This time, Nole was the bait. He hated being the bait.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he observed Taro peeking from his vantage point on the corner. The red beanie blended against the shabby maroon of the crumbling bricks, but he was there. Valerie was further back to provide support. Since Taro rejoined the Runners, he’d either replaced her completely, or reclaimed his original position; one that she was merely filling in for temporarily. Nole thought it was the latter, but he never bothered to ask.

The cold air crawled on his skin like an undying itch, urging him to hurry up. Blowing a line of warm breath into the crisp air, he addressed the man and woman standing before him. To the naked eye, they appeared to be loitering outside an old factory, but the Runners knew better.

“Is this the Hexes hideout?”

The two gangsters glanced at one another before the man, a heavy-set guy, responded. “Who wants to know?”

Nole couldn’t help but snort at the question. After everything that had happened six months prior, he found it refreshing when some people actually didn’t know who he was. Being known for taking down Chief Caswell and Sergeant Ryker was undeserved in his opinion, but he wouldn’t deny the reputation it gave him.

“That’s that kid,” the woman answered. “You know, that one from that time.”

A look of surprise illuminated her cohort’s round face after the vague description. “You mean the Enforcers’ pet?”

Nole’s ego was knocked down a peg with the comment. The reputation had its drawbacks.

After helping Captain Maddox, saving Captain Hadley, and befriending the newly administrated Chief Hendricks, Nole’s name had also become known for lending aid to the Nova City Enforcers Unit.

“Yep,” the woman confirmed. “That’s ri-”

“Is this the hideout or what?” This earned him a grimace from the woman, and a chuckle from the man. “Shut up, Hank!” Flipping her long brown braid over her shoulder, Nole realized instantly that she was reaching for a weapon.

“Gun!” Nole shouted. As soon as the puff of mist exited his mouth, both Olivia and Zane swooped in from opposite ends of the factory’s exterior. Within seconds, Zane knocked the large man to the ground, and Olivia immobilized the woman, grabbing her reaching arm with one hand, and making sure the gun stayed in the holster with the other.

“Down,” the fifteen year old ordered in a low, intimidating tone. The ridge of her furry black hat met the top of her eye line, making her jade-green glare even more menacing.

The female Hex member scoffed at her. “Are you taking my gun, kid? Go ahead and shoot me then. Everyone thinks the Hexes are one of the weakest gangs, well we outlasted the Pents. We’re not gonna beg for our lives here.”

“Yeah!” Hank chimed in from below Zane. “We beat out the Quads too. They teamed up with Caswell. But what do you expect from a group full of idio-”

“Is this,” Zane interrupted, his menacing tone cutting through Hank’s rant. “The hideout?”

Nole shivered, and not just from the cold. Although Zane was technically his ally, more accurately his rival, Nole couldn’t help but be on edge when working alongside the seventeen year old.

When Hank didn’t reply, Zane made a beeline for the woman’s holster and grabbed the gun from underneath Olivia’s hand. “She’s not going to beg for her life,” Zane began, cocking the gun. “But what about you?”

The barrel of the hexagon-emblazoned pistol met Hank’s receding redheaded hairline. Nole didn’t doubt that the man was sweating despite the weather.

“Whoa, whoa!” Taro jogged onto the scene. “Zane, take a step back. Let the man breathe.” In accordance with Plan B, Zane hesitantly lowered the gun, and Nole silently hoped they wouldn’t have to initiate Plan C. “Hank, right?” Taro went on, kneeling beside the fallen man.

“Y-yeah.”

“Shut up, Hank!” the woman ordered, earning her a malicious glare from Zane. That was enough to silence her for the time being.

Hank on the other hand, was ready to spill information. “We aren’t doing anything wrong! We’re just guarding this, because...”

“Because?” Taro mimicked, playfully swinging the ends of his plaid scarf. “Why don’t you tell me something about your gang. That’s all we’re here for, pal. We don’t want any trouble.”

Glancing back from where Taro had come, Nole found Valerie lurking behind the same corner, her long hair moving slightly with the chilly breeze.

Hank reclaimed Nole’s attention. “I’ll tell you this: the Hexes are thinking of disbanding, but we don’t know why, okay? Now leave us alone. ”

“You seem awfully defensive,” Taro observed. His blue eyes jumped to the woman, whose demeanor had become reserved, almost embarrassed. “So what are you two guarding here?”

Hank’s face became nearly as pale as the snow-dusted ground beneath their feet. “Nothing that concerns you!” he defended. Not even bothering to confer with his fellow Runners, Zane burst through the doors of the factory, the gun still in his rigid grip. As soon as Nole caught sight of what the Hexes were guarding, he ditched protocol.

