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Running Out Of Time
Last Updated:
2024-12-13 00:06:56
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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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 2024-12-18
Latest chapter
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Mr. and Mrs. Thorne
CATHERINEI had a dream. I was running through a dark tunnel. Shouts and rough grunts echoed behind me. I couldn't understand them. I only knew that if I stopped, I would die. So I kept running, even though my lungs burned and my muscles turned into stone. I was cold. I was hopeless. I was alone…‘You can stop now, Catherine,’ someone's voice coaxed. ‘You can go back.’The voice sounded familiar, although it was etheric and breathy. It didn't seem to come from one place. It vibrated around me. It pierced through me. I wasn't even sure if it came from the tunnel or I heard it in my mind.‘Catherine, stop.’ The sound was gentle, pleasant, and yet filled with strength and confidence.I slowed my pace, then dug my heels into the cold ground. “Mom?” I whispered, looking around as if the voice could somehow materialize.‘Go back,’ she said. ‘He's waiting for you.’Hot tears gathered in my eyes. “He?” I croaked.‘It's over, Catherine.’ A warm smile filled every note. ‘Go there. Celebrate your
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Waiting
A hand on my shoulder jerked me awake. Wincing in discomfort, I straightened up in my seat and blinked, adjusting my vision. The sympathetic smile on Lazar's face told me I must have looked like shit. His eyes drifted to the side of the bed where I held Catherine's hand.“No changes, I see,” he muttered.I looked at his sleeping great-niece and shook my head. Then I turned to him and cleared my throat. “The doctors say this might take a while before she wakes up.”The night she had gotten shot, I'd nearly lost my mind. Luckily, Lazar's doctors had taken care of her immediately. Ironically, the shot might have been the thing that saved her. The massive blood loss had lessened the Pink Opium's effect, and after the blood transfusion, the poisonous drug had left her body.Lazar fixed his eyes on me. “But… she will wake up.” I wasn't sure whether it was a statement or a question, but I still nodded. A sliver of relief relaxed his features, but then he clenched his fists. “I should have pr
All Because I Kissed a Stranger To Death
My finger turned heavier, curling on the trigger as I imagined his brain splattered all over this fucking corridor. But I wasn't the only one feeling bloodthirst. Dante wanted to kill me just as badly; I saw it in his rage-burning eyes. He tried to mask it with cold amusement, but I could nearly taste the fury radiating from him.“Is she inside?” he purred, jerking his chin at the ajar-open door to the storage. “Such a stubborn little thing, isn't she? She's dying because of that stubbornness.”Every fiber within me filled with lethal calm. “You did this to her? You gave her the Pink Opium?”The fucker smiled, triggering a new urge. No. He wouldn't die from a single bullet. He deserved to be skinned alive and torn to fucking little pieces.He lifted his gun, aiming at my head. “She will die within an hour. The latest booster works that way. Although, I have to admit she used it well. Did she tell you she killed five of ours until the initial effect wore off?” Cold laughter slipped free
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Anything For Her
HUNTER“Explain to me again, why do we trust this guy?” Rowan grunted as we marched through the tunnel.“We don't trust him,” I corrected. “We're taking a necessary risk.”Rowan glanced at Remo and Ferro as if hoping they would back him up. Luckily for them, they kept their mouth shut. Rowan, however, chose otherwise. “This looks like a trap. Why would this guy, who's apparently Lagunov's general, help us get into their fortress through some backdoor? It doesn't make sense!”I gave him a wry smile but didn't slow my pace. “I don't get it either. Then again, he had a chance to kill me twice. He didn't even try. Maybe he actually wants to switch sides.”Rowan gave me a look. “He killed Arianna without remorse.”“Perhaps he can't work around every order Lagunov gives him,” I reasoned. “Or maybe he simply hated Arianna.”“That I can imagine,” Remo commented dryly.Rowan lined up with me. “Basically, you dragged us into those tunnels because he wrote something about the documents signed by
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Survive
