Chapter Sixteen – The Flame That Never Die
880 Words
The sun was just beginning to set, casting long shadows through the apartment windows. Isla sat at the small kitchen table, absentmindedly stirring a cup of coffee, though she wasn’t drinking it. Her mind was far away—on her father, on Aiden, on everything that had changed in the past week.
She couldn’t stop thinking about her first time with Aiden. It felt like everything had shifted, like a new chapter of her life had opened—one she hadn’t been prepared for, but one she couldn’t regret. She had given him all of herself, and in return, he’d shown her more of the world she had been blind to before.
But it wasn’t just her heart that Aiden had captured.
It was her past.
“You okay?” Aiden’s voice broke through her thoughts. He stood at the door, watching her with an unreadable expression.
She nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking.”
“About your father?”
Her eyes met his, and she could tell he understood her better than she’d ever expected. It wasn’t just about the mafia, not anymore. It was about the questions that still haunted her. Who was her father really? Why had he gotten involved with Cassian and the Valiente syndicate?
Isla didn’t have answers, and it frustrated her more than anything.
Before she could respond, Leo’s voice rang out from the other room. “Aiden, you need to see this.”
They exchanged a glance, and Isla’s heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong.
---
Aiden stepped quickly to the living room, Isla following close behind. Leo was seated at the small desk, his laptop open in front of him. He clicked something, and a video flickered to life on the screen.
It was Cassian Valiente—his cold, calculating face staring directly into the camera, a dark smirk on his lips.
“Didn’t think I’d let you go that easily, did you, Aiden?” Cassian’s voice was smooth, taunting. “And Isla? I know you’re watching this. You’ve always been more important to me than you could ever know.”
Isla’s stomach dropped. How did he know where they were? How did he know about her?
Cassian’s eyes flicked to the camera as if he were looking directly at her. “I have something of yours, Isla. Something you won’t ever get back unless you come to me. Alone.”
The video ended abruptly, and the room was eerily silent.
“Cassian knows where we are,” Leo muttered. “And he’s not playing games anymore.”
Aiden’s face darkened. “He’s using her. I can’t—”
“I’m not going anywhere alone,” Isla cut in, her voice fierce, though the fear gnawing at her insides made her feel small.
Aiden walked over to her, kneeling in front of her. His hands gripped her arms, his eyes desperate. “Isla, I need you to listen to me. He’ll kill you if you go to him. I can’t—” He swallowed hard, his words choking him. “I can’t lose you.”
Her heart hurt at the pain in his voice. She could see how much he was holding back, how much he wanted to protect her from the darkness he had always lived in. But she wasn’t the same person who’d first entered his world. She had a part to play now, whether he liked it or not.
“You won’t lose me,” she said, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions crashing inside her. “I won’t let him have control over us anymore.”
---
Cassian’s words echoed in her mind, haunting her: "You’ve always been more important to me than you could ever know."
But what did that mean? Was her father’s betrayal the only reason Cassian wanted her? Or was there something deeper—something even more dangerous?
The night passed in tense silence. Aiden spent hours on the phone with Leo and Raine, gathering intel, strategizing. Isla sat by the window, her thoughts tangled with fear and confusion. She couldn’t sit back and wait anymore. Cassian Valiente wasn’t just a criminal. He was a ghost from her past, and the sooner they stopped him, the better.
---
By morning, Isla was ready. Aiden had tried to convince her to stay hidden, but she couldn’t. She needed to face this head-on.
“I’m going with you,” she said firmly, standing in front of Aiden.
Aiden didn’t argue, but his eyes were full of hesitation. He didn’t want to put her in more danger. But they both knew she had a part to play in bringing down Cassian.
“I can’t let you face him alone,” Isla added, her voice quiet but unwavering.
Aiden exhaled slowly, his resolve hardening. “Alright. But we’re doing this my way. Stay close, trust me.”
As they prepared to head out, Leo called with the location. Cassian’s stronghold wasn’t far from the city, hidden in plain sight behind a front business. It was a place they had to infiltrate carefully—one misstep, and everything they had worked for could crumble.
---
The final confrontation was near. And Isla, standing by Aiden’s side, was about to face the monster who had haunted her past.
- Writer
