Page 102 of Ruthless Guardian

Isabella

A big yawn spills out as I search the cabinets for the coffee beans. Raf usually grinds them up and prepares my morningcaffèbefore I roll out of bed. This morning, I found a note on my pillow from my mercurial bodyguard beside an oleander blossom, the stem carefully wrapped in aluminum foil.

Beautiful and lethal, just like myprincipessa.

My heart had staggered for a beat as I traced the dark scrawling. It was uncharacteristically sweet, especially after how moody he’s been lately. But besides the cute words, there was no explanation other than he’d be gone for a few hours and had left Alberto in charge.

I sent a few texts but got no response, just that annoyingRaffaele has notifications silencedreply.

Well, I guess Alberto doesn’t know how to make coffee.

Irritated, I keep rifling through the cabinet in search of that blessed liquid caffeine, then hiss out a curse when I find it empty. Dammit. At least there’s Nutella. I jerk the jar openand dip my finger inside. As I suck on my fingertip, swirling my tongue around the sweetness, I remember Raf still hasn’t followed through with his promise of licking my favorite treat off my naked body.

My new guard glances up from his perch by the front door, the clatter of banging cabinets catching his attention. Unlike Raf who’s constantly up my ass, Albie has maintained a professional distance, only talking to me when I start the conversation.

“There’s no coffee,” I mutter.

He shrugs before returning his watchful eye to the window by the door. It looks out onto the quiet courtyard below, and I can’t imagine what could possibly be so interesting down there.

“Have you heard from Raf yet?”

“No,signorina, still nothing.”

The moment I saw the note, I’d asked my temporary guard if he knew where Raf had gone, but he’d been oddly tight-lipped about the whole thing.

The sharp ring of the outside gate buzzer sends my heart vaulting up my throat. Alberto rises, moving toward the intercom by the door. He barks a surly, “Who is it?” in Italian, and a surprising voice echoes back on the line.

“ProfessoreMassimo, I’ve come to check on Isabella.”

I run up, pushing by Albie and practically press my mouth to the speaker. Perfect excuse to go out for a coffee. And surely, my new guard won’t be half as strict as Raf. Maybe I can finally try a new place in town. “Ciao, Massimo, it’s Bella. What’s up?”

“I was hoping you were free for a walk around the center of town since it’s your day off. There is still so much you haven’t seen.”

“I would love that. As long as we can grab acaffèon the way?”

Alberto’s dark brows furrow as he regards me, shaking his head. He lifts my finger from the intercom, so the speaker is nolonger broadcasting outside. “Raffaele was very clear that I was not to let you leave the flat.”

“By myself, sure. But I’d be with Massimo and you, right? I’m sure you can handle a little stroll along thepiazza.”

He shakes his head, but I can already see his resolve wavering.

I wrap my hand around his upper arm, finger running over his bicep through the tight tee. “I’m sure I would be perfectly safe with you. Raf thinks he’s the best guardian in the world, but I think you’re right up there with him. Don’t you?”

“Well, yes, but?—”

“He won’t even have to know we ever left. Just a quick coffee and we can come back, okay?”

“Fine,” he grits out. “But only coffee.”

Nodding, I press my finger to the intercom once again. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll be right down, Massimo.”

“Perfetto.”

Massimo greets me with a warm smile when Albie opens the outer gate, holding it for me to walk through. I swear it turns downright giddy when he notices it’s not Raf accompanying me. “Buongiorno.” He brushes his lips against both cheeks in the typical Italian greeting. “You look beautiful as always.”

“Grazie.” I’m in a plain white tee and jeans, sporting the cute red Pradas Raf gifted me. And for some crazy reason, I stuck the poisonous oleander blossom in my ponytail. Thanks to the foil he’d wrapped the stem in, I’d managed the feat without ever touching the toxic flower. He’ll probably yell at me when he sees it, but if he didn’t want me to keep it, he shouldn’t have left it onmy pillow. “Your timing couldn’t have been better,” I say with a smile to my professor. “I’d just found out we were out of coffee before you showed up, so you’re pretty much a lifesaver.”

“That certainly is fortuitous.”

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