Hey guys!

It's been awhile, but I'm back!

Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

Love,

FantasyWriterFoSho

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Summary of the Previous Chapter: After finding Chloe's murdered informant, having a small spat, and discovering another body, the pair happens upon a woman with a familiar tattoo...

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Chapter Five: Trick or Treat?

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"Let her go, Lucifer," Chloe said as she moved closer to him. Laying a hand on his arm—the one that was still gripping the terrified woman—she repeated her statement, but more forcefully, trying to get him to understanding the gravity of their situation. An electrifying shock traveled up her arm, at the mere contact, but she managed to suppress the muffled moan in her throat.

She had to concentrate on the matter at hand...not on her internal struggles.

When he still didn't do as she asked—his glare growing more and more sinister—she forcefully squeezed then shook their linked limbs. "She said that she was willing to talk to us, but frightening her is going to change her mind. Let. Her. Go."

Finally reaching him, he exhaled slowly, doing his best to recenter himself. Dropping his hold on the young woman, he swallowed his anger. "As you wish, detective and...you're right..." —though he had severed his hold on her, his eyes never moved from her wide ones. Glazing over their possible suspect's face, he noted the terrified expression she was wearing and felt a mixture of conflicting emotions stir around inside of him.

"I apologize for my partner's behavior," Chloe began, moving herself in-between the two in order to deter another further confrontations. With a professional, bright smile, she continued. "He's, uh, a passionate investigator. Let's, um, start again. My name is Detective Decker. What's your name?"

"...Madison," she responded, nervously rubbing at the spot that Lucifer had touched, her fingers stopping, several times, to massage it. "It's Madison."

"Alright, Madison," Chloe said, her tone evening out. "Tell me about your tattoo. What does it exactly mean?"

"Uh," the young lady answered, immediately hesitating on what she was about to say. Looking about herself, once again, she took a step back and tried changing the subject. "You both stopped me—he harassed me—over a tattoo?"

After shooting an irritated look over her shoulder at Lucifer, who responded by looking away, the detective returned her attention back to the shaken girl. "Once again, I apologize for what had happened, but right now, we're working on a serious case and the stress is—" She paused for a brief moment before finding the appropriate, or less revealing, words: "—really affecting him."

Clearing his throat, Lucifer interjected, his eyes still boring holes into the young lady, despite his answer being directed at Chloe. "'Affecting' isn't the word for it, love..."

"You're not helping..."

"Seems to be the trend of the day, doesn't it, detective?"

Rolling her eyes, she readdressed the issue. "When we confronted you, we immediately referred to the tattoo and you said that you would tell us something." Knowing that she had her when the girl swallowed hard, she continued, her tone firm, but also, gentle. "You're backtracking, but whatever the reason is, you don't have to be afraid of us or anybody else. We'll protect you."

"'Protect' me?!" Madison suddenly screamed out, automatically putting Chloe on her guard. "How will you be able to do that? You've already lost some other people on your watch!"

Recovering quickly from the outburst, Chloe narrowed her eyes. "And how exactly would you know that? That news hasn't been shared or released to the public..."

Caught, Madison stammered and looked around, once again, adding to the detective's pile of suspicious behavior. "It w-was just a g-guess! People die everyday...don't they?"

"The fact that you have to turn that into a question is both moronic and dubious," Lucifer stated flatly, trying to regain his earlier composure. He needed to reign in his attitude, as well as to try and have some control if they wanted to get any answers, which was one of the things he had learned from his prolonged exposure to earthly tendencies—particularly from working on the more serious cases with the detective.

Stepping out from behind a wary Chloe, he strode over to Madison's right side, his features melting into a reasonable facade. "Tell me, what are you so afraid of?"

"N-nothing," she answered, unconvincingly. Stepping back, for some space, she then hugged her arms around her stomach, her gaze falling to her shoes. "I'm...I'm just—"

"You're just delaying us and setting us back a few minutes," he growled. So much for regaining my control, he thought bleakly before inhaling sharply. Now, he acknowledged, would be an excellent time to bust out his "superpower", but, despite agreeing to use it earlier, with Chloe, he knew that it wouldn't work to their advantage—what with his transformation and all.

