Page 28 of Our Darling Isabelle

As the man steps away, my eyes dart around the small room. High walls with slim windows at the top make me think we are underground, but where at? I have no clue. The room isn’t nearly as bright as it felt at first, with only sunlight streaming through the windows to show the stained white walls with peeling paper. The tiled floor is cold under my bare feet and there’s a scratching in the walls that scares me more than the stinky fucker does. I know that wherever I am, it has been abandoned for a long time, but that knowledge doesn’t give me much comfort.

“They’re already dead.” He chuckles, but I lose the sound as my ears ring. Their faces dance in my memories, their smiles, heated looks scouring my body, possession and even kindness in their eyes. But the initial shock fades away, leaving an ache that builds even as I shake my head with doubt. They can’t be dead.

“You’re a lying piece of shit.” I hiss the words at him. Fear of him telling the truth clouds my judgement, making me brave. He spins faster than I can register, the back of his hand striking my cheek and knocking my chair sideways. My head bounces off the tile when I land on my shoulder, crying out at the burst of pain combined with the slap. He kneels in front of me, even while the men behind him fidget and step closer as if to stop him.

“We are going to have so much fun together.” He chuckles before standing and dusting off his hands while I lay there, fighting the urge to close my eyes and sink under.

“Steffen, we’ve got activity already.” A short man says, holding his phone up to show the man who hit me. Steffen.

“Did somebody already fuckin’ tell him? He has the nerve to demand that I call him. What a prick.” He snaps, obviously agitated, as he storms out before spinning around to point at the short man and a heavyset man with black hair.

“You two stay back and keep that bitch quiet while I deal with this.” Steffen winks at me before turning on heel and stepping through the door. The larger man looks around a moment before sighing and walking over to me. I twist my face away, but he just rights my chair and looks at the warm spot on my head.

“Head wounds bleed a lot. You’ll be okay, Princess.” He says in a gruff voice and the man behind him groans. The nickname he uses reminds me of Jared and I pray they are all okay.

“Jeff, you bleeding heart. She’s just bait, don’t go soft.” He whines. As I innocently look around the room, a plan forms in my head. I’m bait, which means they’re alive and coming for me. A tear streaks down my cheek as I bite back the smile. Nobody was getting away with taking what was theirs, and I belonged to Barone’s. Soul and mind alike.

Where I’m being held reminds me of a gutted kitchen with dingy tile floors and only one door in or out. The room smells of cigarettes, and some walls are stained with an off-orange color. I crane my neck to look up at the windows behind me, but they’re so dirty I can’t see out of them except for the soft glow from the rising sun.

“She ain’t just bait,” Jeff snaps back at him, leaning against the wall beside the gray door and crosses his arms in a bored stance.

“My name is Isabelle, not bait.” I croak, flinching at the bone deep ache in my head that flares up when I talk.

“Hush, or you’ll get us all in trouble.” The shorter man hisses, watching the door with wide eyes.

“Chi, you need to settle. You’re livin’ up to your name again.” Jeff chuckles, shaking his head at him before leaning towards me.

“Guy’s all call ‘em Chi, short for chihuahua.” He snorts a laugh when Chi huffs and swings to stare at the door again. I stop myself from laughing, noting the similarities in his manners.

“I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but it’s not. Nothing personal.” I say, raising my shoulders in a shrug that shoots pain to my fingertips in my bad shoulder. Hissing a breath between my teeth while trying not to react doesn’t work, as Jeff frowns and steps towards me.

“Jeff.” Chi shouts, startling him just before the door swings open. Steffen storms through the open door and steps right up to me, gripping my face as I try to fight to pull away. He squeezes my cheeks in his hand and tilts my head up so he can run his tongue over my exposed throat. I jerk and shake, fighting to get away as the flash of a camera goes off.

“Send it to him, he knows what I want,” Steffen says to one man that came in with him that is tapping on his phone. Steffen straightens up and grips my chin between his thumb and finger, forcing my head back as he drags his eyes down my body. I feel so exposed under his stare that it makes me sick.

“You’re a hot commodity. Something many men will pay handsomely for.” He lets my jaw go and steps away, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“The Barone’s don’t pay for shit. They take whatever they want and will kill anyone that stands in their way.” I put as much venom into my words as I can manage. Steffen throws his head back with a forced laugh before reaching into his pocket and digging out a cigarette. I watch the slight tremble in his hand as he lights it before blowing a breath right in my face.

“The Barone’s aren’t who I’m selling you to, sweetie. I’m killing them after they agree to trade their territory for you. Your daddy, on the other hand, is a wealthy man. He’s very invested in your personal wellbeing.” Steffen says before slamming his cigarette down onto my thigh. I scream and kick to dislodge his hand as the burn flares through the nerves in my leg. He just cackles before walking back out with his trail of men strapped to the teeth with guns.

“I don’t have a father!” I scream after him, breathing heavily as hair falls into my sweaty face.

“Don’t instigate him, princess.” Jeff stretches out the last word and hope flairs to life in my chest. I look up at him with wide eyes, and he winks at me. Chi paces and pulls out his phone, looking towards the door every few seconds.

“Just let me go. I’ll tell them to spare you.” I plead with him, which makes his already wide eyes round even further.

“You crazy? Steffen has taken measures to put the only two families that could rival him at a disadvantage. They don’t have a shot at the war he is brewing.” Chi whispers, shaking his head, and a flash of sympathy covers his expression.

“Your fate was sealed from the moment he found out about you and realized that you were the key between both families.” He says sadly before backing up and staring at the door once again. Jeff yawns and uncrosses his ankles.

“You’re too scared of the boss. His Uncle would have sent him to the hills with a switch on his back end if he saw how he conducted business. He’s a shadow of our past leader.” Jeff says in a bored tone. Chi scrubs a hand over his face and throws his hands in the air in defeat.

“You trying to get us killed?” Chi snarls. A loud boom echoes the entire building, making lights flicker and dust fall from the ceilings. Chi yelps and draws his gun to point at the door, not realizing a threat lurking in the room already.

“That’s my cue.” Jeff pulls a gun from his waistband and shoots Chi in his knee before snatching his weapon away and dropping it in my lap. The other man rolls on the ground, clutching his injury and wailing while Jeff undoes my restraints.

“Showtime, princess.”

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