The Assassin’s Billionaire Bodyguard
Chapter 46

Isabella was exiting Draxton Enterprises when the sound of her name being called made her turn around in surprise. She narrowed her eyes on the man approaching her.

"Anton," Evgeni's friend who had driven the man to her parent's house walked up to her ignoring the security agents who watched the interaction with interest. "What do you want?"

"Evgeni asked me to come talk to you. He would like to see you. His father has banned him from making contact, but he wants to talk. You're to come with me and I will take you to him. You two will be together again."

"I have nothing to say to Evgeni," she shook her head, "or you for the matter so you can leave."

He reached out and gripped her arm tightly, "my friend wants to talk to you so you're going to talk to him. He insists. You are coming with me."

"No, I'm not," she jerked her arm out of his grip and slammed the side of her hand against his throat causing him to double over and gasp for breath. "Do not ever touch me again. You can tell Evgeni I have nothing to say to him. I'm sorry he has an illness, but I don't owe him anything."

"Is there a problem?" Ben approached from behind the man gasping on the ground. "Nice move by the way, saw it from the window."

"Anton was just telling me Evgeni is demanding my presence."

"f**k Evgeni," Ben said coldly as he moved to pick the man kneeling off the ground, "tell your boss if I or any of our security team catch any of Evgeni's friends around Isabella, there will be hell to pay."

"Are you threatening my friend?" Anton eyed Ben with distaste, "do you know who he is?"

"Do you know who she is?" He jerked a thumb in Isabella's direction. "She's the sister of one of your father's close friends and she is the fiancé of another one of his friends. If you so much as breath in her direction, Mikhail has given me permission to do whatever I want to his embarrassment of a son. But" Ben leaned close speaking lowly but loud enough for Isabella to hear, "I could just let her," he flicked a gaze at Isabella, "kill the whole lot of you and be done with it. Please, give me a reason to let her loose on you." "What could she do?" the man rubbed his throat. "She is just Evgeni's girl, and he wants her back. He will have her back."

"The only reason you're still breathing is because she demonstrated control with her strike," Ben spun the man around and shoved him away. "Now walk away."

As they stood shoulder to shoulder watching the man walk away, Ben spoke quietly. "I know you'll be annoyed but I have to call Clara and tell her."

"Fine but I'll tell Cam myself. I don't like the idea Evgeni is still pulling this s**t even after his surgery. I also don't want him near Portia."

She opened her phone and called Cam as she and Ben walked back into Draxton Enterprises. She frowned when she got his voice mail, "Hey Cam, it's Isabella. Evgeni sent one of his thug friends to me at work demanding I go with him to talk to Evgeni. I didn't like the way he was looking at me. Until Evgeni is back in Europe, can you make sure Portia has extra security? Ben caught the whole thing and I'm going to get a ride back to my house. Call me later." She hung up the phone. She walked towards Ben. "Clara wants you in her office."

"I'd rather just go home. Can't one of the guys escort me?"

"Look at you, being all smart," Ben smirked at her as he escorted her to the elevators. "A month ago, you would have argued about an escort home."

"A month ago, Evgeni Andropov hadn't threatened my mother. If something happens where I kill him or one of his friends, I want witnesses to support my argument of self-defence."

They entered the elevator and Ben pushed the button for the top floor. Ben was the only one on Clara's entire staff who knew of their extra curricular activities. Once she had taken over his employment from her grandfather, Clara read him into Bellona activity only because he was freaking out every time she disappeared. If he approved or disproved was never mentioned but he stopped demanding Clara's whereabouts when she went off-grid.

The doors opened and Clara was pacing on the other side. Her cheeks were red and the scar marring her cheek was stretched tight as she clenched her jaw. "I'm going to kill the giant punk a*s piece of shit." She pointed at Isabella, "are you okay?"

"Fine but I am not going to lie, I thought the brain tumor was what was making him crazy. Why is he still chasing me?"

"I'm not sure but I'm going to be having a difficult conversation with Mikhail and I need you present. You up to it?" "Yes, lead the way."

She followed Clara to her offices and sat down in the chair Clara motioned at. "I tried to call Cam, but he didn't pick up."

"He's probably busy, you know running a f*****g billion-dollar empire like I'm supposed to be but instead I'm having to call Mikhail again to reign in his piece of s**t son because he's causing scenes outside my building. Also, I hear you punched Anton in the throat. Nicely done." "Clara, I'm sorry I brought this s**t to your doorstep and I'm disrupting your business," Isabella felt chastised by Clara's words.

Clara sighed, "I'm not upset with you Isabella. I'm not. I'm angry Mikhail, a man who I know personally managed a situation wherein his granddaughters had someone take photos of them, would allow his son to get away with the things he's letting him get away with. Evgeni is treated as a baby because he was a surprise bonus child to Raisa. They turned him into a spoiled rotten brat. If it weren't for the fact, I don't want to take on the mob single-handedly, I'd wipe the jerk off the face of the earth myself with them watching."

She put the phone on speaker. "Mikhail, it's Clara."

"Clara, my darling, what are you doing calling me in the middle of the day? Do you need reservations?"

"Where are you?"

"Raisa and I are at the hospital with Evgeni, why?"

"Is he awake?"

"Yes."

"Ask him why he sent Anton to try to force Isabella to go with him."

"He did what?" Mikhail's voice went from friendly and warm to ice cold. "When?"

"Anton just grabbed her outside the offices not fifteen minutes ago. She defended herself and Ben made him leave. I have her with me now."

