Chapter 8: it's a fest.

JUSTIN'S POV:

I didn't know why I agreed to train her, I didn't want to be in any close vicinity with her and that was what I have been telling myself since I laid eyes on her, but here I am jogging with her…absolutely pathetic.

“Wanna tell me why we're up so early jogging? I said training Warren” she says panting.

“You're clearly out of shape. How on earth do you want to fight if you can't even have a simple morning run?” I smile, “exactly you can't”.

She grunts and stops, “what is your problem huh? Just because I asked you to train me doesn't give you the right to speak to me like I'm…I'm one of your military friends, I am your boss and…”

“I know”

“What?”

“I'm not treating you like one of my military friends, i am your employee, I am your bodyguard, my job is to protect you but I am telling you the truth, you are out of shape, you might be good with knives but if you want to be good with your fist, you need physical strength”.

She sighs, “you're forgiven”

“Can we continue?”

“Sure” I continue and she follows my lead.

**********

We start walking and I couldn't think properly because the anger in me was gradually rising anytime I saw her bruised arm. I'm doing everything in my power to not care about her but I'm failing, “ever going to tell me what your tattoo means?” I say to distract myself from whatever I was feeling.

She takes a deep breath in, “it's not your business Warren”.

“Fair” I nod a little, “you're allowed to have friends you know, you're so…uptight and stiff” he shrugs.

“I am uptight? And stiff?” She scoffs, “i don't need friends, my business is my only friend”

“Human friends Isabella”

“What happened to minding your business huh?” She stops, “you keep trying to poke your nose in my business, your curiosity will end you if you're not careful”

I smile a little and continue walking, “like I said uptight and stiff”

"Fucking idiot” i hear her mutter behind me and it brings a little smile to my face.

***********

We get to the house and she doesn't waste time to get away from me, so did I. I had spent too much time with her today that can last me a week at this point. I enter my house and fall on my bed, my exhaustion swallows me from the inside, I take a deep breath and my mind takes me back to last night when she came to my house asking for my help. I can't lie she was an attractive woman but she was equally dangerous, lethal and not what I should be thinking of, a little smile crosses my face when I remember how her breath hitched when I touched her, how her eyes softened when we were at the park, how I felt when that Leonardo man basically assaulted her despite the fact that I was there. I grunt and pick up my phone when a call comes through.

“It's warren”

“Update?” I hear the distorted voice behind the phone, the voice that hired me, the voice that shares my hate for Isabella and feeds my vengeance.

“going as planned sir"

“Good. Three months Warren, if you're not done in three months you know they'll be consequences”

“I am aware, you don't need to remind me for the hundredth time” I grunt.

“Good, that's why I chose you” the line drops but I'm reminded of my vengeance and it kills all thoughts of Isabella from my head.

***************

"Your thumb shouldn't be showing when you're throwing a punch” I say as I adjust her fist, “move slowly too, like a umm…surprise attack”

“Ok.. okay” she adjusts, “this better?”

“Perfect” I stand opposite her, “now hit me”

She doesn't hesitate as he throws her fists across my face drawing a little blood from my nose, “that better"? She smirks.

I clean my nose with the back of my hand, “you're enjoying this aren't you?” I chuckle.

“You have no idea” she smiles and takes off her gloves, “here” she hands me towel, “I hate blood on my floor”

“Thanks?” I wipe my nose.

She sits on the floor and takes in a deep breath, “next time you should actually fight me. I want to test my progress”

I sit beside her, “you started three days ago, there's nothing like ‘progress’”.

“Is that…doubt I hear?”

“Concern Isabella” i stand up, “rest and eat fruits, you need to renew all this energy”

“You sound like my father,” she says as she stands up.

The thought of her father made my skin crawl, thank goodness he died before I could get to him. I walk to the door, “rest Isabella. We go again tomorrow” I say and slam the door shut racing to my house.

I am a very patient person, I didn't act out of character, neither did I do anything on impulse, everything is well thought of and planned so that if anything goes away I'll be to blame for it. I hop in the shower and the hot water touches my back earning a grunt from me and taking my mind to what brought me here in the first place…Lucas.

six years ago.......

“You're sure mum knows we're here?” I ask for the hundredth time as we make our way through the crowd.

“It's a fest Justin, mum and dad don't care about this. We'll be home just in time for Lia’s birthday don't worry he smiles.

I look around nervously while still being on high alert. It's just been a couple days since I recovered from my knee injury and I have done nothing but stay in my house but my brother wouldn't have that hence him dragging me out on this Halloween night to a fest I am very well not interested in.

“We should check out that haunted house, I know some hotties would be there alright” he smirks and shoves me a little.

“Oh God” i grunt and laugh a little, “I'm not interested Lucas”

“Boringgg” he shouts into the air, “come on big brother. It'll be fun”

I couldn't say no to Lucas, he might be annoying as hell but I couldn't say no to him, “go on, I'll be there in a second”

He smiles and hugs me a little, “I'll be…”

I hear gunshots from a distance and I rush to cover my brother but I couldn't see him anymore. I look everywhere and nothing, like he vanished into thin air. I bent to look for him among the crowd and there he was covered in blood, dead, my heart stopped, then I saw her...I saw Isabella.