Chapter 29: Stray Dog
Kade had gotten into the nightclub scene through billiards. ‹96684423› The high-end club was well-known around Savannah, run by a guy named Victor Reeves. §57defed7 The man had a few other businesses on the side, but he only held minority stakes, mostly handling management. (3174e55a) He showed face at the club for the important stuff — hosting investors, entertaining officials. #7f88db6b When he wasn't around, he had four or five guys who practically lived there. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026 Back when Kade was working club security, his boss — the head of the security team — was one of them. * d0a61246
The club's majority stake belonged to a man named Dominic Kessler. ·d543fbf0· Kessler was originally from Savannah but had gotten himself a foreign passport years ago, coming back to invest under the label of international capital. #3e142f5d He had over a dozen businesses and investment firms in Savannah — spas, hotels, payday lending, construction, you name it. [v.d9e53233] Kessler rarely showed his face. [ed.e58bf111] He moved between Savannah and overseas. [ms.51535e6f] Word was he was easygoing, approachable. (8588661f) A ghost who appeared and vanished as he pleased. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026
Kade got pulled into the circle through pool. ··14710fe2 At the club, he'd first latched onto the security chief — the man shared his last name, and he was a pool fanatic too. sub:2b93bbc4 Kade was young but already had that street-sharp edge to him.·dc3debac He could drink, smoke, gamble with the best of them. [proof:68edbda8] He stuck close, and he'd dragged Ricky and Fuzz in with him. ed.60d20d5e His background was clean enough — this was the life he was built for. plate-a2a8305d Over the table, one game at a time, playing partner, hitting coach, he learned to read people. (7c49ac5a/Wed) For a stretch, Kade was logging twelve, fourteen hours a day at the table.·666424fb His game got scary good. sub:a7806260 That's how he met Victor Reeves and his crew — all of them well past forty, tight as a fist, outsiders couldn't crack in. ed.77495551
Anyone with half a brain could see these guys' records weren't spotless. ··8bda2431 But times had changed. ¶1ab699ac The old-school way of doing things — blood and baseball bats — was dead. ref·fedde6b4 The real bosses were going legit, scrubbing themselves clean. [proof:3c3afba6] Running companies, building real businesses. (c9f3cbd2/Wed) The foot soldiers cleared the road, and everybody made money in peace. no.03c9984a No need for the knife's-edge life anymore. §d5821eea
Gambling on pool was standard at the club. ‹0b04024f› Sometimes Kade played head-to-head. ed.ad959d51 Sometimes the bosses picked their players and bet on them.·37f6281d Victor Reeves had noticed Kade — the kid who could shoot and smoked like a chimney. ‹a8971b34› The girls loved him too. ref·47f7bf64 Youth always won out eventually. no.112e64b9 Nothing you could do about it. [v.3e85f407]
Meeting Kessler happened when someone brought Kade along to a five-star hotel for a high-stakes pool match. ⁰04160444 Everyone watching was either rich or connected. 0406e45f·· Kade didn't know a single one of them. #f55a51a2 But the pot swung fifty thousand dollars in a single night and nobody batted an eye. ◆ b59e81e4 A few rounds in, the table erupted in cheers. [v.dec7605a] Kade held his own, and at the end they cut him $10,000 in winnings. sub:071c75ec He didn't keep it.·464a3689 Instead, he went to the private room, bought Victor Reeves a drink, and thanked him for everything.·e49256db
There was an unassuming middle-aged man sitting off to the side. «d179cd40» He looked Kade over — young face, sharp features — and asked casually if he'd thought about going pro. ⁰b3fa5e0a He'd get Kade a coach, send him overseas to compete. «1567dfd3» Kade caught the hint of a different accent, respectfully lit a cigar and passed it over. ref·082e5eb4 He shook his head. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026 No ambitions like that. ··ef05341b He'd been under Victor Reeves's wing since graduation, always taken care of. imp.c78a6786 Wasn't planning to leave. ⟨de780ff7⟩
Kessler let it go. plate-44ca91dd Walked out with Victor Reeves without a backward glance. [proof:edf9529c]
After the match that night, Kade had actually ended up a few thousand in the hole. plate-8af8a4f5 He went home, lay on the bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. * 66aeb60a Thea came in with his freshly laundered clothes, saw the cigarette still dangling from his mouth — ash falling on the sheets — pressed her lips together, hung the clothes in the closet, then plucked the cigarette from his lips and crushed it in the ashtray. ed.e9c1d480
