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Taking a Risk
Last Updated:
2024-12-12 03:21:16
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All Because I Kissed a Stranger Running Out Of Time
HUNTER“Open this fucking door right now!”I kept banging and kicking the door for the last several minutes, but no one answered. My mind worked at a hectic speed, going through every possible scenario. All outcomes were bloody, and Catherine ended up dead or crippled in ninety percent of them. I didn't know who left this message, but whoever it was had access to the police station, and that couldn't mean anything good.Finally, the door opened, and my two favorite detectives walked inside. “Getting violent, aren't we?” Sullivan sneered. “You must be tired. Are you ready to confess your crimes?”I cautiously stepped away from the door, watching their every move as they entered. I knew their tricks. The last thing I needed was to be arrested for alleged physical assault on a police officer. “I need to call somewhere, so unless you can turn off the damn jamming device you have here, let me out of this fucking room,” I gritted out.Prescott scratched his chin and sighed. “I'm afraid we c
Last Updated : 2024-12-13All 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 : 2024-12-18
Latest chapter
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
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Imprisoned
CATHERINEThe pulsing, sharp pain in the side of my head drew me toward awareness. The pounding seemed to increase each time I tried to open my eyes. My heart thundered, its rate matching the vicious pain in my head. I swallowed shallow breaths as if I were inches above the water and struggled to remain on the surface.Finally, my eyes jerked open, and I was blinded by the sudden brightness. I might have groaned, but I wasn't sure whether the sound left my throat or remained in my mind. My mouth was dry, and my tongue darted out, desperate to wet my lips.“Thirsty, Kitty Cat?”That voice sent chills down my spine. I blinked a few times, hoping my eyes would finally adapt to the light. I slowly turned my head to the source of the sound and saw Dante Cartelli's cold smile.I gasped, trying to move away from him. Only then did I realize I was lying on the bed with one hand cuffed and chained to the metal rod hanging above the headboard. The light filling the room was coming from the larg
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Security Protocol
The high-pitched tone kept ringing in my ears. My breath was labored, and my legs threatened to give up from under me. I failed her. I let them take her away. I should have done things differently. I should have assumed the worst and headed to that fucking lab faster. I shouldn't have hesitated. I should have just lunged at them and blown their fucking heads off.I forced another deep breath into my lungs, but my tightened ribcage refused to cooperate. I could barely focus on my surroundings. My mind kept replaying the moment the redhead had carried my unconscious firecracker into the van and then driven away…“They're all dead.” Rowan's voice dragged me out of my bewilderment. He walked over to me with a tight grimace twisting his lips. “A few we didn't kill committed suicide as soon as they figured out they lost. Others were killed by the drug.”“Fucking perfect.” I dragged my fingers through my hair. “Catherine is gone, and there's no one who could tell us where those fuckers took
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Emergency
HUNTERCatherine. Hearing she might be in danger knocked the air out of my lungs. I barked out several commands, grabbed my combat clothes and guns, and a moment later, I was inside the van, heading to the location Catherine had sent in her text.It wasn't far from Scarsdale, but we still needed time to get there. What if we came too late? No. We would make it. I couldn't let myself think otherwise.I shoved those thoughts away. I needed to focus. We rode in the column—five vans with my best men inside them. Ferro was driving the one I was in. I could see his firm grip on the wheel and rage burning in his eyes. I had rarely seen him this infuriated, but this was about Catherine, and I knew that he—just like the others in my team—would annihilate everyone who tried to hurt her.I called Lazar. His first team had just arrived and began to check the area, quickly confirming our suspicions: the renegades had surrounded the entire complex.My blood turned into molten lava. “Who else knew a
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Betrayed
