《The Mysterious Demon》


 Chapter 1 First Encounter With Him

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    I step into a quiet corridor.


    Most of my days start like this one and it¡¯s not quiet because I¡¯m alone, nor is it quiet because I instruct it to be. Instead, it¡¯s quiet because the crowds of people who are here all stop and stare. I¡¯m not popr here but you could say that I seem to stick out like a sore thumb despite how dark and in my clothing is. Maybe it¡¯s because I don¡¯t fit anywhere else that everyone seems to notice.


    But if I were honest, I couldn¡¯t care less.


    I carry on walking with my ne bouncing gently on my chest as the bell rang signaling my first ss: science. I¡¯d be lying if I was a straight-A student, science itself was one of my lesser favorite subjects, but it was one of my first three lessons so I went in.


    I got to the seat, which was left empty specifically for me, and sat down. It was far from everyone else and there were seats left empty around me too. Again, I didn¡¯t necessarily choose this seat but it¡¯s where I and the rest of the ss came to a silent agreement on during the first week where I made it obvious that I didn¡¯t want to talk or be talked to by anyone. It was my nature to be alone here.


    As I was sat down and started drawing habitually in my book, the voices in the ss lowered into murmurs. I didn¡¯t have people around me so I couldn¡¯t hear what was going on unless I found out myself so I lifted my gaze towards the front of the ss and the first thing I saw was a pair of grey eyes staring back at me. We held onto each other¡¯s eyes before breaking off at the same time. As he looked to his right I mirrored him and looked to his left, watching four more guys following the first one.


    A piece of paper was given to the teacher who, after reading it, smiled after nodding, ¡°you five must be the new students I was told about!¡± She eximed more excitedly than necessary.


    I sighed once hearing this. It was inevitable that they would have to sit next to or near me now since those were the only seats avable but before they coulde and sit down the substitute teacher made them introduce themselves which almost made me roll my eyes.


    Thest one toe in started, ¡°Well I¡¯ll go first! My name¡¯s Zack Winsky, I¡¯m 17 and I like the colour blue!¡± Zack seemed like a cheerful and enthusiastic character with his dirty blond hair and bright blue eyes. His clothing was casual, no emphasized effort was put in. He grinned at the end of his introduction and the ss seemed to ease into him.


    Next was a guy with dull green eyes and a smile whichcked effort. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Jason Telix and I¡¯m also 17.¡± Jason had jet ck hair and his clothing style was simr to Zack¡¯s except the colour pallet was darker yet his physic could still be seen from under it. He was strong.


    Two other guys went after him and introduced themselves as ke and Jake Lucifer. Twins with opposite personalities. ke seemed simr to me,idback and calm but with a slight murderous aura. Jake, on the other hand, seemed more like Zack was. Energetic. But one thing they did have identical was the dirty look in their eyes, making me want to roll my eyes again. Other girls in the ss didn¡¯t seem to think about what I did though and were quick to fall for them.


    As my mind wondered, I felt someone watching me so I turned to thest person who had yet to introduce himself. He looked as if he cared more about his appearance, more modern and a controlling feel to him. From the corner of his shirt, I also spotted a tattoo crawling from the cor of his neck but I was too far to identify anything it said. What intrigued me the most though was his eyes which were identical to mine. As grey as a rainy day¡¯s sky. ¡°I¡¯m Nicks Sector.¡±


    There were girls in the ss who instantly fan-girled over his strong British ent but his eyes wouldn¡¯t leave mine nor did mine falter from his. It almost turned into a contest but after a moment we pulled apart again.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    After that, the guys were told to take a seat so they all walked towards me but before they could get to their seats a random person decided to bring me into the unpleasant light. ¡°Demonic sits there on her own though, doesn¡¯t she?¡± she asked and everyone turned to face me but before anything else was said the teacher started her lesson.


    I tried ignoring the three people behind me and the two on my row but it came to no avail. Zack, who was sitting next to me, turned and started talking, ¡°is Demonic really your name?¡± he asked so I turned to him slightly to face him and respectfully put my hood down. ¡°Sorry?¡± behind me I heard one of the guys whisper to Nicks, ¡°hey Nick she has the same ent as you¡± but I ignored it.


    Zack gave me a smirk and answered, ¡°I mean you look angelic to me so why are you demonic?¡± I guess I was supposed to be touched but instead I couldn¡¯t help but smirk right back. ¡°It¡¯s not my name but I wouldn¡¯t be called demonic if I didn¡¯t do something to deserve the title,¡± I said and let my face go back monotone before turning back to my drawing which was starting to look like a bouquet of wilting flowers holding one stic one which stood out in the middle. There was nothing significant about it and I was probably going to throw the page away once this lesson had ended but before the lesson could end the drawing was snatched off of my table and Zack held it in his hands whispering, ¡°woah¡± before nudging ke who was on his other side and getting him to look at it. I would have cared more if I even cared in the first ce.


    Time past, the lesson ended and the teacher left, giving the ss the opportunity that they had been waiting for in order toe and swarm the new guys. I took this time to get the hell out. Fortunately, I was ignored as I packed up and was able to leave the room with little difficulty. As I walked I received a text from Xavier which pulled me back to reality. I read the text informing me of tonight¡¯s fight schedule and replied with an, ¡®I¡¯ll be there¡¯ before turning my phone off and getting ready to go but before I could move further, someone stood in front of me, blocking me.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± I looked up at his face to see it was the same pair of grey eyes that was sitting behind me in ss. ¡°Far from where your business lies¡± I responded with a smirk before walking past him and out of the door.


    .

 Chapter 2 First Encounter With Her

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    Theds and I walked through the school gates half of us excited and the other half, myself included, with nothing but boredom. Even the trophy cases disinterested me. The only reason we were here was that it wasn¡¯t safe in Ennd any more or else I would have happily stayed there.


    ke walked up to us and handed us our timetables which all differed to my misfortune. Yet at least we had our first lesson together which happened to be science, one of my better subjects.


    Before we entered the ssroom Zack said something about calling dibs on the seat next to the hottest girl and we all chuckled as I pushed open the door. I walked in, looking around to see that the room was old and run down as well as the teacher who was teaching in it. I had started missing Ennd already. Theyout of the room was too much like what you would find on TV and it was almost suffocating. As I scanned the room my eyes met with another pair of grey ones that caught me off guard. We looked at each other but broke off before it could get too awkward.


    The teacher said something about us introducing ourselves making me sigh and thankful that Zack volunteered to go first. During that time I couldn¡¯t help but have my gaze go back to the girl with grey eyes. She seemed to stand out from everyone else even though her clothing style was simple and covered. Her hoodie hid anything interesting and I couldn¡¯t tell how tall she was while she was sitting down but I could tell that her posture was pristine and she had a huge dangerous presence. I didn¡¯t like it.


    She must have felt me staring again because she looked back at me. This time I didn¡¯t back down. She didn¡¯t either which spiked my annoyance. I introduced myself when it was my turn and kept my stance until we were told to go sit down. ¡°Demonic sits there on her own though, doesn¡¯t she?¡± A girl called out which made me raise my eyebrow and look towards Jason who seemed to be thinking the same thing as me. Demonic huh? I thought with a little satisfaction before taking a seat behind her. There wasn¡¯t much to see from the back of her head considering her hood was covering most of it but there was a part of her hair poking out with a nice light brown colour.


    Zack, who had sat next to demonic, started talking to her which made me half-smile, getting some information from her wouldn¡¯t be bad I had thought but it didn¡¯t seem like I nor Zack was going to get it easily. She didn¡¯t seem interested at all but instead left us hanging which made me scoff and lean back in my chair, reminding myself that she doesn¡¯t matter.


    The rest of the lesson went by slowly and I could hardly remember anything about it except the fact that it was all a recap of things I had already learnedst year. When it did eventually end though the ss or the majority of the girls at least, started crowding around our tables, wanting our attention, asking us questions, almost pushing themselves onto us which I wasn¡¯t necessarily against.


    Suddenly, I was pulled out of the ruckus when Jake passes me a drawing and says, ¡°check it out Nick, your girl knows how to draw.¡± I snatched the drawing out of his hands whilst scoffing at him. ¡°She¡¯s not, ¡®my girl¡¯,¡± I reply and looked down as the drawing properly and in slight amazement. ¡°Sure bro, we saw you checking her out at the introduction.¡± I gave him a half-smile and shook my head.


    After that, I looked in front of me, expecting to see the artist in ck but she had seemed to vanish which made my smile fall. Out of curiosity, I got up in search of her. Right now she seemed to be the only amusing thing about this school so I had to keep an eye out for her.


    I was near the exit of the building when I see her. She¡¯s texting on her phone and looked ready to leave which confused me. The day just started, where could she be going? I decided to stop her so I stood in her path, expecting her to bump into me but her reflexes were quick and she stopped in front of me instead despite not looking up yet. I couldn¡¯t exactly see her face but I¡¯m sure it held a questionable look.


    ¡°Where¡¯re you going?¡± I ask her, looking down at her phone¡¯s screen to see a notification pop up under a guy¡¯s name. Who¡¯s Xavier? I wonder as I wait for a reply. ¡°Far from where your business lies.¡± She states and walks away from me like I was nothing.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    It takes me a few seconds to register what she says but when I do and turn to look at her in disbelief, she¡¯s already gone.


    My hands curl into fists. No one treats me with that sort of disrespect and it looks like I¡¯ll have to teach her that lesson for as long as I¡¯m in this school.


    .

 Chapter 3 A Painfully Long Time Later

    -Dominic¡¯s POV (6 monthster)-


    It¡¯s been six months since Nicks and the rest of the guys have joined the school and I can honestly say it¡¯s not the most pleasant of changes.


    Fortunately, the attention that I had been getting before had lessened and instead the school was separated into teams of supporters either for or against me or the guys. They hated me for whatever reason and in turn, I hate them back and that had turned the school into a war zone. They had the upper hand considering there were five of them and one of me but that didn¡¯t matter because I was physically stronger than most of them even if they didn¡¯t know it. They didn¡¯t need to know anything and I was keeping it that way.


    ¡°Oi demonic hold-up!¡± Called out a familiar voice so I kept walking, just my luck that the halls were empty right now. ¡°I said hold-up! God! Can¡¯t you hear anything with that hoodie on bitch?¡± I turned to look at my side just as he caught up to me making me frown. ¡°What do you want this time Nicks?¡± I asked patiently even though I already had a feeling I knew what he was going to say. ¡°I was going to tell you how bad you looked,¡± he then grabbed my hood and roughly pulled it down making me stop momentarily before he carried on, ¡°but now that I actually see you properly you look really fucked up. You being abused or what?¡± He asked tauntingly at my new bruises and gashes. I roll my eyes, shoving him away as heughs to himself.


    I had a fight yesterday and saying it left some marks was an understatement. Nicks wasn¡¯t wrong when he said I looked fucked up. Punching, ducking, kicking, getting punched, ducking, getting kicked, punching, ducking, kicking, punching again and again until he was knocked out and I was dered the winner. I climb down the stairs, collect my money and do it all again. A normal routine for the second strongest street fighter in the country. For that title, I¡¯ve epted all the terms and consequences. The hours of training, the abandonment of a normal teenage life, the beauty and femininity that I could have had. I wear my scars like secret trophies and my title is the evidence of my hard work even if no one really knows it¡¯s me.


    ¡°Leave her alone for the day Nick. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get beat again when she goes home anyway.¡± Zack chips in and they bothugh at me as I start walking away again. ¡°Where the fuck do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Nicks calls which makes me sigh and turn. ¡°Sorry to disappoint you boys but I¡¯ve got a ss to get to.¡± ¡°You should be sorry¡± Jason mumbles loud enough for me to hear but as I head back round I say, ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was sorry, listen closely next time man.¡± tauntingly with a grin in response to his growl. After that, I hear their shoes hitting the floor, starting to chase me but the corridor started to get crowded right on cue so I was able to get away sessfully and make it to ss on time.


    ¡ª


    Once ss was over I walked towards my locker with caution but this time I was met with a different familiar face which made me smile slightly. ¡°Hey, D¡± He greats and I open my locker as I reply, ¡°Hey ke.¡± To my surprise, ke and I became friends..-ish. It was a forbidden friendship, to say the least. If his friends knew then there¡¯d be a huge situation so we¡¯ve decided that he treats me the way they do when they¡¯re around and he gets to act whatever way he wants when we¡¯re alone. This seemed beneficial to me too regardless so I didn¡¯t care. That¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t get to have the time to questions me deeply. He knew no more than anyone else did and although he was closer to me than anyone else here, it didn¡¯t make him any different and he wasn¡¯t going to be different.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°How¡¯s your day been so far?¡± He asks and I shrug. ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary, what about you?¡± I answer but he doesn¡¯t reply. I look up to his face and he rolls his eyes at me which was our sign telling me that the other guys were behind me. ¡°Why¡¯re you so fucking close to me? Fuck off!¡± He shouts, grabbing my face and shoving me against the lockers which makes my neck click audibly. Themotion seemed to have gotten attention because the people around us started circling around. ¡°Nice going ke¡± Compliments ke¡¯s twin brother, Jake, as hees to stand next to him and grins down at me as I hold my neck.


    I look into ke¡¯s eyes and see concern which makes me want tough but I keep myselfposed and nod in reassurance. Yet something gave me the feeling that this was just the beginning.


    As I leaned against the lockers, Jason and Zack came and grabbed my arms holding me in ce which made me tense. Something bad was going to happen. They had never hit me properly but I knew all too well that it was going to happen now. Yet I held my ground and stood without fear.


    Nicks then walked in front of me with a stern face, rolling up his sleeved in hopes of scaring me with his forearms but I wasn¡¯t impressed. He walked closer towards me until his mouth was centimetres away from my ear and says, ¡°now I hope you know your rightful ce.¡± Before suddenly giving me a blow to the stomach. I gasp more in shock than pain when it hit but it must havee by as the opposite because Nicks looked down with an almost satisfied look.


    There were a few people who shouted in the background, trying to get Nicks to stop but they were held back by ke and Jake so Nicks was free to keep punching me. I knew I could have fought back, I could fuck him up, but then all of my hard work would go to waste so I stood there and took the beating even when I started coughing and bleeding. He wouldn¡¯t stop, I could see the anger and resentment in his eyes with every blow. So I would stand there and take it.


    Until my phone went off.


    My eyes widened and everyone went silent. Fuck. I thought, knowing it was Xavier. All of my things had been thrown on the floor in the process and Nicks seemed to show interest in my phone now rather than me. Fuck. I watched as Nick went and walked towards my phone which made me panic.


    Using Jason and Zack as support, I jumped and kicked both of them to the side which made them let go so when Inded, I ran towards my bag, slid on the floor, tripping Nicks before grabbing my things and running out of the building. Once I was a safe distance away, I reached into my bag and took out an energy drink, opening it and raising it to my mouth as a way to relieve myself as I read the text Xavier sent.


    Xavier: Meet me at the bar as soon as you can, quick.


    ¡ª


    I park my motorbike, rush inside the building and burst into our private room.


    ¡°Great timing Xavier! You nearly got me caught today with that damn text of yours!¡± I exim while setting my school things aside and putting on my signature custom made leather jacket with the initials M. D on the back made with gems. It stands for: ¡®Mysterious Demon¡¯.


    ¡°No one gives a fuck, Demon¡± Xavier replies, indifferent to my entrance. Xavier, is my trainer, my friend, my father figure, and most importantly, he¡¯s the world¡¯s strongest street fighter, my rival. We work as a team outside of the ring but are ready to kill each other inside the ring.


    ¡°What did you want me here in such a hurry for anyway? It¡¯s too early for today¡¯s matches.¡± I ask while watching him pick a shirt for tonight. ¡°And don¡¯t be all, ¡®I wanted to see how you¡¯ve been¡¯ because I know that¡¯s a lie,¡± I added and he grinned my way before putting on a shirt. ¡°How do I look?¡±


    .

 Chapter 4 A Dreadfully Long Time Later

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    As the bell rang signalling the end of ss, my hand tightened around my phone in anger as I read some news that someone I knew had sent me. A gang in Texas picked a fight with a part of my own. Something that I was going to make them regret but I couldn¡¯t just sit here and be angry. I was going to let it out on someone and I knew exactly who. Dominic.


    It¡¯s been six months since I joined this pathetic school and I came to find out that demonic¡¯s real name is Dominic. She was given her nickname because she¡¯s known for her violent behaviour when she first got to school. Due to this she also didn¡¯t have any friends. She was a year older than everyone else in our year, making us the same age. Both 18 while everyone else was 17. That was all that was really known about her; no one cared to find out any more. I never got to find out who Xavier was but considering how much school she misses, it¡¯s safe to say it¡¯s because of him.


    The one thing that angers me the most about her though was that she didn¡¯t seem to fear anyone- or anyone I knew for that matter. When she stood in front of me she looked disinterested, bored, she wouldn¡¯t even flinch while others would quiver and I hated it. I hated her. I was determined to make her fear me and I was going to do it today.


    On my way towards Dominic¡¯s locker, I was joined by Jason, Zack, and Jake who could tell I wasn¡¯t in the best of moods and knew to keep quiet. When we got there we saw ke was already with her, insulting her and pushing her against her locker in a way that looked painful which makes me satisfied with his actions. I instructed Jason and Zack to hold her and nodded towards the other two. They got my message and stood back. I walked up to Dominic, rolling up my sleeves to provoke some fear but I got nothing from her. My anger faired.


    I stood back and without hesitating, punched her stomach straight on. There was no way it couldn¡¯t have hurt her. I heard her gasp which made me grin devilishly before punching her again. Repeatedly.


    The crowd around us started to make a lot of noise, girls screaming, people telling me to stop but I didn¡¯t care. The only thought I had was about the loss my gang made and how much I wanted revenge. I forgot who I was beating until blood dropped into my hand. I hesitated for a second. Looked at her face to see that her eyes were scrunched closed, mouth agape and panting. I almost felt guilty but that thought was dismissed when I heard a familiar notification sound which made everything go silent.


    It was her phone. I looked to see her things sprawled out onto the floor, her phone included and since the girl I had beaten into a bloody pulp couldn¡¯t answer her phone, I decided I would check it myself.


    I turned and was about to walk up to it when I heard a couple of grunts from behind me which made my eyebrows furrow. I was about to turn back when I suddenly got tripped over, making me fall and hit my head on the floor, hard. Whilst in pain, I managed to pick my head up from the floor slightly to see Dominic picking her things up and walking out of the building.


    ¡°Damn it¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°You sure you¡¯re alright Nick? That was some fall!¡± Jake eximed whilstughing which made the rest of them chuckle too. I red at him which made him put his arms up in surrender but he didn¡¯t stopughing. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you got yourself a feisty one.¡± He carries on which made the restugh again. I sighed exasperatedly at his words, ¡°Can you all stop with that already? I hate her!¡± I exim but none of them seemed to really believe me.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Hey, Nick?¡± ke called not too long after. ¡°What?¡± I snapped, still in a bad mood. ¡°When did hitting Dominic be a thing?¡± He asked and the rest went quiet. Maybe I had taken it too far, especially since she really had nothing to do with us.


    ¡°It was a spur of the moment decision, I was angry.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Jason asks as I sit down, downing some water. ¡°The Scorpions stole the stash from the Texas wing. Invaded Jean¡¯s team, 2 were injured and they¡¯reing here.¡± I informed and they all started muttering curse words, heads down, swearing and angry.


    ¡°And the n?¡± ke asks first and I start to exin the first draft of a n that I had thought of to them. There was a slight problem though and that was that we didn¡¯t have enough men.


    On our way to Zack, Jason, and I¡¯s apartment, we talked about possible solutions and if we were to recruit another member, where we¡¯d find one. I had connections almost everywhere but I needed someone useful, and I¡¯d rather not have a member who¡¯s been under someone else¡¯s wing first. Another gang member was not an option.


    ¡°What about a street fighter?¡± Jason suggested to which I took into consideration. It was a good idea. We were in New York, after all, one of the biggest stages for underground street fighters in the world. They¡¯re strong, experienced in the dark world, and most of all, their only motivation is sess. Something I needed out of someone.


