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Love in the Darkness 40
DaphnieAdam and I sat in the waiting room of the fertility clinic. It had been two months since we lost Gabriel. Two months since I failed, I failed at doing what women were made to do: bear children. We lost our son because my body refused to carry him.I looked over at Adam; he was staring at his new tattoo with sadness. We both got tattoos to honor Gabriel; I got a silhouette of a pregnant woman with a hole in her stomach on my back. Adam got a tattoo of a blue baby footprint on his forearm with a ribbon around it; the ribbon said, "Always in My Heart."Nothing could ease the pain that I felt. I had no tears left to cry, and I was on the verge of becoming numb to everything, even Adam.I knew that losing Gabriel broke Adam too. When I woke up in the hospital, I saw Adam clutching something to his chest with his head down as he sobbed. Adam hated crying in front of me; he thought crying made him look weak, so I didn't make a sound. My heart broke seeing Adam like that. I later lear
Last Updated : 2023-07-19Love in the Darkness 41
Daphnie"ADAM! Snap out of it!" I shouted in agony.Adam twisted me around by my arm and slammed me to the floor.It was storming outside, and Adam's PTSD was triggered by the sound of thunder that was strong enough to set the car alarms off and slightly shake the house.Adam began to pace back and forth, mumbling to himself nervously. I tried to calm him down by talking to him, but it wasn't working. I made the mistake of touching his shoulder from behind; his reflexes went into action as he firmly grabbed my wrist and put us into the current situation."ADAM!" I was worried he would dislocate my shoulder. "Adam, it's me, Daphnie. You're safe; no one's gonna hurt you."I started to cry. I had never seen Adam like this, and it scared me.Eventually, the tension in my arm was relieved. I slowly turned around and saw Adam slowly backing away from me, eyes wide. When his back hit the wall, he slowly slid down and started crying. Another roar of thunder shook the house and caused Adam to
Last Updated : 2023-07-19Love in the Darkness 42
Amber"Wow, these taste delicious," Daphnie said as she chewed on an albondiga."Right?""Did you make this?""I wish," I pouted."Where did you get these then?""Well," I awkwardly said.I hadn't told Daphnie about Lorenzo. I felt bad for keeping our relationship a secret for so long, but I had no idea what to say to her when she was going through a difficult time.I guess it's time to come clean."Well?""My boyfriend made them.""Boyfriend?" Daphnie looked surprised."Yeah.""How long have you had a boyfriend?""A few weeks now. I'd say one month, to be exact.""Why didn't you tell me?" Daphnie looked a little hurt."Well, I wanted to.""But?""You were grieving. I didn't think you would want to know about something good in my life when something so devastating had happened in yours.""Well, It would've been nice to hear some good news.""I'm sorry.""Anywho, I'm happy for you.""Really?""Yes, so who is this guy? What's he like?""Well, he's Spaniard. And he adores me. Not to ment
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"I. CAN'T. HEAR YOU!""Ninety-nine!" My employees shouted in agony as they did Flutter Kicks."One. Two. Three.""Marine Corps!"I could tell that the group I was training was getting tired, but what did they expect? This was how PT always went. If they were going to work for my company, they needed to stay in top shape. I would accept nothing less than the best."Position of attention, MOVE!"All the men stood up at attention."Run it out!" I commanded. They gladly did so in an attempt to relieve their aching muscles."At ease, shake it out. Your next exercise will be Marine Corps push-ups. Marine Corps push-ups are a four-count exercise, and we will do one hundred. How many?"The men looked exhausted; some looked like they could barely breathe, and one near the center looked like he needed to sit down. Still, they all forced out, "ONE HUNDRED, SIR!"I slightly nodded at them in approval."I'll count the cadence, and you count the count. Position of attention MOVE." After the men sto
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Adam"Staff Sergeant Adam Carter took command when his squad leader, Captain Pablo Herrera, was wounded and unable to lead during an attack on the US embassy in Syria. Carter heroically began to battle the attackers, allowing his squad to escape. Unfortunately, Carter was captured and held prisoner for several months. While a POW, Carter was brutally beaten and stabbed repeatedly. After several months of searching, a rescue unit of Navy SEALs located Carter at a hidden base in southern Syria. Carter had multiple stab wounds, burns, and other unspeakable injuries. The doctors' main concern was Carter's leg, nearly shattered after suffering twenty-five bullet wounds. Carter had MRSA and gangrene all over his body.Carter's surgeons claim that had the rescue team taken longer to find him; they would have found Carter dead due to the infections that invaded his bloodstream. After several hours of su-"I slammed my laptop closed, not wanting to read more of Iogair's research. After assigni
Last Updated : 2023-07-19Love in the Darkness 45
AdamI sat in my office, resting my head on my desk. My sanity was slowly slipping away without Daphnie, and I felt worse than when I had to put her into hiding.When will she come back to me? Will she come back to me? What is it going to take?Countless questions ran through my head. I suddenly remembered I had a case to work on, so I decided to get started on it in hopes of keeping my sanity. I had to investigate Phil Sweetheart, but Iogair said his wife was in danger. I decided to look into his wife's records and see the damage caused to her to get an idea of what I was looking for; I was intrigued by what I found.She was in the Emergency Department multiple times for a broken nose; the severity made me wonder how the woman still had a nose. She's had numerous head traumas and concussions, making it a miracle that she was still alive with no brain damage. One visit was due to multiple lashes on her back from the buckle end of a belt, bruising her spine because of her petite frame
