𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 - 𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚠

Jakob meets the twins.

Isabella's POV

The visit with Dom, Mia, and Letty had gone... surprisingly well. Mia and I had kind of made up enough that the air wasn't so heavy between us. But as much as I appreciated the peace offering, I made a promise to myself. When my sons came into this world, they came first. Always.

I told Dom, Letty, and Mia that while things were good between us now, I still planned to keep my distance, for their sake and mine. That family, that past... it always brought chaos. And I wasn't letting chaos near my boys. I wasn't afraid to fight, but I wouldn't start a war either. Peace was fragile, especially with the last name Shaw.

Deckard, Hattie, Owen, and Magdalene were out grabbing food. The house was quiet. I was in the living room, curled up on the couch with the baby monitor beside me. Healing had been going better than expected—each day, I was gaining my strength back. But something about the silence felt... off.

Then I heard it.

A crash. Glass, maybe. Close.

I shot up, heart racing. Instinct kicked in fast. I rushed to the wall near the fireplace and pressed my hand against a faintly painted panel. It beeped softly. Hidden just behind it was a small keypad. I punched in the code Deckard had shown me once—only once-and the panel slid open.

Inside was a roll of guns, sleek and deadly.

I didn't hesitate.

I grabbed a Glock, loaded the magazine with trembling fingers, and cocked it into place. No time to second-guess. My boys were in that house. I wasn't about to wait around and find out who broke in.

I moved quickly down the hallway, every sense on high alert. The floor creaked beneath me as I made my way toward the bedroom. My grip on the gun was tight, steady.

The door to my room was cracked open.

I didn't stop.

I pushed it open with my foot, stepped inside, and raised the gun, arms locked, ready to fire.

My voice was sharp. Cold.

"Step away from my children. Now."

The man didn't move. His back was still to me, but I could feel the arrogance rolling off him in waves.

"You won't shoot me," he said calmly.

I smirked, cold and steady. "That's what an Eteon soldier said to me once. Guess what? He's dead."

He chuckled, low and familiar. "You won't shoot me, Izzy."

That's when something clicked.

I hesitated, just for a second, before slowly lowering the gun. My breath caught in my throat as he finally turned around.

"You won't shoot your twin brother," Jakob said, that same cocky grin stretched across his face.

I exhaled sharply, the tension bleeding out of me. "Jakob, have you ever heard of knocking? Not crashing through a damn window?"

Jakob shrugged, walking toward me without a hint of apology. "Didn't feel like it."

He pulled me into a hug, tight and warm. I rolled my eyes but hugged him back, smirking against his shoulder.

"Well, next time, try the door, drama queen."

Just then, I heard it—two sharp cries coming from the baby monitor on the table.

I pulled back from Jakob, my eyes widening. "Great. You woke up the twins."

Just then, the front door slammed open.