Chapter 86Katherine struggled to breathe as her sweaty hands' grip tightened on the plate that she held in her hands. She silently choked back her sobs as she stumbled away from the door, running to her room.Her head ached and her heart pounded so hard that her chest felt as if it could rip open at any more. Why did Lucifer always make her feel like shit? Was she just nothing to Lucifer? A pawn in his game?She quickly entered the room, locking the door behind her and sliding her back down against it. The bread that she had baked for him still sat on the plate, though cold now.In a fit of rage, she stood up and threw both the cake and plate into the trash bin, before she flopped on her bed. The world just kept spinning all around her and she could barely think straight anymore.The warmth and excitement that she had felt for the long-awaited gender reveal had turned into a feeling so hollow and bland. Everything that she’d heard today just dampened her mood. Now, who was she to be
CHAPTER 87“Where the fuck is she?”Lucifer’s voice cut through the mall like a gunshot as he stormed into the store, and the heavy glass doors slammed behind him.The sharp click of his shoes on the marble floor was the only sound as he moved forward. He was losing his cool but he had to be in charge.His men trailed behind him, all clad in black with their weapons aimed at everyone. At his presence, the cashier gasped, stumbling back into the counter. Someone near the entrance tripped over his own feet, scrambling away with eyes that were wide with fear. A mother clutching her toddler, dropped to the ground to shield her from him.No one dared to breathe.Lucifer didn’t even glance at them. They were nothing. His stare was deadly and locked onto the trembling guard standing stiff as a corpse.“You dare to repeat what you said on the phone, eh?” Lucifer spat, his voice dripping with irritation.The guard flinched, his hands shaking as he tried to speak. "S-Sir, she went to the restr
CHAPTER 88Lucifer stood in the dark, the glow of his cigarette casting shadows across his face. From up here he couldn't see the city, watch everything. He was careful. Always have. How couldn't he have known.He took a drag from his cigar, the only thing to keep his red hot anger at bay. He should have installed the darn tracker on her the instant it crossed his mind but of course he was too confident that nothing could ever happen to her. Not under his watch.At that instant, his door pushed open and his men stormed in, huffing and panting. Their mud stained boots leaving trails on his mahogany floorboards, stirred irk within him.Why were they here, so suddenly?His eyes shifted from each of them, searching for Katherine, perhaps she was behind them being stubborn. “Good or bad?” He asked finally, before setting his cigar on a tray.“Bad.”“Where is she?” he asked, the words leaving his mouth carefully.The men exchanged worried glances and bowed their head.“Mast—”“Did I stutte
CHAPTER 89Everyone knew there was no truth outside the underworld. If you wanted truth you could resort to being a pope or a vicar. But the one thing stands; all men lie.Truth was a bait. It was the one thing that could build you and break you and it wasn't new to everyone. You had to know all these, experience all these before you become initiated into brotherhood. And if you are a leader, you are always the target. And if you can't be reached, your brother man would be the “eye for an eye”Lucifer exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t believe in coincidences. He believed in rats. There was a rat in the house and he wasn't going to wait for it to show itself.And when you found one? You burned down the nest.Isla cowered and scrambled back when she saw Lucifer walk in. Lucifer’s presence always meant something dreadful. “Lucifer.” Her voice was rough, hesitant. “Didn’t expect to see you.”“I want to speak with you and I need nothing but the truth,” he said, his voice cold
CHAPTER 90“Ayy boy! Check-up,” Cassius grinned and took a swig of his beer before greedily packing the money from the table and putting it in his pockets.“You're a cheat,” Wilson puffed, almost choking on his cigarette. “You cheated, old man.”“The cards were right before your eyes and you failed to see it,” Cassius scoffed. “You owe me two bottles of beer.”“Not while I'm still alive,” Wilson shrugged as he leaned back to reshuffle his cards. Just then, they heard a knock at the door. It was soft, almost mistaking. They paused.“Must've been the wind outside,” Wilson said and divided the cards into equals, placing some at the side as extras.Cassius shrugged and placed cards. “That door is more solid than you, son, not even a hurricane would move it but maybe a volcano eruption would.”“Check-up!” Wilson muttered, placing all his cards, with a sly smirk tugging at his lips.“That can't be right!” Cassius groaned.“See for yourself,” Wilson said. “Maybe next time you shouldn't be to
CHAPTER 91Katherine’s legs ached so hard she felt as though her limbs would dismantle and her lungs burned.Her breaths came in shallow pants as she stumbled over the rough ground, with the edges of the broken twigs piercing into her bare feet.She had been running for hours— maybe longer and every time she would look over her shoulders to see if she was being watched.Each step felt heavier than the last. It was as if her body was begging her to stop, to give in. But she couldn't. She wouldn't.She was far from Lucifer now. Far from the walls of his world and also far from safety. Here he couldn't find her and keep her tangled in his Web of lies. He wouldn't make her feel like he was doing everything for her. Like he was doing her a favour. She was better off without him. Always.Her stomach clenched painfully. She stopped in her tracks and rubbed at her belly. She could feel the hunger as it gnawed at her ribs. She needed food and water. She hadn't put anything in her mouth and gui
