Isabella
The bass thrummed through the walls, vibrating against my chest as I wiped down the counter for what felt like the hundredth time. The place smelled like sweat, liquor, and desperation-a combination I wasn't unfamiliar with, but something about this bar made it feel different.
I had gotten the job just yesterday, desperate for cash after my rent notice came in. No one told me much, just that it paid well and that the owner preferred things to run smoothly. I didn't ask questions. I needed the money. But the way the other bartenders exchanged glances when I walked in, the way the bouncers stood stiff, scanning every face that walked through the door-I should've known.
Should've known this wasn't just a bar.
I was finishing up a drink order when the first shot rang out.
The glass slipped from my fingers, shattering against the counter, but I barely heard it over the sudden chaos that erupted around me. People screamed. Someone overturned a table. Gunfire exploded, loud and relentless, as bodies hit the floor.
I froze.
It was like my brain refused to process what was happening. One second, I was mixing a cocktail. The next, blood splattered across the walls, staining the sleek black floors beneath my feet.
My hands trembled as I ducked behind the bar, pressing myself against the cabinets. My heart pounded so violently I thought it might burst right out of my chest.
The gunfire didn't stop.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
What the hell was this place? Who were these people?
I had no idea how long it lasted-seconds, minutes? It felt like an eternity. But then, suddenly, silence.
I didn't dare move.
The faint sound of footsteps echoed through the now-dead space. A voice, deep and commanding, broke through the quiet.
"Check for any survivors."
My stomach dropped.
A new wave of terror gripped me as I clamped a hand over my mouth, forcing myself not to make a sound.
The shuffling continued. Then-nothing.
Silence.
Had they left?
I couldn't hear anything. No footsteps. No voices. Just the eerie stillness of a place that had been teeming with life only moments ago.
I swallowed hard. If I stayed here, they might come back. If I ran, I'd probably get shot. But maybe, just maybe, I could slip out unnoticed.
Slowly, I pushed myself up from where I was crouched, every muscle tense.
Silence.
I took a cautious step forward. Then another. My legs felt weak, my entire body trembling.
I turned toward the door.
And froze.
They were still here. Standing just a few feet away, waiting.
They'd been silent for a reason. They knew I was here.
A group of men stood in the middle of the bloodstained bar, watching me with an eerie sort of patience. At the center of them stood a man-a man who radiated authority, his presence suffocating the space around him.
My throat dried up.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in dark clothes that made him look even more intimidating.
His face was striking-sharp cheekbones, a strong jaw, his jet-black hair was slightly tousled, falling over his forehead in an almost careless way.
A gun dangled loosely from his hand, his sharp jaw set in a way that told me he wasn't someone to cross.
His eyes locked onto mine.
And I knew-this was it. I was going to die.
A strangled sound escaped my lips as I stumbled back, my hands raised in surrender.
"Please," I whispered. "I-I didn't see anything. I don't even know what's happening. Just-just leave me here, I won't say a word."
His head tilted slightly, as if considering me.
I could feel my pulse in my throat, my hands, my skull. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to run, but my feet wouldn't move.
Then something shifted in his gaze.
His expression, cold and unreadable just moments ago, faltered.
It was only for a second, but I saw it.
The flicker of hesitation. The way his fingers twitched at his side. The way his gaze roamed over my face-not with cruelty, but with something far more dangerous.
A slow, almost imperceptible breath left him.
As if he were seeing something he wasn't supposed to.
As if I had just become a problem he hadn't anticipated.
And that scared me more than anything.