A HEAVY PIT weighed down on Mariah's soul as she stood in the bleak hospital room, unblinking eyes trained on Mateo's body hooked up to the incessantly beeping machines. He was yet to wake up, and the doctors had made it very clear how lucky he was to still be fighting, but at least there was a heartbeat keeping Mariah company in the silent room as she leaned against the wall with her arms folded over her chest. Sleep was as distant as ever and there was a pounding headache awaiting her temple, but she wasn't allowing anything but concentration and determination to invade her thoughts.

         It hadn't taken her long to realize that the photographs she had found on her doorstep hadn't included just her and Ella — right there in the corner, a blurry figure could be recognized as Mateo if inspected close enough. She had missed it, and that had evidently been Edwards' plan all along. Lull her into a false sense of security only to snatch the rug from beneath her feet when she least expected it, just like she had done to him.

        She'd get him, though. If she hadn't been motivated enough before, then now, she was borderline desperate.

        "Chlo's reviewing the crime scene", Kai's voice startled Mariah out of her thoughts, but before she could go on the defensive, she recognized the man entering the room with his third cup of coffee. No wonder, if the bleary eyes, tousled hair, and bloodstained clothes were anything to go by. "I mean, the apartment", he corrected with a cringe, a heavy sigh accompanying his own voice as he gave a long stare at the sugary coffee and decided against it before tossing the paper cup into the nearest trash.

        "I could have done it", Mariah countered quietly, and when the words were barely hanging in the air, Kai was turning to her with an incredulous stare and a ghost of a smile that was anything but happy.

        "You can't do everything on your own", he argued, his voice breaking as he pointed a frustrated finger at Mariah and blinked away tears. "You don't have to, either. I know you want to, but you need to accept help when it's offered to you. I know Maze tried to", Kai went on, an anger that Mariah had never heard draining out the usual optimism in his voice.

         Scoffing, Mariah forced her eyes to look away from Mateo's unconscious body so she could glance at Kai before turning to her boots. "You mean the woman everyone keeps calling a demon?" she clarified, only for the Nolan to throw out his arms in exasperation.

        "Who cares! At least she's on our side", he fumed before stepping back and huffing. "You're fantastic at what you do but everyone needs help sometimes. If you just accepted that, maybe I wouldn't have another friend's blood all over me", he added finally before turning away from Mariah and grabbing one of the chairs in the room to sit beside Mateo's bed.

         Silence landed in the air and they could both feel the regretful truth hang between them, yet neither said anything more when Mariah was sucking in a defeated breath and heading out of the room. Right at the doorway, she nearly bumped into Chloe, but when she saw the detective open her mouth to say something — condolences, no doubt — Mariah ducked in the other direction and stalked down the hall with only one goal in mind.

         It didn't take her long to navigate her way into the hospital chapel, a weary sigh falling from her lips as she sank into one of the pews with her tired eyes looking up at the altar. She didn't find the need to say anything, just sit there with her fingers slowly interlocking and her heart thudding against her chest as she quietly prayed for her cousin's survival and recovery.

        She wasn't happy to admit it, but she knew Kai was right. She had insisted on trying everything to find Edwards, but the reality was something much different. It wasn't her fault Mateo was lying in the hospital, but it was hard to feel otherwise with his blood literally on her folded hands.

        Wiping the astray tear sliding from the corner of her eye, Mariah was pulled out of her silence when the wooden bench creaked from beside her. At the sight of Ella, adorning a weak smile, she cracked a similar, fleeting expression while allowing the Lopez to join her. The usually talkative woman said nothing, simply let her hand melt against Mariah's, gentle yet firm as she silently swore support and loyalty.

        She was still holding it together. She was. But she found comfort in knowing that if she needed to fall apart, Ella was by her side to put the pieces back together.

—————

          AFTER ELLA HAD practically forced Mariah to eat something at the hospital canteen, the Rose was begrudgingly coming to the conclusion that Kai had had a point in approaching Maze. When it came to allies, right now, there was no room to be picky — so, Mariah cut her losses and after kissing Ella's cheek as a thank you for the half-breakfast, she was striding back to Mateo's room where she had heard Izzy's voice earlier.

          Indeed, she found the redhead sitting with Kai, both of them keenly waiting for Mateo to wake up all the while discussing their memories with the man. Although the memorial-like setting made Mariah swallow, she entered the room quietly before acknowledging Izzy with the woman's last name hesitant on the tip of her tongue.

         "I was wondering if...", she began, but she had no time to finish when Izzy was cutting her off with a soft wave of her hand.