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°What about M. D?¡± Zack suddenly asked out which made me raise a brow at him. The rest seemed as confused as I was. Zack didn¡¯t catch on at first but then went, ¡°Oh sorry yeah, I¡¯ve gone to a bar like half an hour away from here and happened to stumble on a street fight. Man, this girl was amazing and so hot. Apparently, she¡¯s the second strongest in the country. I would love it if she were the one to join the gang!¡± He eximed but I was a little put-off.


    ¡°A girl? Moreso, why shouldn¡¯t we just go for the first strongest?¡± I asked and Zack thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. ¡°The first strongest, Champ, Fucking terrifying and huge! Plus he¡¯s like 28 and I doubt he¡¯d want to join us. About the Mysterious Demon being a girl,¡± He stood in front of me and put a hand on my shoulder, ¡°bro I have to be frank, you¡¯re a little sexist, 90% of our gang are guys, this is possibly the strongest girl in the world, you don¡¯t wanna miss this chance.¡±


    I could hear Jake snigger in the background which makes me roll my eyes. ¡°Fine, whatever. How do we meet her?¡± I ask and Zack¡¯s eyes twinkle. ¡°There¡¯s a hugepetition that¡¯s going to take ce soon. Fighters from all over the world wille together for this!¡± I smirk,


    ¡°Then I guess, we¡¯ll just have to join the fight.¡±


    .

 Chapter 5 The Skulls And Bones?

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    ¡°The Skulls and Bones? I thought you said they weren¡¯t a big deal?¡± I asked as Xavier shut off his phone which had been ying the news of a drug deal scheme being found out by the police in Texas. The gangs involved couldn¡¯t be identified but the situation was huge. ¡°They aren¡¯t to us, but the country? Maybe.¡± I raised my eye-brow, not really believing his concern which makes him chuckle.


    ¡°They¡¯re getting famous fast, Demon, and they¡¯re dangerous. Be wary of them, it should be easy considering they bully you at school.¡± I scoffed at him, wrapping my knuckles, preparing for tonight. ¡°They don¡¯t bully me, they just hate me, insult me¡± ¡°Beat you up.¡± ¡°Beat me-¡± I stopped myself and red at Xavier when I found myself close to repeating what he said. He smirked back.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been watching you, you know,¡± Xavier says suddenly in a low voice. ¡°Stalkerish much¡± I respond casually, jumping on the spot, punching the space in front of me a couple of times. He looks at me seriously, ¡°I¡¯ve only ever seen one of them but¡­ Don¡¯t let them take you in Demon.¡± I stopped and looked back at him in seriousness too. ¡°I know, I have no reason to join them anyway. Fucktards.¡± I said, putting a hand on my stomach. It was throbbing. I swore I¡¯d make him feel this one day too.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Xavier nodded in approval before standing in front of me and throwing a punch. I was quick to react though. I ducked and kicked his legs instead, making him fall back while I go back up again. ¡°That¡¯s 66 to 70, I¡¯m catching uppp¡± I sang making him smile. ¡°I guess you¡¯re ready then.¡±


    I froze and slowly asked, ¡°Ready.. for what?¡± He casually got up and walked past me towards a mirror in our room to do his hair. ¡°The face-offs this afternoon. I told you a week ago, did you forget?¡± He questions and I could feel the blood drain from my face. How did I forget the face-offs?


    Xavier caught onto myck of response and looked at me through the mirror with nothing but disappointment. I looked away from him to hide my embarrassment but once I did, I received a punch to my stomach. My eyes widened and I immediately bent down in pain, groaning loudly. ¡°Why the stomach? You.. you know how much I¡¯ve been hit there already.¡± I say almost whining but he just red and instructed that I do 100 push-ups to warm up.


    I sighed and after my recovery, I did as instructed. ¡°You can¡¯t keep forgetting these things, Demon. You could lose your title to some other fucker out there. Or even worse, you could bebeled as weak and an insolent little brat which is what you¡¯re fighting against. It won¡¯t be the same as other nights, Demon. There won¡¯t be newbies who you can easily win against. These fights will be against the very best.¡±


    I panted as I went down and did what I thought was myst push up but when I got up, I see Xavier ring down at me. ¡°What?¡± I asked, ¡°that was only 99,¡± he says darkly. I sigh and go down to do one more but when I push up, I feel a foot on my back, forcefully making me hit the floor with a grunt. I hear himugh at me which makes me roll my eyes and watch him bend down to my face. ¡°That¡¯s 71 to 66,¡± he whispers in my ear before getting up.


    I groan a little as I stand which makes Xavier smirk at my pain but he probably felt a little guilty because he walked towards our mini-fridge and tossed me an energy drink. ¡°Thanks¡± I mumbled and started gulping it down. When I was done with it I looked up to see Xavier watching me so I stared back at him. ¡°What is it this time?¡± I asked and waited for an answer but instead, he shook his head with a smile before turning away. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    I scoff yfully and continue to watch him as he drinks his own energy drink with his back faced to me.¡±No no no, there was something. You gave me a look.¡± I say, marching up to him and turning him around. ¡°A look? I didn¡¯t give you a look.¡± He denied, not looking me in the eye but I didn¡¯t ept it. I pushed his shoulder, making him reverse and fall back onto a chair, that way I was able to look down at him and force him to look at me. ¡°Tell me.¡±


    He sighed but smiles anyway. ¡°I was just thinking of how much you¡¯ve grown from when you first came here with your stepbrother. He would have been so proud, seeing you this strong, as am I.¡± I¡¯m taken back for a little bit, stepping back and sitting at another chair in front of him. My hand instinctively goes to my ne as I think of him. I smile gently. ¡°I miss him.¡±


    ¡ª


    Time was moving fast. Xavier and I were training in preparation for the face-offs that would be starting very soon which reminded me of a certain gang that may be watching me tonight.


    Nicks is the leader for the Skulls and Bones and he may be watching me fight? There¡¯s no way he knows it¡¯s me but even then what could he want? I can¡¯t help but be curious.


    I was cut out of my thoughts when I received a punch to the face. ¡°Come on Demon! You can¡¯t be zoning out in the middle of your training!¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologized genuinely before standing in my position again and focused.


    There were only a couple of hours left and I didn¡¯t want to mess it up and let Xavier or myself down for that matter.


    The Skulls and Bones may be watching me for whatever reason but tonight I¡¯ll show them and everyone else that they won¡¯t have me and never will.


    .

 Chapter 6 The Mysterious Demon?

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m still confused, Nick. She¡¯s the most well known female street fighter, and the second strongest street fighter in general and yet no one knows anything about her?¡± Jake asks and I sigh in response, understanding his confusion and unhappy with the situation as well.


    ¡°That and the fact that she¡¯s one of the only females in the face-offs. She¡¯s around our age but we can¡¯t be too sure, plus her partner is the strongest street fighter in the world.¡± I replied, reading over the information that Jason had gathered not too long ago.


    ¡°So the ¡®Mysterious¡¯ part in her name isn¡¯t just for show?¡± I shrugged back as we walked towards the others. I instructed earlier that they all started training for tonight, warming up, being ready to fight, because I knew that these face-offs weren¡¯t just going to be easy fights. Streetfighters were dangerous, almost monstrous, people.


    I made my way to my own punching bag and started punching as thoughts ran around my head. The Mysterious Demon wasn¡¯t my only problem. I also had to be aware of Dominic. There¡¯s something I¡¯m almost sure she¡¯s keeping away. Her weakness. And if I can only know what that is I can bring her down once and for all.


    I was brought out of my thoughts when ke came by the punching bag and almost got hit. ¡°Woah there, man! Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve bullied the punching bag enough?¡± He eximed with a light chuckle. Then an idea struck in my head.


    ¡°ke I have a job for you.¡± He raised a brow but nodded anyway, telling me he was listening to what I was saying. ¡°I need you to be friends with Dominic and get to know her, her background, her weaknesses. I trust you can do that.¡± I say and he gives me a smug look back. ¡°When did it go from the Mysterious Demon to Dominic, boss?¡± He taunts and I knew exactly what he was trying to say.


    ¡°Fuck off ke or I¡¯ll use you as my punching bag¡± I threatened but he¡¯s not affected. He was cool about it. That¡¯s what people loved about him. He¡¯s always been collected and calm. The only time I¡¯ve seen him lose his cool was when he lost his parents and it was something I never wish to see ever again.


    He puts his arms up in reply to my threat and walks away. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her tomorrow.¡± He says and leaves.


    ¡ª


    ¡°You are?¡±


    In front of me stood a guy my height but in a uniform. He was probably the guard for street fighters. For the past 10 minutes, I¡¯ve been watching him let in some fighters he must recognize and asked others for ID before also letting them in. I have also watched him beat up the people who aren¡¯t in either category.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Jason hands me our IDs that he had made prior and after having them checked, the guard smirks slightly before giving the IDs back and letting us in. I couldn¡¯t help but feel offended. It was as if he didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be any good in here.


    However, when we got into the street fighter¡¯s area, I was quick to realize we didn¡¯t really fit in either. No one was seen in a group. People were focused, angry, determined. I didn¡¯t let it distract me though. I looked around trying to find the Mysterious Demon but didn¡¯t see her.


    As the boys got ready, I walked around a bit more andnded in front of a door with two names engraved on a gold sign hammered onto it. The names were: ¡°Champ and M. D.¡±


    ¡°Found you,¡± I whispered but before I could reach for the handle, a handnded on my shoulder. When I turned I see some older guy looking down at me. He was probably a street fighter from this bar.


    ¡°You lost, kid?¡± He asks and I shook my head. ¡°No, why?¡± he scoffed before looking back at the door. ¡°Because no one has the guts to willingly walk up to this door with a smirk of his face. Inside this room is the first and second strongest fucking fighters in the whole fucking country. The only people they find challenging are each other which is why they stick together. ¡±


    My eyebrow raises as I listen to him. ¡°And you¡¯re standing here ¡®willingly¡¯ because?¡± I question and he lets out a low chuckle. ¡°To let you know that if Champ walks out to see an unfamiliar face he won¡¯t be merciful enough to let you go without getting hurt. So I suggest you walk away.¡± I almost scoff at him. These people were so afraid for no reason. ¡°Thanks for the warning,¡± I responded and looked at him in a way to say that I wanted him to fuck off. He shrugged and leaves.


    I lean closer to the door after that, trying to listen in to anything that was going on inside and what I heard left me disturbed and slightly frightened.


    There was a crash before a male¡¯s voice shouts out, ¡°Fuck up, Demon! The fights are in less than an hour and you¡¯re going sloppy!¡± Then there was a thud and the ground beneath me shook. ¡°Me?! Look at yourself! You¡¯re practically on your knees already!¡±


    And it carried on for another few minutes before there were some panting and calmer voices. I assumed they had stopped because the Champ then says, ¡°Freshen up and get yourself ready. Won¡¯t want to look bad for those fans of yours would you?¡± A woman¡¯s chuckle followed before the door was suddenly opened, revealing me to the Champ.


    ¡°Oh, look at that¡± I look up to see a tall, muscr, tanned skin man looking down at me with pity as he crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. His hair was blond and he had a bit of facial hair but in general, looked pretty young despite being in histe twenties. ¡°Demon, there¡¯s a guy out here. Same size as you.¡± He hums as if he¡¯s thinking and then smirks, ¡°You order any pizza?¡± He asked with amusement which pisses me off. He¡¯s underestimating me.


    ¡°No.¡± We hear her answer and he grins devilishly. ¡°Want me to beat him up or are you gonna do that in thepetition? He seems like a good warm-up.¡± He called back and I curl my hands into fists.


    There was a sound of the Mysterious Demon¡¯s light footstepsing toward the door before her figure stood next to The Champ. My eyes scanned her up and down. She was wearing an oversized grey hoodie with a leather jacket hanging off of her shoulders. A gold-ck metallic-like mask on her face, it looked as if a once full face mask had been broken on the top left and bottom right so half of her mouth and the top left of her face could be seen but I couldn¡¯t identify her as anyone I knew. One thing that did interest me though was her eyes.


    They were pure ck.

 Chapter 7 Let鈥檚 Do This

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    ¡°You order any pizza?¡± Xavier asks as I put my contact lenses in. ¡°No,¡± I reply simply but I was curious as to who it could be. Usually, Xavier doesn¡¯t get me involved with the people unlucky enough to be found at our door. So there must be a reason he had this time.


    ¡°Want me to beat him up or are you gonna do that in thepetition? He seems like a good warm-up.¡± He pushes and that was my sign to get up and take a look. I made it to Xavier¡¯s side to see the guy he was talking about. It took everything in me to stop myself fromughing. It was Nicks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle this one¡± I inform Xavier and he sighs with fake sadness ¡°shame¡­¡± he says which makes me smirk at him. I turn back to Nicks, letting my smirk fade to a straight line. ¡°What do you want?¡± I say coldly. I didn¡¯t care for what he could say to me but I was excited to beat him up while he stood on my turf.


    He didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. He was oddly quiet which I wasn¡¯t used to. It was amusing though. People around him had turned to see what he wanted too, looking at me in amazement and sniggering at him. Everyone was against him. The total opposite of what it¡¯s like at school.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    He did escape from his trance though and began to speak. ¡°You¡¯re joining my gang.¡± He instructs, trying to sound demanding, however, the whole room burst outughing. I had to contain myself from joining them. I then put my hand in the air to quiet them, ¡°Alright guys, the joke wasn¡¯t that funny.¡± I say and they calm down but when I look back at Nicks¡¯ determined face I couldn¡¯t help butugh myself. ¡°Okay, fine it was funny,¡± I say between myughter which causes others tough with me too.


    I then see Nicks ring at me which made me stopughing and go back into character. He was a joke if he thought he could intimidate me here though. Even the people who hate me would take my side here.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking.¡± He growls but I shrug. ¡°Then my answer is no, have a smashing evening,¡± I say and turn to close the door but from the corner of my eye, see Nicks reaching for my shoulder so I grab a strong hold of it, twisting it, and pulling it and him over my shoulder, making himnd on the floor with a loud bang as I kneeled on his chest, holding him down. I made one of my hands hold his neck down, almost choking him. But when I see his pathetic eyes, I¡¯m reminded of myself which makes me get up, letting him go in the process.


    ¡°And he says there¡¯d be no newbies in thepetition,¡± I mutter. The whole room is silent though so it can be heard either way.


    The rest of Nicks¡¯ gang thene running to Nicks, helping him up as he held his neck in pain. ¡°Make sure he doesn¡¯t bother me again,¡± I order demonically and their eyes tell me they¡¯ve understood. I scoff at them and turn my back once again.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a ce for a gang so good luck on not getting yourselves killed,¡± I warn and close my door, able to hear cheers on the other side.


    ¡ª


    ¡°LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS! WELCOME TO THIS YEARS FACE-OFFS! IT WILL BE GRUESOME AND GORY! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! IF YOU¡¯RE GOING TO VOMIT, DO IT OUTSIDE YOU NASTY MOTHERFUCKERS!¡±


    I chuckle at thementator and stretch as I waited with the rest of the fighters.


    ¡°So I was right to assume that was the infamous Nicks Secter?¡± Xavier asks ncing back to where I assumed they were sitting. ¡°Oh yeah,¡± I reply, uninterested really. I was more focused on winning. ¡°Pretty weak isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Big time.¡± ¡°Maybe he just didn¡¯t want to hurt your feelings.¡± He teased and nudged my arm. I rolled my eyes under my mask, ¡°what feelings?¡± I replied with a smirk and we both chuckled before turning to each other, locking hands and started our little ¡®ritual¡¯.


    ¡°Through this, we, the first and second strongest, promise to stay true, stay fair and stay bloody no matter who we¡¯re fighting or what we¡¯re fighting, even if it¡¯s each other.¡±


    We both chant and fist bump before sitting at our stations. My mask was on, my lenses were on, my hoodie was on, my signature jacket was on and my adrenaline was running. I was ready to fight.


    I looked at the row of fighters until my eyesnd on the Skulls and Bones gang who was already looking back at me. I shrug them off and pay my attention to the line of fights going on until I finally heard my name.


    ¡°FOR THE TIME A LOT OF YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! HERE COMES OUR PRINCESS OF HELL! THEE ONE! THEE ONLY! THE MYSTERRRRIOUS DEMON!!¡±


    I nod towards Xavier and he mouths a ¡®go win¡¯ before I make my way in the ring. Hundreds of people all around in this underground stadium. Cheering -screaming even- for me and it does nothing but boost me up more. I punch the air and they cheer harder. I could hear people say my name, telling me they love me, telling me to crush my opponent until thementator settles them down.


    I go to my corner, taking off my jacket and handing it to one of the outstretched hands that beg to be given my jacket to hold during the fight. This was a normal urrence and the person who ends up getting it celebrates while I wait to hear who I¡¯ll be going up against.


    ¡°NOW FOLKS I KNOW THESE FIGHTS ARE FOR THE BEST BUT WE HAVE SOMEONE NEW THIS ROUND.¡± The crowd boo¡¯s at this but he carries on, ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP I HAVEN¡¯T INTRODUCED HIM YET! COME TO THE STAGE NICKOLAS SECTERRRRR OF THE SKULL AND BONES GANG!¡±


    I grin under my mask as hees up. My luck couldn¡¯t get any better than this. Some cheered, most boo¡¯ed while a handful told me to kill him.


    ¡°NOW MY PRINCESS I KNOW YOU KNOW THE RULES BUT I¡¯LL EXPLAIN FOR THE NEW ONE. THERE ARE NO WEAPONS ALLOWED IN THE RING. THERE ARE NO TIMEOUTS. FIGHTS CARRY ON UNTIL ONE IS UNCONSCIOUS, OR GIVES UP. IF NEITHER HAPPENS YOU WILL BE KILLED AND WE WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE. AND IF YOU BREAK THESE RULES¡­.¡±


    I can¡¯t help but have my grin turn devilish, already knowing the consequences.


    ¡°WE¡¯LL HAVE YOU PUT IN BETWEEN OUR TOP TWO STRONGEST STREET FIGHTER AND YOU. WILL. DIE.¡±


    He was exaggerating but he wasn¡¯tpletely off the mark either. I would know. I¡¯ve fought a good fair share of rule-breakers. They leave without the ability to walk or move their arms. Some die once they leave. I wouldn¡¯t know about the others.


    Once the rules were exined I put my hands in my pocket and we began circling around the ring. ¡°Are you mocking me? Hands in pockets and all?¡± he says, anger clear in his voice. I shrug in reply. ¡°It was you who got thrown on the floor earlier.¡± The crowdughs. ¡°I just wasn¡¯t expecting it, especially from a girl.¡±


    My movements stop suddenly and the crowd goes quiet. ¡°What did you say?¡± I ask trying to remain calm.


    ¡°Girls are weak. I let you off easy before but right now, you will lose.¡±


    His words repeat in my head. Anger rises. All my fans are aware of what he has just triggered and start muttering ¡®he¡¯s dead¡¯ and his death is the only thing I¡¯m able to think of. Even thementator says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve said that.¡±


    I look at him sharply, taking note of his tense figure. I click my neck and knuckles before replying to him.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to regret saying that bruv.¡±


    .

 Chapter 8 I Hate This

    -Nichs¡¯ POV-


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Her question went right above my head for a moment. Instead, I was more focussed on just her presence. You could feel her strength and it was amazing.


    However, I shook myself out of my daze and stood firm despite the number of people who were watching me. They didn¡¯t like me, I could sense it. No one thought I belonged here and they weren¡¯tpletely wrong either. I¡¯m a gang leader, I don¡¯t belong in a ce this disgusting. The smell of blood and alcohol consumed my nose, it didn¡¯t match the image of the fighter in front of me. She stood with pride, honor, and strangely, beauty. Like a rose full of thorns.


    ¡°You¡¯re joining my gang,¡± Imand. I didn¡¯t care about the title she had here, nor the people who will try to stop me, I will have her in my gang.


