❝ WHERE'S THE DREAMS THAT I'VE BEEN AFTER? ❞
In which Mariah Rose, an undercover legend, returns to the LAPD and faces her number one fan.
[LUCIFER SEASON 4]
BOOK FOUR IN THE ❝ CHILDREN OF DARKNESS ❞ SERIES
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MARIAH THRIVED ON routine and habits, and that was why, against all odds, she wound up finding some sort of solace in roaming Lux after work hours with Ella by her side. They hadn't succeeded the first time around, but the Lopez had insisted that the suspect could very well be a regular and show his face a second time — and with no other leads to guide Mariah into another direction, she had no choice but to reluctantly agree and accept undercover clubbing into her daily agenda.
"I wish I could go with you", Kai pouted at Mariah while the woman strode into the elevator with her bag over her shoulder and her hand ready to wave goodbye to the man. "But, I've got another hot date, at least", he went on, far from sneaky when it came to bragging about how well things were going with Chloe. Still, even when Mariah struggled to fully trust the Decker after her history with Kai, she didn't deny that she was happy for him and his long week of successful dates with the woman.
"Lopez and I got it covered", she dismissed with a shrug, although a chuckle broke free from her while she held back the elevator door, "and since Mateo heard we're looking for a tall brunette in his forties, he did not waste any time offering his services." At the mention of her cousin, she couldn't help but stifle a smile. He had hardly changed over the years, except for the little influence Kai had had on him during the months they had spent as roommates — either way, Mariah had been happy to be reunited with something so reassuringly familiar.
Searching exactly that, she made her way to Lux like she had for the past three nights, her car keys shoved into her leather jacket as she entered the club with ease. She had barely exchanged two words with Lucifer, but it seemed the man and his friends had enough pull to let half a stranger like her inside without standing in line for hours. Maybe, it was a tactic of winning her over, one that she wasn't going to blindly fall for, but she couldn't deny the relief of being allowed to sneak past the crowd of people and make her way over to the bar.
"Oh, you're here!" Ella was the first one to acknowledge Mariah who, unlike the Lopez, was scanning the surroundings with a stern stare. She was not here to have fun, but the same obviously couldn't be said for the forensic scientist who proceeded to clink glasses with an equally inebriated Mateo.
"Against all odds", Mariah pointed out with a careful chuckle as she eyed her cousin and the worn diamonds on the collar of his button-up. "How many have you had?" she questioned with an innate worry bleeding even through the amused smile directed at Mateo who was driven by the music and the drink in his hand to aimlessly bob his head back and forth.
Breaking into a grin, he swatted Mariah's chest gently. "I decided to not keep count. Ever since I started hanging out with Kai, I always have to be the adult. Tonight, you'll be my Mateo", he insisted before humming thoughtfully and shrugging, "I'm sure in some universe that made sense."
Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for the man to eventually roll out onto the floor to put even the hired dancers to shame, while Ella made sure to stay back with Mariah at the bar. "You won't exactly blend in by yourself with your whole dark-and-brooding thing, you know", she had claimed, insistent that there was no other reason for her to linger around with Mariah than keeping their cover — although the detective knew very well about Ella's little celebrity crush, she didn't try and blow holes into her story. Clubs were far from her comfort-zone, so whatever solace she could get in even one familiar face, she accepted.
