"Miss me?" June asked, swinging the rifle over his shoulder and tugging his lips up to a cocky smile. Charlotte was about to slap him, but Ivan held her back. "Nice to see you too, princess. I only saved your lives, and I'm about to do it again. Come on, we have to move."
"Are you insane?" Charlotte said, her voice quivering between a whisper and a shout. "You just killed a man in broad daylight, there's a witness, and there's cameras watching us. Your face will be everywhere-"
"Argue later, leave now," June said, rushing off to the alleyway in between the apartment buildings. Although he could tell no one wanted to follow him (rightfully so), they did. They were quiet and obedient, June guiding them through the paths he so carefully traveled to get to his spot on the roof.
He wanted a bird's eye view of the museum. It was the best way to maintain eyesight on all the activity. Keeping tabs on Charlotte, Ivan, and Jericho was near impossible, but he managed. It was even harder to do it without them noticing. Hiding from one dangerous criminal was one thing. Hiding from three was another. Part of June thought they were so focused on their mission, they got sloppy and didn't check behind them. Or maybe June was just good at what he did.
The gravel squished beneath their feet, thugs and commoners passing by them. There were a few murmurs since June was carrying his weapon visibly, but otherwise, no one bothered them. There were dumpsters that smelled of rotten cheese and meat all around them. Kitchen and apartment dumpsters were what made up the narrow aisle. Bricks, stone, and wood were the three materials utilized for the buildings around them. June could tell them apart thanks to his experience in the area. He knew exactly where he was going and what to do.
"Come on, this way," he said, turning down another corner. That path was less crowded. It had two people in it, both men who were gathered around a barrel fire by the end of it. It was a dead end, but there were two structures on both their sides. On their left was a company, and on their right, an apartment complex.
"What are we doing here? This is a dead end," Charlotte said, but June knelt by the fire escape and held out his hands.
"I'll help you up. Pull the ladder down. I have an apartment here." He was careful with his words even though the two others in the alley weren't looking in their direction. They were too far to hear the distinct words, but June would rather be safe than sorry.
Knowing there was no time for arguing, Charlotte did it. She hopped up with grace June wasn't expecting from her. She was able to get up and pull the ladder down, June allowing the others to go first. As soon as Ivan and Jericho went up, so did June. From there, he guided them to the seventh floor, where he pulled up the window and went inside.
"You leave your window open?" Charlotte asked, her tone flat.
"Wouldn't be much of a hideout if I couldn't access it discretely. I'll lock it when we're all safe, okay?"
She agreed and climbed in, June holding out his hand to help her. Of course, she rejected it. Not surprised. That was a classic Charlotte thing to do. Jericho didn't accept his help either. Or Ivan. June grunted and shut the window, locking it. They were in the living room of the tiny apartment. There was only a bedroom, a kitchen connected to the living room, and a bathroom that was inside the bedroom.
The living room was covered in dust from years of no use. June didn't go to his hideouts to keep them clean, but he had a system in place to pay rent for all the places he had. They were under different names, different IDs, different people entirely. At that hideout, he was Mark Granger. It was a basic name that could get lost in the thousands of others with the same name.
June plopped down on the couch that was too small for all of them, but big enough that June could sleep on it if he so pleased. There was a cushioned chair that matched the cinnamon shade the couch had. Both of them were uncomfortable. Better than nothing though.
"Jericho, Charlotte, you guys can have the bedroom. I'm taking the couch. Ivan, do whatever the fuck you want," June said with a yawn, tossing his rifle on the floor by his side and kicking his shoes off. The others stared at him the entire time. He placed his shoes on the wooden floor and shot up a brow. "What?"
"All of that, and you're just gonna pretend we don't have questions? Charlotte asked, stepping in front of the TV that didn't work. It was a block TV that looked like it was from the 90s. "How did you find us? Why are we here? What's your plan?"
"Ivan told me the coordinates to your little pub hideout, remember? I stalked you guys and wanted to determine if it was a trap to get revenge on me or not. I'm good at what I do, but not 8 on 1 good. You guys left, so I followed. Saw you were going to the museum and I set up shop outside, waited to see what you'd do."
