24

There was a flurry of activity at the A7X mansion on the evening that Izzy, Gates and Jimmy were expected to return. Shadows himself seemed to be on edge as he paced his office, talking to Jacoby Shaddix about their next move against Slipknot and their new allied forces. Jacoby had spent the majority of the afternoon reasoning with Shadows over various tactics, all of which seemed to have become more extravagant and far-fetched. The real question on both men’s mind was why the man who had found Izzy beneath Gates’ bed had protected her. It was not something that Shadows was prepared for. He needed to know who it was that had protected her but he hadn’t been able to get a hold of Gates. He had spoken to Jimmy briefly before the group boarded the flight that would bring them home but Jimmy hadn’t seen who the man was.

Still talking with Jacoby, Shadows heard the front door slam and the two men exited Shadows’ office. In the foyer stood Izzy, Gates and Jimmy looking tired and frustrated. Izzy ran into Shadows’ arms, dropping her bag onto the marble floor. He held her gently in his arms as she shook while soft sobs escaped her lips. Shadows knew that Izzy had been through enough and it was about time that the madness ended. She didn’t deserve to live her life in fear, constantly looking over her shoulder. She deserved so much more.

“I’m so glad to be back.” cried Izzy as Shadows released her from his hold. He looked down at her and gave her a thin smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Over her shoulder, Shadows nodded at both Gates and Jimmy who, even in their tired state, knew that they had business to attend to. The two men walked towards Shadows’ office, their shoulders slightly hunched.

Jacoby took Izzy’s small hand in his and gave her a tight tug.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.” he said kindly to her as Shadows retreated towards his office.

“You saw me the other day J.” smiled Izzy as Jacoby’s eyes twinkled.

“How are you holding up small fry?” asked Jacoby lightly as he pulled Izzy towards the kitchen.

“When I figure that out myself, I’ll be sure to get back to you.” answered Izzy truthfully. Even though so much had happened, Izzy felt happy to be back home, in familiar territory. She was still mourning the loss of Signor Camachio; she had grown fond of the older gentleman during her time in Italy and his death had taken a toll on Izzy. She didn’t want anyone to know how deeply she was hurting but Izzy knew that her eyes would no doubtedly give her away. She knew that all the emotions she was bottling up would shine in her eyes. “I’m going to take a shower.” said Izzy softly, giving Jacoby a sad smile. He watched her go, a frown tugging at his lips.

With a heavy heart, Izzy trudged towards her room. She hadn’t said much the entire journey back home and she still didn’t feel like saying anything. So much had happened and Izzy started to feel like a burden to everyone. She was sure that life was so much easier before Shadows had taken her in. Everything was easier. Izzy entered her room, inhaling the familiar scent of jasmine that hung in the air and jumped when she noticed someone sitting on her bed.

“Vengeance?” asked Izzy timidly, approaching the green eyed man. “What are you doing in here?”

Vengeance looked up at her, his green eyes dark, a frown hanging from his lips. He looked as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words as he looked at the girl standing before him. He got up from where he sat and pulled Izzy into his arms. She stiffened for a split second and then felt her body relax in his hold.

“They’re coming for you.” he whispered in her ear.

“I know.” responded Izzy trying to sound brave and strong. She knew she was failing.

Vengeance leaned down and captured Izzy’s lips. She pushed at his chest, but he held her close until she gave into him. He knew that she would have been scared and confused and most of all self-pitying. Seizing the opportunity of her despair, he made his move, knowing that Izzy needed some sort of release and Vengeance was more than happy to oblige. She wound her fingers into his raven black hair, pushing herself closer to him. He growled against her lips, his fingers grasping her waist harshly. Vengeance could have sensed that Izzy had turned off her feelings from the moment she had walked into the room. Her voice was hollow and dead, her movements stiff and heavy. She needed him, he knew she did. She needed to feel something without really feeling anything at all.

