Don't need saving

Isla~

I let out a shaky breath as I paced back and forth on the balcony.

He was here.

Jake was finally here after all these years, but he was no longer the man I once loved.

He was now dining with the same man who murdered my brother, destroyed my family. Maybe I could equally regard him an enemy?

I thought back to the day he left the City, how I begged for him to at least take me along, to never leave me here.

My pleas all fell on deaf ears and so did my demand for the truth about what he was really traveling for.

"It's just business," he had told me.

I was left in the dark. I had always been in the dark about everything.

I suddenly tensed up, startled by heavy, approaching footsteps.

Turns out the "dinner" wasn't just any regular dinner.

Both Dante and Jake have been involved in very shady businesses for years. That was the real reason Jake left me in the first place; to work with criminals and murderers.

Tonight, they were signing some kind of "deal" and I took advantage of Dante's momentary distraction to slip away from their gathering.

Being around Dante was hard enough. I couldn't stand one more second, looking at Jake and pretending like I had never known him, like I had never loved him.

I heard the footsteps stop a few feet away from me and I didn't bother turning around to know who it was.

He had his eyes on me throughout our time at the dinner table and it's a wonder Dante didn't catch on.

Still keeping my eyes fixated on the night view of the city below, I imagined he still had that guilty expression in his eyes as he looked at me.

I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to look at him.

But I knew I'd eventually have to.

"I guess your little deal is going well." I finally said in a monotone.

Jake remained silent for a while before finally speaking up, albeit begrudgingly. I could sense his hesitation, almost like he had been dreading this topic.

"It is."

"My men are keeping him busy with the final details, before we can finally call it a day." He added, suddenly coming to stand beside me.

"When it's all done, I can still keep 60% of my business running in this city. The rest goes to... Moretti."

I noticed the slight change in the tone of his voice as he spoke that name. It sounded like he was annoyed, but I decided not to question it.

From the looks of it, Jake was now running his own little criminal ring and had to get some form of approval from Dante.

It was still unclear to me just how much power and influence the latter truly holds.

"I didn't plan for you to find out like this." Jake abruptly spoke up again.

"Neither did I." I retorted, turning to flash him the ring on my finger, a reminder of who I now belonged to.

From the look on his face, I could tell he got the message.

"Five years, Jake!!"

"I waited five freaking years, only for you to show up dining at the table of the man who killed Matteo?" My voice climbed an octave higher.

Jake frowned at my words, his eyes reflecting shock and surprise at what I had just told him.

"I...I didn't know." He stuttered, barely above a whisper.

A dry chuckle escaped me as I regarded his hurt expression. He and Matteo used to be best friends.

"Of course you didn't."

I turned away from him, fixing my eyes on the distant night view once again.

Jake suddenly grabbed me by my arm, startling me.

"Let me help you." He said, almost desperately.

I let out a scoff, pulling my arm away from his grip.

"You can't." I said coldly.

"Nobody can."

Matteo tried and he ended up dead. The last thing I needed was one more death tugging at my conscience.

Jake's eyes fell on the ring around my finger once again, his expression darkening. He wasn't about to back down so easily.

"He threatened you, didn't he?" He hissed.

"I know he did."

"My family is safe now." I replied dismissively

"It's all that matters."

Jake was mad. I could see it in his eyes but he tried hiding it with a saccharine smile.

"And us? What happens to us then?" He breathed, taking confronting steps towards me.

I instinctively backed away, my heart racing in fear of what might happen if Dante walks in on us.

"I came back for you, Isla...just as I promised."

"I'm... I'm sorry." I blurted out, my mind foggy with emotions.

He was suddenly grabbing me again, this time by my wrists. A small whimper left my lips at the firmness of his grip.

"Look at me, Isla." He whispered, his hazel eyes burning into mine with so much determination.

"I'll get you out of here."

And I almost believed his words. I almost believed that Jake could save me from a man like Dante Moretti.

A man even my own father was so scared of.

A man who wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on anyone standing in his way.

Jake's involvement would only make things worse, and I knew I had to discourage him before anyone else gets hurt.

"I promise, I'll use every means necessary to-"

"I love him." I suddenly blurted out.

Jake froze, his grip on my wrists weakening instantly.

"I love him, Jake... even after all the horrible things he has done." I lied through my teeth.

"Isla..."

"Don't!" I scolded, raising up a finger to stop him from speaking.

"I'm going to go back there and we'll both act like this conversation never happened."

Now it was my turn to take a step towards him.

"We don't know each other, Mr. Pennington." I whispered coldly.

Jake said nothing in response, but his eyes reflected a mixture of hurt, anger and even defeat.

Dante would absolutely destroy him if he ever tried anything stupid, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

I felt his gaze burning holes into my back as I turned around to leave, and I could only hope for his sake that he got my message.

I didn't need saving, especially not from him.