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Running Out Of Time
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2024-12-13 00:06:56
Bab terkait
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Fight or Flight
CATHERINE“I thought you're taking me to the precinct in the city,” I said as Detective Jacobson took another turn, entering something that resembled a private driveway in someone's possession.“No,” Jacobson muttered. “That's not where we're going.”A shudder coursed through me. I glanced at both sides of the road and saw nothing but dark forest. “Then… where are we going?” I dared ask.Garrett twisted in his seat, turning toward me. “That shouldn't be your concern.”My hands fisted. “Tell me where we're going, right now!” I snarled.A cold smile spread across Garrett's face. “Shouldn't you be a little nicer to the authorities?”“Mrs. Thorne, I'd advise you to calm down,” Castillo gritted out, as if my demands were somehow unreasonable. “I have the right to know where I'm taken,” I reasoned, my voice sharp.Castillo placed his hand on my arm and gave me a tense smile. “You should just do as I say and be quiet.”The car took another turn, and suddenly we found ourselves on the inters
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-13All Because I Kissed a Stranger Survive
“Shoot to stop her, not kill!” Garrett's voice echoed through the forest, his command followed by the whistling sound of bullets.I sucked in a sharp breath and stormed forward, praying none of their bullets would reach me. The densely growing trees shielded me so far, but I knew my luck wouldn't last forever. I pushed myself to the limits and beyond, ignoring my hurting feet, the torn skin on my wrists, and the throb in my head. I didn't know where I was running. I could barely see anything in the darkness of the night, but they couldn't see much either. The problem was that outrunning them all seemed almost impossible... but stopping meant death.“These woods go for miles, princess! No one to save you here!” I heard Jacobson's booming voice. “You can't run forever!”I knew I couldn't. A part of me wondered if my mad escape made any sense. I couldn't even call for help; there was no one to help me here. And yet, I kept running, even knowing that only a freaking miracle would help me s
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-14All Because I Kissed a Stranger Her Safety
HUNTERI sat on the bed, watching Catherine in her sleep. I hadn't left her side since I'd found her in those woods. I was still wearing my blood-stained combat pants and tee, but changing clothes or taking a shower wasn't my priority. Not when she had been beaten and nearly raped.She looked so peaceful now. Nothing could indicate she had been pulled out of the nightmare only hours ago. I didn't even want to think about how close it was. Rage still hummed in my veins whenever I thought about it. I wanted to revive those fuckers and kill them again—this time slowly and ten times more painfully.I leaned over my wife and brushed the strand of her fiery hair off her face. So many bruises marred her. She had gone through hell in less than two hours. Now I could only hope she would recover fast. I needed my firecracker whole, without a single inch of feistiness missing.I leaned over her, gently kissing her bruised cheek. “Sweet dreams,” I murmured before rising to my feet and leaving her
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-15All Because I Kissed a Stranger Guilt
CATHERINEDry twigs snapped under my bare feet as I ran through the woods. The lines of densely growing trees seemed to have no end. I told myself I could distinguish shapes in the darkness of the night, but the truth was I was nearly running blind.“There's no point in running from us, princess!” Garrett's voice boomed through the forest. “We'll catch you sooner or later!” He chuckled. They all laughed as they chased after me, as if my attempts to survive were their best source of entertainment.Every muscle in my body hurt, and doubts started to fill my mind. Would it hurt less if I surrendered? Maybe death would come quickly, painlessly… No. The one who ordered my death wanted me to suffer. I knew that, and still, a part of me wanted to stop and face the inevitable.“He won't be able to save you forever, you know?” Castillo's snicker echoed among the trees. “You're his weakness! He'll get rid of you as soon as he inherits it all!”I ground my teeth and quickened my steps. I glanced
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-16All Because I Kissed a Stranger Healing
HUNTERIt had been a week since Catherine's kidnapping, and all her bruises finally seemed to fade. She was healing… at least physically. I had tried to crush the guilt coiling inside her, but I doubted I managed to destroy it entirely. She sometimes stared at her hands, as if she still saw blood covering her skin—Castillo's blood. Her nightmares were now gone, but she had that haunting look on her face telling me her thoughts kept swirling around some dark place.I'd spent most of my time in the estate recently. I didn't want to leave her for too long, and I didn't trust anyone enough to replace me. Instead of forcing her to move back into the main bedroom, I sort of moved to hers. Every night, I had lay beside her, watching her fall asleep wrapped in my arms, making sure she felt safe throughout the night.The old me would have found my behavior absurd, but I'd grown to enjoy this sort of intimacy between us. As cold as it might have sounded, it also served my plans. I had managed t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-16All Because I Kissed a Stranger Dinner
