That night, I struggled to get a good night's rest. By 6, I had already risen and contacted the police station to inquire about the status of their search. Once again, the reports they provided were not positive. Throughout the night, they made efforts to trace Lilith, yet they were unsuccessful. The most recent video of her, taken by the CCTV, showed her leaving home two days ago in the morning. That was the last she was seen. Dashiell was the only one who had been to her house, and that was the night ago when he lied about meeting a client. So far, all the leads the police had got, led to a dead end, with no favourable report. "What do you think we should do?" I asked Brion, worried. The kids and Brion were supposed to be discharged from the hospital today, but I asked the doctor to hold it off until we find Dashiell. With the way things were at the moment, they were safer in the hospital than in the house. Brion lifted his shoulders in a shrug, letting me know what he thought a
NOVAOur day was filled with efforts to track down Lilith. I headed to the police station to share the latest pictures, and Brion stayed with the children. He would have gone with me but couldn't because he wasn't fully healed. He still struggled to stand for extended periods without experiencing cramps in his lower back. I stayed at the station all afternoon, urging the officers to do their best in the case. Officer Maxwell tried to get me to return to the hospital, but I was stubborn. I needed to know Dashiell was safe. Seeing the picture Lilith sent before she switched her phone off made my blood boil. I wanted nothing more but to storm over to wherever the hell she might be, to give her a piece of my damned mind. After an unsuccessful day at the police station, I returned to the hospital to see Amaya conversing with the kids. Brion sat by the window, watching them, without saying a word, as the kids discussed only God knew what with her. “Mummy!” Willow called out the moment
LILITH From the time Zoey asked me to return to the house without meeting Dashiell, to when she asked me to arrange another meeting with her, it felt like a movie on 5x speed.It wasn't difficult to get Dashiell. When I sent the second text to him and begged him to meet me at the guest house a few miles from my house, he didn't even think it was odd for me to do that. Zoey was standing by the door when he stepped into the room, so she hit him hard on the back, and he fell unconscious. That was how we got Dashiell, tied to the bed in the other room. “Give me a smile, Lils.” Zoey grinned, sipping from her glass of whiskey. She had this personality of having whiskey whenever she was happy, which was almost all the time. “What do I have to do next?” I demanded, staring straight into her eyes. I needed nothing more but to get the task out of the way so I could be rid of her. Having Zoey with me at every turn was giving me intense nightmares. I wanted this to be over, so I could be f
NOVAAmaya transformed into a lawyer, just right before my eyes. One minute she was grieving her missing child, and the next she was making calls, calling as many people as she could, to ask for help. For the first time, I saw her in a new light. Gone was the woman who always got on my nerves. Replaced by that old version of her was a mother concerned for her son. After calling the people she could for help, she left, after confirming everything with me. However, not before promising to take care of the kids should there be any need for it. I was sitting on the only chair in the kid's room while Brion sat on River's bed when I got a text. I didn't waste any time unlocking my phone. “Hello dear, Nova. I have a gift for you,” the text read. Before I could ponder on the strange message, I got another one, this one with a detailed address of a place close to Lilith's house. “Brion, check this out.” I drew up from the chair and walked over to him, passing the phone. Brion's brows fur
“The text must have been sent by her aide,” Brion said, placing his hand under his jaw, looking to be in deep thought. “Exactly my concerns. According to the doctor, she took the poison between 4 PM and 5 PM. We arrived an hour later, while the text was sent at 5:20. I believe her accomplice harmed her. But why? Why go to such an extreme to get rid of her? Did they perhaps have a falling out?” I wondered, relaxing on the chair. To avoid getting overheard by the sleeping kids, we stayed outside their ward. With everything happening, I had no intention of letting them out of our sight, which was why I always had Brion over whenever I wanted to leave. “This is something we will know the answer to when she wakes, that's if she does,” Brion let out a sigh.“The doctor said she will survive. However, she might have complications. Not like that's my concern. I just want her awake, so she can tell us where they took Dashiell. The more time we waste, the more in trouble he will be. We need
“Are you alright?” Brion scrunched his face as he watched me. He got up from the bed and sauntered towards me, to take the things I got. “Do you want to talk about it?”I turned to look at my kids before shaking my head. Forcing a smile I walked up to their bed. Willow and River were sitting on her bed, playing games with Brion's phone, but they stopped when I walked in. “Mum, are you okay?” Willow asked, looking as worried as Brion looked. “Of course, why won't I?” Sitting on the bed, I grinned. “So, what have you guys been up to? Still playing that game?” I made a face at that. I'd seen no attractions with playing games that weren't puzzles. Anything aside from that was a 'no' for me. “Uncle Brion downloaded a new game!” River gushed, passing the phone to me. “We have been playing it since you left. So far, I have gotten the best score. Willow can't play.”“Yeah, the same way you can't play my dress-up games better than me.” Willow folded her arms, glaring at him. “Of course, I
