❝WE STAND AND WE WON'T FALL.❞
In which Kai Nolan, a human disaster in the form of a clever detective, gets transferred to the LAPD, making things difficult not only for him, but everyone around him.
[LUCIFER SEASON 3]
BOOK THREE IN THE ❝ CHILDREN OF...
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THE SMALL CLIFF had been a hidden gem for years. Curious teens had snuck there to share their first kiss, uninspired artists had climbed there for the grand sights, overwhelmed workers had sought out peace and perspective above the lit-up city. For Charlotte Richards, it had been a place to take in the day and rest her body — of course, she had only meant it temporarily, but Lieutenant Pierce had taken the luxury of choice away from her.
And so, all Kai could see now was a crime scene, not the breathtaking view of the city or the comfort of the trees around them. Closing his eyes left him thinking of Charlotte's lifeless face, but when he opened them, he saw the dried red covering his shaky fingertips, like a never-ending reminder while he silently sat at the back of an ambulance. The cut on his cheekbone had been stitched up and he had been given a pack of ice for the bruised lip, but the physical pain was barely registering in his head.
By sunrise, Charlotte was being wheeled away in a body bag, making it official. There was no more hope for her, and the horrible void in Kai's chest only deepened with each minute he spent aimlessly rubbing his fingers.
"Hey, oh my God", a voice spoke up from beside him, and with alert eyes, Kai looked up only to find Mateo walking up to him with a concerned look. For the most part, the officers had managed to keep the public away — it was a secluded place, after all — and the only people around were the coroners and Kai's trusted team of detectives. He guessed he had one of those friends to thank for Mateo's presence.
Rather than questioning how exactly he knew to come here, Kai fell against his chest desperately, and without a second's hesitance, the Ruiz wrapped his arms around him. He didn't say a thing, knowing there wasn't anything that could have helped right now. Kai was grieving and all he could offer for now, was a tight hug to silently promise it was going to be fine and he was there for him no matter what.
"I wish Mariah was here", Kai breathed out into Mateo's arm, all out of tears as he simply thought about his best friend. He was lucky to have the rest of them, but if there was one person above all, it was her.
But to be fair, there was another woman who could hold Kai's head above water, too.
"Hey, I just talked to Ella", Chloe interjected apologetically, a cough following her words as she reached out for Kai's arm and softly gripped it. That got him to pull away from Mateo and wipe his burning eyes, though he didn't feel much better by her next announcement. "The bullet didn't match your gun so... despite everything, that rules you out as a suspect", the Decker continued, still thinking about how she and Lucifer had arrived at the scene to find Kai begging and sobbing on the ground with Izzy trying to pull him away from Charlotte, to no avail.
The only pain worse than that had been Dan's arrival. Kai was hurt throughout, but Dan had lost the love of his life, after all.
"That's because it wasn't me. It was Pierce", the Nolan declared bitterly, his voice hoarse but determined. If only the looks he received in response hadn't been so doubtful. But, regardless, he nodded to confirm his own words and ran his hands through his mess of hair before continuing. "I followed him here. I didn't know what he was doing, but I found him just as he fired the gun. I attacked him, we fought, then I realized he... he shot—so I found her—and... he fled", he rambled, knowing he sounded absolutely nonsensical, but he also knew he could rely on Mateo and Chloe.
