by A. J. Briar
Isabella: We’re at Club Nova. Isla’s not drinking but she wants to dance. Please rescue me before she makes me join her. I don’t think anyone wants to see that. Miss you. Hopefully see you soon. X
My heart soars knowing she’s still none the wiser, though the reality starts to set in that I’ll have to be the one to tell her. On the drive over, I mull over my approach and decide that I’ll give Isla one last opportunity for her to chip in with the explanation. After all, Isla is the one that swore me to secrecy after everything had gone down. Christ, she’d shown up and caught me bloody handed. I thought I had it handled but the girl is a serious spitfire when she wants to be. I’m entirely sure she could convince the pope to run for mayor if she put her mind to it.
I park a couple of blocks away, then walk the rest of the way. The club itself stands on a corner, blaring music pulsates from the inside and a massive neon sign hangs over the door. I suppose I should be happy to see a bouncer on the door, stopping any old riffraff gaining entry. Showing my ID, the guy moves aside, with a stiff nod of his head. I make a mental note to stay out of trouble.
The room is bathed in darkness, apart from the occasional strobe lights which cast bright hues of colors across the room. Bodies grind against each other, dancing in time to the thumping bass line of the music. My eyes automatically transfix on Isabella, who is currently swaying in the middle of the dancefloor, Isla on one side and some random dude on the other. I grind my teeth together, making my way through the throngs of people to insert myself between Isabella and the guy who’s about to be punched.
Wrapping my arms around Isabella’s waist, I pull her to me in a protective way, letting every dude here know that she’s taken. Isabella gasps in my arms and spins, the fire in her eyes dousing when she realizes it’s me. A sexy smirk grows on her face when she nestles her face in the crook of my neck.
“Hi.” She whispers against my neck. Her breath is hot against my skin and drives me insane.
“Hey pretty girl.” I plant a kiss on top of hair and release her. Isla grabs our attention making the universal sign for drink with her hand before weaving her way towards the bar. Isabella follows, towing me along behind her. I can’t take my eyes off her as the little black dress she’s wearing garners all my attention.
We sidle up to the bar and I find myself staring at her. Her hair is lightly curled, every time she moves, the light adds extra tints to her color. I don’t know shit about makeup, but I know that she’s barely wearing any and is still hands down the prettiest woman here. I’m well aware that I probably look like a right stalker now but if this is going to be the night she finds out, I want to commit every inch of her to memory before she hates me.
“What are you drinking Nath?” Isla’s question breaks the spell that Isabella has unknowingly cast upon me.
“Just a beer thanks.” I don’t plan to get wasted but I need the liquid courage right now. Maybe, the alcohol will loosen the nerves that have been building for the past god knows how long.
With our drinks in hand, Isla guides us to the next level of the club, which effectively overlooks the dancefloor. Booths and tables border the edge of the walls and the music is somehow quieter up here. Isla snags a corner booth, and we all slide in and toast to her birthday. Both ladies are drinking some fruity concoction, although after a quick side eye glance, Isabella whispers that Isla’s is non-alcoholic. Good to know that Isla is still on her sober streak. Isabella excuses herself to nip to the bathroom giving me the perfect opportunity to speak to Isla. Almost like she senses where this is going, Isla’s eyes dart everywhere but me.
“Isla. We need to tell her.” I keep my voice low, but commanding.
“No.” Her response is resolute, but I’m not beyond begging.
“Okay. Let me rephase that. I’m going to tell her and I’m giving you the option to tell her with me. This all started because of some wild theory you had.” Nerves mixed with irritation unfurl around my body, waiting for her response.
“I know what’s best for my sister. She won’t be able to handle it. It’ll cause more harm than it’s worth.”
“I hate that you think she’s not strong enough for any of this. Isabella is a warrior. She’ll get through this. What she won’t be able to handle, is if we continue to lie to her and she finds out at a later stage.” I struggle to rein in my anger, so I’m well aware that my voice is getting louder each time I speak.