DASHIELL I should have known it was a fucking trap, but I blindly walked into the house without a moment of hesitation. My only mistake was not telling anyone about it. I figured Lilith was the only one there and couldn't hurt me. Who would have thought it was a fucking ambush???Grunting, I tried to sit up on the bed, but couldn't. My entire body hurts. I believed they hit me pretty badly when I fell unconscious because the moment I woke up; it felt as if a train ran over me. Gritting out, I attempted once more to sit up. The chain clinked together as I did that; the ones holding on to my ankle, making it difficult for me to stretch my feet. Puffing out a breath. I glanced around the place they kept me. It looked rundown.The walls were cracked, with peeling paint and rusty pipes exposed. A faint smell of mould and decay hung in the air. I didn't know where I was, but I knew it wasn't in the best part of the city. A lone, flickering light bulb cast eerie shadows on the walls. The
I screamed out. It felt like ants were crawling inside my body, looking for a way out. The woman's sharp laughter accompanied my scream. I didn't make out anything else she said because of the intense pain, one which rocked me to my core. I tugged on the chains holding me, screaming out as I barred my teeth. I wanted an out, to get away from whatever was in the injection. Beads of sweat trailed down my face as I continued to tug on the chain, screaming. Almost instantly, the pain stopped. It was as if someone were using a button to control the intensity. Panting, I peered up at her, my eyes narrowed, and my teeth barred. “Do you like my gift?” She chuckled, amused at my misery. I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't let out a word before a new intense wave of shock went through me. I arched my back, my body convulsing as the electricity coursed through my veins. The chains rattled against the wall as I thrashed about, desperate to escape the agony. The woman's laughter grew loude
It seemed like the Nova who was acting like a saint downstairs, the one who cared about his health and wanted to take things slow, had been transformed. In her place was one who didn't care at all about anything else but getting her pleasure. My panties were soaking wet already, my pussy throbbing, eager to get down and dirty with him. I doubt I would be down to anything else that didn't include getting on my back with him between my legs, pleasuring me as if his life depended on it. The palm that was on my breasts drifted down. My breath stopped as he slid his hand into my panties. I was wet and ready for him. My responsiveness should have scared me, but it didn't. I didn't even think of how odd it was that I stayed for five years without being touched by another man, only for me to start feeling this damned aroused after just a month without his touch. Had he somehow made me a slave to his passion? I'd heard stories like this, but never thought someone would make a woman love them
“Fuck, Nova,” he growled, his voice getting deeper and sexier. I loved it. Everything about him was so tempting. I didn't think I would ever feel that way for him, but here we were, years after we got married, finally in love with each other. Back when I left the country, I never imagined such a day would come, but it seemed I was wrong all along. I rubbed my fist from the tip to the bottom, still looking at him. Even though his eyes were shut, I loved staring at his face, to know his expression. It was my way of knowing if he was getting into this like I was. I repeated the action once more, running my tongue around the tip of his dick, sucking it in. He groaned, cursing under his breath. Smiling around his dick, I wrapped my fists around him, stroking from the tip to the bottom. His scent, so musky and delicious, aroused me. I was wet and ready to have him make love to me as he promised, but at that moment, I needed to feel him in my mouth, take him deeper until he came. I wanted
I bit my lower lip, peering up at him through my lashes. I felt the flush go from my neck to my cheeks the more intense his gaze became, like he was staring into my soul, seeking answers I couldn't give with my mouth. He reached over to me and rubbed his thumb on my lower lips, his gaze fixed on mine. “What should we do, Nova?” His whispered voice washed through my body like a balm, reaching deep into my spirit. “You are sick,” was all I could manage to say. “You can't —”“It doesn't mean I can't satisfy you, Nova. My legs are yet to heal, but that didn't mean I can't pleasure you, can't make you moan my name as your pussy clamp down on my dick.”My breath hitched in my throat at his words. Gulping, I peered into his eyes. I didn't know how to respond to those words, to the desires swirling deep in his gaze as he placed his hand under my jaw and lifted my gaze towards him. “Dashiell —”“Do you want this just as I do?” He whispered, his breath fanning my face as he came closer. The w