    The room burst outughing, however. For some reason, to them, I seemed like a joke. That made me angry but I wasn¡¯t as bothered. They weren¡¯t my goal. She was.


    The said girl put her hand in the air which silenced everyone, demonstrating her power and it was effective. The room was quiet in anticipation of what she had to say, ¡°alright guys, the joke wasn¡¯t that funny.¡± She confirmed which gave me hope. Maybe this was going to be easier than I thought.


    I was wrong.


    She looked into my eyes and burst outughing herself. My body temperature rose while watching her. I re at her as sheposes herself, admitting that it was funny after all in the process which made others chuckle with her.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking,¡± I warn but she just shrugs, ¡°then my answer is no, have a smashing evening,¡± she replies casually which catches me off guard. She couldn¡¯t just do that. She turned to close her door but I wasn¡¯t going to give up without a fight.


    I reach towards her shoulder with one hand while the other goes towards my gun. I had nned to hold it against her in order to force her to join but before I could reach the gun she took hold of my hand, twisted it, and pulled me over her shoulder in one swift movement. I crash onto the ground with a loud thud. I groan in pain when my back hits the ground. I also felt a weight on my chest so I open my eyes to see her knee keeping me down and then her handes and squeezes my neck. I was suffocating, my heart was panicking, my lungs felt as if they were going to copse and not just because I was getting strangled.


    Memories flooded my mind. NO. I had to forget, had to fight.


    Yet, I didn¡¯t have to fight. Before I did anything she let go on her own. When I was able to breathe I gasped for air but stillid their confused. Was it mercy?


    ¡°And he says there¡¯d be no newbies in thepetition,¡± she mutters and I would have argued if my neck wasn¡¯t in so much pain. I coughed and held it, trying to ease it but it didn¡¯t really work out.


    Behind me, I could hear my gang running up to me, Jason helping me up.


    ¡°Make sure he doesn¡¯t bother me again,¡± I hear The Mysterious Demon order which angers me even more. How dare she order around my gang? ¡°This isn¡¯t a ce for a gang so good luck on not getting yourself killed,¡± she carries of darkly before closing the door, surrounding us with nothing but the cheers of her supporters.


    There was something about her. Something. She humiliated me, belittled me. She was just like another girl I knew and I was infuriated. I couldn¡¯t let this keep happening. Whether it¡¯s Dominic or whether it¡¯s this Demon, I will beat them at their games. I had to. I am stronger.


    ¡°She got you badly dude,¡± Zackments on my gashed back. I put my shirt back on and while replying, spitting venom, ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck. I¡¯m going to control her, to do that I need her in my gang no matter what.¡± I state ¡°but she won¡¯t want to see you anymore unless it¡¯s in the ring so she can beat you up officially.¡± Jake says halfughing which makes me shake my head.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We¡¯ll surround her after the fights; she¡¯ll be tired, injured, there will be five of us and one of her, there¡¯s no way she¡¯ll be able to escape us, she¡¯s only a girl¡± I exined and most of them agreed but ke argued. ¡°but she¡¯s the strongest girl in this country¡± I stared at him for a moment, not sure who¡¯s side he was on at that moment but his eyes told me that he was just looking out for me, I nodded back, ¡°We¡¯ll just have to give it a go.¡±


    ¡ª


    Not long passed when it was time for the face-offs to begin.


    We all sat together with the rest of the fighters while listening to thementator and signing forms which have us agree to take responsibility for whatever damage we may receive. After signing these papers, there was no going back. But I wasn¡¯t nning on going back. I was going to seed here.


    The Mysterious Demon and The Champ were thest ones to finallye out, making everyone stare at them. They ignored the stares though as if they were used to it. The Mysterious Demon did look our way for a short second but was quick to dismiss me, looking down on me again. I curled my fist and told myself ¡®soon¡¯.


    Not long after The Mysterious Demon¡¯s name was called onto the ring. It was her time now. When she was called, you could hear the amount of love she got here. The cheers were deafening. She was so respected, so appreciated.


    ¡®Soon¡¯ I told myself, ¡®soon¡¯.


    ¡°COME TO THE STAGE NICKOLAS SECTERRRRR OF THE SKULLS AND BONES GANG!¡±


    Soon was now. I stood and with the support of my gang, I entered the ring. This was it. It was going to happen. A lot of people booed at my entrance but I didn¡¯t give a shit. I just wanted to beat her.


    I listened to the rules and scoffed at the ¡®no weapons¡¯ rule. I don¡¯t need a weapon. Here, in front of everyone, I was going to humiliate her and take her title.


    ¡°Are you mocking me? Hands in your pockets and all?¡± I asked, trying to stay calm but failing. ¡°It was you who got thrown on the floor earlier,¡± The crowdughs at me but I was ready to retort. ¡°I just wasn¡¯t expecting it, especially from a girl.¡±


    She suddenly stops which makes me tense, the crowd is quiet which seemed wrong. She told me to repeat myself so I smirked, I must have hit a nerve.


    ¡°Girls are weak. I let you off easy before but right. now, you will lose.¡±


    I taunt confidently, I was right, I had to be. However, I hear whispering, something was definitely wrong, even thementator whispered, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve said that.¡± to me which worries me.


    I watch as she clicks her body parts, letting me know she was going to start.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to regret saying that bruv.¡±


    .

 Chapter 9 Fighting Him

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    I ran up to Nicks, acting like I was going to punch him but instead swiftly turned and slid my foot under him, making him fall the second time this evening.


    His back must have been in pain form the falls he¡¯s been getting from me recently but I didn¡¯t care. I don¡¯t believe in mercy in the ring.


    I jumped down and elbowed his stomach earning a groan. That¡¯s what he got for punching me in the stomach so. many. fucking. times. I thought with a grin but was suddenly pushed around so he was on top of me, he punched my face a couple of time, allowing me to get a sense of his strength. He wasn¡¯t weak that was for sure, but I had harder against Xavier.


    Before he could punch me with his bloodied firsts again I took hold of his wrist while raising my knee, digging it hard into his stomach which loosened his position. This allowed me to free myself and start jumping on the spot, trying to contain the adrenalin in me.


    Nicks then shouted and attempted to kick me but I grabbed his legs and elbowed his knee which made him yell in pain. As he pulled his leg in, I grabbed his shirt and wasted no time to meet my fist with his face. His nose started bleeding immediately which satisfied me.


    He looked dizzy so I decided to end this, there was no point in wasting my time and energy so early in thepetition. So I let his head lean forward and used the back of his neck to smash him onto the floor. He knocked out. Unconscious. That could only mean one thing.


    I win.


    I went to the back to meet Xavier and he threw me an energy drink as a reward whilsting up to me with a grin. ¡°Tell me, how long have you wanted to punch him like that?¡± He asks with an arm around my shoulders. ¡°Three fucking months,¡± I reply back, proud and heughed.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not over, you know this.¡± I nodded in all seriousness and sat down as a few guys took Nicks in and started fixing up his wounds. I turned away, feeling res on my back which did nothing but amuse me. I loved this.


    ¡ª


    ¡°AND FOR OUR LAST MATCH OF THE NIGHT, IT¡¯S THE TIME YOU¡¯VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!¡±


    The crowd cheered louder than ever. I knew exactly who was going to be called out and I couldn¡¯t be more excited. I¡¯ve been training hard for this day and now it¡¯s time.


    ¡°COME OUT THE FIRST AND SECOND STRONGEST STREET FIGHTERS OF THIS COUNTRY! THE MYSTERIOUS DEMON AND THE CHAMPPPPP!¡±


    Both Xavier and I stood and started walking side by side. ¡°Don¡¯t break a leg,¡± I say with a smirk as we make it closer to the ring. ¡°Oh please Demon, I think you know that it definitely won¡¯t be me breaking a leg. Either way, whoever wins or loses doesn¡¯t matter all too much. We¡¯ll both stay first and second strongest.¡± He replies confidently which almost makes meugh. ¡°So you¡¯ll let me win?¡± I ask innocently and he chuckled before pushing my head away gently. ¡°Nice try.¡± He says and we both step up on our stage.


    The crowd was wild and they had every right to be. Even now at around 4 am, no one could contain their excitement for our fight.


    ¡°Come to me!¡± I shout and he doesn¡¯t hesitate to do so.


    Punch, miss, kick, duck, hit, having the upper hand, losing the upper hand. The cycle repeated. I knew his fighting style and he knew mine, its both a good and bad thing for both of us but now I was going to change the routine. Instead of going for a punch, I slide in between in legs,ing up the other side and kicking his lower back making him unstable.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to have him go down though. Unlike Nicks, Xavier was built like a rock. While I stood, Xavier turned and swung at my stomach. My stomach wasn¡¯t doing well these few days, he knew that and used it to his advantage. His punch hurt like hell. I bend forward containing a groan. I could see Xavier getting ready to knock me out behind my head through the corner of my eyes so before he could bring his hands down, I grabbed them and threw him over my shoulder.


    I quickly made my next move and hammer kick his head before also giving another kick to his shoulder bones. I hear him in pain under me so I go for a third kick but he catches it and throws me onto the floor next to him.


    We were both out of breath, in pain, unable to move. I fractured a couple of his bones and I could feel that he fractured a couple of mine. We were stuck on the floor, looking up at the lights, listening to the cheers of people who had been blocked out throughout that whole thing.


    I turned my head to Xavier who also looked back at me. We conversed through our eyes and both nodded. At the same time, we tapped out.


    With that, we were both dered the winners. We were both champions. It was no big deal for Xavier but for me, it was a lot. I was in the same league as him.


    On our way to our room, we were congratted by a lot of the home fighters who we recognized. I looked around and took note that the Skulls and Bones were no longer here and didn¡¯t let myself getfortable with that idea.


    The prize money that Xavier and I had won was split but I kept my half with Xavier for now regardless as I knew that it wasn¡¯t particrly safe with me right now.


    It was around 6 am when I was able to go home.


    I walked up towards my motorcycle which I had parked at an alleyway nearby. You knew it belonged to me because like my jacket, it had the initials M. D on it.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I started picking up my jet ck helmet when I suddenly heard a sound from behind me. It wouldn¡¯t have been the first time I was ambushed after apetition by people who were stupid enough to think I¡¯d be weaker now so I was prepared. I put my helmet down, my hood up, and looked around. There was no clear light source so I didn¡¯t see anything straight away.


    I took out a cigarette, lit it up and breathed in the smoke before exhaling. A forbidden habit. Xavier hated smoking and one of his street fighting rules was no smoking. It ruins my health and lowers my chances of winning. I was aware. I was but it cleared my mind and right now I needed that, a clear head.


    I finished the cigarette and let it drop before I stepped on it. Five shadows emerged after I did.


    ¡°We don¡¯t take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer.¡±


    .

 Chapter 10 Fighting Her

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    I woke up and was quick to realize that I had lost to The Mysterious Demon. I curled my bandaged fists and punched the wall next to me in anger. I failed.


    Soon I also came to find out that my gang had slowly lost to other street fighters too, Jake being thest. The only fight I was able to watch properly, and the most interesting one, was between The Mysterious Demon and The Champ.


    It was the longest fight I heard. It was painful to watch too. My anger was reced with amazement as I watched them but the anger was not forgotten. When they finally ended the fight in a draw, I took my gang out and we got in ce for our attack.


    A lot of them were injured which I had to be wary of. Thispetition wasn¡¯t as easy as we thought it was going to be. I learned that the fights here were more than just who was bigger, taller, or older. It was about practice, theory, experience. Things that my gang did not have.


    For now, though, it was okay because unlike the street fights, we now had our weapons ready for use.


    After around half an hour, everyone had left and the said girl started walking up to her deserted motorbike. She didn¡¯t have her mask on and her hood was down so I tried my best to look at her face, any of her features but it was way too dark.


    She was about to put her helmet on but a sound was made by one of my members who were getting into ce. I cursed when I saw she heard it too. She put her hood up and looked around but fortunately, didn¡¯t see anyone. She then took out a box of cigarettes and lit one up.


    I furrowed my eyebrows as I watched her do that. There was no one she could be trying to look cool for and she must have known how bad it was to smoke, and yet she looked as if it was a normal thing for her. I shook my head. It shouldn¡¯t matter to me.


    I waited until she was done to make my signal. My gang then started to surround her slowly including myself. ¡°We don¡¯t take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer,¡± I say in a threat filled voice but she seemed almost relieved when she heard my voice.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just you guys, I thought you were some other gang who wanted to kill me.¡± sheughs softly afterwards. Her voice seemed horse and tired which was perfect. That¡¯s what we needed. Yet I hesitated, she had people after her life? I questioned in my head but didn¡¯t pursue it further.


    ¡°You¡¯re joining my gang whether you like it or not,¡± I state and the rest of the guys get in position.


    ¡°Make me.¡± she taunts and that¡¯s when Jake ran up to her followed by ke on the other side. Jake aimed to punch her face while ke went to punch her stomach but at thest second she ducked down low so the twins ended up punching each other in the respective ces.


    After that Zack goes in and tries to swing a knife at her but she easily dodges him and then Jason¡¯s bullet which ended up skidding past Jake. After their attacks failed I charged in with hopes of pinning her against the wall that she was being backed up into by the continuous attacks of my gang. And it worked.


    I held both of her wrists up against the wall and held her legs in ce so she couldn¡¯t move. She didn¡¯t look particrly worried though, she looked amused instead.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯re joining my gang.¡± I growl and surprisingly she replies with, ¡°¡® aight¡± which caught me off guard, ¡°really?¡± I ask and she looks as if she¡¯s going to nod but instead her heades crashing down onto mine, hard. I end up letting go of her which allowed her to continue fighting against us.


    The fight went on for ages and after God knows how much time went past, the gang ended up on the floor, panting, tired and in a heavy amount of pain while she was still on her feet, also panting. She headed towards her motorcycle, put on her helmet saying, ¡°see ya aroundds!¡± before flipping the ss down and driving off.


    ¡°Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!¡± I exim in frustration as Iid on the floor. ke then came from over my head with an outstretched hand which I took and got up struggling.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Nick, we¡¯ll get her.¡± I nodded at his words and Zack also pitches in, ¡°yeah! You can take it out on Dominic when we get to school!¡± This makes us all chuckle tiredly and also in slight dread. Not being able to sleep after all this was not a plus side at all but the thought of school does remind me of one thing.


    ¡°ke, don¡¯t forget your job.¡± I remind and he sighed before nodding, ¡°I know¡±. Our little exchange perked the interest of the rest of the members so I exined his little roll on our way back to my apartment.


    When we got in, we all showered, patched up as much as we could and sat around a table, knowing we didn¡¯t have a lot of time before school started.


    ¡°We need to gather the information we collected tonight about The Mysterious Demon. Anyone got anything?¡± I start and the rest start thinking. ¡°I heard from the fighters that she¡¯s seen with different coloured contact lenses every night she fights.¡± Zack chips in and I nod, ¡°Her appearance isn¡¯t trustworthy. Anything else?¡±


    I ask and they thought before ke came up with something.


    ¡°She¡¯s English.¡±


    .

 Chapter 11 The Next Day

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    Once you reach your peak you¡¯re bound to fall. In thest 24 hours,st night was my peak and now I¡¯m dreading my way forward.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Not getting the sleep I need is one of themon consequences of street fighting, I¡¯m used to it. But today my body hurt a lot more than it has ever due to the heavy numbers of fights I had, not to mention the extra fight against the Skulls and Bones.


    Speaking of which, knowing them, I¡¯m probably not going to be left alone today at school either. Their insults have moved onto physical attacks and with my supposedly weak state and their weak state of mind, I¡¯m probably going to get another extra fight.


    Sighing I wrap around a bandage onto my abdomen, making sure there are multipleyers to help reduce at least a little of my pain that¡¯s bound toe about. I rub my face with cream and ointment to help heal the new gashes and bruises. I then walk into my kitchen, open up my medicine draw and down a few tablets, most of them to keep my pain in check.


    Beingte or right on time was my normal routine. I was let off easy here at school because they knew that my family had been killed which in turn helped me get passes on my arrival and leaving times. I live far, ¡®fend¡¯ for myself, and have a fake doctor¡¯s note with mental health conditions written in it to give me enough reasons to be in or not be in for as much time as I wanted. It was very convenient.


    Some of my teachers worry that I won¡¯t get the education I¡¯m supposed to get but that isn¡¯t very urate. Xavier is my trainer and unfortunately also a pretty strict teacher. He uses our training time as academic education time too. I hated to admit it but he¡¯s smart and that¡¯s kept me from falling behind no matter how tough and painful it could be. Whether it be for me to stay in a nk position until I solved a maths problem mentally or memorizing the periodic table and all of the atoms¡¯ atomic numbers whilst doing pull-ups, he made me do it.


    I gulp at the thought of it as I enter the school building. Surprisingly it was one of the rare times where I got in a little early. The guys didn¡¯t seem to be here yet either which made me sigh in relief but I didn¡¯t keep my hopes up. They woulde in sooner orter, I knew they would. Besides, with all that built-up anger, I know Nicks wouldn¡¯t miss the chance to use me as his punching bag.


    And I was right.


    Just as I had opened my locker it was shut back onto my fingers. ¡°Shit¡± I curse, fingers throbbing in pain. I look to my left to see Nicks standing there looking at me disapprovingly. I looked into his eyes, at first in an attempt to keep myself looking strong but afterwards, it ended up to try and find something. His eyes, unlike the muscles of his face, didn¡¯t look angry, they were lonely, upset. They¡­ mirrored mine.


    ¡°What? Did one of your flings dump you?¡± I ask in annoyance, I couldn¡¯t have him making me feel weak. He scoffed at me which made me want to smirk back but he didn¡¯t give me the chance. His hand shot up to my neck, pushing me roughly onto my locker. It was as if he was getting revenge for me strangling himst night because now he was strangling me back even though he¡¯s not aware it was me.


    ¡°Look here you bitch, I want nothing more than to rip you to shreds right now so you better shut the fuck up before I kill you!¡± He threatens but I¡¯m not concerned by them all too much. I do fear for how he¡¯ll treat me though so I decided to give in to my curiosity.


    I put a hand on top of the one that was holding his neck and while I struggle to breathe, I look into his eyes once more. My hands were burning inparison to his which was strange to me. The more I looked, the more he seemed to rx. He was looking into mine as I was his. Pain flickered through his grey orbs. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s wrong¡± I hear myself whisper. His grip softens from my neck and his lips part.


    He was about to say something when his friends came from around the corner. This seemed to snap Nicks back out of it. Anger came running back to his eyes and he crashed me against the lockers before turning his back to me.


    I sighed for the third time that day. All I heard was theirughter fading as they walk away from me but there was also the sound of footsteps nearing me.


    ¡°You okay?¡± I recognize the voice to be of ke¡¯s. I nodded as he helped me straighten myself out and I looked at him a little wearily. ¡°Won¡¯t they ask why you staid behind?¡± I ask and he shook his head ¡®no¡¯.


    ¡°Nick wanted me to be friends with you, unknowing we already are.¡± He replied and I almost scoffed in disbelief but ended up smirking instead. ¡°To get information about me right? What a prick.¡± and he looks at me guiltily. I wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t actually do that to you.¡± He tried to reassure but it doesn¡¯t work in his favour. I don¡¯t trust him and never have. ¡°Sure bruv, sure¡± I replied doubtingly, holding his shoulder casually to emphasize my doubt.


    However, he seemed to get a different message. He gently took my hand in his and reversed me back on to my locker. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I ask and try to move my hand away but he tightens his grip slightly. It wasn¡¯t rming, his eyes told me he was trying to be soft.


    He leaned his other arm above my head and came closer to me. My eyes widened slightly and I tried moving away from him whilst also ignoring the sensation I was getting in my chest and stomach. ¡°ke stop.¡± ¡°I need you to trust me.¡± He says deeply. His eyes roamed my face, dropped down at my body for a moment beforeing back up.


    ke is a guy who gets girls¡¯ attention. A lot of people love him. I was more than aware of what he was capable of doing but whether I wanted to use brute force and expose myself or sit and do nothing against him, I wasn¡¯t really sure.


