14. Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Isabella
“ F amily arguments are natural. They’ll come around.” says Percy confidently.
Percy runs The Blue Moon with his wife Camilla. It’s my safe haven, the place I went to with Bianca, to escape the life imposed upon us. I came here as often as I could, mostly after opera shows, because that’s when my dad’s controlling gaze lifted for long enough to slip away.
Percy hobbles around the bar on his walking stick and puts a comforting arm on my shoulder. His eyes are soft, kind as always, but I can’t meet them. It doesn’t matter if the rest of my family comes around, my dad never will - and his word is final. The family image, his image, means more than anything to him.
“And this is all over a guy?” Camilla’s stern voice interjects.
“Kind of.” I say. As much as I want to tell them the whole truth, I have to hide some of it for their safety. They’re civilians, and if they discover too much, it’ll put them in danger - especially because I know they won’t be able to stop themselves from finding my dad, marching up to him and demanding he apologise. That would not go well.
“Be nice.” Percy whispers over to his wife, who rolls her eyes and folds her arms.
“Well, you’re welcome to stay with us until this all blows over.” Says Camilla, biting her tongue over all the things she wants to shout at my dad.
“I don’t think this will blow over.” I huff.
“You know, that’s what I thought when I was in the war…” Starts Percy.
Camilla throws her hands in the air. “Here we go again, more stories from The Pigeon .”
Percy stands to his full height (five-foot-eight) and holds his head high. “They called me The Falcon .” He taps my shoulder, a little glint in his eye. “I was the best pilot this side of the Atlantic.”
A smile spreads across my face as he tries to tell a story I’ve heard a million times.
“Nobody has ever called you The Falcon .” Camilla says, deadpan.
Percy’s skin flushes red, and he waves his walking stick in the air like a madman. Despite her exhausted tone and his chaotic insistence on having been the best pilot on this side of the Atlantic, I know the two of them love this argument. It’s basically a love language for them at this point. They’ll bicker over Percy’s pilot stories, make up and fall in love all over again. Before long, they’ll be reminiscing about the letters he sent her while he was in the war.
I stare over at the little stage I’ve performed on countless times, re-living all the moments Bianca and I slipped away from our family to get a spec of freedom. Maybe I can stay here. It’s been more of a home to me than anywhere else ever has.
“Who’s the guy, then?” Camilla’s question drags me back to reality.
“He’s an idiot.” I say instinctively.
“That’s what my star always says about me.” Muses Percy with a cosy expression.
Camilla lets a hint of a smile play at her lips, shooting her husband a look saying not now .
“Tell me about it, honey.” Camilla leans in, her intelligent eyes searching mine.
I sigh, walking through the eggshells of what I can tell them without putting them in danger.
“He doesn’t think things through. He just follows his feelings and thinks everything else takes care of itself. He’s rude. He thinks he can have his own way no matter what, and never takes no for an answer…” I pause, realising I’ve been raising my voice, and flash Camilla a sheepish smile.
“He sounds like you.” She says it with a soft smile, but it still throws me off.
“Well, he’s like me, but all of it times ten.”
Percy raises his eyebrows, but immediately hides the change in expression when I shoot him a look.
“I'm sure he's alright.” Percy is always the optimist.
I pause, rolling over the thought of Nikolai in my head.
“No one’s all bad.”
“Well, what was the last thing the two of you said to each other?” Asked Percy innocently.
Nikolai’s soft lips flash through my mind. His rough hands pulling me in, the sudden wave of calm as his touch spreads through my body. The change in light, the silence, and then all the eyes on me. Everyone staring, open-mouthed, as I pull my lips from Nikolai’s. Then the explosion of chaos tearing apart the engagement party I’d never asked for. I ran out in the chaos and took the first taxi I found here. If I’d waited around, I’d have been locked away in my room for the rest of my life.
“Honey, if he’s caused all this trouble, there must be something you like about him,” adds Camilla.
I know the answer. I just don’t want to say it.
“He’s… different. There’s just something about him that’s so frustrating and…” I stopped myself, because this was already far too much vulnerability.
My phone offers a lucky escape as a call comes in from an unrecognised number. Usually, I ignore numbers I don’t have saved, but I’ll take any escape route I can catch.
“Sorry, I have to take this.”
They both nod, and I hear Percy start up again about being The Falcon , not The Pigeon , as I walk out of the bar and onto the street.
“Hello?”
“Isabella.” His ice cold voice utters my name like an icicle to the heart.
I freeze, holding back my the instant instinct to hang up. Why is my five-minute fiance calling me?
“What do you want?” I snap back.
He chuckles through the phone, and I wonder if he has more than three expressions in private.
“I just wanted to check if your honeymoon phase was as disappointing as mine.”
“It’s been exhilarating.”
“Wonderful.” He bites back, his tone dripping with as much sarcasm and resentment as my own. “I’ll get straight to the point. Despite our first encounter, I don’t dislike you, Isabella. I can always admire someone who speaks their mind, especially as freely as you. So, given that, and given the dire circumstances you find yourself in - homeless, disowned, alone…”
“Thank you for being so crystal clear.” I say through gritted teeth.
Another chuckle flows through the phone. “I thought I’d throw you a bone. I don’t particularly care about the failure of our engagement, but public image matters. Anyone with power will tell you what people think is far more important than what you actually are. So, you can’t go unpunished. Nikolai is part of the Bratva, and I don’t want a war over disrespect… that leaves you. It’s not personal. This is all business to me.”
“What the hell are you saying?” I ask, even though the reality of the situation has already dawned on me.
“I’m giving you a head start. Otherwise, this will be over in a moment and it’ll be no fun. Let’s say, a day. I’ll give you one day to disappear. And from…” he checks the clock and continues “… three pm tomorrow, the hunt begins.”
“The hunt? I’m not a fucking animal.”
“We’re all animals.” The first hint of excitement trickles into his voice.
“Not me. Go fuck yourself, Callum.”
He laughs again. “Oh, one last thing. If I find someone housing you, they’ll suffer for it. Anyone who joins the game becomes a player.”
An emotional punch hits my chest as the thought of Callum dragging Percy and Camilla into this hits me.
I hang up the phone and go to kick the lamppost next to me, but stop just short because my foot is still throbbing from kicking the podium at the engagement party.
I glance back through the window into The Blue Moon to see Percy miming out how he flew his plane and Camilla bursting into a fit of laughter. I can’t drag them into this, not unless I know they’re going to be safe.
Angry tears brim in my eyes as I scroll through my phone, trying to figure out who I can turn to. I know the answer before I open my contacts, but I don’t want to accept it. I hover my thumb over Bianca’s contact. I could call her, but the chances she still has her phone in her control are slim to none. I send a text but it doesn't go through.
There’s one other option that springs to mind. Either risk running away on my own and possibly get hunted down and killed like an animal, or him…