open, and Sofia came in with analytical, chilly eyes.
Laughing, as though I were some wild youngster given to watch, she said, "You really shouldn't wander around at night."
Crossing my arms, I responded sharply, "I'm not wandering." "What would you like?"
Sofia moved ahead, her grin missing from her sight. Her motions seemed like a predator encircling its target—uncomfortable. I visited to see how things stood. Right now Enzo is rather sidetracked.
I shot back, my words more accurate than I intended, "With Ren, I assume?."
Sofia's grin faded momentarily, and I glimpsed a spark in her eyes—probably jealousy. Sure. Ren is bringing more problems than Enzo expected.
Though her voice sounded laid back, I was not misled. Sofia wanted something from me, so I was ready to let her run over me. Not when I was already strolling Enzo on unstable ground.
My heart was pounding, but I said, "I can handle myself," a solid voice.
Sofia's eyes narrowed just a bit, as if she were measuring my will. Isabella, you very definitely believe you can. But let me offer you some guidance: never undervalue the locals. They will totally destroy you without second thought.
Not letting her see the dread building inside of me, I glanced at her. Is that your work's goal? Assault me?
She giggled softly, happiness shining in her eyes. Oh, not at all; I have not to destroy you. You already are doing it to yourself.
Turning and leaving the room before I could respond, Sofia clicked behind her. I stopped breathing momentarily as her words lingered in the air like a dark cloud. Was She accurate? Was allowing Enzo to take me more into his universe harming me?
Shaking my head, I tried to clear the ambiguity. Unclear. Not Sofia, not Enzo, not anybody—not anyone I was going to allow to govern me. I had to stay sharp and hold my cool no matter how heavy this all felt.
Still, Sofia's remarks stayed with me and I knew one thing for sure: nobody in this house could be trusted.
When I woke up the next morning, my door creaked open. Sleepy and disoriented, I sat up quickly searching for Sofia or one of Enzo's mates. Enzo himself filled the area like a thunder cloud instead. His tone was sharp, unintelligible, and I knew immediately something was wrong.
"We have to talk," he said, his voice under control but clipped.
I blinked, trying to wake from the final remains of slumber. Something happened?
Enzo walked a few short steps across the room, his hands clenching and unclenching at either side. " Ren went last evening. More than I could have possibly dreamed.
My stomach reversed direction. Enzo kept that part of his life deliberately hidden from me, but I could feel the stress radiating from him. I was not familiar with the particulars of his planet. Whichever it was—something had gone wrong—it was uncomfortable.
"What kind of activity?" My voice was cool yet my heart was racing.
Enzo stared at me, and for a minute I could feel the weight of the world he held. In one of our warehouses, "an attack" We had it, just beginning. Ren is getting ever more hopeless.
Heart crashed. This transcended simple Mafia family power struggles. We were living what war was all about. And I discovered myself wedged in the middle of it.
"Is It safe here?" I asked, the query erupting before I could stop it.
Enzo seemed to relax a bit and started approaching me. Bella, you live with me safely. Nobody else should touch you.
I would have loved to believe him as well. Actually, though, regardless of his power, the society Enzo lived in was predicated on violence and betrayal. Here safety was a luxury lacking in reality.
Before I could respond, Enzo pulled his phone out from his pocket and clinched his jaw reading the message.
His voice sharp, he said, "I have to deal with this." "stay right here." Maintain your residence. Not go.
I nodded, but the last thing I wanted to do was stay locked in this place waiting for whatever storm was developing.
Enzo turned to depart, and I started to become annoyed. I wanted no to be the powerless damsel imprisoned in a gilded cage. I looked for answers. I looked for control.
I yelled out, "Enzo," stopping him just as he got to the door.
He turned, his eyes narrowing considerably to wait for me to go on.
I mustered the confidence by inhaling deeply. "Why are you trying this?" Why should I be kept here? I live not in this world. You have no need to protect me.
He just stared at me for a moment, his expression insensible. Then he moved slowly across the room once again, his eyes fastened on me with a power that set my heart hammering.
"You're right," he said quietly, gently. "You occupy nowhere on this globe. Still, you today fill my existence. And I watch over you. Still another way.
His remarks were like a kick to the belly, and I stopped briefly from breathing. Something firm, like a vow, was in his way articulated. I was not sure, though, if that represented a promise or a threat.
Before I could respond, Enzo spun out from the room; the door slammed behind him. And once again left alone, my mind racing with questions for which I had no answers.
It was obviously tense after hours. Outside, I could hear Enzo's men speaking with low, strong tones. Trapped here, powerless to act about anything big and important,
My thoughts whirled with all that had happened over the past several days as I paced the room. Ren's growing threat, Enzo's contradicting behavior, Sofia's cryptic warnings all appeared like a jigsaw I couldn't quite fit. One thing seemed abundantly obvious, though: I could not wait here for the next disaster to strike.
I had to start running things.
I inhaled deliberately, then crossed the hall opening the door. The house was very quiet, the passageway empty. My chest beating, I slipped out of the room and went down the stairs. Not yet; I had no plan and knew I wanted answers.
As I descended the stairs, I could hear sounds coming from one of the flats along the corridor. Approaching carefully, I pushed myself against the wall and listened.
One voice said—one I recognized as Sofia's—that "it's only a matter of time before Ren makes his next move."
Softly and under control, Enzo murmured, "He won't get that far." "We'll smash him before he has time."
And with regard to Isabella? Sofia's voice harshness made my skin crawl. "Enzo, she's a liability. You knew about it.
There was a long quiet, and my heart tightened as I waited for Enzo's response.
At last, he said, "She's under my protection," his voice cold and deliberate. No one manages her.
Sofia started to chuckle a little. Protection, truly? Is the phrase you are now employing correct?
"I have time for nothing for this, Sofia," Enzo remarked. " Right now we have more major problems."
There was some quiet, then Sofia spoke once again, her voice low and toxic. "Just bear in mind, Enzo—people like Ren will utilize whatever weakness they come upon. Your biggest fault right now still exists in the top room.
I stepped back, heart hammering as Sofia's words sank.