I cocked my head. “Yes, like a fuckin’ royal family.”
The second guy tsk-ed and took a lunging step forward, aiming his gun at me in an aggressive manner. “Man, fuck off and get the fuck out of here before I put a hole the size of Texas in your chest.”
I took another step closer. “Do you know what happened the last time someone assassinated a duke?”
They squinted at each other quizzically and then looked back at me, bewildered again. “Heh?”
“It was the catalyst for a little conflict known as World War I.” I arched one eyebrow. “Are you prepared to be responsible for something that?”
The first guy tsk-ed. “Man, fuck off with—”
“Great Britain is one our closest allies,” I continued, my fingers itching as I gripped the pistol, pulled it out of the waistband of my jeans, and then aimed it at the first guy. “Queen Elizabeth attended my fucking baptism, so I would rethink everything you’re planning to do at this house, and then leave.”
They both recoiled only slightly, but kept their weapons raised. “If you’re all that, then what the fuck are you doing in this house, anyway?”
I casually inched closer. “I’m staying with Isla while her family is traveling because Ernesto warned me that his shitty relatives might come to visit her while he’s away.” I tilted the pistol sideways just enough that the jewel-encrusted word Familia glinted at them. “I have a feeling you’ve probably seen one like this before. Ernesto has one. He gave this one to me in the event that I ever crossed paths with the likes of you both and any of your cohorts.”
The second guy’s thick, ebony eyebrows crawled up his forehead. “Ohhhh… You’re with Isla.” He said it like an accusation, and I slipped my finger inside the guard to rest on the trigger.
“Right now, I’m with you, aiming a gun at your face.” I dragged the barrel to point at the first guy. “So, why don’t you get the fuck out of this house before you have to leave in body bags?”
“Aw shit.” The first guy heaved a shoulder-shaking chuckle. He bumped the other guy’s shoulder before rattling off something in Spanish that was too quick for me to understand with my still-limited fluency. The second guy said something back, also chuckling.
“I’m waiting, gentlemen,” I remarked. “It’s very late, so I’m ready to pull this trigger and inform the police to collect your remains so I can get back to bed.”
They were both still chuckling as they withdrew their weapons, holding them up in surrender.
“Alright, alright, ese,” the first one said, “just chill. We’re heading out.”
Still aiming, I followed them at a close distance all the way to the front door.
After they slipped out, they continued to go back and forth in Spanish while chuckling jovially.
“Hey, Duke,” the second guy said over his shoulder, “give our regards to your girl, alright?”
“I’ll give them to Ernesto when I call him momentarily,” I said dryly, slipping out my phone with my free hand and waving it at them.
They mumbled a string of Spanish curses as they made the long walk down the long, oval drive. Switching on the floodlights, I watched them scale the iron gate and drop onto the other side, then climb into a car and peel out.
Back inside, I activated the security alarm and checked the lock three times before doing a sweep of the entire manor and then going back to Isla’s room. I locked the door, slid the dresser in front of it, and then slipped the pistol between the mattress and box spring.
Placing the back of my hand on her forehead, I checked for the slight feverishness that the doctor told us to look out for. She was still a cooler than normal temperature, and I climbed back into bed to wrap myself around her again.
“Isla,” I ventured quietly against her cheek.
Nothing but long, quiet breathing.
“I love you, my sweet Isla.” I pressed a kiss to her cool, clammy skin. “On my life, no one like that will ever come near you.”
MALACHI
Present
ANOTHER GLASS OF SCOTCH later, I find myself standing in front of Isla’s closed bedroom door.
After not knocking, I twist the knob and swing open the door. It smacks against the wall, and she startles where she’s sitting cross-legged on the window seat. The laptop is balanced on her thighs, and she’s probably writing more of her porn. She’s probably ashamed of it because she doesn’t look up at me, and merely closes the laptop and sets it aside, unfolding her legs in front of her and sitting properly.
“Duchess.”
She still doesn’t look up. “Yes, Duke.”
I can’t tell if this sudden shift to her using the formal manner of address with me is her being passive aggressive or something else, but I certainly prefer it.
“I said I would provide you with a sufficient explanation for the activity earlier,” I say evenly, but still cold. “Do I have your undivided attention?”
She folds her hands in her lap. “Yes, sir.”
“Then look at me, you defiant halfwit,” I snap.
Her brown eyes slide up to meet mine, and it’s clear she’s been crying.
It occurs to me that her behavior isn’t passive aggressive and likely guilt because she realized today that everything I’ve told her that she did to me is the truth, and she just can’t remember it.
Good.
I approach her, stopping at about two arms’ length from her. “This is the information that is necessary for you to be aware of.” I pause, meticulously parsing through my phrasing to ensure I don’t tell her more than she needs to know. “Since moving here, you have become a target for individuals who seek to harm you. My security team informed me that they were present at the festival this afternoon. Because of that, you will not leave this property again until I deem it safe enough to do so. That means we will not travel to New York for the holiday to see your family. They will have to come here if they choose to see you. Is all of this one hundred percent clear?”
“Yes, sir.” Isla’s eyes do a subtle drift away from and back to my face. “May I ask a question?”
I arch one eyebrow haughtily. “That was a question, but I’ll allow another.”
Her deep russet eyes search mine. “Why are you still committed to protecting me after what I did to you?”
I draw back my chin. “I always keep my word, Duchess. Even to a two-faced, piece-of-shit woman who stabbed me in the back.” I narrow my eyes. “But this isn’t actually about you at all. It’s about keeping my word to your father.”
Her throat pulses with a swallow. “Still, I appreciate it.”
“I don’t give a single, solitary fuck about your appreciation.” I cross my arms over my chest and stand taller as a means to remind her of my total control of her before I execute the first step of my ultimate revenge for her betrayal. “Now, tell me something.”
She offers a single nod.
There’s a slight twinge of anxiety in my gut. “Are you pregnant?”
Isla blanches, and her eyes drift again. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
“Very well.” I lift one finger in a flippant gesture at her. “Take off your clothes.”