Page 23 of A Sinner's Virtue

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Anyway, he’s really nice to me, Iz. He doesn’t look at me like I’m broken. He’s seen me when I haven’t been at my best, and he didn’t appear fazed at all. He listened. He just seems to get me without judgement.”

“You really like him.” It’s not a question.

“I think I do.”

“You still haven’t told me his name, Zoe.”

“His name’s Marcel—Marcello,” I say while purposely leaving out his last name.

“He’s Italian?” Izzy asks.

“Uh-huh.”

“What’s his last name?”

“De Bellis,” I reply in a much quieter tone.

“Marcello De Bellis. Hot name,” she muses.

“Suits him.”

“You know the De Bellis family isn’t on the up-and-up, Zoe. I don’t know all of what they’re involved in but I do know it’s some shady shit.”

“How shady?” I ask her.

“Underworld shit. The same underworld shit that you wanted to get away from, remember?”

“I wanted to get away from New York, not from you and Mikhail. I love you guys. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I don’t… Well, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” I wipe the stray tear from my eye.

“We love you too, Zoe. You’re family. It doesn’t matter if you’re halfway across the world. You are still family.”

“Thank you.”

“So tell me more about this Marcel guy. Like, how old is he?”

“He’s… around my age. He’s in college.”

“What’s he studying?”

“Business,” I tell her.

“Figures.” Izzy snorts. “And the sex? You’re enjoying it?”

“It’s different, mind-blowing. I didn’t know sex could be like this, Izzy. I feel safe with him. Like… It sounds stupid, I know, but he makes me feel safe.”

“That’s not stupid. If you like him and he’s treating you well, then I’m sure we will like him too,” she says.

“Mikhail’s friends beat him up, Izzy.”

“He knew what he was doing walking into a Russian club.”

“But I didn’t even know he was there. I didn’t know he followed me, and really, all he did was ask for me.”

“Then Mikhail’s contacts did their job. Protecting you is important to him. You know that.”

“I don’t want him getting hurt again because of me.”

“I’ll talk to Mikhail,” Izzy says. “We want you to be happy, Zoe, but I also want you to be safe.”