It was one of his talents that had begun wasting away.

Training his jaw against his shortcomings, he then glared at her. "Tell us what we want to know or we can't make any assurances to your wellbeing."

Madison's eyes fluttered up to his face; an unbelievable fear consuming them. She then shifted her attention over to a quiet Chloe, who had been biting her tongue, debating about whether or not to comply with his statement. Releasing her arms and brushing a shaky hand through her hair, she moved back to her original spot and leaned into Lucifer, her tone very low. "The tattoo belongs to a secret, underground crime ring..."

"How secretive?"

"They've been operating under the cops' noses for about 35 years. They're everywhere..."

"Maybe we should continue this conversation in a more private setting," Chloe cut in, her eyes now wandering around the streets, the people and the shops. Leading the pair to her car, they each got in. Lucifer and herself had settled into their respective positions, though they had to turn their top halves around in order to pay attention to a terrified Madison, who was sitting in the middle backseat, her arms once again hugging her petite frame. Biting her lip, Chloe asked her to continue, training her features into a neutral and professional expression, warring her inner thoughts. Pulling out a pad and pen from her jacket pocket, she listened to Madison's important story.

"They're crazy and dangerous," she said, her voice wavering. "I regret joining them, but I only did it for their protection. The tattoo is a symbol of their loyalty. You become their property." After pausing to breathe, she carried on with her information. "They will kill anybody who gets in their way or even if they suspect that somebody's on their trail. I should know..."

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked, tilting her head, her hand hovering over a section of paper.

Licking her lips, Madison shifted in her seat, her voice cracking and her eyes filling with tears. "My boyfriend was just murdered by them..."

"Who was he?"

"His name was Tom Larkin."

Eyes widening, Chloe froze. "Tom Benjamin Larkin? He did time for robbery five years ago?"

Frowning, Madison exchanged a look with Lucifer, who then gazed over at the detective with concern, before answering her. "Yes, that's him."

"Oh my God," Chloe breathed out, dropping her pen into her lap.

"What is it?" Lucifer asked, leaning closer to her. He was about to grab at her wrist, the one that was now gripping the pad tightly, when she met his gaze, a bit pale around the eyes and mouth.

"Tom...Tom was my informant. The one we just...He was the one we just saw...at his house...he was..."

Though her explanation was fragmented, and it trailed off at the end, Lucifer immediately understood who she was talking about and fell back into his seat. Turning his body forward, so that he sat more naturally, he then shook his head. "And then we happened upon his girlfriend. My dad sure does have an impeccable sense of timing."

"Not now," Chloe automatically retorted to Lucifer's statement, still stunned by the news. There was a chilling correlation beginning to unfold with their cases and she didn't like it. If this organization was indeed as big as this woman was making them out to be—and it appeared to be so—things could get a lot worse than just a handful of murders.

Looking back at a confused Madison, who had begun eyeing the door handle with interest, Chloe cleared her throat and asked her to continue, her voice slightly scratchy, but doable.

After hesitating for a moment, the woman complied. "Yeah, Tom was my boyfriend and, uh, when they found out that he was doubling as an informant, your informant apparently, they killed him."

Curious, Chloe's brow raised. "How did you know that he was killed? Did they contact you in some way?"

"They taped it and sent me some pictures," she replied slowly.

Chloe's eyes widened with various emotions. "Do you still have them?"

Madison spastically shook her head, her hair swaying against her neck. "No, I followed their instructions and d-deleted them. As bad as it sounds, I didn't want to be next..."

Releasing a breath that she didn't know she was holding, Chloe took a moment before carrying on, deciding to take a different approach. "Did Tom mention anything to you? Like, he was being followed or, or watched?"

"We're always being watched," she said, her shoulders shaking a bit. "That's what they do. It is a great thing if you're not the one under the microscope, but, uh, I should tell you that Tom wasn't actually a member, least...not yet. That's why they etched the marking into him." She paused, her foot beginning to tap the car's floor, nervously. "But once you're in, or even if you know some things about them, you're connected to them for life. There's no walking away from them, none that I know of anyway."

