177a Bleecker Street Novels & Stories

He looked at a room and actually saw it. These were all professional considerations. That I had chosen to ask him on a Saturday afternoon when Renee was handling the Cobble Hill location alone and the West Village site would be empty except for us was a logistical detail I declined to examine too closely. He arrived at two o'clock exactly. The West Village site was on a quiet block off Bleecker Street — a narrow storefront with large front windows and a back room that opened wider than the entrance suggested, the kind of space that rewarded patience. The contractors had been in all week and the bones of it were emerging properly now — exposed brick on the back wall, new floors going in, the

She just sighed, like she’d been expecting me. “You want her address?” she asked. My jaw ticked. “Yes.” She just reached for a drawer, pulled out a slip of paper, and slid it across the table like it was a test I hadn’t studied for. I stared down at it, my pulse loud in my ears. 742 Maplewood Drive, Brookhaven NY 11719. And just like that, I had a direction.

Seraphina's POV The address on my phone felt like a lifeline. 392 West 88th Street, Apartment 4C. I stood on the sidewalk, staring up at the brownstone building. It wasn't new, but it had character—the kind of weathered elegance that came from decades of being loved instead of constantly renovated. The rent was too good to be true. I knew that. But desperation had a way of making you willing to believe in miracles. I climbed the front steps and pressed the buzzer for 4C.

ETHAN I was in a meeting when my assistant knocked on the door. "Mr. Hoss, I'm sorry to interrupt. There's breaking news you should see." She handed me her tablet. “BREAKING: Explosion at Upper East Side Residential Building. Car Bomb Suspected.” I read the headline, irritated at the interruption. "Why does this concern me?" "The building address, sir. 740 Park Avenue." My stomach dropped. That was Vanessa Latham's building. I took the tablet, reading quickly.

Braze asked. " The Watch Tower,13 Denze Street.... " Robert uttered with difficulty, grabbing the floor for support. He was on his knees and fighting to stay put. " It's on it's way sir, just five more minutes.... sir... goodness.... what do I do.... " Robert was about to fall on the ground face first but Braze caught him.

he insisted. She hesitated, glancing at the time. If she refused, she would definitely be late. Finally, she opened the door and slipped into the convertible sedan. Bruce’s smile widened as he pulled away from the curb. “You live in Gowanus, right?” he asked, casually mentioning Aidan’s upscale apartment building. Malikha’s eyes widened. “No… I mean, I live around Brooklyn, sir,” she corrected quickly. Bruce nodded, accepting her answer. “May I call you Malikha?”

“Be good, champ. We’ll be back before dinner.” The drive to Queens was quiet. Alexander drove. Elena stared out the window. The city blurred past—brownstones, bodegas, graffiti-covered walls. She kept replaying the fountain meeting. The man’s voice. The way he’d said “good girl” like she was a child to be praised. They parked two blocks away from the address. Walked the rest of the way. Alexander’s hand stayed near her lower back—protective, grounding. The building was old. Brick. Four stories. No doorman. The front door buzzed open with a broken lock. They climbed the stairs. Fourth floor. Apartment 4B at the end of the hall.

"Where are you coming from? Who are you? I never ordered for all of this, I didn't place any order for the stuff you're dropping off. There's been a mistake!" "A mistake?" He checked his clipboard, eyebrows furrowing. Going through several pages. Then he looked up, "I see no mistake ma'am. This is The Hudson's District, isn't it? 18 Virelli Crescent, The Hudson Yard." "W-w- yes?" I stuttered, surprised. "That is the address, this address. Are you sure about that?" I pulled his clipboard, checking for myself. But it was the same as he read out. 18 Virelli Crescent, The Hudson Yard.

I couldn't go to the hospital—Adrian’s security would have it locked down. I walked twenty blocks, my feet throbbing in the boots I’d borrowed, until I reached a narrow brick walk-up in Astoria. The buzzer was broken, and the hallway smelled of boiled cabbage and floor wax. I knocked on Apartment 3C. The door opened as far as the heavy chain would allow. A woman with bright pink hair and a measuring tape draped around her neck peered out. Her eyes went wide, then narrowed. "Amara?" Tess whispered. "What the hell? I saw you on the news ten minutes ago. They’re saying you’re the 'Moll of the Mid-Atlantic.'"

She bent in front of Lucy and placed the gun on the spot she shot. “Where are my kids?” She asked as she applied pressure on the wound with the gun. Lucy screamed in pain. “Where are they?” Clara yelled. “They… they are at a penthouse.” She cried. “Where?” She yelled. “It's… it's at Beacon Street, the third house in the estate.” She cried out. Clara pulled away from her and pulled out her phone, she called Dexter immediately. “They are at a penthouse on Beacon Street. It's the third house in the estate.” She informed him.