The Assassin’s Billionaire Bodyguard
Chapter 44

Isabella admitted she was nervous. Her mother could be an overbearing pain the a*s. Tonight, was her father's birthday party and Cam had agreed to come. When she'd let her mother know, her mother had insisted both Portia and Gideon accompany him. Her parents were one thing, but the entire Ruiz clan was another. He'd met her father, Elian, and Clara. He'd seen Amelia briefly, but her family were the kind of people who were in your face, loud and obnoxious. Portia had said her family consisted of Cam's parents, his sister and nephew and she didn't have much contact with her mother's family any longer. What would she think of the insanity of this group?

She rocked on her foot and noted her mother in the window of the private rooms on the second floor of Pygmalion scowling at her. Her mother spoke to her as if Isabella were supposed to hear her through the window an entire story over her head while she was outside and she frowned up at her.

"Ma, I can't hear you!" she tried to signal she couldn't hear her, but the woman was gesticulating wildly and talking, and was apparently oblivious to the fact windows blocked sound. "You're an old, deranged lady and you need a hearing aid, and your paella isn't as good as Elian's," she said smiling knowing her mother couldn't hear a word she said. Her mother scowled at her, and she second-guessed the woman's ability to read lips.

"You talk to your mother like that? I'd be afraid mine would flay me alive"

Isabella jumped at the sound of Cam's voice behind her. The reason her mother had been pointing was obviously to announce Cam, his daughter and best friend had arrived. She spun on her heel and caught her breath at the man behind her. He'd cleaned up, wearing a pair of dress pants hugging his long lean legs and a pale green dress shirt opened at the collar. His black trench coat was half open and a dark green scarf dangled around his neck. He'd shaven since he'd left her house and she could smell his woodsy soap wafting in her direction on the cool November breeze. "You look good."

She watched as he waved to her mother. She smiled at Portia. "You look gorgeous. Who did your hair?"

"I did," she answered shyly.

"It's so pretty," Isabella reached out and plucked a curl. "My hair just does frizzy or straight, none of these bouncy beautiful things."

"I can show you how I do it." Portia offered tentatively.

"I'd like that." She looked past Portia, "Gideon you look handsome as ever. I will warn you now, my mother has been trying to marry my sister Amelia off. You are fresh meat. I'm certain the reason she's in the window is to check out whether you're a toad."

She saw him tug at his coat uncomfortably as she attempted to reassure him, "my father has already saved you a seat beside him and has told the server to keep the beer coming." She made a face, "also, my mom may or may not be really angry with me so, don't take anything she says too personally."

"Should we be here?" Cam asked quietly, "I don't want to interrupt family drama."

She threw her head back and laughed, "we always have family drama. I gave my dad a special gift for his birthday and Mama's pissed."

"What kind of gift?"

“།

I gave my dad passes to a drag racing event today. He and my uncle went."

"Great present!" Gideon argued, "why is she mad?"

"Well," she drawled out scratching the side of her head, "the tickets included a ride around the track in a fast car. My dad had the time of his life. My mother wants my head on a pike."

Cam chuckled, "I think my mother would have butchered me before I got through the door."

"Raoul told her she should be grateful I didn't hire a stripper to jump out of a cake and to take my gift with gratitude. He is now also on her s**t list." She motioned for them to walk to the entrance, "Portia, I have six nieces and nephews and they're all crazy. My oldest nephew is sixteen, I apologize now if he ogles you and makes you uncomfortable. My sister tells me she's caught him with two different girls in the last two weeks, the little man whore." She stopped suddenly, "also, nobody in there apart from Clara knows what happened the other night. I'd prefer it never reach my mother's ears."

"We've already discussed this Isabella and you have no worries. Portia's lips are sealed as are ours." Cam reassured her.

She led them through the restaurant and up the stairs to the room holding the private function. As they reached the top of the stairs she stopped again and grabbed Cam's arm. "Also, did you know of the photo circulating everywhere of us making out at Madison Square Gardens?"

"I've seen it," he shrugged, "get used to it Isabella. Comes with the territory."

