Page 99 of His to Have
“Watching someone you love... take their last breath, it changes a man,” he said finally, his voice low and even. He paused, letting the weight of his words settle in the room. “You start to see things differently. Making different decisions.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Like what? Murdering somebody else’s wife?”
Orlando didn’t flinch. “Not just anybody’s wife. His wife. And I’ll make surehewatches you go. The same way I watched Bianca.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“You don’t get the pleasure of dying here… alone, and without a proper audience.” He went on, his voice almost gentle now, like he was having a conversation about the weather. “This here? This is just a pit stop.”
“Unk... she’s not answering.” Corey walked back over, phone still in hand, a notable crack of uncertainty in his voice.
“Try again,” Orlando ordered, his dead eyes never leaving mine.
“I have… multiple times. And she’s not answering.”
The silence after that wasn’t just quiet, it was fucking intense. I could feel it crawling across the room. Something wasn’t right. I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but I could bet my last dollar my husband had something to do with her not answering. Orlando blinked slowly and turned away from me holding his hand out for the phone. As he took it from the palm of Corey, it buzzed.
The vibration was loud.
“Where you at.” Orlando barked into the phone.
“You expecting Isabella?” Teo’s calm, but almost deadly voice crooned throughout the room. “Don’t worry she’s been extremely helpful.”
The line went dead, and Orlando’s grip on the phone tightened. His face twisted with nothing but rage.
“Boss, we gotta problem.” The side door flew open, revealing a group of men, all dressed in black, their expressions grim.
Behind them staggered in a bloody Isabella babbling a bunch of broken phrases. Her face was barely recognizable. Her blouse was shredded, hanging off one shoulder, and her arms trembled as she tried to steady herself against the nearest wall.
“I had to tell him. I had to give you up,” she gasped, tears mixing with the dirt and blood on her face. “I didn’t have a choice. It was the only way he would let me live.”
“You gave me up?” he scoffed, taking a menacing step toward her.
Isabella nodded through a fresh wave of tears, her mouth trembling. “I tried to hold out. I... I thought—”
“Youthought?” His voice boomed and she flinched. “What the fuck did he mean when he said you’d been ‘extremely helpful’? What exactly did you give him? Because he don’t leave survivors. So how the fuck are you even standing here?”
Isabella looked at him no shame in her eyes when she said, “He wanted information. And I gave it to him,” she said flatly. “Not everything. Just enough. Low level names of people involved in the attack. A version of the plan.”
“Bullshit,” Orlando snapped. “Teo would never let you walk away alive... even with information. Especially information with little to no value. You had to give him something worth sparing your life. What was it?”
She hesitated.
Then her eyes lifted and met his.
“I brought him... here.”
The silence after that hit him like a body blow. He visibly staggered, bending over as if the air had been knocked out of him.
“Youwhat?”
“I had to. It was the only way.” Her head shook. “But when we got here, I escaped. I’m here to warn you of his arrival,” she tried.
“He made it clear that he was here. Thanks.” He deadpanned, rubbing the top of his head in a panic. “The fuck, Isabella. This was your idea! This whole fuckin’ operation. You dragged my wife into this bullshit.” He hissed, stepping forward. “I protected you when no one else would. And when he asked me to hand you over? I didn’t even when that nigga killed my wife and kid. Yet, you turned around and brought him to my doorstep?”
He began pacing the room like a caged animal, his moves erratic. “The least you could’ve done was die with some fuckin’ honor.” He turned toward Corey.
“Take care of her. While I go handle the bullshit she’s brought to our front door.”
