Chapter 20“What’s—What’s going on? Why did the car stop?” Katherine said, noticing that the scenery through the window had stopped passing by in a random blur.She looked at Lucifer and he pressed a finger to his lip, signaling for her to be quiet. Any wrong move and they’d both be dead. Katherine was scared for her life, and she ducked, getting on the car floor, trying her best to avoid what was outside. He opened a small compartment in front of him, and pulled out a small handgun.“I’ll be right back. Just…stay here, don’t move.” He ordered, his voice dead serious. She whimpered, nodding her head quickly as she shook.He climbed out of the car silently, crouching and holding his gun ready to fire. His eyes narrowed as he looked for where whoever had just ambushed him could be camping, but there was no one or nothing in sight. The driver had already stepped out of the car and was removing the road pin from the tire, which was already destroyed.“Must be those campers around here.” L
Chapter 21A bucket of hot water was situated right beside Lucifer, as Tricia dipped a small towel in, allowing it to drip, before she squeezed carefully with her hands. “Tricia, I told you, it’s fine.” He said, wincing as the warm towel touched his injuries. He tried to move her hand away, clenching his jaw to hide the pain. The tussle between he and Ana had left him scraped up, and as much as he tried to hide it from Tricia, she could tell. She could always tell. She’d nurtured him ever since he was little, so it was only normal to know him in and out.“Nonsense!” She swatted his hand away annoyingly as she looked up at him. “You need this, otherwise it’s going to keep getting sore.” She mumbled, repeating the process until she had touched every single bruise across his back and abdomen. “What would I do without you?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Quite literally nothing, I fear. You move with reckless abandon, child. Be careful.” She tugged on his ear teasingly, placing the t
CHAPTER 22Katherine was still in the same position she had been in twenty seconds ago: arms wrapped around him in a tight hug, with their lips inching closer to each other slowly.It didn’t take long before Lucifer realized what was happening. He pushed her away from him, sending her stumbling backwards.“Wha—?” She gasped, feeling as if someone had just drenched her body with cold water.Right.Of course.She was stupid to even think that Lucifer would ever do such with her.“You’re acting like a child.” He jeered, looking down at her. It was almost as if right at that moment, all the energy in her depleted all of a sudden. But, he didn’t care. Why would he?“I’m sorry, I just thought…” Her face flared up with redness and all of a sudden, her cheeks felt extremely hot.“You thought what?” He asked with a firm tone, secretly enjoying the pink color that hsd gathered around her cheeks. “Just get in the car and stop wasting my time.” He mumbled, pulling the door open for her, before tu
Chapter 23Katherine yawned, the bright rays of the morning sun perching on her skin. Somehow, she had slept more comfortably than last nice. It was…soothing to be in Lucifer’s arms without a single care in the world.But now, she was back to reality. She didn’t even know what would happen next, but she hoped for the best. Her eyes fluttered open, squinting in an attempt to shield her eyes from the sun, but to no avail.Shifting back in the bed, she felt…nothing. Huh? Where were the big, burly arms that were wrapped around her last night? She shifted again, thinking that he had probably rolled over to the other side of the bed completely, but she was met with the same feeling.Nothingness.Slowly, she sat up in bed, turning to face his side of the bed. It was wrinkled, and Lucifer definitely wasn’t laying there. She wondered if she had said something stupid or did something. After all, why would he leave so quickly?She shook her head out of her silly thoughts, climbing out of bed and
Chapter 24“What do you want? You’re bothering me.” Lucifer said, lighting up a cigarette and bringing it up to his lips. In a slow drag, he pulled it away, exhaling as if he had been freed of all tension around him.Katherine stood by the door, arms crossed over her chest as her face contorted into one of confusion.“So, this is what you do, huh?” Katherine frowned, finally speaking up after a short while of silence. Her fists clenched as she stared at the nonchalant man, who flipped through documents that sat on the table. He didn’t bother sparing her a glance. The girl was too in over her head. Who did she think she was? The butt of the cigarette lit up as he took another satisfying drag, blowing the smoke out. Katherine coughed, waving her hand in the air, as if that would clear the air faster. She hated cigarettes, most especially the smell that followed. “Do you not care about me at all?” She asked weakly, stepping closer to him but still staying behind the table. Slowly, Lu
