Angelo's POV

Chaos unfolded outside Angelo's bedroom door. 

The sounds of raised voices, muffled shouts, and heated arguments had gone on for days, resulting in him getting little to no sleep.

He had no one to blame but himself, of course. No one knew—yet—that he was the trigger that had set everything off. And because of his reckless actions, his fragile mind was plagued by two persistent thoughts:

The first was Lucifer. Their hot encounter replayed on an endless loop in his head; rough hands gripping his cock, kisses he felt all the way down to the tips of his toes, a connection both thrilling and terrifying.

The second was guilt. He had stabbed Lucifer in the back the night they'd gone to pick up that package. It'd been a risky decision, and an SCR member had been jailed because of it.

"I had to do it," Angelo muttered to no one. "I had to..."

When Lucifer left him alone at the bar to take care of business, restless and desperate for leverage, Angelo had chatted up the bartender, playing the part of a junkie looking to score. And it had worked.

The man let slip that one of the members of SCR, a guy named Jin, sold drugs out of the club. But before Angelo could track him down, a drunk asshole harassed him for a dance. Lucifer had swooped in like an avenging angel, shutting shit down and unwittingly thwarting Angelo's plan to dig up more dirt.

That didn't stop Angelo from passing along what he'd learned to Phil after he and Lucifer returned to the clubhouse. A few hours later, another $50k hit appeared in Angelo's private account.

And the very next day, cops swarmed the nightclub.

Jin was taken into custody, Lucifer went on a warpath and placed the blame on Quinton and the mayor when in reality, it was all Angelo's fault.

He had single-handedly set this shitstorm in motion.

"The cops are swarming around all our spots, man. The fucking laundromat and the motel are hot right now. I've never seen Prez this pissed."

Angelo sat up in bed, his head whipping toward the door where a hushed conversation was being held on the other side.

"This is a fucking mess. You think the pigs will raid them, too?"

"Who fucking knows. Maybe."

"We've got some shit stored at the laundromat, though. We gotta move it out ASAP."

"Fuck. Prez probably forgot about that with all the shit that's been happening. We need to find him."

Another pang of guilt jabbed at Angelo's conscience.

He had made such a mess of things. But self-preservation quickly smothered the feeling. He needed to get as far away from Lucifer as he could. Needed to save his own skin.

It was every man for themselves.

Climbing out of bed, Angelo went into the bathroom and locked the door. He grabbed both phones from their hiding spot and checked the iPhone first to see if Maxxx had responded to his plea for help.

"Thank, fuck."

Maxxx: Dude, this is crazy as hell! What's your location??

Kai: I'm such an idiot. I forgot to share it. One sec.

LOCATION SENT

Kai: Also, I got more news. One of their spots got raided, and it might happen again with another.

Kai: I might be able to sneak away in all chaos, but after that I'm screwed.

Maxxx: We can use the next raid to our advantage. But first, you gotta get me access to their network.

Maxxx: I'm assuming they have security cameras around the property?

Kai: Lots.

Maxxx: I can disable them once I have access. We should time all this around the time when the raid happens.

Maxxx: Think you'll be able to give me a heads-up?

Kai: I'll try my best.

Maxxx: Cool. After that goes down, try to sneak off the property and go to the Dollar General on Cherry Ave. It's the closest public business near you.

Maxxx: There'll be a black Honda Accord waiting for you. One of my teammates, Catz, will be driving.

Kai: Copy. Then what?

Maxxx: He'll give you a new burner and then take you to a safe house.

Kai: When Lucifer took me, I was only able to bring my wallet and nothing else. No passport.

Maxxx: We got you, man. Let's get you the hell out of there first, then we'll worry about skipping town.

Kai: You're literally a lifesaver. Can't wait to see you in person.

Maxxx: Me too :)

With a quick twist of the faucet, Angelo cupped his hands and splashed cold water over his face, the shock of it grounding him momentarily.

It was hard to stay positive, but having faith in Maxxx, his team, and his plan was all Angelo had left.

He shut the iPhone off and switched to the burner phone to text another update to Phil, but a new request was waiting for him instead.

One that made him sick to the stomach.

Phil123: Fuck bringing Lucifer and his shitty club to justice.

Phil123: I want them all dead.

Angelo's thumbs flew across the keyboard.

Kai: Did you forget I'm just a hacker and not a contract killer???

Kai: Murder is above my pay grade.

The reply was almost instantaneous.

Phil123: Either you work with me on this, or I expose you. It's as simple as that.

Panic seized Angelo for a split second, but then cold logic prevailed. Phil was bluffing. He couldn't possibly uncover Angelo's real identity. He didn't have the same skills that Angelo had. If he did, he wouldn't have contacted Angelo for help in the first place.

