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The Ticking Clock
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2025-01-16 02:55:23
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All Because I Kissed a Stranger   Waiting for the News
CATHERINEMom's words still rang in my head as I sat in the corridor, waiting for doctors to finish another series of her tests. I'd told her I would leave Hunter only if he hurt me. She had called me foolish and nearly kicked me out of her room.I knew she meant well, even if her methods were harsh. She was trying to protect me. She thought she needed to protect me from Hunter. I'd wanted to tell her I would always be safe with him, but as I'd started to speak, all my confidence had disappeared.I knew Hunter kept secrets from me. I'd known him long enough now to see the slight changes in his expression. It appeared each time he wasn't honest. I'd seen this change in Chicago after I'd asked about the meaning of the red-haired stranger's words.I was nearly certain he had lied to me then. Of course, I tried to tell myself that perhaps the stranger's words meant something insignificant, and he had said them to mess with my head, but a second later, my mind returned to his suggestion th
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-17All Because I Kissed a Stranger   Accepting the Inevitable
The probability of Mom's operation succeeding was ten percent or less. Doctor Sinclair gave Mom a few hours to decide, but I already knew what her answer would be.Bitter laughter bubbled in my throat. How pathetic my bold declarations had been. I'd promised myself I would fight for her. I had been confident she would fight, too. But no victor would leave this battlefield. The choice she had was between likely dying within hours during the operation or simply waiting for the death to claim herâĶUnsurprisingly, my mom demanded Hunter stay out of her room. I couldn't blame her. If she were to accept him, it would require timeâĶ something we didn't have.As more time passed since she had woken up, her strength seemed to return. Superficially, she looked almost healthy. A gentle blush covered her cheeks, and her eyes shone as I remembered. She even moved and talked with more ease. But seeing every element of this façade only brought more painâĶâI don't want to die on that table,â she final
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-18All Because I Kissed a Stranger   Talk to Her
HUNTERTen days had passed since Mrs. Lewis had woken up. Catherine had spent nearly every minute of the day by her side. I couldn't blame her. Their time together had been cruelly limited. I had seen Catherine's smiling faceâthe mask she had created for her mom. And then I'd seen her crying in some quiet corner of the hospital. I knew this situation had been taking a toll on her, and I could do almost nothing to help herâĶThe renegades had gone silent. After everything that had gone down in my LA club, they had yet to make a move. While my wife sat at the hospital, I spent long hours analyzing and rewriting all our strategies, hoping to prepare my people for every possible attack. We might have known more than before about the renegades and their true power, but our knowledge was still insufficient, and slowly our common sense was giving way to the overwhelming frustration and anger.âFuck this!â Remo growled, shoving a pile of paper folders off the table.âWould you calm the fuck do
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-21All 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 âgood death,â as if there could have been anything good about dyingâĶâAt least she didn't suffer,â 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
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-22All 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 HunterâĶ even if that truth could break me.âSo what now?â Hunter locked his eyes on Grasso. âDo you expect me to let you leave this place freely and wait for you to bring me some imaginary document
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-23All 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.âDo you seriously believe Grasso will give you what you want?â He offered me a wry smile.I gave him a look. âDo you seriously believe I could trust this fucker after what happened the last time?âHe sighed in relief. âFuck, I hoped you'd say that.ââHe sent us straight into the renegades' trap. Now I'm about to return the favor.â I motioned my chin at the phone. âAs 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.âA grim smile stretched across Rowan's lips. âYeahâĶ I wouldn't mind if they tortured him for days. Although I doubt they have patience for it.â Then he leaned against my desk and locked his eyes on me. âButâĶ what if the renegades have the evidence we want? Isn't it tempting to play their game a little longer?âI loosened a breath. âI thought I w
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-24All 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 enemiesâĶâOur enemies,â I muttered, realizing how bitter the word âourâ tasted.Was there even âusâ? 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 doâdivorce me and marry a Princess that had an army by her side.Believing that we could have had a true relationship was naÃŊve. 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 bleedingâĶI should have faced Hunter, shoved those damn documents in his face, and
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-27All Because I Kissed a Stranger   Katerina
âAnd here are the third floor's bedrooms.â Lina gestured at the doors in front of us. âThe nicest is the one in the corner.â 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. âEverything here looks incredible,â I murmured, scanning the large canopy bed in the center.âKaterina wanted this to resemble her old home as much as possible,â 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 outsideâa place perfectly hidden from the outside world. âDid my momâĶ live h
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-28
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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 aloneâĶâYou can stop now, Catherine,â someone's voice coaxed. âYou can go back.âThe 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.âCatherine, stop.â The sound was gentle, pleasant, and yet filled with strength and confidence.I slowed my pace, then dug my heels into the cold ground. âMom?â I whispered, looking around as if the voice could somehow materialize.âGo back,â she said. âHe's waiting for you.âHot tears gathered in my eyes. âHe?â I croaked.âIt's over, Catherine.â A warm smile filled every note. âGo 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.âNo changes, I see,â he muttered.I looked at his sleeping great-niece and shook my head. Then I turned to him and cleared my throat. âThe doctors say this might take a while before she wakes up.âThe 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. âButâĶ she will wake up.â 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. âI 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.âIs she inside?â he purred, jerking his chin at the ajar-open door to the storage. âSuch a stubborn little thing, isn't she? She's dying because of that stubbornness.âEvery fiber within me filled with lethal calm. âYou did this to her? You gave her the Pink Opium?âThe 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. âShe 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?â Cold laughter slipped free
All Because I Kissed a Stranger   Anything For Her
HUNTERâExplain to me again, why do we trust this guy?â Rowan grunted as we marched through the tunnel.âWe don't trust him,â I corrected. âWe're taking a necessary risk.âRowan 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. âThis 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!âI gave him a wry smile but didn't slow my pace. âI 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.âRowan gave me a look. âHe killed Arianna without remorse.ââPerhaps he can't work around every order Lagunov gives him,â I reasoned. âOr maybe he simply hated Arianna.ââThat I can imagine,â Remo commented dryly.Rowan lined up with me. âBasically, 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 sleepâĶI'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. âThey're coming, Catherine,â I mumbled to myself. âJust hold on a little longer.âA 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?âThank you, Maxim.â Aleks Lagunov's icy laugh tore me out of my frantic thoughts. âThat's great news,â he crooned as his eyes shifted to me. âNot 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 plansâĶâ He pointed at one of the Italians sitting by the table. âMr. Messino was kind enough to share more than a few details.âMy hands fisted into tight balls. âFucking traitor,â I strained through my teeth.Messino glared at me, but Lagunov laughed. âSuch feistinessâĶ Just like Katerina.â 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 choiceâĶThree times a day someone walked into my room, bringing me foodâmostly 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
âWhere are the fucking darts?!â Remo shouted through the communicator. âI've literally stuffed those fuckers with bullets, and they're still attacking the gates!ââGet a grip. You're not the only one pissed off by those zombie cunts,â 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.âEnzo said the darts are on the way,â I said, aiming my gun at one of the bloodshot-eyed fuckers charging at the western gate. âIn the meantime, aim for the heads.âMost 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 attackingâĶâGuys, 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 timeâĶAfter more than a few hours of useless quarrels, Lazar and I had finally gathered all our allies under one roofâmy 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 violenceâĶ 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. âMy spies confirmed our previous suspicionsâĶ The Lagunov family's old estate was abandoned some time ago,â he said. âThat means the renegades' main headquarters has to be elsewh
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