Brion was discharged three days later. Unlike the past few days, he could stand now without being tired or helped. The doctors believe he will recover well at home. After getting discharged, I took him and the kids back home. Dashiell was still getting treatments. They would have discharged him with Brion had it not been for his legs. The doctors wanted to keep him in the hospital for a week more, to check on his recovery. I just prayed everything would work out perfectly. Two weeks later, I drove him back home. Amaya came over to stay in the hospital with him so I could return to work. We had been gone for days, and the shareholders were making snide remarks about it, so I had to return to take care of the office while he recovered. The past few weeks have been a busy one for me. There were piles of work waiting on my desk for me when I returned, and I had to also combine it with Dashiell's. Had it not been for Benita's help, I would have drowned in work. She was such a darling, h
The doctor removed the IV drip before I could visit Dashiell. Ben led me by the hand, keeping me steady as he took me over to the room. Brion and the kids hadn't been alerted yet, so they didn't know we were back. My phone was off, so I hadn't gotten a call from him — yet. However, I knew it was only a matter of time before he called the police to report about me.The moment I opened the door, my eyes locked with that of a shocked man. Emerald eyes bore into mine the second I stepped into the room. "Nova?” He whispered, his voice shaky. He looked like he was imagining me because he lifted his right index and rubbed furiously on his eyes before it landed on me. “You are real?”I nodded, as tears rolled down my eyes. Dashiell was a shell of himself. Just a few days in captivity, and he had gotten so lean, I hardly recognized him. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and his cheekbones jutted out sharply. I was frozen, staring at my lover, and imagining how much he had suffered to l
When I came to, I was lying on a bed. The scent of disinfectant in the room made me realize where I was. I slowly sat up, grimacing at the pain in my arm. I had a bandage wrapped around my biceps, one that was stained with blood.The monitor next to me beeped as if it could sense my discomfort. Wincing, I leaned on the bed as I looked around the empty room. From the looks of it, Ben took me to the clinic I left Brion in. Heaving out a breath, I closed my eyes as images of the last time I was awake assaulted me. A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Snapping my eyes open, I looked towards it as it opened and Ben stepped in. “Thank God you are awake,” he said as he walked over to my bed and sat beside me, relief etched on his face. “Welcome back. You've been out for hours.”"Hours?" rubbed my temples, trying to clear the fog. “What of Gabriella?”“Dead. You did a pretty good number on her. The police have agreed to rule it out as self-defence. As she was an offender, it's not
“Where is Dashiell?” I asked after a few seconds, still wondering why she hadn't attacked me. I figured all it would take was a little talk before we get down to business. “Dashiell?” She made a face at that before a knowing smirk took over. Getting up, she glanced towards the stairs, which seemed like it had seen better days. The stairs didn't look like they would last for another year before caving in. Just like the rest of the house, it was dying — most times, I always believed houses were entities. She snapped her fingers and three men appeared from a door behind where she stood, their chest bare, showing off muscles that must have taken years to build. My heart skipped as I gripped the pistol in my hoodie tighter. I knew it was about time for the fight. But I doubt I could take the men on. Gabriella alone? I could. “Do you assume the gun you hid in your hoodie will help you, darling?” She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the sides. "How?" I was dumbstruck by the question. “How
It looked just like the place someone as shady as Zoey would be. As I approached, I noticed the overgrown yard and weeds sprouting through cracks in the pavement. Nature had reclaimed the property, wrapping vines around the porch pillars. I slowed my pace, my senses on high alert. Something felt off. Though Ben's hidden presence reassured me, my heart continued to thud like a bass drum in my chest. I took a deep breath and stepped onto the porch, the wooden boards groaning beneath my feet. The door creaked as I pushed it open, and I called out, “I'm here.” My voice echoed through the empty corridor. At first, nothing happened, until I heard a rather familiar voice asking me to come forward. I looked back at the place Ben was likely hiding in before I fully stepped in and closed the falling door. I shivered as I walked forward, guided by the dim lighting in the hallway before I arrived in the sitting room. A figure sat perched on one of the sofas, the minute I walked in. “Hell
I got dressed for the operation. We didn't return to the hospital because I didn't think it was necessary. Brion would undoubtedly try to talk me out of my plans, which was why I didn't attempt a return there, not until we had gotten everything sorted. Today, I vowed, would be the day I bring Dashiell back home. He had stayed too long with Zoey. It was time for him to return, to his home, to me and the kids.“Ready?” Ben turned to me, lifting a brow, when I stepped out of the motel I checked into to change out of my clothes. I had a bulletproof vest under a hoodie.To cover my guns, I stuffed them into the pockets of my hoodie, waiting until I got an excellent location to conceal them. “Ready,” I confirmed, adjusting my hoodie to ensure the bulletproof vest wasn't visible. “Well, as ready as I can, for a dangerous mission,” I added with a smile. Though I was feeling as nervous as hell, and it felt like my heart was about to leap from my chest, I acted like I was okay. Yeah, perfectly