Page 75 of Magic or Madness

“Thank you, baby. Maybe I was a little jealous,” I confess, and he swipes the pad of his thumb across my cheek.

“It’s you and me, Fallon. You’re my whole world. I’d never give you a reason to be jealous.” He kisses my forehead, a small gesture of affection that I’ve grown to love, and crave from him.

Whenever I need a bit of reassurance, Ozzy is there, and his gentle touch is my clarity.

This homecoming trip is breathing new life into everyone, and we’ve only been here for a few hours. My only objective is to help these damaged souls find some closure and peace, absolving them of their guilt over what happened to Masha.

Tomorrow is her anniversary, and we’re going on a hike to watch the sunrise on the cliffs overlooking the beach. I’ve spent the last week collecting every piece of information about Masha that I could pry from the boys, and I’ve gathered enough to know what her favorite things were.

Now, we’ll be spending the day doing those activities as a way for them all to feel close to her.

We’ll watch the sunset at her memorial, and stay as long as they want. It’s the best I could do without knowing her personally, but I have a feeling that they all need this more than they’ve realized.

A drunken club night wasn’t a part of the plans, but Ozzy seems so happy to be back in his element. A few of their old friends came over to us, introducing themselves and catching up before giving us our space.

Everyone I’ve come across has a slight reservation about the crew as if they have a reputation around here. One guy warns Max and Lex that there is a new crew in town, but Max makesit clear that we’re here on vacation, not a job. Still, that doesn’t stop said crew from following us out of the club.

Pepper and Lex are stumbling together down the sidewalk, laughing at each other’s terrible jokes, while Cami and Oliver hold hands, walking in sync.

Max is on alert, and Journey’s not far behind, except he also has a friend of his own, who looks to be older than all of us. She’s dressed business casual, with a pencil skirt and a tucked-in blouse, but it’s the first time I’ve seen Journey with his hands on a woman – besides me – so I mind my business.

Ozzy’s hand rests on my lower back, escorting me back to the van as his eyes scan the alleyway and his free hand rests on the pistol in his waistband.

Just as the streetlights end, a voice travels in the distance, echoing off the surrounding buildings, and every one of the guys stops in their tracks.

“Fallon, stand behind me.Now.”

I don’t hesitate, ducking behind him while Pepper and Cami do the same, and the boys create a wall in front of us.

Journey’s girl runs for the hills, darting behind a building before disappearing into the night.

“You’re Doc’s crew, right?” A voice asks, and the others erupt in a sarcastic chorus of laughter.

“We’re not here for work or trouble, alright? Just visiting a friend for the weekend,” Max says, taking a few steps forward.

“This is our turf. You nearly destroyed any chance of work within a fifty-mile radius when you assholes left town. Why should we let you walk our streets?” A man in a dark hoodie and jeans meets Max halfway, his voice bellowing in the otherwise silent night.

“Like I said man, no trouble. Anything that happened after we left is on Doc, take it up with him.” Max cocks his head tothe side, holding his hands up in a neutral stance, but their crew inches closer, and our guys are visibly on edge.

This could get dangerous, and all I can do is close my eyes and hope we all make it out unscathed. Ozzy was worried that this would happen, and he didn’t want me anywhere near the fallout, but I’d never back down from a challenge. If this rival crew wants to spill blood, I’m more than ready to get down and dirty.

“Funny thing is, Doc’s nowhere to be found. Folks think he was taken out.” Their leader counters, and Ozzy steps up next to Max, while my desperate tugs on his arm become shaken off.

Oliver slowly walks backward, filling in the space left by Ozzy and keeping our shelter in place. Now that he’s front and center with danger, my heart rate speeds up, and I feel like I’m on the edge of a cliff. If anything happens, or anyone challenges him, I may turn into something that’s uncontrollable. One thing is for sure, I won’t stand by andwatchhim get hurt.

“We don’t know shit about Doc. What we do know is that we haven’t stepped on toes, or come through disrespectfully. We used to run this town, and instead of cashing out on that, we came in quietly, looking to enjoy a short vacation. You don’t want to make this anything more than it has to be,” Ozzy says calmly, but the rival crew laughs obnoxiously and continues to escalate the confrontation.

The bickering goes back and forth, with insults being lobbed left and right, and the tension is becoming so thick that something is bound to cross a line.

I’ve never witnessed a standoff before, but I’m smack in the middle of one, and admittedly, I’m not afraid. I should be running in the opposite direction, taking cover behind a building, or begging forsomethingbeyond our realm to spare my life, but instead, I feel alive in the face of danger.

I’m high off the adrenaline streaming through my veins, and my heart is hammering in my chest, anticipating who will raise the stakes next.

“How about for your trouble, we take your girls for a spin, let them know who really runs this block?” Someone from the opposing crew jokes, and that sets everyone off.

In a split second guns are drawn, each person is daring their counterpart to take the first shot.

“Come over here ladies, we’ll keep you safe. What do you think boys, can we show them a good time? I bet those sparkly little dresses will look even better on the floor.” One of the guys snickers, testing his fate with each word that comes out of his mouth.

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