"So, by that logic, the detective and I are members of this elusive, but vast, crime ring?" Lucifer asked, skeptically.

"Pretty much," she responded back, evenly.

"Say that I believe that," he said, still facing forward, but his voice echoed throughout the car. "You mentioned that they're 'everywhere'..."

His eyes then scanned over what he could see of the bustling city, but he didn't find anything, or anybody, of particular interest. Turning his attention to the top of the buildings, he then suddenly narrowed his eyes. On a spacious rooftop, several feet away, he could see individuals standing by an edge, their faces indistinguishable; however, he could make out four individual forms—all wearing dark suits. It could be just his curious and untrusting nature, but it bothered him, especially since they all appeared to be looking in their direction. "Do you know how they can do that exactly?"

"Through whatever means," she replied quietly. "Which means that they probably know that I'm talking to you." Letting out a gasp, she then moved her hands, from around her body, to her face. Covering her eyes, the tears from earlier began streaking down her cheeks, panicky sobs quickly overtaking her. "T-they're gonna kill me! I am gonna be next!"

"No, no you're not," Chloe said firmly, officially foregoing her notes by picking up her pen and then placing it, along with the pad, into the car's console. "You're coming with us. We're going to take you into our protective custody."

"That doesn't mean anything anymore," Madison spat out, bitterly. "I stupidly got in the car with you! Regardless of the situation, if I come with you guys or not, they will hunt me down! No excuse would be good enough. My body will be in the ground before the week ends..."

"Please, make up your mind," Lucifer then said, his tone impatient. "Either you want us to protect you or you don't, but in any case," he stopped, looking at Chloe with a stern expression. "I think we should be on our way, detective."

"Right," she answered with a nod, noticing the grave glint in his eyes. "But...she's coming with us."

"I'd prefer it," he agreed softly. Looking back at Madison, he gave her a half smile, one that brightened up his face, but also made the woman even more nervous—having not seen this side to him before. "Buckle up. The detective is a reckless driver, particularly when I'm in the car."

"That's so not true," Chloe retorted, rolling her eyes. After she made sure that everybody was properly situated, she faced forward and pulled out of her parking spot, quickly making her way back to the precinct; a decision that made her partner noticeably relax—which was a good, but also, a suspicious thing. I'll just have to ask him about what he saw later, she thought.

The air, inside of the car, became intensely thick with tension and that only increased when Lucifer cut through the silence.

Looking over his shoulder, he made slight eye contact with Madison. "Color me intrigued, but how does one physically become a member of the crime ring?"

"Are you serious?" she answered, taken aback. "Why would you want to know that? Isn't it enough that I told you about them?"

"Of course, I'm serious," he responded. "If we want to dismantle them, what better way then to do it from the inside? Unless...you don't want that to happen...?"

She said nothing. She just swallowed hard and looked down at her hands.

"Nice bluff," Chloe whispered, slightly leaning over, to her right, so only Lucifer could hear her.

"I wasn't bluffing. I meant it," he replied, a brow raised. "Do you have a better solution?"

"Oh, no, no," she said, shaking her head. Pulling into the precinct's parking lot, she quickly found a spot and motioned him to get out of the car. When they had both stepped out and shut their doors, Chloe gestured at Madison, telling her to wait inside for a few minutes, which she automatically headed to. Placing her hands on top of the car, she inclined forward, her features expressive. "That's a dumb plan and there are plenty of solutions to choose from. I'm not doing that and neither are you."

"Are you worried about that 'everywhere' nonsense?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice harsh. "Based off of the triple murder, Tom's and another informant's death, you should be concerned as well. Besides," she said, inhaling sharply. "I have Trixie and I...I..."

Face falling, Lucifer watched as Chloe struggled for the right words. Heart clenching, he raised a surrendering hand. "You're right. I understand. Forgive me. It's been a trying day..."

Briefly bending to look inside of the car, at their guest, he resumed his position, his back straightening to his full height. "How are we going to handle this?"

