Page 3 of King

King chuckled at Steve’s ashen face, wishing to hell he could have seen Steve being chased around the parking lot. Damn, his day was turning out to be very entertaining.

“It was absolute chaos.” Sid continued the story after Steve reminisced about his balls. “We had to break up full-on catfights in the parking lot. Women were clawing at each other, trying to get inside, and then turned on us. It was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever been a part of, including facing off against demons.”

The Warriors in the room agreed with frowns and nods.

“I think the scariest for me was when Sloan walked in with his shirt ripped.” Jill pinched the bridge of her nose as if trying to dislodge the memory from her brain. She dropped her hand and then looked at Steve. “So yeah, Steve. I don’t think Sloan is going to be happy about this viral video.”

“I...ah...well...” Steve couldn’t seem to find the words. “Fuck!”

“Sloan is going to kill you for real this time,” Jill said, then looked at King. “And you may go down with him.”

King barely reacted. He just raised an eyebrow, took another drink of coffee, and shrugged. “Well,” he said casually, setting the mug down. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had my ass chewed.” His tone was flat, almost bored, as if the idea of Sloan’s wrath barely registered on his radar.

“The only way he’s going to know is if someone tells him,” Steve said, worry edging his tone. “I don’t think Sloan has TikTok on his phone.”

“Whether or not he has it on his phone, Sloan knows all.” Jill snorted, giving Steve a pity glance. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“I don’t know.” Steve spread his arms wide in exasperation. “Why in the hell should it matter to Sloan what I do on my off time? He needs to get the stick out of his ass and take a chill pill.”

“Damn, Steve.” Sid chuckled, shaking his head. “You know Sloan had cameras put in all the rooms here except the bedrooms and bathrooms.”

“What!?” Steve’s mouth gaped open, his eyes searching frantically.

“Yeah, I forgot about that.” Jared hissed through his teeth. “Doesn’t it go directly to his computer?”

“Holy fuck, I’m dead.” Steve's face twisted with panic. “Duncan! Where’s Duncan?”

“I’m right here, dumbass.” Duncan snorted, shaking his head. “And no, I can’t get into the system to erase anything. Wait, let me rephrase that. I will not get into the system to erase shit.”

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Steve said on repeat.

King laughed as he put his mug in the sink, then walked up to Steve, clapping him on the back. “They’re fucking with you, Steve,” King said as he headed out the door. “There are no cameras, and I’ll take the blame on the viral stuff. You will live another day.”

“You, my dude, are my hero.” Steve’s voice was full of wonder and awe.

“Damn, King,” Sid called out, but King continued walking. “Way to fuck up our fun.”

“Don’t mention it,” King smirked with a chuckle as he headed toward Sloan’s office.

CHAPTER 2

King fished his phone out of his pocket as he walked the hallways and scrolled through his messages. A few were from Butch—mostly crude memes, as usual. One in particular made King chuckle, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Butch had always had a talent for finding the most ridiculous shit to send him.

King’s thoughts drifted as he glanced up before looking back at his phone. He, Butch, and Kent had started with the Warriors together, forming a tight unit at first. But everything changed after his falling out with Kent. Their confrontation over how Kent was treating Raven had been private but definitive. From that moment, King charted his own path in the VC, refusing to align himself with anyone. His focus was simple, do the job and leave the drama shit behind.

Things had gone downhill between them during their Warrior initiation. Paired with Kent and Butch, King failed right alongside them when their collective mission fell apart. That shitshow marked the end of any friendship they may have had. Kent had apologized since, and while he seemed like a changedman, trust didn’t come easily to King. Kent had a long road ahead to prove himself.

Back then, King had heard from Butch about Kent’s underhanded plan to sabotage Raven. That was the only reason King decided to go through with the initiation, being on a team with Kent. He wanted to ensure nothing happened to her. In the end, it wasn’t King who saved the day. It was Daniel. The kid had knocked out all three of them and tied them up, defusing the disaster in one swift move that impressed the hell out of King.

Later, King had sought Raven out, apologizing for his part and explaining what he’d tried to do. To his surprise, Daniel had already spoken to her, making it clear that King hadn’t been involved in the plan and had actually worked to stop it. That gesture hadn’t gone unnoticed. King’s respect for Daniel had tripled that day, and from then on, he saw the kid in a completely different light.

“King!” Jake’s voice rang out from behind, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Stopping mid-step, King turned, his sharp gaze locking on Jake as he caught up. “What’s up?”

King felt closer to Jake than most of the other Warriors, except for Butch. The two of them had spent countless hours together, training and grinding through the long work nights while Jake taught King more about the darker, demonic forces that clawed at the edges of their world. Jake had been the one to pull back the curtain, revealing just how deep the rot went.

Jake’s face was filled with concern. His usual calm edged with something heavier. “Have you heard from Joey?”

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