CHAPTER 83: HELP FROM THE DEVIL

Craig hadn’t even planned to stop.

He was just trying to get back on the main road, maybe grab something warm. A greasy burger from the roadside diner he’d Googled twenty minutes ago. The kind with milkshakes served in tin cups and fries that came in paper-lined baskets.

Maybe even figure out when to ask Merlina out again. Privately. You know, when she wasn’t surrounded by a bunch of watchful relatives and freezing weather that felt straight out of a disaster movie.

The roadblock changed all that.

He eased his car to a slow stop behind a line of stranded cars, snow crunching under the tires. He tugged on his gloves and got out, heading toward the cop who still looked mildly amused by the whole mess.

Craig pulled out his translator app and asked in butchered Spanish what was going on. The officer replied with something like, "Blocked pass, plows delayed, sit tight."

So he stood there, arms crossed, steam rising from his breath, staring down the snow-packed road like maybe sheer willpower would get him moving again.

Then he heard it.

Giggles. A pair of eyes on him. He turned his head slowly and that’s when he saw them. A messy group clustered around a silver SUV. They were laughing, chatting, huddling for warmth. Two guys. Three girls. All wrapped in coats and scarves.

At first, they just looked familiar. Like maybe he’d seen them around earlier at the festival. But then his eyes found her among them.

Merlina.

His stomach dipped before he could stop it. What were the odds that she would end up here too? She was the last person he expected, and the only one he’d secretly hoped for.

And just like that, the rest of the crowd snapped into place. Of course. It was them. Her siblings. Her cousins. The same crew from the carnival.

But Craig barely registered the rest. Not when she was standing there, cheeks flushed from the cold. They were already looking at him, curiosity playing across their faces.

But not her.

Merlina turned her head like she hadn’t seen him. Like she hadn’t just gone still the second their eyes almost met.

Craig caught that.

That small, deliberate shift. The way her posture stiffened. Her eyes suddenly fixed on some distant, meaningless point. Holding a bag of chips, pretending to be invisible. The way she used to when they passed each other in school.

His lips tugged into a slow, involuntary smile. Well, this just got interesting.

But as he took a step forward, something snagged in his chest. A flash of nerves that slowed him. He scratched his forehead, an unconscious gesture, like his skin itched with doubt even though it didn’t.

What if she pretended she didn’t know him?

What if she looked at him like he was a stranger... or worse, a mistake?

Merlina’s heart slammed against her ribs the moment she noticed Craig walking toward them.

Oh God. Shit.

Not right now. Not in front of her nosy siblings and all-too-observant cousins who picked up on everything.

Even before he reached them, Isabel leaned in with a sharp grin and whispered, "Ay, espera... ¿él viene para acá?" (Oh wait... is he coming here?)

At that moment, Merlina realized it was too late to stop this.

"Hey," Craig said, stopping right in front of Merlina. His voice was low and careful, but not uncertain.

She looked up, heart in her throat. "Hey," she murmured, almost breathless.

Her fingers tightened around the bag of chips. Her coat suddenly felt too warm. She didn’t even try to smile. Her head was lost somewhere between panic and anxiety.

"What are you doing here? Snow blocked?" he asked, eyes fixed on hers. Steady, but gentle.

There was a care to his voice, like he was afraid of pushing too hard, of ruining whatever fragile, unexpected thing had started blooming between them back at the festival.

Something honest. Something almost too new to name. Delicate and warm. The kind of thing that made his chest ache just looking at her.

"Yeah," Merlina said, arms folded tight around herself. "Just waiting it out like everyone else."

She glanced up, met his eyes, and looked away quickly, like the truth between them was too new to look at directly.

Isabel, of course, had to make it worse. She suddenly placed a hand on Merlina’s shoulder, eyes wide with exaggerated suspicion. "Wait... you know him?" she asked, voice dipped in theatrical disbelief.

Merlina’s stomach knotted. "Yeah, we’re classma...school mates," she said, her voice catching awkwardly.

