Mena
Stunned by the force in Alessio’s voice, Gian instantly fell silent. I realized what Alessio had done. It was a 5 against 1 vote, because I knew he was also against it, but he had chosen me over the group’s decision.
Why would he do that?
“Mena,” Alessio called out my name.
Understanding what had to be done, I grabbed my phone and searched for Jessica’s number.
Alessio took the scissors from Gian’s tight grip and made his way to Isaac to press the scissors to his neck. Gian, who had not moved a muscle since he had been yelled at, followed his every move with a vicious look in his eyes.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Alessio hissed at Isaac.
I dialed Jessica’s number and put the phone on speaker, holding it out so everyone could hear. The line beeped twice, and then someone answered. “Hello?” I recognized Jessica’s voice.
“Jess, it’s me,” Isaac’s face lit up a bit.
“No, I don’t want to talk to you-” Jessica began.
“Please, please-just hear me out!” Isaac spoke, sounding desperate.
“What is it, Isaac?”
“You don’t have to talk to me, but let me talk to my daughter-please.”
“You can’t do this to her. You’ve only ruined her life,” Jessica spoke back sharply.
“Please, one last time and then I’ll never call you again,” Isaac begged as his voice broke.
After a moment of silence, where only Isaac’s heavy breathing filled the warehouse, Jessica released a sigh. “Sammy, it’s Daddy!”
“Daddy!” A voice blasted through the speaker.
An instant smile appeared on Isaac’s face, and tears threatened to spill from his eyes. “Yes, butterfly-it’s me. How are you doing?” his voice was just as gentle as it always had been.
Alessio closed his eyes for a second and looked the other way, the scissors still pressed against Isaac’s neck. It made me wonder if he regretted his decision, but there was no way that would be the case. He had been waiting to hurt him, and if I hadn’t stopped him that night of the party, or before he planned on cutting off his ear-he would have.
“I’m doing good, Daddy, but I miss you so much!” Sammy spoke.
“I miss you too,” Isaac replied, his voice trembling slightly as a tear rolled down his cheek.
“When will you come home? I want to hug you, Daddy!”
Isaac took a deep breath. “Sammy, listen, Daddy has to go but there’s something I have to tell you,” he said.
“What is it, Daddy?”
“I need you to know how sorry I am, and I need you to know that Daddy loves you so much, more than anything,” Isaac’s voice cracked as he spoke in a hurry. “Not a day goes by that Daddy does not think of you. Sammy, you are my everything.”
“Don’t be sorry, Daddy,” Sammy giggled. “I love you too.”
I bit my lip, holding back my own tears. His daughter reminded me of Naty, and it brought back memories of when Anson had kidnapped me. Back then, I was unsure whether I would see her again, but it all worked out.
Only this time it wouldn’t.
Gian tapped the watch on his wrist, motioning impatiently to end the call. Donni glared at Gian with a look so intense it could kill him.
Was he also wishing things could’ve been different?
Or was he just annoyed by Gian’s childish ways?
“Isaac, what’s going on?” Jessica asked, worried. “Where are you?”
After our visit in Towson, I had been convinced that she didn’t care about him anymore, but I was wrong. She did care, and I could hear it in her voice.
Alessio opened his eyes, pressing the scissors tighter against Isaac’s neck to push for an answer. Gian gestured for me to end the call, but I shook my head, refusing.
“I’m good, I’m fine!” Isaac lied.
Gian smirked and walked toward me, step by step, still gesturing for me to end the call.
“Jess, I know I haven’t always been good to you, but I need you to know that I love you, and I’ve never stopped loving you,” Isaac confessed.
A relieved breath could be heard on the other end. “Isaac, I love-”
Before she could finish, a finger tapped my screen, and the call was ended. Isaac’s breath hitched. My eyebrows drew together and my lips pressed into a thin line as I glared at the demon standing in front of me.
How dared he?
Gian stared at me with a smirk on his lips, daring me to say something back. “He said goodbye to his daughter, did he not?”
Then he turned to Alessio, who still had the scissors pressed against Isaac’s neck. “And now he’s going to call the person we actually give a fuck about.”
He marched over to Alessio, pushed his phone into his hand, then snatched the scissors from him, and replaced him at Isaac’s side. “I’ll take over from here. We wouldn’t want you getting a cramp in that arm of yours.”
Alessio released a soft growl, giving the victory to his brother. I did not like it one bit, especially since Gian pressed the scissors a bit too close to Isaac’s skin, more roughly than Alessio had.
Alessio had entered the warehouse, ready for war-but now he looked defeated and calm. It was like Gian had absorbed everyone’s anger.
Alessio scrolled through the phone. “If you fuck me over-” he told Isaac.
“You know where my daughter lives. I would never do that,” Isaac spoke in return.
“Just make the damn call before I lose it!” Gian snapped, growing more impatient by the second.
Alessio dialed the number, and the room fell silent. After a few tense seconds, the call connected.
“005, is that you?” a formal male voice answered.
005…
Could that be his code name?
With a smile on his lips, Isaac glanced from Alessio to Donni, who still seemed out of it. “005 reporting code fallout. Sir, we’re dealing with a 787. Operation failed, I’m requesting to cancel the operation.” Isaac spoke. “I repeat, cancel the operation.”
There was a heavy sigh on the other end. “Halberg…Isaac, thank you for your service,” the man said. There was a hint of disappointment in his voice, or maybe it was regret towards Isaac. I couldn’t tell what it was.
Alessio hung up the phone, and Gian let out a twisted laugh. “This means it’s all over, doesn’t it?”
My breaths quickened watching Gian’s hand tremble as his knuckles paled from the way he gripped the scissors in his hands.
“It’s over,” Isaac nodded toward Alessio, who gave him the same gesture in return.
Then it all happened in a flash. One moment everything was silent, the next Gian raised the scissors and plunged them into Isaac’s neck with brutal force.
I gasped loudly as his body slumped into the chair and then I turned around. Only then did the reality settle in of what had just happened.
It was over.