CHAPTER 92The wooden dining table creaked slightly as Amanda set another dish down. The aroma of chicken fried steak, cornbread pancakes and chuck wagon chili filled the air. Beside it was beef stew and chicken and dumplings.Katherine munched on the food greedily like someone who hadn't seen food in days. Maybe she hadn't.Ethan and Amanda shared a look as she scooped another spoonful, barely pausing for breath. The baby sat on Ethan’s lap, smacking her tiny hands against the table, entertained by the quick movements."You must’ve been really hungry," Ethan said, watching as she took another bite.Katherine swallowed, her cheeks puffed slightly before she covered her mouth and let out a quiet chuckle. "Guess I was."Amanda nudged another piece of meat toward her plate. "Eat up, there’s plenty more.”She smiled gratefully and ate up. Without hesitation. The hunger in her movements told a lot of things but they didn’t ask questions. Not yet.When the last piece was gone, Katherine lea
CHAPTER 93Wilson's breath hitched in his throat and his face lost all color, and then, as if his body gave up before his mind did, a wet stain spread down his pants and pattered down to the ground.Lucifer didn’t react. Didn’t blink. He just stood there, watching him with eyes that burned, not just with fury, but with exhaustion and frustration.His body was rigid, his movements were stiff, like he was barely holding himself together. Days without sleep had hollowed his face and deepened the bags under his eyes.“Please,” Wilson begged.Cassius, who was sitting at the edge of his chair, frowned. His thick brows pulled together as he looked between Wilson and Lucifer. "What the hell is going on?”Lucifer didn’t take his eyes off Wilson. His voice was low, clipped, controlled. "Stay out of it, Cassius. Your son knows exactly what I’m talking about."Wilson twitched, his throat bobbing as he took an instinctive step back. He was shaking. His breathing had turned into quick, shallow gasp
CHAPTER 127Katherine’s legs wobbled like jelly. Every part of her trembled like her bones had dismantled beneath her skin. Her hand flew to the wall, looking for support. She was supposed to leave, to go far but her body betrayed her. Her mind blanked as the new truth hit her. Everything suddenly made sense, so much sense it felt like she had been adorned in stupidity all the while.She pulled herself back from the door, her chest rising fast, just as it flung open.She froze as the couple appeared. Ethan stood there, glaring at her with that cruel eyes and smug face. And Amanda, she looked like shit. Tears streaked her face and her eyeliner was ruined. Her lips trembled like she wanted to speak but was scared to do so.Katherine smiled. So bright it reached her eyes and lifted her face.“Hi!” she said in a chirpy voice.Her eyes flicked to Amanda again and dimmed for half a second but she looked away. “Oh dear,” she said.Ethan narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing here?”She tilt
CHAPTER 126Lucifer had waited for days. He knew someday the couples were going to use his card again. And they did. Every damn day after that.Almost every day after that day. They kept making purchases, payments and withdrawals like they had all the money in the world. His money.Lucifer clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the phone as he checked the latest transactions. These two were comfortable. Too comfortable.And that pissed him off.Two things nagged at him; one, where the hell was Katherine? Two, how did those nobodies get their hands on her card? Did they kidnap Katherine? That seems impossible. They don't seem like people that would pull a job like that. He had considered bringing the police into this but that was a waste of time. This wasn’t their problem.It was his.And he wouldn't want to scare them, they were his only lead to Katherine and he had to follow it up with kid's gloves. He dialed a contacts number. “Hello. Now is time, Find everything on them
CHAPTER 125“Okay I think I'm a bit jealous of your newfound relationship,” Katherine muttered as she sauntered in with the warm milk bottle.Asher was seated by the bean bag, cooing at the baby in his arms. Noah giggled, showing off his newly attained milk teeth. “I always knew I was going to be one of his favourite person's,” Asher bragged.Katherine sulked. “That's not fair. I carried him in my stomach for nine months and this is how he pays me back.”Asher took the milk bottle from Katherine’s hands and placed the nipple into the boy's mouth. Katherine watched in joy and silent pride.“You see,” he started, gazing down at the boy lovingly. “Boys can't help but be really close to the male gender. Someone they see as their dad.”“Now, that's a very untrue theory,” Katherine pointed out. “They tend to be close to their mothers. The girls always chose their dads.”“Or, that is how you convince yourself?” He teased.Katherine sulked. “It's a very popular discourse.”“And it's not exac
CHAPTER 124(Six months later)Lucifer sat in the corner of his office with a pipe in his mouth and shade on his face. He skimmed through the document before him before picking up his pen to sign.Antonio stood across from him, his arms folded as he watched. “You really want to do this? That’s a hell of a lot of money, even for you.”Lucifer didn’t look up, rather he turned his head to the side and puffed, tapping the pen against the paper before pressing it to the page. “It’s just money,” he muttered, signing with a slow stroke. “I can always make more.”“But—”“No buts,” Lucifer murmured. “He already kept his end of his bargain. I have to keep mine.”Antonio sighed and watched as his master closed the document. “All done. I'll need you to send a Copy to him as soon as you can.”“How about the Cassius?”Lucifer shrugged, smoking hard from his pipe. “They are in foster care and getting good treatment. I guess we're done with that phase.”Antonio nodded and took the document with a bow.
