"They're over by the slot machine at the end of this row," Rosalie says, nodding her head to gesture in the direction of two men. The pair are barely standing straight, and look like they're tilted—most likely from intoxication.
"This is gonna be so easy," I chuckle. We walk toward the two drunk targets, making sure to pretend our attention is elsewhere. Rosalie purposely bumps into one of them while we continue walking past.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Rosalie giggles and tucks a strand of her wig behind her ear. "I'm just so clumsy."
"Don't worry bout it sweetheart," the taller man says. "You're pretty enough to fall all over, in fact, I wouldn't mind you falling into me later tonight."
The shorter—and slightly more sober—man looks at me with a smile, "ignore my friend, he's drunk. I'm Aaron."
"Penelope," I lie as I offer my hand to shake his, which he accepts hungrily.
"This is Gideon," he points to his friend, who takes Rosalie's hand and place a kiss on top of it.
"This is my friend, Emily," I introduce her alias.
"How would you pretty ladies like a drink?" Aaron asks.
"We don't drink often, but I suppose I would take something sweet," I bat my eyelashes and smile. "Maybe something fruity, like a strawberry daiquiri?"
"Two strawberry daiquiris coming right up," Aaron says before taking my hand and leading us across the room to the bar. Rosalie and I sit on stools next to each other, while the men stand, practically hovering over us.
"Thank you," I smile flirtatiously at Aaron when the bartender hands me the drink. Rosalie says the same thing, brushing a hand on Gideon's shoulder in a seductive manner.
"My friend and I need to make a stop at the VIP section, but if you beauties wanna join us, we can go to our room after we make an appearance," Aaron suggests.
"VIP section?" I feign shock. "So you guys must be important then."
"We are indeed, sweetheart," he responds.
"Well we would love to join you gentlemen," Rosalie flashes a flirty smile.
Aaron leads us toward the back of the casino, to the area we need to be. I keep my eyes open for Angel, and I know Rose is doing the same. We make eye contact, silently speaking and confirming we have yet to see her. Suddenly, a glimpse of red, strawberry blonde hair catches my attention. It's her. I look at Rosalie, using my eyes to signal in Angel's direction, and her face lights up at the sight of her twin. Angel always had lighter hair, although it's still very red, it has more of a blonde undertone. The prominent freckles still decorate the beautiful girl's face, and her blue eyes shine in fake happiness. Angel is one of the strongest women I've ever known, but looking at her now, all I can see is a broken woman. A tattoo on her arm marks Sebastian's ownership—his way of branding the women he traffics so everyone knows who they belong to and what they are.
"Mr. Archer," Aaron's voice breaks my gaze and thoughts away from my old friend, "how are you doing tonight?"
"Hello Aaron. I'm fine," Sebastian responds dismissively as his eyes roam my body. "And who is this lovely little thing?" he asks.
"Penelope," I introduce, faking a small, nervous smile.
"I don't believe I've seen you before, and I would surely remember if I had," he says.
"I just moved to town with my friend, Emily," I respond and gesture to Rose.
"We thought we should check out the casino we heard so much about," she says with a giggle.
"Well I'm certainly glad you did, as are my men, I'm sure."
"What can I do for you boss?" Aaron asks, cutting off our conversation. Sebastian looks at Rosalie and I warily, before Aaron suggests Gideon take us to the table of food that sits a few feet away. We oblige to the obvious demand for privacy, but I can still hear the conversation that continues between the two men.
"I just spoke to Calum Garcia earlier, and it seems that his sister is on the premises," I tense slightly at Sebastian's words, but refuse to let it show. "Mr. Garcia is on his way, and he's bringing some powerful friends. So unless we want a war that will end in all of our deaths, you need to find the girl and bring her here to meet her brother."
"I understand. When will they be arriving?"
"They'll be here shortly, you have maybe fifteen minutes at most."
Aaron nods his head before returning to Gideon, Rose, and me. "Sorry sweetcheeks," he says, "but it looks like Gideon and I have business to take care of. Feel free to hang out for a little while and wait. It won't take long."
"Okay," I respond.
Aaron nods at a more sobered Gideon, and then the pair walk away. Sebastian's attention has turned to a random woman on his lap, meaning Rosalie and I have time to make our move. Locating Angel again take a couple of seconds, but I finally spot her by the bar. She's standing alone, as if waiting for someone to need a drink. Rosalie and I lock eyes, then walk to her sister.
"Angel," Rose says softly.
"How may I help you ma'am?" she asks.
"It's Rosalie and Isabella, we're here to take you home."
"Oh my god. I missed you so much!" Angel cries quietly, trying to stay calm so we don't draw attention.
"Let's go," I say before grabbing her small apron from around her waist and leaving it on the barstool. Rose pulls a large bandage out of her bra and uses it to cover the branding tattoo on Angel's arm. Then, the three of us head toward the front entrance of the casino, and I release a hopeful breath when we reach the parking lot. My hope dissipates when I see Calum, Alexi, and the others standing by the motorcycle I stole.
"Fuck! Rose, where's your car?" I ask.
"The blue one right there," she responds, pointing at a car near the motorcycle.
"Shit, okay we just have to pray they don't recognize me," I say. We walk calmly to the car and Rose unlocks it.
We're about to get in when Leo's voice calls out, "hey, did you see the girl that was riding this bike?"
"Sorry, we haven't seen anyone," Rose answers for me, knowing they would recognize my voice.
"How about your beautiful friend?" Leo shifts his attention to me. "Have you seen anyone?" he questions, and then describes me before asking again if we've seen the missing girl. I shake my head, never opening my mouth to speak. Calum looks at a text, then to us, then to Jess.
"I just got a text from Sebastian, apparently one of his girls is missing. The description is eerily similar to you," he says, addressing Angel. "Take off the bandage."
Angel's eyes flicker to me, then to Rosalie, before returning to my brother. We all move in an attempt to get in the car, but Jess pulls a gun and points it in our direction. Rose and I draw our own weapons, aiming for the group of guys as we stand in front of Angel to create a shield.
"Put down the guns," Alexi says. "You don't know who you're messing with."
Laughter spills from my lips at the irony, which cuts through Alexi momentarily before his eyes study me. He meticulously trails his eyes down my body and across my face, and when he stares into my eyes, I know he can see who I really am.
"Isabella?" he questions, astonished. "What the hell?"
YOU ARE READING
Finding Isabella
Teen FictionIsabella's life was never easy. But how could it be when your father is head of the American mafia? At seven years old, she watched as her mother almost died from the first assassination attempt. At ten years old, she was injured in the same car "ac...
