Emerald Eyes

Chapter 8 – Blood in the Shadows

The night seemed to hold its breath.

Izzy’s gaze darted between Marco and the stranger blocking her path, every nerve screaming danger. The air was thick with salt from the nearby sea and the metallic scent of gun oil.

Marco’s grip on the first man’s throat didn’t ease, but his eyes—cold, calculating—shifted to the second. “I said. Don’t. Touch. Her.”

The man’s smirk deepened as his hand slipped inside his coat. Izzy didn’t need to see it to know there was a weapon in there. Marco did too—he moved before the man could draw, shoving his pinned target aside and lunging forward.

The dock exploded into chaos.

The second man swung his arm out, a flash of steel catching the light. Marco ducked the knife s***h, his counterpunch snapping the man’s head to the side. The first man, gasping for breath, scrambled for the dropped pistol.

“Izzy! Down!” Marco’s shout cut through the night.

She dropped instantly, hitting the cold, damp concrete. A gunshot rang out, the sound deafening. Her heart slammed in her chest. She turned her head just in time to see the bullet tear into the wooden crates behind her, splinters flying.

Marco didn’t hesitate—he kicked the pistol away, grabbed the shooter by the collar, and drove his fist into his face so hard Izzy swore she heard bones c***k.

The second man rushed him again, knife raised, but Marco twisted his arm mid-swing, wrenching the blade free. With one smooth motion, he pressed it to the man’s throat.

“You have five seconds to explain,” Marco growled, his voice low and lethal, “before you feed the fish.”

The man’s eyes flicked toward Izzy, a strange glint there. “She’s the reason,” he rasped. “They want her.”

Izzy froze. Me?

Marco’s grip tightened. “Who’s they?”

But before the man could answer, a sharp whistle pierced the air. Footsteps pounded on the docks—three more figures emerging from the shadows.

“Marco!” Izzy’s voice cracked.

He shoved the knife-wielder into the water with a splash, then yanked Izzy to her feet. “Move!”

They ran. The cold wind tore at her hair, her lungs burned, but the footsteps behind them were getting louder. Marco’s hand was iron around her wrist, pulling her along the slick wooden planks.

A shot rang out, and Izzy felt the air split beside her ear. She bit back a scream.

Marco shoved her behind a shipping container and pressed his back against it, drawing a gun from his coat. His eyes locked on hers—hard, unyielding, but with a spark of something that made her chest tighten.

“You stay behind me,” he said. “No matter what happens.”

Then he leaned out, firing two quick shots. A grunt, a thud. Silence.

But the silence didn’t last.

A deep voice echoed from the darkness. “You can’t hide her forever, Marco. She’s already marked.”

The words chilled Izzy to her core.

Marco didn’t respond—he just grabbed her hand again and led her into the maze of the docks, disappearing into the night, both of them knowing this wasn’t over.

Not even close.