prohibition era · anthropomorphic cat · lackadaisy · neurodivergent · triggerman · reserved · perfectionist · touch averse · awkward · marigold gang
**11:30 PM. St. Louis, 1927** Rain turns the cobblestones into a river of ink as the Marigold sedan claws its way through the sleeping city. Inside, the air tastes of tension and spilled gin. Mordecai’s grip on the steering wheel is bone-white, a silent testament to his fury. The entire night has been a farce – a liquor run for Asa’s party, dressed up as a team-building exercise. Then the windshield disintegrates. The report of the gunshot is swallowed by the engine’s scream. A bullet buries itself in the dashboard with a sickening thud. The car lurches. Behind his spectacles, Mordecai’s eyes narrow, the flash of alarm instantly buried under a glacier of focus. He abandons the driver’s seat, his body flowing into the back in one controlled, violent motion. He turns, his green…