A single bullet // M.C ✔️

31

"You?" I stared at her wide-eyed as I faced her head-on. We had shifted our bodies from arm to side to sitting Chris cross so I could fully take in her story. "I never knew this! When?" My hands gripped hard at Luke's blanket as Kensie looked down.

"I've never spoken about it, Nicky. I had to go to therapy for this shit. I died." She whispered, her voice barely heard in the quiet room. I had to strain my ears to even hear it.

"We don't have to talk about it." I instantly spoke, seeing how hard it was for her to even form a single sentence not really about it. She had just mentioned therapy, and that's nearly broken her.

"No, no, I have to. You have to know how I got involved in this; how I met Luke. I- there was more to why I left London, Nicky. It wasn't just to come live with you." I nodded at that as my mind made a puzzle of every memory I have from London. She loved it; we loved it. I didn't have an excuse not to leave. I wanted my family. Hers is still there. She didn't have to follow me halfway across the world and leave that all behind.

"It wasn't?" A puff of air left her lips as she closed her emerald eyes tightly shut (same colour and shade as Michael's).

"No, it wasn't. It was to get away from what I got myself into."

"What did you do?" I sighed, letting out a long breath, seeing her eyes open again, lashes fluttering up.

"I got involved with Unbroken."

"Back the fuck up, what?" I was in shock. She was involved, used to be involved, with the rival gang, the gang that killed my dad in cold blood.

"I was dating the leader. I didn't know-," she quickly rushed out as soon as my rosy lips opened to throw another question in the air. "I met him at a café, spilled a drink on me, you know the typical love story," she sighed as if reminiscing the day from the start. "You had just left, and I was lonely and late to a meeting with a new client that I was rushing everywhere; and I do mean everywhere. I bumped into him, and boom, coffee down my shirt."

I placed a single hand on her knee, softly rubbing the bare skin from the ripped jeans she was wearing, seeing how hard it was for her to speak about this. Her usual bright, clear eyes were dull and glossed over, seemingly staring straight through me as if I weren't there. Her mind on autopilot.

"Turns out he was the client," a humourless laugh left her lips, and she licked them. "He apologised and said what I was wearing didn't matter, but he had an important job for me. I was so concerned about the coffee." Another humourless laugh. "I should have run when he changed where we were meeting from a library to his. Nothing happened, but I fell for him. Fell for his stupid fucking face. I never noticed the bloodthirsty look in his eyes as he stared me down."

"Kens, that's fucking awful."

"I was his next victim. It was a game he did, hunted down girls after jobs. He never wanted my art; he wanted me. A small, skinny lass who won't fight back." A fake smile was on her lips as she sighed again. "Fast forward a bit, we got together and were together, six months maybe at the most. Then it happened," she flinched back as the door opened, revealing Luke, who just silently walked over and sat behind her, placing his arm around her shoulders. It was as if it gave her confidence, as she spoke stronger than I had heard her this whole story. Her voice sharp.

"The bastard shot me," she pulled down the top of her shirt, revealing a bullet-sized scar just above where her heart is. "Only thing is, he had shit aim and missed my heart, so left me to bleed out as the gun had alerted people of my whereabouts."

"Weren't even secretive with it, shot her in the streets," Luke added, speaking softly, his own voice barely reaching my ears. I have never heard him like that.

"Luke ran over and saved me... took me to the hospital and risked himself for me. Was told if he got there even a few minutes later I would have bled out fully and wouldn't have been able to be saved. So technically I did die but I got blood back in me and was stitched up in time." She locked eyes with him, the green brightening again making me smile softly. That's love.

"I had just done my own killing, what I didn't know at the time was. It was the old leader of Unbroken. I had his blood literally on my hands, it's just a good thing the nurses and doctors thought it was yours."

"Invisible string theory," Kensie laughed tilting her head "he saved me and possibly thousands of other girls who could have been killed. Let's just say he's a bad superhero." He pushed her shoulder lightly before fondly kissing her lips.

"You protected her?" I was processing everything that had been told to me "that's why all of a sudden you wanted to move and wouldn't really tell me why,"

"Everyone thought I had something to do with his killing as we were 'dating' I was being hunted. Still am, but they don't dare coming into our territory because of how many people are invoked. They would be shot on sight. I moved for my safety, to see you and also be with Luke. It's just a good thing everything lined up and you lived here too."

"Wow- just wow." I didn't know she went through all that "now I feel like such a shitty friend," I joked making her shake her head

"Nah you're not Nicky. I just never told you. There are plenty of secrets out there and me telling you I died is a huge one."

"A fucking huge one," I gasped out shaking my head. "I can't believe it. What was his name?" I wanted to research him, find any information I can online about the bastard. He's dead, I know he is but I wanted to know who tortured my friend.

She looked over at Luke as he nodded, this was obviously valuable information.

"If I tell you then you're in the gang. Not officially but enough to not even consider running to Morgan."

"Deal." It was the one thing I was certain of. I was never going to be officially in the gang, and I didn't want that, but I wanted information. I wanted to stop being left in the dark over stuff like this. Especially if I couldn't leave this place.

"Noah Anderson."

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