The safe house was enveloped in a heavy silence, the air thick with tension and unspoken apprehensions. Even after Reggie and Randall had departed, Blake still restricted himself to the solitary confines of his bedroom, enshrouding himself in an impenetrable cocoon of brooding solitude.
He stood before the grimy window, hands shoved deep into his pockets as he stared unseeingly out at the bustling cityscape beyond. His jaw was set in a hard line, full lips pressed into a grim facsimile that betrayed the roiling turmoil simmering just beneath his stoic exterior.
So consumed was he by the whirlwind of his own turbulent thoughts that Blake failed to register the soft rap of knuckles against the door or the gentle creak as it inched open. It wasn't until Nana's hesitant footfalls reached his ears that he realized he was no longer alone.
