The Traitor
1251 Words
The room fell silent.
Someone inside the DeLuca organization had betrayed them.
Izzy looked between Adrian and Marco.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them looked surprised.
That was almost worse.
"You have a traitor?" she finally asked.
Marco rubbed the back of his neck.
"We have a suspicion."
Adrian's expression remained unreadable.
"How long?"
Marco sighed.
"A few weeks."
"A few weeks?" Izzy repeated.
"You knew someone was leaking information?"
"We knew something wasn't right," Adrian corrected.
"And you didn't think that was important information to share with me?"
He looked at her.
"I was hoping I was wrong."
"Well, congratulations," she said. "You weren't."
A corner of Marco's mouth twitched.
Adrian shot him a look.
"Not helping."
Marco cleared his throat.
"Sorry."
Izzy crossed her arms.
"So what now?"
Adrian's gaze shifted to Marco.
"What did you find?"
"The men from last night had details they shouldn't have had."
"What kind of details?"
Marco looked uncomfortable.
"They knew where Miss Carter was staying."
The room went cold.
They all understood the implication.
Someone had known Adrian brought her here.
Someone had known where to find her.
Someone had sent those men.
A chill ran through Izzy.
"Does that mean…"
Marco nodded.
"You were being watched."
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
First her father died.
Then she inherited decades of secrets.
Now she had a stalker.
Her life was going great.
Adrian's expression darkened.
"Who had access to that information?"
"Only a handful of people."
"Luca?"
"He was with me."
"Rosa?"
Marco immediately shook his head.
"Never."
"I know."
Izzy looked between them.
"You trust her that much?"
Adrian answered without hesitation.
"With my life."
The certainty in his voice made her strangely jealous.
She'd never had that kind of trust with anyone.
"Then who?"
Marco sighed.
"We don't know yet."
A knock sounded.
The door opened.
Speak of the devil.
Luca stepped inside carrying a coffee mug.
He stopped.
"You all look miserable."
No one answered.
He frowned.
"Should I come back?"
"No," Adrian said.
Luca looked around.
"Okay… now I'm nervous."
Marco folded his arms.
"We have a problem."
Luca groaned.
"We always have a problem."
"This one is bigger."
That got his attention.
"What happened?"
Adrian looked at him.
"We have a leak."
Silence.
Luca slowly lowered his coffee.
"No."
Marco nodded.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Luca."
The blond man looked genuinely horrified.
"No."
Izzy almost laughed.
Apparently, denial was his coping mechanism.
Luca rubbed a hand down his face.
"Who?"
"We don't know."
"Fantastic."
He took a long drink of coffee.
Then another.
"Okay," he said. "I hate this."
"Join the club," Marco muttered.
Luca finally noticed Izzy.
"You okay?"
She blinked.
No one had asked her that today.
Not really.
"Not particularly."
"Fair."
He nodded sympathetically.
"Honestly, I'd be screaming."
"I've considered it."
"Reasonable."
Despite everything, she smiled.
Luca grinned.
"There she is."
"What?"
"Your first real smile."
She rolled her eyes.
"I've smiled before."
"Not around us."
She couldn't argue with that.
Adrian looked between them.
Something unreadable crossed his face.
Then he turned back to Marco.
"Double security."
"Already done."
"No one leaves the estate."
Luca nodded.
"Done."
Izzy frowned.
"No one leaves?"
"Temporary."
She crossed her arms.
"I feel like I'm being grounded."
Luca looked at Adrian.
"Technically, you are."
Adrian sighed.
"Izzy—"
"No."
She stood.
"I just found out my mother's death might have been murder, my father kept secrets for twenty years, and now you're telling me I can't leave this house?"
"Yes."
She stared at him.
At least he was honest.
"Absolutely not."
"You are in danger."
"So are you."
"I'm used to it."
The answer came so quickly she almost missed it.
For a moment, she just looked at him.
He really was used to it.
That made her unexpectedly sad.
"You can't spend your life locked away."
His expression softened.
"Neither can you."
Silence.
Then—
"I'm going for a walk."
"No."
She blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"No."
She couldn't believe him.
"You don't get to tell me what to do."
"I do when your life is at risk."
"I'm not a child."
"I never said you were."
"Then stop treating me like one."
She headed toward the door.
Adrian stepped in front of her.
She nearly walked into him.
Oh.
He was close.
Very close.
She could smell his cologne.
Something warm and woodsy.
This was distracting.
"Move."
"No."
"Adrian."
"No."
She narrowed her eyes.
He didn't even blink.
"Are you always this stubborn?"
A small smile appeared.
"Yes."
"That's annoying."
"I've been told."
Luca cleared his throat.
"I feel like I shouldn't be here for this."
Marco nodded.
"Agreed."
Neither of them moved.
Traitors.
She looked back at Adrian.
"Please."
The single word surprised both of them.
His expression softened.
"Izzy…"
"I just need air."
For a long moment, he studied her.
Then he sighed.
"Five minutes."
Her face lit up.
"Really?"
"I'll come with you."
It disappeared.
"No."
"Then no walk."
She groaned.
"You are impossible."
"So I've been told."
Luca looked delighted.
"This is fun."
"Leave," Adrian said.
"I'm leaving."
He wasn't.
"Now."
Luca finally backed toward the door.
Marco followed.
Both of them looked entirely too amused.
The moment they were gone, silence returned.
Adrian stepped aside.
"Five minutes."
She smiled despite herself.
"Thank you."
The gardens behind the mansion were beautiful.
Stone pathways wound through flowers and fountains.
The sun had finally come out.
For the first time in days, things felt… peaceful.
They walked in silence.
Eventually, Izzy stopped near a fountain.
"I don't know who I am anymore."
The words came quietly.
Adrian looked at her.
"My whole life was built on things that weren't true."
She stared at the water.
"My mother didn't die in an accident."
No answer.
"My father kept secrets."
Still nothing.
"And now I'm living in a mansion owned by a mafia boss."
That earned a small smile.
"Not exactly how I pictured this week."
A laugh escaped him.
It was deep and warm.
She looked up.
"You laugh more than I expected."
"You've said that before."
"I know."
He leaned against the stone edge of the fountain.
"Izzy?"
"Hm?"
"You don't have to figure everything out today."
Tears burned behind her eyes.
"I don't know how not to."
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then he said quietly—
"You can lean on other people sometimes."
She swallowed.
"No one's ever really stayed."
Something changed in his expression.
Something softer.
"I will."
The words were simple.
Yet they stole the air from her lungs.
She looked at him.
"You barely know me."
"That doesn't change my answer."
Her heart did something strange.
Something dangerous.
Before she could speak—
A scream echoed through the estate.
Both of them froze.
Another scream.
Then shouting.
Adrian's entire demeanor changed.
The warmth vanished.
The softness disappeared.
In its place stood someone cold and deadly.
"Stay here."
"What happened?"
"I don't know."
He was already moving.
She followed anyway.
"Izzy—"
"No chance."
He sighed.
They hurried toward the house.
People were running.
Men in black suits.
Voices shouted orders.
Then Rosa appeared.
She looked pale.
"What happened?" Adrian demanded.
"It's the office."
His expression darkened.
"What about it?"
Rosa swallowed.
"The file."
A chill swept through Izzy.
"What file?" she whispered.
Rosa looked at her.
"The one about your mother."
Silence.
Then—
"It's gone."
Everything stopped.
Someone had stolen the file.
And whoever had taken it now knew exactly how much Izzy had learned.
- Writer
