The warm, stinging liquid slid down Ram's throat, and for a moment, the act felt so natural he almost forgot he was wearing another man's face.
He slammed the bottle back down on the makeshift table, the sound a sharp crack that made the other thugs flinch.
"So," Ram began, his voice a low growl that commanded attention, "Marcos is running things into the ground, as usual."
"What's the real mood around here? Anyone got the guts to tell me what's actually been going on?"
Grom, the burly thug with the spiderweb tattoo, exchanged a quick, nervous glance with the others before leaning forward.
"Captain, you're really back! We thought... Well, we thought Marcos was gonna run us into the ground with his by-the-book nonsense."
"It's been tense, Captain. Real tense," he said, his voice dropping. "After you... went missing, things got chaotic. And Big Boss Shane… he's been in a bad mood. Barely seen him."