Chapter 25Lucifer moved down the dark hall in long strides, Anthonio rushing to keep up with him by his side. “Boss, they mentioned a little of bit of a hassle with the shipment, but things should be okay.” He said, clearing his throat and fixing his tie. Lucifer paused for a moment, turning to face him. His eyes went dark and he couldn’t hide the growing anger on his face. “A hassle?”Anthonio scratched the nape of his neck, avoiding Lucifer’s gaze. “Well, the thing is…” “I was in the middle of something, Anthonio.I’m sure you’re aware.” He cocked a brow, continuing his walk down the hall. “Yes, yes sir. I know and I apologize, but this was a matter of urgency and I had to have you out as soon as possible.” He babbled, linking his hands together in anxiousness as the briefcase he held in his hands somewhat weighed him down. For all his years of working side by side with Lucifer, he still feared him more than anything in the world. Forget being the Capo, when it came to anything
CHAPTER 26“Oh, she’s waking up now.” Angelie turned to the doctor as she watched Katherine shift around on the bed. A part of her was extremely relieved that Katherine was fine, since she had been locked in that room for however long. “Good. Good, give her time to re-energize.” The doctor, Cara said stepping forward to look at her. “She needs the rest, I’ve administered some medications that might make her extremely weak.” She explained, as she crossed her arms waking for Katherine to regain consciousness. Katherine’s eyes blinked open slowly. Everything around her looked like blotches of nothing and she became worried. Impatient, she quickly sat up on the couch and her hand shot up to her head as pain surged through.“Oh, dear. No, no,” Angelie rushed over, guiding Katherine’s head back onto the pillow. She had sat up too fast and it would surely affect her. “You need to lay down and get proper rest.” She mumbled, fixing the pillow up and dragging the blanket over her body.Kather
CHAPTER 27“You need to come over tomorrow.” Lucifer breathed into the phone, his voice low and husky. “Oh? When should I?” Natalia's edgy voice said from the other end of the phone. It hadn't been a long time ago since they had laid together, and it hadn't been a frequent service either. Somehow, buried deep in her, she felt as though Lucifer was beginning to lose interest in her. Of course, she usually had a lot of patrons, but Lucifer…Lucifer was different. Even though the sex was rough, she enjoyed it. There was a sliver of hope that soon she'd be the Dona—the woman hooked onto his right arm at all times—demanding utmost respect and rising to the top of the food chain alongside him.She wanted to be feared—respected—and she'd go to almost any length if she could have that for herself. “Tomorrow. As early as you can.” He said, his jaw clenched as he paced around the room. He was unsteady at the moment, and he just needed an escape from the flurry of emotions that he felt at the
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
CHAPTER 118Katherine stilled, her eyes watching him as confusion hugged her like a blanket. “Huh?”“Forget it,” he murmured. Her spoon hovered over the ice cream as she glared at him. “That's an asshole behaviour and just so you know, I do not like it.”“Sorry I brought it up. I don’t want to unnerved you.”“Well you already did,” she sulked.“Are pregnant women usually like this?” He asked in curiosity. “This has nothing to do with my pregnancy,” she scolded. “Why does everyone blame it on hormones.”“I feel so hot from the anger you're radiating,” he said."I mean it makes no sense. Why does everyone seem to have a problem with my name and clothes?" she muttered, suddenly exhausted.He exhaled slowly. "Okay, first of all, upsetting you was never my intention.”“I've heard that twice,” she pointed out.“It reminds them of someone," Asher said without emotion.She frowned. "Who?"He hesitated and then gave a small smile. "Don’t stress over it."“If you didn't want to speak about it
