Chapter 13

Isabella

There was no way I’d just heard right. It just wasn’t even possible. Not in this life or the next. Had he any idea what he’d just said? It wasn’t some kind of word you could just toss around when you wanted to. It was bloody murder.

Murder!

“What?!” For a split second, I thought I’d somehow managed to convey my displeasure with just one word. But a couple of moments later, I realized the exclamation came from Matteo. “Sir, if you’re joking…”

“Have you ever seen me smile before?” Alessandro cut in sharply, and now that he mentioned it, I wasn’t sure I’d seen him smile either. I wouldn’t be shocked if he hadn’t cracked a smile in all his years. “You only smile when you crack a joke, and I don’t do jokes.”

“But, sir.” There was a hint to Matteo’s voice, one I didn’t want to consider what it really meant. “You want her to shoot him? Look at her. She bar