Tore

thirty | fireworks

--
Nico

As the night deepened, the shadows in the boathouse seemed to grow longer, wrapping around us like a cloak. I could see the tension in Kaine's posture, the way his hand tightened around the decoy device. He thought he could walk in here and outmaneuver me, but he was still that same scared boy I'd pulled from the streets all those years ago.

I couldn't resist the urge to remind him of that.

"You know, Kaine," I began, my voice low and almost conversational, "you've done well for yourself. A multimillionaire, tech genius, the kind of man who graces the covers of magazines. But let's not forget how you got here."

Kaine's eyes flickered, just for a moment, but it was enough. He didn't want to go down this road, but I wasn't going to let him avoid it.

"I remember the first time I saw you," I continued, pacing slowly around him. "A scrawny kid, barely old enough to tie your own shoes, but with a fire in your eyes. A fire and temper that could've gotten you killed if I hadn't stepped in."

Kaine's jaw tightened, but he stayed silent.

Good.

Let him stew in it.

"I took you in when no one else would," I said, my voice hardening. "I gave you food, shelter, taught you how to survive. Everything you are, everything you have, you owe to me. You are me!"

"Maybe," Kaine finally replied, his voice cold. "But I'm not that kid anymore, Nico. I outgrew the lessons you taught me."

I stopped pacing, fixing him with a steely gaze. "Outgrew them? No, Kaine, you've forgotten them. You've forgotten what it's like to fight for every breath, every scrap. You've gotten soft, letting this... life," I gestured to the world he'd built for himself, "dull your edges."

Kaine's eyes narrowed. "You think I'm soft because I chose a different path? Because I wanted more than just survival?"

I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "I think you're soft because you let yourself believe you could escape your past. But here you are, right back where you started, with me."

For a moment, silence hung between us, thick and heavy. Then, Kaine spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "You didn't raise me, Nico. You used me and my boys as your puppets and punching bags."

I let out a low chuckle, shaking my head. "You still don't get it, do you? Everything I did was to make you stronger, to make you the men you are today. Without me, you're nothing."

Kaine's gaze didn't waver, but there was a hardness in his eyes now, something unyielding.

"You're wrong, Nico. You taught me how to survive, but I learned how to live on my own. The hustle is worth every single sacrifice. Remember?"

I stared at him for a long moment, the words hanging in the air. For the first time in a long time, I wondered if maybe—just maybe—I'd underestimated him. But it didn't matter. This wasn't about sentiment. It was about control. And Kaine was about to learn the hard way that no matter how far he'd come, he could never escape me.

"I made you, Kaine," I said, my voice cold and final. "And I can break you just as easily. Ask Krissy."

He didn't flinch, but I saw the muscle in his jaw twitch. Good. He needed to remember who he was dealing with.

As the moment stretched out, I knew one thing with absolute certainty: this ends, today.

---

Kaine

The air reeked of tension and salt as I stood in the boathouse, Nico's taunting words echoing in my head. He thought he still held all the cards, thought he could drag me back into the past and suffocate me there.

What he didn't realize was that I wasn't the boy he used to control. I wasn't fighting to survive anymore—I was fighting for something worth more. For Leigh. For Noa.

"Where's Leigh?" I asked, my voice steady despite the rage boiling under the surface.

Nico's smirk widened, the kind of grin that had haunted me in the early days of my so-called "education" under him. "Let's just say she's... safe, for now. Her and your little boy. But you keep playing games, Kaine, and who knows what might happen to them."

I clenched my fists but forced myself to stay calm. I couldn't let him see the anger inside me. He thought he had her. He thought he'd won. But Leigh wasn't some damsel waiting to be rescued. She was stronger than he could ever imagine. Still, I needed him to believe he had the upper hand.

I pulled out the device, the so-called algorithm he'd been chasing like a madman. His eyes locked onto it, hunger and greed flashing across his face. He wanted it so badly, it was almost pathetic.

"Here it is," I said, holding it out just enough to tempt him. "Everything you want. But if you're so certain you're in control, why don't you test it by yourself?"

Nico chuckled darkly, stepping closer. "You really think I'd fall for that? Do you take me for a fool?"

"No," I said, meeting his gaze with cold precision. "I take you for a coward. You've always let everyone else take the risks for you. Why should today be any different?"

That got him.

I saw the shift in his smug expression, the way his pride flared up. He couldn't back down now, not when I'd challenged him in front of his men.

Nico snatched the device from my hand, his confidence plastered across his face. "Fine. Let's see what your little toy can do."

He pressed the button.

The device hummed to life, its lights blinking rhythmically. Nico glanced at me, triumphant. "See? Nothing to—"

He pressed it again.

The explosion was instantaneous.

The force threw me backward, slamming me into the ground as fire and shrapnel tore through the boathouse. My ears rang, the sound of the blast still echoing in my skull. Pain lanced through my side, hot and searing, and I felt blood trickling down my face.

Through the haze, I saw Nico sprawled on the floor, his body a broken mess of burns and wounds. He was still alive, but barely. His groans of pain were muffled under the ringing in my ears.

"Kaine!"

I turned my head, vision swimming, and saw Grant rushing toward me. His face was almost pale, his expression panicked. He pulled me to my feet, dragging me away from the wreckage as flames began to lick at the edges of the boathouse.

"You're going to be okay," Grant said, his voice steady but strained. "We need to get out of here. Now."

I barely registered his words as the world blurred around me, the pain dragging me down into unconsciousness.
..