23

A month later Izzy was busy getting all the blueprints together for the contractors to start renovations on the bookstore in Huntington Beach. She had made a deal with Shadows that she would start off running one of the bookstores and provided that they were successful in turning it around she would consider expanding to the other two. In the past month so much had changed for Izzy. Her days were filled with a flurry of activity ranging from designing the new layout of the building to choosing paint. She had even persuaded Gates to allow Megan to work with her. The girl had some serious talents and Izzy knew that they would just be wasted if she had done anything else. Shadows finally agreed, after a long discussion with her and Gates that Megan would work off her parent’s debt by working for Izzy.

By the time construction was due to start, both Izzy and Megan were excited. The two of them had put their all into the first stage of revamping the business. They spent numerous nights going over ideas, themes and concepts for the new store and had even bickered over what they should name the place.

There had been no advances by Jake Night since that fateful day almost a month ago but that didn’t stop Shadows from making sure that Izzy was safe any time she had to leave the mansion to run errands or check on the progress at the bookstore. She always had security detail with her but as time went by she had grown accustomed to their presence.

Megan seemed to be happier at the mansion. She and Izzy had had a long talk about the real reason Megan had been brought to the mansion. Megan was angry and upset at first but she eventually accepted her fate. Izzy had a feeling that that acceptance had something to do with Jimmy. When Megan was not with her discussing the plans for their bookstore, she was with Jimmy. The two seemed as if they were made for each other and it warmed Izzy’s heart to see the two of them happy. Jimmy had confessed to Izzy his feelings for Megan but he was hesitant to make a move beyond friendship in fear of rejection. After long nights with Jimmy, Izzy finally persuaded him to give it a shot and a few hours later Megan and Jimmy had both burst into her room holding hands, the two of them wearing matching smiles and puppy eyes. At least Megan was happy which was the least she deserved after everything she had been through.

****

Gates knocked on Shadows’ office door and entered. The man behind the desk looked slightly agitated as he motioned for Gates to take a seat. There was worry in his eyes that Gates hadn’t seen in a very long time. He knew instantly that that worry had something to do with Izzy.

“One of our warehouses in Anaheim was just destroyed.” Said Shadows lowly. “Surveillance shows that Jake Night’s men are behind it.”

“Why is he all of a sudden attacking our property? He’s never done something this outright before.” Replied Gates calmly, raking his hand through his hair.

“He maintains the position that Isabel rightfully belongs to him but there are no indicators that what he is stating is indeed fact.” Said Shadows warily.

“She’s safe, you saw to that yourself by giving her a security detail. I handpicked those men myself as per your request Matt.” Said Gates rubbing the back of his neck. “They are the best of the best.”

Shadows slammed his fist on the desk causing Gates to jump slightly in surprise. He shot Shadows a disdainful look.

“I think one of us needs to be present with her in addition to the security detail. This outright attack is only the first of more to come. Jake Night is a powerful man Brian, he can buy his way into almost anything he wants. I don’t want Isabel to be compromised in any way.” Growled Shadows. He looked like a man haunted.

“Matt, I understand that you have feelings for her, but she’s just as safe with that detail as she is with us. You’re not thinking straight. We all want her safe Matt but I highly doubt that she needs one of us with her too.” said Gates trying to sound reasonable even though he was beginning to get agitated. This was not the first time he and Matt had sat down like this to discuss Izzy’s safety. It concerned Brian that Matt was letting his feelings cloud his judgment.

“God damn it Brian!” snapped Shadows, this voice filled with fury. “Someone will be present with her anytime she leaves this house and that’s final.”

Gates shook his head in frustration. “What is it you’re not telling me Matt?” he asked finally, knowing that Matt usually had a reason behind any of his actions. He was a calculated man and he had never once let his feelings get in the way of that.

Shadows was silent for a second, wondering if it was a good idea to tell Brian what he had just found out. He knew that Brian would tell Izzy and that wasn’t something that Shadows could handle right now. If Izzy knew then everything would be turned upside down. Realizing that he had no choice but to trust that Brian wouldn’t say anything Shadows finally met his friend’s gaze.

“That girl, Annie, she was intercepted by Jake Night’s right hand man, Johnny 3 Tears.” Said Shadows as calmly as he could. He knew that Brian had taken a liking to Annie.

Brian shot up from his seat, his eyes flashing menacingly. “What exactly do you mean by intercepted?” he snarled at Shadows.

