“I’m not… I can’t live here.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s… it’s ridiculous, that’s why.”
“As you pointed out, you no longer have a job. The reason you don’t is because last night you murdered a friend of your boss.” I raise my eyebrows. “Surely, you didn’t think you could just go home, and everything would be okay?”
“Well, I…” She presses her lips together and clenches the edge of the table. “Isn’t that the point of your occupation? You can make those concerns go away?”
“My men cleaned up your victim, but Sergio is still on the loose. There’s no way you can stay anywhere he knows to find you, otherwise, you’ll be dead.”
“Then I’ll stay with friends. It’s really not your problem. I’ll just sort something—”
“You will stay here,” I rebut with implacable patience. No matter how she tries to evade her new reality, there’s no escape. “At least until Sergio is caught and dealt with, then we can reassess.”
“No, I…” She breaks off and clears her throat, meeting my gaze with that adorable frown still in place. “I must insist you let me leave. I’m old enough to take care of myself, thank you.”
“Are you?”
The frown deepens into something quite different. “What d’you mean? I’ve been taking care of myself since I was eighteen.” Her voice sounds ragged. “Hate to break it to you, but that was quite a long time ago.”
The intel I sourced last night is so fresh, it’s easy for me to quote verbatim. “You worked minimum wage jobs until you fell into the position with Sergio. I presume he kept you on board because you can keep your mouth shut but that’s no longer an option. You don’t have the resources to stay hidden. The only family member in close contact is your cousin Tony who doesn’t have any better prospects than you do. Without money or resources or contacts, even someone as dumb as Sergio will pick you off within days—more probably hours.”
Fire flashes in her eyes as I list the reasons. Even though she pales at the stark assessment, Isabelle still argues, “That’s my problem. Not yours.”
“Except if word gets around that I can’t keep my allies safe, how does that look? I’m already dealing with the fallout from not being able to keep my daughter secure. What signal will it send to my rivals if her rescuer is gunned down by a third-rate moron? I might as well declare open season on my team.”
She grips the edge of the table with both hands as though the room is yawing like a boat tossed on the waves. “How your team deals with things isn’t my problem.”
“Except it is because the moment you intervened to rescue Sophia, you became one of them and you will remain so for the rest of your life.” I pause, watching the inevitable sink in. “Your hopefully very long life.”
Stubborn must be hard coded into her genes because she won’t submit. “You can’t keep me here.”
My voice is softer when I answer, “Yes, I can. You don’t have any real friends. You’ve been single for most of the past decade. Your employer wants you dead.” I reach for her hand, but she snatches it away, baring her teeth. “There is nobody you can turn to for help. Once we return the vehicle to your cousin, there’s no one to even notice you’ve gone.”
Her lips tremble. There’s a sheen of moisture in her eyes. It hurts to watch her as I lay bare the truth of her life. Like I’m the one working to diminish her instead of simply laying out the facts.
“My landlord,” she blurts, reaching for the title like it’s an Easter egg no one else spotted.
“He won’t care,” I say, softening my voice as I see the cumulative effects of my summary hitting deeper. “The money to break your lease is already in his account and my men are packing your flat as we speak.”
“No, but—” She shakes her head, throat struggling to swallow, mouth gasping open as though there’s an answer sitting there, on the tip of her tongue, just waiting for her to find it. “This isn’t fair. I did something good. I did you afavour.”
I leave my seat and walk to her, cupping her chin and tilting her head to look up at me. Her eyes are so much bigger now they’re filled with frustrated tears. “You will always have my thanks. But how I repay that favour is up to me and right now, that means keeping you alive. Keeping you here is the only way to achieve that.”
Her shoulders collapse like someone karate chopped them into submission. She pulls her chin away, staring down and wiping at her eyes rather than letting the tears fall. “And once Sergio’s dead, I can go?”
“Yes.”
It’s easiest to lie when you keep it simple.
“Yes, you can.”
CHAPTERSEVEN
ISABELLE
I sulk in my room most of the morning, sulking even harder when every belonging I have in the world arrives, packed into three medium-sized boxes. And that includes all my clothes.