CHAPTER 117Katherine stirred in her sleep. Her throat was parched almost as though she was stuck on a dessert for two months. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dimness of the room.She felt baby elodie pressed against her and it reminded her of where she had slept. Madelaine and Adelaide lay sprawled in tangled blankets, deep in sleep and they let out gentle snores. Katherine glanced at the clock to her side. It was late, way past midnight. She always seemed to fall asleep in the kids room lately. She sighed and ran a hand over her face before carefully tucking the covers around the girls. Moving slowly, she scooped Elodie up. The little girl's lashes fluttered in deep sleep.Katherine pressed a light kiss to her forehead before placing her in the crib. The baby stirred again but settled into sleep, her tiny fingers curling over her face.She quietly tiptoed out of the room, careful not to move a thing, and heaved a sigh of relief when she successfully made it out.The hous
CHAPTER 116Antonio’s finger danced swiftly over the keyboard , his brows furrowed in concentration as the lines of code scrolled down the screen. Lucifer stood behind him with his arms crossed on his chest. His gaze locked onto the monitor attentively without batting an eyelash as he watched his man do his thing. There was a low noise at first before a beep sound broke through the silence.The tracking signal blinked rapidly and Antonio sucked in his breath as he tried to figure out what was going on. He clicked the keyboard hard. So hard it seemed as though his fingers were going to fall off. The red dot flickered near an abandoned district on the outskirts of the city and he peered closely."We’ve got him," Antonio said, a little too excited, with his hands flying across the keys to zoom in on the location. The GPS pinpointed the area.He leaned back. “Something is wrong.”“What is it?” Lucifer demanded, his voice cold.“But this isn't his house location, this is somewhere diffe
CHAPTER 115Cassius had never been a man to beg anyone who wasn’t Lucifer. Not for power. Not for mercy. Not for anything.Yet here he was, standing at the gates of Giovanni Ivanovo’s mansion, knowing damn well he was about to do exactly that.The guards barely spared him a glance before stepping aside, to let him in. No questions. No hesitation.That alone told him Giovanni was expecting him.Cassius adjusted his coat, keeping his expression blank as he was led through the mansion’s dimly lit halls. The air smelled like expensive cologne, aged whiskey, and blood.Not fresh. But there. Always there.At the end of the corridor, the double doors swung open and he was let in by the guards.Giovanni sat behind a sleek black desk with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He didn’t look up right away, instead he swirled the liquid slowly, like a man with all the time in the world.Cassius stepped inside and almost jumped out of his skin as the doors shut behind him.The silence was disturbing and
CHAPTER 114Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, so loud and so fast that she felt it was going to explode.The children's scream was suddenly replaced with a laughter that filled the hallway. Katherine slowed her steps, gripping the hem of her dress as she peeked into the living room.Adelaide and Madelaine were sitting cross-legged on the floor, their giggles echoing as they played some sort of hand game—with a stranger.A young man lounged in the middle of the room, effortlessly relaxed. His golden-blond hair was slightly tousled, his skin was smooth, and his lips curved into a lazy smirk. He had striking blue eyes, bright and sharp, like the kind you’d see on athletes gracing magazine covers. He was effortlessly handsome, like a footballer who knew exactly how good he looked.Katherine’s stomach twisted into a knot. Who the hell was he?Katherine came closer, her motherly instinct suddenly clicking. “Girls, get behind me.”The giggling stopped. Adelaide and Madelaine gazed at
CHAPTER 113Katherine folded another dress and placed it neatly into her bag. She had gone over this decision a thousand times in her head, cause she was at a losing end but what had she to gain if she stayed back?On the bed, the girls sat cross-legged, their big eyes silently watching her. They didn’t say a word, but their eyes were filled with a sadness they couldn’t hide. She wanted to tell them it wasn’t forever, that she would come back for them, but promises like that felt too expensive.And were never forgotten. Amanda and Ethan had left early that morning, saying they were going shopping. Amanda had even smiled at her before leaving, casually mentioning, “I do hope you'll change your mind and take up this job again. The kids have been the happiest and well behaved since you came into our lives.”But that was not convincing enough to make her change her mind.Adelaide suddenly spoke out, her voice interrupting her thoughts. “Are you leaving because we’ve been mean?”Katherine