From Shrimp Boy to Slapjack: System Activated

Spark

The roar of the Ferrari engine was a familiar balm, the wind whipping through my hair momentarily clearing the cobwebs of worry from my mind. I needed this drive, needed the open road to stretch my legs, both literal and metaphorical. Days spent cooped up in my apartment, haunted by shadows and cryptic messages, had taken their toll.

Pulling into a greasy spoon burger joint on the outskirts of town, I craved the simple comfort of a cheeseburger and fries. Inside, the air hung thick with the aroma of chargrilled meat and the low hum of conversation. Glancing around, I spotted a familiar face at a booth in the corner, a face that sent a jolt of surprise through me – Liam Blackwood, Bentley's younger brother.

The greasy aroma of the burger joint was barely a balm to my tense nerves. Every bite of the lukewarm fries tasted like ashes in my mouth. Seeing Liam Blackwood here, in this unremarkable diner, was like a punch to the gut. Memories of the humiliation he'd witnessed flashed before m