Page 97 of Without a Trace
Someone passed me another drink—Alden, maybe Kane—the heat of it slid down my throat like a second heartbeat. The flames danced in their eyes, and I swear I could feel each of them watching me for different reasons.
We were drinking a lot. But it’s not about getting drunk. It’s about staying warm. Staying loose. Staying just blurry enough that the truth didn’t cut to deep when it started to bleed through the edges.
I stretched my legs toward the fire, and crossed my ankles in the sand, the flames painting gold along our skin. I could feel them watching me for different reasons. Some protective, some curious, some I didn’t dare name yet.
My voice came out soft, almost playful. “So, what does it mean?”
Rhett blinked. “What does what mean?”
“The Hollow Order. Sounds like a cult. Or a secret society. Or one of those dark web chess clubs where everyone wears robes and speaks in riddles.”
Trace didn’t turn from the ocean. “It means exactly what it sounds like.”
Kane laughed under his breath. “Cryptic as fuck, man.”
I smirked. “Come on. Give me something.”
Alden ran a hand through his hair and looked at the fire. “It’s a name. A warning. A family. Depends who you ask.”
“And if I ask you?”
He looked up at me, something unreadable in his eyes. “Then it means whatever you want it to mean.”
I leaned toward him, chin in hand. “That’s a terrible answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting, Love.”
Rhett's mouth tugged into a lopsided grin. “You really want to know all of it?”
“I want to know what you’re all willing to say when your guards are down.”
“Bold,” he said.
I sipped my drink. “Always.”
Kane let out a low whistle. “I don’t know whether to fear you or follow you.”
“You already do both,” I said without missing a beat.
They looked different in the firelight—tired, softer. Beautiful in the way broken things sometimes are. And for a second, I let myself feel it. The warmth. The quiet. The strange intimacy of being out in the open with people who carried more secrets than weapons.
I stared into the flames.
“How did you all end up in it? “I asked.
Alden stood, stretching slowly, gaze flickering towards the ocean. “That’s a story for another night.”
“Convenient,” I muttered.
He smirked. “Necessary.”
Rhett raised his glass to me. “Don’t worry, Monroe. You’ll know everything eventually.”
The flames flickered.
And I wondered if knowing everything was the scariest part of all.
Scarlett
