The hand on Isabella's shoulder felt like a vice. It was heavy and made of pure muscle. She turned around and saw a man who looked like he had been in a hundred street fights. He had a scar that ran from his ear all the way down to his chin, and his eyes were small and mean.
"I caught a little bird peeking where she shouldn't," the man, Marco, growled.
Isabella tried to pull away, but he was too strong. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it might actually break a rib. "Let me go! I was just... I was looking for Jaxson!"
"Jaxson is busy," Marco said. He reached for a shiny silver pistol in his waistband. "And the Boss said no witnesses at the docks. It's nothing personal, sweetheart. It's just business."
Isabella screamed as loud as she could. "JAXSON! HELP!"
Inside the warehouse, the sound of her voice echoed against the metal walls. A second later, the heavy steel door kicked open with a bang that sounded like a cannon. Jaxson sprinted out, his face twisted in a look of pure rage. He didn't even look like the man who had bought her pancakes this morning. He looked like a monster.
"LET HER GO, MARCO!" Jaxson yelled.
He didn't wait for an answer. He lunged forward, his fist connecting with Marco's jaw. There was a loud crack, and Marco stumbled back, dropping his gun. Jaxson didn't stop. He hit him again and again until Marco was slumped against a stack of wooden pallets, unconscious.
Jaxson turned to Isabella. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him. He was shaking. "I told you to stay in the car! Why didn't you stay in the car?"
"I saw the woman," Isabella cried, her tears staining his black t-shirt. "I saw her kiss you! I thought... I didn't know what was happening!"
The blonde woman, Vanessa, walked out of the warehouse. She was leaning against the doorframe, filing her nails with a gold-plated file. she didn't look worried at all.
"You really have it bad for her, don't you, Jax?" Vanessa asked. "You just beat up the Boss's nephew for a girl in a cheap leather jacket. That's a death sentence, you know."
Jaxson looked at Vanessa with hate in his eyes. "Tell the Boss I'm done. I'm taking my share of the gold and I'm leaving. If anyone follows us, I'll kill them."
"You can't leave the Syndicate, Jaxson," Vanessa laughed. "The only way out is in a box. And now that this little girl knows about the gold, she's in the box too."
Jaxson didn't say another word. He picked Isabella up and ran toward the SUV. He threw her into the passenger seat and jumped into the driver's side. He slammed the car into reverse, tires screeching and smoking on the wet pavement.
"Where are we going?" Isabella asked, clutching the dashboard.
"Away," Jaxson said. He was driving 100 miles per hour now, weaving through the dark streets of the dock district. "I have a cabin in the mountains. They don't know about it. We'll be safe there for a few days while I figure out a plan."
Isabella looked at him. His knuckles were bloody from the fight. He looked dangerous and scary, but he had saved her. He had chosen her over his "Syndicate."
"You're a thief," she whispered.
Jaxson gripped the steering wheel tighter. "I'm a lot of things, Isabella. But I'm the only thing standing between you and a shallow grave right now. So just sit back and let me drive."