Gangster's Paradise // Rio (Good Girls)

4. if you don't leave me alone

Isla quickly parked her car and hurried over to the bleachers where her sister was sitting. "Hi, I'm so sorry I'm late. I came right from the hospital," Isla said, planting a kiss on her sister's cheek as she took a seat.

"It's okay, lzzy. I'm just glad you made it. Tommy will be happy too," Emma replied, her attention momentarily diverted by the baseball game. Then, her expression turned somber. "Levi didn't come," she said, her gaze fixed on the ground. Isla glanced between the game and her sister, a concerned look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Emma," Isla said, gently rubbing her sister's back. "I'm sure you two will work it out like you always do," she reassured her.

"I know, lzzy, but Tommy is 7 and Ava is 6. They're starting to notice things," Emma sighed, shaking her head. "And now Levi's job is slowly laying him off. When I mentioned that I could go back to work... he just wasn't having it," she explained.

"Marriage is tough, but every couple goes through ups and downs. It will be okay," Isla comforted her. "In the meantime, is there anything I can do to help?" she asked, offering her support.

"It's okay, lzzy. I talked to Axle, and he said he could make some kind of deal with me, whatever that means," Emma explained, and Isla nodded in understanding.

"I can't imagine what he's going to offer," Isla remarked. Axle had always been a helpful older brother, but he had also been associated with the wrong crowd and had a knack for getting into trouble. Emma let out a small chuckle.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Emma reassured her. Isla nodded, trying to push her concerns aside. She turned her attention back to the baseball game and spotted Tommy waving his hand at her. Isla smiled and waved her fingers back at him. "He was upset that Levi didn't come, but he's happy now that you're here," Emma added.

Isla's smile faded as her gaze shifted to the other side of the field. Her heart sank when she recognized a familiar tattooed man she had hoped to never see again. The words her sister spoke became distant echoes as she locked eyes with him, her body tensing up in response.

"I mean, Izzy," Emma's voice snapped Isla back to the present. Isla turned her head to look at her sister, refocusing her attention. "My children absolutely adore you. That's the only reason Tommy plays baseball and Ava does dance—they knew you did those things in high school," Emma explained. Isla let out a small laugh and shook her head.

"Well, it's true. They didn't even want to play basketball like I did or football like their dad. They wanted to be like Auntie Izzy," Emma said, a big smile lighting up her face.

"I am truly honored to have my niece and nephew wanting to be just like me," Isla replied, feeling a warm sense of pride. She glanced around once more, relieved to find that the tattooed man was nowhere in sight.

"I can't wait until you have babies. Maybe then I'll be the cool auntie," Emma said, her voice softening. There was a brief pause before she continued, "How are you doing with that, by the way?" Emma asked, her tone filled with concern. Isla took a deep breath and ran her hands down her thighs, gathering her thoughts.

"It's incredibly difficult to think about... what it could have been," Isla admitted, exhaling heavily. "It was hard enough catching him, and then losing the pregnancy just days after finding out..." Isla had discovered she was pregnant about a week before she caught Mason cheating, and amidst all the stress and turmoil, she had suffered a miscarriage.

"And you and Mason?" Emma asked gently, aware that it was still a sensitive topic for Isla.

"It's hard to imagine being with him anymore," Isla replied, her blue eyes continuing to scan the surroundings for the tattooed man. "I mean, just seven months ago, I thought my life was perfect. I had a good job, I believed I had a good husband, and I thought we were genuinely happy. But then, everything blew up in my face."

"Years of working to build this sense of security, this home, this happiness—the life I had been striving so hard to create since high school—was gone in a matter of seconds. It's just... it's hard to process," Isla explained, her voice filled with a mix of pain and frustration. Emma offered her a small, sympathetic smile and reached out to hold her hand.

"But you'll be okay, Isla. You've always worked through tough times," Emma reassured her, her voice filled with warmth and support.

When Isla's eyes caught sight of the tattooed man again, he was standing a bit closer, though not close enough for anyone else to notice. Isla took a deep breath, mustering a smile for her sister. "I'm going to use the bathroom real quick," she said before standing up.

Isla kept her gaze fixed on the man as she walked toward the bathroom. She hurried inside and tried to close the door behind her, but it was stopped from closing fully. Stepping back, her heart raced and her breathing quickened as she saw him enter. Isla took another step back, putting some distance between them.

"L-Look, if this is about your car, I already apologized for that," Isla said, her voice shaky. "And if it's such a big deal, I'll have my insurance company contact you." The man remained silent, walking over and leaning against one of the stalls.

"But I don't see how that would benefit you since you were the one who ran the stop sign," Isla continued after a few moments of tense silence. Nervously, she played with her fingers, her eyes locked on him, her voice trailing off as she noticed 

The corner of the man's mouth curled up into a smile as he licked his bottom lip. "You have kids?" he asked, his voice laced with an unsettling tone. Isla remained silent, her instincts urging her to create more distance between them. The small smile on his lips grew slightly wider. "I'll take that as a 'no.' So, player number eight, nephew?" he continued, his words sending a shiver down Isla's spine. Her throat tightened as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"I... I'll get a lawyer and file a complaint if you don't leave me alone," Isla stammered, her voice trembling with fear. The man merely hummed, his gaze fixed on her. Isla's heart pounded in her chest as she backed up against the door, not taking her eyes off him. With a quick motion, she slipped out of the bathroom and walked back to her sister.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrows as she looked concernedly at Isla.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired," Isla replied, forcing a smile for her sister, though her eyes still held a flicker of unease. She kept her gaze on the baseball game, trying to push the unsettling encounter out of her mind.