“She won’t find out.” Isla throws the words at me, her entire body shaking with rage. I’m pushing all her buttons but I’d much rather Isla explain with me than without me.
“Find out what?” A quiet eerie voice behind me chills me to my bones. I spin around, already knowing what I’m about to see. Isabella stands, though her legs look like they could give out at any second. I can’t even fathom what could be going through her mind, but the play of emotions that is happening on her face is enough to give me a rough idea. Pain, confusion, sadness, annoyance, to name a few. She takes a trembling step forward and I jump up ready to catch her, which turns out to be the completely wrong thing to do. She spits out her words with so much venom that I’m actually scared of what she might say or do.
“Don’t. Don’t even touch me.” She takes a deep breath in but it’s obvious that the rage is taking control. “Tell me what’s going on.”
I look to Isla for help, but she shakes her head, in defeat or agreement, I have no idea. The silence grows as every single word gets lodged in my throat. Unbearable tension ratchets up suffocating me, while I try to claw back some damage control.
“Isabella, it’s not what you think.” Her glare bounces between me and Isla and I have no idea who she’s more pissed at.
“Tell me then. Tell me what the fuck is going on between the two of you.” The judgement in her eyes cuts me deep, knowing she’s thinking something has happened between me and Isla. I stumble over my words once more, the art of speaking failing me in fine fashion.
“Fine. Fuck you both.” She flips us off then she spins on her heels, running away. My brain takes a second to get into gear before I’m chasing after her. There’s absolutely no way I can leave her in this state.
My vision blurs as the club becomes slightly distorted. Isla latches onto my arm, but I have no time to register what the fuck she’s doing before the club is plunged into darkness. A few people scream but the music carries on playing telling me that this whole charade is planned.
Frantically, I search for Isabella, but it’s like a fucking needle in a haystack. Isla shouts that she’ll check the toilets, but I barely hear her over the pounding in my head. I can’t help but think I’ve just ruined the one ray of hope in my life, and she doesn’t even know the full story yet.
19
Isabella
I smile at my reflection in the mirror. Nathan came. And he looks undeniably sexy in his standard get up of a t-shirt and skinny jeans. I don’t know how, but he pulls the whole thing off, making me weak at the knees. When I text him earlier, I honestly expected him to ditch, especially since he didn’t speak to me all afternoon. Isla kept reminding me, that that was probably because he was catching up with his mom, but still. I was a tad disappointed and struggled to hide it as Isla dragged me all over town trying to find the perfect outfit for tonight.
A group of girl’s filters into in the bathroom, reminding me that I should get back to Nathan and Isla. They’ve been pretty cordial all night, but I don’t doubt that could all change in a blink of an eye.
I head back to the booth where we were sitting, when raised voices stop me in my tracks.
“I know what’s best for my sister. She won’t be able to handle it. It’ll cause more harm than it’s worth.” Isla’s voice forces a gasp out of me. My brain tries to process what she’s saying.
“I hate that you think she’s not strong enough for any of this. Isabella is a warrior. She’ll get through this. What she won’t be able to handle, is if we continue to lie to her and she finds out at a later stage.”
My entire world shifts as all sorts of scenarios race through my head. What the fuck has happened between the two of them. I edge closer, desperate to hear.
“She won’t find out.” Isla’s singsong voice is full of disdain and I’m unable to stand by and listen any longer.
“Find out what?” I try to keep my voice calm, even though I’m anything but. All of my emotions are at war with one another, and I have no idea what to think or feel. Stepping forward, my entire legs feel like jelly beneath me. Nathan jumps up, his arms outstretched but I can’t let him touch me. Partially because I still have no freaking idea what’s going on and partially because his touch has always been soothing. I dread to taint that feeling with the emotional strain that’s going on right now.
