The Covenant of Chaos

ing on with their daily routines. For Lucas Kane, the sound merely served as a backdrop to the gradual disintegration of

board. The GPS blinked with the message Recalculating route. This wa

st Bluetooth earpiece. "Lucas, yo

is tone edged with frustration. He could hear **

hese people don't wait. You screw this up ag

to argue. What was the

cash tip this time. Last wee

mber any "stunt." Tony always found a reason t

his palm against the steering wheel. "Yeah, sure, d

seat. Rent past due. Medical expenses accumulating. Alerts from the bank. He didn't have to open them to understand their mes

e touched the display to

ing from the other sid

, his tone changing immed

spoke once more, her speech deliberate and measure

ucas asked, weaving the van around a

"I was just waiting for you to get home

ll the time. Hated that he had to rely on these late-night shifts to

ftening his voice. "Just a couple more

velyn said, her voice laced wit

Lucas replied, forcing a chuckle.

too, swe

van. It wasn't long before his phone buzzed again

d by. Said they'll 'be

-they were *the* gang. The kind of people who didn't ask twice when they wanted something. Lucas' father had owe

red quietly. "That's pr

de the text you wa

ine beneath the streetlights. Lucas drove to the curb, jumped out of the van, and took the brown

aze shifting anxiously around the

d, holding out the

ved a crumpled bill into Lucas'

toward the van. He didn't bother checking t

the engine, his phone buzzed again. Another

, then answe

said. The kind of voice that didn't