All Chapters of To Have and To Hold: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

IsabellaDays turned into a week.One week turned into two.Even though I was living in the same house, I rarely saw el Patrόn. The first time I did after Mia’s and my conversation, he and I passed ways in the kitchen. It was after I’d thought everyone had gone to bed, and the house was mostly dark. The light of the pool allowed enough illumination for me to search for a late-night snack. When I stepped from the pantry, he was there. All six feet-plus of muscle and tension. My first instinct was to scream or maybe run. In what order I didn’t know.Instead, I remembered Mia’s words. When she first met him, she thought he was an asshole. Involuntarily, my cheeks rose, and my lips curled into a smile. “El patrόn.”“Me puedes llamar de Jano.” His features mellowed. “Gracias, chiquita. Thank you for staying with Mia and helping her out at the apartments. It means a lot to her.”“I’m glad I can be of assistance.”“You are. It’s one thing off my mind.” He nodded.With that he was gone, out t

IsabellaIt was around four thirty when Horace knocked on the doorframe to my office. “Miss Izzy.”I smiled at his use of my first name. “Yes, come on in.”He stepped inside. “I received word from Emiliano Ruiz that he is taking you home tonight.”Warmth filled my cheeks. “I told him I wanted to see more of San Diego, and with the lockdown” —I shrugged— “he was nice and offered me a tour.”“You’re my responsibility.”“Should I not trust Em?”He took a step closer to my desk. “That’s not what I’m saying.”“Em said he’d get el Patrόn’s approval. He must have.”“Sí, I asked Lieutenant Ruiz that same question.”“Then it’s settled.”“Miss, I’m asking you if you’d like me to accompany you and him on this tour?”The way he emphasized the last word made me think he thought tonight was about more than a tour. “Horace, take the night off or do whatever it is you’re supposed to do when you don’t have to babysit me. I mean, you leave every night after you take me to Mia’s. You must have someplace

EmilianoI liked the feeling of the way Isabella’s hand fit perfectly in mine. Spending these few weeks with her has opened a floodgate of feelings I’d never before considered. While my mind was constantly on the war we fought and the business we ran, at unexpected times, Isabella would come to mind. I wondered if she would like this or if she’d prefer that. I worried about her safety at the apartments and even at el Patrόn’s home. Since the afternoon when she melted down and came back to life—a stunning phoenix—I had the overwhelming desire to protect her while at the same time, to make her happy.Those instincts roared to life in me like they never had before. I’d been attracted to women in the past. Dated here and there. But the life I led in the cartel wasn’t conducive to organic relationships. The women I saw the most were the whores from Wanderland. Since Mia’s apartments opened, I’d stopped using their services. If I examined the reason, it would probably be that knowing them a

IsabellaDespite what had just happened, Em seemed calm as we headed south from Little Italy. He reached over and splayed his long fingers over my thigh. “I’m sorry if that scared you.”“I think I was too unsure of what was happening to be scared.” I looked down at the white bag from the bakery. “The cannoli though…they’re smashed.”Em smiled. “They’ll still taste great.”“Why would some young kid try to rob you?”“According to him, it wasn’t his idea. Someone offered him a hundred dollars.”“It seems like the price should have been higher.”He scoffed. “Much higher. That means one of two things. One, it was some kind of initiation, and they had no idea who I am, or two, if they offered more, the kid would figure I was someone important and push for even more.”I shook my head and stared out the wide windshield. The sky had already begun its transformation. Colors changed. Blues faded into red and orange. The vibrant hues radiated under the few clouds such as flames searing their unde

A little while earlierIsabellaI found Mia sitting at the kitchen island looking at her laptop. “Hey,” I said.Mia spun around and scanned me from head to toe. “Tell me you’re okay.”My smile couldn’t be hidden. “I’m good. Why?”She got down from the stool. “You shouldn’t be with Em unaccompanied.”“I was safe. Heck, he’s deadlier than anyone else out there.”“Come” —she motioned toward the counter and stools— “sit down and tell me what happened. What made you want to do something so reckless?”I went to the refrigerator and got myself a bottle of water. Sitting with a stool between us, I unscrewed the cap, trying to compose my response. Finally, I laid my hands out on the counter. “I’m sorry if you thought Em showing me around San Diego was reckless. I went because he asked. He even asked your husband first.”“He didn’t ask Jano to take you without Horace. You have a bodyguard for a reason.”I scoffed. “I’m certain that Em is as capable of protecting me as Horace.”She lowered her