2. Emilio

Chapter 2

Emilio

His Isa

Exactly Ten Years Ago

E milio watched his Isa sleep for the last time. She would be leaving for New York with Oliver tomorrow, and he would be stuck here. Forced to continue his family’s legacy. Forced to be the head of his family.

He absentmindedly rubbed the tattoo on his bare chest. He couldn’t save his sister from this life, but he would not let the same fate befall this precious woman. Emilio stroked Isa affectionately as she breathed heavily in her sleep.

A noise startled him from his contemplations. He extended, gripping his gun under the mattress as the door to his bedroom was silently nudged open.

He loosened his hold on the weapon when he saw who it was.

“Kazi. You’re here.” He acknowledged the man, unwrapping himself from Izzy.

He crept off the bed, scrutinizing the man who stood in the doorway. Kazi was clearly aggrieved, hands clenched into fists, shoulder squared, lips flattened into a line.

“Sir,” the newcomer clipped out .

It was almost comical hearing older men call Emilio sir, but he was used to it by now.

His sister’s death, followed immediately by his father's death six years ago, had caused a shift in power, and he had been forced to grow up quickly.

Too quickly.

“You have your orders?” Emilio questioned, his attention flickering to Isa to ensure she still slept soundly.

Kazi was newer to their fold, but Emilio trusted him.

He had shown promise, and Emilio needed the right person for this…job.

Kazi took a moment too long to respond, and Emilio stepped further from the bed into the man’s face.

Looking down at him, he examined Kazi’s expressions critically.

Kazi heaved a sigh, relaxing out of his tense posture. “I just don’t want to move to California, but I guess if it’s only temporarily.”

Emilio smirked caustically; he didn’t have the heart to tell Kazi this would be his permanent assignment.

Emilio might be letting Isa leave his side and move away, but that didn’t mean he didn’t plan on keeping tabs on every piece of her life. And Kazi’s job? Well, that would be to watch over her best friend, Yara.

Isa cared about Yara more than almost anything else in the world and that meant Emilio needed to ensure Yara’s safety, if only to keep his Bella happy. He didn’t trust the precocious Yara to stay out of trouble and that was where Kazi came into play.

Isa shifted behind him.

“Go, " he ordered, shoving Kazi back and shutting the door.

“Emilio?” Izzy’s husky, sleep-ladened voice swept across the room to him .

“Coming, Bella. Are you ready for another round?”

He walked carefully back to the bed, finding her bright eyes in the otherwise darkened room.

Fuck, she was a sight. Her bare chest was on display, hickeys adorning her alabaster skin. His marks. “Soon enough, I’m going to wake you up on my dick, or would you prefer to wake up on my fingers?”

“Fingers,” Izzy laughed lyrically, but he watched as she subconsciously rubbed her thighs together.

He wasn’t joking.

“Can you…” Her voice turned unsure, putting him on edge.

“Can I, what?”

She was sitting up in his bed now, and he moved his rough fingers, skating along her soft lips.

“Can you just hold me, please? I’m scared. What if I fail?” Isa whispered the words against his skin.

He immediately shifted, wrapping her in his arms.

True to form they had spent as much time as they could together in the past several months, but tomorrow she would be leaving for New York to start up her business with Oliver.

Oliver had been home for a few days at the end of their summer together. Emilio was afraid she would run back to him, but instead she came up with the idea to leave altogether. At her request, Oliver had immediately left for New York with the promise Isa would follow him in a week.

Oliver. Oliver. Oliver.

Emilio was tired of hearing the other man’s name and knew Oliver wasn’t the nice selfless man Isa claimed him to be.

He already had plans to infiltrate her life, even as they lived so far apart, but he didn’ t voice that.

“You are going to succeed.” He stroked her back, tugging her to him tightly.

Her face found the crook of his neck, and she burrowed there.

He felt the tears as she began to cry, but he didn’t mention them. Instead, he continued to hold her, rubbing gentle circles on her back.

After a bit, she pulled back from him, her glistening eyes the only evidence of her distress.

“Emilio, this doesn’t change anything, but I need you to know.”

