24

Izzy felt familiar calloused fingers gently brush her cheek as she lay in bed, her eyes closed, her breathing even. She dared not open her eyes for she was unwilling to meet the green eyes that she could feel studying her. He had never caressed her the way he was now, he had never been gentle nor had he ever been kind. His fingers moved down to her wrists which were chaffed and bruised; a remnant of the ropes that had bound her to her office chair. His touch was feather-light, barely there, almost as if he were afraid to touch her in such an unfamiliar way. She heard his soft sigh and Izzy resisted the tempting urge to open her eyes, to catch him in his unnatural act of kindness and emotion. His lips ghosted at her temple as he kissed her gently, almost lovingly and then, he was gone.

The moment she heard her bedroom door close softly, Izzy’s eyelids fluttered open. Steady sunlight streamed into her bedroom, the calm after the storm. Her head felt clouded yet her mind was as sharp as a razor. She sat up in bed, a small moan escaping her lips as she inhaled deeply. A wicked pain shot through her chest and Izzy flopped back down onto the bed. Her hair still smelt of smoke from the fire and with a mournful sigh, Izzy knew that the bookstore, her pride and joy, was no more. Even as consciousness slipped slowly away from her last night, she could hear the flames devouring the one thing she had built for herself. Those masked men had done a pretty fine job of seeing to that. Images of their twisted and distorted masks flashed in Izzy’s mind and she let out an involuntary shudder. They had been things of nightmares of the darkest and sickest kind. Why had they attacked her? Why had they tried to kill her? Pieces of that puzzle quickly fell into place. They were another gang, Izzy was sure of it. Another gang that only confirmed Night’s warning. Another gang that had come after her. Two in the space of three days and deep down, Izzy knew that there were more to come.

A soft knock on the door pulled Izzy out of her thoughts. Shadows entered the room, his eyes once again haunted but from the moment Izzy saw him, she knew something about him had changed. He looked vacant and void of any emotion other than rage, guilt and sadness. His hazel eyes, which usually flickered in the sunlight were dull and lifeless. Shadows sat in the chair that had been pulled next to Izzy’s bed. He leaned forward, closer to her, his forearms resting on his thighs. He cracked his knuckles, something he only did when he was extremely tense. He looked at the IV drip that ran rehydrating fluids into Izzy’s system, something Izzy hadn’t really noticed until that moment. They sat there in silence.

“The bookstore….” began Shadows, his voice horse. “The fire destroyed everything.”

“I guessed as much.” Replied Izzy softly, knowing that as much as it hurt to lose something that she had put so much energy and time into, it made no sense crying over the proverbial spilt milk.

“I’m arranging for you to go back to Italy. Until I can get a handle on this mess.” Started Shadows again, his voice a little stronger. “Things will only get worse if you stay. They will keep coming for you.”

Izzy regarded him for a moment and watched the torment of the decision cross Shadows’ handsome features.

“How will you guarantee my safety if I’m not with you?” she asked, her voice still soft.

“Signor Camachio has agreed to have you stay with him. To make this easier, I’m sending Dana with you. Jimmy and Gates accompany both of you as well.” stated Shadows, the raw emotions in his voice evident to both of them.

He knew that sending Gates with Izzy would ultimately mean that he would lose her. He wasn’t blind to Gates’ feelings for Izzy and as much as he wished that he could keep Gates away from her, sending her without him would mean that she wouldn’t be as safe as she could be. Gates was his second in command and Shadows needed him to be by her side. In the world within which they all dwelt, loyalties could shift in the blink of an eye. Though Shadows doubted that Signor Camachio’s loyalty would falter, the man was only human and humans were selfish and easily swayed. If there was a shift, Gates would be able to safeguard Izzy. It was a risk Shadows had to take even though that risk meant sacrificing his heart.

“What if they find me?” questioned Izzy as she voiced her fears. “What if they take me away?”

“That won’t happen. We’ll keep your movements as quiet as possible. You will not leave with any bags. It will look like you are just going out. Dana will be here soon. The four of you leave tonight, before anything else happens.” Answered Shadows.

“Come with me?” urged Izzy. “Please Shadows. Come with me.”

“I can’t Isabel. You know I can’t.” groaned Shadows as his hazel eyes met Izzy’s pleading grey ones. It broke his heart knowing that she still wanted him around after everything the two of them had been through.

