City of Fire and Lies

Noah Blake POV (New York City) I woke up to the sound of my upstairs neighbor screaming at her boyfriend again. “YOU SAID YOU DELETED HER NUMBER!” A loud crash followed. Something heavy. Probably him. I sighed into my pillow. Another beautiful morning in New York City. I checked my phone. 7:03 AM. Three minutes past the time I was supposed to wake up. Which meant I was already late. Which meant today was going to be terrible. I rolled out of bed, stepped on a cold slice of pizza I didn’t remember ordering, and immediately slipped. My life flashed before my eyes. It was short. And disappointing. I hit the floor with a thud. “Great start,” I muttered. I got dressed in record time—jeans, hoodie, sneakers—and ran out of my tiny apartment, praying the universe would give me a break for once. It didn’t. The Subway Incident The subway was packed. Of course it was. It was New York. I squeezed myself inside, sandwiched between a guy who smelled like expired cheese and a woman holding a chihuahua wearing a sweater that cost more than my rent. The dog stared at me. Judging me. I stared back. “Don’t look at him like that,” the woman snapped. “He started it,” I said. She gasped like I’d insulted her entire bloodline. The train jerked forward, and I lost my balance, falling straight into the cheese-scented guy. He grunted. I apologized. He grunted again. I wasn’t sure if that meant forgiveness or a threat. Probably both. The Coffee Disaster I finally escaped the subway and ran to my favorite coffee shop. I needed caffeine. Desperately. The barista, a girl with purple hair and zero patience, didn’t even look up. “What do you want?” “A medium latte, please.” She typed something. “Name?” “Noah.” She wrote “NOLA” on the cup. Close enough. I waited. And waited. And waited. When my drink finally came out, I grabbed it like it was holy water. I took one sip. It was black coffee. No milk. No sugar. No latte. Just bitterness and pain. “Uh, sorry,” I said to the barista. “This isn’t—” She glared at me. I backed away slowly. “Never mind. It’s perfect.” I walked out, took another sip, and immediately regretted it. The Job Interview I arrived at the office building sweaty, stressed, and smelling faintly like cheese guy. Perfect. The receptionist gave me a look that said, “You’re not getting hired.” I sat in the waiting area, trying to fix my hair in the reflection of my phone screen. It didn’t help. My hair looked like it had lost a fight with a lawnmower. Finally, the interviewer came out. A tall man in a suit that cost more than my entire wardrobe. “Noah Blake?” I stood up. “Yes, sir.” He looked me up and down. His face said everything. This interview was over before it started. ⭐ The Walk of Shame I left the building twenty minutes later. Rejected. Again. I walked down the street, sipping my terrible coffee, wondering if I should just accept my destiny as a professional failure. That’s when it happened. The moment that changed everything. The moment that ruined my life. The moment that dragged me into a world I didn’t belong in. The Crime I Shouldn’t Have Seen I turned into an alley shortcut—bad idea, I know—and froze. Two men were arguing next to a black SUV. One was tall, wearing a suit. The other was shorter, wearing a leather jacket. They were speaking in low voices. I wasn’t trying to listen. But then the guy in the suit shoved the other man. Hard. The man in the leather jacket stumbled back. And then— BANG. A gunshot. My soul left my body. The man in the leather jacket collapsed. The man in the suit turned around. And saw me. Our eyes met. I dropped my coffee. He raised the gun. I screamed. Like a man. A very brave man. A manly scream. I ran. The Chase I sprinted out of the alley, heart pounding, lungs burning. Behind me, I heard footsteps. Fast footsteps. “HEY! STOP!” Why would I stop? Why would anyone stop when a man with a gun tells them to? I ran faster. I dodged pedestrians. I jumped over a trash can. I almost got hit by a taxi. “WATCH IT, MORON!” the driver yelled. “Sorry!” I yelled back. I turned a corner. Another alley. Another bad idea. But I didn’t have time to think. I kept running until— A hand grabbed my hoodie and yanked me backward. I hit the ground. Hard. I looked up. And saw her. ⭐ The First Girl Appears — Aria Moretti (Teaser) A woman stood over me. Tall. Elegant. Cold eyes. Black coat. High heels that could kill a man. She looked like she walked out of a mafia movie. And she was holding a gun. Not pointed at me. But close enough. “Get up,” she said. Her voice was calm. Too calm. “I—I didn’t see anything,” I stammered. She tilted her head. “You saw everything.” I swallowed. She stepped closer. I stepped back. She stepped closer again. I hit a wall. She leaned in. Her perfume smelled expensive. Dangerous. Italian. “Listen carefully, Noah Blake,” she whispered. How did she know my name? “You’re in danger. And if you want to stay alive, you’ll come with me.” I blinked. “What?” She grabbed my wrist. “Now.” The Second Girl Appears — Riley Torres (Teaser) Before she could pull me away, a voice shouted from the rooftop above us: “HEY, ICE QUEEN!” We both looked up. A girl jumped off the roof. Yes. Jumped. She landed in front of us like gravity didn’t apply to her. Short hair. Leather jacket. Tattoo on her neck. Smirk that screamed trouble. She pointed a gun at Aria. “Step away from the civilian.” Aria sighed. “Riley Torres. Of course.” Riley winked at me. “Sup, cutie.” I blinked. “What?” Aria tightened her grip on my wrist. Riley c****d her gun. Aria raised hers. Both pointed at each other. Both glaring. Both dangerous. Both beautiful. And me? I was standing between two armed women who clearly hated each other. And somehow… somehow… I knew this was only the beginning. END OF CHAPTER 1