I prayed for darkness, but the lights decided to be steady; I wished for the unconscious, but for the first time, the universe resolved to consider me.The dripping sound persisted, his blood wasting on the white tiled floor.Just like I suspected, the darkness oozed out from him. It was in the intensity of his gaze, his scattered hair, looking slept on and wearing a black rumpled polo shirt. His eyes looked like they had been rubbed countless times.I tried opening my lips, but nothing escaped them; the sound was stuck with the lump in my throat.He poked his head out the door, staring down the empty hallway. A few seconds passed, and his attention was back on me, eyes on my fraying hair I didn't have time to brush down."It's cold out, and you're barely clothed." The deep, hushed voice came from above me, "You shouldn't be here, Lily." Adler let his eyes graze down my t-shirt; although braless, he didn't stick to my chest. He stretched forth bloody hands, "I got a cardigan in there,
"It's owner killed my mother."That pendant still hung over the mirror while I continued to play the deadly version of Spot the Difference and kept on failing. I couldn't lie to myself; this was Dad's pendant.It couldn't be a coincidence that it appeared in the hands of Adler.My lips moved, but the voice refused to form; I felt the warm tears creep to my lids as I swallowed.I thought... I thought I had finally found peace and protection, but all this while, I was not even close to being safe. Instead, In my ignorance, I had settled with danger, danced with it, and let it hold my hand.I was the daughter of the man who made Adler the monster he had become, and he didn't know. If he did...Oh God!I wanted to run, flee the room and even the manor. The death I would meet outside this place would be more lenient than what I'd go through if he found me out.Despite the cardigan, I trembled, and my damn eyes began to fill again; gosh, I wanted to be knocked out, and when I woke up, all o
The more I spoke, the harder she shook her head in denial."There's no way Adler could have dad's pendant if they hadn't crossed paths! Eva, listen to me!"I had picked myself up from my dust immediately she knocked at my door, looking pale and rubbing her arms for warmth as she walked in.Just like me, she wanted it to be a joke so badly; just like me, she was crushed in denial. At one point, she covered her ears, refusing to hear more.All I wanted was to shield her, away from it all; I didn't want to believe I dropped her right in the middle of chaos myself.Right now, she sat on my bed all frozen up, her hair sticking to her face, reminding me of the helpless fifteen-year-old girl who had run to me, excited to see my shoes and puzzled as to why I came alone."I want to see your shoes, Lily. Are they pink? Why are you crying? Where is Dad?""I'm sorry, Evie. I'm so sorry."Seven years later, here we were right with the victim of my father's crime, with the monster my father intenti
KYRAWhy was everyone suddenly so sensitive? Urgh, get a life, people, and emotions running high and low. It was just the early hours of the morning, for goodness sake.She wasn't one to readily admit her mistakes; she glared it down until it became the other person. But she couldn't dodge this guilt. This time around, she did make blunders.Or had she?For all she knew, Adler would never cause harm to Lily; she'd even like to say her plan had worked because minutes after Lily had raced out of Donna's room, Adler was walking out of his.Reading Adler was futile. One never knew what he thought, all thanks to that poker face, but this time, his body language had said it all; Boss was worried.Ha, Drama.Then what was the cause of Lily locking herself up in her room? Had Adler accidentally snapped at her? Did the anger at the intrusion of his personal space apply to everyone?If that, then maybe she overestimated Lily's hold on Adler, and she did mess things up.It still didn't warrant
AUTHOR'S POV.EVA]She sat on the bed, feeling the compass pendant in her pocket, staring at the wall but seeing nothing. She was alone.Alone.Eva hated the word, hated that she had been trapped in its cold embrace since her life fell apart.Having to look after their sick mother, peeping out the window, hoping the footsteps she heard and loud bang on the door were Lily's and not the loan sharks.But she always ended up disappointed, for they would be there, the buffy men, waiting to pounce on the first head that would walk out the door.Lily always got that covered, chained the door, and warned her, 'Call me immediately you see them; do not say a word until they leave."And it kept her alive, safe and locked in, that for some time, she forgot how dangerous the men were and spat at them whenever they banged at the door more forcefully than they should.But one day, they suddenly stopped coming, but if anyone expected it to return to normal, then quite the opposite happened.Lily got en
ADLER"Why would he desire your contact?" Rune's disbelief was evident on his face, making it clear to everyone in the room. "Is he that deranged?"Adler gazed at the card torn from the envelope. He regretted not having the sense to look into it from the very first minute it was handed over to him by Rune.Weeks later, he found himself gripping its edge, the red number glaring back at him. Adler would have called had Ruslan not grown impatient and chosen not to wait any longer.Whoever this Ruslan wanted attention so bad he was doing everything to get it, and lucky him, it was just sparking the Don's interest. His surroundings were void of civilization, just crumbling stones and half-demolished buildings, miles away from the manor and almost at the outskirts of Campania.His men were behind him, and the long, freshly painted, blue shipping container was the only evidence of life in this god-forsaken place. He could feel Rune's eyes watching the sides of his face."What is it, Rune?"