"Why didn't you go inside?" Ivan asked. "You're still an esteemed member of the Underworld, you'd be at no risk."
"Now where's the fun in that? I stretched my luck following you guys without you noticing, but if you were doing what I thought you were doing, then there'd be almost no way I could hide from you."
"And what did you think we were doing?" Ivan said.
"Trying to get to the basement to find files on Madam. Am I wrong?" No answer. "Figured. Thought I'd stay outside and monitor the situation. As for a plan, my plan is we stay here and collect our thoughts. It's been a long day, and I'm not getting any younger. Let an old guy sleep, will you?"
"You're the youngest here," Jericho said, June flipping him off.
"Charlotte's birthday is one month after mine. She's the youngest. Let me sleep and let the security teams search for us. It'll dial down in a few hours, just wait it out and get some rest."
None of them agreed. It didn't take intelligence to deduce that. However, they did eventually settle in to the apartment with cracked walls and no light. The light hanging off the stained ceiling wasn't on. He could turn it on, but he didn't bother.
"Can we leave a window open? It smells too much like June in here," Charlotte said, June snorting.
"And what do I smell like, sweetheart?"
"Rotten flesh."
"I'm an assassin, not a walking shower. I don't know what you were expecting."
Charlotte went inside the bedroom without replying, Jericho following her and shutting the door. That left Ivan and June alone. June didn't give a fuck. He shut his eyes and allowed the adrenaline to fade from his body. That happened after each hunt. Each kill. Yet another one to add to the mental board he had. That man was nameless to him. He was just a number. June wondered if that made him worse than he already was.
As an assassin, he had been trained to know when someone was watching him. That was how he could tell Ivan's eyes were on him. Ivan was sitting on the chair, bouncing up and down and making squishy sounds. June, without opening his eyes, decided to do something about it.
"Something to say, or are you just gonna keep staring at me?"
Ivan's bounces halted, June relishing in the darkness his shut eyes brought. "I'm just pissed. We went to that museum and got nothing. Less than nothing. It was pointless."
"Not totally. I realized you're completely clueless without my help and resources, so I decided to help you. You have me now, and that'll get you farther than you think. You're the one who put me up to tracking the High Council, after all."
"You have something that could help us?" Ivan asked, grunting after. June opened his eyes and sat up, noticing how Ivan was holding his shoulder. There was a tear on the sleeve, a bit of dried blood caking the fabric.
"What's wrong?" Ivan shook him off, but June came over and sat on the arm of the chair, grabbing Ivan's shirt. "Arms up." He obeyed, and the shirt lifted up and off his body. There was a scratch there. Not too deep, but it needed cleaning. "A scratch? Really? Did you bump into a wall or something? Are you stupid?" That earned him a glare. "Damn, looks can kill. Not my fault you're a big baby. What's wrong Ivie? You got a booboo and need me to-"
"Enough, I'll clean it myself."
Before Ivan could get up, June held his shoulder and pushed him back down. Instead, he was the one who hopped up and went inside the bedroom without knocking. Jericho was on the bed, Charlotte at the dresser peeping at herself in the mirror. Neither of them acknowledged his presence. Jericho was too busy trying to sleep, and Charlotte was too busy hating June.
He dipped inside the bathroom, the only clean part of the place. White everything was inside. Walls, floors, and the ceiling. The light was off, the glass shower in the corner with the toilet a few feet away. The sink was across from both of those things, June going up to it and opening the mirror that was a cabinet as well. There were basic medical supplies inside. Nothing fancy, but it would do the trick. He grabbed cotton balls and soaked them in water, taking a box of band-aids as well.
Ivan was in the same spot when he returned. June sat on the side again, rubbing a wet cotton ball on the wound. He groaned from the cleaning process, June replacing the ball when it got too dirty.
"I haven't been injured in a while," Ivan said, keeping his eyes on the floor. "I don't like this profession."
"You and me both. I hope you don't mind me taking the couch, I've been staking out your hideout and barely getting any sleep."
"You're putting your ass on the line for us. Do whatever you want."
June accepted the offer and continued the cleaning process. It took a couple minutes, but June was finally satisfied with the results. He tossed the dirty cotton away and didn't care where it landed. Right as he was about to take out a band-aid, he noticed Ivan turn his head to him, opening his mouth. June held up his hand.