“Don’t. Don’t touch me.” I take a deep breath trying to control something, anything. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Nathan looks back at Isla and I notice that she shakes her head. Why the fuck is he looking to her for guidance? I’m so confused by everything. Especially, since I’ve already had this out with Isla the other week. She flat out denied that something went down between the two of them. The atmosphere between us all becomes intolerable. The sinking feeling in my stomach resonates throughout my body, thinking what could be going on.
“Isabella, it’s not what you think.” Nathan speaks but the words aren’t what I need to hear. I want, no, need him to fucking tell me what it is, so my mind stops conjuring up all sorts of horrendous situations. I glower at both of them, willing them to tell me the truth. The symmetry of the situation eerily similar to what I went through with Noah and Sienna, although even that didn’t hurt this much.
“Tell me then. Tell me what the fuck is going on between the two of you.” The barely contained fury is there, simmering beneath the surface ready to explode at any second. Both of their lips are obviously glued shut though, which ignites a blaze of wrath inside me.
“Fine. Fuck you both.” Giving them the finger, I storm away. I have no idea where the fuck I’m going to go. But I know I need to be as far away from the traitors as possible.
Stumbling through the club, I detour to the fire door; knowing full well if they followed that they would probably go the front way. The panic in my veins propels me forward into the alleyway.
Dusk surrounds me while I prop myself against the coarse wall trying to regain what little composure I have left. There’s too much happening at once, and I can’t understand any of it. To be honest, I don’t even know whether I want to understand.
I lean my head back and stare up into the darkness of the sky. Fitting that there’s no stars lighting the blackness, a likeness of my mood for sure. My eyes close allowing a tear to fall down my cheek. Hurt slams into me like a hurricane on its warpath, destroying everything in its path.
Heavy footsteps approach from the entrance of the alley way, as my eyes flash open guessing I’m going to be face to face with Nathan.
A silhouette of a guy walks towards me and goose bumps break out across my skin. I’m dreadfully aware that this is exactly how all scary movies start and I curse myself for putting myself in this position. The looming figure gets closer, close enough that I can make out his features. His chocolate brown eyes are familiar as I quickly sift through my mind trying to place him.
“Isabella.” My name rolls of his lips and his voice transports me back to a time, that I wished I’d forgotten. Noah. My douchebag ex who cheated on me before I moved here. I have no idea why the creep would think I’d even want to breathe the same air as him, let alone talk with him.
“Go away Noah.” His expression darkens at the use of his name while he takes another step towards me.
“You remember?” The sinister tone to his voice terrifies me to my bones, yet I’m not sure why. Why would Noah care whether I remember our time together? He was a complete dick sure, but I’m over it. To be honest everything he put me through was a blip on my radar after the accident. I move to step around him, but he grabs my arm. The connection causes a string of memories to resurface.
The night air chilled around us as I shivered in Nathan’s arms, despite the heat that he had just caused, when we kissed. Begrudgingly, he pulled away, sensing my shivers.
“Are you cold? I’ll go and grab the blanket, then we can sit out over the edge and watch the stars.” He flashed me my favorite panty-melting smile and ran back down the pier. I remember thinking that the moment couldn’t be any more perfect.
I span around to face the darkness of the night sky ahead of me and the vicious sea below me. A complete contradiction to the atmosphere that surrounded me. The waves crashed violently against the rocks as the wind picked up. I peered over the wooden railing, the wood cracking under the pressure of my hands. I leant back taking it all in.
I heard the familiar tap of footsteps against the old wooden planks behind me and as I spun, a huge grin filled my face.
The moment was destroyed when I saw who was standing there.
Noah.
The smile slipped from my face as I realized that his intentions were nothing but vile.
Panic built in my veins as he took a step towards me. The menace in his expression rooted me to the spot. He reached out and pushed me into the deep dark oblivion below.
Desperately, I stretched out to stop myself, but his grip was too strong as I plunged backwards over the edge.
Holy fucking shit.
I remember.
I remember everything.
