He nods. “Yeah. Slowly slipping into madness. Jaxon told me to hold off on torture until he gets here. He wants Kyle to suffer.”
I hum and drum my fingers on my thighs.
“You’ve been keeping tabs on Mickey?” Hawk asks.
“Yeah. Last I checked, he’s been shadowing his father. Nothing interesting, but it’ll be a bitch trying to get him here for Hellfire Night.”
“We’ve got a month to plan this out.”
A month of stalking Mickey and figuring out how to get him chained in a room without his father and underlings searchingfor him. We can’t kill him or the others until Hellfire Night, when the laws won’t touch us. Until then, we have to play our cards right.
We’re already toeing the line by keeping Kyle as a prisoner. Hawk and I covered our tracks to make sure no one saw us kidnap him, but you never know when someone could become a witness by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. Once Mickey and his group of friends are dead and gone, we can move on and exist within the Exiled Society without taking any more risks.
My phone vibrates from a new message. I grin at the name.
Goddamn. I haven’t heard from Haze in a while. Ever since I helped him with an issue packaged in red hair and an attitude that would make Satan run for the hills, he’s been quieter. He keeps ditching his burner phones.
Haze
We’re in town if you feel like meeting up.
The hell are you doing here lol
Business with Charlotte’s Web. We’re following a lead about northern lights.
Damn. Is there anything you need me to help you with while you’re here?
Nah. I still owe you for your help from last time though.
Don’t worry about it, bro. I don’t mind helping out a friend.
Are you in the I Fuck My Sister Club yet? Or are you still in denial?
I have no idea what you’re talking about. But what I do know is that you’re an asshole.
Sureeee
Footsteps thump on the porch, followed by a fist banging three times on the door before it opens. Hawk and I look up as Jaxon crosses the threshold and shuts the door behind him.
“Get him in the basement,” he says. He pulls a joint from behind his ear. “I wanna have a chat with him.”
THREE
NOVA
I raise my phone,and the screen wakes up. Its blinding light glares into my eyes as I lie on the couch in the dark living room. I start to put in my password, then drop the phone onto my stomach with a trembling sigh.
I hate how my feelings for Brandon have rendered me hopeless.
Where is the girl who didn’t care about stuff like this? There was once a time when I could shop without constantly checking my text messages and hoping to hear from him.
It’s past midnight, and I don’t know how long I’ve been lying here, trying to gather the courage to message Brandon and let him know that I like him as more than a friend. Normally, we’d still be playing right now, but I got awkward when he brought up Otaku Con again.
I raise my phone, unlock the screen, and pull up the thread. That’s as far as I get. I re-read the message he sent a few hours ago after hopping off Discord. Because what’s another stab to the ego?
You still haven’t answered my question about a double date at Otaku Con lol.
