over her decisions or actions. “Sorry, Nonna. I happen to have a situation with Hannah that needs careful handling. If you want to call her, please do it tomorrow, not tonight.”
“You just told me everything was fine with her.”
“It will be,” he muttered darkly.
“But it isn’t right now,” Isabella claimed with utter certainty.
Another sharp, dismissive gesture. “Hannah almost walked out of the job today because of a couple who came on board. She doesn’t want to talk about the past history they’ve obviously shared but they’re not letting go, Nonna. They want to get their hooks into her again and I’m not about to stand for that.”
“So...it’s Hannah you’re taking to the Nautilis tonight.”
“Yes.” His eyes narrowed with ruthless intent. “She needs to be free of that pair. One way or another I’m going to kill their games stone-dead.”
Violent feeling shimmered from him. Without a doubt he was deeply engaged with Hannah O’Neill. But was he getting it right for her?
“Antonio, does Hannah know what you plan?” she asked pertinently.
“She’ll be with me,” he answered with such passionate emphasis Isabella knew instantly that Antonio was taking this fight into his own hands.
“You will throw her into the ring with these people she wishes to avoid?”
“You think running away solves anything, Nonna?” he flared back at her. “Two years she’s been running from them and she would have run again if I hadn’t acted fast this morning.”
Isabella shook her head, having sensed none of this fear in Hannah O’Neill. She had seemed such a happy person, happy, confident, carefree...
“Are you sure this is so, Antonio?”
He nodded grimly. “It stops tonight. Hannah will stay with me.”
The possessive ring in his voice should have warmed Isabella’s heart, giving her hope that Antonio had at last found a woman he might come to love and cherish, but again she was lacking knowledge, crucial knowledge.
“You are doing what you want. But is it what Hannah wants? You say she hasn’t talked of this past. You are taking on an enemy without knowing what it is.”
“They’re like a cancer on her soul,” he retorted vehemently. “That’s enough reason for me to get her to face them and choose to be rid of them.”
“Ask her, Antonio,” she urged. “Ask her if this is what she wants.”
“Stay out of it, Nonna,” he warned. “Just stay out of it. It will be how I want it to be.”
He strode off, not prepared to listen to reason.
“He wants to rescue her,” Rosita said quietly.
“He might be telling himself that, Rosita, but he is acting like a bull who is blindly intent on driving off another bull.”
“You mean he is protecting his territory.”
Isabella heaved a sigh of exasperation. “This could go badly.”
“You don’t think Antonio will win?”
“What makes a woman run from a married couple? What if the cancer on Hannah O’Neill’s soul is an unfulfilled love? A love that was forbidden to her?” She shook her head, wishing she knew more. “There is a reason why Hannah will not talk of these people.”
“If the man is married, then he is no good to her,” Rosita argued, picking up the roll of pastry, slamming it down on the marble square and kneading it with far more energy than she needed to.
Antonio’s energy making her jumpy, Isabella thought. The power of it was still hanging around, making them both feel highly unsettled. “This Flynn Lovett cannot be happily married,” she pointed out. “Antonio sees him as a threat. A happily married man is no threat. If this man is considering a divorce...”
“Divorce is not good,” Rosita declared firmly, giving the pastry a good punch. “I think Antonio should save her from such bad things.”
Which was all very fine if she wanted to be saved, Isabella thought, but it was her experience that these days young women preferred to make their own independent choices.
Rosita was in her
“You just told me everything was fine with her.”
“It will be,” he muttered darkly.
“But it isn’t right now,” Isabella claimed with utter certainty.
Another sharp, dismissive gesture. “Hannah almost walked out of the job today because of a couple who came on board. She doesn’t want to talk about the past history they’ve obviously shared but they’re not letting go, Nonna. They want to get their hooks into her again and I’m not about to stand for that.”
“So...it’s Hannah you’re taking to the Nautilis tonight.”
“Yes.” His eyes narrowed with ruthless intent. “She needs to be free of that pair. One way or another I’m going to kill their games stone-dead.”
Violent feeling shimmered from him. Without a doubt he was deeply engaged with Hannah O’Neill. But was he getting it right for her?
“Antonio, does Hannah know what you plan?” she asked pertinently.
“She’ll be with me,” he answered with such passionate emphasis Isabella knew instantly that Antonio was taking this fight into his own hands.
“You will throw her into the ring with these people she wishes to avoid?”
“You think running away solves anything, Nonna?” he flared back at her. “Two years she’s been running from them and she would have run again if I hadn’t acted fast this morning.”
Isabella shook her head, having sensed none of this fear in Hannah O’Neill. She had seemed such a happy person, happy, confident, carefree...
“Are you sure this is so, Antonio?”
He nodded grimly. “It stops tonight. Hannah will stay with me.”
The possessive ring in his voice should have warmed Isabella’s heart, giving her hope that Antonio had at last found a woman he might come to love and cherish, but again she was lacking knowledge, crucial knowledge.
“You are doing what you want. But is it what Hannah wants? You say she hasn’t talked of this past. You are taking on an enemy without knowing what it is.”
“They’re like a cancer on her soul,” he retorted vehemently. “That’s enough reason for me to get her to face them and choose to be rid of them.”
“Ask her, Antonio,” she urged. “Ask her if this is what she wants.”
“Stay out of it, Nonna,” he warned. “Just stay out of it. It will be how I want it to be.”
He strode off, not prepared to listen to reason.
“He wants to rescue her,” Rosita said quietly.
“He might be telling himself that, Rosita, but he is acting like a bull who is blindly intent on driving off another bull.”
“You mean he is protecting his territory.”
Isabella heaved a sigh of exasperation. “This could go badly.”
“You don’t think Antonio will win?”
“What makes a woman run from a married couple? What if the cancer on Hannah O’Neill’s soul is an unfulfilled love? A love that was forbidden to her?” She shook her head, wishing she knew more. “There is a reason why Hannah will not talk of these people.”
“If the man is married, then he is no good to her,” Rosita argued, picking up the roll of pastry, slamming it down on the marble square and kneading it with far more energy than she needed to.
Antonio’s energy making her jumpy, Isabella thought. The power of it was still hanging around, making them both feel highly unsettled. “This Flynn Lovett cannot be happily married,” she pointed out. “Antonio sees him as a threat. A happily married man is no threat. If this man is considering a divorce...”
“Divorce is not good,” Rosita declared firmly, giving the pastry a good punch. “I think Antonio should save her from such bad things.”
Which was all very fine if she wanted to be saved, Isabella thought, but it was her experience that these days young women preferred to make their own independent choices.
Rosita was in her
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