Mafia: Neo Zone ► Lucas Wong ◄

Chapter 12 - Puzzle Piece ✔

Moving gingerly across the room, Lucas opened his closet and got out a pair of shoes. I was surprised at how easily he moved despite the fact that he was still recovering from his injury, but just as the thought crossed my mind, he bent to put the shoes on, and an involuntary grunt of pain escaped his lips. He leaned heavily against the wall, wincing with pain.

"Here, let me help you." Heidi moved quickly to his side. "I don't think this is the best idea. Why not let me go out there to talk to them?"

"I'm not sending you out there alone." Lucas grunted, casting her a half smile. "And I'm not gonna lean on you, either: you're gonna need your hands free. She can help me." He indicated me with a nod of his head.

Heidi didn't move, and for a long moment, she just stared at him. Though it wasn't audible, I could almost hear the conversation taking place between them, and I knew there was more at play here than just the appearance of the rival gang when Lucas was struggling to keep himself upright. Uncertainly, I took a step back, feeling like a useless third wheel, but at the movement, Heidi seemed to pull herself together.

"Okay." She said, shrugging and sighing softly as her gaze shifted to me. "He'll need you to support him when we walk out there."

I moved closer to Lucas, and she smiled at me, but the expression didn't echo in the depths of her eyes. For the first time since I'd met her, she looked like she was beyond worried about whatever was happening. The realization confused me, because she'd always seemed so carefree and confident as if she was in charge of everything that went on around her, but now...with her like this, I felt entirely unsure that any of us were going to see tomorrow's light. As I helped Lucas slide his feet into his shoes, I tried not to think about anything, but my mind was swarming with thoughts despite my best efforts.

"Okay, let's go." Lucas said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and nodding decisively at Heidi.

Heidi's features were slightly paler than usual, and her jaw was tightly clenched. At the sound of Lucas's words, however, she straightened and schooled her expression, stepping out of the room ahead of the two of us. Lucas and I followed her, and my mouth went dry at the sight of Jaehyun, Mark, and Johnny standing by the front door, automatic rifles in their hands. I'd never seen any of them in action, and now that I thought about it, I wasn't sure I wanted to.

None of them said anything, and as Lucas and I approached, Jaehyun opened the door and walked out. Johnny and Mark followed, and casting a last glance in my direction, Heidi removed a handgun from a holster beneath her jacket. Wetting her lips, she walked out the door in front of Lucas and me.

In the amount of time since I'd awoken, the sun had darted behind a patch of clouds, and as we stepped into the open air, I recognized the scent of rain. I didn't dare look upwards to judge how long it would be until the heavens opened up, however, as my eyes landed on six dark-clad figures casually standing in a staggered line in front of the building. They weren't holding any weapons, but I had no doubt that they were well-armed and ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Johnny, Mark, and Jaehyun moved into a sort of protective stance near Lucas, and as I took a closer look at the men in front of us, I recognized the man Heidi had been with on the night of my parents' party—wasn't his name Changkyun? Unlike the others, his gaze wasn't directed toward Lucas and I, and unable to stop myself, I turned my head to find what had arrested his attention. Heidi was standing unwavering beside me, and my brain went numb with the realization that her gun was pointed directly at Changkyun's head. The last of my doubts was dispelled at the sight: if she'd truly loved that man, there was no way she would be this ready to kill him—not even for Lucas and the gang.

"This is a rather unexpected surprise, Shownu." Lucas smiled. "Are you sure you thought it out fully, though? Today doesn't seem like a very comfortable day to die, so I should think you might want to wait a while."