From Street Rat To Mafia Boss

Dawn Briefing

They moved fast after the call ended, like a wrong chord finally resolved. Butcher’s final words — “Send him back in the car. And don’t decide that with the coin” — had landed heavy, and the Coin Flipper’s hands trembled just enough when he touched Dane’s cracked phone and dropped it to the floor. He picked it up, turned it over in his palm, and shoved it back into Dane’s pocket. The crack spidered wider where the screen had taken a beating, but the phone still held a promise: connection.

The Coin Flipper sat back down as if settling into an old fear. His face was a slow study. This man Butcher… I know who he is. I know how terrifying he is, Dane imagined him thinking. He remembered something he’d never quite forgiven. But this is not the right time to strike. Should I toss the coin? No. If I do, I cannot take it back. If the coin commands blood, Butcher may come after me. That would be bad. The hesitation changed him; the others in the hall noticed it.

“Call the medic,” the Coin Flip