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Chapter 18

Author: Joe Michael
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-13 00:09:13

The storm had finally passed, but the air in Boss’s Spot still felt heavy, like the clouds had just decided to stay. Outside, the streets steamed under the midday sun, and inside, the boys moved like ghosts — washing rims, polishing glass, carrying buckets — but nobody spoke more than a few words at a time.

Because everyone had seen it.

They had seen The Boss drag Rico back through the door last night, his shirt torn, his jaw tight, his eyes unreadable. No one dared to ask what happened. They didn’t need to. The silence spoke louder than anything else.

Rico hadn’t been seen since.

Jay had smirked that morning, but it was a bitter, joyless smirk, like he wanted to be right about The Boss breaking everyone but didn’t actually enjoy watching it happen. The other boys kept their eyes low, sneaking glances toward the upstairs hallway.

It wasn’t until late afternoon that Rico appeared.

He came down the stairs, one hand gripping the railing as if he wasn’t sure the ground would hold steady w
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