*Jack*

As soon as the toilet door was pushed open, I was second to rush in.
Frowning with numerous gasps, we froze as we saw Ella on the ground, covered in water with blood escaping the side of her head.

"Ella" I rushed towards her and fell beside her.

Josh moved her away from him, fixing himself up.
"I heard yelling and then I quickly came to find her slip against one of the taps and it broke, splashing everywhere. She must've tried to balance herself as her dress caught on something and ripped, I don't know how hard she hit her head but I don't have a phone on me and I was too worried to leave her"

"Relax, Josh. Everyone panics in situations like this" a man said.

"I...I don't know" Josh looked rather innocent but deeply guilty of something, because that's not what I saw when he followed her.

"Why was the toilet locked?" I said as people were quick to call an ambulance.

"Because..." Josh looked deeply into my eyes "I was worried someone would think I did this"

"Alright, don't worry" a waitress said. "She's maybe just unconscious, the bump doesn't look that bad or deep"

After several intense minutes, the ambulance arrived and took Ella. I followed them with my car as the dinner then came to an end.

I wanted to know what happened in there, so I remained by throughout the night.

***

I slept on the seat by her hospital bed, thank god it was nothing bad and just a bump that made her unconscious.

"Hey" I whispered, noticing her eyes open.

"Ouch" she moaned, rubbing the bandage around her head.

I didn't hesitate, I was quick to ask her, "what happened Ella?"

She shook her head lightly "I don't know"

I roll my eyes, don't lie to me Ella, not now.
"You know Josh was in there with you, right?"

"Where?"

"Don't play now Ella, this is serious"

"I don't know what happened"

"DAMN-" I took a deep breath "Dam right you do, you know exactly what happened. We can have him in court, we just need you to tell us the truth"

Ella sighs, "I don't know"

"Fuck" I groaned. Something happened in there and nobody knows.
"How did you break a tap, covering yourself in water and fall unconscious. I know just how careful you are Ella, this doesn't just happen to you accidentally"

"Are you saying Josh did this?" She frowned.

Exactly.
"No, but I need to know what happened"

"I don't know and it doesn't matter, I'm fine"

"If you say so" I sarcastically said.

"Hey"

I turned to face the door and saw Nicolas walk in before Josh followed.
I sighed.

"Can you give us a moment?" Ella looked my way.

I nodded watching her sit up and nod my way, indicating I should leave.

I shut the door but stood by it, placing my ear against it.

"You hit me?!" Ella lightly yelled with a gasp "I can't believe you hit me!"

"You put us in that situation to begin with" Josh responded.

"That doesn't mean you hit me!" she began to sound angry.

"It's fine, you didn't get stitched" Josh sighed.

"I mean, the great thing is they didn't shave a patch in your head to stitch you, right?" Nicolas suggested.

"Nicolas!" Ella somewhat sounded jaw dropped "You're actually okay with the fact he hit me?!"

"Well, in general no. I don't know what happened but, you did kind of decide to poke the devil" Nicolas cleared his throat.

"Oh so I'm the devil?" Josh replied to Nicolas.

"On a personal level?" Nicolas somewhat asked "You're basically the father or I could also say, God of devils"

"That's rude" Josh kind of appreciated the insult and decided to turn this into an entire joke.

"GUYS!" Ella yelled. "Out of all possible ideas, you hit me?!"

"She said 'hit me' a dozen times" Nicolas sighed.

"Funny, I thought she said it a million times" Josh added.

"Ugh!" Ella gasped "Is this a joke to you both? What is wrong with you Nicolas, since when did you turn so...gullible"

"Gullible? No" Nicolas chuckled "Sarcastic? Yes" he laughed at his own joke.

"This is ridiculous" Ella sighed "I'm taking this to court"

"Wow, wow" Nicolas stepped in.

"No" Josh interrupted Nicolas, "Let her"

"Huh?"

"I mean if she wants to take this to court, she can. Just make sure you have one solid lie about why you did what you did to me" Josh cleared his throat "Because if you take this to court and I win, you lose everything"

"Well-"

"Meaning, that once upon a time Josh had a maid in his mansion is going to turn into, to be continued, the maid now moved in with him"

Nicolas laughed at such a dry joke.

