A/N: Adriana's come back to town O: I'm ready to write a confrontation
Rain: She becomes okay later on, just to tell you lol
Annie: Aw, thank you! I really like Isabella's attitude as well. There will be more fluff coming soon, just to give you something to look forward to!
The bitch is hungry, she needs to tell
So give her inches and feed her well
More days to come, new places to go
I've got to leave, it's time for a show
The Scorpions — Rock You Like a Hurricane
Isabella knocked back her second beer in an hour and tossed back a shot of whiskey. The liquid fire burned in her veins as she slammed the shot glass back down on the bar hard. She knew Adriana was on her way to the bar and she needed to get her drinking done so she could leave, hopefully without a fight. In Sullivan's, however, anything was possible.
Levi was a nervous wreck. He sat at the back of the bar, staring at the door. Isabella made sure she stuck close to her brother, for her own peace of mind, not to mention her physical safety. When Adriana walked through the door, all bets were off.
"When she gets here, Iz, be nice," he warned. She picked at the label on her beer bottle in annoyance.
"You're asking the impossible from her, you know that, right?" she heard Don comment behind her. She felt very warm when he moved in closer proximity, and better. Then she heard the door open and the freakishly tall woman saunter in. Adriana looked sick with her face sunken in and her brown eyes standing out almost like a Chihuahua. Isabella felt her brother stiffen next to her and she reached out to touch his arm soothingly. He flinched at the feeling and she squeezed his forearm.
Nearly black eyes locked on nearly violet. Adriana sized up the tiny brunette sitting next to her oldest son and her eyes narrowed.
Isabella didn't want to give Adriana a fight, but the sound of her knuckles cracking against her face would be music to her ears. Her jaw set as she moved to further shield Levi from his mother's prying gaze.
"Armando," Adriana addressed Levi. She gave Isabella a courteous nod. Isabella felt Don's hands tighten on her waist, as if he were ready to either bolt out the door at a moment's notice or yank her off in the case of a fight.
"You remember my sister, Isabella. This is a friend of mine from work, Detective Flack," Levi informed her coldly, getting down from his stool and towering over her. "You're not getting any more money from me, Adriana."
Adriana bristled at the use of her given name. "I'm your mother, Armando. Don't disrespect me by calling me by my name," she said.
"When you don't bully or belittle your son, you'll earn the title," Isabella muttered under her breath before she could stop herself. Don squeezed her shoulder warningly, but she ignored it. She wanted to get between her brother and his mother, to act as a barrier. Even though she was younger than Levi, she was far more protective of him than most little sisters.
Adriana's coffee-colored eyes turned to face Isabella and the beginnings of a sneer began to take over her face. "And then there's you. The arrogant little shit who got that one lucky shot at me," she commented.
"The same arrogant shit that can still knock you down," Isabella shot back hotly. Her aggression was at an all-time high and she itched for a fight. "I'm here to make sure none of the other cops here give you the ass-beating you deserve."
"They gave a little psycho like you a gun and let you loose on the city? There's no accounting for taste," Adriana sneered. Isabella moved to get down from her stool, but Don pinned her there with his hands.
"Cool it," he muttered in her ear.
"I think it's best if you left," Levi commented. He moved in front of Isabella, this time acting as a physical barrier. "I mean it. Now."
"This is a public establishment, Armando. I don't have to leave if I don't want to," Adriana said, folding her skinny arms over her flat chest. Isabella fought a snort. A gentle breeze could knock her down. With Levi's money, she clearly wasn't buying food for herself. With her eyes bloodshot like that, the way her pupils constricted, and the way she seemed jittery and aggressive, Isabella was willing to bet that Adriana was a user. "I want the money you owe me."
"I don't owe you jack shit," Levi retorted. "I want you out of this bar and into a rehab."
Isabella lifted her hand to touch Don's, holding his fingers tightly. She glanced up at him warily.
"I don't need rehab," Adriana insisted. Levi glanced at Isabella and she slid down from her stool. "What, you're gonna use her as a bouncer?"
"I don't want to see you anymore, Adriana. Leave now or I will show you the door," he told her. Don released Isabella's shoulders and slipped in front of her, Levi gripping Adriana's arm and nudging her toward the front of Sullivan's. "And don't make a scene."
"You'll regret this," Adriana hissed as Levi dragged her through the bar by the arm. Isabella watched her go with gritted teeth.
"I'm really thinking mean thoughts about that bitch," she stated. Her reward for her restraint was Don's thumbs caressing the knots of tension in her shoulders. "If you stop now, I will bite you."
