Devil May Cry Chronicles
– Present—
"Open your eyes."
The voice pulled Melanie from the dream,her lashes fluttered heavily but sharp. The hospital room swam into her focus..the white walls, steady beeping of a monitor,the sterile chill that clung to her skin coldly.
And him…Zade Falcon
He sat in the chair near her bed,one arm resting lazily on the armrest,the other one his knee. His gazed pinned her the way a hawk watches it's prey. Grey-blue eyes that pierced the heart and missed nothing.
Her throat was dry,her body stiff with pain. "Where…where am I?" She whispered.
"St. Claire's hospital." He said,his voice even and calm. "You've been out for almost twelve hours."
She blinked, feigning confusion. "Twelve…hours?"
"You were hit by car," he continued. "Now tell me why you stepped in front of it."
Her stomach twisted and she let her lips trembled. "I don't…I don't remember."
Zade leaned forward,his forearms braced on his knees. "Convenient."
Her chest rose and fell unevenly. "It's the truth."
He tilted his head slightly, studying her. "Then start with the basics..like your name."
Melanie hesitated,eyes filling with tears. "I don't know."
A muscle in his jaw flexed but he didn't blink. "You don't know your own name."
"I don't!" She snapped,then broke it with a sob, clutching the blanket to her chest. "I woke up here…I don't know who I am or…or where I came from…"
Zade watched her without flinching,the silence stretching long enough for her cries to echo against the sterile walls. Then calmly he said. "Everyone remembers something."
Her head shook violently. "No..I swear..there's really nothing."
He leaned closer,his voice dropping low. "You said one word before you passed out."
She froze. "What?"
"Please." His eyes locked onto hers. "That's not the world of a woman hit by a car. That's the word of someone asking for entry."
Tear spilled hot down her cheeks. "You're wrong," she whispered. "I was afraid..I was dying. I didn't know what I was saying."
His lips curved,not in a smile,but in something cruel and cold. "Maybe. Or maybe you knew exactly what you were saying."
Melanie's pulse hammered in her ears but she forced herself to look away,her shoulders trembling. "I'm not lying."
Zade stood slowly,the chair legs scraping the floor. Her stepped to her bedside, towering over her,his shadow cutting across the bed.
"I don't trust accidents," he said, his tone edged like steel. "And I don't trust strays."
Her eyes snapped back to his,wide and wet with tears. "Then why keep me here?"
He leaned down,close enough that she felt his breath against her ear. "Because if you're lying to me,I want to hear it from your own mouth."
Melanie swallowed,her throat tighten,her voice breaking down into a whisper. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Zade's gaze lingered on her face one long, punishing moment before he straightened,his words dropped like he'd stabbed her.
"Everyone lies miss. The question is…how long until I tear yours apart?"
He turned and walked out,the door clicking shut behind him.
Melanie lay trembling, clutching the blanket,her chest heaving. Her tears spilled freely now…but not all of them were fake.
Zade's shoes echoed down the hospital corridor,each of his steps slow and controlled. The door to her room had clicked shut behind him but her trembling voice still rang in his ears.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He don't believe it,not for a second.
People lied for survival. He'd built an empire on knowing which ones lied to save their lives and which lied to take his. That woman's eyes hadn't looked blank. They'd looked calculating,even behind the tears
He stopped at the end of the hall. His right hand, Marcus was waiting there,his phone in one hand. The younger man straightened immediately.
"Well?" Zade asked
Marcus hesitated but just for a fraction of a second but it was enough.
"Nothing yet,Boss," he admitted. "We ran her face through the local systems. No ID matches,no employment records,no leases. It's like she doesn't exist."
Zade's jaw tightened. "Everyone exists. Keep digging."
"We are. I put two men on the cameras from last night. Still waiting on the pull footage. Whoever she is, she knows how to stay off the grid."
Zade's eye narrowed,that cold edge sharpening. "Or someone made her disappear on purpose."
Marcus shifted uneasily. "Could be but if she's bait, we'd expect movement by now. Calls, pickups, someone watching the hospital. Nothing so far."
Zade didn't answer right away. His gaze drifted back towards the closed door down the hall. He pictured her pale face,her trembling hands,the word please rasped past bloodied lips.
Not an accident,not by chance, he knew that well and he's stake his life on it.
"Find out who she is,"Zade said,voice,low,delibrate. "I don't care what strings you pull,who you pay off or what system you break into. I want her name,her family,every address she's ever stepped foot in. And I want it before dawn.
"Yes,Boss." Marcus hurried off.
Zade remained alone in the hall for a long moment,the hospital lights flickering faintly above him.
His hand flexed at side. He hated unknowns,he hated strays. They festered and they bred weakness.
His mind replayed her tears,her whisper "I don't know who I am."
He exhaled slowly,a promise in his chest.
"You'll slip," he muttered under his breath. "And when you do,I'll be there to catch the truth."
With that,he turned and walked into the night,his suspicion burning hotter with every step.
The door opened again followed by heavy footsteps crossed the floor.
Melanie turned her head.. "you're back. Do you plan on staring holes through me until I drop dead?"
Zade stood beside the bed,his hands in his pockets,his eyes fixed on her face. "You're alive. That's inconvenient enough."
Her brows lifted mockingly. "You almost killed me. Shouldn't you be apologizing instead of interrogating me?"
"I don't apologize," he said, his voice was very calm. "Especially not to strangers who throw themselves in front of my car."
"I didn't throw myself anywhere," she snapped "And if I did,maybe I had a reason."
He tilted his head slightly. "But you don't remember,right?"
Her chest tightened but she forced herself not to flinch. "That's what I already told you."
"And yet," he said slowly, "for someone with no memory,you have sharp tongue,too sharp. Amnesia patients don't usually manage sarcasm."
Melanie let out a small laugh hat didn't reach her eyes. "So you want me to lie here like a mute doll just to convintyou I've lost my memory? Sorry,I may have amnesia,but I'm not brain-dead."
His jaw clenched. "You're pushing your luck."
"You're the one standing here accusing me," she shot back. "You almost killed me and now you're acting like I ran into you on purpose. Maybe you're the one who needs his head checked."
For the first time,his calm cracked. He swore under his breath and turned away for a second, as though restraining himself. When he faced her again,his expression was darker. "Nobody talks to me like this."
"Then maybe you've been surrounding yourself with cowards," Melanie said evenly. "Because I'm not afraid of you."
His eyes narrowed. "You should be."
She lifted her chin "Maybe. But I'm not."
The silence hung heavy between them. His breathing was steady but his fists curled at his sides. She could tell she was getting to him and that gave her strength.
"I'm hungry," she said suddenly breaking the tension in the air.
Zade blinked at her taken aback. "What?"
"I said I'm hungry," she repeated. "Do you plan on keeping me here and not even feeding me."
He stared at her for a moment, then asked flatly. "What do you want?"
"Something spicy," she answered. "Really spicy..the kind that burns.
His gaze sharpened. "Is that your favourite?"
Her pulse jumped and her chest tightened a bit. She knew exactly what he was doing. If she said yes,she's slip. How could she know her favorite if she had no memory.
She forced herself to keep her expression neutral. "No. But it's what I'm craving right now."
Zade studied her,silent for several seconds. Finally,her rolled his eyes,pulled out his phone and began to tap on it.
"Fine," he muttered. "We'll see if food breaks through where my questions don't."
He turned and walked towards the door.
Melanie didn't let herself relax until it clicked shut behind him. Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths and she sighed.
She whispered to herself, "You'll have to do better than that,Falcon. I'm not giving you anything."