by Sweet, Izzy
Yet again he smirks at me from behind that thick beard of his. “You gonna make me do that right now? In the cold fucking wasteland out here?”
“Last chance, Gabriel,” I say quietly.
“Fuck you,” he says, but reaches for the door handle. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
I keep ahold of my pistol as I step out of the vehicle myself. Walking around the front of the car. I come up to him. “Strip fully.”
“Fuck you,” he growls.
“I don’t give two shits about Lucifer’s directives,” I say without emotion. “I only care if you’re a liability.”
“Again, fuck you,” he snarls.
“Gabriel, it’s going to be dark in half an hour. Do you want to be left out here in the dark, dying from a couple of gut shots?” I ask.
Pulling his two shirts over his head, he shrugs at me when he drops them to the hard ground. “Not like it will change much. I’ve been dead long enough now. I probably won’t notice the difference.”
Like I thought, he’s full of tattoos. Each, I have no doubt, has a meaning to him and him alone.
When he finally gets down to his bare feet, I motion with my gun. “Turn around slowly. Bend and cough.”
“We’re going to go a couple of rounds, me and you, Simon. Soon as you’re healed up,” he says with a laugh.
I suppose we will. It’s been fifteen years since we last went against each other in a fight.
We’re about due, I suppose.
He must have noticed my slower steps and the way I’m moving. He’s always been too perceptive.
When I’m satisfied that I don’t see any gang affiliation tattoos or Aryan Nation brandings, I put the pistol back in its holster.
“The black backpack in the back passenger seat is yours. You can get cleaned up at the first trucker’s stop we get to,” I say, walking back to the car, leaving his naked ass standing on the side of the road.
He grabs the bag from the back and pulls out a pair of underwear, jeans, and a t-shirt.
All packed up by Johnathan.
Johnathan wanted to make sure his best friend was set up for his welcome home party. He even left Gabriel his special custom gun from before he went to prison.
Johnathan, luckily enough for him, is doing better than I expected. The shot to his stomach wasn’t as serious as it first looked.
Though, if not taken care of quickly, he would have died.
The hospital stay for him was rushed because we were getting too much heat from local law enforcement, but he pulled through. That was a lot of bullets and explosions to just ignore. We paid off enough of the right people to make ourselves disappear, but it still wasn’t easy this time.
There were quite a few dead bodies… not to mention a destroyed plane on an airstrip tarmac.
When he’s finally dressed in clothes at last, Gabriel tucks himself back into the SUV. Pulling on his socks and boots as I pull away from the side of the road.
“So, when did you get married, big brother?” he asks as he’s lacing the boots up.
He’s noticed the wedding band on my left hand, just like everyone else has. I’m surprised he didn’t ask earlier, but it’s of no concern to me. “Two weeks ago.”
“Well, fuck me. My big brother, the fucking asshole he is, got married and didn’t bother to invite the only living family he has left to the wedding,” he laughs.
We may be related, but there’s only so much blood between us. He could give two shits about what I do with my life.
I feel completely the same about him.
“There hasn’t been a ceremony yet. And no, you’re not invited for when it happens. We have to wait until the baby is born first. Meredith’s ruling on that,” I say with a frown.
If I had my way, I would have made her marry me in front of everyone the moment we knew she was pregnant.
“I’m just trying to find the angle here, Simon. What leverage did you have on the poor woman?”
I would shoot him if I was allowed to right now. Family or not.
“None at all,” I say, and while that isn’t exactly true, Meredith will never leave my side now.
We’re together in this.
“Alright, whatever,” he says as he reaches up to scratch his thick beard. “I can’t wait to shave this shit off; it’s been too long since I’ve had a good razor.”
“Then you might actually look like a partial human being for once…” I say.
“Eh, fuck off. So, what’s the job?” he asks as he stares out the window.
“What do you mean?” I ask him.
“Why now? I figured I was supposed to rot in that cell for the rest of my life,” he says, turning to me.
“If it was up to me, I would have left you there.”
“I know. Love you too, big brother,” he chuckles.
“Lucifer wants you out, and we’re finally in position to call in favors large enough to get you out.”
“That’s a pretty big favor to call in, Simon. Who the fuck did you get on your payroll? The Governor? Cause that’s the… Fuck, you got your hand in the Governor’s pocket?” he asks skeptically.
“Around his throat is more like it, but yes.”
“So, what does Lucifer want?” he asks.
“Mayhem. Bedlam... The Yakuza have blown up two people. One of them was Peter from the inner circle. The Russians are fucking playing nice at the worst time possible. The Saudis are going to be starting a war soon. We’ve lost a lot of the inner circle, and we’re not replacing them as fast as we’re losing them. He wants you to do what you do best.”
“Death and destruction.”
“Absolute death and destruction. Lucifer wants the state under his control.”
Nodding his head, he leans it back into the headrest and closes his eyes. “I can do that.”