She winced inwardly. Of course she had to trip over that sentence.

"Belford?" Melissa asked, like it wasn’t supposed to be obvious. Merlina could only afford her a nod.

"Hey," Craig greeted, his smile calm, effortless. He gave a brief nod to the group. "I’m Craig."

They did a quick round of introductions. The tension shattered as Carlos and Alistair zeroed in on Craig’s car like moths to a flame.

"That’s an F8 Spider, right?" Carlos asked, practically drooling.

"Bro, how is it even handling the snow?" Alistair added, circling the Ferrari like it was a museum exhibit.

Merlina blinked. Bro? Okay, what the hell was happening here?

Craig chuckled. "Not exactly built for it, but she holds up."

On the left, Isabel was still blatantly staring at Craig, her voice dipping to a dramatic whisper. "Dios mío... that jawline is doing things."

Craig chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly no stranger to this kind of attention.

Merlina, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to bury herself in the snow. She crossed her arms, uncrossed them, shifted her weight. Her face felt like it was on fire. How did she get herself in this position?

Craig glanced at the group, then at the snow piling higher around them. He cleared his throat. "There’s a guest house I’m staying at, not far from here," he offered. "Has heat. Coffee. Probably Wi-Fi. You guys can wait it out there. This is gonna take hours."

That one sentence from Craig sent instant chaos rippling through the group.

"Wait, for real?" Carlos said, eyes lighting up like he’d just won the lottery.

"Did you say coffee?" Isabel asked, perking up like she hadn’t been half-asleep two seconds ago.

"And heat?" Melissa repeated, sitting straighter. The dark circles under her eyes were momentarily forgotten. "Actual, functioning heat?"

Alistair clapped his hands once like a coach calling a play. "Hell yeah. We’re definitely not gonna be stuck in this damn car."

Merlina instantly shook her head. "We’re fine here, thanks."

She didn’t mean to sound so sharp, but the words came out fast. Too fast. Like she could stop the momentum with sheer will.

She couldn’t believe what Craig was doing. Inviting her family like they were all old friends. Was that him being generous...or just his clever way of keeping her right where he wanted her? Even if it meant dragging her siblings into this madness between them?

Of course he’d offer them heat and coffee like a saint. But she knew better. He was the devil in a tailored coat, and she was walking straight into the fire.

"No, we’re not," Melissa said, deadpan. "You want me to freeze to death?" She shot her a glare.

Before Merlina could respond, Alistair jumped in. "Didn’t you say you guys go to school together? So what’s the big deal? Let’s go."

What’s the big deal?

Everything. Everything about this was a massive, flaming, impossible-to-explain deal.

But the last thing she was going to do was lose the tiny shred of control she still had. Not in front of her siblings, and definitely not in front of Craig Lesnar.

So she kept her mouth shut. Kept her face neutral. Because if she said one wrong word, they’d pick up on it. On the tension. The history. The something between her and Craig she hadn’t even fully understood. And she wasn’t about to invite that kind of questioning.

Not tonight.

"Cool, let’s go," Carlos said when he noticed Merlina had gone quiet.

But Craig didn’t move. He glanced at her like he was waiting for something. A signal. A word. Some unspoken permission.

She didn’t give it. Just let out a sigh, low and resigned.

Behind her, Isabel and Melissa were already giggling like Christmas came early.

Taking that as the green light, Craig turned back to Carlos, rattled off the address, and told him to follow. Then he headed toward the Ferrari, but not before tossing one last glance over his shoulder.

Merlina was still rooted to the spot, biting the inside of her cheek like it might keep her from combusting.

The cold stung her face, but not as sharply as the heat rising beneath her skin. She wanted to stay frozen and unreachable. But no matter how hard she tried to stay closed off, he had a way of pulling her open.

Everyone else had piled into the car. Finally, she did too. The second she shut the door, Melissa pounced.

"Merlina. You’re a fucking liar."