As the men hesitated and slowly retreated, Bora grinned in delight.
"That's it. Good boys."
Meanwhile, I turned the other way and watched Mete and Efe quietly leading the girls out.
"Don't believe him, he's bluffing! He can't do shit while his friends are still here, idiot!" Can's voice snapped my attention back to him.
"You bastard, if I get my hands on you I'll break every bone in your body!" Demir snarled, but I stepped in before he could act.
"Easy, Demir. Can is mine."
Watching the men start to move again, emboldened by Can's words, Bora spoke up nervously.
"Hey, quick question—why are you staring at me like Buddhist idol worshippers? Don't you believe me? That's hurtful! Is that what your elementary school teacher taught you, huh? Don't come closer, I'm telling you, I'll burn it! Don't come any closer! I swear I will! I swear on my life! Oh shit, why did I swear? Now I actually have to do it—"
As Bora continued his panicked rambling, Demir turned to me, seething.
"If we don't make it out of here alive, this is all your fault! What the hell were you thinking, giving a task to this pea-brained idiot?"
"I gave the task. You gave him the lighter."
"Fuck the hand that gave him that lighter—"
"Is this really the time for jokes? Bora won't last much longer. The girls are out. We need to get out too."
At Rüzgar's warning, glass shattered somewhere behind the bar, and the alcohol stored there burst into flames.
"Guys, someone help—hey! That's my leg!"
At Bora's shout, the three of us turned in panic. Seeing a man grabbing Bora's leg and trying to pull him down from the bar, I quickly turned to my friends.
"Rüzgar, help Bora. Demir, find a way to open that door."
As Rüzgar rushed to Bora's aid, Demir shot me a suspicious look before leaving.
"What are you going to do?"
Scanning the room, I answered sharply.
"I'm going to find Can."
Once Demir moved away, I started looking for Can among the men trying to put out the fire, having already abandoned any thought of fighting. When I spotted him brawling with the bar owner in a corner far from the bar, I headed straight for them. Before the owner could land another blow, I stepped in, grabbed Can by the collar, pulled him toward me, and locked eyes with him.
"You've gone too far this time, Karakurt. You're going to pay for this."
He replied with an infuriating smile.
"What, are you going to put me in the hospital too, Dinçer?"
"No. But once you see what your punishment is, you'll wish I had."
From the tension in his face, it was clear he had an idea of what I meant. Aware that the other man was watching us, I didn't release Can's collar as I turned to him.
"As for you—neither you nor your men will file a complaint against us, and I'll cover the damage from tonight. That will be the end of it. Any objections?"
Though clearly unhappy, he nodded.
"Fine. But if you ever set foot in my place again, the deal's off."
"No problem. You can be sure we'll never see each other again."
Dragging Can by the collar, I paused for a moment and turned back to the owner with a malicious grin.
"Oh, and bill the damage under Rüzgar Atahan's name."
When he nodded in agreement, I dropped the smile and walked over to my friends waiting by the door. Though they all shot Can angry looks, no one said a word.
We stepped outside together and reached our cars. Bora handed me my jacket, muttered a few parting words, and headed to his own car. Demir, barely restraining himself from hitting Can, just shook his head and left without saying anything.
I put Can in my car and moved to the driver's side. As I opened the door, Rüzgar called out.
"Kerem."
I looked up and met his eyes.
"Send my regards."
I nodded and got into the car.
After driving for a while, I glanced at Can and saw him staring out the window thoughtfully. As we neared our destination, he muttered tiredly,
"If you're expecting me to thank you for saving me back there, you'll be waiting a long time, Dinçer."
I sighed, keeping my eyes on the road.
"I'm not expecting anything from you, Can."
"This girl is different from the others, isn't she?" When I didn't answer what sounded more like a statement than a question, he continued.
"What you did tonight won't change anything, Kerem. I'll never give up until I see you burn the way I did. Unlike my brother, I'll never forgive you—because what you did, the damage you caused, can't be undone or forgiven."
I parked the car in front of the house and turned to him.
"Do you think I've forgiven myself for what happened? Even if we weren't blood, Tolga was like a brother to me too."
He laughed bitterly and shook his head.
"Cut the bullshit, Dinçer! If that were true, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You might have fooled everyone around you—including my brother—with your fake manners, making them believe you're a good man, but we both know you've never even come close to being one. You can hide it all you want, but I remember exactly what I saw when I looked at you that night. Want to know what I saw in your eyes? Darkness. That's what draws people to you. They see the darkness in you and try to save you, just like my brother did—but we all saw how that ended, didn't we? You destroy everything good around you and bring disaster to everyone who loves you. If you really care about that girl, I suggest you stay away from her. Otherwise, don't doubt for a second that she'll end up like my brother."
With that, he got out of the car without hesitation. I leaned back against my seat, exhausted, and closed my eyes for a brief moment as I exhaled. It was ironic that out of everyone, Can was the only one who truly saw the truth about me.