Page 30 of In the Grey of Dawn

True Crime Files: The Widowmaker

Woman Found Slain inVdovetsApartment

Everything You Need to Know AboutVdovets: The Widowmaker

Vdovetsunleashed: Brutal String of Murders Continue to Appear Across World

Opening the first link I'm greeted with an in depth description of two brutal murders. The bodies of a rival crime syndicate left beaten and bloodied, hanging from a flag pole for the city to see when they woke the next morning.

The next one is about the hard work local police are doing to try and catch the person but so far no concrete evidence can be found.

A community piece on how the local elderly feel safer knowing he's out on the streets, becausehe only kills bad people so why would I want to stop that, then continuing to go on about local crime rates skyrocketing.

A woman found dead in a suspected suicide, in an apartment believed to be owned by the Widowmaker. No onecan confirm that though because when checks were completed, it was owned by an offshore business located in the tropics.

He’s described as violent, cruel, a menace. Someone the Devil herself would not want in the seven realms of Hell.

None of these things reflect Porter.

Sure he has some anger issues, is a little intense, possessive, and protective. Okay, I see a resemblance, but Dante is like that too; and even though I've never seen it, I’m sure someone as level headed as Ace has a breaking point. The person being described in these articles is nothing like the Porter I've come to know, so clearly it's just a rumour that's gotten out of hand.MyPorter is kind and soft with me, sure, a demon in the bedroom but not anything like this Widowmaker.

They're definitely not the same guy.

Fuck. But what if they are?

Chapter 17 - Porter

I’m a fucking asshole. I should have left her a note, woken her up or at least sent her a message, despite how riddled with typos it would have been. Every excuse I've come up with has felt weak, and I'm too scared of my own feelings to admit it to her. Last night was the first night in as long as I can remember that I slept.

Actually slept.

My nightmares seemed to stop before they even started and I didn't wake up smelling phantom blood, or with my jaw so tight it ached for the rest of the day. My sheets were in almost the exact same place from when we fell asleep and not in a twisted mess tangled around my body. We moved positions in the night and when I woke this morning, she was curled into my chest, limbs entwined with mine, the strong scent of vanilla coming from whatever shampoo she must use.

My body is so attuned to getting up early, I haven't needed to set an alarm for years. I should have stayed with her, woken her up with my face between her legs. Especially after the night we shared. Her fingers pumping into her perfect pussy and dripping all over my desk is forever imprinted in my mind.

But instead of staying with her and basking in the peace she brings me, I decided to slowly untangle myself from her body, careful not to wake her. Grabbed my clothes from where I left them the night before and dressed near the kitchen. Being extra quiet when I snuck outside through the roof access door.

The pull of the dawn was too big to keep me in bed with Charlie and I have yet to miss it since my sweetheart passed.

My Lila.

She deserved so much more than I gave her, the least I can do is honour her in death. Every morning I come to see her in the grey of dawn. The way the sky takes on a soft haze that makes you question if it's actually getting lighter. How the mountains become darker as the sun starts to rise, and then before you realise it, you're surrounded in soft pinks and dark purples, glowing rapidly brighter until all consuming brightness devours you.

That’s the moment I feel her.

When those first rays of sun hit me and the cold I was once standing in is replaced by warmth. Vibrant light surrounds the two of us, and if I'm lucky I can see her silhouette somewhere in the brightness. All memory of her lifeless body escapes my mind and I'm comforted by the warmth she now finds herself in. I don’t always talk to her, in fact, it's been a while since I have. Choosing instead to just enjoy that small moment of warmth before the clarity of the day unfolds and everything is smothered in daylight. This morning though, while Charlie slept in my bed downstairs, I quietly expressed my worries to the dawn.

To Lila.

Hoping that she would give me a sign on how to move on from her. If she would be okay with that? For her blessing and forgiveness.

The loud bang of the alleyway door startled me out of my grieving haze, my breath catching suddenly when I realised it was Charlie walking away hurriedly.

Away from the bar.

Away from me.

Away from us.

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