The scream came from the other side of the building. I dropped the newspaper and ran, my hand instinctively moving to the weapon under my coat. Thirteen years of training kicked in like reflex.
I rounded the main building and reached a smaller, more secluded courtyard. Isabella was pressed against a wall of old bricks, her eyes wide with fear. Three men surrounded her—they weren't students. Suits too expensive, posture too rigid, hands positioned so I could see the hidden weapons.
Professionals.
"Per favore, I don't understand what you want," Isabella was saying in Italian, her voice trembling.
The man in the middle, a stocky type with a scar on his face, smiled predatorily. "You know exactly what we want, bambina. Come with us and nobody gets hurt."
That was my cue.
"She's not going anywhere."
My voice cut through the air like a blade. The three men turned, hands moving to their weapons. But I was faster.
The first one fell before he could even draw his pistol. A precise punch to the solar plexus, followed by a knee to the temple when he doubled over. The second managed to pull his weapon, but I had already rolled to the side, using the third man's body as a human shield.
The shot echoed through the empty courtyard.
Isabella screamed.
I broke the third man's wrist with a quick movement, his weapon falling to the ground. The second shooter tried another shot, but I had already closed the distance. Disarming him was a matter of seconds.
In less than a minute, all three were on the ground, unconscious or groaning in pain.
Silence.
Isabella looked at me as if I were an apparition. Her green eyes were wide, her chest rising and falling rapidly. There was something in that look that made my heart race in a way training had never prepared me for.
"Did you... did you kill them?" her voice came out as a whisper.
"No." I adjusted my coat, hiding the weapon. "They're just sleeping a little."
She blinked, as if trying to process what she had just seen. "Who are you?"
The question I had feared. How do you explain to a normal girl that you were raised exclusively to protect her? How do you say that your entire life had been shaped around someone you didn't even know?
"Someone who was in the right place at the right time." I extended my hand. "Kai."
Isabella hesitated before accepting the handshake. Her skin was soft, warm. When our fingers touched, I felt an electric current run up my arm. From the expression on her face, she felt it too.
"Isabella," she said, quickly releasing my hand. "But you didn't answer my question."
Smart. Giovanni had mentioned that in the letter.
"I'm... a security consultant."
It wasn't a lie. Technically.
She raised an eyebrow. "A security consultant who just happens to appear when I'm being attacked?"
"You ask a lot of questions for someone who just escaped a kidnapping."
Isabella crossed her arms, fear giving way to irritation. "And you avoid a lot of answers for someone who just saved my life."
I had to suppress a smile. She had a strong personality. This would make my mission more... interesting.
"We need to get out of here," I said, looking around. "They might have reinforcements coming."
"They who?" Isabella stepped away from the wall but still kept her distance from me. "What did those men want with me? I didn't do anything wrong, I don't owe money to anyone, I don't—"
"Isabella." My voice came out firmer than intended. "You're in danger. Real danger. And I'm here to protect you."
She looked at me as if I had gone insane. "Protect me? You don't even know me!"
Lie, I thought. I was trained to know you better than anyone.
"Listen, I know it seems crazy, but you need to trust me. At least until we can get out of here safely."
Isabella bit her lower lip, a gesture that made my stomach contract in a strange way. After a moment that seemed eternal, she nodded.
"Okay. But I want explanations afterward."
"You'll have them," I lied.
We walked in silence to the university exit. I kept my senses alert, looking for any sign of danger, but I was also... distracted. Isabella had a subtle perfume, something floral that made my concentration waver. When she walked, her summer dress swayed in a way that made me momentarily forget my training.
This was dangerous. I couldn't allow myself these distractions.
"Where are we going?" she asked when we reached the street.
"Safe hotel. I need to make some calls, better understand what's happening."
Actually, I already knew exactly what was happening. Giovanni had prepared me for this. But Isabella couldn't know yet.
I called a taxi and gave the driver the address of a hotel Alessandro had recommended. During the journey, I observed Isabella from the corner of my eye. She looked out the window, lost in thought, occasionally biting her lip in a way that was becoming a constant distraction.
"Can I ask a question?" she said suddenly.
"You can try."
Isabella turned to face me. "How did you know where I would be today?"
Shit. It was a question I couldn't answer honestly.
"Coincidence."
"Lie."
"Why?"
"Because you moved like someone who knew exactly what they were doing. Like someone who was expecting this." Her green eyes studied me with an intensity that made me feel naked. "You were following me."
Isabella Rossetti wasn't just beautiful. She was dangerously observant.
"Not exactly."
"Then how exactly?"
The taxi stopped in front of the hotel, saving me from having to answer. I paid the driver and helped Isabella out, my hand briefly touching her waist. She stiffened at the contact but didn't pull away.
The hotel was discreet but luxurious, the kind of place where Giovanni always stayed when visiting Venice. The doorman greeted me by name—Alessandro had made the reservations.
"How do they know who you are?" Isabella whispered as we went up to the room.
"I travel a lot for work."
More lies. But what could I say? Actually, I was raised by a tycoon who died three days ago and left specific instructions to protect you from hidden forces that want to kill you?
She wouldn't believe it. And I couldn't blame her.
The room was a suite on the top floor, overlooking the Grand Canal. Isabella walked to the window, watching the gondolas pass below like dark dots on the golden water.
"It's beautiful," she murmured.
"Yes," I agreed, but I wasn't looking at the landscape.
Isabella turned and caught me watching her. For a moment, the air between us was charged with a tension that had nothing to do with danger or protection. It had to do with the fact that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and I had spent twenty-five years never feeling anything like what I was feeling now.
"Kai," she said my name in a way that made my skin tingle. "I need the truth. All of it."
I walked to her, stopping when we were close enough for me to feel the warmth of her skin. Close enough to see the small golden freckles on her nose. Close enough to do something very, very stupid.
"The truth is that you're in danger," I said, my voice coming out rougher than intended. "The truth is that there are people who want to hurt you. The truth is that I will do anything to prevent that from happening."
"Why?" her eyes locked onto mine. "Why do you care about a complete stranger?"
It was a fair question. And I didn't have an answer I could give.
Instead of answering, I did something Giovanni had never taught me. Something that went against all my training.
I reached out and touched her face.
Isabella didn't pull away. Instead, she closed her eyes and leaned into my touch, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You're not a stranger," I whispered.
And in that moment, I knew it was true. Somehow impossibly, illogically, Isabella wasn't a stranger. It was as if I had known her for a lifetime.
She opened her eyes, and I saw my own recognition reflected in the deep green of her gaze.
"Kai..."
The ring of my phone broke the moment like a bucket of cold water.
Alessandro.
"I need to answer," I said, reluctantly pulling away.
Isabella nodded, but I could see the confusion in her eyes. The same confusion I felt.
"Kai," Alessandro's voice was tense. "We have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"The men who attacked Isabella today. They weren't amateurs. They were from the Mano Nera."
My blood ran cold. The Black Hand was one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Europe. If they were after Isabella...
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. And Kai? They know where you are."
Before I could respond, the room lights went out.
And in the hallway, I heard the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps approaching.