"Well, we could question her now before possibly putting her into a witness protection program, but I honestly think that we should do what we were going to do before Madison entered the picture. We have to start building up our case with more research, besides...she needs to feel unexposed and safe before we can interview her further." Chloe then frowned. "The poor thing's a nervous wreck..."

"So," he began, tilting his head. "Off to your favorite library then?"

"For the thousandth time today," she said with a weak smile. Clearing her throat, she then waved a hand at Madison, telling her that it was okay for her to come out. When she did so, she looked around apprehensively before steadily following the pair into the building, her body hunched and trembling. She was then directed into an interrogation room, where she was then told that she would have to wait for an "undisclosed period of time"—a concept that she wasn't very fond of.

"Why am I staying in here?!" she shouted to the standing figures of the detective and Lucifer, both of whom were standing near the door; the former closer to her then the latter.

"We have a few things to take care of first, but don't worry. We'll be right back," Chloe explained, her voice calm. "Nobody will be allowed in here, except for me and Lucifer. You're completely safe, but for added protection, I will be placing a cop to guard the room. He'll just be on the other side of the door if you need anything."

Narrowing her eyes, Madison looked over at the man blocking the door. "Your name's Lucifer? Really?"

"The one and only," he replied tartly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes in frustration.

She shrugged her shoulders before shuffling her feet, her gaze roaming over the two of them. "And you'll be right back? You promise?"

"Yes," Chloe replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

Sighing heavily, Madison reluctantly made her way over to the chair and sat down in it, desperately trying to take some comfort in where she was and in the fact that she would be secure. For the most part, she trusted the detective...her partner was another story, but he seemed like he wanted to help her. So, after a heartbeat, she agreed to their terms. "Ok...but please don't take too long."

"We won't," Chloe responded gently, sending a spurt of relief throughout the young woman's body. Turning around to exit, which Lucifer allowed with a quick sidestep, she then left the room without a backwards glance; however, he, didn't leave at all. Instead, he moved into the room and didn't stop till he stood beside her, his height forcing her to look up at him.

"You never answered my question," he said, his voice low. He knew that Chloe wouldn't approve of this line of questioning, given what they had just discussed, so he waited till she was gone. He needed a backup plan, just in case things took a turn for the worst, and that usually had a way of happening around him; reformation or not.

The Devil has to stay one step ahead—or would like to anyway. "How do you become a member?"

Furrowing her brow, she tried to avoid his dark gaze, but his frame prevented her from doing so. Bending down, till he was all that she saw, she scooted her chair back, her eyes once again filling with fear. "Y-y-you," she stammered before taking a moment to get the jumbled words out of her throat. "You don't. They find you. You have to have something they want..."

"Such as?"

"Valuable information," she replied, again trying to look away.

"That prompts a necessary question," he said, his steely eyes forcing her to resume contact. "What valuable information did you have to become part of their crime ring?"

"I—"

"Lucifer?" Chloe then called out, interrupting Madison before he could get his answer. When he didn't respond, she repeated his name, but this time, it was closer to the door. Sighing heavily, he unfolded his curved frame and adjusted the hem of his coat.

"Let's keep this little chat to ourselves, shall we? I don't want to worry the detective with trivial matters, but," he said, giving her one final appraisal as he walked over to the door. "I expect an answer when I come back."

She opened her mouth, as if to reply, but ended up closing it, her lips falling into a thin line. Settling for just a nod of the head, Madison watched as Lucifer left, shutting the door quietly behind him. Breathing deeply, she then folded her arms onto the table, her worrisome thoughts threatening to consume her in the silence of the room. Unnerved by the one-way mirror that she was facing, she lulled her head down onto the desk, her forehead meeting the warmth of one of her arms, desperately trying to relax in her new prison. Please, hurry, she thought. Or I may explode.

...

Making her way back to the interrogation room, Chloe almost ran into an emerging Lucifer, confused and curious as to why he was still with Madison. Standing inches away from him, she felt a tingling warmth crawl up her neck and into her cheeks when she found herself looking into his dark and mesmerizing eyes. Lips parting, she tried to do everything in her power to not fall into them—again—especially when he decided to give her his stupid, but disarming, smile. "Uh," she heard herself say, feeling an embarrassing chill wash over her due to her failing communicational skills.

