All Chapters of THE DEVIL’S CHOKEHOLD : Chapter 41 - Chapter 49

The blast slammed into my chest and the floor shook hard beneath us. I stumbled back, barely holding onto Rob as the ceiling cracked and bits of plaster fell. Smoke filled the air and the dust burned my throat. Every breath felt like fire. He pulled me up and we stepped into the hallway. The room behind us was already in flames, swallowing everything. The elevator wasn’t working so we ran for the stairs. Rob’s grip tightened around my wrist. It was the only steady thing in the chaos. People screamed and cried. Some crawled or carried others who couldn’t move. A man collapsed near my feet, eyes empty, but there was no time. I swallowed hard and kept going. We reached the stairwell. It was dark, slick with dust, and littered with debris. The emergency lights flickered and the smoke followed us down like it was alive. I coughed and forced myself to keep going. We weren’t alone. Others stumbled alongside us, some bleeding, some dragging each other. A woman clutched her child as she

I woke up the next morning to find the bed empty and cold. I had no idea why it made feel the way I did, but it did. I freshened up quickly, slipped in my lenses, and wore a simple floral dress with a single strap before heading downstairs for breakfast.Instead of breakfast, I saw Rob and his uncle talking with some papers on the table with his back to the stairs. “Ah, here comes the princess,” Victor said. Rob turned to look at me, and my heart jumped. I almost missed a step but caught myself just in time. How could be go back to normal when we almost kissed. Not just that, I almost kissed him. Me! I almost kissed Rob.The explosion, him finally opening up coupled with everything, it was too much.“Hey,” he said, standing and reaching for my hand as I stepped off the last stair.I nodded back, unable to speak with my heart thundering so loud I felt he could hear it. He was staring at me like he was trying to figure something out. “I’ll have them bring down breakfast”, Victor sa

ROB POVThe message from earlier still burned brightly in my head. The mistake the sender made was using a traceable number. It was none other than that pathetic bastard, Jason. Of course he used a traceable number. He wanted me to know it was him behind the message.Fucking idiot.I sat on the balcony with my laptop open beside a half-empty glass. I had lost count of how many drinks I had, and I was too far gone to care. The only thing that mattered was the video playing in front of me. I kept replaying it like it held the answers to every question burning in my head.That kiss. I had been checking through the CCTV footage every night since our attack and I came across it. The video of our garden kiss. I deleted it of course, no one else is allowed to see that. But I transferred it to my laptop first.I watched it again. And again. And again.There was no adrenaline this time, no fight or flight. No alcohol. No chaos. It had been quiet. Calm. Real. And she kissed me.Bianca Marcello

Before I could comprehend anything at all, Rob pulled me as we ducked the bullets that rained down on us from the surrounding buildings.Great, I led us into an ambush. They were standing by to make sure Juno finished the job.“Move,” Rob said as we ran out of the alleyway into the streets.“I can’t run in heels,” I said.“Then take them off,” he shouted back.“Are you being ridiculous right now?” I said, standing to catch my breath.A hot body didn’t really mean a fit body, and my goddess, I was out of breath from a short run.“I can see you’re not really the athletic type,” he said.He didn’t even give me a second before swooping me onto his shoulder, his hand around my naked thigh as my dress had slipped up a bit.We passed the street, everything almost a blur to me at how fast he was running.Some of the attackers must have stepped out because I heard a bullet whiz by us. Rob took him out, but it was clear we were outnumbered.I was still trying to get my feelings in check since J

We got to the villa in no time, Rob and I holding hands throughout the ride home. I had no idea how to process this but I pushed it to the back of my mind, desire pulsing through my veins instead of blood. By the time we got to the entrance, I still hadn’t changed my mind. And immediately when we get to our bedroom, Rob pulled me in closer as he kissed me all over again. His hands roamed all over me as mine unbuttoned his shirt. Was I really gonna go through with this? His lips grazed mine again, slower this time, like he was memorizing the shape of me. His breath was ragged, but his voice came low and soft. “I’ve tried to stay away from you. I really have.” Damn him! How was I supposed to pull away when he said things like that. When he looked at me like that. His hands cupped my face as his forehead rested against mine. “But I want you so badly it’s eating me alive. I don’t know how to want less. I never have when it comes to you.” I close my eyes as he kissed me