" It's offly quiet tonight. " Alison snuggled closer to Gwen.She was down with a fever and Gwen had come over to check on her.
It was getting colder by the day as it was almost the heart of winter. Gwen had her back to Alison and her eyes were intent on watching every single snow flake dance in the air.
" Gwen , " Alison patted Gwen's shoulder. " Are you listening?"
Gwen blinked herself back to reality. Her head was spinning. She'd been thinking for a very long time. But what was funny was that she was thinking about nothing. Her mind was blank . She'd often faze out and stare at one spot for ages.
She knew what she wanted to think about but she fought hard to not think about him. She bit her lower lip to control her teary eyes.
" Yes? " She turned to Alison and patted her cheek. " Your face is cold. Let me get you a cup of hot chocolate. " She got out of bed and rushed out of Alison's room. She took a deep breath and placed her hand to her heart. It was bleeding and had been bleeding for the past month. She closed her eyes and let herself feel her heartbeat. It was only spelling one name. It was all it longed for. Alec.
" Alec..." She quickly composed herself and cursed under her breath. She ran her fingers through her hair. She was going nuts.
As she moved , she bumped into Bain and he held her in order to keep her from tripping.
" I'm sorry. " She freed herself from his grip.
" No. Don't be." Bain burned down on her with a firece gaze.
She sighed. She knew that look well. He was going to bring up his favorite topic.
" Bain, not now. Please. " She was walking past him when he pulled her back .
" You should be sorry for Alec. Infact, you should be sorry for me. " He smiled wryfully.
" What do you mean? " Gwen was getting confused.
" Let me explain , Gwenie." He let go of her. " Ever since Marcus died, I've taken you as my very own daughter. I taught you everything I know. I've been very protective over you. I care for you , love you. "
" You were unfortunate enough to be dragged into this world , but still, it was your fate. And similarly , it was your fate to meet Alec and to fall in love with him."
" What are you trying to get to? " Gwen was getting impatient. She didn't want to reason anything out. Alec killed Marcus...that was it.
" Do you love him?"
Gwen held her breath. She didn't want to admit that her blood boiling and her every muscle ached for him.
" He killed my father-"
" Do you love him?" Bain wasn't batting an eye.
" No! He's a murderer. My father's killer. "
" You know , Gwenie...there's this saying that goes like this. Live by the sword , die by the sword. " Bain smirked.
" What do you mean-"
" Gwen, you have no idea how many people your father and I killed. You have no idea how many families and lives we have destroyed." He opened his palms and showed them to Gwen. " Our hands are covered in blood and the guilt hangs over us. Gwen , I'm sure I have a special place in hell. I was a sinner , I'm still sinning. "
He let out a chuckle. " And Marcus? I have no idea whether he's up or below. I guess I'll find out soon enough. He had a chance. A blessing. He found love. He made a family and he found something worth fighting for. Something worth living for. Something worth dying for. "
He placed a hand on her shoulder. " Or perhaps you think he didn't deserve to fall for your mother?"
" I..."
" I don't know whether God was playing tricks on him or whether this was his retribution but , you of all people should know that this job makes a monster out of us. The end is quite simple. Its either death or jail but sometimes God has mercy on a lucky few and gives them a chance to start over. And that's the case with Alec and hopefully , that will be the case with me and Freya."
" Gwenie , he loves you. " Bain shrugged.
" I'm not trying to take a side here but all I know Is that you have to talk it out with him. I don't want you miss out on true love."
Marigled street was offly cold. The streets were empty , except for a handful of loafers and idlers. A tall lean figure stood next to a pole and was occasionally looking side to side . He was waiting for someone , eagerly.
" Pstp!" Another figure appeared. He was covered by the shadows .
" You gat the goods?" The first figure spoke. He stepped into the light only to reveal a young pale Latino male. He had light brown eyes and dark lashes. But these eyes were surrounded by trench deep eye bags.
" First...lemme see the money." The other figure sniggered.
Sebastian fumbled with his pants and pulled out a wad of cash. He stashed it into the open hand before him . He was evidently nervous and excited at the same time. He was trembling and he occasionally jerked awkwardly. He had been battling drugs for ages now and it was clear that he was losing .
" Take it. " A bag of white substance was thrown to him. Sebastián clutched it with all his might and gave a sigh of relief. He couldn't suppress his joy. He pressed the bag to his nostrils and took a deep breath.
He was pitiful.
The other silhouette made his way down the street and stopped by a phone booth. He made a phone call .
" The deal's done. He paid."
" That's great. Good job. See you at the den tomorrow. " A voice on the other side echoed.
" Sure thing boss. "
He cut the call and began walking down the street again. He'd just made it down a few blocks when his phone rang.
" I'll be home soon. Give me five minutes."
" You'd better hurry Louis ." Marylynne was on the other side.
" Sure thing mom."