Separately Together

Chapter Fourteen: I see you 1/2

"I'm not going to bite her, Gale." The man huffs before stepping closer to the massive bodyguard and ... flicks his nose. Gale swats his hand away. "This means you two are coming back, right?" He asks and Jared comes around to eye the three of us, skeptically. Jared breaks out in a smile and grabs the man by his neck pulling him into a choke hold and starting to tussle on the floor. Gale pushes me back slightly so that they don't end up causing me to fall.

"Ignore them," Gale says as he rolls his eyes. It was clear that there was some rekindling going on here like they were long-lost brothers reuniting. What had I missed?

These two seemed to fit in more here than anywhere else. They seem to be at home, even more so than, Harley had.

I just stand observing the men hug and pat each other's back like it's one big family reunion. Perhaps it was...

It was only a couple of minutes before Harley steps out of the door with a man that could be his twin if he was a little younger. They were related somehow, how had I not known that he was related to the Voiceless my entire life? I didn't know much about the few gangs that crossed between the surrounding town, but I did know that the Voiceless were the top dogs of sorts. That no one messed with them without paying for it with their life, or livelihood.

They couldn't be much better than The Forefathers themselves. What was Harley getting us into? I glanced up the steps at him giving him a 'what the hell are we doing?' face. I guess all of the simple remarks and hints slipped me until I was here seeing all of it for myself.

I knew that when he showed that man his tattoo and their faces grew scared that whatever Harley was into was dangerous, deadly even.

"He's home!" The older version of Harley yells over the rowdy crew and they all begin to cheer. I notice the boy from earlier smile a sad smile directed toward Harley. Like he knew something no one else knew, something that I couldn't comprehend right now. Harley's face wasn't one of joy like everyone else's, it was grave like he had just signed his life away.

"Fucking finally." Jared sighs and starts to take off the black tux. "I was getting tired of playing pretend."

I notice the crowd gathering around for something, I glanced around trying to figure out what was about to happen. Harley starts to unbutton his shirt and shrugs it off, exposing his toned muscles that seemed tense from something I wasn't sure of yet.

It wasn't until I spotted a man walking up with a red-hot pole did it finally clicked. "Harley!" I tried to yell over the crowd, but he couldn't hear me, my voice wasn't carrying.

"Harley!" I yelled louder. "Don't do it!" I pleaded with the air because that was the only thing listening to anything I had to say. I pushed back the feeling telling me to hide and keep myself unnoticed. This was Harley, I couldn't let him take that brand, because even though I didn't know exactly what it meant, I knew that it had been something he had avoided for this long.

Harley was about to be branded; they were about to burn his flesh. Like he was a piece of meat, and he was doing this for me. I couldn't let this happen. Why is he doing this? It wouldn't solve anything it was just giving us a temporary fix, what would happen when The Forefathers were taken care of? Then he was just stuck with this kind of lifestyle.

Gale tugged me back trying to hide the scene that was playing out in front of me. I yanked against his hold trying to push through the crowd to put myself between the burning metal and his shoulder, where his tattoo was located. Only now realizing that the tattoo had a perfect blank space for something to feel it. The tattoo was just an outline for the brand. Had he known all this time that this was where he was going to end up? Apart from some kind of gang, involved in stuff that would more than likely get him killed or put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

This couldn't be happening. Harley had a respectable job, Harley had become some big hot shot in the next town over, Harley was my safety net, but I would rather be eaten by the wolfs than let him do this to himself.

I remember the time that I accidentally burned myself on the stove. It hurt so bad it caused tears to brim my eyes. Harley wouldn't cry, but I didn't want him to have to feel a pain tenfold worst than that for me.

Right before I broke through the crowd Gale yanked me back by my wrist and I heard the grunts of Harley as the pole sizzled against his skin.

Tears came to my eyes as I have seen him fight the pain head-on. His jaw tightened not letting out any sound, and his neck muscles tensed as he held himself in place without the need for assistance. I smelled the scent of burning flesh and I instantly had to vomit, what was wrong with these people? I was going to be sick.

I stumbled back, Gale catching me the best he could.

"It's for the best, Madeline." He says as he pulls me out of the door that I wish we would have never walked into. I hunch over hurling out the contents of my stomach which hadn't been much with everything that had happened today.

This wasn't supposed to be happening, I should have never let myself get this close to him, he wouldn't have ended up getting hurt. Gale pulls my hair back and out of my face before it can get soaked in vomit. "Take me to Finnics. I want to go to my brothers."

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