Chapter 49 Soft Kisses
Brandon came crouching over to them, then knelt down by Izabella. Everyone else was there as well, including Renwick, Raphael, Thorne and Hendrik. Watching them all here, Izabella felt like she finally had a real chance at happiness with these guys. She knew she’d give her best shot at showing Dante that he couldn’t mess with her family and loved ones. However, now wasn’t the time to get all mushy. It was time to get down to business.
“Okay, Izabella and I will go in the front door,” Brandon told them the plan. “You four will go in the back and you will watch what’s happening through the window. A few of you should remain hidden here, just in case. If you see that we’re in trouble, come get us.”
Brandon gave everyone their orders and was happy to see nothing but nodding heads. He waited a second, to see if anyone had any questions. It was all clear. They all looked ready. Izabella was sure that they were just like her: they looked ready, but fear was shaking them on the inside. They all needed to believe in themselves, to make that fear go away. That was the only way to defeat Dante.
“Now, I know this is a dangerous mission and some of us might get hurt. So, I’ll understand if any of you wants to change their mind and go back. It’s okay, no one will hold it against you,” Brandon told them as confidently and as quietly as he could, which
was difficult to do at the same time.
He looked around, but there was no fear on any of those faces. They wanted to be there. They wanted to fight for a better tomorrow. They pushed their fear down into their heels, leaving space only for trust in their friends and a faith for a peaceful future.
“Okay then,” Brandon nodded. “Everyone starts at my sign.”
A few seconds later, Brandon gave the sign and with his sister’s hand in his, he rushed to the front, followed by the others. With his eyes, he gestured at Izabella towards the house. He tried to read her, to see whether she was scared, but there was no faintheartedness. Not that he expected any. Still, he knew that he’d put his sister through a lot and he needed to watch out for her, now more than ever.
The duo reached the porch and Brandon climbed it first. He tried the door but it was locked. He wondered whether they should just break a window, and let Dante know they were there, but Izabella gently pushed him aside, took a bobby pin out of her pocket and worked the doorknob. It took her only a few seconds to open it. He winked at her, forgetting how skilled she was at picking locks. Just one of her many, mostly hidden, talents.
Brandon turned the knob and slowly opened the door. He gestured at her to stay hidden behind the wall, until he gave the okay. He pushed the door open just a little, peering in. Everything was peaceful. The light was on, illuIzabellating the whole room. There was a little sofa, a couch and a fireplace with a gently crackling fire. The sound was soothing. The interior was all woodwork, with deer heads hanging off the walls as decoration and frames with photos scattered all over the place. It looked nice and cozy.
Almost too cozy.
Brandon checked the room for any signs of life. Everything seemed peaceful. Then, he noticed the shadow from the little armchair, which was turned towards the fireplace and away from the door. It looked like someone was sitting in it. Brandon swallowed heavily, turning to Izabella and pressing his index finger to his lips, urging her to be quiet.
He took a step inside, trying not to make any noise. A second later, he saw Izabella by his side. His eyes watched her sternly, sending daggers but he couldn’t say anything. If she wanted to do something, she would do it. There was no stopping her and, right now, she wanted to be by her brother’s side. All he could do was nod and gesture at her to go around the sofa, so they could surprise him on both sides.
A second later, they jumped at the figure in the armchair, Brandon pressing down on his one arm, Izabella on the other, but there was no need for that. The figure lay slumped down, giving no signs of life. Its head faced downward, mouth half open. It looked like he’d been there a while. Izabella checked his pulse. She couldn’t feel anything. She knew that it was more difficult to check a vampire’s pulse, but they still had it. Faint, but it was there. This guy was a flat line.
“Is he…?” she wondered aloud, looking worriedly at Brandon.
“He’s dead,” Brandon couldn’t take his eyes off of the dead body in front of them.
It made no sense. He was supposed to be alive. He was supposed to have been waiting for them. They were supposed to fight and the good guys were supposed to win. That was the scenario inside Izabella’s head. Now, this was a whole different movie, one she
hadn’t signed up for.
“But, that’s Dante, right?” Izabella asked again, examining the pale face, trying to recognize it, even though she’d never seen it before.
Brandon just nodded, burying his hands in his hair. It looked like desperation was taking him over. That was Dante. Brandon had confirmed it was but, if he was dead, then who killed him? And, why? Who was behind all this?
Before they could say anything, Renwick and Thorne barged in through the door, shouting something, carrying a wounded Raphael. Hendrik rushed in immediately after them, slamming the door shut, then frantically looking for something to bolt it with. He pushed a little nightstand against the door, then turned to face everyone.
“It won’t keep them out for too long, but it might buy us some time,” he spoke, out of breath.
“What happened?” Izabella shrieked, rushing over to Raphael.
Renwick was pressing a torn sleeve of his shirt to Raphael’s lower abdomen. Izabella lifted it to see the wound, but the blood started spurting out, so she quickly pressed the rolled up sleeve against it, in an effort to stop the bleeding.
“He’s losing too much blood,” she faltered.
“Is there a first aid kit here?” Renwick wondered aloud, knowing that the others were equally unfamiliar with this house as he was.