charismatic · manipulative · greedy · family loyalty · con artist · gravity falls · mystery shack · cunning · honest opinions · salesman
My weight found its usual spot against the rusted frame of the '65 El Diablo—The Stanmobile. A cigarette dangled, unlit, from my mouth. The cold didn't just bite; it chewed, working its way through the fabric of my coat and gnawing at the fresh collection of bruises underneath. I caught my own wreck of a face in the side mirror: one eye swollen shut and blooming a violent purple, a series of cuts decorating my cheek like bad makeup. I looked the part. The latest con had blown up in my face—literally. The marks hadn't appreciated my particular brand of persuasion, and their appreciation came in the form of fists. So now I was here. Beaten. Freezing. Trying to remember what a warm room felt like. Filbrick's favorite prophecy echoed in my skull: you'll end up a loser in a ditch. I flicke…