Twenty-four hours had passed without Dante showing up in my prison cell, but that hadn't made me relax even for a second. I had been on constant alert, listening to every sound coming from the corridor. My muscles tensed every time I heard someone approaching my door, but I knew that I finally had to get some sleep…I'd used Maxim's trick to block the handle, but even then I allowed myself to rest for merely three hours. Drifting into a deep sleep wasn't an option, although I realized my body would soon run on fumes.My anxieties threatened to devour me, but each time I was close to panic, Maxim's words appeared in my mind. “They're coming, Catherine,” I mumbled to myself. “Just hold on a little longer.”A few more hours had passed, and I was slowly losing the fight to keep my eyes open. I was on the verge of falling into unawareness when the sound of heavy footsteps made me jerk up to my feet. Barefoot, I rushed to unblock the door. A second later, the door slammed open, and three me
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Breaking the Leash
My whole body began to rattle, and a high-pitched tone rang in my ears. It was a struggle not to fall apart as I silently prayed Hunter was alive. But if they had attacked the estate in Scarsdale, how many people had they killed? What about Gianna, Ferro, Enzo, Remo, or Rowan?“Thank you, Maxim.” Aleks Lagunov's icy laugh tore me out of my frantic thoughts. “That's great news,” he crooned as his eyes shifted to me. “Not so great news for you, I'm afraid. You see, Catherine, I can assure you that no one will come for you. Tomorrow, we will attack the Fedorov's estate and crush Lazar's little army. We know more than a little about your plans…” He pointed at one of the Italians sitting by the table. “Mr. Messino was kind enough to share more than a few details.”My hands fisted into tight balls. “Fucking traitor,” I strained through my teeth.Messino glared at me, but Lagunov laughed. “Such feistiness… Just like Katerina.” Then he locked his eyes on me, a grim smile stretching his lips.
All Because I Kissed a Stranger The Predators and the Prey
CATHERINEI couldn't sleep. Drifting into unawareness in this place was more terrifying than Dante's presence in my room. I was exhausted, but my adrenaline levels were high enough to keep me constantly awake.Nearly every sound coming from the corridor made me flinch. The heavy steps brought chills down my spine, and the deep, cold laughter caused my stomach to roil. Dante hadn't visited me again so far, but I knew he would come and demand my answer. As if he had given me a choice…Three times a day someone walked into my room, bringing me food—mostly a slice of bread and water, sometimes an apple. Those servants never looked at me or spoke except for barking out a few commands. They had uncuffed my hand twice. Only for a minute, and only so I could take care of my physiological needs. Then I was cuffed again.I began to think I might lose my mind should I stay in this room and in this bed another day. My whole body began to ache, and I spent hours trying to shift the chain to make m
All Because I Kissed a Stranger The Siege
“Where are the fucking darts?!” Remo shouted through the communicator. “I've literally stuffed those fuckers with bullets, and they're still attacking the gates!”“Get a grip. You're not the only one pissed off by those zombie cunts,” Rowan hissed as he released another empty clip.All my men had been trying to fend off the attack at our gates for over an hour now. So far, the defenses we had installed around the estate turned out to be unbreachable, but those drug-fueled soldiers were relentless in their attempts to bring our fences down.“Enzo said the darts are on the way,” I said, aiming my gun at one of the bloodshot-eyed fuckers charging at the western gate. “In the meantime, aim for the heads.”Most of my suit was coated with blood. I hadn't had the time to change, and those renegades didn't die easily. Blood formed a red mist around our borders, and countless bodies lined the ground. Their losses were far greater than ours, but they kept coming, kept attacking…“Guys, I'm runn
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Desperate
HUNTERTwenty-six hours passed since Catherine had been abducted, and we still couldn't locate where she was kept. Potentially, she could have been in one of over thirty estates owned by Aleks Lagunov. So far, we were trying to narrow that list down, but excluding each location took too much time…After more than a few hours of useless quarrels, Lazar and I had finally gathered all our allies under one roof—my roof. Certainly, this agreement hadn't eliminated the mutual hostility, which currently satiated the air in the meeting room so densely, breathing had become a struggle. Well, at least none of them had chosen to resort to violence… so far.We all sat at the large oval table with Lazar and me on the opposite sides. We exchanged meaningful looks, then Lazar cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. “My spies confirmed our previous suspicions… The Lagunov family's old estate was abandoned some time ago,” he said. “That means the renegades' main headquarters has to be elsewh