He calmed her. When he wasn't around, she always found herself looking for him.
"She pissed you off and you didn't punch her. I'm proud of you," he commented. She leaned her head back to look up at him with a small smile.
"Well, I guess I'm not a crazy psycho anymore," she returned. He kissed her forehead.
"But you're still an arrogant little shit," he said. She gasped indignantly and slapped his hands away from her shoulders.
"Rude!" she scolded. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her again, his lips brushing her hairline.
"Still true, but then again, we all gotta be a little arrogant to get through this job, right?" he commented. She rolled her eyes and nudged him playfully.
"What about the little shit comment?" she said, tilting her head back to see massive shit-eating grin on his handsome face. "You're a shit, not me."
"Not how I see it, Little Pacino," he shot back, using her old nickname from her rookie days. Without warning, his arms tightened around her and her stool slipped out from under her. Isabella let out a shriek, trying to find her footing. Don chuckled low in her ear, releasing his grip on her.
"If I didn't know any better, Detective Flack, I'd think you were trying to flirt with me," she remarked, reaching on her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck. He bent down to kiss her and she stuffed a lime wedge in his mouth. He jumped in surprise and she let out a squeal and a laugh, dancing away from him. "That's for calling me a shit and for yanking my stool out from under me." She giggled and turned around, running full into a broad chest. Her head lifted and she saw a pair of dark brown eyes blazing down at her.
Levi.
Levi looked from his younger sister to his partner. There was definitely something going on between them; Flack didn't wrap his arms around just anyone.
Before Izzy stuffed a lime in his mouth, Levi was certain Flack intended to kiss her. There were few things Levi protected at all costs and his sister was one. People teased him in high school because his little sister was his best friend and he would do anything to protect her.
Izzy had an image to uphold at work. At work, she was the fearless, tenacious detective who didn't take anything from anyone. Off work, she was the goofy, random, fun-loving, smart-mouth he knew and loved. She had a tender heart that very few people got to see, the one she reserved for very close friends and family.
Whoever saw that side was a lucky bastard. That lucky bastard had once been Chase Matthews, but he hadn't been able to handle it.
Flack looked at her like she deserved and Levi liked that.
"Hey, Flack, come take a walk with me," Levi suggested. Isabella's baby-blues widened and she opened her mouth to say something. He winked at her and she glanced nervously over her shoulder, her eyebrow crinkling with concern. "I won't bite him, I promise."
"You'd better not," she finally conceded before hopping back up on the stool. He could see the reluctance in her eyes as she watched them go. That told him everything he needed to know.
It wasn't love yet, but it was getting there. Levi felt the cool rush of the autumn night air and glanced at the shorter man.
"If you're gonna ask me to stay away from Izzy, save your breath," Flack informed him. From the protective edge in his voice, Levi knew he was telling the truth.
"What good would it do? You'd keep pursuing her and she'd keep letting you catch her. I can try to talk her out of it till I'm blue in the face," he replied. He lit up a cigarette and blew out the smoke quickly. "I just want to know why you didn't tell me."
"When I first met you and found out about your history, I asked you how you managed to get out of it with your sanity semi-intact," Flack explained.
"And I stand by my answer. My sister," Levi responded.
"Iz is special to me, always has been. I'm not out to hurt her, I'm not like Matthews. We're two adults trying to figure out where this thing between us is going," Flack told him.
Levi found himself quiet as he took another drag off his cigarette, flicking the ash on the sidewalk. Ordinarily, he didn't smoke, but tonight was stressful, what with Adriana and now his sister dating his partner.
This was how he felt when he met Jess's brother Jamie a month ago. The same hopefulness of approval, the speech of good intentions...
"She's not as tough as she lets on, Don. Isabella doesn't let people in and the people she lets in...they're in for life. Anyone who abuses that is probably the sickest son of a bitch alive. This is where I'm gonna tell you flat-out that if you hurt my little sister, I can guarantee that I will personally kick your ass. Literally. You may be one of my best friends, but if you intentionally hurt her, you will wear cement shoes to go swimming in the Hudson. Capisce?" he said, pointing the cigarette in the other man's face.
Damn, now he felt like Nonno. Armando the Second threatened people with that phrase. Levi curled his lip at the thought. He didn't want to have anything to do with that part of his family.
"Capisco," Flack replied honestly. Levi stomped out his cigarette with the toe of his shoe and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Just...take care of her, alright? Like I said, she's one of the most important people in the entire world to me. Treat her right, don't be a dick, and get ready for the ride of your life."