Moving back to the center island, I brace my legs apart and wait. I don’t know who is going to come around that corner but I’m ready. I won’t let him win. I won’t let him take my happiness.

It’s time that I remember what is important and fight for the future I wanted.

The future I deserve.

The future I have earned.

A future with Axel and our baby.

With an evil laugh, I hear him and my fears are confirmed. Oh God, Greg!

“Oh Isabelle? Come out, come out wherever you are!” He laughs again before stumbling into the kitchen.

“Where is that little bitch friend of yours, Isabelle?” He cocks his head to the side and I notice his left arm is hanging at an odd angle and the gun is missing. I feel slightly better knowing Greg was able to put up a fight. The fear for Greg bubbles back up but I push it back and straighten my shoulders.

I won’t let this man win.

Never again.

“Where is Greg?” I ask shocked that my voice sounds strong and sure.

“Don’t you worry about him, Isabelle.” He takes a step forward. There are only a few more steps before he will round the island. “Come here bitch.” He spits out.

“No.” My voice sounds powerful in the stillness of the house.

“You’re going to be sorry for that.”

He lunges forward but doesn’t make it far before I swing wide and crash the frying pan against his skull. He looks into my eyes in confusion before crumpling to the floor. I throw the frying pan to the side and jump over his fallen body.

I run into the living room and almost fall to the floor when I see Greg’s still form and the pool of blood forming under his chest. Choking on the sob that escapes my mouth, I begin to frantically look for the gun. I get on my knees and search under all the furniture before finding it in the far corner of the room tucked under the couch.

I try a few times to reach it before I finally succeed. Right when my hands wrap around the handle, I hear him. Before I can straighten from the floor, my hair is gripped in his strong hands and he throws me towards the far wall. My body collides with Greg who doesn’t move even with the force of my weight slamming into him. His warm blood soaks through my side.

I look up into Brandon’s disturbing face and smile when I feel the cold medal of the gun still in my hands. He takes a step forward but stops when I raise the gun level with his chest.

“Fuck you!” I scream and pull the trigger, empting every bullet into his chest.

I can hear Dee screaming from the other room but before my arm falls back down, I overcome with the overwhelming fear running through my veins and let the numbness take over my body. I vaguely hear the gun hit the floor before I slump back against Greg’s body and the darkness rolls back in.

(Axel)

“IZZY!” I scream again into the phone, I run down the stairs and jump into my truck. When I heard her ex-husband’s voice coming through the line instead of Izzy’s, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. For days we have been searching for him. Not one goddamn clue to where he has been and the second she is out of my sight…the worst possible situation is playing out and I am helpless. There is no way I can get there quick enough.

I grab my phone while I tear out of the driveway and call Greg; the only one I can think of that will be close enough to save my girl.

“What’s up Reid, just talked to —”

“Shut up, where the fuck are you?” I interrupt.

“Damn, on my way to Dee’s house, Izzy ca—”

“Brandon is there.” I interrupt again. I don’t have time. Izzy doesn’t have time.

“What?” All teasing has left his voice now.

“Just got a call from Izzy but it was him I heard over the line. I didn’t hear her once Greg.” I take a second to calm down before I’m able to continue. The fact that I don’t know if she is okay is not lost on me. “I’m too far out. Get there, God please get there and save my girl.” I don’t even realize that tears are rolling down my face until I hear the anguish that colors my words.

“Be there in five. I’ll get her.”

“Don’t let him take them from me.” I plead.

“Got it.” He takes a deep breath and I know, I know how much he is holding back right there. Greg loves Izzy and for the first time, I realize just how powerful their bond is. He’s been her family and support when I couldn’t be. If anyone else could understand what my panic feels like at this moment, it will be Greg.

I have to trust he can make it in time. There is no way she can be taken from me twice.

I brake every speed limit and every traffic law to make it to Dee’s in half the time it normally takes. Pulling my truck right into the grass in front of her place and throwing it in park before jumping out and sprinting towards the door. I notice Greg’s truck off to the side parked at an odd angle. I check but don’t see him outside. The front door is wide open and there is no movement inside.

Silence.

Silence and sobbing.

Pulling the gun out of my ankle holster, I slowly walk through the threshold and down the long hallway. The sobbing is getting louder and for the first time since arriving I breathe. That is a female sob.

Hope flares to life and I rush around the corner but stop dead at the scene before me. The first thing I see is Brandon’s lifeless body in the opening to the kitchen. I don’t need to check to know he isn’t breathing. No way had he survived with that many holes in his chest. Dee is on the floor next to the tangled mess of Izzy and Greg’s bodies.