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DaphnieI had returned from the gym, exhausted from my intense workout; I had spent most of every day working out. Adam and I had our own personal section of the gym in each hotel. We also had our own trainers; I met with mine thrice weekly.Feeling too weak to do anything, I fell on the couch. Right as I was going to turn on the tv, my phone started ringing; it was playing Adam's ringtone.I missed talking to Adam. Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed my phone and answered."Hello?""You answered!" Adam said excitedly."Yeah. What's up?""How have you been?""I've been better. How about you?""Well," Adam sounded so shy. "I was hoping you would go on a date with me tonight.""Adam, I don't think that's a good idea," I said. I had no idea why I was protesting when I was dying to be in Adam's arms."Daphnie, please. I want to have a nice evening with you. Besides, I have some good news to share."I let out a sigh. Adam and I couldn't go on like this."Okay.""Great! I'll pic
Last Updated : 2023-07-19Love in the Darkness 47
AdamDr. Charles said I should confront my past rather than escape it. That meant getting back in touch with my squad members, visiting my father's grave, and even going to Syria. He was an idiot if he believed I would do that. However, it was an excellent excuse to visit Phil Sweetheart; he did play a huge role in my recovery by helping save my leg.I pulled into the parking lot of his clinic. The building seemed rather large for private practice; it was almost as big as a school health center.Something's going on here.I would have to act like I didn't know who Dr. Sweetheart was. After all, I only spoke to him once while in the hospital.It was so long ago, yet I remembered everything as if it was yesterday.I was ready to shout from the pain, on the brink of tears. The pain in my leg was excruciating; I kept taking deep breaths."Adam, everything's gonna be okay," Ben reassured me."They better come up with something fast," I groaned."They are. I talked with the doctor, who said
Last Updated : 2023-07-19
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Adam"Shhh... You're okay," I gently cooed as I swayed side to side with Nightingale on my shoulder. She had been crying all morning, no matter what I did. We were ready to go and waiting for Chad and Ben to pick us up.I heard the front door open, and Ben called, "Adam, it's me!""I'm in the living room," I said, hoping Ben could hear me over Nightingale's cries."What's going on?""She won't stop crying."Ben quickly came to my side and asked, "Is she sick?""No. I checked her temperature, changed her diaper, fed her, and she's still upset."The front door opened again. I expected it to be Chad telling us it was time to go; I was surprised to see Maybell walk in."Oh, no. What's wrong?" Maybell asked as she stepped into the living room."I don't know. She won't stop crying, no matter what I do."Maybell gestured for me to hand her Nightingale, and I reluctantly did so. She cautiously walked over to the couch and sat down."She knows what today is; she's sad too."I took a deep breat
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AdamI sat in the back of my SUV, trying to calm my rage. We finally found the house. Alexandros has his vacation home signed under a different name; his distant cousin was the legal owner. He probably arranged that for a scenario like this, where he had to go into hiding. It was so obvious yet so challenging to figure out.What was driving me toward insanity was that we had to wait; Alexandros had gone on a brief vacation and took Nightingale with him, leaving Daphnie alone. I wanted nothing more than to break down that door and hold Daphnie in my arms, but Alexandros had a security system that would let him know if someone broke in or out. If he knew I found Daphnie, he would take off somewhere with Nightingale. I needed to make my move when they were together.As we waited, I hacked into the security cameras and would occasionally check on Daphnie. Being so close yet so far away was fueling my anger. I wanted to beat Alexandros to a pulp, crush his skull, stab him repeatedly, and w
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AdamThe worst part of any mission was waiting. Alexandros had a vacation home in Pittsburg that was an hour and twenty-five minutes flight, yet I had to wait. Chad had concluded that Alexandros had left his Michigan home a few hours before I arrived. He needed time to get settled and check if I was after him. If he knew I knew his whereabouts, he would relocate Daphnie and Nightingale, making it difficult to get them back.In the meantime, Chad kept an eye on security footage in Pittsburg. At the same time, I strategized how we would get Daphnie and Nightingale back. Chad and I would only be on this mission; it was too risky to send all my men to Pittsburg, and Ace would give away our position if he barked."Sir," Chad said."What?""Security footage shows Alexandros shopping for groceries; Nightingale was with him.""What about Daphnie?""No sign of her, sir.""He knows Daphnie won't run without Nightingale; he must be keeping them separated.""If Alexandros wants a happy family, he