Vengeance deepened the kiss, his tongue dancing against Izzy’s. He pushed her down onto her bed and straddled her waist, their lips never parting. He ran his hands over her body and she arched into his touch. A part of Izzy’s brain was screaming at her to stop, but her body was singing a different song as Vengeance touched her. She had had enough of all the drama, of all the tension and the fear that she had been a part of for so long. All she wanted to do was have Vengeance ravage her in the way only he knew how. She needed his rough touch, his wicked eyes. She needed him.

A small gasp escaped Izzy’s lips when Vengeance brought one of his hands up to her throat, holding it with his fingers and nipping at the side of her neck. His other hand expertly unbuttoned her blouse and roughly palmed her breast through the lacy material of her bra. Izzy snaked her hand between their bodies and rubbed her hand against Vengeance’s rock hard cock which was straining against the fabric of his jeans. He sucked in a sharp breath and bit down into the curve of Izzy’s neck a little harder. His hand left her throat and moved ever so slowly down her body until he reached her jeans. He made short work of pulling them off of her, as Izzy tugged at his shirt. He threw his shirt and Izzy’s jeans onto the floor and peeled her underwear down her legs.

The rest of their clothes ended up on the floor, their heated bodies pressing against the other. Izzy kissed Vengeance passionately, her mind consumed with lust for the green eyed man. She rather feel lust than all the other emotions that were plaguing her mind. At least Vengeance was able to make her forget, even if it was for a short while.

His lips trailed down her neck, to her collar bone down to her breasts. He flicked one of her nipples with his hot tongue, causing her to arch her back. He grabbed her hips and pushed her back down onto the bed. He sucked on her nipple, biting down gently, causing soft whimpers to escape Izzy’s lips. His fingers trailed down her heated flesh until they brushed against her moist core.

“Always so wet and ready for me.” he purred against her skin as he parted her folds and slid his middle finger into her. He added another finger and started his slow torture, pumping his fingers lazily in and out of Izzy’s tight heat. She writhed beneath him, needing more, moaning in protest when he halted all movement, retracting his fingers from Izzy’s dripping core.

“Tell me you want me.” breathed Vengeance as he kissed his way down Izzy’s stomach.

“I want you.” gasped Izzy as Vengeance nipped at her abdomen. “Please Vengeance. I need you!”

Vengeance smirked and filled Izzy completely with one hard thrust. She cried out beneath him as he began to move, pounding into her at a relentless pace, her tightness milking his cock. He gave her no time to adjust as he slammed roughly into her, causing her eyes to roll to the back of her head in pleasure. He placed one of her legs over his shoulder and drew his hips back before slamming into her full force. A strangled cry of bliss escaped Izzy’s lips as Vengeance hit that bundle of nerves deep within her.

“You like that baby? You like me fucking you like this?” hissed Vengeance as he continued his harsh movements.

Izzy felt herself get wetter as Vengeance continued to utter dirty things in her ear. She moaned softly beneath him as the tight ball in the pit of her stomach began to expand. Vengeance flipped her over and rammed into her from behind, gripping her hair with one hand while the other held onto her waist, pulling her back onto his cock. He fucked her with wild abandon, as the sound of pants, soft moans and skin slapping against skin filled the room. Without warning, white hot pleasure surged through Izzy’s body, engulfing her, numbing her mind. She clamped down on Vengeance’s rock hard member, milking him with her tightness as she came around his dick. He moaned lowly, and she felt him stiffen, his hot seed coating her walls. They collapsed together, their breathing heavy, their skin sweaty.

In a shocking display of affection, Vengeance held Izzy in his arms and she rested her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his erratically beating heart. Her fingers traced the tattoos adorning his skin as they lay together in silence. Izzy felt warm and comfortable, something she never imagined she would feel with Vengeance. He ran his fingers lazily up and down her arms as their legs entangled.

“Welcome home Izzy.” whispered Vengeance softly, his voice uncharacteristically tender. Izzy pushed herself closer to Vengeance, an unfamiliar smile on her face as she hummed in response, her body and mind too tired to find real words. “I promise everything will get better. I won’t let them hurt you.”

Izzy eventually drifted off into sleep, still in Vengeance’s arms, his words echoing in her mind.

