Nova Grace

32

Chapter 32| the meeting

"I think Scythe isn't as powerful as I thought, I think he's a fool following someone else's orders"

  — Cadence's diary, page 41

𑁍Nova𑁍

The last thing I wanted to do today was get into another car. But here we are, though I'm driving

I told my dad it was a bad idea, but he said it would help me feel more in control. He's scrolling away on his phone on the passenger seat, as if we were going out for dinner and not to meet a criminal

Rune seats behind us, the others spread out between the other two cars with a couple of guards. After Eli and I left my room, dad gathered us all in the living room

He went over the plan with us, we are not going there to fight. We'll avoid it if possible, since I'm pretty new at defending myself and killing people and all that

Rune can hold his ground, he used to fight for money to save our lives after all. But the guys say he's not fully ready yet, he's never been in a gun fight, which is usually how it goes

We're hoping Allan (aka Scythe) will follow his impulsive nature and get himself killed without too much of a bloodbath

We don't know how many men there will be, we don't know if Hang will show up or what we're walking into

"We'll walk from here" dad says, as I follow the other car towards a narrow alley

Most of our security is already at the meeting point, probably having a stare off with Allan's men

Rune grabs my hand as we walk, the full moon illuminating our path. It's such a beautiful night, the events that are about to occur undeserving of it

Raf and dad walk in front of us, Eli was walking behind us but is now nowhere in sight. Santi and Lucas are though

"You're the strongest person I know, we'll get through this" Rune whispers, but dad shushes us before I get to respond so I just nod

I know we are nearing the docks because I see them, but mostly because of the intense feeling of dread I get, it's like the temperature suddenly dropped and the air got stale within seconds

God you're so weird Nova, don't be so dramatic

Rune grabs me and presses me to his side as the others abruptly stop

Allan is sitting on the bow of a smaller boat, its lights the only ones that are on. His body is strapped with weapons of all kinds

Some men stand behind him, I can feel people watching us from the roof of the building to our left, they might be ours, they might be theirs

I have no idea if the guns surely pointed at us are friend or foe

But what makes my body go weak is the two men standing at the wooden pier beside the boat. Gabriel is smoking a cigarette, leaning against the rotten railing

Joshua sits on a stool, his elbows resting on his knees

It takes everything in me to calm my racing heart and block the memories that threaten to surface and incapacitate me. My heart doesn't slow, it still feels like it will beat its way out of my chest — but I do manage to control my mind