Matteo listens without interrupting, his face getting progressively darker as the story unfolds, and when I finish he sits back in his chair and is quiet for a long moment.
"The O'Rourkes are getting bold," he says finally. "Coming after her at the wedding. Sending men to the cabin. This is escalating."
"They want leverage," Rafael says. "They've wanted it for years. Isabella is the obvious target."
"We need to end this." Matteo's voice is flat and final. "I'm fucking tired of waiting for them to make a move. We need to go on offense."
"Agreed," I say. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking we find Declan O'Rourke and we make it very clear what happens when someone threatens my sister." He looks at me directly. "And I'm thinking you stay with Isabella. Full time. No exceptions. You're her personal guard from now until this is resolved."
The words land with the weight of a sentence being passed.
"Matteo—" Rafael starts, but Matteo cuts him off.
"Non-negotiable. Enzo is the best we have. He's proven he can keep her safe. He stays with her." He looks at me and there's trust in his eyes, complete and unquestioning, and the guilt twists deeper. "I'm trusting you with one of the most important things in my life. You understand that?"
"I understand," I say, and mean it, and hate myself for it.
"Good." He stands. "Let's get to work on finding Declan. I want eyes on every property he owns, every associate, every place he's been seen in the last six months. We're going to smoke him out and when we do, we're ending this permanently."
The door opens.
Isabella walks in, her hair still damp from the shower, wearing clean clothes that aren't mine for the first time in days, and I have to consciously stop myself from staring.
Rafael doesn't stop himself. He looks between us with barely concealed amusement.
"Isabella," Matteo says, and gestures to the empty chair beside me. "Come in. You should hear this."
She sits and I'm immediately aware of her proximity, of the inches between us, of the way I can smell her shampoo and the particular awareness my body has of hers.
I’m fucked.
Matteo walks her through the plan, the same broad strokes he gave us, and she listens quietly with her hands folded in her lap and her face composed.
"So, you're going after Declan directly," she says when he finishes.
"Yes."
"And what about Killian?"
"Killian is in Ireland. He hasn't left in months. Declan is here, he's operating, he's the one we can reach." Matteo leans forward."Once we eliminate Declan, Killian will either back off or escalate, and if he escalates we'll be ready."
She nods slowly, processing.
"And Enzo stays with me?"
"Yes."
Her eyes flick to me briefly before returning to Matteo. "For how long?"
"Until this is resolved and I'm confident you're safe." He looks at her with something gentle underneath the authority. "I know you don't like being protected. I know you value your independence. But this is non-negotiable, Isabella. You're too important to risk."
She's quiet for a moment, and I watch her weigh the argument against the reality. I think about how she would have responded before the cabin, whether this would have been a battle worth fighting.
"Okay," she says finally. "I understand."
Matteo exhales like he was bracing for a fight and didn't get one. "Good. Thank you."
