All Chapters of Trapped Between Two Devils : Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

LIANARain tapped softly against the front windows of Hayes Jewelry as I wiped the glass counters for the third time that night. The tiny shop smelled like silver polish and old wood, the same comforting smell I had grown up with my entire life. It was almost nine, and the streets outside were already quiet except for the sound of distant cars splashing through puddles.My mother stood behind the register with her glasses low on her nose, flipping through receipts with a tired sigh.“We made three hundred and twenty dollars today,” she muttered. “That’s barely enough to cover the rent.”I leaned against the counter and gave her a small smile. “Mom, stop worrying so much. Tomorrow could be better.”“That’s what you said yesterday.”“Well… maybe tomorrow tomorrow.”She laughed softly at that, shaking her head. Even exhausted, my mother still looked beautiful to me. Evelyn Hayes had been through too much in her life, but somehow she still carried herself with quiet strength. Since Dad di

LIANAMy heart was still pounding from Kane’s question when my mother suddenly grabbed my arm tightly.“We’re leaving,” she said quickly.“Mom—”“Now, Liana.”Her voice left no room for argument.I looked back at Kane, embarrassed by how aggressively she was dragging me away from him in front of the police officers. But Kane didn’t seem offended. He simply stood there calmly, watching me with those dark unreadable eyes.“I’ll see you again,” he said quietly.Something about the way he said it sent a strange shiver down my spine.Rain still poured heavily onto the empty streets as we hurried toward our old car parked across the road. The second we got inside, she locked the doors immediately with shaking hands.I stared at her in disbelief. “What is wrong with you?”She gripped the steering wheel tightly without looking at me. “You are staying away from that man.”“Why?”“Because I said so.”I let out a frustrated laugh. “Mom, that’s not an answer.”“He’s dangerous.”“How? He literally

LIANAThe whole ride home, I kept touching my lips like I could still feel him there. My heart would not slow down. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face getting closer, felt his hand on my waist, and my whole body remembered that kiss like it was still happening right that second.I knew I looked different. I could feel it. My cheeks were warm and my lips felt swollen and my brain kept replaying the same three seconds over and over again like a song stuck on repeat.But under all that happiness, there was a heavy rock sitting in my stomach.I had lied to my mom.I had never lied to her like that before. Not a real lie. Not a whole night of pretending. And now I had to walk into our apartment and act like nothing had happened, like I had spent the night listening to Jess cry about her boyfriend instead of sitting on a rooftop with the most dangerous man in the city.When I finally opened the front door, the lights were still on.My stomach dropped.Mom was sitting on the couch w

LIANAThe first time I saw the black sedan, I did not think anything of it at all.It was parked outside my apartment building, just sitting there with its engine off, windows tinted so dark I could not see who was inside. I remember glancing at it for a second before shrugging it off. Cars parked on our street all the time. Someone was probably visiting a neighbor, or waiting for their girlfriend to come downstairs, or just taking a nap before their next shift at work. There was nothing strange about a parked car. I told myself that and kept walking.The second time I saw it, though, something small pinched in the back of my mind.I was leaving the coffee shop near campus, the one I always went to after my afternoon classes, holding my cup with both hands to keep them warm. And there it was again. Same black sedan. Same tinted windows. Parked across the street like it belonged there, like it was just another car in a city full of cars.I stood on the sidewalk for a second longer than