****

Gates backed away from Izzy’s bedroom door, his mind reeling. Hurt, anger and frustration coursed through his body as he forced his feet backwards. He had gone to check on Izzy when he had emerged from Shadow’s office twenty minutes after they arrived back home. Soft moans and whimpers greeted his ears just as he was about to knock on her door and at that moment, Gates felt as if his world was crashing around him. He quickly put two and two together, realizing that Vengeance was the one eliciting those moans and cries from behind the closed door. It had to have been him, everyone else was downstairs. Gates stood rooted to the spot in front of Izzy's door until there was a deafening silence from within.

Bile rose in Gates’ throat as images of Vengeance and Izzy’s writhing bodies assaulted his mind. It made sense, the times when he had walked into the kitchen and seen them so close together, the fight that had happened late last year, everything fell into place. Gates thought that Izzy wanted Shadows but clearly the one she wanted was Vengeance. Gates’ stomach churned unpleasantly as he made his way to his bedroom, only to be stopped by Jimmy who gave him a concerned look. Gates tried to push past him, but the tall lanky man blocked his path.

“What is it?” asked Jimmy carefully, knowing that when Gates was as angry as he was now, he was volatile at best. Jimmy placed a hand on Gates’ shoulder and realized that his best friend was shaking.

“How long?” seethed Gates, his chocolate colored eyes darkening to pools of ebony.

“How long what?” questioned Jimmy, confused by Gates’ ambiguous question.

“How long as she been fucking Vengeance?!” snarled Gates, his anger pulsing through his veins.

Jimmy’s face fell, his eyes darting over Gates’ shoulder, meeting a pair of blazing emerald eyes. Vengeance smirked at him and headed downstairs without saying a word. Unable to find the right words, Jimmy looked at Gates who’s eyes were alight with unbridled fury.

“Your silence says it all.” spat Gates as he pulled away from Jimmy. He needed to get away from him, knowing that he would end up doing something that he would regret later on. The shock had worn off only to be replaced by anger and hatred. He loved Izzy for so long but discovering her affair with Vengeance was worse than the sting of rejection. She had never wanted him, it had always been Vengeance. He had lost to the green eyed man that he knew never cared for anyone but himself. Gates couldn’t control the emotions raging through his body. He slammed his bedroom door shut with so much force the doorframe trembled.

Turning on the stereo to full blast, Gates threw himself onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling, his breathing finally returning to normal. He felt like a teenager all over again, his emotions were haywire and he felt as if the world was closing in on him. Gates couldn’t remember the last time he had felt hurt so deep within his soul. Izzy was everything he wanted and Gates knew that he could make her happy, but clearly, that wasn’t what she wanted. Maybe he had to be a cold, self-centered asshole to get through to her. Maybe he would have to be more like Vengeance.

*****

Izzy awoke a few hours later, the place where Vengeance had once been now empty. She expected nothing less knowing that the briefest display of emotion and kindness would have disappeared at some point. Pulling herself out of bed, Izzy made her way to the bathroom, ready for a hot shower. She stepped under the stream of hot water and let out a sigh of contentment. Ten minutes into her shower Izzy heard a knock at the bathroom door.

“I’ll be out in a minute.” she hollered to whoever was at the door.

The knob turned and Izzy poked her head out from behind the shower curtain, flushing a deep shade of crimson when Jimmy entered the bathroom. He gave her a sheepish shrug of his shoulders as he hoisted himself onto the countertop near the sink, his long legs dangling off the edge.

“What the hell Jimmy?” scolded Izzy as she yanked the shower curtain back into place.

“Can I ask you something?” came Jimmy’s soft voice. He sounded perturbed and very much unlike himself.

“Can’t it wait until I’m finished and not naked in the shower?” shot Izzy, disgruntled by the fact that Jimmy was invading her privacy.

“Not unless you want all hell to break loose.” sighed Jimmy, his voice wary and strained.