The End
Playlists
Simon’s Playlist
Available on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2JLQPmI
I Can’t Help Falling In Love - Perfume Genius
Square Hammer - Ghost
I’m Not Jesus - Apocalyptica, Corey Taylor
Physical (You’re So) - Nine Inch Nails
Here - Vast
Closer - Asking Alexandria
Killpop - Slipknot
It’s No Good - In Flames
America - Motionless In White
Move It - Down & Dirty
Four Walls - While She Sleeps
Meredith’s Playlist
Available on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2K2c9DF
Sail - Jack Trammell
Look What You Made Me Do - The Animal In Me
Control - Halsey
Run For Your Life - K.Flay
Bad Wolf - In This Moment
Pit Of Fire - 3TEETH
Turn You On - Stitched Up Heart
Stitch In Time - Genitorturers
Comfort You - Letters from the fire
Gangsta - New Years Day
Black Wedding (feat. Rob Halford) - In This Moment
Run Lily
Lily
The children are tucked safely in their beds. The staff are long gone, finished with their tasks. During the day, this house, this compound is full of life, but tonight the halls I walk feel like brittle bones. Hollow and empty.
Without the hustle and bustle of the day, the shadows start to creep in…
Because he’s not here. My other half is out there, somewhere, doing only God knows what to protect his family.
Soiling his hands in our names.
“Ma’am, do you need anything? A coffee? A cup of tea?” Michael, one of the men left to guard the children and me, asks from downstairs.
His head is tipped back to peer up at me as I grip the grand staircase railing.
I don’t need a warm beverage or a snack. What I need is my husband. To know he’s safe.
For the hundredth time tonight, I shake my head and force a grateful smile. “No thank you, Michael.”
Michael f
rowns and nods his head.
Then, for the thousandth time tonight, I ask, “Has there been any news?”
For my benefit, Michael makes a show of pulling out his phone and checking it.
“No, sorry, ma’am,” he says apologetically as he slips the phone back into his pocket.
I nod my head and my eyes drift back to the front double doors, willing them to open. Vaguely I’m aware of Michael moving off. Patrolling. Stationed outside is a small army of armed guards.
But one can never be too safe…
Tearing my gaze away from the doors, I resume my own patrol. My feet carrying me first to the nursery. Cracking the door open, I peek my head in to see baby David tucked safely in his crib, sleeping peacefully.
Next, my feet carry me to Evelyn’s room. She’s hugging a doll to her chest and is no doubt dreaming of unicorns, princesses, and the princes who rescue them.
With Adam’s door, I have to be extremely careful. He stirs easily. Easing his door open an inch, I peek in. Thankfully, he’s asleep. Sometimes, on nights like these, I’ll find him awake, waiting with me.
Knowing the children are safe, there’s nothing left for me to do but return to my post at the top of the grand staircase. Keeping a vigilant watch on the front doors.
Minutes drag by, drawn out like hours. Michael and I repeat our little exchange at least a dozen times.
The shadows continue to creep in.
Then finally a beam of headlights flashes through the windows. I hold my breath without realizing it.
It’s so quiet I can hear a car door opening and shutting then steady, unhurried footsteps on the pavement. The front door swings open and the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on appears in the doorway.
Lucifer.
I have to catch myself. It wouldn’t do to speak that moniker out loud, especially tonight. No matter how close we’ve grown though, or how much love has blossomed between us, he was first and will always be Lucifer to me.
Ice-blue eyes lift up, locking on my eyes, and the breath rushes out of me. One would think over time that his beauty would have less and less of an impact on me, but that’s obviously not the case. If anything, over the past couple of years he’s become even more beautiful.
So beautiful, sometimes just looking at him makes me ache.
“Matthew,” I speak first. My voice so light and airy, it feels as if it floats away.
“Lily,” he drawls out like a caress that sends shivers down my spine. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
“I was worried.”
We’ve gone through this so many times over the past couple of years, it’s beginning to feel like a hazy, reoccurring dream.
Matthew frowns and begins to remove his suit jacket. I know he hates it when I stay up all night waiting on him, but how could I sleep without him beside me?
“Sir.” Michael’s voice drift towards us before he appears from a dark hallway.
Tearing his piercing gaze away from me like it’s the last thing he wants to do, Matthew turns his attention to Michael.
“Michael.” Matthew acknowledges him by inclining his head. “All is well, I hope?”
“Yes, sir. It’s been a quiet evening.”
Michael’s gaze flicks up to me briefly before darting away.
“Good,” Matthew says with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Thank you for watching over my family.”
“Of course, sir. It was my pleasure.” Michael responds with a more genuine smile.
Matthew turns his attention back to me, signaling that Michael has been dismissed for the night.
I hear the click and lock of the door but see nothing beyond Matthew as he resumes removing his jacket. There’s not a speck of blood on him or a crease out of place, but I can sense that something dark, something unpleasant yet very necessary, took place tonight.
Maybe it’s my own twisted imagination, but violence simmers in the air around him like some invisible aura he’s projecting.
“Is Meredith okay?” I ask, finally finding my voice once he’s turned away to hang his jacket on the coat rack.
“Yes,” is the only answer he gives me, forcing me to keep digging.