    Trust my ass. I think as I argue internally but something kept me from fighting. Something.


    He started staring down at my lips which made my heartbeat quicken. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I order when he starts to lean in. ¡°Why not?¡± he asks, leaning back slightly but not letting go. I look down, getting ready to admit something I hadn¡¯t wanted to admit to anyone, ¡°a girl never wants her first kiss to be a meaningless one.¡±


    After the statement left my lips ke immediately stepped away. ¡°You¡¯ve never been touched like that by a guy before?¡± He asks and I look back at his as if it were obvious. I¡¯m not the most well-kept person. I have scars that keep people from approaching me. Besides, Demons don¡¯t fall in love.


    ke rubbed his face before mumbling, ¡°Shit¡± and apologizing, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, D¡±. His face looked earnest but I had hardened myself and shrugged in response. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I say and he looks at me in disbelief, ¡°No it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°It is¡± I argue and he stays quiet for a little bit, probably not expecting my emotionless reply.


    I was responsible for what happened. I could have stopped him if I wanted to. He had no reason for apologizing. So it was okay. I smiled at him.


    ¡°Let me make it up to you.¡± He says suddenly which makes me raise an eyebrow. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± I ask back and he rubs his head before saying, ¡°Sit with me and the boys at lunch?¡±


    I roll my eyes at his suggestion. ¡°One problem, they all hate me.¡± He cringed slightly when I said that but I didn¡¯t let him argue, ¡°Besides,¡± I carry on, ¡°I¡¯m never really here at lunch period.¡± He looks at me weirdly and before he could ask me why I turned and started walking. ¡°See you around, B¡±


    .

 Chapter 12 Hours Later

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    To be a street fighter you must not be going to school. There was no way in hell that a street fighter could be able to go to school in this much pain and this tired every time they go to fight. There was just no fucking way.


    I wouldn¡¯t go to school today either if I didn¡¯t want to let out my anger on someone deserving. The pain that I currently had on my way to school only made me angrier. I may not have the ability to beat The Mysterious Demon but there was a girl just like her that I was ready to use as a recement.


    I drove my Audi R8 speedily with Zack sitting next to me. Jason would drive the rest with him. I spent years making money for this $136, 000 car. It had been my dream car ever since Iid eyes on it. Getting the money wasn¡¯t easy though and it wasn¡¯t the most honest way of making money either but I¡¯m a gang leader, nothing I did was honest.


    My gang was in charge of a lot of drug transportation all over the world. I had members almost everywhere, all trained and all strong. This car was a trophy of our sess.


    When I made it into the school parking lot, something interesting caught my eye. It was Dominic¡¯s motorbike. A Suzuki Hayabusa ABS Z worth around $15, 000 and I hated to admit it but it was beautiful. It was beautiful enough for me to hate it. I hated her for having it. How could she afford it anyway?


    I heard a whistle from next to me and I see Zack looking at the bike that I was looking at. ¡°Demonic¡¯s right?¡± He asks and I nod grudgingly. ¡°Do you think she works some kind of job which helped her pay for it?¡± I shrug, ¡°she misses a lot of schools so probably.¡± I say monotone but then an idea crosses through my mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s crash it.¡±


    ¡°What?! Nick are you crazy?! You don¡¯t need to go that far!¡± I ignore his protests and start speeding ahead. ¡°Nick!¡± Crash. I open my eyes and grin. Her bike was thrashed. My car was surprisingly undamaged which made the whole thing even better.


    After parking my car which held a silent Zack, I got out and started looking for my poor victim.


    I walked into the building with confidence and anger. Without much effort, I found Dominic by her locker. She looked calm and at peace and I was ready to ruin it. I mmed her locker onto her fingers and smirked at her pain. She looked into her eyes and I was caught off guard slightly, I felt as if I was looking at myself before I was reminded it was the girl I hated.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What? Did one of your flings dump you?¡± She tried to insult but I didn¡¯t let her have that pleasure. So I proceeded by strangling her. I had a bruise on my neck from where The Mysterious Demon strangled me yesterday and I felt like giving Dominic the same one. We had the same eyes why not share the same pain?


    However, when I was caught back to her eyes, the way she was looking at me, the pain, the loneliness that I could see. It reminded me¡­


    I tried threatening her in order to make myself feel better but it didn¡¯t work. My chest tightening and my hand almost shook when her warm handnded on top of it. Guilt ran through me. For the first time, I felt guilty. She reminded me so much¡­ of me. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡± She whispered and it made it seem as if she really wanted to help me.


    Could she understand me? I asked myself, softening my grip and getting ready to say something when suddenly I heard my friendsing around the corner. I snapped out of this train of thought and masked my weak state with anger again, pushing her harsher than I had wanted and walked away letting ke clean up my mess.


    ¡ª


    A few hours past and it was lunch period. I walked up to my car in order to get my food, leaving my guys to go to the cafeteria. My mind was running while my face staid monotone. Something hadn¡¯t felt right since my encounter with Dominic that morning.


    Speaking of which, just as I was going to close my door, I see her walking up to her bike. I swallow in guilt when I see her swipe some dust off of the crashed vehicle. I was surprised since I had expected her to cry but instead, she went around and inspected its damage, standing it up again with ease despite it being really heavy.


    After looking at it a bit more she sighs with what seemed like disappointment and takes out her phone, calling someone with her back to me.


    ¡°Xavier? Hey.¡± She said in a low voice. It was filled with upset which makes me soften and ignore my curiosity towards whoever Xavier was. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a littlete, my bikes trashed.¡± she says and there¡¯s a silence before she replies, ¡± I¡¯m sorry ¡®aight? I won¡¯t bete again.¡± She promises followed by another silence and then she finally breaks, ¡°I¡¯m not going to fucking leave it here Xavier!¡± She shouted ¡°You know exactly why! This bike meant a lot to my stepbrother and it means a lot to me too!¡± Another pang of guilt waved through my body. ¡°You know what? Fuck you.¡± She continues after and then rolls her eyes before hanging up.


    After that I watched her take a box of cigarettes from inside her pocket, making my eyes widen as she lights one up and put it in her mouth. I couldn¡¯t help but feel upset with her.


    I slowly started walking towards her, unsure of whatpelled me to do so. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you smoke,¡± I say but she doesn¡¯t face me. ¡°Since when did you know anything about me?¡± I felt hurt at her cold tone but pushed it back. ¡°Smoking¡¯s bad for you, you know that, why do you do it?¡± I ask, for some reason finding myself concerned. I transport drugs, probably thest person you¡¯d want to hear this from but I know the harm in all of these things hence why I never touch them myself.


    ¡°My stepbrother used to smoke. I just picked up his habit.¡± ¡°But he ¡®used to¡¯, meaning he must not do it anymore,¡± I argue, trying to win our little debate. She turns her head to me, looking me over before looking down. ¡°My stepbrother¡¯s dead.¡±


    Silence came between us. I knew the pain of losing family even if I may not have been old enough to witness it, my parents both died shortly after my birth and I found out about them when I was around 10. It was hard, always has been, even if I didn¡¯t know them. I could almost imagine what she¡¯s going through.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say. Shocked to find myself apologizing but not regretful. She takes out her cigarette from her mouth and puts it on top of the seat with her handsid t next to it.


    ¡°He died on this bike. Got shot by some gang members on his way home. It broke a lot of me.¡± I looked at her with sympathy. ¡°Where do you live? I can drop you home.¡± I say. I was responsible after all.


    Dominic looked up at me again but this time she smirked. ¡°Feeling guilty for wrecking my bike Sector?¡± She taunts before chuckling. I¡¯m shocked for a moment, ¡°How did you know it was me?¡± ¡°The bike has a camera built into it, I knew you broke it the minute it was broken,¡± She replies making me swallow. ¡°And you¡¯re not mad?¡± I ask cautiously. Women were unpredictable with their moods after all.


    She turns back to her bike again. ¡°Nah, after my adoptive parents were killed, all of me broke. Nothing else bothers me anymore.¡±


    She was adopted,


    Just like me.


    .

 Chapter 13 Meet Xavier

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    ¡°You should go back inside it¡¯s starting to rain,¡± I say while going through my contacts. I don¡¯t know why exactly I was so open to Nicks, I hadn¡¯t told anyone about what happened to my adoptive family aside from teachers. Xavier already knew and ke only knew bits and pieces but something about Nicks made me spill it all which was stupid of me. He¡¯s probably going to use it against me now. Fuck me.


    ¡°And what? You¡¯re going to stay and try to take care of a bike that doesn¡¯t have a chance of being repaired?¡± I curl my hands into fists but stay calm. ¡°I have somewhere I have to be,¡± I reply and I could tell he rolled his eyes behind my back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn Dominic ande and finish the school day for once won¡¯t you?¡± He demanded, ¡°Either that or I¡¯m dropping you off wherever you¡¯re going.¡± He finished which made me look at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Since when did you want to drop me anywhere other than the floor?¡± I ask and he smirks at me as the rain starts to pour.


    ¡°Get in the car ¡®Demonic''¡± He mocks which makes me roll my eyes as I hide a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving this here,¡± I say and he sighs whilst trying to shelter himself from the rain with his arms. ¡°Then get someone to pick it up while we¡¯re gone. Hurry up I¡¯m getting all wet,¡± Heined and chuckled but I nodded mumbling a ¡®fine¡¯ while taking off the oversized hoodie I had on top of my shirt and tossed it to him.


    I really liked pouring rain. The way it felt as it hit my skin, the way it slid down my face, acting like the tears I have yet to shed. But I shook my head. I couldn¡¯t enjoy it this time.


    Whilst Nicks stood cluelessly with my hoodie in his hands, I dialled the number I was looking for and walked towards his car. When I made it to Nicks¡¯ door I looked to see him still confused which almost made meugh. ¡°Well? Are you going to put it on and open the door or not?¡± I ask amused when he caught on and cautiously put on the hoodie and opening the car for me.


    I slid inside and quickly scanned around the car¡¯s interior. This car was beautiful that¡¯s for sure. I almost forgave it for crashing my bike but snapped myself out of it when my call was finally answered.


    ¡°Hey man,¡± I greet, ¡°Hey! M. D! It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve heard from you!¡± I smile and get straight to the point, ¡°look, I don¡¯t have a lot of time, my bike¡¯s broken and I¡¯m not leaving it until it¡¯s in good hands,¡± ¡°You can trust us darlin¡¯, I¡¯ll let Will take care of you again. It¡¯s a shame to hear though, your bikes are pieces of art, which one was it? The red or the signature ck?¡± I sigh, ¡°The red.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not so bad then.¡±


    He then sighs which perks my interest. ¡°Look darlin¡¯ I know I don¡¯t usually charge you, you¡¯re my best bet at the fights, but I think it¡¯s time you pay up.¡± I clench my jaw at this and could see Nicks ncing at me as he drove out of the school gates. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Twenty thousand dors-¡± ¡°Twenty fucking thousand?! That¡¯s more than the fucking bike!¡± I shout in anger but then remember my surroundings and calm down. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll pay you when I see my bike at it¡¯s best,¡± I state and hang up.


    ¡°Where to?¡± Nicks asks softly, probably surprised by my outburst. ¡°The nearest gym,¡± I reply and he nods. We sat in silence for a bit before he asks what I¡¯m sure was bugging him. ¡°How are you nning on paying him?¡± I reply with a monotone voice. ¡°I¡¯ll work for it,¡± ¡°what do you work as,¡± I nced at him, unsure if it was safe to give him so much information in one go but I do so anyway. ¡°I¡¯m a trainer at the gym we¡¯re going to.¡± He looks impressed which satisfies me. He keeps quiet for a little bit longer before asking another question which surprises me a bit. ¡°Who¡¯s Xavier?¡± I smirked when an idea formed in my head. We had just reached the gym parking lot so I answered with, ¡°Why don¡¯t youe in and meet him?¡±


    I walk into the gym with Nicks tailing behind me. I greeted a few of the other trainers and also bumped into some of my own trainees who seemed happy to see me. Then we walked down to the basement where I was supposed to meet up with Xavier. I walked into the room to see his back turned to us.


    ¡°You know I hate it when you¡¯rete,¡± he growled slightly but I¡¯m not affected as I walk towards him. ¡°I said I was sorry,¡± I say and looked back at Nicks who was staring intently at Xavier¡¯s back. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve brought someone who¡¯d like to see you,¡± I carry on and Xavier looks at me with a confused look but I smirk back so he catches on and turns around to understand what I was talking about and grins himself.


    Nicks tenses up when he sees Xavier which I don¡¯t me him for doing. Xavier turns back to me and holds onto my cor threateningly although I had to try so hard to keep myselfughing as we stared at each other¡¯s eyes and I could tell he was on the brink ofughter as well, ¡°I¡¯d punish you for beingte but because we have a guest, I¡¯ll let you off.¡± He says and so I reply with, ¡°you might as well do whatever mate. Nicks is a huge fan himself.¡± ¡°Oh? Nicks hmm?¡± He says, acting as if he¡¯s never met him. I nod and he drops my shirt before walking towards Nicks.


    ¡°I thought you looked familiar,¡± Xavier says first to Nicks who was trying to stand strong and fearless in front of him. ¡°I was going to say the same thing,¡± Nicks replies. Xavier continues to stare down at Nicks before instructing, ¡°punch her.¡± I¡¯m a little taken back but go with it anyway. Nicks nces at me and I looked back at him with innocence. ¡°Now!¡± Xavier shouts which makes Nicks visibly jump. Xavier loved looking scary, it was quite amusing. ¡°Fine.¡± I heard Nicks mumble as he walks towards me.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Nicks looked into my eyes for a moment and I could tell he felt guilty. I thought nothing of it though. He lifted his hand and directed the punch at my face. He swung and it hit. It hardly hurt. He had pitied me that much? I knew he was stronger and weapon-based but even so. Xavier seemed to catch on as well because he called out, ¡°weak.¡± as if stating it as a fact.


    Xavier then started walking up to us while saying, ¡°watch and learn Nicks Secter.¡± When he made it in front of me I tensed and waited, knowing I won¡¯t be allowed to block, ¡°heads up,¡± he warns but before I could actually lift my head, Xavier had stepped back and punched the dead centre of my cheek with his max strength. It was strong enough to make me fall onto the floor due to the impact. Fuck him, he knew I had to act weak and took advantage. I can tell he mocked me by saying ¡®that¡¯s 79 to 73¡ä in his head but all I could do was spit out the blood that had pooled in my mouth, trying to keep back a re.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to bully her, you better do it like that,¡± Xavier says to Nicks and I sat agape at his words. Who¡¯s side was he on? Xavier saw my reaction andughed. Before lending me a hand and helping me up which I epted with a scowl. I was so going to get him back for this.


    ¡°You know who this is?¡± Xavier asked me while pointing at Nicks. ¡°Nicks Secter. The popr guy at my school, my bully, and also the world¡¯s strongest new generation gang leader of the Skulls and Bones.¡± I state which makes Nicks¡¯ eyes widen, he probably wasn¡¯t expecting me to know that much about him. ¡°How did you know?¡± He asks and I smirk. ¡°Standing here is Xavier, the strongest street fighter titled The Champ. I have my fair share of connections to the underground so I know a lot about the people I¡¯m around.¡± I answer looking smug.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming you broke her motorbike?¡± Xavier asks and Nicks nods slowly. ¡°Hmm.¡± Xavier hums, ncing at my confused face. ¡°You¡¯re lucky. I won¡¯t make you pay for her motorbike in cash but I will make you pay for it in another way.¡± Nicks¡¯ face looked concerned and I stood silently, also confused. ¡°You¡¯re going to join her gym sses,¡± Xavier announced while putting an arm around my shoulder. I processed what he said and when it clicked, both Nicks and I shouted, ¡°What?!¡±


    .

 Chapter 14 This Is Xavier?

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    I stood with Dominic¡¯s hoodie in my hands, confused as to what exactly she wanted me to do with it. She went towards my car with her phone by her ear before turning to me and calling, ¡°Well? Are you going to put it on and open the door or not?¡± which then made me realize: she gave me the hoodie to keep me warm. I couldn¡¯t help but let a smile form on my face as I put the hoodie on, covering my slightly shivering state.


    I opened the car afterwards and let Dominic in although she looked quitefortable under the rain. She slid in and started talking to who I assumed was a mechanic through the phone. I heated the car in the meantime and drove to the gates of the school when Dominic suddenly shouted, ¡°Twenty Fucking Thousand?! That¡¯s more than the fucking bike!¡± which surprised me. I had never seen her lose herposure so this was new to me but she was quick to calm down and agreed to the price before hanging up.


    I had expected her to say that I would have to pay for the damages because I was the one who crashed the bike but instead she sat silently. ¡°Where to?¡± I asked and she replied saying the nearest gym. If I were right then she was talking about the private gym that was only 10 minutes away. ¡°How are you nning on paying him?¡± I asked part of my curiosity got the best of me. When she answered that she worked as a trainer at the gym I was shocked but also impressed. It also reminded me of when I punched her. Her stomach was hard and strong, it was hard to punch at all. These little things I hadn¡¯t noticed due to my anger were nowing back to me. The thing¡¯s I should have noticed.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Dominic was stronger than what she made it seem. If she could get out of Jason and Zack¡¯s hold after being punched then, of course, she had to be. I should have realized.


    I also ended up asking Dominic who Xavier was. I was nervous to ask because it might have made me seem like I was intruding on her privacy but I couldn¡¯t help it. His unknown identity had my mind spiralling ever since I first saw it sh on her phone¡¯s screen. Who was he to Dominic? Another trainer? A friend? I didn¡¯t know but she told me I coulde in and meet him so my questions were finally going to be answered.


    I walked into the gym behind Dominic. The ce was amazingly big and high tech. While we walked through Dominic was greeted countless times by both trainers and trainees who all looked fit and strong, demonstrating the sess of this gym. Dominic would always wear baggy clothes so it was hard to make anything out of her figure but now that I was wearing her hoodie I looked her over to see that she was a lot bigger than I had expected. Her shoulders were wide and her arms made the shirt hug onto them tightly. Her body was still covered but you could tell that under thoseyers, she was built.


    Dominic then led me down to a basement room and opened the door revealing an impressive room full of new equipment, not that the rest of the ce didn¡¯t have new equipment either but it was sopact in here rather than outside that it looked a different type of amazing.


    In the middle of the room was a well-toned and muscr man with his back faced towards us. He was around 7 feet tall and really familiar. ¡°You know I hate it when you¡¯rete,¡± he growled towards Dominic as she walked towards him. I had frozen by the door though, staring at Xavier¡¯s back. He couldn¡¯t be. ¡°I said I was sorry. Besides, I¡¯ve brought someone who¡¯d like to see you,¡± Dominic says to him and finally, he turns to me. Our eyes lock and I tense. It was him. Xavier was the fucking Champ.


    Xavier grinned towards me before turning back to Dominic and holding her cor threateningly, ¡°I¡¯d punish you for beingte but because we have a guest, I¡¯ll let you off,¡± he says which makes my eyes open. The fuck? I thought they were close, why would he punish her just for beingte? ¡°You might as well do whatever mate, Nicks is a huge fan himself,¡± Dominic then says, cooly, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of guilt in my chest. I hated this feeling, this feeling that only she has been able to make me feel. ¡°Oh? Nicks hmm?¡± Xavier then replies while letting go of her, to my relief, and then walking to me.


    I knew he remembered me. The way he grinned when he saw me confirmed that. So now I had to stand prepared. ¡°I thought you looked familiar.¡± He said looking down at me but I couldn¡¯t let him see any fear in me. ¡°I was going to say the same thing.¡± ¡°Punch her.¡± He suddenly orders which shook me to the core. I couldn¡¯t have been prepared for that. When I nced at Dominic I felt bad. ¡°Now!¡± I jumped and then decided to start walking towards her. ¡°Fine.¡± I got myself into this so now I have to follow through.


    I didn¡¯t want to hurt her. So when I punched her I did it as soft as I could but knew I had to make it convincing for Xavier. When I punched her it was harder than I intended and I felt bad straight away, however, ¡°Weak¡± Xavier stated towards it which shocked me. How could he want me to hurt her more than this?