“You can. You know you can. Please Shadows.” begged Izzy as she reached out to take his large hand.

“If I could, you know I would Isabel, but I need to stay here. I need to see that you are safe.” said Shadows gently but firmly. He squeezed Izzy’s hand ever so slightly.

“Will you be safe?” breathed Izzy as tears brimmed in her eyes.

Slightly taken aback, Shadows didn’t answer immediately. He had killed one of the members of Slipknot in cold blood. He was caught up in the moment and it was a grievous crime that he was expected to answer for. His argument, as per Vengeance’s council, was solid, for Vengeance was quite versed in the agreement that had been signed among all gangs. The two men had sat up late into the late looking for any kind of loopholes that Taylor could use against Shadows but they found none. Though there was no doubt in Shadows mind that Gontier, the head honcho in the mob world, would agree with Shadows’ actions, Taylor would not take it so kindly. There were repercussions of his actions and that was something he didn’t want Izzy to bear witness to. Slipknot was a ruthless gang and losing one of their members meant that they would be out for blood no matter Gontier’s final judgment. They would find some way for Shadows to feel the whiplash of his actions.

“I will be safe.” said Shadows, avoiding Izzy’s eyes as he lied to her. Deep down Shadows knew that she was well aware of his lie, he felt it in her steady gaze upon him. She was the only one who had ever been able to read him so easily.

“How long will I be gone?” whispered Izzy, not trusting her voice not to break.

“As long as you need to be.” Replied Shadows softly.

*****

“This is so exciting!” gushed Dana she put her hand bag down on Izzy’s bed. She hadn’t been told about the bookstore as yet and Izzy wasn’t planning on bursting Dana’s happy little bubble until they were settled into Signor Camachio’s home, thousands of miles away from Huntington.

Izzy gave Dana a weak smile as she looked through her closet for an outfit to change into. She chose a pair of pink jeans and black converse, opting for comfort rather than style. Dana bounced around excitedly, chattering on and on about Italy and how romantic it was of Jimmy to ask her to go with him. Izzy pulled on her t-shirt and gave Dana a puzzled look.

“Jimmy called me this morning and said that you, me, Gates and, well, Jimmy were going on a spontaneous vacation to Italy.” Laughed Dana as she fixed her hair in Izzy’s full length mirror.

“Oh yeah. Vacation. It was a surprise thing really.” Muttered Izzy unenthusiastically. Dana seemed somewhat oblivious to Izzy’s tone.

“This is going to be amazing!” trilled Dana excitedly.

Izzy put on the necklace Gates gave her for her birthday and then the necklace from the guys afterwards having become attached to both items. The charm bracelet from her mouth tinkled around her wrist as she applied a coat of mascara to her lashes just as Jimmy began hollering from downstairs that they were ready to go.

The two of them headed down the stairs, one of them excited, the other with a heavy heart. Dana bounded into Jimmy’s arms and Izzy forced a smile at the sight of the two of them laughing together. Izzy walked away from them and went in search of the person she wanted to see before she left. Timidly she knocked on Shadows’ office door and entered when she heard him answer. Pushing the oak door open, Izzy forced herself to remain calm and collected even though she was a royal mess on the inside. Shadows was typing away on his computer but stopped when Izzy stood in front of his desk. He looked at her with a sad expression, his eyes still filled with torment. He got up from his chair and walked around the desk quickly.

Shadows tucked Izzy’s body against his gently as he wrapped his arms around her. She inhaled his familiar scent as if trying to commit it to memory for when she left. They may spend the majority of their time together fighting but in the end, Shadows was the one Izzy truly wanted even if she was too stubborn to ever admit it. She allowed him to hold her, his arms wrapped securely around her, holding her to him as if they were lovers. She pulled away, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. She needed to be strong, for both their sakes. Without thinking, Izzy stood on the tips of her toes and placed her soft lips against Shadows’. He stiffened for a second, caught off guard but quickly returned the kiss. Their lips moved in blissful harmony and for the first time in a long time, Izzy felt safe and loved unconditionally. Even though she knew that a relationship with Shadows would probably never work, it didn’t stop her from having feelings for him and Izzy knew that Shadows felt the same way.

Their kiss was one that was filed with many things. Love, sadness, fear, but most of all, a promise. A promise that things would get better though neither of them had any idea when.