The silence in the warehouse was suffocating, a stark contrast to the chaos that had just erupted. The only sound now was the distant hum of the city beyond the walls, the faint echo of gunfire still lingering in her ears.
Isla stood frozen, her fingers still wrapped around the gun as if it might slip from her grasp at any moment. The air around her felt thick, heavy with the weight of what had just transpired. She'd never imagined herself in a situation like this—not even in her worst nightmares.
And yet, here she was. Still standing. Still alive.
But at what cost?
Her gaze flickered to the lifeless body of Adrian Costa, sprawled out on the cold concrete floor. His blood pooled around him, the red contrast stark against the gray of the warehouse. She'd never forget the look in his eyes before he fell. The rage. The hatred. The sense of inevitability that had consumed him in his final moments.
She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. The reality of it settled in—Adrian was gone. And as much as she should have felt relief, there was only an aching emptiness where that should have been.
"Are you okay?" Alessandro's voice cut through the stillness, his tone low, concerned. She hadn't realized he was standing so close to her until his presence registered fully.
Isla nodded, her throat tight. "I'm fine."
He studied her for a moment, his eyes scanning her face. The familiar intensity in them was replaced with something softer—something that made her chest tighten in a way she hadn't expected.
"You're not fine," he said gently. "None of this is fine."
She bit her lip, swallowing hard. "I didn't ask for any of this, Alessandro."
He stepped closer, his hand reaching out as if to comfort her but pausing just short of touching her. "I know," he said quietly. "None of us did. But it's done. And you're still standing."
She shook her head, turning away from him, her gaze sweeping over the carnage in the warehouse. "But at what cost?"
The question hung in the air, unanswered.
Alessandro sighed, his voice distant. "We do what we have to do. There's no other choice."
Isla wanted to argue, wanted to say that there was another way, that there had to be. But she knew deep down that it wasn't that simple. They had crossed a line, one that couldn't be undone. No matter how much she wanted to walk away, there was no going back from this. From him. From everything.
"Where do we go from here?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Alessandro paused before answering. "We take a breath. We regroup. And we figure out what's next."
He turned then, gesturing for her to follow as he made his way toward the exit. She hesitated for a moment before following him, the weight of the gun still heavy in her hand, the night air feeling oddly cold as they stepped outside.
The black car that had brought them here was still parked at the entrance, its engine idling as if it had been waiting for them. Alessandro opened the door for her, his movements deliberate, but his gaze never leaving the horizon.
Isla slid into the car, the leather seats cool beneath her. She was still numb, still trying to process everything that had just happened. Her mind raced with a million questions, but she kept them to herself, not sure if she wanted the answers.
Alessandro got in beside her, his focus on the road ahead. He didn't say a word for a long time, and neither did she. The car sped off into the night, taking them further away from the chaos and closer to something unknown.
Finally, after what felt like hours, Alessandro spoke.
"You're safe now," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "I'll make sure of it."
Isla's throat tightened again, but this time, she didn't fight the tears that threatened to spill. She turned her face toward the window, her heart heavy with the weight of everything that had just happened. Safe? She didn't know what that even meant anymore.
The city lights blurred as they drove on, the past and the future colliding in a way that left her breathless, uncertain of what was to come.
And for the first time since all of this started, Isla wondered if she would ever feel truly safe again.