Page 130 of Depraved

And just like that, the atmosphere turned grim and black. It was like my mother literally walked into the room and poisoned our conversation with her miserable presence.

“Okay.” I slapped my hands on my knees and got up. “Doctor said I’m not allowed to stay long, so I’m going to let you get some rest. Need anything before I go?”

She closed her eye. “No, thanks, Swan Lake. I’m good.”

I gave her a warm smile. “Try to get some rest.”

“I’m so sick of resting,” she groaned. “This room is depressing as fuck. There’s no television set, radio, or any fucking color, for that matter. Look at these walls. Gray. It’s fucking gray. How am I supposed to get better when I’m stuck in a room that looks like a fucking morgue?”

I snorted. “It does not look like a morgue, Neon. It looks like a hospital room, which is exactly where you need to be right now.”

She pursed her lips. “I’ll say it again, it’s depressing as fuck.”

I smiled. “Well, if you’re not planning on getting some rest, I can always have Ink keep you company.”

“God, no. I’ll sleep. For fuck’s sake.”

I smirked. “That’s what I thought. I’ll come back later to check on you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just go grab a donut or something.”

With a smile, I reached for the doorknob when Neon called.

“Swan Lake?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Just…” She paused. “Just…thanks.”

I nodded with a smile even though she couldn’t see me. “Sure.”

As I closed the door behind me, I experienced a feeling that swirled around in my chest. Something warm and comforting. Something that felt a lot like…hope.

Maybe after everything that had happened, we’d all somehow manage to find a sliver of peace.

Maybe.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

GRANITE

My fingers dug into Onyx’s throat. “You need to calm the fuck down.”

“And you need to man up. Let us go kill those fucking sons of bitches.”

I shook my head and gritted my teeth. “I told you, I’m never underestimating those assholes again. Look at what happened to Neon. What happened to Junkyard. Are you really so fucking selfish you would risk any more lives by rushing into this without a goddamn plan?”

Onyx grabbed at my hand around his throat. “At least I don’t want to hide like a fucking coward.”

I shoved him harder into the wall and let him go with a jerk, stepping back. “I don’t give a shit what you think of me, Onyx. You wanna go get yourself killed, then go. I ain’t no fucking babysitter. You do whatever the fuck you want, but you do it on your own.”

Lifting my hand, I etched my glare on Onyx’s face. “Everyone who thinks we should rush back to NYC now, raise your hands.” I was so confident my crew had my back, I didn’t even turn around. “Everyone who thinks we lay low until we have a solid plan, raise your hand.”

By the sound of leather cuts creaking, I knew my crew had my back. And judging by the way Onyx’s face fell, he could see that too.