Poisonous Love (Manxman).

22.

[Extra]

Isabella

She watched the two little boys playing in the large area of the backyard. Their growing legs carried them as they played and chased each other around without a care in the world, their clothes already dirty from playing around in the dirt and sweating under the scorching sun.

Laundry would be so much fun.

Emiliano rarely got to play like this and it felt so good to see her little boy let loose and have this much fun. It made the dread of doing laundry seem not all that bad.

Many times have the thoughts of how much she has sheltered Emiliano crossed her mind, but as the saying goes "Everyone knows what they're running from." She knew for a fact what she was running from and it went by the name of Don Alessandro, her all knowing and all reaching father. She couldn't let Emiliano grow up in the family, he needed to be his own man first.

"Mama look." She turned her head to look at her beaming son, at least that was before her eyes followed the length of his arm to see the insect in between his fingers. Was that a centipede? Or a millipede? She wasn't sure, not like she paid attention in insectology class.

"That's nasty Emi, put the thing back where you found it." She chastised.

"But mama..." He tried to argue his case.

"No buts, put the thing back on the soil." With a pout, her little boy put the centipede or millipede back on the floor and as if it never happened, the two boys resumed their play.

"The boys are having so much fun Isabella, at least it wouldn't be a hassle to get Pablo to bed tonight." She laughed at that because the same thing applied to Emiliano, all that energy would be drained by bed time.

She turned a little to see her bodyguard/right hand man, Gustavo casually sipping his beer. It always felt good to see the little family whenever they were able to escape and visit her and Emiliano.

Ever since she ran away from home, from the family, four months pregnant and not a clue of what she was going to do they were the ones that she could call on. They were always there for her till she got back on her feet and now here they were.

"Use your leg Pablo." She heard her right hand man shout and quickly she turned back to see the two five year olds play fighting on the grass. Of course Pablo would have the upper hand since he had begun his sicario training at the age of 4, like all boys born into the family did.

However Isabella wasn't one to be caught lacking too.

She watched the boys roll around and Pablo was on top, his upper body was exposed as he used both hands to keep Emiliano in place. Thing is Pablo's hands were occupied and since he was kneeling on the ground, that was the only balance he had. But Emi still had both legs free as he laid on the ground struggling to get his arms away, there was so much he could do with his leg however.

"Emi where's the sun?" Isabella shouted.

She knew full well that her son would get the reference seeing as she'd been teaching him somethings too. Again, she wasn't going to be caught lacking.

With a slight twist of his upper body, Emiliano torqued his waist and quickly raised his right knee and jammed it into Pablo's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of the other boy. She cheered as the Gustavo groaned before proceeding to lift up his son and take care of the young one.

"Mama it worked." Emiliano muttered to his proud mom in awe of his fighting skills.

"Yes it did, mama wouldn't lie to you." She beamed before placing a chaste kiss on her son's cheek.

"Emi only won because Pablo is hungry and tired." Gustavo grunted and Isabella rolled her eyes at the man.

"Careful now Gustavo or you're gonna take your son's place, right Emi?" Isabella teased and wasn't disappointed when her son replied with a "yes mama." Gustavo rolled his eyes. Of course in a fight Gustavo might win due to biological factors as the man was built like an unmoving mountain, but Isabella could also do some serious damage that he would wish he was dead when she finished with him.

But alas that day would never come because Gustavo would never fight his boss, not while he lived and breathed.

"Speaking of hungry and tired, lunch is ready guys come on." Alina gestured the three of them inside the house and the smell of hearty tomato sauce welcomed them in. Isabella's mouth watered in anticipation of the good food she was about to eat. She knew it was good because Alina made it and goodness knows that woman could cook.

They filed back into the modest two bedroom house that Isabella has called home for about six years now, ever since she ran away from the family. She reached the sitting room to see Pablo already asleep on the settee. If she was a lesser person she would have teased Gustavo that Emiliano's kick had knocked his son out cold.

Oh wait.

"I should be employed as the family's trainer seeing as my little man is already knocking people out from this age." She gloated and saw Gustavo's jaw tick before he rolled his eyes at her.

"My boy is just tired, he will have Emi down in seconds if you're open to a rematch." Isabella quickly shook her head as she carried an already yawning Emiliano to the dining table. She knew all that earlier play would drain his energy but she didn't think it'll be this fast. She will lay him down to nap after a quick lunch.

Isabella said the grace as they all sat down to eat.

Halfway through a laughter filled lunch, Gustavo's personal phone rang. Emiliano had lost his battle to sleep and was now next to his best friend on the convertible couch/bed fast asleep.

"Don Alessandro." Gustavo said into the phone, his voice all serious and fearful of his boss even when he wasn't in his presence. Isabella understood that feeling. "Yes sir, Masaccio's guys have made no move to start something so we're just..."

Isabella and Alina were dead quiet as they listened to Gustavo and the Re on the other side of the call. Until it occurred to Isabella what her dear father was doing.

Every member of the Azalea-Russo mafia family had an untraceable phone, therefore if the don had to call you it would be over a secure line. So if the Don called Gustavo on his personal cell, it's because they were tracing his cell. Isabella ran to her right hand man and snatched the phone from his hands, quickly she dropped it into the jug of water that sat on the dining table.

Dear dad was playing dirty and now it was left to her to turn the situation around.

"He would never call your personal cell." Isabella explained to a confused looking Gustavo as he stared at her in shock. Realization hit him instantly.

"Oh I'm sorry Isabella." He apologized profoundly.

"It's okay Gustavo, I know father doesn't play fair so it's not your fault." She tapped down Gustavo's body to make sure there was no tracking device on him.

She'd underestimated Don Alessandro once and would never do that again. She patted Alina down too and even the sleeping Pablo and they were all clean.

"You guys can't come here again. I know where to find you if I need you and you know where to find me if you need me. Don't contact me except it's life or death." She commanded both husband and wife as they hurriedly packed their things up too.

"Of course Isabella. Take care." Alina quickly hauled up their sleeping son and headed straight for the door. In a jiffy, every evidence that people had been there had been wiped out by Isabella. She quickly took out the battery of the phone and walked a street over to trash it in a random dumpster and threw the rest of the phone in another random dumpster before walking back home.

After she was sure that her cover wasn't blown, Isabella closed up the blinds and ensured the door was locked. She sat on the couch where Emiliano was laid up and gently placed his head on her lap. "It's just you and me, young one." She kissed his soft cheek.

And so it was just the two of them, for the next eight years until that night that everything would change.

Masaccio would murder Don Alessandro and Isabella's brother and real heir to the Azalea-Russo mafia family, Santino Azalea-Russo. Isabella and Emiliano's life would be changed that night.