"Slow down, detective," he responded, taking a small step closer to her, her scent overwhelming him. His suave personality, once again, overthrowing an awkward situation. "I don't think our partnership would survive if anything happened to you."

"Lucifer," she whispered, finding it difficult to breathe when he looked at her like that. The moment seemed to last forever but they didn't have time to waste. Lifting a hand, she placed it onto his chest and pushed herself away, the hypnotizing cloud dissipating with every backward step she took. Inhaling deeply, Chloe looked down before meeting his eyes again, reseting herself till her detective mode was back on. "What were you doing with Madison? Did she tell you something new?"

Missing the proximity, he faltered, but quickly recovered with a wider grin. "Not really. She was just expressing her concerns at being left alone."

"If what she's saying is true, then I don't blame her," she responded with a short nod. "So, while you guys were bonding, I went to see if the Lieutenant had gotten back from her other cases and such, but she's still out. I did manage to reach her with a phone call though...and the good news is that she supports our decision of keeping Madison here while we head out for a bit..."

"Quick work, detective," Lucifer declared, eyes beaming. "I was only alone with the girl for about a minute..."

"What can I say? I work well on my feet," she answered, gesturing them back towards the parking lot, their strides equal and swift. They reached the car in record time and immediately climbed in. After she had put her key into the ignition and then set it into drive, she glanced over at him, for a brief second, before speaking again. "But there's more..."

Frowning, he recalled what she had just told him. "Was there any bad news?"

"Isn't there always?" she retorted, grimly. "We have to find something soon because...there's been another murder..."

"You got to be kidding me," he stated under breath, bringing his right hand to his forehand before sliding it down to his chin. "Another informant?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, speeding down several streets until she hit some traffic. "I also checked in with Fred, since Ella was super busy, and he told me something incredibly disturbing. So far, thirteen out of forty informants haven't responded to their respective detective or cop, which makes me think that they're probably in danger too...I asked him to email them to me, so we can possibly pay them a visit or something...but I don't like this, Lucifer."

"I don't either," he said, his mind whirling. "Looks like I was correct about that death conspiracy..."

"Looks like."

They then traveled the rest of the twenty minutes in silence; each contemplating the deadly situation that they had unknowingly entered into. The day wasn't even halfway done and they were already behind on what was happening around them, so, when they reached their destination, Chloe practically threw the car into park and jumped out of her seat; her intention clear.

Slamming their doors, they then entered the rustic-looking building, their eyes instantly falling onto a handful of well-stocked shelves.

"Where to?" Lucifer whispered, immediately following her when she bolted over to a specific section of the library.

Looking over her shoulder, she answered him with the same hushed tone. "To the computers. I want to know what the Internet has on those damn tattoos—crime ring, etc..."

"She did say they were 'a symbol of their loyalty'..."

"True, but I'm going to approach this from all angles. With everything that has been going on, I'm not just going to rely on what she decided to tell me."

Gently pulling up a chair, she plopped down into it before scooting it closer to the desk, her face a mask of determination. Grabbing ahold of the mouse, she moved it, bringing the screen to life within seconds. After looking for something specific, she then clicked onto an icon and reached for the worn keyboard, typing the information into the Search Box till she had multiple tabs open.

Lucifer just stood over her and watched as she lined them up on the screen; his eyes mulling over the images and the words that accompanied them.

"We were right to not just trust her information," Chloe murmured, alerting her partner to the page that had caught her attention with a pointed finger. "Look at this."

Leaning forward, he carefully skimmed through the indicated paragraph and his mouth dropped open. Looking at his partner's serious profile, he spoke in his normal voice. "Well, well, well...looks like our little friend has quite the violent history..."

Propping her head up with her left hand, Chloe pursed her lips in irritation. "Mhm. Madison is not only in deep with the crime ring..."

"It looks like she is a high member of the organization," he finished with narrowed eyes. Looks like our future chat has just taken an aggressive turn, he thought ominously, his eyes flashing red.

...

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