Hammer & Anvil (Steel Rebels MC #2) [Ongoing]

SIX - Candid shot

Isabella

Anton and Roman had trouble closing their mouths, trying to understand Isabella's words.

"Why haven't you said this before?" Roman asked exasperated.

"When?" She asked back quietly. "You know by yourself that we haven't had time to talk until now and our parents certainly aren't interested in this piece of information."

"But if this is really true then - then -"

"Wait," Anton interrupted his best friend, holding up his hand. He had slid forward in his seat.
"I think you need to back up quite a bit here, Isabella."

Isabella wondered how much they wanted to know.

"Umm, alright," she agreed. "Where do I start?"

***

It was rather late in the evening when Isabella and Roman were driving back to their parents' place. Again they were quiet. The last hours had been spent talking with Anton. It had been exhausting for everyone but Isabella was also glad that she had decided to open up. She felt unbelievably relieved. For the first time in months her soul felt light. She could breathe again.

She had told them everything.

Telling them that Knux was with all probability innocent, had been the point of no return. After that she had to explain. One explanation had led to another and another, until Isabella felt completely bare even though she was fully clothed.

Nobody had ever known her life in this much detail.

Roman had been again devastated. He really hadn't realized just how badly things had been at home. Over the course of the hours he had repeatedly apologized.

But Isabella didn't hold anything against him. He hadn't known and she had been too intimidated and scared to let him in.

Anton had been shocked and after somehow accepting, that his brother's death hadn't been caused by a man that was reported to have gone crazy with toxic possessiveness over Isabella, had provided valuable input and insight. He had directly spoken out what Isabella had known for a long time but felt unable to do something about by herself.

She had been psychologically abused by her parents, since she had been a young child and most likely already before. Her parents had neglected her by not protecting her from harm and by not letting her receive adequate medical help, when she would have needed it. And they were still continuing to harm her - now even more than before. Their behavior towards her was criminal and with proper evidential proof this could mean several years of imprisonment for both of them.

However, Anton also admitted that starting a lawsuit against Michael Franklin-Gutsburry was something that had to be very well planned and prepared and that the evidence had to be fool-proof. Without it, they would only loose.

That was why Isabella was going back, even though Roman had been vehemently against it. Of course, she didn't want to go back either because she was still scared, but the consequences of her not returning home and their father figuring out that she had gone against him were even scarier. She would never be able to forgive herself if she knowingly ruined her friends.

Her and Roman had agreed to pretend that he didn't know what's going on. While it would require all of their acting skills to pull off, this was for now their safest bet. Anton had promised to invite Isabella over in a few days under the pretense of planning a musical performance for the engagement ceremony. Which was plausible since he played the guitar. And then they would continue planning their next steps and also try to contact the Steel Rebels to hear what they knew about the shooting and if there was anything that could help find who was actually responsible for Benjamin's death.