“Zane, that’s enough!” Gray eyes colder than the air bore into Nole’s. “We’re done here,” he asserted, meeting Zane’s glare. “There are kids in there.”

The woman suddenly ripped free from Olivia and blocked Zane from the inside of the factory. “My, my family lives in here now. I won’t beg for my life, but if you go any further, I’ll gladly die just to take you with me.” The words were fit for a mother.

Without warning, Zane raised the barrel of the gun to the woman’s face, and a Hank begged for her mercy.

“Zane, put it down!” Nole ordered to deaf ears. Zane, too, was ditching the plan. Thankfully, both Olivia and Taro expressed disapproval at what Zane was doing, but it wasn’t until Valerie chimed in that Zane listened.

“We accomplished the goal. Let’s get out of here and report back to Betty.” The blonde, almost white hairs blew past her face as wind swirled at the threshold of the factory entrance.

Without a word, Zane turned on his heel and passed all but Nole. Six months ago, Nole might have faltered when confronted with the older boy, but not then. Locking eyes with Nole for almost thirty seconds, Zane eventually brushed passed him, but not before forcefully shoving the loaded gun against Nole’s chest.

Although it was technically a victory to convince Zane to do anything, Nole felt like anything but a winner.

Shaking his head, he looked at the blank faces of his remaining friends. Taro was the only one to acknowledge Zane’s behavior, even though it was just a shrug. Nobody ever spoke out against Zane, whether it was because he was the oldest of the five, or because he was the scariest.

With a sigh, Nole approached Hank and extended the weapon.

“Wait!” Olivia warned, but Nole held out his hand; a silent gesture of ‘I got this.’

“Don’t drag your kids into the gang world,” Nole said to the two Hexes. Before turning to leave, he noticed two child-size silhouettes lurking in the background.

***

“I hate this time of year,” Olivia said, jamming her hands into her insulated pockets.

“What? This is awesome weather.” A wide smirk spread across Taro's dimpled cheeks. “It gets even better in the Outskirts, though. That’s where the real snow falls.”

Even though Nole was still fuming from Zane’s behavior, his ears pricked up at the mention of the Outskirts. “How do you know that?” he inquired.

“He’s from there,” Olivia answered in between chattering teeth. “If it gets colder than this, you won’t find me caught dead there.”

“Really? I was actually thinking of visiting my family, and I was hoping you guys could come.” Taro’s genuine demeanor was a sharp contrast to Zane. The difference made Nole like Taro even more.

“Nole can go with you,” she sighed. “You’re from there too, right?” The expression of pure surprise on Nole’s face must have been too animated, because Olivia defended herself immediately. “You told me a while back.”

It took him a minute to recall his few one-on-one conversations with her, but sure enough, Nole remembered telling her about learning to fight, the Outskirts, and his father. He shook his head to himself, wishing he could go back in time and omit the last part. He didn’t want her bringing up his father at all, especially around Caden or Suri.

“That’s all I remember though,” she concluded, eying Nole.

Taro jumped in before Nole could decipher her response. “Nole, we should go!”

The enthusiasm was so sincere, that Nole didn’t know how to decline without hurting the guy’s feeling in some way. A “maybe,” was all he could muster. Part of him was curious about Taro’s family though. It had been one and a half years since Nole left the Outskirts with Caden and Suri, and by that time, gangs had completely overrun the area. While he wanted to give Taro a heads up, he didn’t feel it was his place, and he didn’t want to encourage Taro to ask him questions about his own upbringing either.

By the time they reached the complex, he realized that Valerie had been silent the whole way back. Zane was known for his silent brooding, but not Valerie. Although she was only one year younger than him, Nole thought of her as a second little sister. She reminded him of Suri in more ways than one, and he couldn’t deny that he had a soft spot for her.

Before he could get a chance to ask her if she was okay, Betty called them in for a meeting. Although it was customary to discuss the errands in the same day, she usually gave them an hour or two to settle in before the debriefing.

Four of them took off their winter clothes to adjust to the toasty interior of the lobby. Zane, per usual, kept his on. Ever since Nova’s Nightmare, he’d been leaving the complex after every errand. Nole didn’t know where Zane ran off to each day, but he’d be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t at least a little bit curious.

As if on cue, Burt came racing into the room to greet them, and as expected, his little sister was in tow.

“Slow down, Suri,” Nole chuckled. “He’s not going anywhere.”