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AdamDaphnie and I lay together on the couch. I was leaning against the corner as Daphnie lay her chest on my back so my arms could wrap around her waist. The television wasn't on, nor did we say anything; we sat in peaceful silence. I gently grabbed Daphnie's left hand and ran my thumb over her promise ring.I smiled as I gently kissed her cheek; I was so lucky to be with Daphnie, and I couldn't wait to call her my wife someday."I love you," I softly said.Daphnie giggled and said, "I love you too."I snapped out of the flashback and refocused on checking the accounts of some of Phil's benefactors. I couldn't believe the number of people who supported his work. Then again, these were people in high places, probably unaware of what happened in his clinic. I narrowed it down to a few men closely linked to the stock market and the Greek mafia. Surprisingly, few had private planes; they preferred to fly first class or business.My attention was caught when I noticed one man had bought s
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AlexandrosI was foolish to think this would be easy; I paid the doctors to keep Adam Carter hospitalized for several weeks. Still, the man managed to escape and somehow found out I was the one who had taken Daphnie and Nightingale. Now I understood why so many people feared him; the rumors about 'The Devil Dog' were true.I let out a frustrated sigh. I had spent so much time preparing this home for my family, and now we would have to flee. I heard rumors of how quickly Adam Carter worked and hunted down his enemies. I knew it was a matter of time before Adam figured out our location, and I had no doubt he'd bring an army with him.We were currently in Port Huron, Michigan. I had a vacation home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where we could stay while preparations at our new Ireland home were finishing. If we left now, we could easily escape before Adam Carter could find us. My only challenge would be getting Daphnie to come with me without a fight. After her reaction toward me when she
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AdamWith Ace by my side, I walked into my central hotel, ignoring everyone who greeted me. I wanted to hunt down whoever kidnapped my family as soon as possible. Diego could only do so much as this wasn't his expertise. Chad would've been able to find a lead by now and deduce where my wife and daughter were, but he wouldn't help me.I was practically on my own.When I stepped into the elevator, it couldn't move fast enough. My patience was running dry. Every moment I was without Daphnie caused the ache in my chest to worsen. I needed to find her. Without Daphnie and Nightingale, my life had no purpose.I stepped out of the elevator and walked to my office. I stopped a few feet from the door, feeling uneasy in my stomach. Ace's body tensed, and he began to growl. I took out my gun and slowly approached the door without a sound. I kicked the door open and stepped into my office to be greeted by Dr. Phil Sweetheart sitting at my desk."Hello, Adam," he casually said."Dr. Sweetheart," I
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DaphnieI woke up with a headache. The pain worsened as I opened my eyes and blinked a few times to clear my blurry vision. I suddenly remembered what had happened. I quickly sat up, ignoring the throbbing pain in my head."Adam?" I called out. "Adam!""Shhh! You'll wake her up," someone said.I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Alexandros sitting in a chair, holding my daughter in his arms."Alexandros," I said in a threatening tone. "Give me my daughter.""OUR daughter," Alexandros said as if he were correcting me. "You know, I was excited when you were pregnant; I was a little worried she would look like that lousy excuse of a husband, but I see she looks just like you. Except for her eyes, we can always have that taken care of. Hopefully, doctors will figure out how to change eye color in a few years, and then she'll be perfect.""What the hell are you talking about?" I asked.Alexandros chuckled and sighed, "Daphnie, you're a smart woman; it shouldn't be difficult for
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Daphnie"I'm home!" I called out as I stepped through the front door with groceries in my hands. Adam usually did the grocery shopping, but I wanted to make something special for dinner to surprise him. I walked into the kitchen and put the groceries on the island. I decided to head upstairs to check on Adam and Nightingale since Adam didn't reply.I peeked into Nightingale's room and found it to be empty. I walked down the hall to my and Adam's room and smiled at the site. Adam was sleeping on his back with one hand behind his head and the other protectively on Nightingale, who was curled up on Adam's chest. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and took a picture. After setting the image as my wallpaper, I quietly walked over to the bed. I gently kissed Adam and Nightingale on the cheek and went to start cooking.It didn't take long to prepare the pork shoulder; I started prepping to make mashed potatoes and corn once it was in the oven. After boiling the potatoes, I was startled by Ada
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Daphnie"Okay, so the stage will be set up along the east wall, and our table will be to its right," Adam said as he looked over the floor layout for the gala."Will anyone be joining us?""Unfortunately, yes. The board members of my company will be sitting with us.""You invited the board members, who may be working with the FBI, to a mafia gala?""Yes.""Why?"Adam looked at me with a smile."So I can show them who's boss.""Oh, Lord. I don't want to know what you're doing.""I think you'll like it.""Whatever you say."Adam chuckled. "How are the decorations going?""Great, actually," I said as I looked at Adam. "The tablecloths will be white with a smaller gold tablecloth over them. There will be a clear vase in the center of each table with a gold ribbon wrapped around it and white carnations inside, along with the table number. The chairs will be white cushion ones with gold accents on them. The entrance and the stage will be decorated with white and gold balloons. Since everyon
