There was a long, taut silence. Mark didn't answer at first, and in that quiet, I could feel the weight of the question hanging between us. My fists clenched, and I could almost hear him struggling with the words, with the shame of it all. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and final.

"It's over," Mark said, cold as ice. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Mark!" I slammed my fist against the door, the impact sending a jolt up my arm. The sound echoed down the stairwell, bouncing off the walls. "Open it! Mark!"

Nala grabbed my arm, her grip firm but not aggressive. "Evan," she said, her voice sharp but not unkind. "It's no use."

"But—" I protested, my chest heaving with frustration.

"We'll think of something else," Nala said, her voice softer now, almost soothing. "This isn't going anywhere. Come on."

I wanted to scream, wanted to break the door down and make him face the truth. But I knew she was right. We couldn't force him. Not now. Not like this.

Frustration exploded within me, and I kicked the door as hard as I could, the impact rattling the frame and echoing down the hallway. "Fucking coward!" I shouted, my voice rough and raw with rage. "You hear me? How do you even sleep knowing—"

"EVAN," Nala barked, her tone cutting through my fury like a blade. "Enough."

I clenched my jaw so hard it ached, then let out a slow breath. "Fine," I muttered, my voice thick with barely contained anger. I nodded once, forcing myself to step back. "You're right. We should go."

"Yeah," Nala said quietly, her voice softer now, like she was trying to calm me down. "We should."

We turned away from the door and headed back toward the stairs, the hallway feeling smaller with every step.

We started down the stairs, and at least going down was easier than climbing up. My legs still felt heavy, like the cold and exhaustion had sunk straight into my bones. Halfway down, I sneezed hard and immediately zipped my jacket all the way up, even though we were indoors.

"Jesus," Nala muttered as she followed a step behind me. "I still can't believe Carrie. Who does something like that? Threatening people, throwing money around like it's nothing."

"I'll do worse to her," I said quietly, my jaw tightening as I kept moving. "Trust me, Nala. Worse."

She glanced at me, her face tightening into a grimace. "Yeah. She deserves it. Putting you in that… that situation and all."

We reached the bottom floor, pushed through the heavy door, and stepped back outside. The wind slapped us immediately, sharp and cold, carrying the last remnants of the storm. Snow crunched under our shoes as we crossed the lot toward the car. I slid into the passenger seat while Nala went around to the driver's side.

As soon as the door shut, I pulled out my cigarette pack with stiff fingers, lit one, and leaned back against the seat. I closed my eyes and let the smoke fill my lungs, then slowly breathed it out. My head felt crowded, like there were too many thoughts fighting for space. Anger, fear, frustration, all tangled together. Kim's face kept popping up no matter how hard I tried to focus on anything else.

"We have to do something else," Nala said as she started the engine. "If the weather clears tomorrow, Kim could be gone."

"But what?" I asked, staring up at the roof of the car. "Mark was my only lead, and he shut the door in my face… no, fuck. He didn't even open it, that dick."

"Then we find another way," she said without hesitation. "We don't stop just because one door stayed closed."

I wanted to argue, but the truth was I didn't have anything better. Hope felt thin, stretched tight, but I forced myself not to let it snap. If Mark wouldn't talk to me at his door, then I'd catch him somewhere else. Work, a store, anywhere he let his guard down. I just needed one opening.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I frowned, pulled it out, and saw one of Anotta's bodyguards calling. I took another drag from my cigarette before answering.

"Hello?"

"Marlowe," Anotta's voice said smoothly. "How did it go?"

"Your lead didn't say a word," I replied. "He shut us out."

"Mmm," she hummed. "That's unfortunate, but not unexpected. You should try talking to him at work. He's a clerk at a thrift store near his building. Lemin's T-Shop."

I frowned. "I thought he was a construction worker."

"When there's nothing to build, people adapt," she said. "He takes a second job."

I shifted in my seat. "How do you know all this? You just happened to know where he works?"

"I assumed he wouldn't listen to you," Anotta replied calmly. "So I looked into him. You're welcome."

