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
AUTHOR'S POV [SALVATORE]"Is she awake?"The first question hit him out of the blue immediately, he hit the receive. But he was more surprised Adler waited so long before he called.After drugging Lily and shipping her off, Adler's excitement for her reawakening wasn't understandable. Lily could be vulnerable, but making her choices for her? Adler had something coming."Not yet," Salvatore responded, "Knocked her out pretty bad that she doesn't even show signs of it."Adler sighed, "It was a mild one. She would be up before you know it." he said it like he was trying to convince himself that his crime against her wasn't that huge.A day ago, as Adler carried her to the car, she muttered through heavy lips, "How could you?"So right now, Salvatore was more thankful she hadn't regained consciousness. As much as he wanted to see her open those eyes, bearing the brunt of her anger wasn't all bed and roses.The end tone had him raising his face to the ceiling. God, he felt like a betrayer,
AUTHOR'S POV [ADLER'S]"Addie, she's dead still. Now quit bugging my phone every minute like I did the drugging."A deafening tone marked the end as Adler returned the phone to the desk.Give Rune a little power, and expect to be reminded of how much one was a helpless idiot who needed him.Adler fell back against the seat, the same one he had stood behind and betrayed her trust. He raised his face to the ceiling, counting sheep; he had to do it, or else she'd be walking out of the manor with zero chance of staying alive.And to Vito? Did she crave death or mistreatment? Judging from the text messages he had the fortune of stumbling upon after he moved her to the hospital.He had had no clue what he was after being in her room and just looking around until the phone's vibration caught his attention.The more he read, the more he felt his blood steam. Whoever this man was, if he hadn't caused a massive share of her trauma, then he had caused it all. 'You don't call the shots, sugar, I