“He beat her up pretty bad. I received some Intel earlier on in the week that Night was planning something so I put security on stand-by, beefing up security around anyone that Izzy holds dear to her. But somehow Tears managed to evade them, getting to Annie first.” said Shadows quickly as he got up from his seat upon noticing that Brian had begun to shake with anger.

“What does this have to do with making one of us join Izzy wherever she goes?” ground out Gates trying to get a handle on his anger.

“When the Berry Twins finally got there, Jason pulled Tears off of Annie and he none too kindly told Jason that Izzy was next. That Night wants her and that this was just the beginning.” sighed Shadows looking forlorn.

“Where is Annie now?” asked Brian softly, his concern for Izzy’s friend weighing heavily on his shoulders.

“She’s in the ICU at Memorial Hospital.” Replied Shadows knowing that once Gates left, that was where he was heading. Shadows could see that Gates was worried about the blue haired girl and Shadows didn’t fault him for that.

“Fine. If you want one of us there with Izzy then so be it. I’m going to see Annie but you should tell Izzy Matt. I will leave that to you. You know that she would want to be there for Annie.” said Gates heading to the door without a backwards glance as he spoke.

Shadows rubbed his eyes in frustration knowing that once he told Izzy about Annie, all hell would break loose.

****

A whirlwind of activity began to take place once the renovations at the bookstore started. Izzy and Megan would visit the site accompanied by either by Jimmy or Christ in addition to the security detail. Izzy had tried to gain insight as to why the sudden the change of having one of the guys with them but Shadows never really gave her much of an answer. She approached Gates as well, seeking answers but he never gave her anything but a shrug and a half assed answer that pissed her off.

Finally, on the night before the bookstore was carded for opening, Izzy was in her office at the back of the store sorting out paperwork that seemed to have piled up overnight. She could hear Vengeance walking around the bookstore as she worked, irritated from lack of sleep. Izzy found it strange that he had offered to escort her to the bookstore when he never showed much interest in doing so in the past. Sighing softly to herself, Izzy got up from her chair and trudged into the main room of the store.

She and Megan had spent hours deciding what they would do with the interior and they had settled for colorful walls on which some of Megan’s photographs hung, adding to the atmosphere of relaxation and calm that Izzy wanted to capture. Bean bags of various colors had been positioned in the children’s corner and that was where she found Vengeance gazing up at the ceiling clearly lost in thought. Izzy looked around the room which was elegantly decorated, shelves upon shelves of books making up rows filled with every author imaginable. Izzy was proud of the final outcome. She had left a few messages for Annie during the week, inviting her to come to the grand opening tomorrow. She still hadn’t gotten a response and it was well after 1 in the morning so it made no sense to contact Annie right now.

Izzy gave Vengeance a wary look as she approached him. They hadn’t had much contact over the last month but the few times they did had her blood pumping as her darkest fantasies flashed through her mind. She hadn’t been alone with the green eyed man until tonight and Izzy had a sinking feeling that he had orchestrated this. If there was one thing she learned about Vengeance it was that he always got what he wanted and there was no doubt in her mind that he wanted her. She pushed that thought out of her mind and trained her thoughts on Matt. Slowly but surely, Izzy had begun to warm up to him again but she had too busy lately to follow through with her plan of discovering that secret part of him. He seemed more reserved than usual as of late and it irked Izzy that she didn’t know why.

Remembering that she had left her laptop in her office, Izzy turned back and headed to the back room. She hastily began packing her laptop away when she felt a presence behind her. She turned around quickly and came face to face with Vengeance who was watching her with lust filled eyes. Izzy couldn’t help but flush slightly as he studied her, his body so close to hers that she could smell the faint traces of cigarettes and mint.

He gripped her waist tightly, pushing Izzy against her desk as he placed gentle kisses on her neck. His cold snakebites pressed against her skin causing small ripples of pleasure to course through her. The attraction she felt to Vengeance was something more carnal and sinister. She had tried her best to stay away from him knowing that he made her weak with a dark, twisted desire, which her body craved.

“Don’t fight it, give into me.” Vengeance purred in Izzy’s ear causing her to arch her back into him at the sound of his smooth voice. A soft moan fell from her lips. Images of Shadows crossed her mind and Izzy stiffened against Vengeance, her conscious scolding her for what she was doing. As if sensing Izzy’s dilemma, he nipped at her ear. “Don’t think about him. Give me tonight. It will be our secret.” The guilt she was harboring began to melt away. She had feelings for Shadows, yes, but her body was betraying her as Vengeance gripped her waist tighter.