    He then came from behind me and walked towards Dominic. He wasn¡¯t actually going to- he punched her. He punched her so hard that she ended up falling roughly onto the floor with blooding out of her mouth. I had to stop myself from going to see if she was okay but then reminded myself that I¡¯m a gang leader, I couldn¡¯t show myself to be weak and caring for her so I stood still. This was probably why Dominic was so beat up when she came to school too.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to bully her, you better do it like that,¡± he then said which made me furrow my eyebrows. This was a lesson for me? Moreover, he knew I was bullying her? Xavier then helped Dominic up whichforted me slightly.


    ¡°You know who this is?¡± Xavier directed the question to Dominic while pointing at me which made me tense. ¡°Nicks Secter. The popr guy at my school, my bully, and also the world¡¯s strongest new generation gang leader of the Skulls and Bones,¡± she states and I struggle to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. How could she have known that? When I asked Dominic replied by saying, ¡°standing here is Xavier, the strongest street fighter titled The Champ.¡± So she did know, ¡°I have my fair share of connections to the underground so I know a lot about the people I¡¯m around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming you broke her motorbike?¡± Xavier asks me and I nod after debating whether telling the truth or whether to lie was the better choice. For Dominic¡¯s sake, I told the truth. After some thinking, he then announces something which astounds me. ¡°You¡¯re lucky. I won¡¯t make you pay for her motorbike in cash but I will make you pay for it in another way. You¡¯re going to join her gym sses,¡± with that Xavier puts an arm around Dominic¡¯s shoulders and after a pause, both of us shout, ¡°What?!¡±


    .

 Chapter 15 Get Ready

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    ¡°Xavier, can I talk to you privately?¡± I growl at the said man while ncing at Nicks. Xavier looked down at me and grinned like he was innocent before following me out of the door and around the corner.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He asked, clearly amused at my flustered state. I hold my forehead in annoyance. ¡°Joining my gym sses, Xavier? What if he finds out who I am?¡± I hiss and he chuckles in reply. ¡°Imagine that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not funny!¡± I whisper-yell which seems to flip a switch in his head because his smirk faltered and he stood up straight whilst closing some distance between us. Trying to intimidate me.


    ¡°Look,¡± he began in a low voice, ¡°we show no one mercy. That¡¯s that first rule to street fighting. You know this.¡± He scoffed down at me before carrying on, ¡°he crashed your brother¡¯s bike, on purpose, and you¡¯re just going to let him go?¡± He asks and I lower my head. ¡°Are you?!¡± He shouts loud enough for Nicks to probably hear.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not,¡± I say, lifting my head with determined and angry eyes. Xavier nods back at me, ¡°good. You only have two bikes. Don¡¯t let him destroy your second one or else I¡¯ll kill him.¡±


    On the way back I ended up bumping Nicks¡¯ chest when entering the room which made me swear under my breath, making me angrier than I was already.


    ¡°After school, be at this gym. Don¡¯t bete. Bring a water bottle, a towel, maybe a bandage.¡± I say with a smirk at the end which makes his scoff at me. ¡°Oh please, what could you do to me?¡±


    I turn my head back around to Xavier he grinned devilishly before nodding in my direction. Giving me permission for this next move. I took a step back, curled my fist, and punched him straight onto his stomach. It was probably the hardest I could punch without adrenalin pumping me up but it seemed to do well. He groaned, bending over and almost falling due to the impact. I was satisfied. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for punching me for no fucking reason the other day,¡± I say with confidence which makes him look at me shocked.


    I took that moment to walk towards my things and start nning for my sses next session. Behind me, I hear Xavier talking to Nicks. ¡°Get used to it. She¡¯s going to be training you for the rest of this year and it¡¯ll be painful. She¡¯s strong. Trained under both me and MD.¡± He warns knowingly that the use of my street fighter name would tempt him which makes me shake my head but with a smile.


    ¡°Is she here?¡± Nicks asks in reply which makes me roll my eyes. ¡°You think I¡¯d bring you to the gym if she were here?¡± I say and feel his gaze on my back but at least that got him to shut up. After that, he left the building, returning the school which allowed me to prepare for tonight.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡ª


    There were fifteen minutes until my gym ss started and Nicks had just arrived but what confused me was as to why he wasn¡¯t alone. Instead, the rest of his gang apanied him, staring around the basement in awe while I leaned against a wall looking at them with disbelief.


    ¡°What are they doing here?¡± I ask as Nicks approaches me with the rest of them tailing behind. ¡°Well, if this ce is advanced as everyone makes it seem then my gang needs some training.¡± I frown and cross my arms across my chest. ¡°We aren¡¯t a charity case. You can¡¯t expect to get anything here for free. Make the rest of them leave.¡± I order but before he could reply Zack walked towards me until his mouth was next to my ear.


    ¡°Come on Demonic. What harm could it be to let us in this time? If you want, I could pay you back at my ce after the workout. How does that sound?¡± He tries to offer but his smooth-talking goes right passed my ear. He then raised his hand towards my face before I decided I had had enough.


    I grabbed his hand in a tight grip, twisting it behind his back harshly making him yell out in pain, and with his back to me, I kicked behind his knees which made him copse as I let go of him. ¡°Rule number one in my gym. You don¡¯t touch me unless it¡¯s forbat. And if it¡¯s forbat, it better hold the intent to kill.¡±


    That seemed to make them realize that I was serious as they left me alone after. I talked to some staff and arranged to let the guys stay which seemed highly convenient for them. When I turned back I was face to face with ke who held a small amused look on his face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was friends with a self-defence gym instructor.¡± He says and I smile out of spite. Self-defence hmm? How funny would it be if he knew that from the age of fourteen to seventeen I did Karate, Aikido, and MMA all for one year each aside from my street fighting under the instruction of Xavier who thought it was the best way for me to gain skills to kill quickly. This was more than self-defence. It was striking to murder.


    ¡°I don¡¯t talk about it often,¡± I reply to him casually and he leans back a bit, impressed and amusement sitting on his face. ¡°I can see that.¡± He looked me over which reminded me that I wasn¡¯t asyered as I usually am. I can¡¯t let them get to know my body shape or else hiding who I am is going to be that much harder.


    ¡°Are you going to befortable wearing that during the workout?¡± I ask, directing it to his jeans and a casual t-shirt. He shakes his head ¡®no¡¯ in reply before taking off his shirt suddenly. I don¡¯t falter and keep my eyes up but it did catch me off guard seeing him shirtless. He then goes to open a bag he had brought along and I see the rest doing the same so I walked out of the room momentarily and allowed them to change. When they were done I nodded at their more appropriate clothing before leading the way to where my sses were going to be held.


    We walked up to the fourth floor which left a couple of the guys out of breath making me roll my eyes at them. They weren¡¯t going to survive, I thought but decided not to say anything about it.


    I opened the door to see the rest of my trainees there already which made me grin. ¡°Good to see you boys are here early!¡± I call which makes them all stand straight. I¡¯ve disciplined them well. Nicks¡¯ gang then stood within them in the spaces avable and I introduced them while they did. ¡°We have a few new people joining the sses for a year. They¡¯re not as experienced as you, probably weaker than you, but be nice.¡± I say which earns me a few res from the gang but I wasn¡¯t wrong.


    The guys that I train all have some kind of background that involves either martial arts, weightlifting, or some kind ofbat, and under my wings, they have be the strongest group of 7 in the gym.


    ¡°Knowing you¡¯ve all already stretched, let¡¯s begin with something easy. I want a ten-minute nk, anyone falls then you will all start again. Got it? Three, two, one.. up!¡± I instruct and my trainees start right away in perfect form but when I look across at the gang I can¡¯t help but cringe.


    I walk up to ke and lower his hips into the right position, go up to Jason and tell him to move his elbows so they¡¯re under his shoulders, to Zack to make sure he¡¯s looking forward, go to Nicks and tell him to lift his hips up. At least Jake looked like he had a good form, he did the best out of them in the face-offs too so he must be the most trained in hand to handbat.


    The repositioning seemed to make it harder on the gang and by four minutes one fell which made me call out ¡°restarting the time¡± and watched on, correcting anyone who needed correcting, making sure people were controlling their breathing. Putting extra weight on those I knew could handle it. After seven minutes someone else from the gang fell so I called out, ¡°restarting the time,¡± again and didn¡¯t fail to notice the res which made me chuckle. ¡°Come on! This is supposed to be easy!¡± I call out


    ¡°If it¡¯s so easy, do it with us!¡± Zack said arms shaking so I shrugged. ¡°Alright, also Zack the second rule: always follows my instruction without talking back, so you¡¯re going for another minute,¡± I say while getting down in front of them and holding my nk. This time ten minutes passed and I even held on until eleven minutes with Zack just to prove my point.


    .

 Chapter 16 Where Is She?

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    The amount of sweat I had worked up in this past hour and the amount of pain that each of my muscles was feeling, I had never worked so hard in all of my life.


    This ss was above any other level I have ever been in. No wonder Xavier thought this was the best way to pay back for her bike. The pain behind each workout, the skill needed, the strength, it made me want to give up over and over again but,


    ¡°Don¡¯t slow down! If you stop you¡¯re doing it again!¡± Dominic was a strict gym instructor. There was no disobeying her but it¡¯s not like I could say she wasn¡¯t hard-working or hypocritical either. She was there with us, doing the exercises with us throughout the whole way. It made me see her in a different light. The amount she must have trained in order to get to this level was astonishing and she ended up getting respect from me. She was this strong and yet she didn¡¯t fight against me when I bullied her. She must not believe in violence and that in itself is respectful.


    ¡°Alright,st task for the night!¡± She called as we took a small break. From the heavy panting me and my gang didpare to the other trainees made me realize how out of shape we were and how much we really needed this.


    Dominic then pressed a button on the wall and punching bags were lowered in front of us. From how it felt in my hands I guessed it was around 100 lb. ¡°We¡¯re going to get to 300 punches alright?¡± She said which made my eyes look at the punching bag in dread, my arms were aching in pain already but I shook my head and got in position along with everyone else, including Dominic, ¡°One!¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°My legs are shaking, I can hardly stand!¡± theds and I slowly made our way down to the basement following behind Dominic who seemed as normal as when the ss started, looking down at her phone too as she did whilst walking down with ke.


    ¡°There¡¯s a shower room back there so you guys can use that. I¡¯ll be back in ten minutes.¡± She informs and we nodded silently out of a new habit formed by the ss which she took notice of as well and smirked at us.


    ¡°She¡¯s pretty amazing,¡± Jasonpliments to me once she¡¯s gone and I nodded. ¡°Well, what would you expect? She trains under the country¡¯s top street fighters!¡± Jake says rightfully.


    ¡°Hey, guys look at this!¡± Zack exims, grabbing our attention towards the back of the room which held something under a ck sheet. Zack took off the cover to unveil¡­ The Mysterious Demon¡¯s bike! I¡¯d be able to recognize her initials anywhere. ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± I started but before we could take action I heard a voice from behind us,


    ¡°Need some help, boys?¡± I turn to see Xavier leaning against the door frame. ¡°Where is she?¡± I ask roughly but my tone didn¡¯t seem to affect him. He started walking to the bike as if to its defence. ¡°Where¡¯s who?¡± He asks though which ticks me off slightly. ¡°You know who the fuck I¡¯m talking about!¡± I shout and my gang stood by my side, awaiting instruction.


    Xavier¡¯s facial features hardened, ¡°I¡¯m not going to give her to you.¡± I huffed and reached towards my bag before quickly pulling out a gun and pointing it at him. ¡°Where the fuck is she?¡± I asked again and he slowly put his arms in the air but stayed silent.


    Suddenly, I was knocked down onto the ground and when I opened my eyes I saw the Mysterious Demon pointing my gun back at me. This rmed my gang and they all took out their own guns and pointed it back at her but she didn¡¯t look fazed from what I saw through her mask. ¡°Shoot me and I¡¯ll shoot your boss.¡± she threatened and to make it more convincing she shot the space next to my head which made me freeze and made theds put their gun down cautiously.


    ¡°Want any help or are you good here on your own? ¡®Cos my fight¡¯s going to start soon.¡± Xavier asks looking towards his watch cooly. ¡°You can go,¡± M. D replies and he nods before leaving the room as if we weren¡¯t a problem.


    The Mysterious Demon was holding me down with her knee on my stomach but the plus side was that the gun wasn¡¯t more than an arms-length away. ¡°I get you¡¯re great when ites to fighting M. D but when ites to ying with weapons that title goes to me,¡± I say and quickly trap the gun before grabbing it out of her hand and pointing it back to her while she was still holding me down. Her green eyes sparkled in amusement.


    ¡°It¡¯s true my knowledge of weapons isn¡¯t as good as yours but¡± she started and before I could react she pressed one of my pressure points which made me flinch in pain but that was enough for her to grab the gun back and stand while pointing it to me again, ¡°when ites to being close enough for a hand to hand, I¡¯m winning.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    She then looked around the room as if analyzing her situation. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± she asked, seemingly genuinely interested. ¡°I want you to join my gang.¡± ¡°Yeah, but why?¡± she asks looking down at me and ying with the gun in her hand which worried me a little. ¡°A gang ising to attack us and we need another yer,¡± I exined and she hummed in response before throwing the gun down at me which I caught.


    ¡°So a gang who also possess weapons and whatnot areing to attack you and you want me, someone who¡¯s not experienced in working in a gang to help you out? That¡¯s the same as our position now. You all have weapons and have me surrounded. You could shoot at any time and I¡¯d be dead. I¡¯m not dying for people I hardly know.¡± She says. ¡°You just had the upper hand,¡± I state and she thinks for a bit which gives me hope but she ends up shaking her hand. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t join you even if you could guarantee all the safety in the world. I don¡¯t trust you¡± she finally replied.


    However, as she spoke Jason came up from behind her and held her in a headlock, allowing me to get up from my position on the floor. I watched as she sharply elbowed Jason¡¯s ribs which loosened his hold on her and gave her enough of an edge to allow her to change the position to have him under her arm in her own more secure headlock.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to fight me, do it properly,¡± She instructs and I scoffed. ¡°Challenge epted.¡±


    .

 Chapter 17 His Bike

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    As I walked into the school building 20 minuteste, I tried thinking of excuses I could use to exin to the guys where I went off to yesterday before I stopped and told myself that I didn¡¯t really care. Although I did realize that walking to school allowed for more time to think, and even though that should be a good thing, I personally needed to avoid it. There were things that I didn¡¯t need to think about.


    I opened my locker with little awareness of my surroundings. Most people were in ss at this point anyway except, ¡°You¡¯rete¡± I was told by someone and I looked up to find Jason? ¡°This is new,¡± I say my thought out loud but it was true. Throughout these three months of knowing the guys, Jason was never the first to approach me, at least not alone. He was very distant and was used to people approaching him first.


    I put my guard up just in case he tried anything but instead, I was surprised to see him smile back down at me. ¡°Since there won¡¯t be any gym today, Nick wanted you to sit with us during the lunch period.¡± The bit about there not being any gym wasn¡¯t news to me but since I ¡®wasn¡¯t there¡¯ I raised my eyebrow, acting as if I was surprised to know that he knew about it. ¡°You were there at the time too?¡± I ask and he scratches his head, probably preparing a lie, ¡°it happened just as we were about to leave.¡±


    I nodded but obviously, that wasn¡¯t the case. The media wasn¡¯t aware of it but the Skulls and Bones were the ones responsible for the shooting in the basement and ground floor of the gym. Our fight got serious and fast. There was a lot of damage and even I was left with a bullet wound from getting shot and having the bullet dig its way into my shoulder but not all the way since my leather jacket was able to provide some resistance. When Xavier saw the wound after the fight, he scolded me for a full hour while stitching it up. All this lead to the gym having to shut down for a while, leaving me supposedly jobless so they know I¡¯ll have to be at school.


    ¡°So we¡¯ll see you at lunch, right?¡± Jason asks, breaking me out of my thought. I lowered my hood which had stood to protect my bruised face from being seen while I answered him. ¡°Since when did it go from hating me to wanting me around, Jason?¡± I ask back and he shrugs. ¡°People change.¡± ¡°But never entirely,¡± I smirk and he decided not to take notice of it. ¡°We don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± Oh, the irony, he was the one who started the fight yesterday with that headlock of his, but I let him continue, ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure you could protect yourself from us anyway.¡± I smiled at the fact that he acknowledged me and decided to give him a decent reply. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± He epted that and then turned to go to ss.


    After that, I started walking to the school¡¯s parking lot with my hood back up again. It was where I was told to pick up my bike by the owner of the garage whom I had left it to. I usually get my work done by his men, mostly William who I trusted the most, but as I walked closer to where I could see William standing and my muscles tensed, anger starting to boil in me. What the fuck had they done to my bike? I thought as I went behind William and shoved him really hard which made him fall onto the floor.


    ¡°What the fuck is this and where the fuck is my bike?!¡± I shouted, venom spitting at him because this was no longer the bike that I loved but a cheap blue rip off.


    ¡°Before I could get to your bike the boss had concluded that there was no repairing it and sent it away. Instead, he bought this one thinking it¡¯d suit you more,¡± he replies as he tries getting up, wincing in pain. My hands balled into fists and I started shaking in anger. I wasn¡¯t called a demon for anything. I stood behind the bike and kicked it over so half of itnded on William¡¯s leg, making him groan in pain.


    I walked over and crouched next to him. ¡°Do you have any idea how valuable that bike is to me? Don¡¯t you recognize who¡¯s bike it was? It¡¯s belonged to Arthur!¡± His head snapped in my direction with his eyes widened and mouth agape. ¡°Arthur? How? Why would you have Arthur¡¯s bike?¡± He asks softly, pain in his voice which made me calm down slightly. I helped move the bike from his leg as I answered.


    ¡°He was my saviour, my friend, my brother, and yours too¡± William was my stepbrother¡¯s best friend. We grew up together after moving to New York from Ennd. After the ident though, we stopped talking. The only way he knew me now was through the Mysterious Demon because I had only trusted him with repairing my stepbrother¡¯s bike the same way Arthur did when he was alive.


    I took out my ne and showed it to him. ¡°Dominic?¡± He asked, shock evident on his face. ¡°I¡¯m more known as Demonic now,¡± I chuckle softly but shake my head. ¡°Leave William, take the stupid bike with you. If you ever tell anyone of who I am then I won¡¯t be as merciful but, you know that already, don¡¯t you?¡± He stared at me for a few seconds and I expected him to turn and leave straight away but instead, he walked up to me and surprised me with a hug.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He held me for a minute in silence before slowly pulling away. ¡°Don¡¯t suffer alone.¡± He said and I knew exactly what he meant. I could rely on him.


    After that, he squeezed my shoulder in reassurance, packed up, and drove away. Leaving me standing there with emotions that I wasn¡¯t ready to feel.


    .

 Chapter 18 Shit

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    Yesterday was a mess. I didn¡¯t mean for it to get so out of hand and it was a miracle that we didn¡¯t get caught for it. The gang and I were able to escape before the police came in but unfortunately, that meant I had to leave the Mysterious Demon behind even though we were so close to trapping her this time.


    There was something that was bothering me though and that was how I was going to face Dominic after. She relied on her job there to make a living and now it¡¯s closed. I wanted to pay for some of the damage somehow to make up for it and get her help in doing so but so far I hadn¡¯t seen her.


    ss started a while ago and she was yet toe in but what did make me hopeful was when Jason walked through. That meant he had fulfilled his job. I had asked that he look for Dominic and ask her toe to sit with us at lunch, if he¡¯s here he must have done it. ¡°Is sheing?¡± I asked when he sat next to me. He looked forward with a monotone voice. ¡°She said she¡¯ll think about it.¡± I nodded and he sighed after which perked my interest.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, man?¡± I ask and he looked at me with a regretful facial expression. ¡°You know when you broke her bike and you said she was getting it repaired?¡± I nodded slowly, wondering what that had to do with anything. There was no way it could be repaired in just a day. ¡°She met up with some guy who said it wasn¡¯t repairable and they reced with some other bike. I¡¯m assuming they threw her¡¯s away but I didn¡¯t stay around long enough to find out.¡± I looked down and let out an exaggerated breath. ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡ª


    At lunch, the guys and I walked into the canteen and started getting our lunch. When we were walking with our food ke suddenly nudged me which made me turn to him. He nodded towards a direction telling me to look there and when I did I saw Dominic walking in with bleeding knuckled and a hooded face. I watched her as she sat down at the far table and started to clean up the blood. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I say and we walk to her table.


