Ace shoves the door open and screams to a stop when he meets a human blockade. Dutch, Zane, and Sol stare him down, arms loose at their sides, ready to swing.
“Let them go.” My voice carries to the door.
Dutch flicks a quick look at me, sees that I’m unharmed and steps away. Sol and Zane fall back too.
I linger in the shed and put a hand to my earbud, pressing it deeper into my ear. “You did good.”
“Of course. It’sme.”
I smile and hang up.
Ace and his crew scramble into the night, disappearing down the street.
“Where’s Ren and Hayato?” I ask, walking outside. The air is much cooler than in the shed, and I pull my shirt away from my body, realizing that I’m sweating profusely.
I guess I was more nervous than I thought.
“They left a few minutes ago. Don’t ask. They didn’t tell us anything. They pretty much treat us like we don’t exist.” Sol rolls his eyes.
“It’s done?” Zane asks.
I dip my chin.
“Well, that was easy.” Sol flicks his lighter. The tiny flame chases away the darkness around the shed. “And here I thought I’d be able to set a little fire or two.”
Zane pats me on the back.
Dutch nods. “You good?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure about letting them go without the money? What if they go straight to their gang leader and tell him the truth?”
“They won’t.”
I think about Kurosaki walking me around his company. His people bowed to him out of respect or fear. The reasons didn’t matter to him, as long as they obeyed.
“Organizations like the yakuza and the Grave City Crew are built on fear and revenge. You take the darkest parts of people, and you use it to control them.” I look up at the inky blacksky. “But to control people with darkness, you have to be much darker, more cruel, more suspicious. The moment their leader finds out about tonight, the paranoia will eat at him.”
“Those three either have to act alone against you or confess they got a deal from you. And the moment they say those words, they fall from grace.” Zane snaps his fingers. “Like that.”
“So… it sounds like we won.” Sol grins.
“The immediate threat is gone, but the Grave City Crew still has a target on my back,” I mutter.
“Yeah, buttonight, we’re safe.” Sol hooks an arm around my neck.
Zane winks at me. “You’re kind of a gangster, Finn. I like it.”
“Your plan was better than mine,” Dutch admits. “But what are we going to do about accepting Bex Dane’s money? We signed a contract to tour with him.”
“That’s a problem for another day,” Sol says, covering his mouth with a yawn.
“Let’s go home,” Zane agrees, blinking sleepily.
I let my brothers and my best friend nudge me back to the van. Sol hoots and hollers as he drives, and J boasts about her part in tonight’s achievement.
And while their laughter explodes around me, a slow warning sensation burns through my chest, telling me that it’s too early to celebrate.