       "Don't worry about it. Maze is on it already. I didn't even get to ask her when she was grabbing her knives and heading out, so...", Izzy trailed off with the kind of smile that confirmed just how much she loved Mazikeen. "Listen, she's thorough. If something turns up, she'll be on it, I swear", she continued, and nodding in quiet agreement, Mariah supposed she had a point. She just wished she could be a part of it.

         "Thanks", she croaked out before rubbing the back of her neck and trailing backwards on the shiny floor tiles. Before she walked out, though, she gave Kai an apologetic look. "Hey, I'm sorry. For everything you had to go through. You know I'm here for you, right?" she frowned, full of guilt for not having considered what such a loss could do to Kai. She was suffering, too, but she wasn't the one who had already recently watched a friend die in her arms.

       With a faint smile, Kai shook his head to dismiss it as nothing huge, even when they both knew it was. "I'm sorry, too. I made a valid point but I shouldn't have been so mean about it", he supposed with a shrug, and already chuckling, Mariah flashed a brief grin at him.

       "I think you could benefit from standing up for yourself more, actually", she pointed out, and when Kai simply made a lavish bow in response, the Rose inched over to Mateo and feebly gathered his hand in her own. She gave it a careful squeeze, the kind to wordlessly promise that she'd be back as soon as she could and that she'd get him justice.

       Even if she'd have to work with a demon to make it happen.

—————

         "TAKE A BREATH." It wasn't until Ella's calm words rang throughout her lab that Mariah realized how hard she was gripping the table, her knuckles draining of color as she stared at the evidence Chloe had gathered with the Lopez. Seeing lab results of Mateo's blood was far from easy, and every second she spent away from the hospital felt like a mistake, but she was trying to focus on the bigger picture. It seemed her nerves didn't quite agree with her intentions, though.

        Following Ella's instructions, Mariah let go of the table and drew in a deep breath with her burdened stare falling to the floor where her worn boots squeaked in response to her fidgeting. "Do you think it'll be alright?" the Rose asked then, the charged question catching Ella off-guard when their eyes met again and she was exposed to the guilt and worry in Mariah's. It was simple enough of a question, and one that Ella usually had only one response to, but she could tell she wasn't asked for sweet nothings or empty promises. No false hope.

       And yet, she cracked a weak smile while leaning over to Mariah and stepping on her tiptoes to press a tender kiss on her forehead. "I do", she assured, sincerity twinkling in her eyes as she withdrew and gave Mariah a solemn nod. "Things may look grim right now, but I don't doubt that everything will turn out okay", she added for good measure, her finger gently nudging at the cross hanging at Mariah's collarbone as a reminder of having faith. At that moment, she did.

       They didn't get to say anything more when they were joined by Maze, the woman barely gracing them with a greeting as she stomped into the lab with her muscled arms crossed over her chest. "Decker and I checked the security cameras near Mateo and Kai's apartment. It was definitely your guy, but we lost him around the corner. He was smart, not driving a car that could be connected to him", the demon elaborated, before exhaling heavily and shrugging. "I'm planning on checking the streets out, though. You wanna come with?"

       "You bet", Mariah huffed, itching to take action already. She knew that what Ella did was immensely important, but her strengths were in the field.

        "Be careful", the Lopez interjected before she could run off with Maze, and at that, the latter grinned. Of course, Mariah and Ella would be none the wiser, but she had been betting on it with her own girlfriend — how long would it take for the nerd to fall head over heels in love with her idol and vice versa?

       Managing a smile of her own — a rare sight lately — Mariah nodded and brushed a thumb across the back of Ella's hand as a farewell. "Thanks. For all of this", she whispered with a haphazard gesture at the thorough research she had put up at in lab, and in response, Ella shyly tilted her head and shrugged, as if it was no big deal.

       The duo still didn't get the chance to run out, though, when Mariah's phone buzzed in the pocket of her leather jacket. Fully expecting to hear from Kai from the hospital, Mariah froze at the doorway to rush the phone to her ear, yet the hope in her eyes died as soon as, instead of Kai's honeyed voice, she heard the gravelly one of her number one enemy.

        "Hey, Mar. How's your cousin holdin' up?"

»»»

Author's note

Ooooh we're headed for a confrontation my friends!! Perhaps all hope is not yet lost (: Buuut I'm sure I can still squeeze in some feels and drama. That said, though, this book is nearing its end!! I haven't prewritten the rest yet but I would say we have a few chapters + the epilogue left.

As always, thank you very much for reading! Sending much love to all of you ❤️