Protecting The Principessa (Complete)

~ Chapter 2 ~

"Excuse me?" Ignazia asked, staring down at the man who stared at her, not even bothered by her outburst. "I'm an adult; in fact, I'm 29 years old, old enough to take care of myself, I don't need you to babysit me!"

"Actually, Ignazia, it wouldn't be me, it would be my men or man, you would have one enforcer on you at all times, someone I trusted deeply." Izzy shook her head.

"No, I am not doing that and you can't even ask me to do that. I don't know you, Carlo, nor do I want to. You might give me some sob story about loving my mother and wanting us safe, but that doesn't mean I have to buy it, and really, I don't. I've taken care of myself for quite a few years now, and I've taken care of my mother, so I don't need you or your men." Carlo leaned back in his seat and the calm that descended on him actually caused Izzy to shiver.

"Is that what you think? That I've stepped so far out of the picture that no one has been watching your back?" With that, Carlo waved to the door and Izzy looked over, surprised to see her neighbor there. Then it dawned on her and her head snapped to Carlo. "He didn't want to move, but I trusted no one more to watch over those I love. Tony here will be rather sad to leave New Mexico, but he doesn't have a choice, just like you don't."

"Che diavolo (what the hell)," she cried out. "If he's been watching me, then why can't we stay? This makes no sense."

"Because you're mother also watched over you, regardless if you think she did or didn't. But now you have no one, and I will not let them come after you when there is no one here to help you."

"You think they would still come after me?" Carlo lifted a brow.

"More than anything now, especially knowing that your mother is out of the picture." Carlo stood up and buttoned his jacket, his dark eyes staring back into hers. "I love you, Ignazia, regardless of what you think. I'm trying to be civil in letting you know you will be moving back. However, as the Don, I have very little patience. So, you can come peacefully, or you will be forced." He walked around the table but stopped right by her side. "But make no mistake; you will be in New York. I will have you on my private plane within the next 24 hours, your choice if you want to come." With that, he stepped away from her, leaving her to brew in her anger. Well, fuck, fine, if he wanted to be that way, she wouldn't go willingly and she would make sure that everyone knew how pissed off she was by that.

-----

Adriano held open the door for Carlo as he saw the man walk out. And by the stance, Adriano knew his boss wasn't happy. Did things not go as planned with his daughter as he liked? Which wouldn't surprise him if what he heard was right, seeing as she was half Italian and half Mexican, he was sure that woman had a temper on her that matched plenty of Italian men.

"Boss," Adriano said, nodding at the man as he passed by him to get into the car. Adriano followed and closed the door to the car behind them.

"Adriano, she's a stubborn one."

"No offense, she's your daughter." Carlo sent the young man a look and Adriano chuckled. "She's not coming?"

"Oh, she will come, one way or another. I trust you though, as someone who knows my place. I need you to pick her up tonight and take her to the airport." Adriano turned in his seat to look at his boss, a brow raised in confusion.

"But she doesn't want to go," he stopped that comment and then started another. "Are you saying that if she doesn't know, I'm to kidnap her? An adult? Who can make her own choices?"

"Silenzio, Adriano (silence). I will guarantee that something would happen to her if she was left alone. Whoever killed my family is pissed enough at me. And the battle that I have been fighting since she was a baby is still going on. I refuse to let anything happen to her just because she's a stubborn woman." Adriano watched the man for another moment before nodding. He could understand that. He had seen the issues that Carlo faced. Where other Don's just had to worry about families trying to take him out, Carlo had to worry about someone betraying him and someone getting to his family. He already suffered the loss of the one woman he was to love and had to settle for second best when he married Mariana.

"I understand, boss. I'll get her on the plane." Carlo looked at him and Adriano shrugged. "Can I drug her if needs be?" Carlo laughed, but he shook his head in response.

-----

Adriano looked up at the apartment, rather surprised by how run down it looked. He knew that Carlo paid for things so he expected someplace nicer for the family that he loved so much. Certainly not something like this, something that could easily be broken into or where something could happen and probably not have it reported.

"You okay, Adriano?"

"You sure this is the right place, Tony?"

"I've been living here for decades, it's the right place. Come on, Izzy is great, you'll love her." Adriano frowned as he followed Tony into the building and up the stairs to the third floor.

"Isn't her name Ignazia?" Tony glanced over his big shoulder and nodded.

"It is, but she didn't like the name, demanded that everyone call her Izzy ages ago."

"Ignazia is a beautiful name, and unique," Adriano pressed but Tony just shrugged.

"When you get her on the plane, feel free to ask her why she wanted to change it, I'm sure she'll love to give you the story." With that, Tony stepped next to the door and Adriano knocked. A few seconds later and the woman before him was not what he was expecting. He took in her dark hair with its vibrant red streaks, the roundness of her face, the honey-colored eyes, and downward to the rather massive hips and rounded tummy. She crossed her arms and stared at him.

"¿Te puedo ayudar? (Can I help you)?" He smirked at her question as if he didn't speak Spanish or two other languages for that matter.

"You can help me, Ignazia." Her eyes narrowed and then they flashed to Tony.

"You both can fuck off. I already told my dad I'm not going. And if he wants me on that God damn plane, I'm going kick and screaming." Adriano looked her over again, his eyes holding his disgust at her plumpness.

"I can't carry you and all that weight, but Tony can. So, if kicking and screaming is your choice, that's fine. Tony knows how to shut anyone up though." Izzy crossed her arms as she stared at the man before her.

"Who are you?" she asked, her tone evident that she wasn't going to make this easy for him and his lips twitched at that.

"Adriano, your father's underboss." Izzy trailed her eyes over him and snorted before rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, shouldn't have been surprised about that." He stiffened at those words, curious what they mean but she shrugged and turned to walk back into the house as if she wasn't really going to leave. He glanced at Tony who shrugged and followed her in. He wasn't used to people actually disobeying his boss and he really thought that this woman would have bowed to him, or Tony, because they demanded respect, it oozed out of them. As did the fear people tended to feel around them. So to see someone ignore it who was on the outside, well, that was different and left him unsettled; a feeling he didn't like.

"We are leaving Ignazia, now. You have nothing packed I will assume, thanks to that attitude, which is fine since I'm sure the boss will buy you what you need," Adriano said, walking into the apartment.

"I'm not leaving, what part of that have you not gotten in that thick skull of yours? I'm sure you are used to women falling at your feet and doing whatever you say, but I'm not one of them. So kindly leave me the fuck alone." Adriano watched her as she walked down a short hallway and into a bedroom. Well, this was going to be fun. Adriano nodded at Tony for him to follow her and the bigger man sighed as he did so. A few seconds later, he heard a shriek, and then she started to cuss. He smirked as Tony walked out of the room with her flung over his shoulder. "You fucking assholes. Put me down this God damn minute!"

"No," Adriano said as he opened the door to let them out. He locked up behind them as he left, smiling as she pounded on the big back, but wasn't making a dent.

"You big oaf put me down. I will scream! This is kidnapping....adultnapping....something illegal!" Adriano laughed because 93 percent of their empire was illegal, this wasn't any different. Besides, what the boss demanded, he got; he earned that much respect. "Help, anyone, help me!" She pounded on the back again and started screaming even more. "Tony, you know me, don't do this." She lifted her head up and looked around. "Help, they are taking me away!" Adriano started hearing doors open up and once she looked at him, he had the gun pointed at her, the look on his face stopping her from saying anything else.