LARON"Do you have a hobby, buddy? football?" The only good thing about being here was the food; other than that, it was all a waste of time, Laron thought as he stuffed his mouth with steak, not to mention the high-placed man looking into his face and forcing conversations.Some distance away from Laron and Luigi, Kyra stood nearby, feeding and caressing a horse. Her excitement contrasting with the gentleness she used to brush its mane.She seemed so different from her usual self; the soft care she had used on him back at the art and craft studio was on full display, and for a moment, he was jealous of the horse and detested the man who owned it.As Kyra waved and Luigi waved back, the smile on his face disappeared. Why did this man always invade his space?Maybe if he ignored him, he would be left alone."I play golf sometimes." Luigi picked up his half-field glass of wine. "What do you play?" "Nothing." His answer was a snap; perhaps the wealthy boy would catch on quickly and ta
SALVATOREFor the first time in weeks, he was out of the manor and, as far as he could tell, unsupervised.The conclusion derived from watching his back constantly as he drove and he hadn't spotted a car following him. He sat opposite Father Armando now, a desk between them and the returned rosary lying pretty on it. God, how he yearned to get it clasped around his neck once again."It's been hard to reach you these days," Father Armando said, observing him. "I see you also lost weight." He wasn't sure he could take it any longer; he'd have to find a way out of Sicily, even if it meant shoving his pride down his throat and calling Adler. "It's been hard to reach you for weeks; I was worried," Father Armando said, observing him. "That's valid because here you are a shadow of yourself.""Not that bad,"' Salvatore answered, knowing he was lying to himself; he had stood before the mirror hours ago, staring at his hollow eyes and gaunt cheeks. "Why am I here?"Father Armando sighed, the
RUNEHe couldn't feel his hands—no, not hands—no, he couldn't feel his body. Whenever a nurse hurried in or out through the door, he quickly stood up and inquired about her condition.They told him nothing; every damn time he had stood there blocking their way and demanding they tell him how she fared, they had either asked him to calm down or hurriedly gone past him."What have I done?" He placed the back of his head on the wall and gazed up at the ceiling in despair. He'd have gone past her immediately; they heard the gunshot and realized Laron was no longer present.However, consumed by rage, he failed to notice anything else. So furious that when she called out Laron's name from outside, his immediate urge was to confront her and vehemently deny the truth of her words."Oh God," he whimpered. All he wanted was positive news. The wound was so fatal that he could deduce himself, but if magic did happen, she wouldn't die. She wouldn't leave him!From the far end of the room, Adler ca
Adler"...Hi, it's Lily. There's a high chance I'm taking a bath or my man has imprisoned me. Please leave a message at the first beep."Adler smiled. Once again, she wasn't picking up his calls. It was almost two weeks since he lost control; maybe it was about time she forgave him.If she wanted him to grovel at her feet, so be it. But she could at least pick up the phone; there was no man to imprison her now.The first beep brought him back from his thoughts.He could try leaving a message, although he had nothing to say.He cleared his throat. "Hey, Lily, it's Adler. I'm just checking to see how you're doing."Adler stopped. No, hell no, he was doing it wrong. "God, Lily, I'm so sorry. All I wanted was to keep you safe, but I was so stupid, I took it too far. If you had spoken to me, you'd know that you helped a great deal. You were right and I was wrong. I don't care what your conditions are; I just need you to forgive me."He hesitated, then hit the send icon.Dropping the phone
Adler's heart sank as he swiftly made a quick stop before the already blazing church.The firefighters had gathered around the church, all attempting to extinguish the relentless blaze.Dashing out of the vehicle, Adler raced towards the church. Noticing the police forming a human barricade to keep him and the crowd at bay, Adler urgently gestured for them to make way.They recognized him, but not without giving him a warning glance of the danger he was about to get into. However, Salvatore was there.Lily didn't need bad news at this stage; she had had enough. If he wasn't already dead, he needed to get the idiot out of there.Flames had taken over the church, from the pulpit to the room, and they were also inching along the stairs. It was a risky move to ascend, but if he acted swiftly, he could descend before the stairs became engulfed in flames.Placing the damp cloth over his head to shield himself from the heat, Adler charged up the stairs, shouting "Priest" at the top of his lu
RUNEHe gently brushed her hair off her face, listening to the musical sound of her breath. Pale-faced and vulnerable on the bed, she looked like an angel—a beautiful, helpless one.Rune covered her warm, stiff hand with his; the only proof that she had life in her was the beeps of the heart rate monitor that had kept him awake throughout the night.The doctor had said she was making progress but still had a fifty-fifty chance of surviving. He had prayed, and if he could call his hunger strikes fasting, then he did that, but she was showing less chance of opening those eyes.The nurses would frequently enter the room and offer to watch over her so that he could freshen up, but he consistently refused their offers.The only time he took his eyes off her was when Laron called, in his scared trembling voice to inquire if Kyra was getting better.Rune, choosing the easiest route to avoid further worrying him, always gave a reassuring nod, though deep down, uncertainty gnawed at him like a
RUNE"Mr. Rune," a soothing voice called, and a soft touch tapped him out of his slumber. When he looked up, he saw a nurse looking at him with pity. "Miss Kyra wants to see you now."Did she? Rune rubbed at his eyes. How long had he been asleep in the hospital's visitor area waiting for Luigi?Long enough if it was already dark. Sighing, he stood up, thanked the nurse, and walked towards her ward.He knew he wasn't prepared to receive whatever she was about to tell him, but he had to take it all in good grace. She had her life to live now, but he wished he could be happy for her.Reaching her ward, he knocked, and when she answered, he ambled in.Finding out Luigi was absent soothed his aching heart more than he wanted it to, and beside Kyra on the hospital bed was Laron, sprawled against her and sound asleep."He slept off immediately; Luigi left hours ago." Kyra, as if reading his mind, explained, "You left in haste; I thought you were gone."He stopped a safe distance away, still
RUSLAN.He died. Just as simple as that.Ruslan frowned, staring at the report papers; it was unbelievable. Adler had seemed immortal; the fire was only to shake him up and remind him that he was still lurking in the shadows.However, it had all gotten out of hand, and his purpose had slipped through his fingers. This was all he thought he wanted, so why did it feel void?"Conduct more searches," he flung the paper back to his men. "I want a DNA test on every body, every bone, every tooth, and even the fucking ashes."The men, about five of them, sauntered for the flying papers flying around, "But boss, he's really dead; the fire destroyed everything. Don sacrificed himself for his friend.""I'm saying nobody does that." Ruslan fell onto a couch in his bedroom. "Most especially not Adler. Something feels wrong; the game isn't over; Adler can't just die when he wants to." "Boss, what do you want us to do?" one of the men asked.What? Adler was a unique individual, adept at evading ris