"Moved in?" Ella sounded shocked.

"Yeah" Josh sounded proud of himself.

"Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Personally speaking, no. But who do you have other then me when everything is lost?"

"I have Jack" Ella listed.

I caught myself smiling.

"What that old man?" Josh puffed "And what, you're going to move in with him and allow him to teach you how to chop up an onion"

Nicolas thought that was funny too.

"At least he won't have me kidnaped because he couldn't keep his dirty work-"

"CAUGHT YOU!" Nicolas yelled, opening the room door.

I almost collapsed inside but fixed myself up right and straightened my shirt.

"Listening like a child in trouble" Nicolas looked down at me "If I could use my untamed side, I'll put a bullet-"

Josh placed a hand onto Nicolas' shoulder and shoved him aside.
"Well, well, well" Josh stood ahead of me "If it isn't Jack, the kitchen slayer"

"Josh the abuser" I replied "You know, I knew you were a cruel man, but a domestic violence case-"

"Domestic violence?"

"You did hit Ella"

"What is it to you?" Josh began to stand over me "I would never lay a finger on her out of anger"

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow and folded my arms against my chest "That explains the light scars covering her entire body"

Josh grabbed my shirt and slammed me up against the wall. Nicolas was quick to shut the door so nobody outside would notice what was going on.

"You dare talk about what doesn't concern you one more fucking time-"

"And what!" I shoved him off me "Are you going to torture me like you did her?!"

Josh shoved me back against the wall and reached for his backside, placing a gun at my head "IT WAS NEVER TORTURE!"

"STOP!" Ella yelled.

"Stay the fuck out of our business" Josh growls "If I mark her or if I hit it, it doesn't concern your saggy old ass"

I took a deep breath "It concerns me"

"Why the fuck should it?" Josh left the gun at my head as he pushed me harder against the wall.

"Because when she needs somewhere to go, it's always to me" I whispered "Never to you. That tells me, she doesn't want or need you"

Josh let me go and took a step back, turning to face Ella before turning back around and firing his gun at me.

It clicked but it didn't shoot.

Ella's jaw dropped out of shock that he almost killed me.

"Careful, old man" Josh laughed "An empty weapon is just a warning" he reached inside his jacket, grabbing a clip and reloading his gun "A full weapon is your last destination"

"Josh" Ella called.

He looked over his shoulder "I didn't hit you" he spoke without completely turning to face her "Don't play mind games with me if you're fucking him" he pointed at me.

"I-" he interrupted her.
"And stay the fuck out of my personal life" he turned around to Ella. "You came back stronger and smarter but I can become worse than you had"

Ella froze.

"Don't unchain me Ella, I don't want to turn the sky red by blood and ground full of skin with the scent of death. It takes more then a sorry, to chain an unchained beast"

Ella was about to speak.

"That's your warning." he walked past me and towards the door as Nicolas opened the door.
"Take my advice" Josh stood at the door "Stay in your fantasy" he looked at me and Ella.

Nicolas whispered, "He has anger issues don't fuck with him" shrugging his shoulders.

"Wait" Ella stopped Josh from leaving. "What is an unchained animal? A killer on the loose?" she mocked.

Josh smiled weakly "I know what it feels like to die without being physically dead"

"I think I noticed that" she continued to joke

Josh licked his bottom lip with a smile.

Then it hit me.
You know when you first kill someone and it just darkens your heart and it forever haunts you?

He was the definition of darkness with no light.

He...was always the leader of darkness, but I was a fool to think he was just a lost soul there.

"Neglected" she whispered and Josh heard.

"No, Ella. Not neglected, senz'anima" he spoke italian.

Who was Josh behind the mask and who was Ella behind the tough figure?

This wasn't my battle, nor was it my concern. Though I know what I want and I want it, and nobody can stop me.
I'm having Ella.

_________________________

sorrryyyt for the late updateeeee im working on the next one now, Josh POV lets see whats running through his devilish mind 🤔
Just when yu thought shelter and refuge was the real Josh, that was just the nice side of him. Let's hope Ella doesn't bring the real him out