Protect Me

Chapter 3: A New Guest

LEONARDO

"Si, Nonno," I confirmed as I made my way downstairs. Emilio's stepdaughter was arriving today. I had no doubt that she would be as vain and manipulative as her mother, but as the owner of the house she would be staying, I felt required to make an appearance. I did not think I had any obligation to make my appearance more than a very brief stop on my way past, though.

As my nonno gave more instructions over the phone, I glanced toward the entryway. Emilio was there with his wife, Demi, and a young woman I could only assume was her daughter. She wasn't what I expected. Her curly brown hair looked a mess, and she wasn't wearing any makeup. I wasn't sure I'd ever seen her mother without her hair done and some level of makeup on her face. Her eyes were wide with panic, though as they met mine, they seemed to gain some control. Emilio must have told her about the house rules. It would make any average person a little nervous. I looked away again to concentrate on Nonno's instructions.

"Si, Nonno, yes, I understand."

"Ah, here's my brother now. So nice of you to make an appearance!"

I glared at Emilio, I was tiring of his attitude and jealousy. If he wasn't family, I would have kicked him out by now. Out of both the house and the organisation. I had very little patience for him in any part of my life. He was harmless, simply incredibly irritating.

"Si, la figlia di Demi," I told Nonno. He sighed his condolences and dismissed me. "Ciao Nonno."

I looked back down at my brother and his family gathered at the bottom of the staircase. He had his hand on his stepdaughters shoulder and his other arm around his wife. I knew they had wanted to have their own children together but they had not been successful yet. Or if they had been, it had not stuck.

I pushed my hair back from my face as I approached, tired and ready for this interaction to be over. But the second my foot hit the landing, the daughter was surging forward, her hand extended. Much too eager for my liking.

"Hi, I'm Demi's daughter, Medi," she smiled, a little too enthusiastically. Was she trying to get closer to me since I was in charge, or just not good at meeting new people? "Thank you so much for letting me stay in your beautiful home, I appreciate your generosity."

Maybe just a kiss ass. Though she didn't seem nearly as practised as her mother. She was pretty enough that she could probably get away without the practise for a lot of men. Some would be falling over themselves for a second of her time. But I was used to women throwing themselves at me, women who were much more practised at enticing their prey.

"Is Medi short for something?"

Her face fell for a second before her smile returned. I wasn't sure if she realised how obvious it was.

"Medusa."

I raised a single eyebrow. It was an unusual name to have in this day and age.

"I knew my daughter was going to be beautiful," Demi beamed, "so I named her after the Greek character that was so beautiful a goddess had to make her ugly enough to turn anyone to stone who gazed upon her. She's not much to look at right now, but you should see her when she's dressed up."

So, her mother was proud enough to assume her daughter would be beautiful but seemed insecure enough to not see her daughter's natural beauty. What a shame.

"I am Leonardo," I introduced myself. "I am sure Emilio has told you all the house rules, but if you need any clarification, the staff in the house can educate you."

I moved my line of sight to Emilio, who was leering at his stepdaughter's back. So that's why he wanted her to move into the house. It must be easier to cheat on your wife if you don't need to hide your mistress. I wondered what he'd promised Medi to convince her to sleep with him. I hoped it took more than just s*x to convince her to betray her mother no matter how much I disliked her mother. They were family, and no matter how irritating they were, they deserved some basic respect.

"Will you be showing Medi to her bedroom?" I asked Emilio. He finally looked up, a wave of guilt washing over his face before it disappeared again. That was interesting. Did he actually feel regret, or was he just worried that I would tell his wife about his real relationship with her daughter?

"Yeah, we were just about to go check it out." Emilio's voice became flat. He was probably worried about Demi finding out. If he was genuinely feeling guilty, he would have done a better job of hiding it. He was an easy person to read in our line of work, which was one point on an endless list of reasons why he hadn't been a suitable candidate for what was now my position. He always came up with excuses as to why he was not chosen, though. None of those excuses ever incorporated any aspect of why he would be a terrible fit for the job.

"I will leave you to it." I quickly checked my watch. "Cena - dinner - will be served at nine o'clock sharp. If you are late, we will start without you. If you arrive after everyone else has finished eating, you will go to bed hungry."

Medi looked up with those wide hazel eyes. The wooden decor brought out the brown in them, reminding me of chocolate panna cotta. I would need to ensure the chef added it to the menu for next week. Before I got any more distracted, I pulled out my phone and began walking away.

"Welcome to the house, Medi," I called over my shoulder as I entered the hallway. "I will be seeing you."