Noah pushing me off the edge. For what reason, I have no clue, but the clarity strikes me like a lightning bolt. This guy is seriously dangerous. He’s already tried to kill me once; I don’t doubt that he’s here to finish the job. Fright overwhelms me meaning I struggle against his grip. The smirk that he was wearing falls, as he releases my arm. Fuck knows why but I sense this is my chance to run. I stumble past him, but don’t get far when my legs refuse to cooperate. I swear I’m getting more and more cliché by the second.
Turning back towards Noah, my vision hazes as he sways from side to side. Or maybe that’s me. My blood pulsates uncomfortably and a feeling of nausea washes of me. I hear Nathan’s shouts which can’t be possible as the ground connects with my head; my vision darkens.
20
Nathan
I see Isabella fall to the ground and I push through the numbness to sprint towards the guy who is currently standing over her. The rage that has been pumping through my veins spurs me closer. Reaching her in record time, I drop to my knees beside her limp body. What the fuck is wrong with her? Cupping the back of her neck, I look for any obvious signs of injury, but come up blank. Vaguely, I hear the click of Isla’s heels, but I don’t risk my eyes leaving Isabella’s face. I whisper her name, though to my own ears, I sense the volume rising as I try to get her to come around.
“Noah?” Isla’s confused yet angry tone brings me out of the fog. Glancing up to the guy, I see him now retreat backwards slightly. I don’t let myself feel bad about the fact I didn’t even realize who he was. All my focus was pinpointed on making sure Isabella was okay.
“What the fuck is going on?” Acid rolls around my stomach though I manage to motion to Isla to take my spot, while I deal with the dickwad in front of us. The fear in his expression is laughable considering not two seconds ago, I can imagine his dirty trademark smirk being aimed at Isabella. It’s funny how the tables can turn in the blink of an eye. I half expect him to ring the police, since this is the first time he’s coming face to face with me since that night.
When he spins on his heels to run, I don’t even think, I just react and drag him back. Something has him spooked and I need to know what the fuck he thought he was doing with Isabella in a secluded alleyway. Has he been spying on us? Is this all just one big coincidence? It can’t possibly be.
“Start speaking dick, or this night is going to end up a hell of a lot like the last time we met.” Noah recovers some of his cocky bravado before exhaling a puff of air then puffs up his shoulders to sq
uare up to me.
“Touch me and you’ll end up in a jail cell where you belong.”
“Tell me what the fuck you did to Isabella.” His shoulders shrug and my hands automatically clench into fists. I swear to god, this guy knows exactly what to do to push my buttons and it infuriates me. Gritting my teeth, I speak again.
“What were you doing then? You both just happen to be here at the same time. I don’t buy it.” I’m shouting at him, but he remains mute. The silence that descends in the alleyway is palpable. I’m about to step closer to Noah and find out using force when a moan from behind me halts me in my tracks. I fling my gaze back to where Isabella is now propped up against Isla, her eyes fluttering open. She takes in the scene around her, obviously confused. The urge to cradle her in my arms pounds through my head and heart, but I know that’s probably the last thing she wants or needs right now. Isla strokes her hair though, providing some comfort as Isabella seemingly struggles to get her words out.
“He pushed me.” She stutters and shakes, while that unchecked rage roars to be free. Isla soothingly asks whether she’s hurt, but Isabella shakes her head and fidgets so she’s out of Isla’s arms. As she stands, she wobbles on her feet but regains her balance to glower at Noah. Noah, who is now shrinking under her intense glare.
“He pushed me off the pier.” Isla gasps as everything in my mind shuts down. Noah did push her. Isla was right. Noah is one god damn liar and deserves every punch I’ve ever inflicted on him.
“I knew I should’ve killed you that night.” My voice is low, but Isabella hears and cocks her head to the side in confusion.
“What night? Did you know?” The tremor in her voice knocks me off my feet while my gaze flashes to Isla to help me out. This entire situation is fast becoming overwhelming, and my brain can’t keep up with everything.