Chapter 35

(Enzo's POV)

The car's engine hummed steadily, but the tension inside was suffocating. Isabella sat in the passenger seat, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, staring out at the darkness. Nico sat in the back, his silence a sharp contrast to the angry outbursts from earlier.

I gripped the steering wheel harder than necessary, the faint ache in my hands the only thing grounding me. Guilt clawed at me with every mile we put between ourselves and the ruins of the safe house. They'd almost died tonight-because of me.

"We can't keep running forever," Nico muttered, breaking the silence.

"We're not running," I replied, though even to me, the words sounded hollow.

Nico scoffed. "Driving aimlessly in the middle of the night? Seems like running to me."

Isabella turned her head slightly but said nothing, her silence more cutting than any words she could have spoken.

Eventually, the headlights illuminated an old warehouse at the edge of a desolate industrial area. The building looked abandoned-rusted metal walls and shattered windows, surrounded by overgrown weeds. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do.

"This is it," I said as I pulled the car to a stop.

We stepped out into the cold night air, the chill biting through my jacket. Inside, the warehouse smelled of rust and dampness, but it was dry and, for now, safe.

As we settled into the shadows, Nico couldn't contain himself any longer. He rounded on me, his voice low but laced with fury.

"This is all because of you, Enzo," he hissed. "That assassin? She's not after us. She's after you."

I didn't respond, but my silence only seemed to fuel his anger.

"You've put Isabella in danger. You've put all of us in danger!"

"Enough, Nico," Isabella snapped, stepping between us. "This isn't helping."

"And you're defending him?" Nico shot back. "After everything that's happened?"

"Yes, I am," she said firmly, her gaze steady. "Because I trust him."

Her words caught me off guard, and I felt a pang of something I couldn't quite name-gratitude? Guilt? Something more?

But Nico wasn't finished. "You don't even know the half of it," he said, his voice dripping with bitterness. "Do you, Isabella? Do you know what he's done? Who he's crossed?"

"That's enough," I said sharply, my patience wearing thin.

Before Nico could respond, Isabella held up her hand, silencing both of us. Her attention was drawn to a section of the wall where the paint looked fresher than the rest.

"What's that?" she asked, moving closer.

I followed her, and together, we pushed against the wall. With a groan, a hidden compartment slid open, revealing a stash of weapons-guns, knives, even grenades. But what caught my attention was the map pinned to the back of the compartment.

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut.

"We're in Syndicate territory," I muttered, tracing the markings on the map.

Isabella's eyes widened. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Nico said grimly, "that they knew we'd come here."

(Isabella's POV)

The weapons were spread out on the floor, but none of us moved to touch them. Instead, we sat in a tense circle, the map lying between us like a ticking time bomb.

I glanced at Enzo, his expression unreadable, but his shoulders carried a weight I couldn't ignore. "Tell me the truth," I said softly. "Who are they? And why are they after you?"

He hesitated, his jaw tightening.

"Enzo," I pressed, my voice firmer now. "I deserve to know."

Finally, he spoke, his voice low and filled with a kind of regret I'd never heard from him before.

"The Syndicate isn't just some criminal organization," he began. "They're something else. I used to work for them."

Nico's head snapped up, but I didn't flinch. "You what?"

"I was young, reckless," Enzo continued, not looking at either of us. "I thought I could handle it. But I was wrong."

He took a deep breath, his hands clenched into fists. "I betrayed them. I had to. Someone I cared about-" He stopped, his voice breaking slightly. "She would've died if I didn't."

"Who?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that I've been running ever since. And now they've found me."

The weight of his words settled over me like a storm cloud. For the first time, I truly understood just how dangerous Enzo's world was.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"I didn't want you involved," he said, finally meeting my eyes. "But it's too late for that now."

I wanted to scream at him, to tell him he should've trusted me from the start. But deep down, I knew it wouldn't have changed anything. I was already in too deep.

The sound of engines outside broke the silence, and my heart leapt into my throat.

"They're here," Nico whispered, grabbing one of the guns.

I moved to the window, peering through a crack in the wall. My blood ran cold as I saw her-the assassin. Her icy blue eyes locked onto mine, and she smirked.

"They've found us," I whispered.

The first shot shattered the window, and chaos erupted.

"Get down!" Enzo shouted, pulling me to the floor as bullets tore through the warehouse.

The Syndicate was relentless, their gunfire echoing like thunder. Nico and Enzo returned fire, their movements precise and practiced. I grabbed a pistol from the stash, my hands shaking but steady enough to aim.

The assassin stepped into the warehouse, her presence commanding and terrifying. Her team flanked her, moving with deadly precision.

"Enzo!" she called, her voice smooth and mocking. "It's been a while."

Enzo's jaw tightened, and for a moment, he seemed frozen.

"Enzo!" I called, snapping him out of it.

He turned to me, his expression torn. "Stay back," he said firmly.

"Like hell I will," I shot back, raising my gun.

The fight was chaotic, the air thick with smoke and adrenaline. But through it all, my focus remained on Enzo. He was fighting like a man possessed, his movements sharp and ruthless as he faced off with the assassin.

Their fight was brutal, their shared history evident in every strike. She moved like a predator, her every attack calculated to provoke him.

Meanwhile, I found myself separated from the group, my heart pounding as I navigated the dimly lit warehouse.

Then I saw her-the assassin. Her knife gleamed in the faint light as she cornered me.

"Let him go," she said, her voice dripping with venom, "or she dies."

The blade pressed against my throat, and for the first time, I felt truly powerless.

"Enzo," I whispered, my voice trembling.

He froze, his gun trained on the assassin but his eyes locked on mine.

"Let's see how much she's worth to you," the assassin taunted, her grip tightening.

The world seemed to hold its breath as Enzo made his choice.

The assassin's ultimatum leaves the group on the brink of devastation, the weight of Enzo's past threatening to destroy everything they've fought to protect.