Emilio reached up wiping her tears away with the pads of his thumbs, keeping his attention on her the entire time. “What is it, Bella?”

“I… This started as using you. As a way to escape the pain of what almost happened.”

Physically Emilio attempted not to react. But internally? A fire pilfered across his skin, darkening his vision, pounding into his heart, infiltrating every part of him. Molten rage. Emilio stamped down the anger that threatened to crawl up his throat. It wasn’t directed towards Isa.

The pedophile.

He had shot Sebastian. Sebastian should have died, but he hadn’t. Instead, he was gone by the time his family’s clean-up crew arrived to clear the body.

Sebastian hadn’t been found since. It was Emilio’s main regret. It was his excuse to never let Isa out of his sight.

Isa paused, unsure of his silence.

“Go on,” he pressed gently, dipping forward to pepper her face in soft kisses soothing his own soul with each brush against her skin.

“I know I’m too young, and I probably don’t know any better, but Emilio, I do—” An unexpected hiccup cut her off, and her cheeks turned pink. The hiccups hit her hard and she puffed her face as she held her breath aggressively .

No matter how adorable she looked, Emilio knew better than to laugh right now.

She let the air whoosh out and waited just a moment before shutting her eyes and squeezing them. “Fuck. I love you, dammit!”

Emilio dropped his hold on her in shock.

No. That wasn’t—

No. Emilio didn’t deserve—

No. Isa couldn’t—

His brain short-circuited as all his plans swirled in his mind.

In every scenario, he hadn’t accounted for her to actually care about him. To love him.

“But don’t get the wrong impression. I’m not breaking our promise.” Her eyes were open now, and they were boring into him.

He snapped out of his stupor. His brain switched gears.

He wouldn’t keep an innocent woman tethered to him.

But if she loved him? If she was willing to? What if she returned to him on her own accord?

Maybe this didn’t have to be good-bye. Maybe he could get what he wanted most. Maybe she could be his .

The spiraling questions and maybes piled up as an unhinged plan formed.

“Isa. I want to make a new promise. A pact.”

“What is it?”

He jumped on her, forcing Isa flat to the bed, his hands landing on the mattress on each side of her head, his lips centimeters from hers.

She let out a cute squeak of surprise. Her hair was a disheveled mess, her eyes coated in sleep, her body marred with bruises.

Perfect. She was absolutely perfect .

“A marriage pact.” He pushed his lips to hers for a brief, searing connection. “In 10 years, if we’re both single, we get married. To each other.”

She spluttered, “What? I—that’s silly! That’s what kids who don’t know any better say! And what about the danger? ”

Isa didn’t even know the beginning of the danger , just that it existed. In 10 years, he would tell her. She didn’t need to know now, she wasn’t ready.

Especially of her own ties to it.

“Well, Isa,” Emilio pressed his forehead to hers, his lips curling cruelly, “you said you used me, and now you say you love me. You hurt my feelings, Bella. And what’s the harm? In 10 years, I’m sure you will be settled down.” Not if he could help it. “And it won’t be dangerous for you then. I will make sure of it.”

He just needed to kill a few pesky men, find a pedophile, and conquer a town. He could manage that in 10 years.

And even if he couldn’t…

He leaned back just a bit. He wouldn’t pressure her too much, he would let her decide on her own.

But did she know this was her last chance to escape him?

If she agreed… Well, he would allow her 10 years.

But not a day longer.

Her eyes flickered between his. He could tell she wasn’t convinced, but then, to his surprise, she nodded softly. “Okay, Emilio.”

He couldn’t help the joy that pilfered through him. “I love you too, Bella Isa,” he susurrated into her ear before rolling off her.

She reached over, pinching him on the head of his dick. “Nothing is ever easy with you!” she huffed.

He ignored her protests as he hugged her against him. He needed as much of her as he could have. Her fingers on the tip of his dick had only caused it to harden and he grinded it into her luscious ass from behind .

His Isa let out a breathy mewl.

The previous depression was replaced with determination.

Tonight was their last night.

For now.

But in 10 years, he would return, and she wouldn’t be settled down.

Emilio would make sure of it.

She would be his wife.