death

✴Isabella Marciano POV✴

~Eight years ago~

They beat me like I was a kickboxing dummy and left me to bleed and probably die alone. I don't know how long I stayed there but the cold floor was slowly becoming familiar against my skin. It was eerie inside the warehouse, rats kept me company and probably tried to have me for dinner for their whole clan.

Morning came, I know this because the light of the sun was penetrating through the little holes from the roof. They beat me up again when I didn't give the code for the backdoor I made at the Marciano accounts. I'd die first before I give them access to my family's hard-earned money.

"Stubborn bītch!" It was my sixth day of being their human punching bag. I have no strength left in me to even groan, I just laid there on the ground at the receiving end of my uncle and cousin's frustration.

"Just give us the damn codes!" Enzo's combat boots probably left a mark on my cheeks.

''K-kill me" I whispered, using my last strength to taunt my aggressor.

"Don't worry honey, we'll come to that, but first" he grinned evil, unbuckling his belt "I'll get a taste of you, my little cousin.''

Disgusting will not be enough to describe how I feel towards him. We might not be blood-related but I still treated him as my family. How dare he even think of touching me that way. My body was limp, I probably have broken bones everywhere from the beating they gave me. He positioned me so I was laying on my back as he pulled off his pants and boxer.

I tried to fight him but I was too weak to act on it. He managed to rip my black dress, the one I wore for that damn club with Drake. My tears welled from my eyes as he hovered over my naked body. I can take all the beating but not this. I closed my eyes and silently said a prayer to my mom to save me from this vile man above my body.

As if my prayers were answered, my cousin was pulled off from my body before he could touch me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Drake landing punches on the half-naked Enzo.

"You are disgusting!" Drake continued to punch him and kept saying vile things that would describe what he did to me. When he was down and blooded, Drake went to my side and covered me with his leather jacket. "I'm sorry, princess" he kept apologizing while he carried me out bridal style.

"Thank you" I managed to say weakly.

Drake smiled down at me "don't thank me yet. We still have to get you out of here." I just nod at him in agreement.

Gunfire echoed around us as Drake carried me out of the warehouse. It was pitch black when he stepped out of the building. He took careful steps, evading the gunfire as he walked alone and the search patrol my uncle placed around the vicinity, I wonder how he knows where to go but I trust him. He was all I've got after all.

"I'm sorry, princess" Drake allowed me to stand up on my wobbly legs.

"What are you apologizing for?" I tried to make a casual talk with both my traitor friends turned savior.

Drake sighed "'for killing you.'' He aimed his gun at my chest and the sound when he fired it was so loud that I barely heard my voice, whimpering as I clutched my chest. I felt Drake's hands on both of my shoulders before he pushed me off of the cliff behind me.

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I held my chest gasping for air as I sat up. That was a long time ago but the pain was still vivid in my mind. Eight years, that's how long Isabella Marciano died in the eyes of my enemy.

"Red?'' I heard the man beside me speak.

"Did I fall asleep?" I covered my face with my hands. I was on my second date with Kon. He invited me to his beach house and I ruined everything by falling asleep and having that nightmare again.

Kon caressed my cheeks with the back of his hand, his gray eyes staring on my ordinary brown ones. "What were you dreaming about?''

I gulped down the growing lump in my throat. John was the only one who knows about my nightmares "my parents and brothers. They died when I was eighteen in a car accident. I have nightmares about them.'' Now that wasn't all lies. I do dream about them, but this one was surreal, as if I was there with Drake all over again.

He bobbed his head up and down, his blond hair flowing with the breeze of the ocean ''I have nightmares too. About my sister.''

I placed my hands above his which were now cupping my face ''what happened?''

It was hard not to get lost in his beautiful face. His eyes were a dark shade of gray that almost looked like midnight black with strains of gold that shines under the sunlight, his lower lip was a little more plum than the upper, his nose was that of a Greek god and his jaws were sharp that was being complimented by his shoulder-length blond hair.

''Depression. I wasn't there for her and I blame myself for not being there when she needed me the most.'' This was supposed to be an easy task for me, but being around him was doing weird things in my tummy. And him being this honest with me was only adding to my misery.

"'That must be hard'' I lowered my face and looked far ahead on the blue ocean and sat properly on the picnic blanket he prepared for us. "The dreams I have feel real. As if I was reliving the pain of losing them all over again.'' I stiffened when I felt him move behind me, trapping me between his toned legs. The fact that he was shirtless doesn't help me at all. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin above my shoulders. Good thing I was still wearing my dress or else...

''John isn't your real father?'' He asked, the vibration from his chest as he spoke made my panties wet.

Damn this man.

I cleared my throat ''he's my Dad's best friend and he took me in when they died.''

Kon pulled me closer to his body ''he seems like a good man.''

I giggled at remembering their first meeting. ''He is a little overprotective but a good father figure.''

Kon chuckled lightly and I squeezed my legs together. ''Let's swim?''

I knew he wanted to get me naked. ''I can't swim.''

''What?'' The disbelief in his voice was offending. ''I can teach you how to swim agapi mou.''

My heart flutter at his endearment but I shake my head ''I'm good.''

''Ahh no. Let's go'' I continued to shake my head but Kon was already pulling me up with him. ''Come on. I'm the best swimmer in town. You're safe with me.''

''I'm good Kon'' I shriek when he threw me over his shoulders ''put me down!''

''Okay'' he murmured and dropped me on the water.

I lied, I was a pretty good swimmer. Being an assassin means I have to face my fears. I was scared of deep water when I was a little girl but after dad threw me in the Caribbean, I had to learn how to swim. Dad was ruthless when he wanted to be but he never forgets to explain why he had to be that aggressive while training us.

I swim around Kon's legs and I can see his gorgeous face turned from mischievous to worry, searching where he previously dropped me. I made myself know when I swam up behind him and climbed his back.

''I thought I lost you!'' He pulled me in his arms, I was surprised to see how genuinely worried he was. ''Don't do that again.''

''Easy'' I giggled and pulled away from him ''I can swim miles, Kon.'' My laughter died down when he planted his lips on mine.

Oh boy.

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