The doors of my office slid open, and I strode inside, my fists loosening and clenching on my sides. Enzo, Remo, and Rowan were sitting in our usual spot, with documents and photos splayed on the coffee table.I'd tried to silence my annoyance as I drove here, and I would have lied saying that regaining my composure had come easily. I understood the urgency, though; to prevent another attack, we needed to act. Fucking my wife senseless would have to wait. Again.“Tell me you found something useful,” I muttered, sitting in the armchair.Rowan grabbed several photos from the table and tossed them over to me. “As you know, we'd taken photos of the bodies before we got rid of them. Enzo ran each one of those fuckers through the face recognition program. We searched through all the databases and police records, and—”“Tell me we have the names,” I gritted out as I went through the photos he gave me. Most of them had tattoos on their bodies. Hopefully, that would help with the identificatio
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-17All Because I Kissed a Stranger Planning a Trap
Catherine and I watched Lazar enter his limo and leave the estate. Tension radiated from me in waves, and I knew that Catherine felt it too. As soon as Lazar's car disappeared from view, I turned around and walked inside the mansion. Catherine followed me.“Something happened, right? Did Lazar tell you anything?” she asked, trying to read the answer from my expression.I grabbed her hand and led her to my study, debating how much I should tell her as we walked. Then I closed the door behind us and sighed. “Lazar didn't know any of the men I showed him, but he gave us a lead about those two Italians.”Catherine's brows rose. “Really? So what now?”I scratched the back of my neck. “I'll have to drag the answers out of someone who's not my ally,” I said carefully.“An enemy?” She fixed her eyes on me. “Who is it?”My lips twisted into an uncomfortable grimace. “Grasso.”She stumbled back, her face turning pale. “Will you interrogate him?”“I wish I could beat the answers out of him, but
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-18All Because I Kissed a Stranger A Dangerous Game
Convincing Fabrizio Grasso to meet with me had turned out to be easier than I initially assumed. It was either sheer curiosity or simply greed that made him agree to come to Spine Dorate Tower. He would surely regret trusting me so easily once he figured out the reason behind this meeting. Unfortunately for him, by that time, it would be too late…The doors of my office opened, and Grasso strode inside, two bodyguards flanking him. I sat in the armchair, facing the doors. A hint of a smirk curved my lips as I locked my eyes on the fucker and slowly rose to my feet.Grasso looked around my office and put his hands into his pants pockets. “Nice place you have here. Perhaps I should visit your club one day.”I hated the sole idea of him tainting my place with his presence, but I kept my expression neutral as I pointed at the sofa. “Have a seat. We have a few things to discuss.”“Very well, Thorne.” He gave me a curt nod and walked to the three-piece suit, his guards following.I looked a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-18
Bab terbaru
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Partner In Crime
I drew a deep breath and slowly descended the stairs, heading to the salon. I debated whether I should dress up or keep it casual. I chose the latter, as if I paid little mind to Hunter's unexpected visit. I was determined to show him his presence was unwelcome, and I only decided to meet him so he would stop bothering me and leave.I kept repeating it in my head as I walked through the corridor with my hands fisted into balls. I raised my chin and straightened up my back while summoning my composure, anything to cover the storm of emotions coiling inside me.I walked to the doors and opened them with one confident swing. I passed the threshold, and my eyes instantly landed on Hunter. He was sitting on the sofa, two armed guards standing beside him. Logan, my new six-foot-three, bulky chief of security, decided to escort my husband here personally. Now he and Daniel, his second, watched Hunter's every movement as if he were a deadly predator on the loose.I was no expert, but I could
All Because I Kissed a Stranger A Little Bit Of Freedom
CATHERINEThe Pink Opium. My grandma created the Pink Opium. It was hard to accept the reality no matter how many times I had read the entry in her diary. I was certain that the completed formula was somewhere in her study. I was its new owner. I currently possessed something all the renegades would have killed me for.A shudder rushed through me. The rising panic within me encouraged me to find matches and gasoline and burn down all the documents and the laboratory. But a weak voice reminded me that Grandma created Pink Opium to help people, not turn them into a weapon.Lina helped me find several more Grandma's diaries. I brought them all to one of the bedrooms I picked as mine—at least for now—because, well… I decided to stay. Knowing I actually owned this estate and was Katerina Fedorova's only heir felt terrifying but also exciting. I was still somewhere in the middle of accepting the fact that I had suddenly become rich, but I could already feel how it empowered me.Of course, i
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Suspicions
My mind was a fucking mess. I was slowly losing myself in the agonizing swirl of thoughts, drafting new scenarios with no good way out of this situation. I lifted my whiskey glass to my lips and poured the liquor down my throat. At least the burn helped silence the noises in my head… for about two seconds.“So what did you tell Guido?” Rowan's voice and piercing gaze shattered my momentary calm.I lowered my glass and grunted, “Nothing. I got back into my car and drove away.”His eyes narrowed as if he tried to read my thoughts. “What was your reaction when you saw Arianna again?”I drank from my glass. “It was… intense,” I admitted. “It felt like everything I've ever felt for her returned and amplified.”“Damn,” he drawled, reaching for his whiskey. “So… now what? If you love Arianna, where does it put Catherine?”“I've never said I love Arianna,” I corrected. “This… initial surge of feelings lasted a moment and then gave way to something akin to pity, I guess.”Rowan's brows inched
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Torn