"Fuck he's scarred," Rune whispered behind Adler; the rigidity in his movement and the loss of sly was enough to prove he didn't like the spot he was placed in.Adler's eyes drooped. Grey pupils, damp and combed back light brown hair, with a body frame vibrating for a competition, Rune was right, Ruslan was scarred."Not impressed," Adler muttered, stepping back from the screen.His lips twitching, Ruslan shook his head, "I didn't fix liar in your list of attributes, but you're one?"Adler chuckled, rubbing the side of his face, "Fine. I am impressed but by your willingness to dig your grave yourself." He wished there wasn't a screen separating them. Would the smug smile still be on Ruslan's face, "How long have you been obsessed with me?""Everyone knows of the reaper," Ruslan shrugged, "You're like some supervillain. All you leave is a body, so it's tough to pin you down,""This is the part where I feel flustered?""You've certainly earned it," Ruslan shrugged. "What you did to Vla
The smell of blood, the ringing phone drawing close to his hiding spot, the sharp pain from deep within his chest as he pressed his lids tightly, struggling not to groan aloud while he winced. He felt them all now."I'm sorry, son," the man's tone was regretful, a deep melancholy sound as he hunted for his prey, "I know where you're hiding. Let's finish this up. I promise it will be painless."Pressing his head against the wooden walls of the shack, Adler had left the gun wound in his chest and instead tightened his fingers around the pistol at his side.His sight blurred, but he forced it open, waiting and inhaling deep breaths as the footsteps drew nearer."Don't make this harder than it already is, little boy.'When the huge body frame came into view, Adler gritted his teeth, his eyes on the glinting knife the perpetrator held in his right hand, so new that he could see his disordered reflection in the steel.He remembered the slash against his eyes, to which he had fallen back jus
ONE YEAR LATER**RUNE—KYRA**"...I'm just saying it's not fair Laron gets to spend the summer break with Luigi," Rune followed Kyra to Laron's wardrobe. "Luigi gets all of his weekends. What time do I get to have?"Kyra snatched Rune's equestrian leggings and walked back to the bed. "You're exaggerating again." She folded the leggings and tucked them into Laron's nearly overflowing box before turning to him. "You gave him the go-ahead, remember?""Yeah, but that was before I realized it was for a whole month. He's monopolizing all of Laron's free time," Rune sighed, flopping onto Laron's bed dramatically. "I just miss hanging out with my son, you know?"She stayed silent, and when he looked up, she was staring at him."Why?""Well," she zipped the bag close and walked up to him, "why does it seem like you haven't learned how to tell Laron no?"Rune frowned. "What are you saying? I tell him no all the time.""No, you don't." She straddled him, placing her hand flat on his chest. "Alri
ADLERWhen he reached the Villa, the memories came hurling in. The last time he had been here, under that open shed, Larissa and Dimitri were having the time of their lives.He could still remember the lively evening, how he heard the chatters as soon as he parked, looking around him at the goons on every turn.Presently there was no single soul on this premises, but Adler knew better.Parking Kyra's motorcycle right in the center of the compound, he observed the house, its windows, all dark, except one of them, on the ground floor, the orange glow giving it an eerie touch.The gun firm in his left hand, Adler moved through the shadows, the moonlight his aid as he advanced headfirst through the entrance.Maneuvering his way through doors, following the orange glow, he placed his finger readily on the trigger, listening for a sound.But nothing came, just the faint silence.He felt it was coming to this, watching his opponent spiral down a rabbit hole as he struggled with the obsession
ADLER**FOUR MONTHS AGO**He could hear the elevator go down and for the first time in his life since the afternoon his mother died, he wanted to drop to his knees and give it all up.It was over. The wet towel seemed to burn against his skin, the wet towel over his head was now hot lava, and the metal around his finger was rapidly heating up and cutting off his circulation.He couldn't make it, there was no use trying, for what he had done, this was well-deserved, two hells in one lifetime, he dared anyone to beat that?But Lily? His mind tugged. What about Lily? The thought that he was never going to see her again was too great a loss to take without trying.Adler rose.Then came the beam, whirling down and landing on where his lower legs were supposed to have been if he hadn't rolled over just in time, his palm flattened on the hot ground.Holy fuck! He snapped it back to himself and hastily yanked out the hot ring, hoping to save it but then kicked against the idea when the band s
SALVATORESalvatore stirred, his lids opening as he gradually regained consciousness, eyes meeting the bright lights of the chandeliers above him.His head felt like a shattered egg, memories mangled and hitting him piece by piece, as the familiar aura registered. He was still in the manor, he could tell, but where exactly?The wails of a baby had his eyes snapping fully open, and Salvatore was sitting up in a jolt. The pain that went through him was like torrents, his head felt heavy, and the world around him seemed to spin."Hey look, our main guest is awake," Victor's taunts clouded his ears. "Christ, don't go back to sleep again, we've been waiting."Salvatore struggled to his feet, the sight before him sending his heart thudding.Victor sat on a settee, crossed-legged, with Eva beside him, hair stuck to her wet face, and her red-rimmed eyes staring forward, the hopelessness in them so obvious.If Constance's cries came from the crib, next to a goon, then where was Lily? He turne