    ¡°Hey,¡± ke greets while sitting on her left while I sat on her right. The rest of the guys sat opposite us. She nodded acknowledging our presence but didn¡¯t say anything. I looked at ke and he looked back at me before shrugging. He hadn¡¯t found out about the bike yet.


    ¡°What happened to your knuckles?¡± He asks her making her stop and look up at him. ¡°I punched the wall a couple of times,¡± she replied and I furrowed my eyebrows. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± I ask in disbelief and then it was her turn to face me with a hard expression, ¡°wouldn¡¯t you like to know, Sector,¡± she said before going on to wrapping her knuckles with some bandages.


    ¡°Stop, are you stupid? Wrapping bandages around your knuckles will keep the wound fresh,¡± I say and instinctively take her hand and start unwrapping the bandages. ¡°Fuck off man,¡± she warns and pulls her hand out of my grasp before wrapping them again. ¡°If I don¡¯t they¡¯ll get infected with bacteria.¡± She continues and we start arguing about it until I hear chuckles around me.


    Both Dominic and I stop and look towards the others, ¡°what?¡± we both ask, ring at each other after that before looking around for answers. ¡°You guys are-¡± Jake started but Zack cut him off, ¡°you guys are so simr! You have the same eyes, the same attitude, the same everything! You both even look simr!¡± He eximed and I roll my eyes in response. ¡°See! You both rolled your eyes at the same time! It¡¯s so cute!¡±


    I look at Dominic but this time she¡¯s still looking at Zack, ¡°you¡¯re all fucktards. We¡¯re nothing alike.¡± She states and I agree.


    Suddenly a familiar notification soundes from Dominic¡¯s phone. She reads a text message, replies, and then stands, ¡°I¡¯ve got to go,¡± she says in a monotone voice and starts packing up. ¡°Now? To where? The gym is closed-¡± ¡°Because of you, I know¡± she states which silences me for a second. So she knew. ¡°I¡¯m going to pay for the damage I swear!¡± I say and she looked down at me for a moment before throwing a bag at me. ¡°Then use that, it¡¯ll help out,¡± she says before leaving promptly.


    I put the bag on top of the table and the rest of the guys surrounded it as I opened the zipper to reveal a lot of cash. ¡°Did she-¡± ¡°she paid for the damage.¡± I finish and after counting for a bit we came to a total of $20, 000. The money she was going to use to pay for the repairs. She¡¯s just making me feel even more guilty damn it. ¡°We can¡¯t just ept this can we?¡± ke asks and the other guys waited for what I was going to say, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    I started running out. I had to catch up to her and at least thank her. I jumped into my car and started driving until I saw her. I smiled and parked my car on the side of the road waiting for after she crossed the road opposite me to call out to her. I watched as a car stopped to let her through and she started walking but halfway across the car suddenly started driving and ran over her!


    ¡°Dominic!¡±


    I shouted but my call was covered by her scream. All my senses shut down and were reced by panic and pain. I ran up to where she was. The car that had hit her was already long gone, leaving her alone on the floor.


    She stopped screaming when I made it to her but she was still groaning in pain. ¡°Dominic, are you okay?¡± I ask trying to think about how I could help her. ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m fucking okay to you?¡± She growled in reply and I shook my head, ¡°You¡¯re right I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Nick!¡± I looked up to see ke and the rest of my gang running up to us and started helping me lift her up until Dominic screamed again.


    .

 Chapter 19 Pain

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    My whole body was screaming out in pain as I sat on the floor trying to bear with it. I was pretty sure my legs were either broken or fractured and one of my ribs may be broken too (this one is a more familiar pain since I¡¯ve cracked a few ribs during my fights).


    Around me, the guys were standing or sitting around, arguing amongst themselves as to what to do whilst also asking me questions that I chose to ignore.


    ¡°Someone needs to call an ambnce,¡± Jason then finalized but when he said that some images shed in my head and I immediately shouted, ¡°No!¡± which made them all look at me without understanding. ¡°Open my bag and get my phone out, call Xavier and tell him what¡¯s going on,¡± I instructed and Nicks nodded and went to get the phone.


    As he did that I put my hands to my side and started trying to get up but it hurt so much to move. However, despite the boys¡¯ protesting, I carried on until I was able to kneel but then I felt an enormous wave of pain shock through me which caused me to grunt out in pain again, almost copsing.


    In the background, I could hear Nicks talking to Xavier when I suddenly felt something wet on myp. My eyes widened as I slowly brought my hand to my face to feel it wet. I was crying. I hadn¡¯t cried in so long. Aside from that Xavier hated seeing people cry so if he saw me I know he¡¯d get mad. I tried wiping the tears away with both of my hands but more just kept flowing down. ¡°Fuck!¡± I eximed which made ke look at me with worry and sympathy. But I didn¡¯t want that. I wanted to get rid of these weak tears.


    ¡°Xavier¡¯s around the corner,¡± Nicks informed meing back down, kneeling next to me. I wiped harder and yet it didn¡¯t help, ¡°no no no no no¡± I muttered but I couldn¡¯t stop crying.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You need an ambnce, Dominic! I don¡¯t care how strong you think you are or how high of an ego you have. You need medical attention!¡± ke eximed towards me trying to hold my hand to get me to listen but my mind didn¡¯t process what he was saying nor my reply to it, ¡°you wouldn¡¯t understand. I can¡¯t have the police finding out!¡± I say without any awareness, I was more concentrated on fixing my expression. I then hear a new voice.


    ¡°What the fuck, Demon?!¡± I look up and it¡¯s Xavier and he was undoubtedly angry. ¡°Are you crying?¡± He asks pushing the guys away whilst taking his ce next to me. I turn away from him. ¡°No¡± I answered but he knew well enough that I was lying.


    ¡°The fuck dude, you can¡¯t be mad at her for that, she just got run over!¡± Zack exims and I feel Xavier ring at him. He then turns back to me before cursing and picking me up, walking us away from the guys and towards the bar.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Xavier, listen to me,¡± I tried but he ignored me again. He was examining my leg but wouldn¡¯t talk to me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± he says softly, finally. I looked down towards him where he was already looking at me and I saw what I never thought I would see from him. Worry. His eyes held pain and his facial features looked hurt. His hand grabbed onto my hoodie as if he was afraid of letting me go.


    ¡°Do you have any idea how worried I was for you, Dominic?¡± He says and all I could think was, ¡®he never calls me Dominic¡¯. ¡°My body shook when I heard you got run over. I actually thought I was going to lose you for fuck¡¯s sake! First I lost your brother and I could have lost you too. I care for you, Dominic. I can¡¯t lose you too.¡± He says before looking down. His grip on me loosened a little and so I brought my hand up to his face and made him look up to me again. What shocked me was that there were tears in his eyes. Never had I seen him cry and I didn¡¯t think I ever would.


    He then got up and started walking towards our medicine cab, probably trying to hide his face from me. Tears are signs of weaknesses, they were forbidden here and we both knew that which is why he was trying so desperately to hide them.


    I slowly got up -even though my body begged to be left to rest- and made my way towards him silently. I made it behind him just in time for him to turn around and I didn¡¯t spare a second to wrap my arms around him into a hug. He didn¡¯t hesitate to hug me back tighter and breathing shakily into my shoulder, dampening it slightly but I didn¡¯t care. These weren¡¯t tears of weakness no matter what he says, these are tears of care and love. ¡°You¡¯re never going to lose me, Xavier. Not now, not ever. We¡¯re going to fight this together,¡± I say confidently and eventually we slowly pulled away.


    I looked into his now calmer eyes and chuckled, ¡°Aww is the famous Champ actually worried about little me?¡± I tease and we both chuckle. He nudged my shoulder and said, ¡°shut up, Demon,¡± which made me smile. That was better.


    After a moment I sighed. ¡°The Men Of Meyhem,¡± I say which made him whip his head in my direction, ¡°what?¡± he asks and so I continue to answer, ¡°The Men Of Meyhem are the ones who ran over me,¡± I state and his facial expressions switched to anger. ¡°The same guys who killed Arthur and his family?¡± He asked and I nodded while instinctively grabbing onto my ne. My brother¡¯s ne. Xavier growled and punched a punching bag next to him. ¡°After all of these years of hiding you, they found out? How?! We made sure to make you as hidden as possible! How could they have known?!¡± Xavier ranted but I had already asked myself these questions and hade up with no answers.


    ¡°Xavier,¡± I sighed again, ¡°we have no time for how they found out, we need to know how to stop them but we can¡¯t do anything while both of my legs are injured!¡± He nods in agreement. I sat back down and he helps me wrap my legs in some bandages. ¡°It¡¯ll take around four weeks.¡± I groan, ¡°that means around two weeks of no fighting!¡± he chuckles at my frustration. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so M. D, but that also means you don¡¯t have to go to school for a bit and can help me train.¡± The offer pleases me and he sees that in my face because heughs after which makes me join him.


    However, our moment is cut short when there¡¯s a knock at the door. We both stop and look at each other with a guarded look. I quickly turn, putting my hood up while Xavier goes to open the door.


    .

 Chapter 20 I Know Who She Is

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    After Xavier took Dominic away, I looked down in deep thought. ¡®What the fuck, Demon?!¡¯ was what he said but something about it had triggered a train of thought in my mind, connecting different bits and pieces. ¡®Fuck up, Demon!¡¯ Xavier had also shouted towards the Mysterious Demon. It couldn¡¯t be, could it? I had never seen Dominic and The Mysterious Demon in the same room or close to each other despite them both knowing each other. Even what Dominic had just said about the police finding out would also make sense.


    My eyes widened for a moment before I balled my hands into fists in anger. She had been ying us this whole time!


    Zack seemed to have noticed my tense figure because he holds my shoulder and asks, ¡°what¡¯s wrong Nick?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the Mysterious Demon,¡± I answer slowly but all they did was stare at me with confusion so I repeated it clearer, ¡°Dominic is the Mysterious Demon!¡± I shouted before getting up and thinking about what to do.


    ¡°How? She¡¯s a lot weaker than M. D,¡± Jake argued but Jason replied to him instead, ¡°she could have just been faking her weakness, ¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to fucking kill her,¡± I growl, catching ke suck in a deep breath from next to me but I ignored it. I started walking towards my car when I was stopped by someone holding my arm.


    ¡°Nick, please, you can¡¯t hurt her right now,¡± ke pleads but I scoff at him and pull my arm away from him roughly, ¡°I can do whatever the fuck I like!¡± His eyes hold sadness at my outburst and he tries to reason onest time. ¡°She just got run over Nick! She can barely move! Besides, if what you say is true, I shot her in the shoulder the other day! She can¡¯t fight back!¡± He eximed, face holding evidence of guilt. I hadn¡¯t known that he was the one who shot her, he kept it to himself and that probably hurts him now. Even so, I couldn¡¯t start showing mercy.


    ¡°This is the only chance we¡¯ll get where she¡¯ll be weak enough for us to capture her, I¡¯m going alone,¡± I say leaving them all behind.


    I knew I was being cruel and that this was going to be a crime I wouldn¡¯t be able to repent for no matter how much I may try in the future but it was the only way. We¡¯ve fought long and hard for her so it wouldn¡¯t make sense to just give up because we know who she is.


    My first stop was the bar that the street fighters were found. I wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d be here and if they weren¡¯t I wouldn¡¯t know where to look since the gym is closed. But if they were here then it¡¯d just give me more evidence that she is really The Mysterious Demon.


    Unlike thest time I was here, the whole ce was deserted and it was silent which felt off. I walked straight to where I knew the room of the two street fighters were. I could hear mumbles of voices from the other side but couldn¡¯t make out anything they were saying.


    I knocked on the door formally and the voices stopped. I wanted to be calm about the situation despite burning on the inside. I felt footsteps getting closer to the door and eventually it was opened. ¡°Where is she?¡± I ask steadily towards Xavier who looked down at me with a monotone face that pissed me off.


    ¡°Why would you care?¡± he asked, voice smooth. Making sure I knew that thest thing I¡¯ll get from him was fear. ¡°I know she¡¯s here and I know she¡¯s The Mysterious Demon!¡± I broke, sure that if she was in there she¡¯d be able to hear it. Xavier¡¯s facial expression didn¡¯t change so I couldn¡¯t tell if I were right or wrong. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Nicks Secter,¡± He confirms calmly and part of me almost doubts myself but, no, I couldn¡¯t give in so quickly.


    I suddenly kicked the door fully open and barged into the room, patiencepletely gone. I looked around to see the spacious room filled with different sports equipment, some stained with blood, towels hanging on others. On on side of the room, there were a couple of seats and bean bags, one of the seats were upied by someone who had their body turned from me.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked her, trying to be as strong as I could but also cautious since I¡¯ve been fooled around by her enough already. ¡°I believe it doesn¡¯t matter which one I am, you can¡¯t do anything to me either way,¡± she replies, amusementced with her words. ¡°Don¡¯t challenge me. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯ve been shot or if you just got run over, I¡¯ll beat the fuck out of you,¡± I threatened but before I could move forward I felt a harsh grip at my forearm. I turned to see Xavier looking down at me with a murderous look. ¡°Try it fucker. If you don¡¯t leave M. D and I¡¯s room right now I won¡¯t hesitate to break both of your arms in return.¡±


    ¡°I know your secret Dominic!¡± I shouted struggling against Xavier but she scoffed at me, ¡°Dominic got run over meaning she wouldn¡¯t be able to move right?¡± She then asked which made me stop. She was right. She then stood up and turned to face us. Her hood was over her face and she was looking down because she didn¡¯t have her mask on but aside from that, she looked absolutely normal. If this was Dominic, she¡¯d be screaming or grunting in pain. I could see her smirking slightly before walking up to a desk which had her mask and several contact lens cases on it but I couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that she had to be Dominic. Even if the hood that she was wearing was different, even if she didn¡¯t have any bandages visible, it had to be her.


    So, I started to struggle again, tried to run in her direction which caught both of their attention, and Xavier pushed me away from her direction but I kept struggling. I then reached for the knife in my waistline and swung at Xavier which made him loosen his grip which I used as an opportunity to run towards her. I slid onto the floor when I was close and tried to trip her up. I expected her to dodge it if she wasn¡¯t Dominic but she fell onto the floor with a yell of pain. I stood up and looked down at her. Her hoodie was hanging off her shoulder which revealed her still healing bullet wound. Her trousers were pulled up a little which showed the bandages on both legs. Lastly, her mask was tossed aside revealing her face.


    ¡°I knew it.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    .

 Chapter 21 Stay Cool

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    I staidying on the floor and the whole room was silent for a few seconds before Xavier snapped. ¡°You mother fucker!¡± He shouted towards Nicks but before they would start fighting, I put my arm up, signalling for him to stop and help me up. The room calmed down a little as Xavier came my way and looked down at me, breathing out a sigh and carefully helping me up and letting me use him as support. ¡°I told you not to move around¡± he whispered in my ear and I smirked, ¡°anything to keep my identity hidden right?¡± I asked but before he could say anything back, I turned to Nicks as he looked at me with anger.


    ¡°Calm your shit down and then I¡¯ll exin,¡± I then pointed to a light punching bag in the room. ¡°Go and let off some steam¡± I ordered. I could tell he thought it was a good offer even if he hesitated. He eventually gave in and walked over to it, punching in anger.


    I watched every one of his consecutive punches before he stopped, gasping for air. He had finally calmed down. He slowly walked back to me and this time when I looked into his eyes I could see curiosity and some sense of betrayal. ¡°Exin now or I¡¯ll kill you¡± He threatens but I knew there wasn¡¯t much power behind it. I kept our eyes connected and replied. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to kill me Nichs but either way I owe you an exnation. My full name is supposed to be Dominic Johnson. I was adopted shortly after my birth but my adoptive family was killed a few years ago so Xavier took me in and raised me as The Mysterious Demon, a street fighter. To rece my brother had been my role and it¡¯s been apart of my life ever since. The gym is just a part-time job. My real life is in here and in the ring.¡±


    I looked up and let out a breath. I could feel Xavier¡¯s hand on my shoulder, letting me know he was there for me. I didn¡¯t like talking about the loss of my family and it was harder without a cigarette but I ignored the feeling and looked back at Nicks. ¡°Satisfied?¡± I asked but he just looked at me with sympathy. ¡°You know I¡¯m Nicks Secter, the leader of the Skull and Bones Gang. I was also adopted after I was born. I lived with my adoptive parents in the UK until I was around 10 and they were arrested and then I started living with Zack and together we made the gang and moved to America.¡± My eyes widened slightly, I hadn¡¯t expected him to tell me anything about himself but his hard exterior -now that I look at it again- looks softer and calmer which is probably why.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I rxed a little and looked up at Xavier before asking, ¡°so now what?¡± and he hummed, ¡°I need to figure out what to do with the gang on your back, Nicks will take you home so get some rest and I¡¯ll see you tomorrow¡± he said and I consumed his words slowly. ¡°Nicks is doing what?!¡± I asked in shock looking over at Nicks to see him with the same reaction. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding,¡± he mutters.


    I heard Xavier chuckle from next to him so I whipped around, mentally asking him what was so funny. He saw me looking at him and startedughing louder. He tried to control himself and then looked back at me and Nick with a new expression. Why the hell was he sofortable around Nick now? ¡°If I didn¡¯t know you two, I¡¯d swear you guys were twins,¡± he suddenly says which makes Nick and I scoff in annoyance at the same time. I stared at Nicks and he did the same back at me.


    ¡°Wait¡± Xavier then said, going quiet while looking between us and thinking. ¡°What if you guy are twins?¡± he suddenly asked and I looked at him as if he were an alien. ¡°My biological parents died of a car crash in London a day after I was born Xavier, I¡¯ve told you that already. Your theory is invalid.¡± I started but then I heard a loud gasping from Nick. ¡°What?¡± I asked conscious of the fact that his hands were trembling slightly and his eyes were damp.


    ¡°My parents also died in a car crash in London. The police found me and said that I was the only one alive before taking me away and putting me for adoption ¡± He informs but I ignored the nagging feeling in the back of my head. ¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± I say with a shaky voice but he just stares at me with a new expression. The whole situation about me being The Mysterious Demonpletely forgotten. ¡°They told me that my mum, dad, and twin sister had died¡± he carried on and stepped forward with every word.


    ¡°Dominic¡­ are you my twin sister?¡± he finally asked


    I gave off a weak fakeugh at the question but he and Xavier stared at me, telling me they weren¡¯t joking. ¡°You¡¯re serious aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked with a low voice, still doubting and not letting myself get my hopes up but they both nodded.


    ¡°When¡¯s your birthday Dominic?¡± Nick asked desperately taking a step forward and I hesitated but answered, ¡°June the 13th.¡± His whole body stopped moving to my reply. ¡°Dominic Secter¡­¡± Xavier says slowly from next to me and I let everything sink in as I looked down with wide eyes.


    Was Nicks actually my twin brother? It couldn¡¯t be possible but everything matched up. Tears formed in my eyes and I looked up at Nicks¡¯s grey eyes who¡¯s tears already started falling. ¡°Brother?¡± I asked and he let out a breath of relief, ¡°You¡¯re my sister!¡± he says and without wasting a moment he indulges me in a hug. I breathed heavily and with my own shaking hands, I slowly hugged him back.


    I¡¯m not alone anymore.I thought and smiled in the embrace. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I let you get hit by a fucking car! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re actually a street fighter! I can¡¯t believe you gave me $20, 000!¡± Nick eximed and Iughed genuinely at him.


