NADIA
The girls were about to leave now and I was busy throwing away the empty pizza boxes and cans of coke with Vicky's help whilst Blue was in the bathroom.
"Hey uhm," Vicky looked over. "I don't mean to pry in anyone's business or anything because I'm never involved in my brothers love life and everything but whatever happened between you two, it's really affected him," I frowned, my brow furrowed with concern. "What do you mean?" I asked, my heart racing with anticipation. There were so many questions swirling in my mind, so much I wanted to say, and I'd wondered if she knew who I was and if she was part of all this. The voice inside me chimed in with a sarcastic "Duh," but I ignored it, clinging to a thread of hope.
"He's not himself," she said, her voice soft. "He's gone back to his old ways, heartbroken but refusing to admit it or let it show." I shook my head, skepticism etched on my face. This could be a lie or the truth – I was lost in a sea of uncertainty. "I don't buy it," I said, taking a step back, and she stared at me like I'd grown two heads.
"What's going on?" she asked, confusion etched on her face. "What are you talking about?" I remained silent, my emotions simmering just below the surface. "Hey, look at me, I'm talking to you," she said, her voice laced with concern, reaching out to touch me, but I pulled away.
"If he hurt you—"
"Spare me the speech, Vicky," I cut her off, irritation boiling over. "Stop acting like you don't know what's going on." Her expression shifted, a mix of concern and curiosity. "Okay, I'd appreciate it if you told me why you're acting like this." she said I shot back. "As if you don't already know,"
"Know what? Stop beating around the bush," she urged. "That you both used me," I finally spat out, my body trembling with anger, frustration, and sadness. Her eyes locked onto mine, a flicker of confusion and concern. "Nadia, what's going on? I've never seen you like this," she said, her voice soft.
Just as I was about to unleash everything, the doorbell rang. I bit my lip, taking a deep breath. I walked away, Vicky following closely behind.
This conversation was far from over.
When I opened the door, my body froze. The last person I had expected to see was standing right in front of me, gun in hand, flanked by two other men. His jaw was clenched, and flashes of the last time I'd seen him this angry assaulted my mind. I gulped, a shiver running through me.
"Nicholas, what the hell?" Vicky snapped, striding forward with a fearlessness that made me want to scream. Like she was immune to bullets and the chaos unfolding before us. I wanted to drag her back, shut the door, do something, anything, but I was paralyzed.
"What are you doing?" she hissed. "What I should have done from the moment I saw her," he growled. "Over my dead body," she spat, sending shockwaves through me. Nicholas pushed her aside, hard enough for her to stumble to the ground. I blinked, crouching down to help her, but a hand gripped my neck, sucking the air out of my lungs.
"You," Nicholas grunted, slamming me against the wall. My breath caught as his hand tightened around my throat. "You didn't listen to me," he whispered, his voice low and menacing. I tried to formulate a sentence, but my words came out jumbled. "W-what are you t-talking about?" He slammed me against the wall again, and I felt dizzy, like I was going to die.
His eyes bored into mine, rage burning in their depths. Finally, his grip loosened, giving me a chance to breathe. I held my neck, my chest heaving as I crawled on the ground. My braids were a tangled mess. I looked up to see Vicky fighting off one of the men, while the others closed in. I grabbed a nearby vase and slammed it onto one man's head, distracting the other. I kicked him, but he didn't budge.
Adrenaline surged through me as I fought back, my brother's self-defense lessons kicking in. I went at the man, targeting his gut, but he quickly regained his footing. As he bent forward, I attempted to kick his head, but he dodged me.
"Touch me and you die," I said, trying to sound confident. The words felt hollow, but I hoped they'd intimidate him. The man scoffed, and before I could react, he slapped me. My cheek burned with pain as I held a hand to my face. Before I could even think, he picked me up, a gun pressed to my temple.
The sound of a gunshot shook my system, and my eyes widened at who held the gun. "Touch her again, and I'll make it look like an accident," Vicky said, a gunmetal glint in her hands. This was the first time I saw her in her element, like she was born to wield power. She looked like she could burn everything and everyone that threatened to harm her.
"And I'll call the cops," Blue added, her arms crossed, though fear seeped through her eyes. The man who'd laid hands on me cursed and glared at both of them. "Juan?" Vicky said, her voice laced with recognition. Mr. Juan had fresh scars and bruises, but I didn't have time to question it. Vicky's confusion morphed into full-blown rage as her eyes darkened. Juan smirked. "Missed having me in your bed, beautiful?" he said, and I heard another gunshot. This time, it landed on him. His face twisted in pain as he clutched his bleeding leg.
"That was for Nadia," Vicky said, her voice cold. She shot him again, this time in his manhood. "That was for touching me." Three more shots rang out, hitting his head. "And that was a lesson to not touch what's precious to the Greys," she said, malice dripping from her voice.
Slow clapping echoed through the room as Nicholas appeared. "Well done," he said with a smirk, looking at Vicky. "You're next," she replied, her tone deadly. Nicholas laughed hysterically. "You think Elijah is coming to save you? You think he cares about what's happening right now and her?" He looked at me, his confidence unnerving.
"Yeah, the man you think adores you so much was the one who sent me here," Nicholas said, his words shattering all my hope. My blood ran cold as his words sunk in. "What?" Vicky and Blue exclaimed simultaneously, while I was frozen, waiting for an explanation.
"She's the daughter of Catherine Rossi," Nicholas continued. "But they go by different names from time to time." A lump formed in my throat. Crap. "But that's not the worst part. Right now, Vincent is going mad."
Vicky's gaze locked onto mine. "Tell me what he's saying isn't true," she demanded. I froze, then finally spoke. "It's true." The empathy in her eyes vanished, replaced by a look that made me feel like the worst person alive.
"Better yet, he wants me to finish the job right now," Nicholas said. "Do whatever you want, it's all the same to me," Vicky said, her words icy.
"Then stay to watch," I said, my voice firm. Vicky's gaze flickered toward me, her look capable of killing. "I didn't hear you?" she said, stepping closer.
"I thought you'd stay to watch me die," I replied, my voice steady. "Wasn't finding me and my family your whole purpose? Now that you've finally accomplished your goal, can't see it through?" I don't know where I got the boldness, but I wasn't going to back down.
"Seems like you grew a pair, huh?" Vicky sneered. "What is it, too much for you?" I shot back, our eyes burning into each other. The sisterhood we once had was ruined, destroyed by something that wasn't even our fault.
"I should've killed your brother while I had the chance," Vicky said, and something in me ticked. "Seems like we both made a mistake, because I should've done ten times more what I did to your brother. It's the least he deserved."
A familiar voice echoed through the room, "Fresh coming from someone who's never been loved." I turned to see those eyes that once stared at me like I was the only thing that mattered, now icy and cold. And that's when I knew it was over. For good this time.
The war had officially begun.