I let out a breath through my nose. "Yeah. I am grateful. More than you think."

"I'm only honoring our deal," she said. "I help you reach Mark. You give me Project Phoenix. Simple."

"Right," I said. "If that's all, I'm hanging up."

She disconnected before I could finish the sentence.

"Motherf—" I muttered, shoving the phone back into my pocket.

Nala slowed at a red light and glanced over at me. "Anotta?"

"Yeah," I said. "Mark works at Lemin's T-Shop. I'll go there tomorrow and see if he's more talkative when he's not hiding behind a door."

She nodded. "Let's hope he gives us something real this time."

I stared out the window at the snow-covered street. "Yeah," I said quietly. "Let's hope."

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎❤︎

I tapped my keycard against the reader. The panel blinked green, the lock buzzed, and I slid the card back into my pocket. I lifted my hand to push the door open and…

Someone lunged at me and wrapped their arms around my neck so fast I staggered a step back.

"Evan," Delilah said, squeezing me tight. "Nala texted me what happened. I came as soon as I could."

I let out a tired laugh and rested a hand on her back. "You really shouldn't have. It's late."

"I don't care," she said, pulling back just enough to look at my face. "You look like shit."

"Charming as always," I said, smiling despite myself as I stepped inside.

The living room was already full. Jasmine was pacing near the couch, Tessa stood with her arms crossed, and Minne hovered a little behind them, hands clasped in front of her apron. The moment they saw me, the room exploded.

"That woman is insane," Jasmine snapped. "Absolute psychopath."

"Making you strip outside in that weather?" Tessa added, shaking her head. "I swear, if I ever see her—"

"She's disgusting," Delilah cut in. "Who does that to someone?"

Minne lifted her hand a little, hesitating before speaking. "I-I think she is very cruel," she said softly. "No one should be treated like that."

"Thanks, everyone," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "I'm still alive, see?"

"My god…" Jasmine shook her head. "That evil whore…"

"When did you even tell them?" I asked Nala as she knelt to pull off her boots. "You could've kept this quiet."

She looked up at me, calm but firm. "This wasn't something I could keep to myself. They deserved to know."

Before I could argue, Delilah waved me over. "Sit. Now. And tell us what happened with Mark."

I exhaled and followed them into the living room. We settled onto the couches, the tension still hanging thick in the air. Minne disappeared for a moment and came back with a blanket, draping it over my shoulders. I nodded at her. "Thanks."

She smiled and quietly turned the AC up a notch, warm air starting to push back the chill in my bones.

"Alright," I said, leaning back. "Mark wouldn't talk. Wouldn't even open the door. He shut us down completely."

"What did he say?" Jasmine asked.

"That it was over," I replied. "That he'd moved on. He admitted Carrie came by earlier and 'reminded' him of their deal."

"So he's scared," Tessa said. "Or bought."

"Both," Nala added. "He wouldn't even let us speak face-to-face."

"But," I continued, lifting a finger, "Anotta called after. Gave us a new lead. Mark works at a thrift store. Lemin's T-Shop. I'm going there tomorrow."

Delilah frowned. "Do you think he'll talk there?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "But it's better than a locked door."

Nala nodded. "At work, people are different. Less guarded."

Jasmine leaned back, arms crossed. "Just don't go alone."

"I won't," I said. "I promise."

The room finally went quiet, the anger draining into exhaustion. My eyelids felt heavy, my head foggy.

"I really need to sleep," I said, rubbing my face. "Minne, can you prepare the guest bedroom for Delilah?"

She blinked, then smiled proudly. "I already did, Master."

I chuckled. "That's my girl."

Color rushed to her cheeks and she ducked her head, clearly pleased.

I stood, blanket still around my shoulders, and headed toward the master bedroom. I opened the door, barely bothering to close it behind me before collapsing onto the bed.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, my eyes shut on their own. This time, sleep didn't argue with me. It took me immediately.

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎❤︎

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.