Page 15 of Nocturne
So I stay quiet. Pretend I’m fine.
And deep down?
I feel even more alone.
Worse. I feel guilty as hell for that too.
We grew up together, the three of us. Me, Grace,and Zion. In the trenches of Iron Requiem, before shit got real.
I remember the first time we pulled something big. Small jewelry store in Dorchester. Just the three of us and two rusty-ass revolvers. We were just kids, and thought robbing a shop was pure adrenaline. Like, if we made it out alive, that was the win.
We laughed like idiots in the alley after, backpacks full of fake-ass chains and knock-off watches. Cops didn’t even show up in time.
That was the day Thomas O’Connor found us.
The OG. The real monster behind the curtain.
He didn’t rat us out. Didn’t pull a gun. Just looked at us and said, “You’re exactly the kind of trouble I’m looking for.”
And that was it.
From that day on, we never left. Three broken kids, handpicked by the devil, trying to survive the only way we knew how.
My phone buzzes. I pick up and see Zion’s name on the screen.
“Yo, what’s up, man?”
Zion’s voice comes sharp through the phone. “Where the fuck are you? Me and Grace are pulling up to your place, we handled that O’Connor bullshit already and we’re heading to the meeting.”
“I was just about to leave. Gonna take the bike. You two took your sweet-ass time.”
In the background, Grace’s voice cuts in, all mockery and zero shame. “Did my little kitty behave whileI was gone? Hope you didn’t kill anyone.”
“Shut the fuck up, Grace.”
I smile. Barely. But it’s real. Just happy they’re back. Happy I’ve got them.
“You’re not taking the bike, Hunter,” Zion cuts in. “We might do something after the meeting. Just the three of us. Like old times. Two months on the road ain’t nothing, we got a lot to catch up on, bro.”
I take a deep breath, fighting the urge to say no. But I know this matters to them. To us. So I give in.
“Alright. I’m coming down. Don’t take forever.”
?????
“I missed you so much, baby.”
Grace throws her arms around me the second we step outta Zion’s car. Her sweet perfume hits me like a punch, messing with my head while she hangs on my shoulders like she owns the place. Her blue eyes lock onto mine like they know me, and they do.
Her long blonde hair is even lighter now, and yeah, she still looks like a fucking knockout.
“What the hell did you do for two months?”
We’re walking toward the warehouse where the meeting’s going down. Some people are already heading inside, members from both gangs, and there’s tension in the air, thick as fuck. Side-eyes flying everywhere. Feels like a massacre just waiting for the wrong word to pop off.
“Missed you too.”
I give her a half-smile and pull her in tighter. “Youknow. Same old shit. A few missions Carter threw my way. But I managed to sneak in two weeks on the road, trying to get my head straight.”
