The engine of Isabella’s car roars as we speed away from the docks, the city lights flickering through the rain-streaked windshield.
My heart still pounds from the ambush, adrenaline making my hands tremble. I press them against my lap to still the shaking, but it doesn’t help.
Beside me, Isabella drives in silence, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. The air between us feels thick and dangerous, like a fuse waiting to ignite.
I can’t stop thinking about the photos-the ones proving she killed my uncle. She doesn’t know I’ve seen them. Not yet. I need to keep it that way.
“You want to tell me what that was all about?” I finally ask, breaking the silence. My voice sounds steadier than I expected, considering the storm raging inside me.
“Xavier’s men aren’t the type to ambush without a reason,” Isabella mutters, not taking her eyes off the road. “It wasn’t random.”
No kidding. But I keep my tone neutral. “You think he knew we’d be at the warehouse?”
She glances at me briefly, her expression unreadable. “Does it matter? We’re alive.”
It’s a non-answer, which tells me she knows more than she’s saying. But I let it slide for now. She doesn’t trust me-and I don’t trust her. That much is clear.
We lapse into silence again, the only sound the tires splashing through puddles on the wet streets.
I lean back, closing my eyes, but my mind is racing. If I confront Isabella about the photos now, I’ll lose the advantage. I need her close, at least for a little longer.
Instead, I start piecing together the puzzle. Xavier ambushed us tonight, but something feels off. If it had been about taking me out, we’d be dead by now.
“Xavier’s not subtle,” I say, breaking the silence again. “If he wanted us both dead, he wouldn’t have missed.”
Isabella’s lips press into a thin line. “He was sending a message.”
“To who?” I ask, watching her closely. “Me? Or someone else?”
She doesn’t answer right away, her jaw tightening. “Ethan,” she finally says. “It’s always about Ethan.”
The way she says his name-like a curse and a warning-makes my skin crawl. What is it about Ethan that keeps everyone so tangled in his web?
Isabella turns onto a quieter street, away from the city center. “Xavier’s making his move,” she says, as if thinking aloud. “He’s not after you-at least not directly. Tonight was about cutting off Ethan’s allies.”
I sit up straighter. “You’re saying the ambush wasn’t about us?”
“No,” she says grimly. “Xavier’s dismantling Ethan’s power structure piece by piece. Tonight was just one more blow to his empire.”
A cold knot forms in my stomach. Xavier’s not just playing defense-he’s going on the offensive, and Ethan might not even see it coming.
“How do you know all this?” I ask, keeping my tone light but my guard high.
Isabella shoots me a quick glance. “I know how Xavier operates. He doesn’t leave loose ends-and Ethan’s empire is a loose end.”
Her words make too much sense, and that terrifies me. If Xavier’s going after Ethan, I need to rethink everything. My plan to pit them against each other could collapse before it even begins.
But there’s something else nagging at me-something Isabella’s not telling me.
“So where does that leave us?” I ask, testing the waters.
Isabella gives a bitter laugh. “Alive. For now.”
Her vagueness sets my teeth on edge. She’s hiding something-maybe more than one thing. But I can’t afford to push her too hard yet.
We finally pull up to an old apartment complex, the kind of place where people mind their own business and disappear if they don’t. Isabella cuts the engine, and we sit in the dark for a moment, both of us catching our breath.
“You think Ethan knows what’s coming?” I ask, my voice low.
Isabella taps her fingers on the steering wheel, considering. “If he doesn’t, he will soon. But it won’t matter. Xavier’s too far ahead.”
I nod, absorbing her words. If Xavier cripples Ethan’s empire, everything changes. The balance of power will shift-and I need to be ready when it does.
“Thanks for the heads-up,” I say, unbuckling my seatbelt.
Isabella smirks, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Don’t thank me yet. You’re still in the middle of a war.”
I step out of the car, the cool night air brushing against my skin. Isabella stays behind the wheel, her gaze distant as if lost in thought.
Just as I turn toward the building, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out and check the screen.
A new message from an unknown number.
The text reads: “Tonight was just the beginning. Ethan won’t survive what’s coming-and neither will you.”
A chill runs down my spine.
I glance back at Isabella, still sitting in the car. Did she know this message was coming? Or is she as much in the dark as I am?
I shove the phone back in my pocket, my mind spinning. Someone is pulling strings I can’t even see yet-and I need to figure out who before it’s too late.