As the final bell rang, I hurried to the parking lot where Lennox waited in his black Mercedes. I had avoided Tate for the rest of the day, and Kaiden would no doubt question my lack of attendance, but I didn't care. My mind had spiraled for a few hours, spacing out during class. I ditched my last one, food and nutrition, as I gathered myself and put myself back together. I always did.

"Can I please be home schooled?" I asked and climbed into the front seat, tucking my bag between my feet.

Lennox snorted. "You think Kaiden can teach you? He has the patience of a five-year-old," he said.

I smirked. "True."

"You're day didn't go well, I take it?" He asked, glancing over at me. "Buckle up."

I narrowed my eyes, grabbing the seat belt and clicking it into place. I looked out the window and noticed Tate talking to a bunch of his hockey teammates. We locked eyes, his lips quirking. I looked away quickly. "Well, spill your guts. What happened?"

"I almost punched a girl."

"Ember, tell me you're joking."

"She called me a psycho."

He chuckled. "You're back for one day, and you're already causing trouble."

I scoffed. "What was I supposed to do? Let her run her mouth?"

Lennox shot me a look. "Yes, actually. That's exactly what you're supposed to do."

I shook my head. "I'm not just gonna let people talk shit about me."

"You don't have a choice, Em." His voice was firm now, no trace of amusement. "You hit someone, and it's your ass on the line, not theirs." I clenched my jaw and didn't say anything, because whether I liked it or not, he was right.

One wrong move, one mistake, I could end up locked up again.

"I need to stop by the club for a few minutes," he said after a moment of silence between us.

"Can we stop at McDonald's first then? I'm hungry."

"No surprise there."

I reached out and jabbed his ribs, making him wheeze. "Ember, I'm driving."

"Sorry, I had a muscle spasm."

Lennox asked me a dozen questions about my day and I did the same to him. He worked at a clinic downtown on occasion. When he was medically discharged from the military, he went back to school and became a nurse.

We ordered McDonald's, both getting a large fries and chocolate milkshakes. "Don't eat my food, I'll be right back," he said when we arrived at Obsidian.

"If you're any longer than five minutes, it's fair game."

He rolled his eyes, jogging into the club. I scrolled TikTok, eating fries and sipping my milkshake, until I received a message from Tate: Still in one piece, trouble?

I smirked, hesitating before typing back. Barely. You still playing knight in shining armour?

His reply made me smile wider. Only for lost causes like you.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the small smile tugging at my lips. Before I could type another reply, movement outside the car caught my eye. A figure lingering near the club entrance - hood up, posture tense. Something about the way he hovered sent a flicker of unease through me.

I sat up straighter, my fries forgotten.

I knew better than to ignore my instincts.

Then the figure walked forward, drawing a gun from his waistband.

Adrenaline surged through me.

The figure stepped in front of the car, gun in hand.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Shit.

I shoved the bag of food off my lap and reached for the glove compartment.

Lennox always kept a gun in here, just in case.

My fingers fumbled over receipts and napkins before closing around cold metal but it was too late.

The figure aimed the gun at me and pulled the trigger.

+++

–thank you for reading!
Charlie 🧡