The Nook East Greenwich Novels & Stories

POV: Julian Vane-Moretti The one-hundredth entry of the new era did not begin with a crisis, but with a profound, terrifying stillness. I stood on the observation deck of the Greene Street Collective, looking out over a Manhattan that had finally ceased to be a battlefield. The morning air was thin and sharp, carrying the scent of salt from the harbor and the faint, sweet aroma of the bio-synthetic jasmine that now climbed the glass-and-steel skeletons of the Sterling-Thorne district.

Marco looked around and then pulled out his phone to double check the address. “I believe it's around the corner,” he said. Marco was surprised at how quiet the little neighborhood was. They were in lower Manhattan, in an area called 'Greenwich Village.' It wasn't how he had imagined it would be, though. It was calm and peaceful, with very little foot traffic and just the occasional lonely car driving down the road next to them. It was quite a bit different than the other areas of New York that he had seen up to that point. “So, can I get a hint as to where you're taking me?” Sabrina walked alongside him as she spoke.

where were they? She looked at the caterer's file again. Menu: Vegan options available. Kosher style. Vendor: Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Stone Barns. Upstate. Pocantico Hills. It was an hour outside the city. Private. Secure. The kind of place a billionaire would rent to keep his family safe from a predator. "Found you," Vivian whispered. She picked up her phone again. She couldn't go there. The restraining order was GPS-enforced. If she stepped foot in Westchester, an alarm would sound on Noah’s phone.

Despite my outward bravado, I was shaken by my interview with Agent Green. When I left the FBI compound I turned north instead of south, then took I-595 and headed east. After some zigging and zagging, I ended up on 163rd Street, landing myself in six congested lanes of suburban hell. The Foxy Lady coin laundry, the Ham and Eggery, the Army/Navy Recruiting Center, and the Krispy Kreme drive-through all screamed at me that I was in unfamiliar territory.

“Sarah! You bitch! Who the hell are you calling a dog?!” Sydney clung to the iron gates, screaming in rage. “Sarah! Get back here! You think this is over?! Get back here!” Her shrieks echoed through the courtyard, but inside, Sarah didn’t spare her another thought. --- East Coast – Greenwoods District The Greenwoods District was the heart of the city—luxury boutiques lined the streets, interwoven with narrow alleys leading to hidden shops and speakeasies. Sarah’s car navigated through the crowd, her mind tangled with thoughts.

Well, mostly because the places he investigated usually were brimming with dark things. We were finishing breakfast when the Collins walked in the backdoor, and a while later, we were going out for an early run. My performance had improved a great deal over the last months of daily jogging, so I had no problem when, instead of going to the Quabbin, he suggested we took Greenwich Road and trotted down the almost three miles to town. Only forty minutes later, we dropped ourselves under the trees, across the street from the one coffee house and post office in Hardwick, gulping up our water before uttering a single word. I was proud I’d gotten so far, but I was still way more out of breath than

BSI agents Smith, Jones and Rome gathered around a marble headstone in one of the Middletown’s cemeteries, the one closest to the Weston College campus. Beneath the marker, the sod had not yet completely grown back over the recently resealed grave, leaving narrow seams of dark brown dirt visible in the otherwise green grass.

Heros Green Moscow, Ulitsa Arbat (Arbat Street) The cold wind cut through the air like invisible blades while Noah, Zedekiah, and I positioned ourselves in an abandoned building a few blocks from the warehouse where Luther and Lohan had infiltrated. The place, a decaying and forgotten structure, was filled with shadows and echoes that seemed to whisper ancient secrets. It left me uneasy. With the micro-cameras and listening devices perfectly camouflaged in their clothes, we were ready to capture every movement, every word.

the Chairman said with a smile as they continued to chat and work through the specifics. One Hour Later "Sir, I have everything you asked me to bring from the hotel," Mr. Green said as he met Anderson on his way out. "Alright. And what time are we scheduled to arrive?" Anderson asked, barely breaking stride. "Exactly 1 AM New York time," Mr. Green replied, following closely behind. ….………………………………… New York City Couple of hours later "Hey, Mama, you’re still awake..." Kristen murmured as she spotted her orange cat approaching through the shadows of the garden. She had been trying to clear her mind, letting the cool night air settle her restless thoughts, but the sight of her pet brought a sma