Page 213 of The Devil's Fire

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the relentless thoughts that threatened to consume me. I didn’t want to fall into that painful territory, especially when Michael was going to be here any minute now.

Stepping outside, I caught sight of Michael’s car pulling up, and a smile formed on my face. Maybe it was a good idea to have Michael come over. It was a welcome distraction from the haunting darkness.

“Thaia!” Michael greeted cheerfully, giving me a tight hug.

“Good to see you, too.” I replied, my voice muffled by the hug that practically crushed my head into his chest. Michael leaned away slightly, a smile gracing his features.

“You look better now.”

“Are you saying that I looked bad before?” I teased, raising a brow at him. His smile fell with my words.

“No, I was just saying—what I meant was—” Michael stumbled over his words, looking distressed. I couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction as he continued to fumble.

“I know what you meant; I was just messing with you.” Michael’s shoulders sagged in relief, and he shook his head slightly, a small smile playing on his lips.

“You did me dirty there. God, how I have missed you.” He pulled me into another hug.

“I’ve missed you too.” I smiled.

“Did you have breakfast yet?” Michael asked when he walked back to his car.

“Not really.”

“Good, ‘cause I bought some on my way here.” He reached into the car and took out a brown paper bag. “And your iced coffee! I think this is the one you usually get, right?” He showed me the iced caramel macchiato, and my eyes widened in excitement.

“Oh, yes! It’s my favorite!” I rushed to him and grabbed the coffee out of his hand. “You’re the best, thank you!” I grinned at him, and he shot me a wink.

“Not bad.” Michael commented, glancing around the living room as he settled on the couch. I joined him, grabbing my iced coffee and taking a sip through the straw.

“You should see the view on this side; it’s breathtaking.” I gestured towards the beach as I retrieved bagels from the bag.

“It’s nice.” Michael agreed, looking out the window. Just then, Kiara decided to make her appearance, leaping onto the couch. “Wait, you got yourself a pet?” He stared at her with a funny expression as she sniffed him.

“She was a stray, and I decided to take her in. I couldn’t leave her alone.” I said with a smile, giving Kiara a gentle rub on the head. “She keeps me company.”

“She’s a cute one.” He chuckled, giving her a small pet. “How are you holding up?” Michael asked once we had finished eating. I shrugged and leaned back on the couch.

“I have my days, you know. Sometimes I feel I’m doing okay, but then the next moment I feel like I’m hitting rock bottom.”

“I’m sorry you have to go through this.” His expression filled with sadness as he gently held my hand.

“It’s just... I miss her so much.” I looked down at my lap. “Everything happened so fast, and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it…” A lump formed in my throat, and I took a deep breath to calm down.

“You can’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.” He tried to reassure me, and I gave him a half-smile, not saying anything.

If I had just been stronger, I would have been able to help her. Instead, she was the one who died trying to protect me, and for that, I couldn’t forgive myself.

“Just so you know, your father is doing everything he can to find those fuckheads.” He said firmly.

“There hasn’t been anything yet?” I asked, and he shook his head.

“No. We would probably have found something, a clue of some sort if Damiano just wanted to cooperate with us, but he is shutting us completely out.” He frowned, and I looked at him in surprise. Damiano wasn’t letting my father in on this?

“Why is he shutting you out?”

“Beats me. He’s a fucking mystery and didn’t even give a reason.”

I knew why. This was personal.

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