Isabella

~12~

Isabella

"Here." Shayne passed me a bottle of water which I took, screwed the cap, took a sip and handed it over to him. "How are you feeling?"

"I wanna kill someone." I lifted my gaze to meet his. "That is how I'm feeling."

"Isabella---"

"No!" I got down from the car and dropped and walked forward, stopped and ran a hand through my hair. "You don't know how that feels. For years now, I've been lied to. Worked for the same man that murdered my family, scorched the earth and killed hundreds of lives in the name of vengeance, all for that same man. Do you know how that feels? To sell your soul to the devil himself? And realize you're just like him in every way?"

I felt him beside me. "I know."

"He killed my father," all I could see was red. "He killed my mother, he killed my siblings, he lied to me! Fuck, he lied to me and I...like the naive little girl I was.. followed him around like a monkey. Did everything he asked me to do." I spun around to face him. "He's won, Shayne. He's won. He's gotten everything he's ever wanted."

He cupped my face and rested his forehead on mine. "No, he hasn't. He hasn't and he never will. He played smart at first, agreed. But can he now?"

I went pale all of a sudden. "Bels? Are you alright?"

"Nicole. No no! He has my best friend. He has Nicole! We have to...if anything happens to Nicole, Shayne. I wouldn't know what I would do. I need to .. I need---"

"Relax, Bels. Breathe."

And I did exactly that.

"Good. Now, let's go get your friend."

~

The car stopped and I got down. "Here. He told me he would take her here. To the safe house."

"To the safe house?" His voice as we started at the white bungalow that was guarded by countless men. "Sounds like the total opposite to me."

"Wait---" he stopped. "I heard something."

"What?"

I turned around and stared at the dark pathway that led to the back of the building. "Nicole?"

A few seconds passed. "El? Is that you?"

A small snort escaped my lips. "Nicole!''

She stepped of the dark pathway and threw her arms around me as I wrapped mine around her. "Elsa, you're okay. You're okay."

We drew back and I cupped her face. "How did you----"

"I overheard Lucas talking to Vic on the phone. They said they've found you," her gaze swept to Shayne. "Both of you. He said some things that I didn't quite hear but the very word I could pick up was, 'Tonight, we end her.' Elsa, I was so scared. I knew I had reasons to doubt him but never could I imagine that he would do something like that to you."

"He killed my family."

She froze. "What?'

I sighed. "He confessed everything. Come on." I took her hand and led her to the car. "We have to go. We mustn't let them see us."