23

Shadows hadn’t spoken to Izzy for three days since the incident. He was cold and closed off when she was around him, giving her one worded responses to any question she threw his way. Izzy understood that he was furious about what had happened but he was taking it too far. Determined to confront him, Izzy stomped towards his office. She lifted her hand to knock on the door when she heard muffled voices coming from within. Pressing her ear to the door, she listened hard and could make out Shadows’ deep voice, practically yelling at someone.

“How the hell could we have not known that there was a mole here?” Shadows shouted “This changes everything. Every fucking thing. She isn’t safe. Not even fucking here!”

Izzy’s mouth hung open and she pressed her ear closer to the door, straining to hear through the thick oak.

“Matt, we can come up with another plan.” said Gates’ smooth voice. Izzy’s eyes widened, Shadows’ real name was Matt?

“No Brian! Do you even realize how vulnerable this makes us? All of us? Security detail have access to everyone’s movements, every day. I can’t believe none of us picked up on this until now.”

Gates’ real name was Brian? What an unbelievably normal name. Izzy cocked her eyebrow as she continued to eavesdrop.

“Matt, we will get this fixed. It’s a minor setback, that’s all. We can take her away for the rest of the month, let Jimmy and Christ take her to Italy, get her out of the country while we figure this mess out.” said Gates reasonably. Izzy felt her heart skip a beat. How did Gates know that she had always wanted to visit Italy? “She’ll be safer out of the country for the time being. We’ll keep her movements quiet.” He finished.

The room went quiet and without warning the door swung open and Izzy fell forward into the room, blushing furiously as Gates shook his head while helping her to her feet.

“Did you know that when you eavesdrop your ears fall off?” smirked Gates as Izzy’s blush deepened.

“Why were you listening anyway?” snapped Shadows, his eyes flashing dangerously.

“I…..um…I…uh…well….” stammered Izzy as she silently prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her. “I…uh….wanted to…talk…um…to you…” With wide grey eyes she looked at Shadows who frowned at her. He looked sexier than sin in his dark wash jeans and deep grey tee shirt. Izzy lowered her eyes, knowing that her gawking at Shadows would only add to her embarrassment.

Gates nodded to Shadows and exited the room, shutting the door softly behind him. Izzy shifted her weight from one foot to the next, embarrassment and nervousness mingling in the pit of her stomach.

“Well?” prodded Shadows warily, throwing himself onto the leather sofa. He patted the empty space next to him and Izzy shuffled forward, perching anxiously at the edge of the cushion.

“Why have you been ignoring me?” blurted out Izzy, her cheeks flaming to life once again at her outburst. “I know that Jimmy and I were wrong for sneaking out, I mean….look at what happened because we did…” her voice trailed off as she cast her eyes downward.

“You weren’t wrong for sneaking out. I told you before Isabel, you’re not a prisoner here. If you want to go out then you should go out.” He said evenly. “Jimmy would have kept you safe. Any of us would keep you safe.”

“So why ignore me?” she asked, picking idly at the stray thread on her light blue jeans.

“Something you should understand Isabel is not to take my reactions to situations like that one personally. It’s how I cope, how I figure out things in my mind.” answered Shadows. He couldn’t understand why he felt the need to tell Isabel that, it just came out. He felt as if she owed her any explanation she needed. That too was unfamiliar to him, making him feel at odds with himself.

Slightly taken aback by Shadows’ honesty, Izzy turned to face him, her eyes kind and her small smile warm.

“So what did you need to figure out?” she asked him gently. She watched as a grin spread across Shadows’ face at her question. She felt herself smile at the sight of his adorable dimples. At the back of her mind she wondered if there was something fundamentally wrong with Shadows if his mood could change so rapidly.

“I think you know the answer to that question Miss Blackburn.” he said lightheartedly, quirking his eyebrow at her. Izzy laughed in spite of herself.

“Yeah, I guess I do.” She responded, shrugging her small shoulders, her bangs falling haphazardly into her eyes as she shook her head in mock defeat.

Shadows reached out and swept away the hair from Izzy’s eyes. The feather light touch of his fingers barely skimming her skin caused an electric current to surge through her. She sat motionless as he moved closer to her, his fingers trailing down to her cheek. Izzy let out the breath that she didn’t even realize she was holding. His hazel eyes smoldered as his fingers moved down her neck. Izzy closed her eyes and her plump lips parted slightly.

She could feel Shadows’ warm breath tickle her skin and milliseconds later felt his soft lips against hers. Izzy molded her lips against his in a move that surprised both of them. The way he kissed her, gently, tenderly, made Izzy’s heart flutter. It was so different from the way Vengeance had roughly kissed her in the hallway a few days ago. Shadows’ tongue traced Izzy bottom lip, asking permission to explore her mouth which Izzy granted to him. Their tongues danced together as Shadows pushed Izzy backwards onto the sofa so that her head rested comfortably on the armrest. Their kiss deepened and Izzy ran her hands up Shadows’ muscular arms. She felt him stiffen as her fingers caressed his ink adorned skin though his lips never faltered. Izzy grasped the back of his neck, her fingers curling causing her nails to dig into Shadows’ skin. He moaned softly into the kiss, causing tiny ripples of pleasure to course through Izzy’s body.

