Writer's POV
Instead, she turned around and headed for the docks.
"What are you doing?" Marco inquired.
Isabella declared, "I'm ending this." "Anthony plays games with our families and believes he is very intelligent. However, he made a single error."
"What mistake?"
Isabella grinned glumly. "I was underestimated by him."
She parked at the very end of the empty pier after driving the truck onto it. Anthony's cars came to a stop behind them. Men emerged and surrounded them.
Isabella looked over at Marco. "Don't let them kill me, no matter what."
"No, Isabella. There must be an alternative."
"There's no alternative. The only way to keep our families safe is to do this."
Anthony exited one of the vehicles and approached them, his men trailing behind him with their weapons out.
"Isabella!" he exclaimed. "Get out of the truck. Let's have a civil conversation about this."
With her hands up, Isabella exited the truck. Despite his wounds, Marco also left.
Anthony walked up and said, "You're very clever." "But not smart enough."
Isabella answered, "I'm smart enough to know that no matter what we do, you won't let us live."
Anthony grinned. "You're correct. But if you cooperate, I could make it quickly."
"What do you want?"
"Call your father, please. Tell him to come here to meet us. Inform him that you would give up your life to save Marco's."
Isabella felt her heart sink. She would be used by Anthony to trick her father.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you'll watch as I slowly kill Marco."
Isabella glanced at Anthony, then Marco, and finally at the shadowy water behind them.
"Okay," she replied. "I'll call."
However, she whispered to Marco, "When I say jump, we jump," as she reached for her phone.
Marco gave a small nod.
Isabella called the police instead of her father when she dialed his number.
"911, tell me about your emergency."
"Isabella Romano is this person. A man who has been kidnapping and killing people is with me at Pier 47. Anthony Ricci is his name. Help should be sent right away."
Anger darkened Anthony's face. "You foolish girl. Your death warrant was just signed by you."
"Maybe," Isabella replied. "But I signed yours too."
Isabella yelled, "Jump!" as Anthony raised his gun.
Just as Anthony's men opened fire, she and Marco jumped from the pier into the icy water.
Isabella's body was shocked by the cold as she struck the water hard. Marco was nowhere in sight.
She tried to escape the pier by swimming underwater while her lungs burned. She heard sirens in the distance when she eventually came to the surface.
She was still unable to see Marco, though.
"Marco!" she cried softly as she walked on water.
No response.
Isabella went back under the water to look for him. She discovered him unconscious from his wounds, sinking toward the bottom.
Gasping for breath, she swam back to the surface after grabbing him. Marco was gasping for air.
Isabella pulled Marco along as she swam toward the coast. She heard Anthony yelling commands at his men behind them.
"Look for them! They couldn't have traveled very far."
However, the sirens of the police were approaching.
Marco was pulled onto the rocky beach by Isabella as she arrived at the shore. He was breathing, but he was unconscious.
She saw Anthony's men running to their cars as she turned to face the pier. They would make their getaway before the police showed up.
Isabella had to prevent that from occurring.
She cut a piece of fabric from her ripped dress with a piece of broken glass she found on the beach. She threw it as hard as she could in the direction of the pier after tying it around a rock.
Anthony's car alarm went off when the rock struck one of his vehicles.
The police believed the suspects were still at the pier because of the noise. Anthony and his men were trapped as they surrounded the area.
Isabella grinned glumly. Once more, Anthony had underestimated her.
However, her triumph was fleeting. She could hear more cars coming from the opposite direction, but Marco was still not waking up.
Not police vehicles. Cars with tinted windows that are black.
When Isabella realized the truth, her blood froze.
They were not going to be helped by the cars.
They were coming to complete the task that Anthony had begun.
And there was nowhere left to run this time.
---
Isabella gave Marco a forceful face slap in an attempt to rouse him. The headlights of the black cars were piercing the night like enraged eyes as they approached.
She pleaded in a whisper, "Marco, wake up!" "We must relocate!"
Marco coughed up water as his eyes opened. "Isabella? What took place?"
"Remember how we leaped off the pier? We were being shot at by Anthony's men."
Marco's face turned pale with pain as he attempted to sit up. "I can't... my ribs..."
Isabella glanced at Marco, then at the cars that were approaching. They had to move, even though he was severely injured. They wouldn't be safe for long on the rocky beach where they were hiding.
She inquired, "Can you walk at all?"
"I'll try."
Marco was helped to his feet by Isabella, and they staggered along the beach in search of cover. They heard men shouting and car doors slamming behind them.
"This way! I discovered their footprints."
Isabella's heart pounded. Like animals, they were being hunted.
They arrived at a tiny boat dock where a number of fishing boats were moored. Isabella untied the rope and assisted Marco into the smallest boat.
"Are you capable of operating a boat?" Marco questioned feebly.
"I'm going to find out."
Isabella had previously observed her father's men using boats. After locating the key beneath the seat, she turned on the engine. Much louder than she had imagined, it roared to life.
"There! Someone yelled from the shore, "They're stealing a boat!"
The boat sped away from the dock as Isabella pushed the throttle forward. Despite her lack of experience, she managed to steer the boat away from the armed men and toward the center of the river.
She could see flashlights moving on the shore behind them. Despite their anger, the men were unable to follow them out onto the water.
"Where are we going?" Holding his injured ribs, Marco asked.
Isabella said, "I don't know." "Somewhere secure."
The boat engine hummed in the darkness as they rode in silence for a few minutes. Isabella's thoughts were racing. Anthony had attempted to murder both of them. For three years, he had been preparing this. He was most likely now pursuing their families as well.
Isabella said, "Marco, we have to warn our families." "Anthony is aware of their residence. He is aware of their secrets. He will murder them all."
Marco gave a feeble nod. "My phone is waterproof. Look in my pocket."
Isabella located Marco's phone. The screen was cracked, but it was still functional. She gave it to him.
"Who are you calling?"
"Mom. She must be aware of Lorenzo."
When Marco tried to call his mother, the call went straight to voicemail. He made another attempt. Nothing has changed.
"Something's wrong," he said. "She never fails to answer her phone."
Isabella's stomach churned with icy fear. "Try calling another member of your family."
Marco dialed Rico, his cousin. Someone answered this time.
"Rico? Marco is here." "How is my mom doing?"
In the background of the phone call, Isabella heard shouting.
"Hey boss! You're alive, thank God!" "Where are you?"
"What's going on, but I'm safe? Why am I unable to contact my mother?"
"The house was attacked an hour ago. Although she is still alive, your mother is in pain. Boss, we got her to the hospital, but Lorenzo isn't there."