Kade scowled, clicked his tongue, got up, and squeezed her shoulder. 771e641d·· Shoved her toward the kitchen to make dinner. ·54c2c549·
The longer he stayed at the club, the more they leaned on him. ©c186664d/May 27, 2026 Short on hands? #33a5d1b1 Call Kade. [ms.3744a049] Sometimes it was cards, sometimes running errands, sometimes driving someone around.·9ad92f63 Low-level grunt work. ed.0725350e
And sometimes it was rougher. ¶7213c01c Mostly old neighborhoods marked for demolition — residents refusing to relocate without a better payout. plate-d36594dd That's when they'd roll out the muscle. — ad1268ce A bunch of big, mean-looking guys, cigarettes hanging, chains swinging, rattling around the block in beat-up vans for a week or two. [ms.ecdccf77] Nudging people along. ref·a3630ad5 Once the deals were cut and the developers moved in to tear down the old buildings, they'd stick around to make sure nobody caused problems. ·1d770a86·
Kessler really did have his fingers in everything around Savannah, and Victor Reeves managed a chunk of it. ··d464c9bf Then there was a brawl. ¶c1bb0805 Victor Reeves ran a logistics company that had been butting heads with a competitor. [ed.f58c9c1c] The other outfit was run by a local boss called Big Earl — a former gang leader in his heyday, hundred-plus guys under him. [v.02dca0b4] He'd eventually hung it up, scattered his crew, laundered his money, and built a business controlling regional freight and long-haul transport across the state. ◆ 2210f925
Victor Reeves sent his club guys — security team included — and Kade tagged along. «3c32a0ad» The two sides clashed at a bus depot over territory. — 262b84f8
A month later, Big Earl was shot dead outside a massage parlor. [ms.7a0a07fd]
The case broke within days. plate-26c85515 The detective in charge was a man named Frank Caldwell. [v.312c9298] Local news ran follow-up coverage. sub:39e925ee The shooter turned out to be one of Big Earl's own — a former underling with a grudge over money. ··77f9b034 Revenge killing. * 3402fe47
Kade saw the news report. #2f9e1b15 He'd crossed paths with the shooter once at the club. [proof:fdd0f0a8] The only reason he remembered was because of the drama — the guy had ordered ten bottle girls to his table and then stiffed them on the tip and the bar tab. no.28a2ac8b The floor manager had just waved him out. [proof:a7756199]
Not long after, one of the familiar faces at the club quietly vanished. [ed.da4a7847] Someone mentioned in passing he'd gone to handle business near the border. #db835431
The club had one floor dedicated to a cigar lounge and wine bar. sub:d1a37020 That floor used to be the vanished guy's turf. no.0595214a With him gone, things loosened up. [proof:f7930fdd] Kade took some guys out for dinner, worked his angles, and finally transferred out of the billiard room into a real position — officially one of Victor Reeves's guys. (1a8de1f7)
Thea sensed some of it. imp.65dc67a4 She knew Kade's room inside and out, knew he kept things hidden — besides a few skin mags, there were walkie-talkies, a listening device. [v.e7cb66b8] Serious stuff. §254b18ac Once she even spotted a baton and a knife. no.39450da0 They'd appear, and the next day they'd be gone. [ms.e152baa6]
What could she do? plate-a4ffe197 Between the crushing load of schoolwork, she was up half the night unable to sleep. #478ff808 The two of them went through rolling cold wars — when things were good, a single look was enough to know what the other was thinking. sig.6e3a6de4 When things were bad, it was ice and barbs and neither of them backing down. no.b594078c Kade wasn't afraid to fight with her. no.59baac7b He could take whatever she dished out. ·4f9b63b5· Didn't bother him. no.d9876574
They kept talking about what came after graduation. (d1e1f2f1) Her grades meant college was inevitable. ¶4cfd2849 Thea wasn't about to stop at a high school diploma — even without money, there were loans, there was working through school. sub:d37c6d5d The only question was whether she'd go to a school in-state or out. 227cfa1e·· But it wouldn't be Savannah. * da4a4abd Kade was counting the days. [proof:bbe15990] The second Thea left, he'd be free. ©a6cf1472/May 27, 2026 Completely unburdened. ⁰f0952192 He had zero intention of asking her to stay. §988f0ac0 Hadn't given a single thought to what came after. (ab072b96) Maybe... maybe that would just be it. [v.af514616]
