Novels by Sïr Mïlës

THE STORM BEFORE THEMTHE STONE'S APARTMENT The door opened slowly as the Stones returned back to their house after a long day, after the whole drama at Ivana and Jamie's wedding.They were wearing sad faces, dragging their feet as though the world had ended. Lisa stepped in first. Her heels didn’t click the way they usually did. Today, the sound was dull. Her shoulders were slightly bent and her face looked drained, like everything that happened at the wedding had taken something out of her.Behind her, Mira came in quietly, closing the door with care. Mrs Stone followed last.For a few seconds, nobody said anything to each other. They all sat for a while in the living room, looking in a particular direction, except for Lisa who was pacing with both hands on her waist.Just then, she stopped pacing and walked straight to the empty chair in the living room and dropped into it.Mrs Stone shifted in her chair, holding her chest like she was trying to calm her breathing.Mira stood up

PLAYING WITH FIREManuel carried Laura into the room and placed her gently on the bed. The mattress sank a little under her weight and for a moment, she didn’t say anything, she just stared at him.There was something different in her eyes, something he wasn’t used to seeing.“Wait here,” Manuel said quietly. “I’m coming.”Laura watched him as he turned and walked out. The door closed behind him, leaving the room quiet again. She let out a slow breath, her fingers lightly touching her neck where the bullet had grazed. It stung, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. Still, the way he reacted earlier stayed in her mind.A few minutes later, the door opened again and Manuel walked in, holding a first aid kit.He didn’t say much. He just walked straight to her and sat beside her on the bed. He opened the kit and brought out what he needed. “Sit still,” he said.Laura didn’t argue this time, she stayed quiet as he leaned closer.His fingers were careful, more careful than she expe

IN HIS ARMSManuel brought Laura out of the car just as the engine went quiet.Laura steadied herself the moment her feet touched the ground.“I’m okay,” she said, brushing off his hold lightly, as if what had happened was nothing more than an inconvenience. “It’s just a scratch.”Her voice was calm, but Manuel still didn't respond.“Boss…” Laura called, when she saw that he wasn't listening to her.His eyes moved to her neck. The blood had slowed, but it hadn’t stopped completely. A thin line of red traced down her skin. It wasn’t deep, but it was enough to remind him how close it had been.“I said I’m fine,” Laura added, this time with a smile, as though trying to regain control of the situation. “You don’t have to…”She didn’t finish and in one swift motion, Manuel bent slightly and scooped her into his arms again, effortless.Laura froze in his arms. For someone who had faced armed men without flinching, who had walked through blood and chaos with a steady heartbeat, this…. this,

HE BROKE ME Ivana stood there for a moment, still trying to understand what just happened.Her arms were still half raised from when she tried to hold Jamie. “Babe…?” she called after him. Her voice was softer than it was when he came in, but there was no answer.She turned quickly toward the stairs. “Jamie!” she called again, louder this time, but he already went inside and wasn't answering her.The sound of his door upstairs shutting echoed faintly and that was it. He was gone.Ivana stood still for a few seconds, trying to figure out why Jamie acted the way he did, but she couldn't.Then she started pacing again, back and forth. Her heels were hitting the floor sharply as she moved about, whispering to herself.Her hands moved through her hair, then dropped and then crossed over her chest. She didn’t even know what to do with herself.“This is not happening… this is not happening…” she muttered under her breath, her breathing was uneven and her chest tight.It was all over the new

COURTING THE DEVIL Tommy wasn't there anymore, he had escaped. The few of his men remaining moved back a bit, scared of what Manuel would do to them.But then, Manuel’s eyes went over the place and it landed on Laura. She stood a few steps away from him, her chest rising and falling slowly now, like she was trying to calm herself after everything that just happened. Her hand was still close to her neck, fingers slightly stained, but she wasn’t even looking at it anymore.Immediately, he ran to her side and held her. “Laura…”His jaw tightened, so hard it looked like it could break as his fingers curled slightly at her side.His gaze sharpened and just like that, the air around him changed. Everyone there could feel it.He knew Tommy would go any length to hurt him, but he wasn't expecting Laura to react so quickly, to the extent of getting herself hurt. Tommy had laced the bullets with a deadly powd

HIS CALM IN CHAOS “Move!” Laura shouted. Her voice came out rough, almost breaking, but she didn’t wait. “Move!” she shouted again, louder this time, like she was trying to force the sound into him, Manuel didn’t hear her.That one second did something to her. It went deep, deeper than she could explain. It wasn’t fear nor panic. It was something stronger than both, something that didn’t stop to think. Her body just moved on its own. She rushed forward and grabbed his arm hard and she pulled him sideways with everything she had, dragging him out of the way.The bullet passed them, but it didn't leave without a mark. It grazed her neck and it felt like fire running through her skin. Laura gasped, her body reacting, but she didn’t stop. Her hand went straight to her neck and she noticed that it was wet with blood. Even though it looked like a scratch, it did something to her. The gun wasn't ordinary, Tommy had kept it