Divorced by the Devil Rider

CHAPTER 13 — Iron Wraiths Move

Black SUV parked right out front of my building. Shouldn’t be there.

Wasn’t there yesterday. And it’s not like it’s just passing through—been sitting there forever now.

I’m hovering behind the window longer than I should be, twisting the curtain fabric between my fingers. Smells stale in here—dust mixed with cheap detergent. Can’t remember the last time I washed these damn curtains. Weird how your brain latches onto stupid stuff when everything else is going to hell.

The windows on that SUV aren’t just tinted. They’re blacked out. Like someone went out of their way to make sure you can’t see squat inside. Like it’s waiting for something. Or someone.

Chest tightens up. Could be nothing. A delivery guy taking a break. Some new neighbor I haven’t met yet. Yeah, right.

“Nothing” stopped being a thing a while back.

I let go of the curtain and step back. My apartment feels smaller all of a sudden. Like the walls crept in while I wasn’t looking.

Phone buzzes in my pocket. I jump—again.

Unknown number. One text.

You shouldn’t stay there.

My thumb freezes over the screen. I don’t reply. But I don’t block them either. Hate myself for it. Like blocking would make them forget where I live. Like it’d make them go away.

Second text pops up two seconds later.

They can see you.

My stomach drops so hard I have to sit down. Knees slam against the edge of the couch—hurts like hell, but the pain’s almost good. Keeps me grounded.

I stare at the word They.

Not Him. Not Kade. They. Plural.

I glance back at the window—stupid reflex I can’t shake. SUV’s still there. Not moving. Just… waiting. Watching me.

I back away slow. My body already knows what my brain’s trying to ignore.

I’m not alone. I’m not safe. And all this mess I thought I’d left behind? It’s not done with me yet.

I shuffle to the kitchen like a zombie. Open a cabinet. Close it. Open another. Not hungry. Don’t even know what I’m looking for. Just need to do something normal. But there’s nothing normal left in this place.

Phone buzzes again. Not a text this time—caller ID unknown.

I let it ring out. Then it starts right back up. Persistent son of a b***h.

Before I can think better of it, I swipe to answer. “…Hello?”

Silence. Just breathing on the other end. Different from before. Calmer. Steadier. Too controlled.

“Lucia Moretti,” the voice says. Not a question. A statement.

I grip the phone harder. “Who is this?”

Pause. Then: “Someone who’s interested.”

My stomach lurches. “Well I’m not interested,” I snap back. Interested in me? Why? I’m nobody. I’m just—

I freeze up. No. I’m not nobody. I was Kade’s. At least I used to be. And that’s more than enough to make me trouble.

Movement outside. I glance up.

The SUV door swings open. Guy steps out—tall, broad, head to toe in dark clothes. He doesn’t look up at my window. Doesn’t even try to hide. Just stands there. Like he knows I’m watching. Like he wants me to see him—guarding me, or waiting for me.

Chest burns when I breathe. He leans against the car like he’s got all day. No threats. No rush. Just waiting.

I back away fast, hand slamming against the wall. Breathing sounds way too loud in the quiet. He knows I’m here. Knows my address. Knows—

Phone buzzes again. This time it’s Kade. Three words.

Stay inside. Now.

My heart reacts before my brain can catch up—relief mixed with anger, all twisted up. He knows. Of course he does. He always knows everything.

My feet move toward the front door on instinct. Then I stop. Why am I even going there? Because he told me to stay in?

My hand hovers over the lock. I don’t want to listen to him. But my body’s already made up its mind. Little by little, I’m losing control over the small stuff.

Outside, another guy gets out of the SUV. Then a third. They don’t come closer. Don’t knock. Don’t try to break down the door. They just stand there. Watching. Waiting.

Phone buzzes again—unknown number. This time it’s a photo.

Taken from below. My building. My window. My window.

Chest feels like it’s being crushed. They were that close. Close enough to look inside. Close enough to—

I back up until I’m pressed against the wall again. Trapped. This isn’t my home anymore. It’s just a glass box sitting on the street, and all of them are standing right outside. Waiting to decide when to open it.

Across town, Adrian Kross leans back in his chair. Screens glow dim in front of him.

Lucia’s building. Lucia’s window. Lucia.

He studies the feed close. She looks smaller on camera—fragile. Exposed. Perfect.

Behind him, one of his guys shifts his weight. “She’s alone,” he reports.

Adrian doesn’t answer right away. Watches the girl step back from the glass. Watches her shrink into the corner. Exactly as he’d planned.

Fear. Dependency. Isolation. All going according to schedule.

“Hellhound still keeping watch?” Adrian asks quietly.

“Still there.”

Adrian smirks—not a friendly one. More like he’s curious about what happens next. “Good,” he says.

His fingers tap slow against his palm. Steady. Calm.

Kade Virelli is strong. Untouchable. Rock solid. Until this girl came along.

Adrian tilts his head slightly. “She’s the one who’ll break him,” he murmurs.

And for the first time since all this started—he can’t wait to watch Kade fall apart.

Would you like me to adjust any sections to lean more into a specific w******l subgenre vibe, or tweak the pacing in certain scenes?