ALEXANDERThe smell of stale smoke, cheap beer, and piss soaked into wood that hadn’t been scrubbed in years was what hit first. The air was thick, humid, buzzing with flies circling empty glasses left on tables.If I thought the outside was bad, this was a lot worse. And I knew there was no way I would have ever been here.My eyes drifted up to the creaking ceiling fan. It was on its last leg from the sound of it. There was grime on every surface, a stickiness under my boots that tugged when I walked. I wondered just how people were still coming and walking out of the place like everything was normal.Claude wrinkled his nose, muttering under his breath, “What the hell are we doing in a place like this?”“This is the only place he would agree to meet us. It’s a neutral ground.” Killian didn’t look at him, just kept moving toward a table in the corner. He moved like he belonged anywhere, even in a shithole like this.“Couldn’t he have found a cleaner neutral ground?” I asked, stepping
Last Updated : 2025-09-22 Read more