Izzy poked her head out from behind the shower curtain again and gave Jimmy a confused look. He shot her a weak smile, knowing that his timing was off since Izzy was showering and he was clearly invading her privacy. He had no other option. Gates had stormed out of the house a few minutes ago, giving him a disgusted look that hurt Jimmy more than anything. Caught between the proverbially rock and hard place, Jimmy felt the need to fix everything the way he always had done in the past. The situation with Izzy, Gates and Vengeance was no exception.

“Did you sleep with Vengeance earlier?” asked Jimmy carefully. Izzy’s eyes widened and a look of guilt flashed across her wet features. That was all the confirmation Jimmy needed. “Did you know that Brian heard you?” he continued cautiously. Izzy’s eyes widened further and a deep blush stained her cheeks. “I don’t mean to pry Iz, but Brian is head over heels for you and I think him hearing you with Vengeance sent him off the deep end.”

Izzy shut off the water and grabbed a towel from the rack, wrapping it around her body before stepping out of the shower. She gave Jimmy a perplexed look as she approached him.

“Jimmy, I understand that Brian has feelings for me, but this thing with Vengeance, I don’t know…it’s not natural the attraction I have to him.” admitted Izzy hesitantly.

“You know I get it. We’ve had this conversation already. I just need to know if Vengeance is who you really want to give yourself to.” replied Jimmy gently.

“I don’t willingly give myself to him!” cried Izzy, her frustration rising slightly. “He has this effect on me. Like every time something bad happens he’s there, and when I’m with him I don’t feel anything. All the tension and fear and sadness disappears.”

“He’s not good for you Izzy. You know that deep down. He’s just a quick fix.” stated Jimmy, the concern for his friend evident in both his eyes and tone.

“Maybe that’s what I need. Maybe starting something with anyone else will just go up in flames the way it did with Shadows!” confessed Izzy, her throat constricting painfully at the thought of Shadows and the failed romance she had with him.

“Is that what this is about? You’re afraid you’re going to get hurt again so you just give in to Vengeance?” questioned Jimmy, his tone now serious even though his eyes held immense concern for his friend.

“At least I know what Vengeance is. I always knew what he was. He never hid who he really was from the beginning.” lamented Izzy, her voice soft and filled with sadness.

“And you think that Brian is hiding things from you?” asked Jimmy incredulously, his voice filled with anger. “The man may have a dark side but he’s never hidden anything from you. He wears his heart on his sleeve ever since he met you.”

Izzy gaped at Jimmy, shocked by the anger in his voice. She had only heard it once before and it wasn’t something she wanted to hear ever again. He stared right back at her, his breathing shallow as he regarded her coldly. Izzy felt small, like an insolent child being scolded. Tears welled up in her eyes as silence hung between herself and Jimmy. He had never been harsh with her and now, hearing his anger and feeling his cold gaze upon her made her cringe as her heart turned to lead.

“What if everything goes up in smoke the way it did with Shadows?” asked Izzy, her voice small and timid.

Jimmy sighed and removed himself from the countertop. He knew that he was being harsh with Izzy but she needed to hear the truth. Jimmy knew that Vengeance was up to no good and he felt compelled to make Izzy see that.

“No one can predict the future Izzy, but I know that Brian will make you happy. You two are a match made in heaven and you know that, you just haven’t realized it yet. I can’t force you to make a choice Izzy, but take my advice when I tell you that Vengeance is going to hurt you worse than Shadows.” said Jimmy softly as he pulled Izzy into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and Jimmy rested his chin on the top of her head. “I don’t want to see you get hurt and I know that if you continue doing this…whatever this thing is with Vengeance…your heart will break into thousands of little bity pieces.”

“I don’t trust myself around Vengeance.” she whispered into Jimmy’s chest.

“I know. You have to try to stay away from him.” advised Jimmy as he brushed his lips over the top of Izzy’s wet hair.

“I’m not sure I can.” breathed Izzy as Jimmy’s arms tightened around her in that comforting way.

“Of course you can. You just have to find the will do it.” urged Jimmy, his voice soft, all traces of anger gone. “And I’ll help you.”