THEA

The sour reek of the alleyway always made her want to retch, no matter how many times she’d convinced herself she’d be used to it by now. It was as though the stench seeped into her body, clogging up her nose and soaking into her skin. Even when she left the area, the smell clung to her for hours. It was the reason why most people avoided it, and why it was perfect for private meetings. As she headed down, trying not to breathe too deeply, the strange, niggling feeling that had plagued Thea since her birthday, a week ago, had nestled permanently in her stomach. She wondered if it was because of Amber. Her best friend had rushed home the night of Thea’s birthday after receiving an urgent call from Leo, and Thea hadn’t managed to speak to her much since. Though the unsettled feeling could also be stress. She’d been worrying more than usual lately; strangers in the neighborhood, lack of money, the security of her flat, especially with the vandalism in the apartment next door, and the sudden disappearance of a few of her connections. She didn’t have much lined up in the way of work, and she’d been hesitant to do another drop-off for Chad after seeing those creature-men in his apartment. Though she knew it was probably her imagination, it still disturbed her. With the lack of work, she’d also been dodging her landlady, who’d been trying to get ahold of her. She wouldn’t be able to put it off much longer—eventually, everything would catch up to her. A few days ago, she’d finally secured a new job at a pub, which would hopefully help her scrape up enough under-the-table money to keep her landlady off her back for another month, if not more. But until she got paid, she was forced to skulk around stinking alleyways for work. She recognized the tall man waiting for her—but he wasn’t the one she was meeting. “What are you doing here, Richie?” she said, glancing around, confirming they were alone. “Good to see you again, Thea.” Richie inclined his head, a smirk on his face. “I joined a gang.” “I only deal with Dribble.” Richie’s grin widened, showing yellower teeth than she remembered. “I didn’t join that one. I joined Breaker’s.” Thea tried to hide any reaction, but her heart began to pound. Why the **** was Leo sending his gang members to meet her? “I don’t do business with Breaker. He knows I won’t. I’m not sure why he sent you.” “He sent me because we used to ****,” the man said bluntly. “And I told him it would be better if you dealt with me.” “Well, now he can find out that you’re a fucking liar,” Thea shot back, anger twisting in her gut that she once gave this idiot a chance. “Because I am not dealing with you or him. Nothing has changed.” She turned on her heel, then stopped abruptly at the sight of three creatures—hideous, horned, and glowing red—the same horrifying things she thought she’d hallucinated at Chad’s—leaning against the alleyway walls. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart racing. How had they approached without her hearing? No. They couldn’t be here. They can’t be real. “Everything will change for you from now on,” Richie said from behind her. “Breaker doesn’t want you doing any more work for any other gang.” Thea swallowed, keeping her eyes on the creatures as she found her voice. “I don’t work for any gang.” Thea backed away from them, moving closer to Richie. Were they here because of him? Was he in control of them? “I only do odd jobs now and then.” “It’s still work. You still do things for them and get paid for it. That is working for a gang, whether you think it is or not. Leo doesn’t want you working for anyone at all. He’s terminated your cleaning employment at the pub, and your agreements with Chad, Dribble, and Butch.” “What?” Thea turned to face him, her anger flaring. “Why? He has no fucking right—” “He wants you working for him now. No arguments, no discussion.” Thea glared at him, her fists clenching. “Not gonna happen “Then you’ll starve and get kicked out of that little flat of yours.” Richie’s smirk faded until his expression was deadpan. “You know the influence he has on this neighborhood, Thea. It’s not worth fighting him.” Thea breathed heavily as she pushed her annoyance down into her chest. “If defeat comes easy for you, fine,” she snapped. “But don’t try to give me advice.” Richie’s face hardened. “You think people haven’t tried to avoid dealing with him? What did you think was going to happen? You’re lucky he left you alone for as long as he did. And I’m sure that was only ‘cuz you’re friends with his girl.” “Yeah? And he thinks this is going to make her happy with him?” Richie laughed, but it was humorless. “Why do you think he’s doing this? You have too much influence over her.” Thea bit back her words as her outrage expanded. Leo wanted to use her to control Amber. Of course. She was the last piece of Amber’s life he couldn’t touch. She should have seen this coming. Spinning around to storm away, she stopped abruptly again at the sight of the creatures. She’d almost forgotten they were there. “If you want to do things the hard way, go ahead.” Richie’s voice quieted.

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