Isabella heard the knock on her door. "I'm almost ready!" She shouted in that direction. She finished doing her hair grabbed her bag and walked faster then a normal walk to the door.
"I thought you said you was ready?" Shannon asked not looking up from here phone.
"Well I didn't realise you was going to run around!" Isabella jokingly told her. "How do I look?" She said spinning around on the spot. She was wearing a black thong bikini with a white see through mesh dress over the top.
"As gorgeous as ever Bella!" Shannon told her finally looking up. "Come on let's go, the guys are at the beach."
"Guys?" Isabella asked timidly.
"Yeah Antonio, his brothers and a few of the other guys from the scuba diving centre." She said as if Isabella should already know. "Oh don't worry they are all really nice!"
Shannon grabbed Isabella's hand and pulled her out her door. They chatted about general gossip about what was happening at their works.
"Oh I've only got one bottle of water." Isabella told Shannon, only just realising how hot it was.
"Oh don't worry, I'm sure the guys will have coolers full of drink." Isabella couldn't believe she had only brought one bottle of water, she was normally better prepared. She was obviously more nervous than she realised.
They got to the beach and saw a massive group of guys playing touch football, although to Isabella it looked like it had gone past the point of just touch football.
The found two girls sitting next to 5 Yeti tundra 45 coolers.
Shannon introduced Isabella to the girls, who were girlfriends of some of the scuba divers. They chatted amongst themselves until the guys took a break from playing football. She looked over and saw one lone figure break away from the pack and walk towards the sea. He was over 6", covered from head to toes in tattoos, short cropped black hair. From behind he looked like he carried a lot of muscle, she could tell just from his broad shoulders and the size of his lats. She wondered who he was.
"Babe why isn't JJ over here?" Shannon asked Antonio.
"Ah you know what he is like." He replied nonchalantly grabbing a drink from the cooler.
Shannon nodded as if he made total sense.
"Who is JJ?" Isabella asked Shannon.
"Well he is the loner by the waters edge." Antonio answered. "Tall, dark, handsome, covered in tattoos, built like a brick shit house but mysterious." He finished with a grin.
"He is lovely Bella." Shannon told her.
"Oh and a total womaniser." Antonio added.
"No he is not!" Shannon shot back giving her boyfriend a backhanded slap.
"Don't listen to my idiot boyfriend here." Shannon said shooting Antonio a screwed up face.
"No he is a cool dude." Antonio added. They quickly finished their drinks and he gave Shannon a peck on her cheek before jogging back to where they were playing. Shouting to JJ "Yo JJ you playing or what?"
Isabella watched him turn around and flash an easy smile showing white teeth, he was very handsome.
Shannon was watching Isabella looking at JJ. "Nice to look at right?" Shannon said nudging Isabella in the side.
"Yeah with a brain like a caveman I bet!" She scoffed.
"Who cares when you're in bed." Shannon added with a wink. Isabella had broken up with her boyfriend Eric a month ago, she Shannon was trying to get Isabella to have a rebound.
"He isn't my type." She told Shannon.
"What a handsome hunk?" She asked confused. "And he is actually rather smart once you get to know him." She told her nudging her in the side again.
"I'm just not ready." Isabella told her.
"Okay Bella." Shannon said kissing her cheek. They both stood watching the guys playing touch football all that was getting rougher and rougher with each play. They were lined up and the suddenly JJ grabbed the guy opposite him and kneed him in the face. Isabella watched on in shock as JJ took out three guys in quick succession before it was all broken up. She turned to Shannon. "He is lovely Bella!" She repeated to her in a n mocking voice with one eyebrow raised.
Isabella had heard that Antonio's family were the most amazing people. According to Shannon. It was Sunday Shannon had invited her around for a family BBQ, which meant one thing, amazing home made food. Isabella had yet to meet Antonio's parents Vincenzo and Mia. She was walking towards the address she had been given, she was wearing a white summer dress with a pair of flip flops, it was too hot to be wearing anything else. She sent Shannon a message "I'm here." Shannon was waiting at the door as she turned into the drive.
"Hey girl." Shannon said opening the door wise. Isabella walk in and the smell of herbs and spices hit her. It smelt like a home. The decor inside reminded her of Italy. "Come on I'll introduce you to Antonio's parents." She told Isabella. They walked into the kitchen. "Bella this is Mia. Mia this is Isabella."
