Page 52 of Violent Attraction

Be the man in the shadows that my own father had raised me to be.

“Ahora.” Ronaldo claps his hands, finally letting go of Isabella and calling for all the attention back to him “Santos, please escort Isabella back to her room. We have business to discuss.”

It takes me a second to move from my position, but I finally nod and do my soldier duties.

Escorting the princess back to her quarters.

You would think I wasn’t as important as Leo, to this cartel.

Before I wave for Isabella to come to me, Emilio steps forward, taking the hand that Ronaldo had a grip on and grabbing it. I watch as the fucking bastard brings her hand up to his mouth and places his lips on her skin.

I see fucking red.

He’s planting his good for nothing mouth on what is mine.

But his lips on my woman isn’t the only thing that has me seeing red.

It’s also the fucking intricate lines that are adorning his hand.

Lines that I have seen before.

Lines that I have spent countless hours studying.

Studying and committing to memory.

I spent years looking at these lines, at this design, hoping that I will find the person who adorned them so I can kill them the same way that they killed my father.

In cold blooded murder. Maybe with a little more added torture somewhere.

Fuck.

I now know who killed my father, who pulled the damn trigger.

The fucker is standing right in front of me, with his hands on the thing that I cherish the most, about to be engaged to her, and I can’t do a fucking thing about it.

I can’t cause a scene; I can’t voice my theory. I just have to be the good soldier that Ronaldo thinks that I am and leave with Isabella.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Isabella. I can’t wait until we are married, to know you even better.” He gives her a wink.

Isabella recoils a bit and I fight not to lunge forward and sucker punch him in the nose.

She needs to leave this room. The further away she is from this bastard the fucking better.

I place a hand on Isabella's elbow signaling that it’s time to go. When she looks over at me, I completely ignore the tears I see forming in her eyes. I need to get us out of this office before showing any emotion.

Isabella’s tears aren't the only thing that I ignore.

Leo is fuming where he’s currently standing. He might want to kill his father and Emilio just as much as I do. Leo loves his sisters and would do everything he can to protect them, crossing his father might be one of them.

Ignoring my friend, I walk his sister out of the room and let the men discuss business. Whatever the fuck that means. It most likely has to be something concerning the future nuptials if I’m not included. No fucking way would Leo let his father discuss cartel business without me present.

The second the doors close behind Isabella and me, there is a silence that encases us like a bubble. That silence follows us all the way to her side of her father’s estate.

There are so many things that I could say to her right now, but it’s as if I'm not able to form a single word.

I don’t even reach for her, hold her in my arms and tell her everything will be okay, we just walk to her room, and I break with every shaky breath I hear her release.

Once we reach her studio, she pushes the doors open and storms in and being the sad little puppy that I am, I follow, closing the door behind me.