Kingdom of Concrete (Nicholas Ruffilo/ Bad Omens)

11: Seeing red truths.

Authors note: Hi friends! I am hoping to get back into a normal swing of updates soon. Now that holidays are finally over and done with and I can somewhat relax. How were everyone's holidays, I hope they were well. Also, a huge thank you on 1k reads for this story, I love achieving these milestones with you all.

~Gemma's POV: ~


"They found us" the words spilled out of Nick beside me, the room seemed to settle into a silence that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Noah remained watching us, the calm in his features slipping but the mask quickly rebuilding enough to show no more emotions. "What do you mean they found us, tell me exactly what happened" his voice remained calm, where my heart hasn't been calm since we left that area.

Looking at Nicholas, his blue eyes held a storm beneath as he looked at Nick, he wanted Nick to keep me safe and so far that mission was far from it. Nick licked his lips beside me tensing when he caught glimpse of the storm beneath blue eyes. "We met with Pat, speaking and I had a feeling of being watched, Pat looked around and saw Ravens lurking, we got up to leave not making a scene and they stopped us, the made a proposition if I went with them then the Omens group could live in the shadows" Nick looked over at me silently thanking me for speaking up for him.

"Fuck, alright then how did they find us?" Jolly spoke from the corner of the room.

"They asked us how the bunker was. They know where we are, which is why we need to leave" Nick said finally turning to head towards his room.

Noah nodded his head in agreement. "Contact the group, we are moving right now. Everyone pack what you can, we leave in ten minutes" he said hauling Helen towards their room.

Not wasting time of my own, I headed down to the room Nicholas and I shared, hot on my heels I could feel his eyes burning into my back. Grabbing a duffel bag from the closet, I shoved the few items I did have into it before grabbing stuff from around Nicholas's room. "I don't need anything" he argued seeing as I tossed his tattoo gun into the bag.

"Shut up, put stuff in a bag so we can go. The less my father can destroy the better" his eyes met mine and in the moment it felt like the world stopped spinning, "don't give him that satisfaction, Nick" I practically begged of him.

Nicholas nodded before grabbing some hoodies and shoving them into his own bag as I continued to grab stuff only to stop when I saw the moons on a quilt I thought was left behind. Grabbing it, turning to him I watched as he halted in his movement. "I wanted to give it to you as soon as you got here, but you were so. . . I don't know, I wanted to give it to you at the right time" he said softly scratching the back of his neck trying to show he wasn't as nervous but we both knew that was a lie.
"You grabbed it the night you guys left" I said quietly before putting the quilt my mother had made into the bag before zipping it up. "Thank you" I said softly before heading out the door with him.

Everyone climbed into cars, they had ideas of where we were going but I didn't, it felt different. Nicholas climbed into the passenger seat as Noah got into the drivers. The sun was already setting casting a shadow on what once was our home, even if briefly. Helen climbed into the back with me and before we knew it we were headed to where we would be staying next.

Noah didn't say much beyond a walkie to Jolly which was in the car in front of him. "Pat told Jolly they group can do stay with them; it'll be crammed but we can make it work" Noah said turning off onto a different road.

"You're new to all of this, how are you holding up?" Helen pulled my attention away from the front of the car.

Looking over at my friend, she was calm as if this was just another day for her. "I think part of me feels like this is a dream that I can't escape—that if I wake up I won't be here with you guys, I would be in my old apartment going to meetings that bored me to death" I admitted sitting back further in my seat.

Helen's smile warmed my heart as she patted my leg. "As weird as it sounds, at least we are more fun."

"Yeah, yeah you are" I said softly looking over at the man who has kept me as safe as he could this whole time.

Playing with the knife I had strapped to my leg, we pulled up to a new area—it was quiet which was eerie, but it wasn't long before Noah stepped out the car and the others followed suit. Following them down a hallway when we entered a building, it was brightly lit, and classical music played through out.
Nicholas stuck close to me, casting wary glances my way. Pinching my brows in confusion, I halted when I watched Pat step out of a room, behind him was Aaron.
Red. That was all I could see, not even thinking I grabbed my knife as I lunged pressing it firmly against his neck as we tumbled to the floor—people shouting around us as Aaron smiled up at me. "Good to see you too, princess" he said not even phased I had a knife pressed in his throat.