"Oh, I'm aware. Clara's really thrilled someone else is in the family is getting more press than her and I'm not joking. My mother hasn't seen it. She's not big on technology or the internet. Clara made a t-shirt with the photo on it and she and my siblings are all taking turns wearing it until she notices. It's awful and I'm so sorry." She immediately walked into the room pulling him by the hand at his surprised gasp. "Everyone this is Cam, Portia and Gideon. Cam, Portia, Gideon, these are the Ruiz's, and I am already dreadfully sorry for whatever hell they are about to put you through."

"Portia, come sit here!" Amelia called out to her and patted a seat beside her. "Your hair is gorgeous. How'd you get all those ringlets?"

Carolina stopped Portia before she got to the seat, placed her wrinkled hands to her shoulders, looked her up and down and clicked her tongue, "you have sadness in your eyes little one. We will fix it. Also, you need to eat something. Men don't like girls with no hips." "Jesus Christ," Isabella groaned as her mother claimed Portia as her next project and walked her to Amelia.

"Do not use his name in vain Isabella," her mother called over her shoulder as she wrapped a protective arm around Portia. "Cam don't go too far. I have questions for you. Amelia, have you met Cam's friend yet?" "Someone, kill me now." Isabella mumbled as she bent and kissed her dad's cheek. She could tell by his red nose he'd already had a few beer. "Papa, you remember Cam and Gideon."

"Yes, your boyfriend and his friend who took care of the small-peckered ex of yours. Gideon, if you know what's good for you, you'll come sit here and we can protect each other from my wife." He reached his hand to Cam, "Cam good to see you. If I were in your shoes, I'd grab a good scotch or bourbon and channel any training you've ever had on the interrogation techniques you learned as a Navy Seal because my wife, since the moment Isabella said you were coming, has been compiling a list of all the things she wants to ask." He looked at Isabella, "and she still hasn't noticed the t-shirt. I'm in the background of the photo by the way and it's not flattering."

She chuckled and looped her arm through Cam's, letting Gideon take the seat beside her dad. "Come on, lets get bourbon."

She noted Elian coming up the stairs followed with Raoul on his heels, "we need bourbon."

Her brothers both laughed at her bluntness.

Elian smirked, "you can't drink your problems with mama away Isabella. She's harder to deal with when you're hungover."

"Elian Ruiz, I hear you!" her mother said from clear across the room.

Cam laughed as the trio all shuddered in sync, "her hearing is impeccable."

"No, it's not. Edward hooked her up with a hearing aid prototype from the Innovation team at Draxton and she uses it for all kinds of nefarious schemes. Fairly sure she knows what we're all getting her for Christmas."

"Speaking of Christmas," Elian yanked her closer staring down at her menacingly, "you little rat, you got me in trouble. I'm now having to convince her to come with us."

"I'm not going South for Christmas," Isabella shrugged unapologetically. "Have fun getting sunburnt."

"Have fun eating whatever it is mom cooks for dinner because I won't be here to cook."

Raoul interrupted the standoff, "I'll be here. I'll cook dinner." He grinned broadly at Elian's exasperated grunt, "sorry brother but you shouldn't have vetoed my choices for the lunch menu today. Now I am obligated to be team Isabella until after Christmas." "Mom," Elian called out, "did you know Raoul and Pietr are thinking of adopting again?"

Raoul grinned broadly and whispered, "told her twenty minutes ago, you putz, but nice try," he backed away and pointed at Cam, "welcome to the madhouse. If you have any kind of self-preservation, take your kid and run."

Elian half-grinned at Cam, "he's not wrong. We're all insane. I hear you're in the know," he gave the man a pointed glance, "if you ever need to vent, call me." He walked past Isabella giving her a playful shove the way brothers do and made his way to his wife. "What could I need to vent about?" Cam whispered seriously.

"When Clara and I go out," she was purposefully vague, "he doesn't sleep."

Cam gave a glance in his direction with respect, "I may need his cell number."

Isabella chuckled and walked him to the bar and ordered their drinks pointing to the wall and demanding top shelf. "My brother's paying for dinner tonight, so I want the expensive stuff."