“NO!” I roar running towards them, slipping on the blood that covers the floor around them. “Oh God, Izzy!”

“I c-c-called 91-1.” Dee stutters out next to me. “It isn’t hers.” She whispers.

“What?” I sob running my hands down Izzy’s still body looking for any sign of injury before moving her gently to the side. Her chest is rising and falling normally and her color is just slightly paler than normal. Besides a few cuts and bruises, she doesn’t appear to be harmed.

Turning to Greg for the first time, her words register. “Fuck!” I roll him over and notice the wet hole on his side. “FUCK!” Ripping my shirt over my head I press it against his belly and hope I can do enough to keep him stable before the ambulance arrives. “Check his pulse.” I say to Dee but when I look over she is weeping over Izzy’s body. My heart stills for a second when I look again at her still form. Why isn’t she moving?

Bringing my attention back to Greg, I bring one hand off his wound and check his pulse. Slow but there. I hold my shirt against him and wait.

We wait for what seems like an eternity before the paramedics start running through the house. Greg is quickly loaded up and taken away with Dee in the back with him. I drop down next to Izzy where the paramedics are working on her.

“Sir? Sir? I need to ask you some questions.” The officer off to the side asks.

“Not now.” I run my hand over her hair and pray. She has to be alright. She has to survive.

“Why isn’t she waking up?” I ask the paramedic next to me.

“Don’t know. Looks like her body’s way of protecting itself. All her vitals are fine, great actually, considering.” He gives me a look full of compassion. “She’s going to be fine.”

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding and drop my head to her shoulder and cry.

“She’s pregnant.” I whisper to the man beside me. “She’s pregnant with my baby.” My words sound odd to my ears and I know I won’t be able to hold it together for long if I don’t see those beautiful pale eyes soon.

“Got it. We’re going to load her up now. You the husband?” He asks.

“Yes.” I answer and quickly follow them out to the ambulance.

“Sir. We need your statement.” The officer says running behind us.

“Not. Now.” I repeat. “You want a statement, you get in your car and follow me to the hospital. I am NOT leaving her side. You hear me.”

The young officer stops short and seems shocked at the heat behind my words. Not what he was expecting. I can tell he is gearing up to protest but I quickly interrupt him. “Look,” I pause to check his name tag, “Officer Benson, I’m not trying to fucking run off. That woman is MY life and I won’t be letting her out of my sight after this shit. Can you just try to understand for a fucking second what I am going through and follow to the goddamn hospital, yeah?” I say but turn around and climb in without waiting for his response.

The ambulance pulls off and I take her hand in my own and bend down to her ear. “I love you, Princess, wake up now so I can see those eyes looking at me. Let me see that love, baby.”

I keep my head down to her ear and whisper everything and anything I can think of to let her know she is safe and that I’m here. The ten minute drive to the hospital comes to a halt and before they can roll her out, her eyes flutter open and she meets my gaze.

“Hey there, Princess.” I say, the emotion thick in my voice and the relief rocking me to my core. “Hey, my love.”

“Axel…love…you.” She says weakly before closing her eyes and drifting off again.

I jump out and follow the gurney into the emergency room. Finally, breathing easy for the first time since I answered her earlier phone call.

(Izzy)

The first thing I notice when I wake up is the quiet humming. Opening my eyes, I look around the dimly lit hospital room, trying to orientate myself to my surroundings. I feel a soft tickle on my arm and move my head to the side to look down.

Axel is sitting next to my bed with his chair pulled as close as he can get it. My right hand is held firmly in his and his lips are pressed against my skin. The humming I keep hearing is coming from him; his soft whispering against my skin. He is speaking low enough that I can’t understand the words but the tone is light and loving.

“Ax-xel?” I say, my throat is dry and it hurts to get the word past my lips.

His head shoots up and his red rimmed eyes meet mine.

“Princess…” He whispers. Tears are forming in his eyes and a small smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “My girl, my brave girl.” He says and a few tears fall over his lids. He closes his eyes tight and more spill over. “I thought I had lost you. When I walked around the corner and saw you…saw you lying in all that blood…” He trails off but not before his words hit my ears.

Blood? I wasn’t bleeding. Was I? Oh no! The baby!

“The…the baby?” I whisper hoarsely. “Please…” I shake my head back and forth violently, tears of my own streaming down my face. Not our baby! Please God, not our baby!

“What? Oh, Izzy, no baby. The baby is fine, you are fine. I’m so sorry I didn’t mean your blood. Princess, stop crying, I promise, our baby is fine.” He is quick to reassure me, over and over telling me that our little miracle is safe and fine.

When I finally calm down, I look into his eyes, his beautiful eyes. “We’re okay?” I ask.