𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝟐 | 𝟏𝟖+

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ Sᴇᴠᴇɴ: Sᴀᴅɪsᴛɪᴄ Exᴛʀᴀᴄᴜʀʀɪᴄᴜʟᴀʀs

I tuck the covers snugly around Faith and brush her dark curls back from her forehead. "Time for bed, baby girl."

But she's not quite ready to sleep yet. "Mama...how come you don't like Daddy?"

I sink down onto the edge of her bed with a sigh. How do I even begin to explain the complexities of my relationship with Damien to a six-year-old?

"Well..." I start carefully. "He was really mean to me a long time ago, Faith."

"But, he's nice to me..."

I lean in to press a kiss to her forehead. "Remember what I told you? Sometimes people can seem nice on the outside while still not being very good people."

She gives a little nod. "I know. But...I miss him."

I feel a pang of guilt at her words. No little girl should have to long for her father the way Faith does. And I get it. Despite how much I dislike my own father, there's still a part of me that aches for him.

Whenever Faith asked about her dad, I never bashed him, only told her the good things. For some reason, I wanted to preserve at least the fantasy of him being a good person, a good father, even if reality fell embarrassingly short. Letting Faith build her own idealized image of the man I wished Damien could have been was the only thing I could give her.

Because of that, Faith naturally developed a curiosity and longing to actually see her dad. More times than I can count, she begged me to let her meet him. But I always shut her down gently. Protecting Faith from inevitable disappointment was my top priority. At least until she was older and could make that choice for herself. And after a while, she just gave up asking.

Now, with him thrust back into our lives so abruptly, I realize I can't shield her from him anymore, as much as I may want to. 

Pulling Faith close, I fight back the selfish urge to keep her all to myself forever. "Okay, baby," I whisper softly. "I'll try to let him be around more often, okay?"

"You promise, mama?"

Leaning back in, I drop one more tender kiss on her cheek. "I promise, Faith."

"Goodnight mommy," she mumbles sleepily, already drifting off as I tuck the covers back around her chin.

Crossing the room, I pause at the door to take one last look at her peaceful, angelic face bathed in the soft glow of her nightlight. This incredible little person is my entire world. I'd do anything to make her happy. But I'd do anything to protect her too.

I head downstairs to the kitchen, needing a drink. Grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the pantry, I pour a couple of shots into a glass and chug it down quickly.

Plan. I need to focus.

I walk over to the living room and flop onto the couch, scattering my notes and photos across the coffee table. I open up my laptop—a few clicks pull up the addresses Julio gave. I study the mapped locations intently, mentally plotting out a strategy for infiltrating each one seamlessly.

A sudden loud knock at the front door has me nearly jumping out of my skin. I quickly shut the laptop and kill the lights, pulling my gun free in one smooth motion as I creep towards the hallway.

Could be one of Alonzo's rats already sniffing around. Can't be too careful.

Keeping low, I make my way to the security room and flick on the feed for the front cameras. A loud, frustrated sigh escapes me when I see who it is standing on my doorstep,"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I mutter, holstering my gun as I walk over and yank open the door.