❝ WHERE'S THE DREAMS THAT I'VE BEEN AFTER? ❞
In which Mariah Rose, an undercover legend, returns to the LAPD and faces her number one fan.
[LUCIFER SEASON 4]
BOOK FOUR IN THE ❝ CHILDREN OF DARKNESS ❞ SERIES
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WORN WITH EXHAUSTION, Mariah made her way to the precinct as soon the sun had risen, the menacing photographs folded in the pocket of her jacket as she replayed the events of last night over and over again in her head. She couldn't help but feel like she was constantly being watched, like there was a camera on her no matter where she went, and the paranoia creeping at the back of her neck had kept her up throughout the night.
And now that the next day was officially in motion and she could count on finding her team at work, she didn't hesitate to rush to work and head directly to Ella's lab with the worrisome envelope in her clutch.
"Oh, hey!" Ella was greeting her giddily as soon as she was sneaking into the lab, her enthusiasm flying past Mariah as she closed the door behind her. "You know, I was thinking, maybe we should go out on like an actual date— hey, are you okay?" she began rambling out of habit, but once she noticed the wary glance Mariah was shooting at the bullpen through the blinds she made sure to close, the Lopez picked up on the tense air. She was good at reading people, like that.
"We can't", Mariah whispered before turning on her heel and clenching her jaw while pulling out the envelope and shakily setting it down on the table. "You—you can't. I don't know if either of us is even safe", she went on, running her fingers through her hair as she exhaled heavily and leaned against the countertop. Her eyes burned with weariness but even blinking felt like a risk she wasn't willing to take.
Silence fell in the room as Ella inspected the photos with widening eyes, a lump rising in her throat as she stared at the taunting note in one hand and the sneaky pictures in the other. Still, she tried to keep herself together, a deep breath filling her lungs as she looked back at Mariah only to fully note the tired eyes and twitchy fingers and drained face.
Things had seemed to go so well last night, and now, Mariah had almost forgotten they had even kissed. Edwards was a dangerous and unstable man, and even when she refused to say it out loud, the Rose knew that the kiss would hardly matter if she wouldn't be able to protect Ella from his thirst for vengeance.
"Do you think he might actually come after you? Or me?" Ella asked carefully, knowing that, well, she didn't know all that much, after all. Mariah had only disclosed the details of her operation to their Lieutenant; not even Kai or Linda had heard the extent of what she had seen and done. She liked to think it wasn't that bad, but as she watched the torment play out on Mariah's face right in front of her, she felt in her bones that wasn't the case.
"He won't just waltz in here with a gun. That...", Mariah inhaled with a bitter gesture at the photos, "is how he works. In secret. Most of the time, he doesn't even get his own hands dirty but with all his people under arrest... I guess he has no choice." Not to mention, it was personal, now. Mariah had pretended to be an ally for months, only to take his actual friends down, and she didn't doubt he had the necessary resentment to go after her directly.
