Mint [H.S.]

54

HARRY

It was a whirlwind of congratulations and hugs, everyone who was close to us celebrating our victory. Yet in the midst of this win, there was one change that beat it all. It was Izzy's sudden shift in mood that captured my attention.

She had spoken to her father when the jury ruled him guilty. I didn't like it, seeing her waltz up to him with her head not held high. I knew what he was now capable of...his charges were witness to that. Even though she was held safe behind the wall of freedom and his incarceration, it didn't change the poison his words still held. He was still capable of breaking her, not with his hands but with his mouth, and that made me nervous. But I was left pleasantly surprised when she walked back to me, a smile stretched across her lips, as she pulled me into a hug. I knew that something was different, that the hold her dad had on her for so long was no longer grasping her.

She seemed free.

I guess we both did.

During the drive home, neither one of us could stop smiling. Even with the paparazzi on our tails the whole way home, it didn't bother us. We were too caught up in our winning bliss to care.

The car was speeding. Our driver was trying his best to lose the cars that followed close behind us. He swerved quickly to the left, nearly hitting another car as he did so.

"Mate, can you slow down?" Isabella held on to my hand tightly. I looked to the passenger seat where a body guard was sitting. Dylan had been adamant about us driving home with one. With the high publicity that the case had garnered, anything could happen. I guess who didn't think about a crazy driver nearly getting us killed was on his mind when choosing these fools.

Neither the driver nor the body guard said anything as they continued to drive down the freeway. I looked out the window. The Statue of Liberty seemed so close. Almost as if we could reach it if we held our hand out the window.

Isabella moved closer to me. Leaning in she whispered in my ear, asking if it was normal for drivers to drive this quick. She was starting to look frightened.

I lean over her, nudging the body guard in the shoulder. "Mate, can you tell the driver to slow down. There's no fucking race to get us home. The paparazzi are far away now. Slow the fuck down."

He didn't answer nor did he say anything to the other guy. Instead his eyes remained focused in front. Soon after we were exiting the freeway, driving to an area that was no where close to our flat.

"Where are we?" Isabella asked, a quiver in her voice. "This isn't where we live."

The car pulled up in front of an old warehouse. Judging by the broken windows and the rotting wood, it looked to be abandoned.

What the fuck is happening...

Two burly men walk out of the warehouse and towards our car. I try to say something but before I could, they are opening the door and dragging Isabella out. She's shouting, crying out for me as these men drag her away...away from me. I try to move out of the car but the seat belts have fastened themselves tighter.

"What the fuck! Let me out, you piece of shit." I look for my cell phone but it's not in my pocket. Everything is suddenly a blur. I'm being pulled out of the car. My hands fastened to my back. I try to fight it but I can't. My body is tired from today and I can feel it begin to shut down. Every ounce of energy that I had has seeped out of me.

I can hear Isabella's screams. I look to see her standing two meters away. She's being held back by the same two men that took her from out of the car. She's crying...she's a mess. Her hair is no longer in the neat ponytail she had been wearing. Instead it's a knotted mess. Her dress is now torn and dirty. If they fucking touched her, I was going to kill them.