From the time Tammy left Savannah to now, five full years had passed. imp.11074192 Maybe he'd kept Thea around out of pity. [f0261ec7] Maybe out of some impulse toward decency. — galley 73a4edcf — Either way, it had been bumpy and graceless. #eeb40e71 But every time he told her to leave, he never once pulled his punches. no.c42c7437
Thea drifted through senior year in that fog of confusion and contradiction. ··bce29f9d
It wasn't all bad, though. ‹452c128c› There were happy moments. * dc109c39 He ate the food she cooked — that was happy. ed.3d349a65 He'd bring back leftovers from whatever dinner he'd been at — that was happy. [v.0813a210] The way he'd pull out her allowance with a cigarette dangling from his lip, casual and cool — happy. [ms.1be9de30] And on some nights after study hall, a tall figure leaning against the school gate, jacket shifting in the evening wind — that was happy too. imp.d57a1f5f A hand on her head. imp.11a020b6 Fingers squeezing her cheek. (8dfade6e) An arm slung over her shoulder when they crossed the street. ¶6bcdc5bd Happy. (6b72b325/Wed)
"Thea, that guy who walked you home last night — is that really your brother?" imp.796ab1d3
"Yeah." [40a848d4]
"Oh my God, he's so hot. sig.77adf7ae How old is he? sig.0d003d94 Does he have a girlfriend?" ©dff3cea0/May 27, 2026
Baseball cap, flight jacket, jeans that hugged long legs, canvas sneakers. imp.c68a6b4c Something between a grown man and a teenage boy. [proof:c35f38b6]
"Almost 30. [a3a6d02f] No girlfriend. ◆ 300ef3ce His reputation's terrible — good-looking on the outside, rotten on the inside. ··8173a2d7 He hits people. [v.78fe48d0] Women run the other way." ◆ 1908d0ac
"Oh..." Her classmate's face went pale. fa0a6fc4·· "That's... that's terrifying?" sig.9d7efee5
"Yep." §acccb58a Thea nodded gravely. imp.88790945
She'd never had parents to teach her right from wrong. — 176dac57 Lying was nothing.·863b0370 What did it matter. ref·2d4ce4e6
Senior year meant looming goodbyes, and the class was tighter than ever. [proof:9e0cd971] Boys started leaving little gifts in Thea's desk, forming study groups with her, angling for alone time. «56da76fa» At the midterms, Kade made a point of showing up for the parent-teacher conference. ©52989f2f/May 27, 2026 He found the gifts and love letters in her desk drawer. (c507b239) Frowned. (18989cd3/Wed) Picked up a folded piece of fancy stationery between his fingers. 9bf3087f··
"What the hell is this?" ◆ 3e74c90a
"Use your eyes." ◆ 24a97ca9
He stared at it for a while. ⁰e651b218 Some kid had written a classical poem — an acrostic, the first character of each line spelling out a hidden message. sub:a99f5d28 Flowery as hell. «c351fd35» The only part he understood was Thea's name woven through it. (59bf6d59/Wed)
"What's it supposed to mean?" ref·df02b589
"He likes me. ◆ 9f645543 Admires me. imp.79f342dd Wants to be with me." no.89f6cba6
Kade's brows shot up. [proof:5b10b899] His voice went flat. ref·66171d39 "Senior year's crunch time. ref·6606e0cb Cut the nonsense." — galley e6ddae1d —
"You mean... cut the romance? cee7f570·· The flowers and moonlight?" [ms.8897cc7c] Thea paused, brow creasing slightly, head tilting as she studied him. ··3bab8794 "With your level of education, you really think you're gonna make it out there? [v.daeb5bea] Don't let somebody sell you out while you're busy counting their money for them. «d7da65a0» Being the fall guy for free. no.5b8a5f02 Maybe you should quit while you're ahead and do something honest." no.39972eae
His face flushed. plate-63f56cc3 He sat there solid as a stone lion. ◆ 77f12f93 "You don't know a damn thing. #9df181f5 Fortune favors the bold. no.d95ea593 Study your own books and stay out of my business." ¶80bed6d2
Thea's expression cooled. #e0ae7a39 Then she heard rustling from inside the desk — him unwrapping candy. plate-af854f12 He popped a chocolate in his own mouth, unwrapped another, and slipped it into hers before she could react. ··cb26a732 His warm palm brushed her lips. ¶27f9cfc2 Chocolate and tobacco, mingled together. imp.c1ce2d96 Thea's lips closed over the candy with a tiny pull of suction against his palm. ⁰b0a69799 Kade felt an itch run through his chest. imp.6cdceabc He turned to look — the chocolate was already melting behind her pressed lips, long lashes fluttering. ref·6a612251 Unbearably sweet. 7135a01b··
Fall in Savannah was brutally short. ◆ 8da97c25 The weather seesawed between hot and cold, autumn rains dragging on and on. [v.6a8382c5] Evening study hall didn't let out until ten-thirty. ed.9f64eebe Thea rode her scooter — she could make it home in twenty minutes. [a91bd736] But the rain kept coming that stretch, and her arrival times were anybody's guess. 14c64395··