"You fucking sold us out to him" I growled feeling my hands vibrate with anger that swelled within.

"Sold you out to whom?" his voice wasn't even changed.

"Gemma gets off him!" Pat yelled as he pulled out a gun pointing it at me.

Nicholas stepped between Pat and us his hands raised as he looked between us. "Put your fucking weapon down, Patterson or she might actually slit his throat!" Nick snarled.

Gun now aimed at Nick; I growled pressing more into Aaron's throat earning a groan from him. Pat muttered a swear before lowering his gun, wasting no time Nicholas whirled around hauling me away from Aarron before I could even think of anything else. Groaning out a few curses, I looked at him with dagger vision. "He can't be trusted! Ben was with him the day I went to see him" I pointed my knife wanting so badly to gouge out his eyes.

Rubbing his neck as he stood up from the spot we just here, he rolled his eyes. "Ben saw me for a previous deal. If you had Ben in dear daddies' home then that wasn't my doing, princess" I bared my teeth earning a tighter grip from Nicholas around my waist. "You guys are welcome to stay here as long as you need, just make sure your little drama queen is done trying to kill me."

We were in S.T.O.R.M.S home, glaring at Pat I don't know how I missed the logo on his jacket sleeve when Nick and I saw him earlier. "I am not fucking staying here" I ground out knowing if I stayed here I would most likely murder one of them.

"Gemma where the fuck else are you going to go? Your father wants you, and we can't go back to either base" Jolly said calmy as he could.

"There is somewhere she can go, but someone would need to be over there with her twenty-four seven and you'd need a walkie" Noah intercepted as he slid a walkie into my palm, "Nicholas go with her, I am tasking you are her guard once more."

"I can protect myself" I bit back not looking away from Noah's eyes.

We been through hell together, and I think he still thinks I am fragile that one wrong move and I would break completely or get myself killed. "That's an order, Gemma. You want to be part of this group, start acting like it—we went through the worst together, but we aren't done yet" the words sent a shiver down my spine.

Nicholas got the information from Noah before we got into a car I didn't speak to him not as we drove what felt like forever. Today was already exhausting all I wanted to do was relax and hopefully sleep to regain some energy since the nightmare had woken me up the night before.
Pulling into a wooded area, he led us through the woods, and I stopped when I saw the cemetery. "What are we doing here?" I asked following him to the familiar building that had my mother within it.

"You need to see something. Your mother was so worried about the future of the group, or even the safety of what would happen to you that when she had this built she did something else as well" he stepped inside as he looked around the room, placing his thumb on a stone I gasped when part of the wall slid out revealing stone stairs that led down further. "Your mother protected us here before, this was our last resort—it only can fit two people comfortably because of the room—come on, I need to close the door before someone sees" he led us inside where he put his thumb on a point of the wall and the door began closing once more.

We made our way down into the area, he switched on the lights which had me blinking a few times. It looked like a shelter for the end of the world in a way. How my mother had a bunker and a small one was beyond me. "My mother did all of this?" it was overwhelming knowing how much my mother has done, all while I was kept in the dark assuming and believing she was a normal mother who stayed in a marriage no one knew if she genuinely enjoyed.

"She did yes, this is where you and I will be staying" there was one room that was small, the bed was a double which was more then fine since Nicholas, and I didn't take much space—a small kitchen area and small dining area that was attached to the living room area where we stood and off to the other side was a bathroom where it had a sink, shower, and toilet. This all felt overwhelming. "Gemma, we can relax here. . ." he said softly placing the bags he had carried in for us on the floor.

Looking at him, my green eyes scanned the room once more knowing I wouldn't be near Aarron. "I think I am going to go lie down" was all I said before exiting into the bedroom and lying myself down on the bed, even if sleep didn't come easily—it gave me a chance to think things through.