"Ah so this is Isabella." Mia said walking over to her. She gave her a hug and kissed on each cheek. "Lovely to meet you bello." She told Isabella with a hint of an Italian accent.
"Lovely to meet you too! Do you need any help with anything?" She offered Mia.
"Oh no my dear, I've got everything handled." Pots were boiling pasta, there was a salad that was half prepared, garlic hung on the walls and there was a fresh pizza bases on the side as well waiting for the Ingredients.
"Come Bella let's go meet Vincenzo." She said while handing her a glass of wine.
"It's not even midday yet." Isabella told Shannon laughing.
"It's midday somewhere." Mia said over her shoulder to the girls.
They walked outside, Antonio and his brothers were sitting at the table and they all shouted her name when she walked into the garden. Standing by the Barbecue was easily identifiable as the boys father. A thick but well kept moustache covered his upper lip and his full head of salt and pepper hair was slicked back, his sons were the spitting image of him just younger. Isabella's stomach dropped in a little disappointment as she couldn't see JJ.
"Vincenzo this is Isabella." She told him. He looked up with a beaming smile.
"Ciao Isabella." Her greeted her with a thicker Italian accent. "That's a lovely Italian name you have. Dio è il mio giuramento!"
"Papà, just cause she has an Italian name doesn't mean she speaks it." The oldest brother Enzo shouter.
"Ah my apologies Tesoro. I said god is my oath." He laughed at the confused look on Isabella's face. "It's what your name means in Isalian."
He stepped from behind the barbecue and gave her a kiss on each cheek. "Lovely to meet you. I hope you're hungry." He told her with a wink.
"It smells lovely." Isabella complimented.
"Where is JJ?" Isabella asked Shannon trying to act casual.
Shannon smiled at her knowingly. " I don't actually know he should be here. Antonio where is JJ?" She asked him.
He looked up from his phone. "Erm I don't know." He told her. As if on cue JJ walked into the garden to the cheers of the brothers. Something seemed off to Isabella and the boys seemed to notice it as well. He was wearing a hoodie with the hood up, despite it already being really hot, a baseball cap pulled down low with sunglasses on. He walked over too Vincenzo they said a few words that they couldn't hear. Vincenzo chuckled and shook his head. JJ turned around and walked over the the table taking a seat opposite Isabella.
"What the fucks with the disguise?" Angelo asked with a chuckle. JJ threw his hood back, and then took his glasses off and hat and everyone gasped.
"It's like no one's ever seen someone who's been beaten up before" JJ joked. "I thought you all watched UFC." He finished with a smirk.
"Who the fuck did this?" Enzo asked, no longer slouching back in his chair.
"Didn't get a look at the guy." JJ replied nonchalantly.
"Bullshit!" Angelo told him.
"Ah it was dark." JJ told him.
"Come on let's go find the guys!" Antonio said standing up.
"Sit down figlio." Vincenzo commanded. "Hai sentito quello che ha detto JJ." Isabella didn't understand what Vincenzo said but it made Antonio sit down, begrudgingly.
"You should go to the police." Isabella told JJ. His face looked terrible. He had a cut above his eyebrow that had stitches in it, he had two black eyes, his nose looked bigger than it had yesterday and he had a fat lip.
"Isabella?" He asked her staring right at her.
"Bella." She replied sheepishly
"I prefer Isabella. And no."
"Why not?" She demanded, getting fired up after him telling her what he would call her.
"No police." He told her.
"That's not an answer."
"Sure it is, you asked why not I told you no." He told her rather smugly.
"You really should go to the police."
JJ signed as if bored of the conversation and stood up. He walked towards the kitchen.
"Why won't her go to the police?" Isabella asked the table. It was Vincenzo who answered her. "JJ doesn't talk much about his past, we actually hardly know anything about his past. But he grew up in California, from what he has told me, you don't snitch, you have a fight and you either win or lose." JJ walked back out.
"Che ha un buon odore." He told Vincenzo.
"Oh don't start JJ." Angelo shouting throwing his hands in the air. "He won't stop speaking Italian now!"
"You speak Italian?" Isabella asked JJ shocked.
"Learning." He told her taking a sip from his beer. He gingerly removed his hoodie. The whole right side of his body was purple and yellow. Isabella gasped.
"Jesus Isabella, get a grip."
"It's Bella." She snapped at him. "And you need to go to the police."
JJ signed and stood up again. Walking away towards the beach taking a sip of his beer.
