BLOOD AND DEVOTION

Chapter 1:

ISABELLA:

Slowed breaths, deep silent breaths, I clutch my gun for what felt like the hundredth time and tried to calm my nerves.

“Anything?” I say into the comms in my ear.

“Nothing,” Miguel replies.

Dammit, “this better not be a setup” I thought to myself.

It's been nearly three hours since we set sights on the warehouse that has been allegedly stealing our merchandise, news came at the last minute from an unknown source that someone from the inside has been leaking information to our rivals for a little over two months now…absolutely unbelievable, my father would be rolling in his grave right now I'm sure.

I crouch up a little and still see the same dim lights radiating from the warehouse with no movement or anything and my anger rises even more. I was tired and hungry and sleep deprived from the sleepless nights of planning this heist, if this ends up being a facade, I'm killing everyone.

“Movement. 12 o’clock” Miguel whispers.

We all ready our guns and move in one silent file, stealthy and quietly. My men spread in two following the plan, one at the backyard, the other by the bushes and me…alone.

“Slow and steady boys” I smile a little.

“I can hear you smiling, relax” Miguel chuckles a little.

Thank God it was just our comms that we're connected, “we've got the fuckers Miguel, that's more than eno….”

I hear rapid gunshots at the back and I rush over. I see almost all my men gasping for air, all bleeding.

“Miguel,”

“On it”

I enter the warehouse quietly and bring out the small flashlight in my pocket.

“Isabella Morretti in the flesh” I hear behind me with his gun pointed behind my neck.

“You better shoot me now mother fucker or…”

“Too feisty, too much talk” he sinks the gun into my neck, “on the ground now”

I drop my gun but still holding my flashlight that has a small knife in it, “who the f**k are you?”

“Your worst nightmare. You really thought it'd be that easy huh? You'd just waltz into my territory and do what? Reclaim your family's property?”.

I chuckle a little, “did you just start this job? You sound like a f*****g i***t”.

“Oh you think this is funny?” He shoots my right leg and falls to the ground, “try again”.

Fucking hell.

I turn on the ground and see his ugly scar, I should know I gave it to him. I manage to stand up even though my leg was killing me, “Sanchez?”

“yes ma'am” he smiles evilly, “not surprised I see, I mean nothing surprises you these days anymore”.

“You mother fucker” I scoff, “I would f*****g kill you. You think you can steal from me, shoot my men and me and go scot free?”

“Yes, yes I can. I mean I have done all those things, what else is there?” He laughs.

“Kill me now Sánchez, no tengo ninguna piedad cuando se trata de la muerte”

I don't have any mercy when it comes to death.

“siempre hay piedad en la muerte”

There's always mercy in death.

We both stare at each other intensely, him with a gun in his hand and me with extreme hate in my heart, clutching my flashlight for my dear life and turning my knuckles white. Once upon a time I loved this f*****g i***t, now he does this? Men.

“So what is this now? You're just going to point a gun at me for the rest of the day?” annoyance fills my tone and the blood increasingly gushes from my leg.

“It didn't have to be this way, you know. I lo..I loved you with everything I had…and you..you left me!” he shouts.

I look at him unfazed but in pain, “you're a f*****g child Sanchez. What is this? Revenge? We were thirteen you imbecile, you thought we were going to get married and run off into the sunset holding hands?” I scoff, “pathetic”.

“f**k you Isabella” he walks slowly towards me, “you would never meet anyone who loves you as much as I did, you know why because no one would want to be with a selfish hypocrite like you” he puts the gun on my torso.

I can't die like this, not by this fool.

I see Miguel with the corner of my eye, “I would rather be a selfish hypocrite than a f*****g i***t” I stab him and Miguel shoots him twice on his back. We both fall to the ground and I grab his gun.

“You okay?”

I take a deep breath and stand up, “fifteen minutes Miguel” I shoot his arm, “I could have died”.

“Sorry ma'am” he grunts and wraps his arm.

I look at the limp body of Sanchez and annoyance creeps into me more, “how did we let this happen? I thought he was out of the country or better still dead?”

“Faked his death, changed his identity. I don't know how or why”.

I scoff, “how many men left?”

“Fifteen, three injured”

“When we get back we're having an emergency meeting and I want a thorough investigation on all identities of those idiots. One of them must have been working with this fool to get back at me”

“Got it, any other thing?”

“Make sure he is dead this time, I'm not in the mood for seeing dead people anymore. If he comes back be sure that you'll follow him back to hell when I kill him, capisce?”

“capisce” he nods.

I tear the hand of my shirt and wrap my leg, can't remember the last time I got shot and the pain was annoying.

“Need any help?”

“Take care of him Migu…” I hear another set of gunshots outside. Me and Miguel take our guns and follow the back outside.

I limp slowly towards the fight, as I continue to bite down the throbbing pain in my leg. I shot three people from where I was standing, my shot was always flawless. I see Miguel fist fighting with one the men, I sigh and shoot him making him fall on Miguel, I bite down a laugh.

I feel a presence behind me, I turn swiftly and I am hit with a blow that brings spots to my vision. I've never been strong when it came to combat, guns, knives, swords anything sharp I'll take it just not my fist. I dodge the second blow and hit his groin earning a grunt from him, I rush down and pick up my gun and shoot him straight in the head.

“Bastard”.

I stand up on my good leg and turn to look for Miguel when I hear a gunshot behind me and my vision starts failing me. I hold my stomach and I see blood gushing out, I fall to the ground.