The Bagman's Destiny

Chapter 19

Ho scelto, Harry

"This is the place"

"This is the place?"

It was some dodgy apartment complex on a street with an unpronounceable name. It didn't even look big enough to be a refuge. I swore even it's driveway had potholes.

As we were about to drive under the building to snatch a free parking space, someone came out through the front door. We stayed in the hover car but left it running on the driveway so we could talk to them before delving below. They came over to my window and I didn't even recognise them until Harry let slip their name.

"It's good to see you again, Phoenix"

I had to stop myself from dramatically gasping. She looked so different. She looked healthy and radiant. She didn't have teenage-y brightly dyed hair anymore either.

"Don't tell me you're-"

"The head of the NYCR? Well you'll be disappointed because I am and I'm telling you I am" She teased.

I wished I could've hugged her but the angle was too awkward.

The conversation couldn't progress further as someone else had stepped outside and started calling for Phoenix.

"The bombs will be arriving soon, Nixie"

"I'll be with you in a moment, Paige" Phoenix calmly replied.

"Bombs?" I questioned.

"Nixie?" Harry questioned.

"Harry, why don't you allow Paige to escort you inside while I talk to Louis in private?" She more-so asked than suggested.

•••

I lit my cigarette and leant against the suspended-animated vehicle. I prolonged the first inhale and was careful not to blow it out into Phoenix's face.

"I was going to ask if I'd definitely secure the position of David Atlas after this Game but I suppose not"

"Louis..."

"Don't Louis me. I gave you this life and now you're taking mine away" I growled, angrily hitting up my cigarette again.

"Technically you're taking your own life away"

She tried to cutely say but I glared her down.

"It's just that, Henry has a plan. Three Butterfly landmarks in three minutes. He literally wants you to bleed into the soil so we can grow from Moth blood"

"Blowing up ain't gonna make my blood go anywhere but everywhere" I scoffed - another drag, "Since when were you in cahoots with Henry anyway? Last I knew you abandoned him and I didn't even think he knew you were the one running the refuge"

"We weren't and he didn't... Until I rang him after the success of kidnapping President Butterfly"

"How'd you know we were successful?"

"I had a spy. I think you painted her walls once, goes by the name Georgia? She filled me in on everything... Even when that little whore Sofia slept with fucking Henry and-"

All I had to do was raise my eyebrows for her to stop her pitiful rant.

"I called Henry without a voice filter. I swore he knew me just by my breathing. I explained to him the NYCR and how I had been planning it since before I even left the Moths and how I hoped he understood the reasons I kept it a secret and kept denying them ties to us" She readjusted the conversation, "Then we argued about everything. Absolutely everything and it surprisingly felt really good. He eventually accepted that I would be taking over the role of President once the current one is publicly executed"