CHAPTER 123“Enough!” Amanda said when she finally tore them apart. “Can't you see She's in pain? Have you both lost your sanity?”Asher panted as he wiped his blood stained mouth on his arm. “Yes I can see. What she needs is a hospital.”“We can't take her to the hospital,” Ethan countered. “Yes I agree,” Amanda said as fear crept into her voice. “Because of what you all did, yeah? Now you're letting your mistake rub off on someone else,” Asher mocked. “Nothing better happens to her.”“We can't expose her to the public,” Ethan said, rubbing his hands together. “They'll ask questions at the hospital and we haven't got that kind of money on us.”“You're just scared you'll get caught and get arrested by the cops.”“Shut up!” Amanda screamed. “I'll do it. I've seen a lot of videos online.”“You're not about to experiment with someone's baby are you?” “I'm going to push,” Katherine screamed. “God…”Ethan held Amanda by the shoulder. “Babe, you can't do it.”“I can,” she said, slipping
CHAPTER 122Amanda stepped out of Katherine’s room, shutting the door behind her quietly. She barely moved before the muffled cries from inside reached her ears. Katherine’s ragged, pain-laced sobs echoed through the hallway.Her stomach twisted.“We've got a problem,” she announced, her voice heavy with worry. The two men rushed to her. They could still hear Katherine’s muffled cries.“What's going on?” Asher demanded, his chest rising and falling with anger, with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His eyes flickered to the door where the wail was coming from. “And why the hell did you leave her alone? You know she's in pain don't you?”Amanda sighed, lifting her hands in utmost exasperation. “Shut up for goodness’ sake, Asher! I said we have a problem.”“What kind of problem?” Ethan asked.“She's—” Amanda swallowed, forcing the words out. “She's having a baby.”Asher’s mouth parted slightly. “What?”“That's not possible,” Ethan muttered, breaking into cold sweat. He shook his
CHAPTER 121Something was wrong with Katherine. It wasn't just the dull cramps that had been plaguing her all day, nor the strange, twisting discomfort that made her insides feel like they were being scraped raw with a thousand scalpels. It was like a bad omen and it sent a feeling of dread down her spine. She ached everywhere— her shoulders, her backs, her legs. It was like she wanted to tell and sit and cry and lay down at the same time.She had forced herself to sit at the dining table, her fingers trembling as she lifted the fork to her mouth. The moment she chewed, nausea engulfed her and her stomach clenched in protest. The potato tasted like paste on her tongue, and for a second, she thought she might choke.She swallowed hard as she struggled to keep her breathing even. She pushed her fork into the potato on her plate, lifting it for a second bite.Across the table, Asher’s gaze flickered to her again. He had been watching her for the past ten minutes with concern in his eye
CHAPTER 120Wilson’s head snapped to the left as another vicious blow landed across his face, sending a sharp wave of pain through his skull. His lip split further as blood dribbled down his chin and stained his already ruined skin.His breath came out ragged, almost too painful to bear. His arms were bound behind him with chains that dug deep into his wrists, leaving bruises under the layers of grime and dried blood.The almost dark room reeked of sweat and rust and was unbearably hot. He shut his swollen eye and his ribs ached with each breath. A kick to his side caused his body to slump forward but the chains kept him upright.To offend them the more, he grinned through bloodied teeth, defiance burning in his eyes. “Go ahead. Hit me again,” he spat, with blood pooling at the corner of his mouth. “Doesn’t change a damn thing. I want to see my father.”The guards exchanged unimpressed glances, unimpressed, before one of them raised his fist again. But before the blow could land, the
CHAPTER 119Riley pushed open the door without knocking, her frustration overriding courtesy. The dim light from the bedside lamp barely illuminated Antonio’s room.“Typical him,” she murmured as she strode in, a grocery bag in hand.Her eyes scanned the space. There was no one there. She walked around. Maybe she should just lay and wait for him to come or perhaps she should play some games.She took her time before deciding to go to his work table. She picked up the figurines and nodded in amusement. Her fingers trailed the documents she knew she shouldn't dare mess with, and locked onto a notepad sitting on the desk with the pages slightly ajar. She ignored it but the lines on it caught her attention. Without hesitating, she picked it up, flipping through hastily scribbled notes, dates, markings and trails leading to God knows.The door creaked open behind her, causing her to jump and drop the note.“What the hell are you doing?” Antonio’s voice was sharper than intended while his