17-Lady Boss

**Ezra**

I have never seen Marcello angrier than he is now. It only took twenty minutes for our men to track down the scum who did this to Isabella. We know it is the same Vincent because he and Isabella have the same address on record from sixteen years ago.

"I am leaving for New Jersey in an hour. You can tell Isabella what I am doing, or you can get creative. She is smart enough to figure it out, especially when she finds out he is dead. It is best if we do not start lying to her now." Marcello is packing his bag.

"I will figure it out. Are you sure you want to do it? We can send a man to do it for us, and she will be less mad if we do not personally do it." When he is angry, he does not always think things through.

"I want to do it! I want to watch the life fade from his eyes, and I will not rest until I see him dead. You better come up with a damn good lie if you are worried about Isabella being mad at me." Marcello loads his gun and attaches it to his hip.

"I will be back by eleven in the morning. The helicopter is ready." He takes his bag and walks out the door.

________

I stay awake all night just in case Marcello needs to reach me. It is eight o'clock in the morning, and Isabella is sleeping with her head on my chest. I understand why Marcello is taking it into his own hands, but I worry about Isabella. Today is the day I will tell her the truth about Marcello and me. She deserves to know.

I get out of bed to make sure breakfast is ready.

"Where are you going?" Isabella's sleepy voice gets my attention before I reach the door.

"I am going to see what is served this morning. Would you like to join me?" She sits up and nods her head. Her hair is a tangled mess, but it makes her more beautiful. A smile spreads across my face as I watch her grab a small blanket and wrap it around her shoulders.

"I need my coffee." I have learned Isabella is not a morning person.

"Right away, love." When we get to the dining hall, breakfast is already served with coffee waiting at our seats, "You can sit beside me this morning. Marcello is out of town for the morning, so he will not be joining us."

I moved her things, and we take our seats.

"What did he go out of town for?" She takes a sip of her coffee and spreads jam on her toast.

"There are some things you need to know about us. We want you to know that you will always be safe and well cared for. Do you feel like you can trust us?" Isabella takes a bite and nods her head.

"You both make me feel safe and happy. Why?" I do not want to tell her this while Marcello is gone, but lying to her and putting it off will only make things worse.

"Marcello and I are the boss and underboss of the Italian Mafia. We want you to be aware if you choose to stay with us because you deserve to know who we are and what we do." She looks at me with a blank expression for a minute.

"So, I told you about Vincent last night, and this morning Marcello is gone. Now you're telling me you two are notorious crime leaders. Is Marcello going to find Vincent?" I can see she is trying to stay calm.

"Our men found him last night. Marcello went to take care of him." Her eyes go wide, and she stands up.

"He's going to beat him up!?" Bless her heart.

"I am sure he will be beaten up initially." How do I gently tell her Marcello went to murder her abuser?

"Tell me what he is doing, Ezra! Stop beating around the bush!" I have a bad feeling she is going to leave us.

"Okay, fine. Marcello has probably put a bullet in Vincent's head by now. I would say he is covering his tracks as we speak and should be home before noon." Her jaw drops open at my honesty, and she sits back down with her face in her hands.

"Oh my god. I'm fucking murderers." To be fair, I have not fucked her yet. I told Marcello he should not take things too fast with her.

"We are not murderers, Isabella. We simply handle people accordingly. Marcello and I would never harm someone if it is not absolutely necessary." She looks at me like a have two heads.

"What if I was a crazy bitch and lied to you? What if Vincent wasn't the one who did that to me, but I didn't want to expose who truly abused me?" Now she has me thinking she could be a crazy bitch.

"Well, that would be unfortunate for Vincent. Lies always lead to bigger problems, so I hope for his sake you were not lying. This is why we are being honest with you, love. We have never made you feel unsafe, and you know we would never hurt you." She squints at me.

"You two couldn't hurt me, even if you wanted to. Maybe emotionally, like now, but not physically." Isabella rolls her eyes, "Thankfully, I didn't lie about Vincent. You two really shouldn't do things impulsively like this. I feel like I'm too invested to leave, but what does it say about me if I stay? Or will you two get rid of me because I know too much?" She doesn't know nearly enough.

"We will not force you to stay, but it will be worth it if you do. I told you, we will not harm you or get rid of you. You do not know enough to be a problem." It is cute that she does not understand the power we hold.

"I need some space. I'll be in Chomper's room; don't follow me." She takes her coffee and leaves the dining hall. I am thankful she did not freak out as much as I thought she would have.

I call our head guard and tell him to keep a close eye on all exits to ensure she does not try to run away. I have no problem with her leaving if that is what she chooses, but I want to make sure she makes it back to Alice's safely.

My cellphone goes off, and Marcello's name appears.

"It is done. Have you talked to Isabella?"

"She knows. She is in the room with Chomper now, but I think she is okay."

"It is a good thing I got her that rabbit. I will talk to her when I get there as well."

We ended the call, and I finish my breakfast. I know Isabella said not to follow her, but I am worried about her. I go to Chomper's room to find her sitting on the floor with the little demon on her lap.

"May I come in?" She shrugs her shoulder. I close the door and sit beside her. Now is not the time to let the rodent scare me away.

"I know Marcello and I are asking a lot from you, but I hope you choose to stay with us. Marcello is crazy about you; he would feel crushed if you left us." She has Marcello making love for crying out loud.

"And how would you feel if I left?" Her question makes my chest heavy.

"Remorseful. Losing you before getting the chance to love you would be a tragedy. You would be the one that got away." Isabella might not know it yet, but she is cut out for the life we live. She could become the most feared and respected woman alive.

A tear streaks down her face, "My heart is so conflicted. I see so much good in you both, but killing people? Is it ever truly necessary to take a life?"

I wrap my arm around her body, and she leans into me while she cries. "I am so sorry, Isabella. You were conditioned to be wired the way you are, and so were we. It does not make us messed up; it makes us built for each other."

It is as if I said just the right thing. Isabella places Chomper on the floor, wipes her face, and straddles my lap. "The next time you two get the urge to kill someone, I need to know beforehand. If I do not find it necessary, you will need to find a better way to handle the person. If you two can't respect that, I will be gone for good. Understand?"

"Yes, Lady Boss." Marcello might not like it when she gets bossy, but I think it can be sexy. She leans into me and rests her head on my shoulder as I hold her close.