Grabbing the eggshell-colored terrier, she struggled to get a word out in between his writhing in her arms. “Well if you were around at all, you’d know that he’s been running outside every chance he gets. I don’t want him to get sick in the cold.”

“You should worry more about yourself. I heard you coughing last night.”

“I’m fine,” she whined, rolling her eyes.

“Still, I want you to stay inside and if it’s not too much trouble…” Nole’s eyes met Valerie’s.

“Sure,” she finished with a small grin while sticking her orange earmuffs on the designated wall hanger. Besides Betty, she was the only one with any medical training, which was pretty impressive for a fourteen year old in Nole’s book. “Suri, stick around the lobby and I’ll see how you’re doing, okay?”

With a long, audible sigh, Suri agreed.

The Runners were free of their winter clothing and already heading to the meeting room when Suri chimed in one last time.

“Oh, Liv, Caden was looking for you.”

“Okay,” Olivia replied a little too nonchalantly. What his little brother wanted with Olivia confounded Nole to no extent, but with one foot inside the meeting room, he couldn’t inquire further. When he shot Olivia a suspecting look, she just raised her strawberry blonde brows and flashed an innocent smile.

“What did you learn?” Betty’s to-the-point question took Nole by surprise. Usually they had time to decompress before getting to the meat of the conversation, but she obviously wasn’t wasting any time. Between the immediate questions and the abrupt meeting, Nole wondered why the schedule was being advanced so quickly.

The Runners’ eyes glanced to one another across the table, as if unsure where to begin. It also didn’t help that both Nole and Zane, yet again, almost went at it. Taro, Olivia, and Valerie made a point to omit, or at least downplay, these instances of rivalry between Nole and Zane, but with no time to ease in after the run, they hadn’t come up with a succinct, rehearsed answer. To all of their surprise, Zane was the one to break the silence.

“Nothing concrete.” Crossing his arms, he stared at Betty, who nodded immediately.

“Not necessarily,” Taro cut in. “The Hexes may be disbanding.”

This, too, made Betty nod. It was as if she wasn’t interested at all.

“But we don’t know why,” Olivia added, somewhat hesitantly. They had all seemed to notice Betty’s odd behavior. Her dull blue eyes fell on the center of the table. With the gray hair pulled back into a loose bun, the wrinkles became clearly visible on her aged face.

“I see.”

While Nole didn’t want to acknowledge his confrontation with Zane, he was desperate to see a change in Betty’s behavior.

“They had a gun,” he blurted out, catching the eyes of everyone except Betty. “We disarmed them though.” Noticing that the mention of the gun hadn’t caught her attention, he decided the other, less exciting details would similarly have no effect.

Valerie also decided to jump in. “That would leave only four of the Great Eight Gangs. If the Hexes, or former Hexes, we encountered were telling the truth, then that means only the Triads, Septas, Octas, and Nons are left.”

There was an extended silence. Even with the other thirty-three tenants of the complex, even with Suri’s laughing from the lobby, even with Burt’s constant yelps, the meeting room had a smothering fog of awkward silence.

When Zane broke spoke up again, even Nole was grateful. “Are we done?” Subtle irritation laced his tone as he pushed his chair back, obviously ready to head out to who knows where.

All eyes fell on Betty expectantly, but she finally replied. “No.”

It took him a few minutes to realize, but Nole noticed that no vibrant color painted her lips like usual, nor was she wearing any of her regular makeup. For the first time during the meeting, she met their eyes, momentarily, and individually. He wasn’t entirely sure, but Nole thought her gaze toward Valerie was prolonged compared to the rest of them. Sure enough, her eyes fell on the table once more.

They anxiously waited for her to dismiss them for the day. While Nole was concerned about Betty’s abnormal behavior, he wanted Valerie to check on Suri while his little sister was actually willing to submit to a check-up.

“Betty?” Olivia said the word hesitantly, as if would crumble if not pronounced in just the right way.

In response, Betty let out a single, long breath, as if she’d been holding it in the entire time. “This is over.”

The phrasing struck Nole as odd, and he was glad when Taro spoke up. “You mean dismissed?” He relayed concern through his tone and furrowed blonde brows.

“Not quite,” Betty responded, somewhat regaining her composure. Waiting for an explanation, the five Runners looked at their leader with puzzled expressions. Even Zane, who was eager to leave, stuck around for Betty’s clarification.

“What do you mean?” Nole asked.

The old woman cocked one of her gray eyebrows at him – an expression that sent him back to his first night in the complex.

“How do I put it? This group-” she gestured with both arms at the five of them while simultaneously rising from her seat. “-is disbanded. Permanently.”