Chapter 24: Bugs
Hezekiah ascended the stairs to Quinn’s chambers, his step resolute, yet upon his arrival, he found the room empty. Perplexed as to Quinn’s whereabouts, he turned to depart, only to be halted by a peculiar sensation, his gaze instinctively drawn to the balcony.
With cautious intent, he approached the door leading outside and pushed it open. "Did someone find themselves longing for me?" Asked Quinn’s annoying voice. Hezekiah turned sharply, finding Quinn seating nonchalantly upon the railings, a smoking pipe perfectly balanced in his hand.
"Perhaps, the sentiment applies equally to yourself," Hezekiah retorted, his words bearing a veiled meaning that Quinn understood all too well. It was plain that Hezekiah sought to address the matter of Belle, a confrontation Quinn had both anticipated and welcomed.
"Shall we begin with a blow to my abdomen this time?" Quinn mocked, exhaling a wisp of smoke with feigned indifference.
"I have no need to strike you," Hezekiah replied evenly. "The spectacle of you sneaking about, vying for her attention, is torment enough. But mark my words and keep your hands from her. In a matter of days, she shall be mine in truth, sealed by my mark. Consider this your warning."
"And if I decline?" Quinn countered, taking another deliberate drag from his pipe.
"You will stand as a rebel before all," Hezekiah replied, his tone carefully measured. Yet inwardly, he struggled with the sting of betrayal. How could his closest friend defy him so brazenly? He had long known Quinn’s pride and recklessness, but this? This was intolerable.
"Threats are wasted breath upon me," Quinn said with a smirk, extinguishing his pipe as he descended from the railing. His hands slid into his pockets as he added, "I am merely upholding my part of the deal. Tell me, what sin lies in touching that which is already mine?"
"Yours?" Hezekiah repeated with disdain. "You could not accept the consequences of your own mistakes, and where did that bring you? Back to her,"