Chapter 10
Isabella
The city blurs past the tinted windows of Dom's SUV. Red Hook's warehouses loom ahead, dark shapes against a darker sky. My knee bounces with barely contained energy, each second feeling like an hour. The weight of my gun against my side should be comforting - familiar - but tonight it's not enough.
"She's strong," Dom says quietly from beside me. He's checking his gun for the third time. "Stronger than both of us."
"I know." And I do know. The memory hits me suddenly - Isabella in the gym, grinning as took my legs out from under me.
She was quick, technically perfect. I had size and strength, but she nearly got me twice. Watching her move, that fire in her eyes...
That was the first time I knew I was in trouble.
"Tell me again," Dom's voice pulls me back. "About you and her."
I glance at the two guys in the front seat, but they're focused on the road, pretending not to hear. Behind us, three more SUVs full of our men follow, a dark procession through Brooklyn's empty streets.
"Nothing happened at first," I start. "Not really. We worked together. Then..."
"Then?"
Another memory surfaces. Isabella in that black dress at our first "business dinner." The way the candlelight played across her face as she systematically destroyed my arguments about territory expansion. Brilliant and beautiful and completely untouchable.
I should have known then that I was lost.
"Then I realized she was the smartest person in every room. That she saw things neither of us caught. That she..." I trail off, remembering her bent over spreadsheets, finding patterns we'd missed for years.
"That she what?"
"That she made me want to be better."
Dom nods slowly. "And after?"
"After I pushed her away. Tried to pretend none of it mattered. Because you're my ally, and she's your sister, and I'm—"
"An idiot?"
Despite everything, I almost smile. "Yeah."
"You should have told me."
"I know."
"We'll discuss it later." His voice hardens. "After we get her back."
Tommy's voice crackles through the radio from the lead car. "Two blocks out. Security footage shows four men went in with her. They're armed - automatics, maybe Uzis. Cameras caught them taking her to the second floor."
My hands clench. "Time stamp?"
"Three hours ago. No movement since then."
Dom and I exchange looks. Could be they're hunkered down, waiting for ransom. Could be they've already moved her. Could be—
No. Don't think about could be.
"Four teams," Dom orders into his radio. "North, south, east, west. No one gets out."
"Smoke first," I add. "Then we breach. Remember - Isabella's inside. Watch your crossfire."
The warehouse appears ahead - a hulking concrete structure with broken windows high up. The kind of place that's supposed to be abandoned. The kind of place where people disappear.
Not her. Not tonight.
We park two blocks away, killing the lights. The night wraps around us as we exit the vehicles, forty men moving like shadows. These aren't street thugs or common criminals. These are soldiers, trained killers. The best of both families.
"Boss," Joe approaches with tactical vests. "Cameras show they took her up the east stairwell. Second floor, third door on the right."
I strap on the vest mechanically, my mind racing. Second floor means limited escape routes. Good for containment, bad if we need to get her out fast.
"Remember," Dom addresses the assembled men. "Anyone tries to use her as a shield, anyone puts a hand on her..." He doesn't finish. Doesn't need to.
We split into teams quickly, efficiently. Joe takes north with ten men. Vincent gets south. East and west teams are mixed - my guys and Dom's working together for the first time ever.
Another memory hits me - Isabella laughing at something I said over coffee. The way her eyes lit up, how her hand brushed mine reaching for the sugar...
"Tony." Dom catches my arm. "When we get in there... she's going to be okay."
"She better be." My voice doesn't sound like my own. "Or I'm going to paint those walls with whoever touched her."
He studies me for a moment. "You really do love her."
"Yeah. I really do." The admission feels like freedom. Like finally putting down a weight I've been carrying for weeks.
"Good." He chambers a round. "Then let's go get my sister."
The next few minutes are a blur of hand signals and silent movement. Teams getting into position. Smoke grenades ready. Weapons checked one final time.
I close my eyes for a moment, remembering Isabella's smile. Her laugh. The way she moved in that black dress, the one that haunted my dreams for weeks. The fire in her eyes when we sparred, when she matched me as a equal.
Never again. No more pushing her away. No more hiding what I feel.
If she'll still have me after I was such a coward...
"In position," Tommy's voice whispers through my earpiece.
"Breach in three," Dom responds. "Two..."
I grip my weapon tighter, thinking of Isabella's last text to me: Coward.
Not anymore, princess. Not anymore.
"One..."
The night explodes with light and sound. Smoke grenades crash through windows. Doors burst open. Men move like wraiths through the chaos.
And I'm running, gun up, heart pounding, smoke swirling around me. Running toward Isabella. Toward everything I should have admitted weeks ago.
I'm done being a coward.
I'm coming, bella. I'm coming.
Hold on.
Through the smoke, I can hear shouts, the sound of breaking glass.
But none of it matters. Nothing matters except getting to that second floor, third door on the right.
Nothing matters except her.