"Isabella, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Mikhail but I'm tired of this nonsense," she spoke as diplomatically as she could. "Anton spouted the same nonsense. I belong to Evgeni. He said Evgeni sent him to collect me."

The man spouted a ream of Russian Isabella could only guess was cursing. Clara's eyebrows raised and Isabella shook her head. Clara spoke perfect Russian and obviously knew what the man was saying.

Mikhail shouted in the background and then after several long seconds came back to the phone. "Clara, I am so sorry. It seems he has given an order to his friends to replace Isabella and bring her to him. He's offered a million dollars to the one who brings her to him first. Raisa is going through his phone and found the mass text to his friends. It's gone to at least fifty people, maybe more."

Mikhail spoke quietly, "my recommendation is to replace a place for Isabella to go which is safe until I can get this situation sorted. I will let you know when I've handled it. It may take me a couple of days. There is no need for your security team to get their hands dirty. I will have someone take care of Anton today."

Isabella blinked rapidly at how cold Mikhail sounded.

Clara nodded just as coldly as if the man could see her, "see you do. I'll arrange Isabella's protection."

She ended the call and looked to Isabella. "I'm sorry but we have no choice. At least fifty people with a million-dollar bounty on your head?"

"This is the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard of," she stood up and kicked the chair she had just been sitting in. "It's not even two weeks before Thanksgiving. I don't want to go anywhere. I want to be with my family and my fiancé. This is bullshit!" she repeated.

Her phone rang and she grabbed it angrily noting Cam's number. She opened the phone. "Hi."

"Are you okay? I was in an urgent meeting otherwise I would have answered."

"You're on speaker. I'm in Clara's office."

"Andropov put a million-dollar bounty on Isabella's head to bring her to him. We're presuming alive."

Cam's silence was deafening.

"Mikhail has already indicated he is managing the situation but has recommended Isabella be put in protective custody until he eliminates anyone who may try to cash in on the request."

"Isabella, I was supposed to fly to Columbia this evening. It's what my meeting was about."

"I'll keep her safe Cam," Clara spoke.

There was some muffled chatting in the background. "Gideon is suggesting we bring her with us, and I agree. I want her with me. Isabella, pack your bag. You're coming with me."

"I'm not going to Columbia just to hide from Evgeni."

"We had just been discussing who we were going to take in Mickey's place since he's covering Gideon while we're out. You can take his place."

"Wait," Isabella caught on to what he was suggesting. "You want me to do a job with you in Columbia."

"Safest place in the world is at my side where Gideon and I can keep you safe."

Clara leaned back and shook her head. "I don't like it Cam. She barely passed her last debrief because of Portia. I don't need her coming home with a bunch of psych issues because she's worried about watching your a*s."

"Is your line secure?" At Clara's chuckle, he continued as if she'd answered, "No girls to rescue in my op, Clara. I'm doing an off the books job for the DEA. I can use her analyst skills not to mention she could probably teach my guys a thing or two." "I need to run it by our boss."

"I'm not really asking. I want her safe. It's either this or I fly her to my yacht in the middle of the Pacific with Portia and her guards until I'm back. Those are the choices."

"Don't I get a choice?" Isabella clenched her fists in frustration at her sides while she walked in circles around the chair she'd pulled to the middle of the room. "No." Clara and Cam spoke in unison.

Clara hung up on Cam and called Artemis. After filling her in, Artemis spoke directly to Isabella.

"What do you want to do Epsilon?"

"I want to go to the hospital and kill the son of b***h and end this all now."

"And start a war with the Russian mob, not an option," Artemis spoke dryly. "Fifty assholes looking to make a quick million bucks is not something I'm taking lightly Isabella. Are you up to a trip south? Otherwise, I do have a third option." "What's the third option?"

"I can bring you into headquarters. You and Casper stay here until this is settled."

She rolled her eyes. "You want me to live at headquarters?"

"Having Mikhail track fifty of Evgeni's closest friends could take at least three to four days, maybe a week if we help. Most of them are mobsters and you know it. They hide in the shadows like roaches." Artemis was serious, "my suggestion is to take a flight with your fiancé. I don't care if you go to Columbia or the Pacific but go and we can eliminate the risks here. We'll give Mikhail Andropov three days to clean up this mess. If it's not done, I'm taking over, and I don't care of the fallout. Nobody screws with one of mine. You good with this plan, Clara?"

"Yes."

"Isabella? What's it going to be? Door one, two or three?"

"One."

"Do you need to arrange care for Casper?"

"Yes please."

"Isabella, I don't have to tell you to be careful. This is a team you're not used to dealing with. You follow your leader's instructions to the letter. I want a full debrief when you're back and I don't care how top secret it is." "Yes ma'am."

Artemis' line went dead, and Isabella finally stopped pacing around the office, randomly kicking the chair before flopping back down in it.

"I'm not as good with this as Artemis is," Clara spoke quietly. "Elian will have my head. I'm not the one planning this op and I don't know what it entails. I'm a hundred percent certain I'll have zero contact with you while you're away." She paused again, "Elian's going to be pissed."

"I'd tell you not to tell him, but I know how you two are," she shook her head. "Clara, I'm so angry I'm shaking. He put a price on my head because I wouldn't go back with him."

"Take your rage to Columbia and put it to good use." She pushed a button on her desk. In seconds Ben walked back into the room. "Get her to Juggernaut."

"Stupid Columbia," Isabella muttered as she stormed past Ben while Clara called Cam back to tell him Isabella was on her way to his offices. She paused at the door and looked back at Clara. "I hope they don't get them all and she takes over." "Same, kiddo, same." Clara said as she dialed out.