“And Johnathan? I heard he was shot…”
Matthew stills with his back still to me. His white-blonde head dips down for a moment. “He’s in critical condition, but we’re hoping he survives.”
“Jesus…” I whisper and Matthew’s head jerks up before he whips around to face me.
There’s been so much death around us lately. Paul, Bart, Peter… even that bitch, Cherry. If we lose Johnathan… I can’t even bear to think about it. Beth and Charlie will be devastated.
“He’ll pull through or he’ll have to answer to me,” Matthew says with such authority I swear he believes he can make Johnathan pay from beyond the grave or something.
I just stare at Matthew as he begins to undo the cufflinks as he approaches me. When his black shoe hits the first step, the air around me changes, becoming charged with electricity.
I’ve paced these halls all night, waiting for him to come home, and now that he’s here I should feel relieved. Yet there’s something off about him tonight.
I don’t know the gory details of what happened while he was away, and I don’t want to know, but behind his eyes, behind his beautiful face, something sinister is lurking.
Matthew takes another step up, and unconsciously I find myself taking a step back.
It’s a little dance we repeat and repeat.
Once he finally reaches the landing and begins to stalk towards me, true panic begins to set in. My fight-or-flight instinct kicks on.
He hasn’t done anything, hasn’t said anything to cause me worry… And perhaps that’s it. He’s been unusually quiet, and his eyes are so intense it’s beyond creepy. Usually when he returns home, he’s quick to offer soft, tender words and embrace me in his arms.
I know he would never, ever in a million years hurt me. Still, the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
And when he smiles at me, that smile that still haunts my darkest living nightmare, something inside whispers, “Run Lily.”
Working without the help of my brain, my feet carry me backward as Matthew stalks after me. I’m so focused on him, so focused on the intensity blazing in his eyes, that I don’t realize where I’ve retreated to before it’s too late.
The back of my heel catches on a rug and I stumble, nearly falling. Catching my balance, my gaze breaks away and I catch a glimpse of my surroundings. Disbelief washes over me. Out of all the places in the house I could have taken refuge in, somehow I’ve managed to stumble into the last place I want to be.
Straightening, I look around me. I suppose it’s fitting in a way. We began in a bedroom, and we’ll probably end in a bedroom…
Matthew strides into the room and closes the door behind him.
The lock clicks into place.
A jolt of awareness courses through my body as his attention returns to me. His mouth is set with determination and his eyes are two blazing infernos of blue-white flames. He begins to stalk forward again, his stride long and purposeful. His body moving like a well-oiled machine.
Every step he takes is predatory.
Hungry.
It’s both thrilling and terrifying.
This is my husband, the man I’ve grown to know over the past couple of years. The man who I’ve grown to love and trust…
Yet there’s still this edge to him, this power he has over me that frightens me.
Logically, I know he loves me and I shouldn’t be afraid. But with a man like Matthew, a man revered as Lucifer, it’s impossible to ever truly feel safe.
“Matthew, what on earth has gotten into you?” I ask as he closes the distance between us.
Swallowing back the words, “You’re scaring me.”
“It’s been a long night...” he answers smoothly, as if that should explain everything.
I bump into the bed. Th
ere’s no more room to escape.
He reaches for me and for a moment that same terror, that same panic I experienced when the light flicked on, pulling me out of my slumber to see him standing in my bedroom, washes over me.
Then he pulls me close, pressing my body against his hard body. His hand slips to the back of my head, fingers tangling in my hair.
“I almost lost my sister. Almost lost Simon and Johnathan…” he confesses as he draws my face closer.
His eyes search my eyes, and as I peer back at him, I’m floored by what I see.
Vulnerability.
It’s not soft, nor weak. Like him, it’s alluringly deceptive. Dangerous. A sharp-edged blade that will cut if not handled carefully.
Never, for as long I’ve known him, has he exuded anything but power and confidence. Even with me. To do anything else, would be a sign of weakness. A death sentence in this city.
Yet, there it is, staring back at me.
“I need you, Lily,” he admits, and the admission alone hits me like a punch to the chest.
This great and powerful Lucifer needs me.
Me.
I manage to get one soft, breathless word past my lips.
“Matthew…”
And then his lips are upon me.
Fingers tightening in my hair, my scalp stings as he pulls me even closer. His mouth devouring me as he holds me in place.
Despite his vulnerability, or perhaps because of his vulnerability, there’s no tenderness, no gentleness in the way he kisses me. His lips press hard at my lips and then his tongue is pushing and prodding before forcing its way past my teeth.
There’s no time to get my bearings, no time to conjure a thought, no time to take a breath.
As the first taste of him settles on my tongue, whatever fear I was feeling melts away. Replaced by something I’ve grown quite familiar with since I’ve met him.
Uncontrollable desire.
His smell, his taste, his touch, his heat. Everything that encompasses him fills the empty places inside me.
Leaving me craving more.
“Lily,” he groans into my mouth, pushing forward.
I manage to suck in a much-needed gasp of air as his hips meet my hips, bending me back.