    ¡°You gave him $20, 000?¡± Xavier asked so I pulled away from Nicks to answer him, ¡°how else was he going to pay the gym? Besides, it was spare change¡± I winked and he shook his head in disbelief at me. I took that opportunity to finally sit down and rx and Nick slumped down on the bean bag next to me, facing up, eyes closed and a happy expression on his face which in turn made me happy.


    ¡°Spare change? Just because you¡¯re verging on rich doesn¡¯t mean you can give out money like that, you¡¯re still an irresponsible child.¡± Xavier scolds and from next to me I hear Nick whisper, ¡°yep, father figure,¡± which makes me chuckle. Heughs with me when he realises I heard. ¡°Verging on rich did he say?¡± Nick asked me with a raised eyebrow and I look down at him proudly. ¡°I don¡¯t get beat around for free. In fact, you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s hit me without me getting paid for it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that by the way¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, they were weak ass punches anyway,¡± ¡°they were not!¡±


    ¡°Alright, you two!¡± Xavier interrupts us before we start arguing but when I look I see he had a happy look on his face despite trying to act annoyed. ¡°You guys can bond on the way home, now leave. I have some nning to do about the gang, Dominic,¡± I nodded, epting his instruction this time and Nick helped me up whilst asking, ¡°does that mean you¡¯ll be my father figure too now that we¡¯re siblings?¡± I chocked on the air and burst outughing at his question, Xavier, however, had a less than amused face ¡°I¡¯ll kill you before you start acting friendly with me. Fuck off.¡± This only made meugh louder but when I calmed down Nick, who had rolled his eyes and smirked at Xavier, then asked another question but more serioisly, ¡°what gang are you talking about anyway?¡±


    Both Xavier and I looked at each other, nodding at each other in approval before I turned back to Nick and telling him, ¡°The Men of Mayhem is a gang that wants me and my loved ones dead. They killed my adoptive family and they¡¯reing for me next.¡± Nicks nods slowly, eyes darkening and looking somewhat protective, ¡°I know them,¡± he said and I looked at him questionably, ¡°you do?¡± Xavier asked and Nicks nodded before saying ¡°my gang has gone against them before, we can help you fight them.¡± Xavier smirked devilishly at that, ¡°great.¡±


    .

 Chapter 22 Your House Is A Gym?!

    -ke¡¯s POV-


    In my hand, I held a bunch of flowers but I walked into a ce I could risk losing the hand whole.


    Looking around the bar I tried to find her but it had seemed as if she wasn¡¯t here. Dominic wasn¡¯t here.


    After the car ident yesterday I realized how much Dominic¡¯s safety meant to me. She was my friend beyond what Nick wanted out of me, beyond what anyone else thought, so I couldn¡¯t help but worry. Nick hadn¡¯t contacted any of the guys after leaving us yesterday to go get her so I wasn¡¯t sure what had happened and I was conflicted between what I wanted to happen between the two of them but Zack did text mest night saying that Nick came home at around 1 am but hadn¡¯t talked to any of them yet although his face looked almost grave. What this meant was that now all my worry was on Dominic.


    She didn¡¯t show up to ss this morning (Nick didn¡¯t either but I was told he was sleeping in and wasn¡¯t going toe in) so I skipped all of my lessons and decide toe here.


    The flowers I bought along were more of an apology than anything else. I was sorry that I couldn¡¯t protect her but at this point, I wasn¡¯t even sure I was going to be able to see her at all. My hands squeezed on tightly to the stems of the flowers in nervousness.


    ¡°Who¡¯re you looking for?¡± I spun around quickly to meet the eyes of Xavier who was looking down on me but unlike thest time I had seen him, he didn¡¯t look threatening or angry. He actually looked really cool with his leather jacket and jeans. As if he was some type of cool uncle. His face was soft too, ncing down at the flowers with a curiosity which made me rx.


    ¡°Dominic,¡± I replied with a small sigh after but before I could carry on, ¡°she¡¯s not here,¡± he informed which made my posture slump slightly until Xavier ringed his keys around his finger and turned around, ¡°but I¡¯ll take you to her.¡±


    It seemed like it was more of an order than a kind gesture when he took me up to his parked Ferrari at the back and told me to get inside, allowing little time for me to inspect the ck beauty that I was going to go sit in. Being inside it and driving in silence was both nervewracking but also peaceful. I probably shouldn¡¯t have trusted Xavier as quickly as I did, knowing that he had the skill to kill me and would I¡¯m sure if something had happened to Dominic. He knew where she lived so they must be closer than I knew.


    Yet at the same time, this silent car journey had given me a ce to gather my thoughts. What I would say to her. What I would ask. How I would react if¡­ she really was The Mysterious Demon.


    Before I knew it, Xavier stopped the car in a spacious and really quiet area. It was as if no one really lived here and if there was they would probably be retired people despite us only driving for about 15 minutes. It was so serene and so different from a fighting arena.


    I was going to turn to ask Xavier it was okay for me to be here, nervesing back again but before I could, he was already gone at top speeds, the echo of the roaring engine leaving me alone here in front of a house. So I took a deep breath and walked forward.


    I knocked on the door slowly and waited. Nothing. My heart started to pump faster. Had something really happened to her? I knocked again harder this time and to my relief, I heard someone walk towards the door but it still didn¡¯t open. ¡°Dominic?¡± I called out and in return, I got a question from behind the closed door.


    ¡°What are you doing here ke?¡± She asked and I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I leaned my head forward against the door. ¡°Open the door D, I¡¯m not going to hurt you I swear,¡± I say and hear the click of the locking undone so I leaned back a bit as the door opened ever so slightly, letting me see half of Dominic¡¯s face in the opening. ¡°You should be at school,¡± she said and I scoff at her. ¡°Says the one who only goes to three lessons a day,¡± I replied and she rolled her eyes at me before beginning to shut the door. ¡°No, wait!¡± I called but the door mmed shut before I could stop it. She was stubborn that way. Like me.


    ¡°Dominic, open the door,¡± I order, thumping the door. ¡°Make me,¡± she replied and I grinned at her yful behaviour. ¡°I¡¯ll kick the door down,¡± I warned, hearing her chuckle gently after. That was cute. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try.¡± Challenge epted. I thought and settled the flowers down gently by her door before moving back. I knew I had the power to break down the door.


    I started counting, ¡°three!¡± out loud enough for her to hear. ¡°Two!¡± I got into a ready position and hoped that with her injured legs, she had gotten out of the way. ¡°One!¡± I shouted and started running towards the door but right as I was about to kick the door, it suddenly opened and I hear Dominic say, e in¡± smugly but I had too much momentum and not enough bnce so I ended up kicking the air and falling down.


    ¡°God damn it,¡± I mumble while rubbing my head which was now throbbing in pain before slowly looking up only to be left wide-eyed at what I saw.


    ¡°Your house is a fucking gym?!¡± I ask in astonishment, turning around to look at Dominic calmly picking up the flowers from her doorstep and holding them with care before turning to walk inside and putting them on a nearby table.


    ¡°No moron, what you¡¯re looking at is my training room,¡± she stated and limped towards a sofa that was at the far side of the room. ¡°It happened to be the biggest area of space so,¡± she carried on, filling the void.


    I looked around a little bit more as I walked up to her and sat down beside her. It was then when I realized how much pain she was really in. Her muscles were tense, her legs shaking, her teeth grit. ¡°Have you been training even while you¡¯re in this much pain?¡± I asked, looking up at her eyes but she didn¡¯t respond, it was as if it hurt too. ¡°Dominic?¡± I pushed and this time she nodded, ¡°but it doesn¡¯t hurt,¡± she tried to save but I knew her more than enough to know that she was lying.


    I sighed knowing she wasn¡¯t going to admit it so instead I slowly put my hand on her thigh and moved my thumb up and down. I didn¡¯t mean it in a sexual way, I wanted it to be reassuring, to show that I was worried about her, but she didn¡¯t look rxed at all. Instead, she let out a whimper of pain which was a cause for concern. I was being gentle and yet the slightest touch hurt. She took my hand off of her before turning her face from me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to hide your pain, D. I¡¯m here for you, please understand that,¡± I say but she doesn¡¯t respond so instead I lean back on the seat. I turned my head to look at her and couldn¡¯t help being attracted to her hair. It was such a light of a dark colour. My hand reached forward and I started ying with the ends when I started to smell a scent that radiated off of Dominic. Despite her saying she was just working out, she smelt like some type of sweet.


    ¡°You are done doing what you¡¯re doing?¡± she suddenly asks which makes me back away in embarrassment that she caught me. I rxed soon after though and reced my embarrassment with confidence. ¡°Not my fault you smell good,¡± I say smirking which makes her scoff but I catch a glimpse of a smile after which makes me happy.


    After that Dominic slowly got up and walking towards a punching bag. Watching her made me respect her a lot. She was in so much pain, had no one she needed to prove herself to, and yet she was being so strong and continued to work on herself. I admired her dearly.


    I watched as she punched the bag but she wasn¡¯t very stable so I could see her struggling. I decided to help her so I got up too and stood behind the bag, holding it in ce and nodding, signalling for her to start to which she gave me a look of gratitude. She then started punching again and it was harder for me than I thought since her punches travelled through the bag and I could feel them on my side. She looked amazing though, was amazing, dedicated to what she was doing so I wouldn¡¯t darein. Dominic was strong and it was one of the things I feared the most. If what Nick said was true and they haven¡¯t met up yet, then she¡¯s in danger.


    I couldn¡¯t stay quiet anymore so I asked, ¡°Dominic, are you The Mysterious Demon?¡±


    There was a pause. She stopped her punch and stood there for a second, looking into my eyes before getting in position again,


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She answered making my body freeze. It was like a punch to the gut and in some sense, it literally was since she continued with her punches right after.


    So it was true.


    I wasn¡¯t angry at her for not telling me, it made sense, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel betrayed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you sooner because if anyone found out then I would¡¯ve been found and targeted, ¡± she started so I stayed quiet, ¡°I could have also got you hurt.¡± she stopped and my chest squeezed a little but she carried on soon after, ¡°Also Nick was on to me and I didn¡¯t know if I could trust you or not but now I know I can.¡± She finished and waited to see my reaction.


    I smiled and couldn¡¯t help but pull her into my chest,Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You finally trust me.¡±


    .

 Chapter 23 Back Off Mate

    -Nichs¡¯ POV-


    I walked into school and for the first time, I did it with excitement.


    After Dominic and I realized that we could be siblings and were told to go home by Xavier, Dominic suggested we get it checked to make sure we were right and without a doubt, it was a 100% match. We were officially siblings. It seemed that during our parents¡¯ car ident, Dominic was announced dead along with my parents. I was taken away to an adoption centre and was soon adopted. Dominic, on the other hand, was taken to the hospital where they were able to save her before she was taken away and adopted somewhere else.


    It was a miracle that we were able to find each other. It still leaves me amazed but all the more thankful. The people who adopted me weren¡¯t like family to me. They were abusive, alcoholics, and¡­ they made me be who I am. Until now I hadn¡¯t realized it but I ended up bing almost exactly like them and treated people how they treated me. Even as I built my gang and called them my family, I hadn¡¯t treated them all like one. I had to change that. I had to change because now I do have someone I can call my real family and so I had to learn to love.


    It was funnying out of the house today. I had a lopsided grin stuck on my face that the guys definitely took notice of because they all looked at me as if they had never seen me smile. I hadn¡¯t told them about the whole situation yet, I wanted to do it with her so when I got in my car I called her and asked if she was going toe to school today -which she was- and if I should pick her up but she declined. I frowned a little but shrugged it off and drove to school.


    I sat through three lessons, two of which Dominic was in but I didn¡¯t approach her and she didn¡¯t approach me. We acted like it was any other day. She seemed as if she wasn¡¯t thinking about our situation at all while I sat here overthinking it. Maybe she was going about it the right way though, overthinking just made it so I wasn¡¯t paying attention to any of the content but I couldn¡¯t help it. I was also worried about her legs now. She limped slightly when walking around but didn¡¯t make it visible that there was something wrong with them despite being in a lot of pain.


    At the lunch break, I headed towards Dominic¡¯s locker with three of the guys beside me. The only one missing was Jake but once we were by her locker, I see he¡¯s already there, slightly teasing her which ticked me off. I knew it was my fault they got into the habit of it but I was going to change that now.


    ¡°Back off mate,¡± I order with a stern voice, towering behind Jake. He turned back to face me with a grin but once he saw my unhappy expression, his grin faltered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked and I didn¡¯t me him for being confused but I couldn¡¯t help it. I nced towards Dominic who gave me a look, telling me it was okay and to calm down.


    Zack then held my shoulder which snapped my eyes off of Dominic and onto him. ¡°What¡¯s going on Nick?¡± He asked, and this time I decided to answer them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want any of you to tease, insult or hurt Dominic ever again, alright?¡± I say out loud, catching the attention of a few people walking by who stop to listen. The bully, calling off the bullying certainly wasn¡¯t something they would be expecting to see. My gang included.


    I walked around Jake and next to Dominic. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t dating are you?¡± ke suddenly asked in a sort of worried tone. ¡°Yeah, that would be way too cliche¡± Jake continued but I shook my head even though I mentally cringed at the thought. Dominic herself coughed up at the question which made me chuckle. ¡°Yeah, fuck no is the answer to that,¡± she says and a breath of relief goes through the guys.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No,¡± I start and put an arm around Dominic¡¯s shoulders, ¡°we¡¯re not dating but she is stuck with me whether she likes it or not because,¡± I look around at their waiting faces and smirk. ¡°She¡¯s my sister.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± I grinned at their reaction and was going to continue when Dominic started shaking from under my arm which concerned me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked and she snapped her head my way before angrily demanding, ¡°stop leaning on me you cunt! My legs are barely strong enough to hold me, let alone your heavy ass, now get off!¡± I instantly pulled away and put my arms up in surrender which boughtughs from around me. She probably didn¡¯t do it on purpose but the tense atmosphere I had created had disappeared now and for the first time, I feltplete around these people thanks to her.


    A little while after, we went towards the canteen, sitting around a table and eating our lunch as if we had been friends for ages. My grin wouldn¡¯t falter watching the group around me. ke and Dominic werefortably making conversation, the restughing along with them. Maybe this was what having a family felt like and from here on I swear to protect it.


    Suddenly I felt someonee from behind me and quickly swing herself to sit on myp. This wasn¡¯t the first time something like this has happened but it still caught me somewhat off guard. It was from Jessica. Jessica was a girl from a popr group of people in this school. We use each other for sex all the time before, no feelings between us at all and it didn¡¯t bother anyone of us either. She usually used me to get over her exes anyway.


    ¡°Niikk,¡± she whined right into my ear which made me wince at how loud she was. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so loud, I can hear you,¡± I mumble which makes Jason chuckle from next to me. Jessica rolls her eyes at me before taking her head off of my shoulder and looks me in the eye. ¡°Nick, he¡¯s cheating on me again,¡± she eximed, ¡°help me, Nick,¡± she said and moved her hand onto my chest.


    Before everything that had happened to Dominic, I would have just gone with whatever Jessica wanted. I wouldn¡¯t care what anyone would think about what I did but now, I didn¡¯t want my sister thinking I was irresponsible and unfeeling like I used to be. I¡¯m better than that. I¡¯ll be better. A better brother. So I was going to say something in protest to Jessica but before I could, someone else spoke for me.


    ¡°Fucking weak ass bitch.¡± My eyes, along with everyone else¡¯s, widened and our heads turned to the monotone one who was staring at Jessica with a gleam of hate burning in her. Jessica¡¯s head turned towards Dominic so fast I was surprised she didn¡¯t get whish. ¡°What did you say, demonic?¡± she asked threateningly to which Dominic stood up and put her hands on the table, leaning into Jessica who had also stood up as if a fight was going to take ce which made me look worriedly between them.


    ¡°Jessica, you¡¯re being a weak ass bitch is what I said. You get cheated on every fucking week, so what? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve ever seen you take yourself seriously, let alone a rtionship. You keep making yourself look weak, look able to be used so people use you. Why not grow stronger? Make them weak? Make them regret leaving you?¡± Dominic lectured which made me smile. I turned to Jessica to see her face frozen. Dominic then leaned into Jessica¡¯s ear and whispered something I couldn¡¯t hear except for the words, ¡°make him pay,¡± which was enough for me to know something bad was going to go on.


    After that, they both leaned back with smiles on both of their faces. ¡°See me after school and I¡¯ll help you out,¡± Dominic said and Jessica nodded, genuinely thanking her before leaving with a wave.


    Dominic sat down letting us stare at her questionably. ¡°What?¡± she asked, going to put her hood up when Zack, who was next to her, pulled it back down again. This action caused her reflexes toe in, allowing her to grab his arm in defence but they ended up falling out ofck of bnce, crashing onto the floor with Zack on top of her. ¡°What the hell man?¡± Dominic in her normal tone whilst Zack seemed in shock and looked down at her stammering, ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry!¡± but then he rxed and looked her over before smirking which made me roll my eyes knowing what he was going to say. ¡°Though, I kinda like this position.¡± ¡°Get him off of her,¡± I order and ke and Jake stand to help the two up.


    ¡°In all seriousness though, why were you so triggered at Jessica? She¡¯s not the only girl who does that sort of thing y¡¯ know?¡± Zack carried on which makes Dominic sigh. ¡°It¡¯s because of girls like that that make girls seem weak. It makes other girls copy, making more girls weak. It¡¯s a whole cycle of weakness. Because of that, it took me months to be epted into that bar. Because of that, I fight for girls to get stronger.¡±


    .

 Chapter 24 Why Me?

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    ¡°You¡¯reing to the party right?¡± Nick asked and I shook my head ¡®no¡¯.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    The party was one I was invited to now that I was somewhat friends with Nick and the rest of them. It was as if the school was celebrating the end of our war but I knew better than to waste my time in something so trivial.


    Nick turned to look at me with surprise. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°All they do is get drunk and dance while in a high. It¡¯s not my scene. Plus it¡¯s so loud and annoying.¡± I rant in a monotone voice, looking out of the window while I did. ¡°Ohe on, you fight at a bar where all they do is scream and shout!¡± Nick argued which made me roll my eyes.


    ¡°Being the Mysterious Demon and being me is different. I¡¯m not the same person as her and she¡¯s another part of me.¡± I answer and he doesn¡¯t say anything until we got in front of my house. My house¡¯s location itself was just proof of what I just said. Although my life is filled with drama, loud noise, danger, chaos, my home was in a ce that is quiet, peaceful and it brought me tranquillity.


    ¡°Well, if you change your mind, just give me a call ¡®aight?¡± He says as I get out and I nod through the window. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    ¡ª


    A few hours had past and during that time I had finished catching up with school work and trained for about an hour and a half already. Sweat trickled down my forehead as I gripped on a bar in front of me like my life depended on it. My legs wouldn¡¯t stop shaking in both pain and fatigue. They felt as if they would give in at any moment so I sat on my sofa to rest.


    However, just as I sat down, someone rang my doorbell. I groaned before taking in a breath and letting out a scream. After that, I pushed myself up quickly, ignoring all my pain, acting normal, and walked towards the door. When I opened it I was greeted with five faces. Five drunk faces.


    ¡°Dominic!¡± They shouted in unison before falling forward but before they could fall on top of me, I moved out of the way and watched themugh while on the floor on top of each other. I couldn¡¯t help notice the smell of alcohol radiating from them causing me to roll my eyes.


    ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡± I asked them while closing my door but I didn¡¯t get a response straight away and instead they all walked towards my training room. Jason did walk up to me though, swaying as he did. ¡°We went to a bang out party! But then it got boring so we came here to give youpany!¡± He shouted in my ear which made me push him away before sighing and walking back towards my sofa.


    After a few minutes of watching the guys y around with my workout equipment, ke walked towards me and fell onto a seat beside me. I watched as he swung a bottle of brandy in his mouth before setting it down on the floor next to him and then he turned to look at me, putting an arm through the gap between the sofa and my back to help him get closer to me in the process. This made me tense up and got ready to stop him if needed.


