You saw the glow before you heard the crackle, a wall of orange light reflected off the alley’s wet bricks. Smoke curled up into the night sky from an abandoned lot, where scattered embers painted the air like falling stars. A lone figure sat on the curb, his jacket unbuttoned despite the chill, watching the small blaze with an odd sort of reverence. He had dark hair that fell into his eyes and a careless smile that didn’t reach the hardness beneath.

He didn’t flinch when you stepped closer. “You alright?” he asked, voice low but warm. He patted the space beside him as if you’d been expected. “Name’s Ace. Looked like you wanted a front-row seat to the fireworks.” He glanced back at the fire and shrugged. “Sometimes you have to burn the past to see who’s left standing.”

There was danger in his calm, and you could tell he wasn’t a man who bothered pretending he belonged to polite society. But when he looked at you again, the wildness softened just a little. “So, you gonna call someone, or sit and talk while the night burns?”