Isla couldn't see. Something thick and damp was covering her face and it was suffocating. She tried to move but her wrists and ankles were strapped. The bed beneath her was hard and ever time she struggled, the restraints bit harder into her skin.
"I want to go home," she whimpered under the cloth but her voice came out muffled.
There was silence, then water hit the material over her face, soaking the material instantly. Isla gasped, trying to breathe but there was no air. It was just water.
Panic exploded in her chest, she thrashed, her body jerking against the restraints violently.
"I can't breathe!," she tried to cry out but her words were swallowed by the soaked fabric.
The water kept coming, pouring relentlessly. Isla's body heaved as she fought for non existent air. Tears mixed with water under the cloth as her movement grew more frantic.
Then the water stopped. Isla sucked in air desperately as soon as the towel was yanked off. She coughed, her entire body shaking as she dragged breath after breath into her lungs.
" Please...." she cried, in between coughs. " It hurts. Don't do that again."
Her eyes darted across the room, trying to make sense of where she was and who they were.
Why were they hurting her?
"I didn't do anything. I just want to go to Lena," she sobbed.
One of the men present shifted uncomfortably.
"Are we sure we're doing the right thing? Something is really off with her."
"Boss said we should keep going," another one said.
"Please...." Isla begged as the towel came back over her face.
Then a loud gunshot echoed through the room.
Everyone in the room froze. The room went silence as the one holding the jug fell on the floor, the glass jug slipping from his hand.
Heavy footsteps stormed in.
All eyes were on him as he walked to Isla, it was as if a spell has been cast over them. His shirt was half unbuttoned, sleeves rolled unevenly, his chest rose and fell as he yanked the towel off Isla's face. His eyes were blazing with anger.
Rage. Pure unfiltered rage.
Hidden in that anger was something Enzo didn't want to acknowledge.
Fear.
The kind that clawed at his chest till he couldn't breathe.
Enzo's hand trembled as he removed her restraints.
"Isla." Her name broke out of him.
Isla coughed, her entire body shaking as she struggled to breathe.
"Hey..hey..I'm here," Enzo's voice dropped, strange and gentle even to himself. "Breathe...breathe....no one will hurt you."
Isla sat up immediately and crawled away from his grip.
Something inside him broke.
"Isla..." he said, more careful this time.
There was silence, then she moved so fast her body almost gave out but Enzo caught her. She crashed against his chest clutching onto his shirt like her life depended on it.
Enzo froze completely.
" I want to go home," she sobbed. " Please take me home."
The words stabbed hin like a knife.
He lifted his arms but hesitated for a fraction of a second before wrapping them around her.
Tight.
Protective.
"I've got you." He muttered, hugging her tighter.
Then he lifted her into his arms. She didn't resist, if anything, she curled into him more, her arms wrapped aorund his neck and face bidden in his chest, away from the one who hurt her.
" I'm taking you home,"he said quietly, walking towards the door.
Each step was steady but inside he was burining.
The door came into view.
"Just a few steps more," he whispered to her.
Then.....
Click.
The sound was soft, small, but in a situation like that, it was deafening.
Enzo stopped, every muscle in his body went rigid as his eyes slowly shifted to the side.
A gun.
Pressed to his head.
His grip around Isla tightened slightly but protectively.
He didn't panic and he didn't turn to look at the face holding the gun as well.
"You're making a mistake," his voice was low, deadly calm.
"I don't think so," a voice responded, full of smug.
Enzo knew that voice very well.
Silence stretched between them.
The cold metal pressed against Enzo's head harder.
Isla shifted, her hands tightening around his neck as if he would leave her there.
" If you're going to do something, do it. Because if you hesitate for even a second, you'll regret it," Enzo's said in a low voice.
A soft laugh came from his side, dark and amused.
" I knew she was important to you," he said almost thoughtfully. " But I didn't know it was this much."
There was another heavy silence.
The gun didn't move.
"If I had known, I would have sent her head instead."
Isla whimpered softly at his words causing Enzo grip around her to tighten around her instintively.
That tiny, broken sound was enough to make something dark flicker across Enzo's face.
"Touch a strand of her hair again, and I won't just kill you." Enzo said, his voice dropping into something lethal. "I'll erase everything that has your name on it."
Another soft chuckle filled the air.
"Still making threats with a gun pointed to your head, impressive," he mused.
He leaned in closer to Enzo and whispered,
"Does she even know who you are?"
Enzo said nothing but his eyes moved to the woman who was holding unto him like he was something safe.
" Oh... so she runs to you but doesn't even know you. Interesting."
Another second silence.
Enzo didn't flinch when the gun was pressed firmer into his head.
He didn't even breathe because he knew, one wrong move and she was in danger again.
"Put her down," the voice was firm but Enzo didn't move.
In his arms Isla curled into him, shaking her head against his chest.
"No..." she whispered in a trembling voice.
"She stays with me," Enzo says, his voice low and unyielding. He wasn't planning on putting her down anyway.
" I said put her down," he said, pressing the gun harder against Enzo's head.
"No, please," Isla cried softly, shakimg her head desperately .
"No." Enzo didn't even hesitate.
"Alright. Lets's see how long this lasts."
"Don't....." Enzo's eyes darkened.
"Beat him."
Six men stepped forward instantly, holding huge sticks and baseball bats.
The first strike came fast, a brutal hit to Enzo's back. His body jerked from the impact but no sound left his mouth.
Another hit, this time to his ribs.
A sharp grunt left him but his grip around Isla tightened.
Then another.
And another.
More strike rained dwon, heavy and relentless.
Enzo staggered slightly, his foot slipping and causing him to fall to his knees but his grip never loosened.
Not once.
He said nothing, just tightening his arms around her and taking every hit for himself.
" Stop, you're hurting him," Isla screamed, her hand moving to cover his back, causing her to receive a few strikes as well.
"I'll be good, I promise," she cried, her body shaking but the hits didn't stop.
A strike landed at the back of Enzo's head, causing his vision to blur. His grip tightened around Isla as her cries filled his ears.
Bang.
The sound cracked through the room.
Everything froze.
BANG. BANG.
Shouting erupted as several gunshots ripped through the air.
The men around Enzo hesitated, glancing toward the door. Before they could react, the door burst open.
Lorenzo walked in first before several armed men flooded in, their guns raised.
"Step away and drop your weapons," Lorenzo ordered, as he fired a shot at one man who tried to pull out his gun.
The room erupted into chaos.
Bullets tore through the air, men shouted, some fired back and some tried to flee.
Enzo stayed where he was, sheilding Isla as the fight broke out around them.
Across them, Marco Ferragno took in the numbers and stepped back. He knew his men were outnumbered so he turned to run.
Then....bang!
He let out a sharp cry.
A bullet had caught him in the leg. He stumbled hard, his body hitting against a wall as blood soaked through his pants.
The last of Marco's men had just fallen when Lorenzo lowered his gun, his eyes landing on Enzo.
He was bleeding and his body was swaying softly but his grip on Isla never loosened.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he run to his brother's side. "We agreed on midnight, together."
Enzo didn't answer. Instead he tried to get on his feet but he stumbled.
" You could've been killed," Lorenzo said, holding his brother.
"They were already hurting her," he groaned, looking down at Isla.
A brief silence fell between them for a second.
"You're impossible," he chuckled. " Can you walk?" he asked quickly.
"Yeah," Enzo nodded while adjusting his grip on Isla, ignoring the pain screaming through his body.
His eyes fell on Marco who was desperately trying to limp away.
"Bring him to me," he said, his voice calm.
Lorenzo nodded as he watched his brother walk away