RUNERune could taste the blood that coated his mouth. Still, he gritted his teeth, refusing to let the cries out. With his hands held back, the old man pounded his fist into his abdomen unrelentingly.The pain was excruciating, each blow sending shockwaves through his body. Rune's vision blurred, but he forced himself to stay conscious, to keep thinking.There was no way out of this, he knew. They were behind closed doors, in a room that smelled like dust and cobwebs; no one could hear him here.Well, no one except Laron, whom he constantly ordered to shut his eyes. The boy stood before the second goon, eyes shut, yet tears still rolled down his face.Every sniffle he heard from Laron cut through like a knife, and he wished he could do something, be the super dad Laron believed in, but right now the only thing he could do was stare at the floor."Had enough?" the old man sneered, his knuckles smeared with Rune's blood. "I thought to make this easier on you, but..." He grabbed a handf
SALVATORE"...What did you use this time?" Salvatore asked, slamming the booth shut. "Will they live?"Rune blinked, staring wide-eyed at him. "You wanted them to live?"Kyra's head shot up from the driver's seat. "What did you do?"Rune chuckled, raising both hands in mock surrender. "I'm kidding. The soldiers are alive. They'll feel some type of way tomorrow, but that's just Ketamine for ya."Salvatore fought the urge to pull out a pistol and aim at the fucker's right leg. This wasn't the time to be stupid; tension was high, and it was D-day.Just like Rune had promised, the compound had few goons, and they also seemed to be in panic. It would be this way until they got out of this godforsaken place."The back gate is empty," Rune whispered as he walked up to Kyra, cupping her face with both hands and kissing her full on the lips. "See you on the other side in a few minutes, Princess."But she drew him back in. Urgh, Salvatore groaned and turned away. Those two behaved like they wer
SALVATORE"...There's been another attack." Victor inhaled the smoke from the lit end of his cigar. "It happened at the same time as the fire yesterday. Ruslan is finally convinced of my innocence."Salvatore shared a glance with Kyra and then back at Victor. Was he actually saying the fire he had started to disrupt the engagement and that had somehow gotten out of hand was connected with an attack?Quietly wincing as the cloth grazed his partially burnt arm, Salvatore returned his gaze to Victor, who was suddenly deep in thought."I'll be gone again," Victor waved away the smoke, "but this time for a few days. Again, Salvatore will stay behind. I wish it didn't have to be so, but I need someone I can trust to keep Eva safe."He resisted the urge to share another glance with his sister. Even though he couldn't read anything on her straight countenance, he knew she was still mad at him."Can you?" Victor asked. "I can easily put her under Kyra's care. Give my father's favorite princess
EVASince Victor came back, he had been so busy he barely found time to see her. The days seemed even more void, the future gloomy. Hiding away in the confines of this room, she listened to the sound of the chapter of her life closing.Now she climbed down the bed, went to her wardrobe, and crouching to her knees, pulled open a compartment and brought out a small wooden box. It had been months since she last looked at its contents, afraid it would bring back unwanted memories and reignite her obsession with him, but here she was.Eva looked behind her at the door, then back at the box. Taking a deep breath, she flipped open the cover, staring absently at the contents inside a little beaded necklace that held a crucifix. His crucifix.She had sunk so low as to steal a part of him while he slept. She doubted he ever searched for it. If he did, he’d know it was missing and no longer in the pretty house that smelled of him.She struggled, praying for the embarrassment to wash over her so
LILY"I was six when I discovered that the convent sisters who came once a week to take children from the orphanage were anything but angels," Ruslan said, rocking my daughter's cradle. "It became clear why the boys never came back, and the girls who did barely lived."Twenty minutes ago, I had laid my sleeping daughter in her crib and rushed into the bathroom for a quick soak, despite knowing she wouldn't stir.Two seconds ago, I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around my chest and damp hair still dripping, only to see Ruslan standing over Constance's crib and staring at her.Even though he didn't touch her, my racing pulse refused to die down.But he paid no heed to my presence and continued, "They needed us in a coal mine in this little spot in Serbia." He paused, his gaze remote. "Our starved, wiry, agile bodies were the perfect fit for narrow spaces, running errands, and sometimes checking if the explosives had completed their work."My hawk-like eyes on Constance made it