HUNTERMy hands at my sides kept fisting and opening. The overwhelming tension had turned my shoulders into stone hours ago, and now, the unbearable stiffness began to spread throughout my body. To say I was torn would have been an understatement. I was fucking certain the choice I had made would soon bite me in the ass, but there was no good way out of this situation, and the last thing I wanted was to let Guido Pelligrini know I had lost my wife somewhere.“Drink?” Guido placed a whiskey glass on the coffee table and gave me a knowing smirk. “You look like you need one.”Not one. Had I drunk an entire bottle or two, I was willing to bet I would have remained sober as fuck. He took my silence as a reply and filled my glass with amber liquor. I snatched it from the table and gulped down half of it. Then I sucked in a breath and started to pace around Guido's salon.Half of me screamed I shouldn't be here. I should have been heading to Bellport, looking for Catherine, making sure she w
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Katerina
“And here are the third floor's bedrooms.” Lina gestured at the doors in front of us. “The nicest is the one in the corner.” She let out a soft giggle.She and Ivan, her husband, had been showing me around the estate for the past three hours. My head was spinning, and my chest kept clenching harder and harder. Why had my mom thrown all of this away? Why had she allowed us to become nearly penniless when she could have had all of this?We entered another cozy chamber with a dark wood floor, bright furniture, and an amazing amount of light coming from the wall-size windows. “Everything here looks incredible,” I murmured, scanning the large canopy bed in the center.“Katerina wanted this to resemble her old home as much as possible,” Lina said, lining up with me as I walked to the window, opening to a small balcony.I gave her a faint smile before turning my gaze to the view. There was nothing but miles of woods outside—a place perfectly hidden from the outside world. “Did my mom… live h
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Solnechnyy Dom
CATHERINEPerhaps I was making a huge mistake. I didn't know if the place I was looking for still existed. This could be a trap. I could be walking straight into the lair of our enemies…“Our enemies,” I muttered, realizing how bitter the word “our” tasted.Was there even “us”? I was foolish to trust Hunter. I was foolish to believe he hadn't lied about anything else. I had heard about his meeting with Guido Pelligrini. I should have known he at least considered allying with him, and the worst part was that I couldn't even be mad at him for it. It was a wise thing to do—divorce me and marry a Princess that had an army by her side.Believing that we could have had a true relationship was naïve. Don Cartelli should have had a wife who granted him more power, and I couldn't give him that. I had known that for a long time. I couldn't stay by his side. Still, his lie felt like a stab in the heart. And I kept bleeding…I should have faced Hunter, shoved those damn documents in his face, and
All Because I Kissed a Stranger The Price for My Mistakes
HUNTERI stared at the burner phone lying on my desk, one Grasso had given me. Rowan followed my line of sight and stepped closer.“Do you seriously believe Grasso will give you what you want?” He offered me a wry smile.I gave him a look. “Do you seriously believe I could trust this fucker after what happened the last time?”He sighed in relief. “Fuck, I hoped you'd say that.”“He sent us straight into the renegades' trap. Now I'm about to return the favor.” I motioned my chin at the phone. “As soon as that cunt sends us the address, I'll call Carlo Evola and Hisa Azumi. Let them deal with Grasso, and honestly, I hope they will skin him alive.”A grim smile stretched across Rowan's lips. “Yeah… I wouldn't mind if they tortured him for days. Although I doubt they have patience for it.” Then he leaned against my desk and locked his eyes on me. “But… what if the renegades have the evidence we want? Isn't it tempting to play their game a little longer?”I loosened a breath. “I thought I w
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Lies
My blood froze in my veins. I stared at Hunter and saw his fists clenching. Would he truly sell me to Grasso to get the evidence? I knew that this evidence was something he had always wanted. This was the way to avenge his parents. Was this my worth for him? I had no value as his wife. I couldn't get him the allies he needed. But now, he could trade me for something he desired for a long time.Suddenly, those words became cruelly familiar. It sounded exactly like what that man in Chicago had said to me. The only difference was that he had used the past tense...My stomach twisted into knots. Had he been referring to some previous deal between Grasso and Hunter? Had the red-haired man been telling the truth? I clamped my hand over my mouth, fearing I might vomit. Still, I had to hear it from Hunter… even if that truth could break me.“So what now?” Hunter locked his eyes on Grasso. “Do you expect me to let you leave this place freely and wait for you to bring me some imaginary document
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Grief
CATHERINEShe died holding my hand. She smiled faintly, her eyes closed, and she drifted into a deep sleep, one she had never woken up from. Some would say it was a “good death,” as if there could have been anything good about dying…“At least she didn't suffer,” I heard from one of the doctors. It was a small consolation, but not enough to take a single fracture of my grief.The preparations for the funeral were a blur. I shoved my emotions away until every decision I made became nearly automatic. Hunter was always by my side as I handled all the bureaucratic issues while Fifi and Ace helped me organize a small reception for those who had known my mom and wanted to pay their last respects.I knew most of them. They were Mom's old work colleagues and neighbors. None of them had been truly close with Mom, but they all respected her and loved her as a human being.They appeared in front of me, staring into my eyes as if awaiting my tears, but all they witnessed was my numbness, and all
