The hero stares at the bracelet loosely hanging from the villain’s hip. The woven piece of jewelry almost couldn’t be seen through the silver chains hooked onto the beltloops. The hero looks down at their own wrist where a matching bracelet is still tied around it.
The villain watches the hero’s expression carefully. “You seem lost.”
“That’s the bracelet I gave my best friend years ago . . . before they died. How do you have it?”
The villain looks down and gently cradles the bracelet hanging at their hip in their hand, brushing their thumb over the fabric. “Your best friend died?”
“Yes,” the hero nods. “It was an earthquake. Rescue teams couldn’t find them, so they were declared dead. I haven’t gone a day without missing them.”
The villain peers at the hero. “We were fourteen when that happened.”
“’We’?” The hero stares at the villain, who stares back.
“Think, Hero. I know you’re not that stupid.”
“. . . no . . .” The hero gasps and slowly crawls forward, squinting at the person in front of them. “Is it . . . is it really you?”
The villain holds out their bracelet and flips it around. Embroidered in faded gold thread was the name: Cameron. “I don’t go by that anymore,” they say. “I forgot what my old life was like after that disaster. The only thing I didn’t forget was you.”
The hero trembles. “Then why didn’t you just stay? Why did you leave? Why did you leave me?”
The villain drops the bracelet back into its place and saunters over to the hero. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
"If there was anyone I thought could be like me it's you John. This life's in your blood."
"What about Junior?"
"He's a good kid, but he's not like you and me."
So for simblr gratitude day I had to be a little extra and create a video in honor of @digital-deluxe's story Public Enemies. I've consumed a lot of mafia fiction and I'm not lying when I say that this is one of the best narratives I've seen about a crime family.
For a story about a man's rise in his crime family, pacing is highly important and that is something Kia excels in as the reader is allowed to follow John from the moment of his birth.
The writing is realistic, the characters are intriguing yet flawed -- if you love mafia narratives Public Enemies is definitely a story that you should be reading and sharing with others.