SHADOW OF LOVE

chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 — ISAAC’S POV

“Sir please, I don’t know anything, sir, please.”

The fat, bald-headed man was tied to a chair that had definitely seen better days. The rope around his wrists was tight, but not tight enough to make him pass out. I hated when they passed out. Ruined the moment.

“You don’t know, huh?” I said calmly, tilting my head. “Funny how humans react differently to pressure.”

I held the chainsaw loosely, like it was just another tool nothing special. The sound alone did most of the work. Fear is loud even when you don’t raise your voice.

“Wait!” he screamed. “Wait, wait, wait!”

I smiled. Not a happy smile. The kind that makes men start confessing things they didn’t even do.

“I’ll talk,” he said quickly, words tripping over each other. “I swear, I’ll talk.”

I was just about to lean in when…..

Ring. Ring. Ring.

I froze.

Of all the stupid times.

“Sir, you have a call,” one of my men said cautiously.

“I’m busy,” I hissed, shooting him a look that should’ve been enough to end the conversation.

“It’s Amir,” he added. “He says it’s important.”

I clicked my tongue, annoyed. Slowly, I took off my glove and set the chainsaw down like it offended me personally. I removed my protective glasses and grabbed the phone.

“What?” I snapped.

“I can’t find your sister.”

The world stopped.

“What?” My voice dropped. Dangerous. “What do you mean you can’t find her?”

“I came here,” Amir continued, sounding breathless. “I checked everywhere. She’s not home, not at the café, not at school. None of these drunk idiots know where she is.”

My grip tightened around the phone.

Say something useful.

Say she’s safe.

Say this is a joke.

“Amir,” I said slowly, “you had one job.”

“I know, I know,” he rushed. “But she’s gone. Her phone’s off.”

My blood started boiling, fast and furious, like someone poured petrol into my veins.

“Lock the place down,” I ordered. “Nobody leaves.”

I hung up before he could reply.

The man tied to the chair was crying now. Actual tears. Snot and all. Disgusting.

“You’re lucky,” I told him, pointing lazily. “Someone just saved your life.”

He nodded violently, like one wrong movement would kill him.

“Put him in a cell,” I said to my men. “We’ll finish this later.”

Later never came for people like him.

I stormed out, grabbing my hoodie on the way. My sister missing wasn’t a coincidence. Nothing ever was.

Ava wasn’t careless. She was stubborn, annoying, and had a mouth that would get her in trouble but careless? Never.

Which meant one thing.

Someone took her.

By the time I got to the car, my head was already running through names. Rivals. Enemies. People who smiled too much. People who owed me favours and hadn’t paid yet.

“Trace her phone,” I barked as I slid into the back seat.

“It’s off,” Amir said through the speaker. “We’re working on last location.”

I leaned my head back, exhaling sharply.

This was bad.

No. this was personal.

Ava had one rule: always tell me where she was going. Even if it was just to buy that stupid drink she liked. The one she always claimed reminded her of our childhood.

And the fact that she didn’t?

That scared me more than any gun ever could.

I didn’t recognize the place at first.

Music still echoed faintly from the house, but back here by the stables and the pool the night had softened. The air was cooler. Quieter. Too quiet for a place she shouldn’t have been alone.

Then I saw her.

Aviary.

Sitting on a swing.

Her head rested against someone’s shoulder, her body angled slightly toward his like she trusted the ground beneath her feet. Like she wasn’t counting exits. Like she felt safe.

My chest tightened violently.

For half a second,just half I felt relief.

Then my eyes focused.

A man.

Too close. Too relaxed. Too unaware of the fact that he was touching what was mine to protect.

Something in me snapped.

I didn’t think. Didn’t analyze. Didn’t slow down.

I moved.

Hands gripping fabric. Force. Anger. Fear twisting together so tightly I couldn’t tell them apart. I threw him forward, the impact loud and ugly as his body hit the ground.

The swing creaked behind me.

“What is your problem, Aviary?” I barked, voice sharp, unsteady.

Silence.

Then,

“Isaac?”

Her voice cracked.

I turned.

She was on her feet now, eyes wide, breath uneven. Her gaze flicked over me frantically, my face, my hands,then froze on my clothes.

The blood.

Her hands flew to her mouth.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “What…what is going on? Why are you like this? Why are you covered in blood? What are you doing here?”

Her voice rose with every question. She wasn’t calm. She was shaking.

I took a step toward her, then stopped myself.

“Are you okay?” I asked quickly. “Did he touch you? Did he hurt you?”

“No!” she said immediately, then faltered. “I I don’t know. You just. Isaac, you scared me.”

She rushed past me suddenly, dropping to her knees beside the man on the ground.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“Aviary” I called

“Is he dead?” she asked, her voice barely holding together.

I crouched beside her, checking his pulse with practiced ease.

“No,” I said. “He’s breathing. He’s just lazy. He’ll be fine.”

The man groaned softly, as if to confirm it.

She sagged slightly, one hand pressed to her chest as she sucked in a shaky breath.

“Why would you do that?” she asked, still staring at him. “You didn’t even ask….”

I cut in, softer now. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

She looked up at me.

Her eyes were glossy. Confused. Hurt.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

The question hit me unexpectedly.

I nodded once. “I’m fine.”

She didn’t believe me.

Her gaze dropped again. This time slower, more deliberate. To the blood on my sleeves. On my knuckles. Dark and drying.

“Isaac…” Her voice lowered. “Why is there so much blood on you?”

“We’ll talk later,” I said firmly. “We’re leaving. Now.”

Before she could respond, footsteps approached.

Amir appeared, hauling a very unsteady Lili over his shoulder.

Lili squirmed, squinting at him.

“Wow,” she giggled. “You’re actually handsome. Like… suspiciously handsome. Are you single or is this a kidnapping situation?”

“Lili,” Aviary snapped, standing up. “Not now.”

Amir sighed. “She refused to walk.”

“I did not refuse,” Lili protested. “I just said if I’m being carried, it should be by a fine man.” She said

I ignored them.

We got into the car.

The doors shut. The engine started.

The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on.

Lili broke it first.

“So,” she said lazily from the backseat, “why does your brother look like he wrestled a horror movie?”

“Lili,” Aviary warned again.

I didn’t respond.

The car moved.

Aviary shifted beside me, restless. Then her fingers brushed my wrist.

I flinched before I could stop myself.

She noticed.

Slowly, carefully, she reached again.this time tugging lightly at my sleeve.

“Your collar,” she said quietly.

I didn’t stop her.

She pulled it aside just enough.

The tattoo showed.

Clear. Dark. Real.

Her breath caught.

She stared at it, then up at me.

“You have tattoos?” she asked, disbelief lacing every word. “Since when?”

I looked away.

“These aren’t fake,” she continued, voice trembling. “These aren’t the kind people draw for fun.”

She leaned closer, eyes searching my face.

“Who are you, Isaac?”

The question broke something in me.

“I work at a slaughterhouse,” I said finally. “Cows. Goats. That’s why there’s blood.”

She blinked.

“And the tattoos?” she whispered.

“Fake,” I said quickly. “I just… wanted to feel like a human being sometimes.”

The lie sat between us like a fragile thing.

She didn’t argue.

She leaned back against the seat, turning her face toward the window.

“I don’t even know you anymore,” she said softly.

The words hurt more than they should have.

I watched her reflection in the glass.

My little sister.

Alive.

Safe.

And slowly slipping away from me.

The car drove on.

And for the first time that night, the blood on my hands felt heavier than ever.