Page 125 of Isabella

“You really should’ve thought first before starting this war with me, Niccolò, because in the end—unlike you—I will dowhateverit takes to get what I want.”

As if happening in slow motion, my dad pulls Isabella’s head back by the strands of her hair, causing her lips to flatten and a hiss of pain to break through her lips. My eyes widen as I take in the sight before me, knowing exactly what he’s about to do when he tightens his grip on the gun buried in her temple.

I act on pure instinct and fierce adrenaline, quickly lining up my gun and aiming it at my dad’s head. Letting out a slow and controlled breath, I pray my years of training don’t fail me now.

72

ISABELLA

The strain in my hair and the pressure of Giuseppe’s gun piercing my temple has me wanting to cry out in pain, but I know I can’t. I try to keep as quiet as I can in fear of distracting Nicco.

But the pressure this time is different, and Nicco’s widened gaze tells me something is very wrong. I swear I hear the click of a trigger being pulled before a gunshot goes off. Something wet hits my face, and my head falls forward in my seat while I let out a blood curdling scream.

There’s a ringing in my ears mixed with Nicco’s muffled shouts. He sounds far away until his hands are on me and he’s lifting my head up to look at him.

“Isabella, baby, talk to me,” he says in rushed breaths.

“Nicco?” My voice is hoarse, and my vision is blurry. “W-what happened?”

He brushes my hair out of my face, and my vision starts to focus. The way he’s looking at me tells me everything I need to know. “It’s done. It’s over,” he says, taking a knife and cutting the duct tape off me. He quickly moves behind me and cuts the zip ties, freeing my wrists of their binds. Without another word, he lifts me from the chair, and we wrap each other up in a hug that makes me never want to let go.

Giuseppe is lying on the floor, blood pooled around his head. A small sob breaks through me as the adrenaline comes crashing down and I realize what’s happened.

Nicco runs his hand up and down my back, shushing me. “It’s okay, Isabella. Everything is okay. It’s over now. We never have to deal with him again.”

“Nicco, I’m so sorry,” I sob.

Pulling back, he looks me deep in my eyes as if he’s searching for the answer to a question he hasn’t asked me yet. “Why are you sorry? You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“You had to kill him. I’m so sorry.” I know Nicco’s plan was always to have his dad die, but it’s still his dad. I can’t help but feel remorse for him being responsible for it.

“Isabella,thiswas always going to happen, whether it be at the hands of me or your brother. We aresafenow. We got rid of the enemy. Do you know how happy that makes me?”

I give him a few short nods and feel like I’m in shock. The disorientation of everything is finally hitting me.

Nicco cups my cheeks in his hands. “Hey, focus on me, baby. Take a few deep breaths with me.”

I do so, not realizing the shallow breaths I was taking before were slowly putting me into a frenzied state. I’ve never witnessed a murder before. I might be accustomed to this world, having grown up in it, but I’ve always been shielded from the worst of it—and this is definitely the worst of it.

“That’s it, Isabella. Deep breaths,” he soothes. “I’m so sorry you had to witness that.”

I shake my head. “No, it’s fine, Nicco. I’m fine. I think it’s all just hitting me. I was so worried something bad was going to happen to us and we would never see each other again. I can’t stand the thought of that, Nicco. I can’t lose you again after finally getting you back.I can’t lose you.” My words come out exactly how I feel—frantic.

Nicco’s emotions swirl in his eyes. “You will never lose me again, my sweet Isabella. You never lost me to begin with,” he says. “You had me from day one, and you’ll have me until the end. I’m yours forever, just like you’re mine forever. No matter what. You hear me?No matter what.”

I give him a small nod, finally evening out my breathing. “Forever, Nicco. It’s you and me, always and forever.”

“Always and forever, baby,” Nicco repeats before pulling me to him and weaving his hand in my hair. Angling my head up, he captures my lips in a kiss filled with love and longing that I’ve never felt before. It’s almost as if the terror of the night is feeding this passionate kiss. The idea of never seeing each other again fueling everything in us as we wrap ourselves up in each other.

Nicco slowly pulls away and looks deep into my eyes. “I love you, my sweet Isabella.”

“I love you too, Nicco.”

He brings me in for another hug, and I wrap my arms tightly around him, never wanting to let go. “C‘mon,” he says, “let’s go home.”

73

NICCOLÒ

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