Lucifer stood on the sidewalk, watching Lisa disappear into the Uber that sped off down the street. His mind raced, but his feet felt like they were stuck to the ground. The unanswered calls, the ignored texts—it all led to this moment. She had resigned from the company with no explanation, absent throughout the murder investigation, and now she was avoiding him. What had happened? What had changed?
He pulled out his phone once more, staring at the screen. Another call to Lisa. Another voicemail. Her number still rang, but she wouldn't pick up.
With a deep breath, he set off, heading in the direction of the building's exit. His thoughts, though, were still on her. Something wasn't right. Lisa was never one to avoid him. Was it because of the chaos surrounding the case? Did she think he was guilty? No, there had to be more to this.
As he rounded the corner, he saw her—Lisa, walking briskly, her eyes straight ahead. When she noticed him, her pace quickened, her heels clicking rapidly against the pavement. She didn't look back. Lucifer's heart sank.
"Lisa!" he called, hurrying to catch up, but she ignored him, hurrying even faster. His pace matched hers, but she was already too close to the street.
"Lisa, wait!" He reached out, but before he could grab her arm, she was already stepping into a waiting Uber. The car's door slammed shut, and it sped away before he could say anything else.
Frustration and confusion gnawed at him. What was going on? Why was she running from him?
---
Later that evening, Lucifer stood in his lavish apartment, staring at the glass of wine in his hand. The case. Lisa. Selene. It all felt like too much. He couldn't focus on any one thing. There was too much noise in his head.
He set the glass down and walked over to his desk, dialing the number he knew he could rely on, even if the situation was frustrating him to no end.
"Amenadiel," he said when his elder brother picked up.
"Lucifer," Amenadiel's voice was calm, almost amused. "How can I help you? You don't normally call unless there's something important, or you're about to complain."
Lucifer growled, sitting on the edge of his desk. "I need help. I'm being framed for a murder I didn't commit. My demon is behind it, and I can't figure out how to clear my name. And... I need to find out what's going on with Lisa. She's avoiding me. She resigned from the company today and hasn't been answering any of my calls."
There was silence on the other end for a long moment, before Amenadiel erupted into laughter, loud and unrestrained. "Wait, what? You—" he burst out, unable to control his amusement, "You're being framed by a demon, and your new friend is running away from you? That is priceless."
Lucifer's irritation rose, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of embarrassment. "This is no time for jokes, Amenadiel. I'm in real trouble here."
"Oh, I know," Amenadiel said, still chuckling. "But the King of Hell—framed for murder? And a woman running away from you? This is pure comedy. I mean, come on, you've never been so... vulnerable."
Lucifer bit back a sarcastic remark. "I'm not vulnerable."
"Really?" Amenadiel's voice was a little too smooth for Lucifer's liking. "Because that's exactly how it looks. You've become so human. It's almost poetic. You could leave all of this behind, Lucifer. Return to Hell. It's easy. All of these earthly troubles would vanish."
The words stung more than Lucifer was willing to admit. He hadn't even thought about returning to Hell in a long time. "I'm not going back, Amenadiel. There's something... intriguing about being here. These humans. This world. I'm not just going to walk away from it all."
"Well, if that's the case," Amenadiel's voice was serious now, "you better come up with a better plan. You can't just waltz into court and tell them you didn't do it, not with all the evidence stacked against you. And you certainly can't ignore Lisa's behavior. What did you expect? A human woman, involved with you? It was only a matter of time before it all got too complicated."
Lucifer clenched his jaw. "I'm going to handle it, Amenadiel. You're not helping."
"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."
---
Later that evening, after Amenadiel's words had sunk in, Lucifer stood outside a modest apartment building in one of the quieter parts of Los Angeles. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to find, but he couldn't let Lisa slip away without understanding what had happened.
He knocked on her door, his knuckles making a soft sound against the wood. No response.
He knocked again. This time louder. The door creaked open just a fraction.
"Lisa?" he said softly.
She opened the door wider, her eyes wide with shock when she saw him standing there. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her voice sharp.
"I've been trying to reach you," Lucifer said, trying to keep his tone steady. "You've been avoiding me. You resigned from the company. What's going on, Lisa?"
She shook her head, but there was something in her eyes—fear, maybe. She stepped back, her hand instinctively reaching for the door to close it again.
"Lisa, please. Just tell me what I did wrong." Lucifer's voice dropped, a rare plea slipping through his usually impenetrable tone.
But before he could stop her, she slammed the door in his face.
Lucifer didn't move. He stayed there, knocking once more. "Lisa, open the door. I deserve to know what happened."
The door opened, but only a crack. "I can't, Lucifer. You don't understand."
His frustration boiled over. "What don't I understand? I've been nothing but honest with you! And now you—" He stopped himself, trying to steady his breathing.
She sighed, glancing around nervously before speaking. "It's not you, Lucifer... It's your... scary girlfriend. She came to me. Told me to stay away from you, or she'd kill my family." Her voice trembled slightly. "She tied me up... right here in this room. Told me I had no choice but to stay away. That if I didn't, she'd kill everyone I loved."
Lucifer froze. His heart skipped a beat. "What... What do you mean, 'girlfriend'? I don't have—" His eyes widened as the truth hit him. "Selene."
Lisa nodded, eyes full of fear. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to, but she's dangerous, Lucifer. I couldn't risk my family... I thought maybe if I stayed away from you, she'd leave us alone."
Lucifer's fury flared like wildfire. He gripped the doorframe, his knuckles white. "I don't have a girlfriend, Lisa. I don't want you to be afraid. I'll fix this. I promise."
Lisa looked up at him, her eyes conflicted. "I can't—"
"Please," Lucifer interrupted, his voice more pleading than she'd ever heard it before. "Come with me. Stay with me. If you're scared—"
But she shook her head, her voice resolute. "No. I can't. It's too dangerous."
Lucifer stared at her for a moment, his heart heavy with the weight of it all. "Fine," he said softly. "But I'll make sure she doesn't hurt you. I won't let her."
With that, he turned and walked away, his mind burning with unanswered questions. But there was one thing he knew for sure now—Selene's game had just become a lot more dangerous.
---
To be continued...