"You guys really go for the throat," Cam laughed as he watched her scanning the room. "What are you looking for?"

"The shirt," she shrugged uncomfortably, "Mama hasn't seen it yet and I want to make a beeline for the washroom when she does."

"Why? It's just a photo."

"Of us making out in Madison Square Gardens," she pursed her lips as she reached for the tumbler set on the bar top. "There will be a conversation about whether we've already had s*x before marriage and if I'm using protection to ensure I don't have a bastard child." She watched as a dull flush reached Cam's cheeks, "now you're getting it right? She's ruthless."

"I had a vasectomy when I was twenty-five," he admitted suddenly.

Her eyebrows rose at his comment, "what? Why do we use condoms? And why are you telling me this here and now?"

"I don't know. I think I'm panicking," he said as he followed her gaze around the room to settle on who was wearing the t-shirt. One of her older sisters had it on over a black dress. "I'm not sure what to say. I don't usually meet families. Your mother is ferocious. I feel the need to suddenly escape to take on a drug cartel or do a kidnapping pickup."

"Get it together, Torres." She muttered furiously, "this ship is not sinking because you're suddenly afraid of a little old lady." They watched as Lorna cast a devious glance over her shoulder in their direction and walked over to introduce herself to Portia who was still under Carolina's protective grip.

Carolina's eyes zeroed in on the t-shirt and she tugged a pair of glasses out from somewhere on her body and perched them on the end of her nose.

"Run," Isabella whispered as the woman perused the shirt before turning her head slowly in their direction.

"It's too late," Cam's voice was a hoarse whisper as the woman was dragging Lorna wearing the shirt towards them in a rageful march.

"What is this?" she waved at Lorna's torso.

"Clara did it," Isabella threw her sister-in-law under the bus, setting her drink back on the bar, "she thought it would be funny to put the photo on a shirt and toy with you."

"b***h," she heard Clara whisper from across the room.

"I don't care who put the photo on a shirt, I want to know why you were making out with Cam in Madison Square Gardens when there are photographers everywhere. I have to go to church tomorrow and my priest is going to ask me if we need to pray for your virtue, Isabella."

"Oh Mama, her virtue is as tainted as mine," Raoul called out earning a laugh from the entire family. "She's my twin born in separate decades," he said to Portia loudly, "if you ever want a good time, you should come out with me and Isabella some time." "No!" the entire family said unanimously.

"What do you and Raoul get up to?" Cam asked curiously at the vehemence of the group.

"Nothing," she shifted uncomfortably as her mother shook Lorna in front of her.

"Stop changing the subject." Carolina was doggedly focused, "your leg is hooked up over his damn hip, Isabella. If you were naked, it would be s*x in public." "I've never had s*x in public," Isabella denied.

"Oh my god, she's lying!" Amelia called out, "look at the way she just tugged her hair. It's her tell, Cam. Whenever she's lying, she tugs at her hair nervously." "You've had s*x in public!" her mother shrieked at them. "Was it here, with your father nearby?" she shook the shirt.

"Not with me," Cam held his hands up defensively, "nope, no way. Not with me." He took a step back.

Isabella turned and glared at him, "seriously, you're a bodyguard and you just threw me to the wolves."

"Hey, I love you but this one's on you. I'm not the one lying to your mother."

"You love her?" Carolina latched immediately onto the words he'd uttered in defence. "You love my Isabella?"

"Jesus, mom, you make it sound like I'm unlovable."

"You are difficult," her mother admitted uncaring of Isabella's grunt of disproval as she released Lorna and grabbed at Cam's hands. "You love my baby girl?" She immediately started throwing questions about his intentions and next steps. Cam's face was red as he looked beseechingly at Isabella for help.

She shrugged back at him, mocking his words, "I love you but this one's on you." She looked towards her father and Gideon who were both openly laughing at Cam's discomfort. She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek as her mother pressed him about his intentions. She reached past him grabbed her bourbon and shook her head as she whispered in his ear, "amateur." She winked as she left him in her mother's clutches and beelined for her father's protection.