Izzy felt Shadows’ hand move down her body to grip her waist tightly as he positioned himself subtly between her legs. Her core pooled with warmth as he pressed himself closer to her. Izzy’s body moved fluidly with his until she could feel his erection pressing against her thigh through both their jeans. Izzy’s hands moved again, her nails gently scraping down Shadows’ shoulder blades, causing Shadows to inhale sharply as he broke their kiss.

Looking down at Izzy, Shadows was greeted by lust swirling in her now deep grey eyes, her lips kiss swollen. His erection strained almost painfully against the constricting fabric of his jeans. He smiled down at Izzy, his hazel eyes filled with both lust and wonton need.

“I promised you I would keep you safe.” He murmured to Izzy, trailing kisses along her jawbone.

“I know you did.” She sighed as she arched up towards him when his thumb began stroking circles into her hip through the fabric of her tee-shirt.

“I failed you.” He said his voice rough. Emotions that he hadn’t felt for so many years had begun to break through the wall the he had built to protect himself as he looked down at the woman beneath him.

“You didn’t fail me Matt. You were deceived, that is not your fault.” Izzy said gently, feeling Shadows’ body stiffen at the sound of his name, a swirl of emotion clouding his eyes. She had always been attracted to the God-like man that hovered above her and she took a stab in the dark by using his real name after the kiss they had just shared. She wanted him to know that she saw more than just a ruthless gang leader. She wanted him to know that she saw him as the man she knew he could be.

“I like the way you say my name.” Shadows said softly, kissing her cheek, smiling against her skin when she giggled. “I like your giggle too.” He continued, displaying a side to him that he thought had been lost years ago as he nuzzled her hair. This side of him came out naturally when Isabel was around him. In such a short space of time she had managed to get closer to him than any woman had in years without even trying.

“I don’t want to leave.” whispered Izzy, touching Shadows’ face with the tips of her fingers.

“You have to. Besides, Jimmy said that you always wanted to see Italy.” Replied Shadows with a sad smile.

“Yes but not like this, not because I’m being hidden from Jake Night. Please Matt.” said Izzy imploringly.

Shadows let out a sigh and untangled himself from Izzy who pouted slightly at him. He smiled at her and pulled her upwards, gracefully changing their position so that she was leaning back against him as one of his feet rested on the highly polished wooden floor.

“I would like to think that I have earned at least some trust from you.” began Shadows, idly stroking Izzy’s arm. “Please, let Jimmy take you to Italy. I need you to be safe and that can’t happen with you in the mansion. I still have to investigate how much information was divulged to Night. Please Isabel.”

Izzy sighed and traced the tattoos on Shadows’ forearm. She was slightly taken aback by the fact that she had willingly given into Shadows’ advances, but it wasn’t as much as a surprise to her as she thought. From that night when she had first met him she had been attracted to not only his extreme good looks, but his honesty and his good nature despite the situation. For the last week he made time to answer her questions, treating her as his equal at all times and offering a kind smile when the weight of the world seemed to bear down on her. The attraction to Shadows was real, certainly not dark and twisted like the one she had towards Vengeance.

“Fine. I’ll go. But I want you to promise me that you will tell me everything when you find out what you need to.” It was more of a demand than a request. Izzy heard Shadows chuckle and suppressed her smile. “I’m being serious Matt.” She said threateningly.

“I promise Isabel, to tell you everything.” He whispered in her ear, causing her pores to rise.

There was a knock on the office door and Shadows hollered for the person to enter.

“Matt, I think I found…..” Vengeance’s eyes widened at the sight before him. His blood ran cold at the sight of Izzy lounging against Matt. His blood pounded in his ears and he gritted his teeth angrily. He watched with blatant contempt as Izzy turn a bright shade of red. “I’ll come back later.” He ground out, trying to get a handle on the fury that seared through his veins.

“No, you stay.” said Matt, his cold calm exterior returning. “Isabel, why don’t you find Jimmy and watch a movie or something?” he whispered softly before kissing Izzy’s hair. Vengeance thought that he would implode at the sound of the gentleness in Matt’s voice.

“Sure.” Said Izzy simply, pulling herself free of Matt’s arms and gracefully getting to her feet.

Izzy took careful steps as she neared Vengeance who seemed to be shaking ever so slightly. His eyes bore into hers and she felt the color rise once again to her already flushed cheeks. She inadvertently brushed her arm against him, and right before she passed Vengeance, she saw his eyes flash dangerously.

“Whore.” he said so softly that that single word was barely audible. Izzy stopped dead and turned to face him, her eyes brimming with tears as her blood ran cold. The sheer hatred in his voice was unmasked, the look in his eyes terrifying her to her core.