Kai: Expose me how? You don't even know who I am.

Phil123: Maybe not. But I do know you're the snitch who helped me lock up one of Lucifer's best dealers.

Phil123: Do you think I can't get in contact with Lucifer right now and tell him everything about what you and I have been doing?

Phil123: He'll have you hunted down and strung up somewhere in a basement by the end of day.

Phil123: Don't test me.

The threat knocked the air from Angelo's lungs.

This was worse than Phil knowing his real name. If Phil contacted Lucifer before Angelo could escape the property, he was undoubtedly a dead man.

Gritting his teeth, Angelo fired back.

Kai: Remember one thing—if I go down, you can bet your ass I'm using every resource to track you down so I can take you with me.

There was a long pause, and then another reply.

Phill123: I'm sorry. My emotions got the best of me.

Phil23: I just want this to be over so I can move on with my life.

Kai: Need a reminder that these people kill for fun?? One slip up and I'm fucked.

Kai: You'll never get justice or whatever the hell you're after if I'm fucking dead.

Phil123: You're right. I'm sorry.

Kai: Never threaten me again asshole. And this time you can do your own fucking research.

Phil123: On?

Kai: They own a laundromat somewhere in town and are hiding something there. Drugs or weapons, maybe. They're worried about the police doing another raid.

Phil123: I can work with this. Thanks.

Angelo powered off the phone and placed them back underneath the sink and out of sight, his hands shaking with adrenaline and rage.

He was walking a razor's edge, and one wrong move would slice him into a million pieces.

"It's not over yet." He looked at his reflection in the mirror, anxiety lodged in his throat. "I got this."

Drawing a deep breath, Angelo exited the bathroom, and at the same time, the bedroom door flew open.

"Pack a bag," Lucifer said. "We're leaving."

"L-Leaving?" Confusion and dread warred within Angelo. "Leaving where?"

"Just pack a fucking bag and meet me outside in ten minutes." Lucifer turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

"Shit, shit, shit..." Heart pounding, he grabbed his duffel bag from the closet and hastily filled it with necessities, including his two secret phones.

This definitely threw a wrench in his escape plan with Maxxx, so he texted him back with the update.

Kai: Change of plans. Leaving with Lucifer right now. No idea where.

Maxxx: Shit. Keep your location on! I'll get with the team and we'll work out something else.

Kai: Copy.

Shouldering the bag, Angelo went outside to find Lucifer waiting by his truck, jaw clenched, and arms crossed over his chest. He jerked his head toward the passenger side as Angelo approached.

"Get in and try not to fucking annoy me."

Angelo kept his mouth shut, climbed inside, and dumped his bag at his feet.

As the truck roared to life and peeled through the gates, Angelo stared out the window, watching the clubhouse disappear behind them. His stomach churned at being alone with Lucifer again.

The man was a ticking time bomb, and he came off even scarier when he was quiet.

"Can I please ask where we're going?" Angelo spoke after an hour into the drive.

Lucifer didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

Angelo shifted in his seat, a cold sweat prickling his skin. What if Lucifer had caught on to him? What if Phil really did rat him out, and this was Angelo's last drive...ever?

"Are you going to kill me?" The question slipped out, almost a whisper. "Please just tell me if you are."

"It's not always about you, you know?"

"What does that mean?"

Lucifer shot him a sidelong glance. "I'm not going to kill you. The pigs are up my ass right now and they're probably going to go after everything I own."

"Oh."

"Don't play stupid. I know you've heard the talk going around the clubhouse."

Angelo kept quiet.

"In case they decide to raid the clubhouse next, I'm going to make sure they don't catch my ass waiting there. So I need to lay low until the heat dies down."

"Got it."

"Look out the window."

He did. Relief trickled through him as he recognized the winding road leading to Lucifer's cabin.

"We're going back to your cabin?"

"Yeah."

"But what about everyone else? You can't just leave your men behind to take the fall...or whatever."

"Aw. Sounds like you care about us." Surprise flickered across Lucifer's face before it morphed into a smirk.

"I don't." Angelo rolled his eyes. "But why am I going with you to the cabin and no one else is? Why couldn't someone babysit me while you hide out alone?"

"Because you've already snuck off once." Lucifer's gaze cut to him again, sharp and assessing. "I won't let it happen again, so you're stuck with me until further notice."

Angelo's heart sank.

He was being caged in with the very man he'd betrayed. A man who wouldn't second guess ending Angelo's life if he ever discovered the truth about his dealings with Phil.

Nothing good would come from being alone with Lucifer again. Nothing good at all.