Dante cusses behind me, but I keep running. I’m at the front of the park before I realize he’s not as close behind me as I thought. I turn the corner leading out of the park, planning on stopping, when I crash into a man. He attempts to grab my arms to steady me as we both fall to the ground. He misses me as I land on my ass and scrape my hands, breaking my fall.
“Shit.” I hiss as pain fills my hands and tailbone.
“Are you okay?” the man asks.
I look up and find an extremely attractive man sitting next to me. My words catch in my throat as he picks up my hand closest to him up. He winces as he looks at it, but lets it fall away into a smile as he looks up at me.
“I’m so sorry. Let me make this up to you.”
I grin back as Dante rounds the corner and immediately pulls his gun on the stranger.
“Dante! Put the gun down. There are tons of people here.”
He hesitates but concedes when I say my next words. “I ran into this man and knocked him down. He’s no threat. I am.” I look back to the man and find his eyes slightly wider. He schools his expression quickly as he stands and offers me his hand. Dante steps in front of him and helps me up.
“What’s your name?” I ask the man as I move to the side of Dante so I can see the stranger clearly.
“Kevin. Sorry that you’re hurt. Let me make it up to you.”
I smile, but Dante steps between us again and narrows his eyes at the man. “Are you okay, Miss Isabella?”
“Of course, it was my mistake. Kevin, I’m sorry for taking you down.” I step around Dante, much to his displeasure.
“No excuse needed, Isabella.”
I question his use of my name, but then remember that Dante had just used it. For a second, a small flag almost waved, but thankfully it has been put away.
“Maybe I will run into you again, Isabella.”
“Maybe.” I wink as I turn and walk away.
Dante is hot on my heels, but I don’t stop.
“What was that, Miss Isabella? You could have been hurt. I told you to stay with me.”
“It’s not my fault you didn’t keep up. I thought you were right there. I didn’t realize you had fallen behind.”
The lies fall easily from my lips, but the guilt eats at me. The image of Johnny pops into my head. I can barely live with myself now. If Dante gets hurt because of something I did, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. This is something I’m sure of.
“You took off without warning me.”
I sigh. “I know. I’m just tired. Sorry.”
He stares ahead as we continue to walk. He hasn’t said anything, which only makes me feel worse. Just as I’m about to say something, he speaks. “No need to be sorry. I failed at my job. I promised you that I would protect you, and I didn’t. It’s my fault, not yours.”
“How about we agree to disagree? Sounds like a plan.”
He grunts in disagreement. “It’s not safe for you to talk to strangers, Miss Isabella.”
The disapproval in his voice cuts me.
“I’m a single woman, Dante. How am I going to find someone to date if I don’t talk to strange men? Isn’t that how this works? You talk to a stranger until he’s no longer a stranger?”
“It’s not a safe world. You can’t trust anyone. Friend or stranger. It’s safer that way.”
I stop abruptly and stare at him. Standing in the middle of the sidewalk, I let his words hit me.
You can’t trust anyone.
