The Phantom's Game | 18+

Chapter 11

Soon, it was time for them to part ways after a long while. Vincent offered Isadora a ride home but she decided to refuse and went with a public transport instead. They exchanged their contact numbers in case there was any need to reach out to each other during their mission. Vincent left, and Isadora took the train home. Sure, she could call Enzo to pick her up but she decided not to disturb him at this hour.

So, she spent a good portion of the trip thinking and worrying about the events that transpired between her and Mr. Falcone today; mainly what he might have in store for her. There were just so many possibilities, but ultimately none seemed ideal. She felt uneasy whenever she thought about the possibility of having to go undercover with him, even though it would probably be beneficial and efficient to cooperate with him as he provided her with information. But then again, what would the consequences be if they were discovered by the Phantom or his men? Or if her cover were blown?

She needed to come up with a plan as quickly as possible, she thought. But, in truth, she wasn't sure she had anything that might be considered suitable at all. All she knew for certain was that she had to come up with a good plan and solution, otherwise she'd undoubtedly end up going into danger once again.

Eventually, she reached her stop; the station was almost completely emptied due to the late hour, and the place had completely quietened down, save for the chattering of the few people waiting to get off the train. She took a quick glance around before walking out of the station. As she passed through the main street, she was startled suddenly when she heard voices coming from a nearby alleyway; most likely caused by one of Phantom's lackeys.

Isadora froze momentarily. Should she walk away? But she decided to eavesdrop on the conversation instead. She stepped closer to hear it clearly. It sounded rather heated."-I swear to you, I ain't lyin'," A gruff voice uttered.

Isadora frowned slightly. That couldn't be good, she thought. She peeked her head around the corner of the building that was adjacent to the alleyway and saw two figures facing away from her. One of them appeared to be a man, she noticed. His back was turned away from her, his arms folded behind his back. His companion had his shoulder pressed against his, who appeared to be standing next to him in order to listen intently. She watched silently for a few moments as they talked.

"...just tell me what you know..."

The stranger finally broke the silence, "They plan to find the boss during the event. It'll be easy enough to follow 'em after the ball ends, though."

Isadora leaned forward, trying hard to make out their conversation. She was curious, to say the least. Who were these people, truly? How did they know so much? What would they do if she were to somehow manage to discover their identities? What if she told someone else?!

"Then why'd ya bring that pretty thing along anyway? Ya know how dangerous it is t'have some girl around here, eh?" Another voiced commented, making Isadora flinch. Was this man addressing her...? She held her breath as a response came.

"That'a thing ain't mine!" He shouted angrily, pushing the person next to him away forcefully, revealing his body to Isadora. The woman stumbled backwards as the man revealed himself. He had dark hair and piercing eyes that seemed to burn through her soul.

He glared furiously at Isadora, his teeth clenched tightly together. She got ready to defend herself, eyes narrowed at the two opponents. Suddenly, the man lunged at her. She dodged his attack, moving further into the shadows while simultaneously kicking one of his legs. The man let out a scream as he fell onto the ground clutching his knee. Isadora wasted no time before turning around and running out of the alleyway. 

She was only met with several shocked gasps.

"You bitch!" He yelled, staggering to his feet and chasing after her.

Once outside, he caught up to her within a matter of seconds and grabbed her arm tightly, pulling her roughly back. Without even realizing it, Isadora lost her balance and toppled backward, landing on her back. Her attacker landed heavily on top of her, preventing her from rolling away. 

Before she could react and attempt to push him away, however, she felt his fingers wrapping tightly around her throat as he pushed her back onto the floor, trapping her beneath him. She struggled to free herself, but he wouldn't budge an inch. The air was knocked out of her lungs and she was struggling to breathe at this rate, as if her lungs were growing tighter each second.

"Don't struggle so much." He ordered firmly, squeezing harder.

Isadora choked and coughed loudly. He lifted her chin up with his fingers and glared at her intensely, forcing her to look directly at him.

"I said, don't struggle so much. Or else your pretty little neck will get broken." He growled through gritted teeth.

Isadora gasped for air, fighting to get some oxygen into her brain. Tears formed in her eyes and began falling down her cheeks, which he wiped off with the back of his index finger.

Suddenly, the grip on Isadora's neck loosened, allowing her to inhale deeply for a second. 

Then, a gunshot was heard and she could see the two strangers toppled to the ground, dead. Blood flowed freely out of the wound on the man's chest and the bullet hole in the other one's forehead, which they both sported, slowly oozing blood into the ground underneath them.

Isadora stared blankly at the bodies lying before her, unable to process what was happening but she was glad that they were dead then flicked her gaze towards the third party.

Vincent. He was crouched by the bodies, holding a small revolver loosely in his hands. His brows knitted together as he stared at them, his lips pressed together tightly.

"What... are you doing here?" Isadora croaked hoarsely.

His head snapped up, his eyes meeting with her.

"I could ask you the same question, Ms. Moretti." He replied, rising to his feet as he holstered his gun.

"This isn't really the best time for such a discussion, Vincent," She remarked, standing up shakily as well.

Vincent nodded slightly, but still refused to let his glare leave the corpses, "Quite right, my dear, it really isn't."

He then glanced at the exit of the alleyway for a moment before looking back at Isadora, "Come along. We still need to dispose of them before anybody sees us, I'm afraid."

Isadora nodded silently, following behind him as they dragged the bodies in the large trash can and disposed them. Vincent took out a lighter and a cigarette, lighting it up before throwing the lighter into the trash can. The flames gradually became larger, spreading towards the two bodies. 

They remained silent as the fire consumed the men, until the smoke cleared and nothing but ash and embers remained of them. Isadora exhaled softly, feeling relieved for a split second until her thoughts were brought back to reality.

"Now that's done, we should go," Vincent suggested.

"Where to?" She asked.Vincent looked at her briefly, "You're going to my house for now."