"If you want an apology, I'll give it to you, but it won't change that I'm an asshole," he said, Ivan giving him a slow blink.
"I was just gonna ask if you have a superhero band-aid."
June laughed, Ivan following a second later as he took out the plain bandage and wrapped it on the scratch. "You still have your sense of humor," June said, focusing on making the wrap perfect.
"And you still have your long hair." June peeked up, realizing he could barely see Ivan because his curls fell in his face. He draped them back, tucking as much as he could behind his ears. "I meant that as a compliment. It looks good on you."
"You're so full of shit."
"Damn right. You need a haircut."
June snickered and packed up the band-aid box, throwing it to the corner he threw the cotton. After, he went to his side of the room while Ivan put his shirt back on. June took his off since he didn't want to sleep with it, dropping it on top of the rifle that still rested beneath him.
His eyes shut again, him placing one leg over the other. He was too long for the couch. His head was bent at an unnatural angle, his legs elevated on the other end of the cushion. It was the best comfort he'd get. So, he took it without complaint. Sleep was all that mattered to him at that moment. The idea of running back to that pub was exhausting. It'd take a while to get there, and his energy was far too low to cope with that.
"The High Council," June said. "I don't know where they are, but I know places that could help us find them. So yes, more little fetch quests to go find information, like the museum. This time will be different though. You'll have access to my weaponry and maps. My helicopter too. It's not far from here, it's at my mansion."
"If you have a mansion, then why do you bother staying in that tiny apartment?"
June opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, sleep didn't sound so consoling after all. The walls of the apartment they were in were similar to the ones at June's preferred abode. Yet this time, there were people there. Company. And for some reason, that gave June the strength he needed to tell the truth.
"That apartment's small. It makes being alone feel more justified. If I stayed in that mansion with all that space, it'd feel wrong to have it stay empty," June said, the words trembling in his throat.
Forgetting the past was what June craved more than anything. In that moment, though? He was grateful Ivan knew him well enough to drop the topic. His throat cleared, signaling a new conversation was incoming.
"It's nice to know we have you on our side. Having extra weaponry and resources makes me feel better about our odds."
"You have a trained assassin. The best one in the game, not to brag," June replied.
"You're bragging. Don't think I don't see that smirk."
It was more of a smile, but Ivan was right. Curse him for knowing June too well. Being around Ivan, Jericho, and even Charlotte brought June's heartbeat down. The rate it was pumping slowed until it felt at ease. For the first time in his life, he felt truly at peace. It was terrifying, but he was so curious that he swam in the sensation. He swam until he was sure he'd drown.
Ivan's eyes were inspecting June's face. June didn't need to see the man to know that. The movement of his eyes was subtle, halting on features that meant nothing. Like the mole under his thin lower lip, or the one under his nose. They were minute details. Details that Ivan shouldn't focus on, but June knew he was.
"You look older," Ivan said, his deep voice nearing a whisper.
June lowered his eyes and saw Ivan staring back. The words pranced around the interior of his ears, bouncing off the walls until they sank in his brain. Older. That was a strange yet familiar word. As a boy, June craved nothing more than to be older. But when Ivan said it, it felt like the weight of 24 years of life crushed down on June in that one moment.
"So do you," he replied, Ivan shifting in his seat and attempting to find comfort. "We should rest. We have a long journey ahead, and we need all the strength we can get." Ivan agreed, placing his head against the back of the chair and using his feet to take his shoes off. June shut his eyes again, not caring about how it was still day. "Goodnight, Ivan."
The final shoe plopped on the ground. The wood made it vibrate. June swore it shook his couch until he almost fell off of it, his teeth clattering. More eyes stared at him. Then, they didn't. A quiet came, and it brushed through the air until finally, June found the courage he needed to sleep. But not before Ivan said one last thing.
"Goodnight, June."
YOU ARE READING
Heartless || •OG• ✔️
Misteri / Thriller|| 18+ Enemies to lovers gxb and bxb || Infamous NYC mafia leaders Charlotte and Jericho have been rivals for years. However, all of that changes when one of the leaders of their Underworld is assassinated. The rivals are forced together and must re...
