Vince
Kol flounced back into the darkness. Vince looked across the table at Tracey, fighting the worry roiling in his stomach. Tracey looked at Derrick. He and Hrida had been quietly watching, just in case. After a moment, Derrick nodded.
This is it.
Across the restaurant, Kol was almost out of sight. Vince stood up from his seat, fisting his hands in his pockets as he and Tracey followed Kol across the room. Underneath his barely maintained composure, some strange part of him wanted to take Traceyβs hand, even though he knew she didnβt need it.
They walked down a dim hallway, past two filthy restrooms, and into a small room. The space was mostly empty, furnished only with a folding table and a random assortment of chairs. Kol took the seat at the head of the table, propping his feet up on its edge. Vince and Tracey settled themselves at the opposite end.
βSo,β Kol began, picking at something in his teeth. βWhat seems to be the problem?β
βProblem?β Tracey spat. She wouldβve kept going if Vince hadnβt stopped her.
βWeβre here because of severalβ¦incidents youβve caused.β
Kol sat silent as if waiting for Vince to continue.
βWell?β Vince pressed.
βIβm just curious about what exactly you think Iβve done.β
βAre you really going to make me explain?β
βYou might as well.β Kol shifted in his seat to make himself more comfortable. βIβve got nothing else to do.β
Next to Vince, Traceyβs hands were white-knuckled on the edge of her seat. She looked ready to fling herself across the table at Kol. Vince closed his eyes, sending her silent support, then began.
As he spoke, a montage of images ran through his head. Shop windows smashed in, glass sparkling on the floor, the interiors gutted. Buildings ablaze, throwing sparks to the black sky like confetti. Neighborhoods destroyed by monsters, families torn apart.
Since the Breach hit their city, everyone had banded together to keep their way of life from falling apart. Little by little, they had clawed bits and pieces of their city back, creating havens where people could go about their lives as if nothing had changed. Of course, there were others with a different agenda, those who chose to capitalize on a moment of weakness to make their grab for power.
And so, the city had split in two: those who lived for chaos and those fighting against it.
Kol listened to Vince go on. His expression never changed. He looked almost bored, stone-faced as a criminal hearing the list of charges against him. When Vince had finished, the three of them sat in silence until Kol did the unthinkable: he laughed.
βI canβt believe youβre still hung up on that. Itβs not like we even bothered you.β
βYou might as well have!β Vince raised his voice for the first time. βIf you mess with our neighborhood, you mess with us.β
βOh?β Kol set his feet on the floor with a thump. He crossed his arms and stared Vince down. βWhatβre you gonna do about it?β
Vince thought he could handle the full force of Kolβs gaze, but after a few moments, he wasnβt so sure. The other manβs eyes glowed like ice in the dim light, tattoos writhing across his face.
Vince had to clear his throat to get his voice to work.
βWeβll settle this whole thing. One on one, your best against ours.β
βWhat is this, a Western?β Kolβs face hardened. Vince refused to let that scare him and kept talking.
βIf we win, you keep your gang on this side of the city. If we loseβ¦β Vince fought to keep the tremor out of his voice. βYou have free rein.β
Kol sat back in his chair, shadow claiming most of his face. The air in the room seemed to vibrate. Vince looked over at Tracey. She sat like a loaded pistol, one knee bouncing, her eyes ablaze.
βDeal.β Kol smiled, his teeth almost glowing. βSee you in two days.β
Traceyβs knee came to a stop, and she looked over at Vince. He knew both of them were thinking the same thing.
What did we just do?
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