Isabella Checking up on Alessandro and Miguel proved to be a good idea. The two men were quickly recovering and hopefully will be able to move by the end of the week. Of course, they bickered to their hearts' content despite their injuries and even threatened a fight. Unfortunately, I barely paid attention to them. My mind was on one thing: how we were going to leave Rome. By the time I got back to Damon's room, I found him pacing the length of the room as he spoke in rapid Russian. I didn't know he could speak Russian, but either way, he didn't seem to be arguing. He said something in Russian and laughed shortly after. After a few back and forth, I heard "do svidaniya”, which I knew was "goodbye," and then he hung up. He walked over to me with a smile. I guess he must have found a solution to our current predicament. "I pulled in a favor with my friend in Russia. He has a private strip on the outskirts of Rome and a private jet waiting in the hangar. All I need to do is pay for
Isabella Damon sat beside me in the van as we pulled out of the underground parking lot. It was still dark outside, and upon inspection on my phone, I saw that it was barely 4:38 a.m. "We have a long drive," he said to me. "At least an hour and a half journey, and I want us to get there quickly." Damon was currently scrolling through his phone and then texting with quick movements of his fingers. Suddenly, heat rushed to my cheeks as I thought about his fingers working on me the night before. I reached the conclusion last night that he had been holding back on me, but for a good reason. "If I do everything I want to do to you, you're going to run away. I don't want you running away from me, princess," he taunted last night. Paula and Michael were in the van behind us, with Miguel also with them, while Alessandro sat alone in the backseat. I counted nine men close to Damon. In my mind, the only ones I was familiar with were Philippe, Miguel, Alessandro, and Michael. Another one
Isabella I looked up from my hiding place in Damon's neck. My heart would mourn the loss of his scent momentarily as I took in the sight of what was a private airstrip through the tinted glass of the van. The door sliding open brought in a rush of bright light from the sunrise, slightly harsh on my eyes. Damon tapped me on my ass and nudged me to get up. I picked up my phone and the backpack that contained my other devices then climbed down from the van. It was a plain airfield, consisting of a long runway and a hangar. Off in the distance stood a medium-sized private jet that was slowly revving up its engine. The private jet was suddenly closer, and that's when I realized it was coming to pick us up. Excited and not being able to remember the last time I was on a plane, my heart picked up speed in anticipation. I felt Damon's hands close around mine, and just then heard my name being called by Paula's familiar voice. I looked around to find her waving energetically. "You don'
Isabella The Lower City had a private airstrip close to the beach on the south side of the island. That area was more desert than green fields. I could almost taste the desert air carried from across the Mediterranean from Africa as soon as I alighted from the plane. Waiting for us some distance away from the landing strip were two large black SUVs. Standing in front of one of them was a hard-looking man with a smile. The man had a deep scar running from his forehead down to his chin. I turned around to find Damon shaking hands with the pilot, who later waved at me. The man's smile widened, making his scar stretch across to the point where it almost looked like his skin wanted to rip, making him look like a discount version of Freddy Krueger. Nonetheless, I didn't feel threatened in front of the man. His smile was welcoming and bore no ill intent. "It's good to see you again, King," the man said in a deep voice as he grabbed Damon's elbow. The two shared a strange handshake and
Isabella "No, this is my fault," I said to Damon. "I ran away. I ran like a coward. I left them. I left them to Rodrigo, and he ruined this place. You tried, but... it looks like there's only so much you could do. The city... it needs me. I get that now. But I ran from it. I ran from my place, and everything fell to ruin." Damon caressed my cheek and bent his head to peck me on my forehead. "You are here now," he said, and everything became clear. I was here, and I was here to fix things. I wrapped my arm around his waist and buried my head in his chest. His scent did wonders as my nose practically rejoiced to have him close to me again, breathing in his French coffee and sage smell. I loved him. I heard someone clear their throat behind us, interrupting the perfect moment we were having. "I'm sorry, King," the voice said. While I was about to get angry, I realized that we couldn't just stand around and hug each other forever. Duty pulled at the sense of duty in my mind. The
Damon Isabella looked more sad than pissed, but I wouldn't expect her to understand why I had to do this, even though the reason was obvious to me. "Why?" she asked with a controlled voice. I could tell she was struggling to find a reason. "I told you. They haven't seen my face. They don't know what I look like. Most of them will think that I'm some lower-ranking guy in the Masked King's small army. That's what I'm going to use to find Frank. I also need to gather information," I explained as I stood up from the bed and walked towards her. She looked considerably less sad but more angry as her eyebrows drew together. "I understand. But I want to come with you," she said, resolutely, knowing that her desire was impossible. "Isabella, Cassandra knows what you look like. Let's assume that everybody knows what you look like. It would mean that they'll come after your life," I explained, gently grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into a hug. I relished the feel of her soft body aga
Damon Julio was a priority. I clenched my fist on the slightly damp table. Clearly, the quality of the bar had fallen in recent months since I left. I was interested in seeing how the city had turned out since I left and since Frank's disappearance. "I need to make some calls," I directed Justin. "We're going to get him out. Call Leo, tell her we need heavy guns and an extraction point." Justin immediately sprang into action and left the bar. I signaled to the server and, after a while, he brought me a glass of Scotch. When the cup came, it was filled two fingers high with a ball of ice in the middle. I sat there, planning my move. Getting Julio out of the upper city was no problem, but the fact that he was constantly watched, constantly in danger, changed everything. If all went wrong, I would be fighting a war on two fronts. If all went right, I would easily be able to smuggle him out. But in my years of being in the city, I knew that it was always best to prepare for the worst
Isabella.Worry was the least of what I felt. My heart pounded in my chest as I paced the length of my new room frantically until I was sure the ground was hot.“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Paula’s voice sounded from her perch on my bed. Her face would have mirrored mine if not for the fact that the man she loved was still in the building.“Do you think I should call him?” I said, my fingers fiddling with each other. Suddenly, the hem of my shirt became interesting, and I began to pull on it.“Calm down, Bella. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Paula gave me a smile that should have been reassuring, but I was too far gone in my worry to notice. I brought my fingernails to my mouth and began to chew on them as I resumed my pacing.“Alessandro, please tell her that everything’s going to be okay,” Paula said from my bed.“Princess,” I heard the smooth voice of Alessandro, “I’m sure everything will be fine. The boss has sent word that he’s already within the upper city,” he said with a slight bow of