Vin didn’t return to her room after that incident. In fact, she didn’t catch a glimpse of Vin the following day, save for when he caught her sipping tea in the kitchen in the middle of the night after she woke up from another nightmare. She flushed pink at the thought of Vin hearing her cry again. Guilt and embarrassment settled badly in her stomach. Callie had made a habit of singing herself to sleep after her bouts with her repeating nightmares. Every night she cries and sings, cries and sings. Tonight, she cried about her broken dreams. Callie had abandoned her phone and laptop, the devices lay dead somewhere inside her backpack. Why bother? She couldn’t go to school anyway. She wouldn’t be able to graduate. Unless… “Silver lining, Callie,” she muttered to herself as she marched into the kitchen. “Find your silver lining.” “Would you care for some breakfast?” Now, those were words Vin hadn’t heard in a long time. He had been living alone for fifteen years, and he usually grabb
Vin gave Callie enough time to get changed and finish her waffles before two men enter the dining area. Callie recognized the taller one, Raleigh, from the arena. Without the tapes around his arms and anger marring his features, he looked young—almost too young to be associated with the mafia. His face was bruised, but he held his head high with pride. “Boss, I thought we had a talk about not killing our clients?” the stranger said, his tone was patronizing, but he had a smile on his face. “Seriously, man. It’s bad for business.” The stranger must be ranked up higher on the ladder because Vin merely shrugged and gestured for them to take a seat. His skin was a deep tan, and his smile was friendly and welcoming, but there was something in his eyes that made Callie feel uneasy. “There’s plenty of food. Help yourselves,” said Callie, who was starting to feel awkward. She ignored Vin’s sideways glance at her and smiled pleasantly at the newcomers. “And who might this be?” “Callie Moor
Walking into the gates of the university felt like a breath of fresh air to Callie. Despite how she loved the theater and attending her classes, the university didn’t share that love. Or simply put, the other students didn’t take kindly to having a prostitute for a classmate. The sneers and judgmental looks used to bother Callie, but she has learned to ignore them and focus on her education. Now, it only fueled her desire to graduate and leave this city forever. The day passed quickly and normally enough. Apart from the truckload of schoolwork she missed, it was uneventful. Additionally, Callie intentionally avoided talking to Sienna until the last moment. Outside the university theater, where audition announcements have been posted for the year-end musical were posted, Callie waited for her friend, staring blankly at the page. “Callie! Holy shit, where have you been?” Callie would recognize that voice from anywhere. Sienna tackled the singer into a fierce hug. “I’ve been worried s
“Are you sure this is fine?” Callie asked Raleigh as he handed her a burger and soda. As usual, he had picked her up from the university and were on their way back to Vin’s apartment, but not before stopping at a fast food drive-thru for some burgers. Raleigh looked at her with a wide grin, “A little fast food never killed anyone, Callie.” Seeing Raleigh’s smile reassured Callie, and it reminded her that Raleigh was still just a kid. Barely twenty-one, but the wisdom in his eyes betrayed the innocence of his smiles. She couldn’t help but feel safe with him, like she was with a friend. “No, I meant staying out later than my curfew.” It was his turn to chuckle. “Don’t worry about it too much,” he said as he took a bite of his chicken sandwich. “Besides, how else am I supposed to get to know you?” That took Callie by surprise, “You want to get to know me?” “Duh. I’m supposed to spend my precious time with you instead of training. I at least, want to know the person I’m babysitting.
“How’d the meeting go?” The rain hasn’t let up since Vin left home, and the constant pitter-patter was starting to irritate him. He fixed Soren with a bored stare. “Do you even have to ask?” the crime lord replied. “Any news for me?” Soren smirked as he opened the car door for Vin, droplets of rain wetting his shoulder as he protected his master from the rain. “I have a package waiting for you at the warehouse,” said Soren as he settled into the driver’s seat. “Finally.” When the duo arrived at the said warehouse, Z was already there, picking at his nails waiting for them. “Took you guys long enough,” Z muttered as he slid the door open to let the two in. “It was freezing.” Vin ignored the complaint, while Soren snickered at Z’s expense. The warehouse as they call it was an old storage facility for their weapons. Towers of empty wooden crates lined each of the four walls. Vin didn’t want to dump them for they made excellent soundproofing, perfect for activities like this. “Loo
Callie saw Vin’s men off with a small smile while Ella started to set herself up in the guest bedroom. The doctor insisted saying she wanted to be there in case Vin needed her.“Well, uhm… I’ll see you in the morning, then.” Callie left Ella to get settled in. As Callie climbed up the stairs to retreat to her own bed, she spared a glance at Vin’s room.Her feet started moving on their own, entering Vin’s room quietly and gazing at his sleeping form. The beginnings of a song bloomed from her chest and before she knew it, Callie was humming a soft melody.Maybe it was her shock, but seeing Vin now, she finally figured out why she was so terrified. The chaos of seeing a bleeding Vin and his men scrambling to help him reminded her of her parents’ painful death. Tomorrow marked the sixteenth year of their passing, which didn’t help her mood at all.Callie sang in a hushed voice, careful not to wake the crime lord, but her feelings were all there. Her song soothed her pain and she hoped tha
Callie watched with mixed horror and fascination as her bullies’ faces blanched at the sight of Vincent Baros before them. Her breath caught in her throat at the notion of him exposing himself, but it didn’t matter who they thought he was. Vin walked and talked with certainty, and there was something in this aura that made him so terrifying. Whatever it was he told them, it must have been awful. Vin walked back to the car with the same swagger, smirking as if he were proud of what he’d done. “What did you do? What did you say to them?” Callie asked when Vin returned, craning her neck over the dashboard to see her classmates run back into the building. “I don’t want to talk about it either,” Vin repeated Callie’s words back to her with a small amused smile before putting the car into gear. The car eased out of the campus and into the near-empty highway. It was still a few hours before nightfall, but as they entered the Ashen City, some people have already set up candles and lanterns
Vin was frantic, his phone ringing nonstop as he wove through the traffic, blaring his horn at anyone who dared slow him down. The McLaren GT sped forward, side by side with ambulances and firetrucks. And with each car they passed, Vin’s anger escalated tenfold.“You’re wrong, Callie.” Vin, but the words out past gritted teeth. “There is no light, no hope, only suffering.”And as if to emphasize his point, Vin abruptly turned and stopped the car in front of a burning building, one of Vin’s properties, Callie assumed. But the fire was the least of Callie’s concerns.Before she knew it, Callie had unbuckled her seatbelt and rushed out of the car. In front of her, people were running and screaming for help. And it wasn’t just at this place. Everywhere in the city, this must be the scenario, with overwhelming terror all around.“Vin!”The crime lord pushed past Callie to catch the woman approaching them in his arms. She was gorgeous, with long blonde hair and a body that could stop a truc