My heart hammered against my chest. I looked around, but there was only him and me standing in that courtyard. I whirled around, trying to run, but then he grabbed my arm, violently pulling me to a halt.“Don't resist. It will hurt if you do.” His dark laugh sounded. He turned me toward him and pressed the gun to my temple. My breath hitched as I saw his finger slowly curling on the trigger. “He wanted you to live, but I could get away with killing you on the spot,” he purred.I believed him. He wanted me to give him a reason. Shit. I couldn't even risk calling out to Logan without provoking him. Not to mention that I would have been dead before Logan heard me…“I'll… behave,” I choked out.He huffed out a laugh. “Good girl.” He shifted his gun, pressing the barrel against my back as he pushed me toward a narrow passage. “Move,” he snarled.I was partially relieved he led me away from the lab, but that didn't exactly solve my problem. I started walking, cautiously glancing around. It
All Because I Kissed a Stranger So Close
CATHERINEI dropped the phone on the table and slumped down on the bed. My hands were shaking, and I could barely stop my hectic swirl of thoughts. The people I had laughed with a few days ago were slaughtered in their own house along with thirty members of the staff working for them.The renegades' attacks had become more frequent and more brutal than ever, and our new allies had grown impatient. My great-uncle told me to ignore them. He said he would handle them himself, but how could I let him when I caused it all?Vera or Nikolay had been coming to Lazar's office at least twice a day, asking for the Pink Opium. They kept pushing, demanding that Lazar tell them where our lab was. He wouldn't tell them anything, but I knew that their frequent visits had already been drawing too much attention. I would have lied had I said their reckless behavior hadn't made me anxious. I knew it was only a matter of time before the news about the complete Pink Opium formula reached the renegades' ea
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Building the Front
Exhaustion coated my feet like lead, turning each step into a struggle, but I couldn't allow myself to rest, not after what we had just found out. I rolled back my shoulders and walked into the salon where the rest of my Italian allies waited for the news.They occupied two leather sofas and two armchairs. Only Guido stood by the window, clearly avoiding my gaze as I entered. “Glad you're all here,” I said as my eyes swept through the room. Then I walked toward the seats, stopping in a place where I could see them all. “I bet you all want to know about the results of Arianna Pelligrini's interrogation.”I heard a quiet huff, and I didn't need to look to know it was Guido. He was the only one who already knew what Arianna had told us—he'd heard it all. Even now, a few hours after the interrogation had ended, I could feel the mix of rage and shame radiating from him.“Hope you learned something useful from your—as I believe—former fiancée.” Luca Barbieri gave me a meaningful look.I res
All Because I Kissed a Stranger First Answers
I walked over to Ferro, who leaned against the wall next to Arianna's cell. I jerked my chin at the door. “Did she behave?”A wicked smirk appeared. “She kept banging at the door and screaming for about an hour. Then she finally gave up and remained quiet ever since.”“I see.” I nodded before gesturing for him to open the door.He pulled out the key card but then halted and gave me a wry smile. “Boss… you don't have to do this. Remo and I can take care of the interrogation.”I almost laughed. “Your concern is unnecessary.” I clasped my hand on his shoulder. “Do you honestly believe I would feel sorry for someone who tried to kill me for my money?”“I see your point.” His lips formed a thin line. Then he nodded and opened the cell.The door creaked, revealing a dark cell. I pushed the door further, letting the dim light illuminate the small space. Then I noticed Arianna sitting on the floor with her legs curled up to her chest and hands wrapped around her knees. She was barefoot and dr
All Because I Kissed a Stranger One Step Closer
HUNTERI knew that showing up at this meeting was risky. Not to mention that my current allies had yet to find out about the changes they would be a part of. The mutual agreement would not come peacefully. They might have even more objections than the leaders at Lazar's table. But we had to start building this mutual front, and we had to do it now.I knew Catherine well enough to realize that something was off, and I knew I had to support her. It was crucial that none of the remaining Bratva leaders question her words. Fortunately, only Vera was overly curious about the drug and where it was produced. The new head of the Nikitin family helped shut her up. He seemed like a decent guy, and knowing the numbers of his family's soldiers, I wouldn't mind having him as my ally.The rest of the meeting had gone without incident. We all agreed we needed more information about Lagunov's army. A few shared the information they had on the renegades, but everyone was aware that this wasn't enough
