Lucas
I know they’re there before they say anything.
The road is quiet, stripped bare, the kind of empty that makes sound feel like an intrusion. My keys are already in my hand. One more step and I’ll be gone.
Footsteps.
Too deliberate to be coincidence.
“You’re walking too loud, Darius.”
I don’t turn when I say it. Just stand there, facing the car, letting the night do the rest.
“If this is about stopping me,” I add, “don’t.”
Silence. Then—
“Have you decided to cut us out entirely?” Darius says
I finally turn.
“I didn’t cut you out,” I say. “I stepped forward. There’s a difference.”
Theo moves then, emerging from the shadows like he’s always done — not dramatic, just inevitable.
“Seems like it,” he says.
I look between them. They both look wrecked. Not frantic. Just… worn do