Seemingly oblivious to what had just transpired, Matt motioned for Vengeance to take a seat. Izzy watched as the obvious disgust in Vengeance’s eyes changed into something more controlled. Stunned, Izzy left the room, her knees shaking. Steadying herself with the wall just outside Matt’s now closed office door, Izzy gathered her thoughts, valiantly trying to grasp control of the whirlwind of emotions within her. Of course Vengeance would react negatively to seeing her in Matt’s arms, especially after their kiss. Izzy briefly closed her eyes and squared her shoulders. If there was anyone who could help her sort out this mess that she had made for herself, it was Jimmy.

******

Vengeance sped down the main street in his black BMW, earning quite a few glares from other drivers as he made a sharp turn into the car park of Johnny’s Bar. Slamming the car door shut, he marched into the gang’s preferred spot and sat down at the bar. The owner took one look at Vengeance and poured him a double shot of Jack Daniels. Vengeance downed it and motioned for another. Rage bubbled within him as images of Izzy in Matt’s arms mixed with images of him kissing her back. Seething, Vengeance downed his fourth shot and the anger within him began to slowly fade as the alcohol set in. Vengeance readily welcomed its numbing effects. It was what he needed. He had let himself feel something for Izzy and even though those feelings were dark and twisted and entirely selfish, he had still felt something. Head buzzing slightly, Vengeance turned to the owner who was staring at the entrance with a startled expression. His eyes slid to Vengeance’s then back to the door in a non-verbal warning. Everyone knew that Johnny’s was within the A7X gang limits and only a fool from a rival gang would set foot in it. Vengeance followed Johnny’s gaze and the rage that he had successfully numbed came roaring back to life at the sight of Jake Night.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” snarled Vengeance as the tall, well-built man with deep blue eyes sauntered towards him flanked by two cronies.

“I’ve come to talk.” said Night in a calm voice that only fueled Vengeance’s rage.

“I suggest you leave and make sure to take tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb with you” growled Vengeance. His fingers fumbled slightly as he felt around his hoodie pocket for his cell phone. He speed dialed Gates, knowing that Gates would undoubtedly hear the conversation taking place.

“I want to know something Vengeance.” continued Night, ignoring Vengeance’s suggestion.

“I don’t care about what you want to know Night. You are out of line coming here.” snapped Vengeance, the cloudiness in his mind fading rapidly. “Get the fuck out.”

Jake Night motioned for his cronies to proceed forward, both of them grabbing for Vengeance who darted out of their grasp. He made a beeline for the exit, unwilling to wreak havoc on Johnny’s reputable establishment. The cool evening air flooded into Vengeance’s lungs as he made his way to his vehicle. There was no way that he could hold his own against two more than likely armed hulks. Yes, Vengeance was ruthless but his senses were still dulled by the alcohol that coursed through his veins. He felt someone grab his hoodie from behind and throw him roughly to the ground. His head connected painfully with the asphalt and Vengeance saw tiny black spots dot his vision.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Said Jake Night smoothly, his eyes cold.

Vengeance felt someone deliver a swift kick to his ribs when he had responded with a soft Fuck You. Groaning, Vengeance pulled himself to his feet and launched himself at the first of Night’s body guards. His fist connected harshly with the burly man’s nose and a gush of blood followed. Throwing another punch the man stumbled backwards. From Vengeance’s right, the other man lurched forward, his fist connecting with Vengeance’s cheek. Vengeance lashed out again and felt a pair of arms grab him from behind as fists pounded into his stomach and chest. Vengeance kicked out and smirked inwardly as he connected with the attacker’s groin. The man behind him hit him with mind blowing force at the small of his back and Vengeance felt his knees buckle.

“I want the girl.” drawled Night, standing above Vengeance who spat blood at the man’s well-polished shoes.

The screeching of tires filled the air and Night looked up just as a black hummer came into view.

Taking out his gun, Jake Night swiftly pulled the trigger and Vengeance felt pain explode behind his eyes as the bullet tore through his shoulder.

“Go fuck yourself.” Said Vengeance his breathing ragged, satisfied by the twisted look of fury that stained Night’s face. Night turned swiftly on his heels and climbed into the waiting Mercedes Benz which peeled away, leaving Vengeance battered and bloody.

Darkness threatened to consume Vengeance as he felt a strong pair of arms help him to his feet. He hissed in pain as blood oozed out of the bullet hole in his shoulder. Gates face swam in and out of focus as the pain began to slowly blind Vengeance. Shaking himself mentally, Vengeance tried his best to stay conscious wary of the fact that he had been through worse. As he clumsily clambered into the Hummer, wincing each time he moved, Vengeance reprimanded himself harshly. Matt Berry cast him a concerned look from the driver’s seat as Gates pressed gauze from the first aid kit to the wound, attempting to ease the flow of blood. Leaning his head back, Zacky felt Gates climb into the vehicle next to him, still putting pressure on his shoulder. As the vehicle lurched forward, Vengeance barely heard Matt Berry on the phone with Dr Henderson before darkness swallowed him whole.