Chapter 276: Born Outlaws
Although Isabella's hands were finally free, her wrists ached from the tight ropes, making it difficult to move with full agility.
Luca clutched his groin in agony. Kade reacted quickly, clamping a hand over his mouth to muffle any sound.
"Damn it." Vance spat out another curse, then hawked into his palm.
The three men looked similar—clearly family.
Vance was clean-shaven and the most muscular of the trio. His face twisted with rage as he charged at Isabella, clearly intent on taking her down.
Isabella dodged nimbly to the side, her eyes scanning the surroundings for anything she could use as a weapon.
The abandoned steel mill on the outskirts of town had been stripped bare—nothing remained except rusted tables and chairs.
A few items appeared to belong to her captors: a knife lay on a table next to several photographs.
All of them were of Isabella.
There were shots of her giving speeches at press conferences, picking up Olivia from preschool, and behind the wheel during races.
These men had been watching her for some time. Or rather, Laura had instructed them to prepare well in advance.
"Kade, forget about Luca! Restrain her!" Vance barked.
Kade sprang into action, charging straight at Isabella.
His hands were like massive paddles as they reached for her throat.
Still bound to the chair, Isabella's movements were severely restricted. She could barely evade their attacks while desperately searching for a usable weapon.
As she maneuvered near a table, Isabella's eyes caught sight of a box cutter lying at the edge.
Years of rust had dulled its blade, but she had no choice.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Isabella snatched up the box cutter.
She was acutely aware of the massive gap in their physical strength. She knew there was no way she could escape this place in such a short time.
So while dodging their attacks, Isabella tucked the box cutter behind her back.
Vance rushed to slam the door shut, then joined Kade in advancing on Isabella.
Luca also struggled to his feet, trembling. The three men formed a pincer movement, trapping her.
Isabella found herself backed into a corner as they steadily closed in.
"I'm going to kill this bitch! She kicked me! I haven't had kids yet—if I lose my ability to have children... Kade, Vance, Mom and Dad will blame you for not protecting me!"
Kade lost his patience and slapped Luca's shoulder.
"Don't forget Uncle Jack's son next door can't have kids either. I heard he spent a fortune on surgery. We're about to be rich—why worry about that?"
Just moments ago they'd been complaining that fifty thousand dollars wasn't enough. Now they were already dreaming of becoming wealthy.
Isabella swallowed hard. "Let me go, and I'll pay you the full amount right now. You could each walk away with hundreds of thousands of dollars."
Vance spat on the ground again, then flashed Isabella a grin that revealed his yellowed, brown-stained teeth.
"You think we're idiots, lady? If you had that kind of money, why would you be fighting some other woman over a man? You could've struck out on your own—done anything you wanted."
Luca couldn't wait any longer. He lunged forward, his hands clamping around Isabella's throat.
She instantly felt the sensation of suffocation closing in.
Instinct took over, and Isabella began screaming at the top of her lungs.
A hand reeking of motor oil shot out from the side, covering Isabella's mouth.
But it was too late.
Isabella's voice had already escaped. Richard and William both heard the unmistakable sound of a woman's scream.
Combined with the earlier suspicious noises, the two men exchanged glances and instantly understood.
The steel mill's office building had a complex layout. In its heyday, it had been one of Seaside City's most prominent enterprises, employing over a thousand workers at its peak. This building alone stood eight stories tall and was connected to two other structures via walkways.
The elevators had long since stopped working. Without a floor plan, they'd have to search floor by floor.
The difficulty was staggering.
Seeing that Isabella had gone quiet, Vance hurried over and slapped Luca's arm hard, then pulled him aside.
"You idiot! Did you really want to kill her?"
Luca's eyes had turned bloodshot. "You all saw how hard this woman kicked me. What's wrong with me wanting to kill her?"
Kade slapped his shoulder again. "Those two bastards downstairs have gone quiet. We should focus on how to get this woman out of here!"
They had no idea whether reinforcements had arrived or if police were stationed outside the steel mill.
The terror of the unknown hung over them, a guillotine poised to drop at any moment.
Isabella couldn't afford to worry about hygiene. She opened her mouth and bit down hard on Kade's hand.
His palm was rough and calloused, reeking heavily of motor oil. He clearly worked at an auto shop—another laborer doing backbreaking work.
Isabella bit down with all her might. The metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth. Kade cried out in pain, then raised his left hand and slapped Isabella hard across the face.
Her head snapped to the side. She locked eyes with Kade, then suddenly smiled.
"I told you I could pay you more! Even if I die, you won't get away with this. The police will track you down eventually."
Luca looked blankly at his brothers. "Vance, Kade, what's this woman talking about?"
He typically relied on Vance and Kade to make decisions for him, having little independent thought. Hearing Isabella's words left him stunned.
Kade's eyes darted around as realization dawned.
"Shit!" he cursed loudly.
"I've seen this in TV shows—she bit me to get my DNA in her mouth. When the cops investigate, all three of us are screwed."
They were brothers. If one got caught, the other two wouldn't escape either.
"See? These city women are full of tricks. You can't let your guard down for a second—she even fooled me!"
Isabella laughed bitterly.
Vance's brow furrowed tightly. He felt utterly humiliated.
He grabbed Isabella's jaw roughly and raised his hand, delivering a vicious slap across her face.
"Stay quiet, you hear me? Make another sound and all four of us die together. Nobody walks away!"
Vance was the most ruthless of the three. When he made threats, they carried real weight.
Looking at him now, even Isabella felt a chill of fear.
This was a born outlaw.