Page 101 of His Fury

Valerio Ferraro’s world. The old guard. The kind of men who shook hands with diplomats and ordered hits in the same hour.

I picked up the phone and dialed. Two rings, then silence.

A beat later, a man said, “Go ahead.”

“I need a meeting.”

“Under what name?”

“McCabe.”

There was a pause. I heard nothing and then “Time and location will be sent. Don’t be late.”

The line went dead.

One problem down; now to handle the one closer to home. I climbed the stairs, listening for sounds of Isla in the main bathroom. I paused outside the door but then headed straight to the bedroom she was using. Our bedroom? I didn’t examine that too closely. I had the master bedroom in the house; I just hadn’t slept in it since Isla stayed the night. We needed to discuss making this more permanent.

She sat at the dressing table, brushing her hair. The blow-dryer was plugged in, and I could tell she wasn’t that long out of the bath. She looked up as I leaned against the door frame. Her smile was instant and welcoming, and she probably had no idea how seeing her quick smile eased the tension within me.

“How long have I been here?” she asked, using a dropper to apply a few drops of facial oil into her palm. She rubbed her hands together and then smoothed them over her face. “That jacuzzi was…amazing.” Turning back to the mirror, she smoothed her eyebrows and stood up, approaching me. “You okay? Has Rye left?”

“I’m fine.” I reached for her, and she willingly came into my arms. “He’s gone. He took the drive with him.”

Isla’s eyes clouded for a moment before she patted my chest. “You can’t stay tonight, take the night off? Can you?” she asked softly.

I shook my head. “No, I need to go to work.” I traced my finger along the curve of her cheek. “I just wanted to check on you and see how you were doing.”

“Um…” She pretended to think about it. “My best friend used me. He betrayed you. He has a gambling problem. Or maybe he doesn’t. I'm not sure because he appears to be a very good liar.” She puffed out her cheeks. “You’re in danger. I might be in danger. But I had the most relaxing bath, and for some unknown reason, Rye called me Barnie?”

The last comment made me laugh.

Isla gazed at me with a quizzical expression. “Why is that funny? Who is Barnie? The dinosaur?”

I laughed harder.

She stepped out of my hold, hands on her hips as she watched me with narrowed eyes. “Zayn?” She crossed her arms. “Do I need to kick his ass?”

And I was done.

I tried to stop her as she stalked past me into the bedroom, but she sidestepped me while I laughed. And laughed. Had I lost it? Maybe, but fuck, it felt good to let go. When I regained my control, Isla was watching me with amusement.

“I tried to be mad at you,” she said. “But I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh like that.” The look in her eye was thoughtful. “I know it’s going to be bad why he’s calling me that, so I don’t think I want to find out. But I also don’t care because you looked so…free.” She smiled gently. “I like seeing you like that.” Her smile faded. “I don’t think it happens often.”

That sobered me. “I laugh more than I probably should,” I admitted sheepishly. “You know, for someone in my line of work.”

Isla’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “It shouldn’t surprise me,” she said softly. “That you feel comfortable in your life. Your lifestyle.”

“Are you?” I asked her. “Are you comfortable with your life?”

Her expression was contemplative as she thought about it. “I don’t know,” she eventually said. “I think so. I’ve tried tostand on my own. I left my job and started at The Grand,” she said, sitting at the edge of the bed. “I never saw that coming. It’s not something I would have thought I would do. There’s less…job security.”

“That worries you?”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t think it does. I wanted it. The freedom.” She looked down at her hands and then back at me. “I blame you,” she said coyly. “That whole gala incident—God, I was so angry.” I didn’t move, and neither did she. “But do you know what it taught me? I can only control what I can control. Did I know Lyndsey was going to leave the agency as soon as she had a successful event at Elixir?” Isla scoffed. “Of course, I did. Did I know Rye was watching and waiting for me to fail? Yes.” She pushed her hair back. I watched her rise to her feet and cross the thick carpet to stop in front of me. “Did I know you were going to come in and completely wreck my life? Yes.”

I let my head dip, resting my forehead against hers, filling me with a sense of peace and contentment. Her hand clasped the back of my neck, her thumb rubbing soothing circles on my skin.

“Do I say sorry?” I asked softly, my eyes closed as I breathed her in.

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