Page 63 of The Trap

“Trust me girl,” I interrupt, “we all know. Now, hands off him,” I grin teasingly. “I have this handled,” I reassure her, but stubborn Blair remains, heels planted on the ground, assessing the room.

“Ugh fine,” she sighs in dramatic defeat. She pivots halfway before she stops. “Oh, Colson. I have a message for you. She clears her throat, lowering her tone in a mocking baritone. “You kick a man in the balls, you better prepare for what’s next,” she stops to laugh, “sincerely, Madness. I would channel his rasp again but my throat hurts,” she winks, obviously referring to her curse of a man, Maddox. Blair reaches in her pocket and a second later, tosses Colson’s vape his way. Relief spreads over Colson’s entire body as he catches it, immediately pressing the heat setting button so he can rip a hit. “Also, he said you’re probably missing this,” she laughs, now walking to meet Delilah standing in the doorway.

“He’s cute,” Delilah chimes in, “no wonder you named your vibrator after him.” Of course, she had to add that, as if the video footage wasn’t proof of that enough.

“D!” I shout at her, my face turning bright red.

“Oh my god, girl, chill it’s fine. You see the way he smirked when I said that?” she teases before clapping her hands to get Blair’s attention. “Let’s go, mama.” Delilah motions to Blair as they stubbornly walk back out the door, their hands interlaced.

“Sorry,” I giggle, “my familyandfriends are nuts. Well, fuck that, a lot nuts–” my words are clipped by his lips on mine. He kisses me, tossing the axe down, making Brett whine as it slams on the ground. “You changed your mind, I see?” I ask, breaking our kiss, but my question is ignored as he swoops me up into his arms. My thighs clench around his body as he squeezes me.

“Nope, that motherfucker is as good as dead. But I have a better way for him to go,” he winks before diving his tongue into my ready mouth, sealing his words with a passionate kiss.

“What do you have in mind then?” I murmur against his lips.

“I think I’d kill better with one more,” he groans, looking past me to the looking glass where we can’t see Sienna and Carmine but know they’re watching. Colson nudges his head to the back wall and like fucking magic, another door opens.

With me locked in his hold, he walks us through the doorway. The cold bites at my skin, just like it did when we were first dragged here. “One more what?” I ask, with brows arched and an eager grin.

“Chase,” he deadpans, placing me down on the ground. “I’ll give you a head start. Lead us to the maze that gives way to the axe throwing wall again.”

“Fine,” I playfully scoff, anticipation rattling my every sense as I stare at my devil, who’s ready to chase and pin me once more.

“You better run, because when I get you-”

“You’re going to trap me?” I squeal excitedly, already jogging.

“Yes, and never let you go.”

EPILOGUE I

ONE MONTH LATER

“I got the job,” I announce, each syllable stinging more than the last. “I mean, that was the plan all along, but you know how Moretti is. Well, maybe you don’t actually. He’s nothing like his father but he’s…intense,” I pause, stifling the urge I have to laugh, but it’s true. Now that I’m with his cousin and working for him distributing a new strain of fantasma we’ve named Demonio, I feel like he has eyes everywhere.

I shake my head.“Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and see you,” my words only for my ears and the spirits that linger here. Running my hand over the aged limestone, a smile crosses my face. The engraving on the decaying surface is barely legible other than the flor de maga flowers beneath the first three letters of our last name. Demonio. Words escape me. There’s so much I want to say to him, that I wish I could’ve said to him, but now it all feels so pointless because he’s wherever we go after this brutal life is done with us. My boots kick at the grass, frustration mixing with sadness.

“You would’ve liked her. Raiden,” I blurt, another set of words that feel like daggers to the heart. “I know you set out for our paths to cross, but I don’t think either you or Victor had even the faintest clue–no offense–of how we would be together. We’re so opposite, yet so similar. She’s fire and I’m ice, but it works somehow. Whenever she needs someone to calm her down I help extinguish that heat overflowing her veins. But not too much, because that attitude she has on her does things to me. I don’t know, maybe I’m a masochist for being with her, but she makes me so fucking happy, dad, and I haven’t been happy in a long fucking time. Not since–” I pause, a lump lodging in my throat, emotions on high. “Anyway, it’s been a long time since I’ve been truly at peace. Since mom died, and because of that I’ve become cold. Hardened to the world, and she’s helped me with that. She’s the wave of warmth I need to melt all the anxiety and pent-up anger away. She’s everything to me. Which is why I’m going to give her this,” I stop to reach for the necklace he gave my mother. The wind captures the pendant, swinging it. “I was going to leave it at mom’s grave before I left, but now I think this piece of your love and our heritage is better suited for her. To keep it alive.”

As I stick the necklace in my pocket, my phone vibrates with an incoming message. My heart flutters like I'm a goddamn schoolboy when I see her name.

“Speak of the devil,” I mumble, retrieving my phone and exchanging it with the necklace.

Raiden: Where art thou, pendejo? *kissy face emoji*

Ha, fucking smartass always.

Me: Really? Still with the pendejo, even after I let you talk me into … you know *scared emoji*

Raiden: Oh please! One time won’t kill you and just think about how wet it’ll make me *splash emoji - cat emoji - butterfly emoji *

Raiden: I’m touching myself just thinking about it…

This woman, I swear.Granted she doesn’t know I stopped at the cemetery on the way to pick her up, but still. She’s about to give me a fucking hard-on while I’m standing in front of a grave.

Me: I bet you are mama *tongue emoji*

Me: Be there soon

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