Page 66 of Nocturne
The silence that follows is brutal. Cold. Real. Because there’s no easy answer when every piece of me is screaming for a man who should be dead.
CHAPTER 15
DAMON
Two Weeks Later
I hit up Zachary Hayes. The cop who slipped me those pics of Noah with Aiden — the same dude who said Noah was running with Midnight Echoes.
The phone rings once, twice, three times… until he picks up. “Hello? Who’s this?”
“It’s Hunter. Got your number off that envelope you handed me with those pics, back at the café.”
He lets out a dry laugh. “Didn’t you tell me not to look you up?”
“I did. But I need a favor. You’re a cop — maybe I’ll regret this later, but for now, it’s my only shot.”
Silence. Then a heavy sigh. “Tell me what you want. I’ll see what I can dig up.”
“I want anything you got on Carter Holloway and Hunter Wolfe. Dirt, grime, blood, shit that’ll bury ’em — every nasty secret they’re hiding.”
“How fast do you want it?”
“Yesterday. Make it quick. I need to fuck these motherfuckers” I hang up.
I hope he’s got something. Because this is my last chance. Or maybe not.
CHAPTER 16
HUNTER
Two Weeks Later
The truce was broken. And O’Connor knew it was only a matter of time.
The Iron Requiem safehouse is swallowed in a silence that screams. The air feels heavy. The mood is mourning—thick, dark, like every wall knows the deaths and mourns them too. Everything feels way too loaded, like even the light decided to dim down.
No one but the two of us knew the truth about Noah, Damon’s brother. My mistake. My fault. Now, the bomb blew up. And that explosion has a name: Damon.
My legs won’t stop. The relentless shaking gives away what I’m trying to hide. Anxiety. Fear. Anger at myself. The tension in O’Connor’s room is suffocating, almost tangible. He looks drained—shoulders slumped, face heavy, deep dark circles carved into his skin like scars.
“We need to talk.” His voice is low, dragged out, but steady. Cuts through the air like a blade.
“The fuck-up was ours,” he says, no bullshit. “We should’ve dealt with this the moment Damon joined the Nocturne Pact. Letting him live was a weakness. And now we’re paying for it.”
I swallow hard, the bitter taste of truth sliding downmy throat. “Deal with what?”
“We should’ve killed him, Hunter. It was obvious he’d find out. You really thought he’d just accept it? That he’d understand?”
A cold shiver runs down my spine.
It’s been two weeks since Damon struck. Since he took his brutal revenge: killing ten members of Iron Requiem. Because of me. For killing his brother.
And since then, silence. No answers. No sign. Just emptiness—and a five-hundred-thousand-dollar bounty on his head, set by O’Connor.
Emma wants blood. Vincent too. And me... I don’t even know what I feel anymore.
Iron Requiem was always my home. My family. But now everything feels off, wrong, like I’m watching the collapse from the inside out.