He crashed his lips down onto hers and she returned it with just as much force. She wound her fingers in his black hair and tugged slightly eliciting soft growl from him. His tongue invaded her mouth as they both struggled for dominance. Izzy gave into Vengeance and allowed him to take charge. He pulled her hair free of the messy ponytail that it was in and ran his fingers through her soft hair before grabbing a fistful and pulling her away from him. His emerald eyes swirled with dark lust as he drank in the sight of Izzy’s kiss swollen lips. He pushed her down onto the desk, a few of the papers that were stacked neatly flying off the polished surface. He positioned himself so that he was between her legs.

“I like this dress.” said Vengeance huskily as he trailed his fingers up Izzy’s thighs, brushing her clothed covered core. His fingers traced lazy patterns against the lacy fabric until he roughly pinched Izzy’s clit through the fabric. She whimpered as he shot her a dark look, a twisted smile creeping onto his lips. “The things I want to do to your body are unholy baby.” He said softly as he plunged two fingers into Izzy’s tight heat. She cried out at the sudden intrusion but felt her body arch into him. He pumped his fingers harshly in and out of her causing her to moan loudly. His thumb toyed with her clit, sending her further towards the edge. His felt his jeans tighten as his erection strained against the material. He withdrew his fingers just as he sensed that she was about to come and she shot him a withering stare. He pushed his fingers into her mouth and she sucked them clean of her own juices, her eyes never straying from his as she did.

He bent down to capture her lips again when she pushed him away from her. She continued to push him by his chest until his back met the wall. Izzy’s eyes glinted wickedly as she palmed Vengeance through his jeans. He let out a hiss as she grazed her teeth along his neck. He grabbed her and pinned her against the wall in a blur of movement, holding her wrists above her with one of his hands. The other roamed her body, until he found the zipper for her dress. He slowly pulled the zipper down and the soft cotton dress pooled at Izzy’s ankles. Vengeance’s eyes hungrily travelled Izzy’s body. He undid the clasp of her lacy bra and released Izzy’s hands so that he could rid her of it. He roughly grabbed her breasts, pinching her nipples with bruising force before. He wrapped his lips around her right nipple, his snakebites cold against her heated flesh as he massaged her other breast with his calloused hand. He ran his tongue over her nipple and then bit down on it causing Izzy to moan at the sensation. She could feel him smirking against her skin.

Her fingers fumbled with the button of his jeans and then with his zipper but she eventually managed to get them both undone. She dipped her hand past the waistband of his boxers and wrapped her slender fingers around his hard shaft. He was thicker than she expected and the thought of him pounding into her with his thick long cock thrilled her. He bucked into her hand, a low guttural moan escaping his lips. The sounds of his low groans and her heavy pants were all that filled the room. She continued to tease him, running her hands up and down his rock hard length, knowing that she was driving him insane. He pulled off his shirt, jeans and boxers and Vengeance grabbed Izzy and forced her back onto the desk. He spread her legs wide and with one hard thrust, he sunk himself to the hilt within her tight heat. He began pounding into her, giving her no time to adjust to his size. Her tight walls milked his hard cock as he thrust deeply into her. She threw her head back and let out a loud moan of pleasure as his cock hit that bundle of nerves deep within her. He slammed himself into her over and over again, the roughness of his force turning her on even more. He pulled out of her and he flipped her so that she was bent over the table and rammed back into her causing obscenities to fall from Izzy’s lips as he fucked her without mercy. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled on it harshly causing Izzy to let out a hiss of pain that only served to turn him on more. His free hand gripped her waist and she could feel his short nails dig into her skin. She could feel her climax begin to creep up on her as Vengeance continued his relentless pace. Her knees began to shake as her orgasm began to build until finally, it ripped through her causing her to scream out the only name she had ever known him by. Coming down from her mind-blowing orgasm she felt Vengeance thrust a few times more before coating her walls with his hot seed. He collapsed next to her, his breathing just as heavy as hers.

They lay there panting heavily until Vengeance regained his strength. He began pulling on his clothes as Izzy reached for her discarded bra and dress. They said nothing as they both dressed. Vengeance finished first and helped Izzy zip up her dress. He pressed his snakebitten lips to her neck.

“Let’s do that again sometime doll.” He murmured against her skin, causing her breath to hitch as her cheeks flushed. “’You’re just as dark as I am.”

Izzy watched him with confused eyes as he walked out of her office. How could she be as dark as Vengeance?