    ¡°You just work out?¡± He asked and I nodded to which he smirked. ¡°That¡¯s hot, like me.¡± Iughed a little and kept watching him as he put his head on my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re hot, I¡¯m hot, why don¡¯t you date me?¡± he suddenly said which shocked me and kept me quiet but then I reminded myself that he was drunk and meant none of what he was saying. ¡°Dominic?¡± he called out and I hummed questionably in response wondering what he could want to say. He looked up into my eyes and then said, ¡°I love you, Dominic,¡±


    My eyes widened and the pace of my breath quickened. I could hear my heartbeat and it was deafening. No. I pushed ke off of me with shaking hands. No. I stepped back and stared at his face which now looked awfully confused. I looked around at the windows in the room, at my front door. I then hurriedly went into my room, picked up a bag, locked some of my other rooms, threw a bunch of nkets in the room the guys were in and headed out.


    When I was by my bike I put on my disguise and started driving to the bar, calming my breath on the way. I had to stay calm. When I made it to the bar¡¯s back entrance, I parked my bike and headed into Xavier and I¡¯s room. I huffed slightly grabbing a Monster from our mini-fridge and gulping it down.


    ¡°Rough night?¡± Xavier¡¯s voice came in. ¡°Annoying drunkies, ¡± I replied grudgingly and he nodded before asking, ¡°Want me to set you up for a fight?¡± ¡°That would be great¡± I answered, warming up as he left.


    When he came back he informed me that I would be against a guy I¡¯d be able to easily beat so I nodded and walked towards the arena entrance. ¡°Be careful, technically you shouldn¡¯t be fighting with those legs,¡± Xavier says, his voice somewhat lower than normal but I shrugged it off and waved a hand at him, letting him know I was going to be fine.


    The other fighter was announced and soon enough we were stood facing each other. When we were told we could start he wasted no timeing up and running at me so I grabbed his shoulder and flipped him over my own before holding him down and punching his face a few times and after that, I kneed his rib cage, allowing me to hear a satisfying crack. However, while groaning in pain he grabbed my leg and jabbed it with his elbow which made pain shoot up my body, causing me to hiss in pain but I didn¡¯t keep still. Instead, I turned us around and held him in a headlock position, strangling him until, finally after some struggle, he fell unconscious and I was dered the winner.


    Now that I had let out some steam I walked back into the room with a smile but that faltered when I was faced with Xavier. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked him. His facial expression was hard. Smile nonexistent. It was dark and chilling. ¡°Xavier?¡±I said when he wouldn¡¯t reply to which he looked away momentarily going ¡®tch¡¯ before looking back at me. His face showed anger but his eyes looked conflicted, sad.


    ¡°Mysterious Demon, I¡¯m banning you from street fighting.¡±


    My world shook as those words left his mouth. Spinning. ¡°What are you saying?¡± I asked stepping forward to help me keep bnce. ¡°Dominic, I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m not letting you street fight anymore.¡± He stated it as if he wasn¡¯t crushing me with every word. Street fighting¡¯s all I know. It¡¯s my life. He knew that. He couldn¡¯t just-


    ¡°WHY?!¡± I shouted but he didn¡¯t reply, he just looked at my broken face before turning to walk away. It pissed me off. ¡°Tell me why Xavier!¡± I shouted again and this time he did a quick turn, hand curled,ing at me ready to punch but all of my senses were alert. I was able to block his punch, grabbing his arm hand and pushing it away from me before going in with my own punch, ¡°Answer me God Damn It!¡± I yelled, desperate. Punching him over and over and he didn¡¯t fight me back. I kept punching him until I was exhausted, I didn¡¯t have the energy to carry on and so my punches slowed down. Xavier then gently held my fists with one hand while the other wiped off the blood on his face.


    ¡°Satisfied?¡± He asked knowing well that I wasn¡¯t. He hadn¡¯t answered me but I understood that he wasn¡¯t going to. He betrayed me. He¡¯s going to let me go like this so I pulled away from him harshly. I looked towards my leather jacket with angry tears in my eyes. He was the one who bought me that jacket when I won my first match. He taught me everything there was to know, he brought me up, he made me stronger. That jacket was a symbol of our time together and so I turned and left it behind.


    The night was cold but I refused to go home because the guys were still there. I had nowhere else I could go. Nowhere else I wanted to go so I spent the night alone roaming outside. I didn¡¯t know what I was supposed to do. Everywhere felt like it was suffocating me. I didn¡¯t want to be here anymore. I didn¡¯t want to be in America anymore.


    ¡ª


    It was around 6:30 am when I went home. I heard voices and muffled sounds as I came in and saw the guys sitting around the dining table in the kitchen. I walked passed them,pletely ignoring their presence and gathering a few important things in my bag.


    ¡°Dominic!¡± Someone called and I looked to see Nicks rushing towards me. ¡°where were you?¡± he asked while putting a hand on my shoulder but I shrugged his hand off of me and carried on. When I was done, I made my way towards my front door again. Before I left, I looked back at the guys onest time to see them looking back at me with concern. My eyes drifted longer on Nick and ke but I told myself to hurry so I said, ¡°the keys are on the kitchen shelf; take it and leave when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    Then I left.


    .

 Chapter 25 Rewind

    (A/N: Chapters with the title ¡®Rewind¡¯ mean that the chapter will be something that took part in the past. Think of it as like a shback or a filler except it is still relevant to the plot. Enjoy!)


    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    After school, I walked to the front of the building with my head held high, and my hood over the top. I looked around until I found her. Jessica had seen me at the same time and waved towards me to which I nodded. When we got together we started walking towards the back of the school building.


    ¡°So, tell me about him,¡± I said and she nodded somewhat nervously. ¡°Jerome is the most charming guy ever. He acts all gangster and hard with others but with me, he¡¯s soo nice. He¡¯s alwaysplimenting me and saying that I¡¯m the most beautiful girl he¡¯s ever seen!¡± Jessica had a gleam in her eye as she eximed this which made me instantly tell that she really liked this guy. I felt bad for her.


    Jerome is a jerk. Always acting as if he¡¯s the best one in the school, acting as if everyone should and does want him. He uses every female he can get his hand on but I knew that if I were to show him that he¡¯s not all the great if I were to take it all from him then he would be done for.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Jessica had kept on talking about Jerome until we got to a corner where her voice suddenly drifted off. I turned to her questionably to see that her eyes were staring sadly at something in front of us, tears welling up in her eyes. I also turned to look at the same direction to see Jerome with another girl, kissing her as if the world depended on it. They pulled away slightly and you could hear him say, ¡°you¡¯re the most beautiful girl I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± before going back to making out with her, it sickened me.


    I grabbed Jessica¡¯s hand when I realized that this was probably painful for her and took her over to a wall where she couldn¡¯t see them anymore. When she was hidden she then burst out crying which caught me off guard. I looked around, unsure what to do before making a ¡®tch ¡® sound with my mouth and held my arms out a bit. I hadn¡¯t expected her to think anything of it but she instantly hugged me which was unexpected but it seemed to work in our favour because she started to calm down.


    ¡°You knew he was cheating on you and looked absolutely fine during lunch?¡± I said and she nodded while still in my embrace. ¡°I try to keep it in. I don¡¯t want other people seeing me cry. I use other guys to try and forget about him but I can¡¯t help but be upset when I see it in person,¡± she then seemed to realize how close we are and suddenly pulled away, ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± she apologized, ¡°I made your shirt wet too!¡± she worried which almost made me smile, ¡°Hey it¡¯s okay-¡± ¡°no it¡¯s not! I-¡± ¡°Jessica!¡± I said, raising my voice slightly and she stood quietly, waiting for what I was going to say.


    ¡°Jessica¡­ you¡¯re a beautiful girl. No matter what anyone may say you need to believe that and you don¡¯t need a cheat like Jerome to confirm it. You¡¯re beautiful and you¡¯re strong. So please don¡¯t let some fucktards take that away from you. I need you to take things into your own hands without stooping down to his level. You¡¯re better than that. Okay?¡± I say, almost unsure of where all of that came from but stood firm with it anyway. Jessica seemed surprised by it herself because she looked at me agape before nodding slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go get rid of the other girl with him. When she¡¯s gone, you go and end it with him.¡± I order and she wipes her tears before standing tall, ¡°alright,¡± she confirms so I then turn and walk towards Jerome.


    The girl that was with Jerome noticed me first and pulled away from him, looking at me with confusion and annoyance. Jerome looked at her facial expression before turning to look at me too. When he realized it was me he started to smirk. ¡°Dominic! I haven¡¯t talked to you in ages!¡± He says and I scoff, ¡°I liked it better that way,¡± I say replying and he faked a hurt expression beforeughing, ¡°What do you want Demonic?¡± ¡°Not you that¡¯s for sure,¡± I say with disgust before looking back at the girl.


    ¡°You should leave him, he¡¯s a cheater and not worth your time. You can do better, trust me.¡± I state but she seemed hesitant, ¡°you¡¯re just saying that because you¡¯re jealous!¡± I rolled my eyes at her reply before throwing her my phone which yed a video I caught of Jerome kissing another girl just before school ended. Jerome tried taking the phone away from her but by that time it was toote, she had seen it and her eyes started tearing up. I couldn¡¯t fathom why they were crying over this guy but as long as she knew now I didn¡¯t care. She then turned and pped him, hard, before marching off which caused me to smirk.


    ¡°Damn it! What the fuck was that for?!¡± Jerome eximed towards me but I kept my smug look and raised a hand to stop him from speaking before letting Jessicae through. She stood in front of him proud and tall. Her tears were cleaned up as if she had never cried in the first ce. She looked strong and I loved it. She stepped closer to Jerome and he seemed happy to see her, reaching forward to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m breaking up with you,¡± she announced confidently which made him freeze. ¡°Jess,e on I-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fucking touch me ever again either.¡± she pped his hand away from her, ¡°I made a mistake ever trusting you, ever liking you even. The whole school knows how much of a cheater you are so good luck ever getting a girlfriend. Goodbye Jerome.¡± Jessica turned to me happily and I nodded at her aplishment before she skipped away.


    ¡°Wait, Jess-!¡± Jerome tried going after her but I didn¡¯t let him have that freedom. There was no way I was going to let him ruin her happiness and take away her strength again. So, I grabbed his cor and pulled him back rough enough to have him fall onto the floor. ¡°Ow! What the fuck Dominic?!¡± I kneeled down beside him and took hold of his cor again threateningly. His eyes showed fear which was exactly what I wanted.


    ¡°Jerome, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve hurt enough people? I think it¡¯s fair if you feel their pain too. So if you dare to touch them again, I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡± I let go of his cor and stood up, grabbing my phone in the meantime, looking down at him. ¡°They¡¯re human just as you are. Treat them more like one rather than treating them like toys and you might actually feel something.¡± He stayed silent for a bit, stillying on the floor before sighing sadly. ¡°If they¡¯re human, what¡¯re you?¡± I smirked down at him and he grinning at me. ¡°My nickname is ¡®Demonic¡¯ isn¡¯t it? Shouldn¡¯t that answer your question?¡± ¡°And do you, a demon, feel like they do? Can you love?¡± I took out a cig, and lit it up, putting it in my mouth while thinking of my answer.


    ¡°Demons don¡¯t love.¡±


    ¡ª


    The day after was a good one. Jerome stood on top of one of the tables at lunch with a bunch of flowers at hand. He cleared his throat and started speaking as if he had a whole speech memorized.


    ¡°I¡¯ve stood up here for the sole purpose of apologizing. I realized that the way I¡¯ve acted towards all the girls I¡¯ve been with hasn¡¯t been how they should have been treated. They all deserve real love. They all deserve someone who truly believes that they¡¯re the most beautiful girl they¡¯ve ever seen. And so, I¡¯m sorry and I hope these flowers can be a way for you all to forgive me and for the school to let me start fresh.¡±


    People apuded him and even I couldn¡¯t help but smile despite it being kind of cheesy. I turned around as Jerome went and handed out the flowers to the people he¡¯s hurt until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned again to see Jerome standing there with a rose in hand. ¡°I want to give this to you as a way to say thank you. I guess I deserved what I got yesterday and if I do end up hurting others again, I trust I¡¯ll deserve whatever punishment you¡¯ll give me too.¡± I chuckled and epted the rose from him which made him grin, ¡°Oh and I think, despite what you said, that you will be able to find love one day, Dominic.¡± He carried on and walked away.


    ¡°What did you do to him?¡± Jake asked from next to me, amazed, and I smiled, looking down at the rose, spinning it slightly in my hand ¡°Nothing at all.¡±


    .

 Chapter 26 Where?

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    It¡¯s been a couple of weeks since that day. The day Dominic went missing.


    That morning, theds and I had woken up with hangovers and no idea where we were. There were nkets and alcohol bottles lying around us everywhere. It was safe to say that although we weren¡¯t at the party we went to, it seemed we had brought the party back to wherever we were. Eventually, after looking around some more, we confirmed that the house was Dominic¡¯s with the training room being our biggest clue.


    After everyone had fully got up, went to the bathroom, and cleaned up a little, we went into the kitchen looking for medication and was surprised to find a drawer full of medication which was highly convenient. Jason was thest toe out of the bathroom and told us that Dominic wasn¡¯t in the house which concerned me straight away but then calmed down, reassuring myself that she¡¯d be street fighting or with Xavier.


    A few minutester the front opened, catching all of our attention. Dominic walked through the door with her head hanging low, hood covering her face in its shadow. I grinned at her calling, ¡°Dominic!¡± and rushing towards her whilst she starting putting a few things in her bag which confused me but I ignored it. ¡°Where were you?¡± I asked putting a hand on her shoulder but she didn¡¯t look in my direction and instead walked passed us and into her room which made me frown.


    ¡°You think she lost a fight? Or something?¡± Zack asked quietly so she couldn¡¯t hear. Jake pped the back of his head. ¡°No way! You stupid?¡± he scolded.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t lost a match in months so it¡¯d be unlikely, she might just be tired,¡± ke said and I nodded.


    However, her bedroom door opened right after that and she rushed passed us again before stopping at her front door holding a bag in her hand. I walked towards her, the others following. She looked back at us and hesitated for a moment before finally saying, ¡°the keys are on the kitchen shelf; take it and leave when you¡¯re ready¡± her voice was low and pain-filled but before I could ask her anything else, she left. I ran after her but she got on her bike and drove off.


    Now, two weekster, I¡¯m filled with nothing but worry. My only family member whom I miraculously found was now gone once again but I couldn¡¯t ept that. I refused to.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    I sat in ss, hoping that one day she¡¯ll walk in the door but she never did. I wanted toe to school in order to try to distract myself from the situation but it only made things worse. I had my gang members all over America looking for her and yet they haven¡¯t seen a trace of her anywhere.


    I ran my hand through my hair for the thousandths time which caught Zack¡¯s attention who was sitting next to me. ¡°You stressing yourself too?¡± he asked which made me cock an eyebrow, ¡°¡®too¡¯?¡± I asked and he nodded, pointing towards ke who was on the other side of the ss who would look normal to anyone else but to us, who¡¯ve known him for ages, you could tell. His muscles were tense there were small wrinkles on his forehead, his hands in fists and eyes covered by a thinyer of gloss. He was just as worried for her as I was even if he tried not to show it.


    Zack looked back at me with concern written on his face which made me sigh, ¡°I don¡¯t know man, I¡¯m worried something¡¯s happened to her. I¡¯ve looked almost all over the country.¡± Zack thought for a moment before, ¡°have you talked to Xavier?¡± he asked. ¡°I checked the bar, she hasn¡¯t been seen in two weeks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking. Have you talked to Xavier?¡± I sighed again and shook my head. He then gave me a look and I knew exactly what he was trying to say, ¡®fuck up man, and go talk to him.¡¯ ¡°Fine fine,¡± I say and he smirks. It was confirmed, after school, I was going to see him.


    Once school was done, I climbed into my car and started driving to the bar. When I made it there I rushed out and hoped that she was inside. Although I had checked already, I still hoped. I hoped that when I got to the street fighting area, I¡¯d hear people scream the Mysterious Demon¡¯s name as she came out or as she finished her opponent but instead the whole ce was quiet with a fewints saying that the Mysterious Demon and the Champ shoulde out. This made me furrow my eyebrows. Was Xavier not here either? Regardless, I went to the back and knocked on a familiar door, and surprisingly, it opened.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Xavier asked once he was revealed. His voice was rough but that wasn¡¯t the only thing that shocked me when seeing him. He had a grey hoodie on which was crumpled and stained as if it¡¯d been worn for weeks. His hair was messed up and his face didn¡¯t look egotistical like it normally would. He looked exhausted, in pain. His face was simr to Dominic¡¯s on the day she left.


    ¡°Have you seen Dominic? I haven¡¯t seen her in-¡± ¡°-two weeks¡± he interrupted and looked me right in the eye where I could see regret. ¡°Yeah,¡± I say, unknowing what else to say.


    He then opened the door wider and moved out of the way too let me in the room which surprised me even more. ¡°You don¡¯t usually let anyone in the room.¡± He chuckled softly at what I said before turning to me again after closing the door. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her in two weeks and seeing you reminded me of her.¡± I nodded in understanding.


    ¡°So, where is she?¡± I asked again and he sighed, almost in frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he finally said which made me frown deeply. ¡°You ¡®don¡¯t know?¡± he red at me slightly but carried on. ¡°Two weeks ago, the night before she went missing, she came street fighting. When she was done with her match¡­ I told her to quit.¡± My eyes widened and I charged up to him until I was in from of him, his hood curled in my fist threateningly.


    ¡°You told her to quit?! Are you fucking insane!? You know how important street fighting is to her! No wonder she fucking left!¡± I shouted which made him look at me with a mix of anger and guilt, ¡°she was targetted that night! I had to get her out of here!¡± I hesitated for a moment but my anger didn¡¯t settle. ¡°She¡¯s stronger than that for fuck¡¯s sake!¡± I eximed which made him rx and merely take the hoodie out of my hands.


    ¡°Holding her hoodie like that will damage it,¡± he said calmly which diverted my attention. He saw my expression and exined. ¡°This was Arthur¡¯s -Dominic¡¯s stepbrother¡¯s- hoodie. Dominic usually wore it during her fights and prizes it but¡­ she left it here with her jacket.¡± He then looked towards a hanger where her jacket was ced. The initials gleaming back at us. I recognized both of these things because it was what she was wearing when I first saw her as the Mysterious Demon. ¡°I gave her t-that jacket¡± Xavier¡¯s voice cracked which made me turn to him but his expression remained hard.


    I slowly walked towards the hanger and pulled the jacket off and held it close to me. The jacket was in prime condition, I could tell she loved it and tried as hard as she could to keep it well kept. So her decision to leave it behind must have been painful. Another thing was that her scent was on it, a scent that I didn¡¯t know I had memorized.


    My eyes glossed over despite trying to stop it. I looked at Xavier to see him gripping at the hoodie himself, eyes shut tightly. He said I would damage his hoodie but it seemed he was doing just as much damage himself. He was another person who cared about Dominic, possibly more than I did.


    ¡°Do you think you know when she¡¯ll be back?¡± and he gave me the reply I had feared,


    ¡°No.¡±


    .

 Chapter 27 Alone But Worth It

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    It¡¯s been three weeks now since I¡¯ve left and made it to London. My true home. From what I could tell, my legs were pretty much fully recovered and I was that little bit freer.


    I had been staying at my biological parents¡¯ home ever since I left America. The only reason I knew where it was was that Nick had once told me that he bought the house as soon as he could in order to preserve the little we had of our biological parents.


    I was in a ce that felt so weird to me. I was stood in a ce I knew so little about whereas in America I knew everything but I liked it this way. It was like a new opponent and I was ready to fight.


    23:00


    I put my mask on, wrapped my hand with bandages, and went towards a bar I hade to find using some research was the best street fighting bar in London. Fortunately, one of the few things I had brought with me was my street fighter ID so getting into the bar wasn¡¯t a problem and once I was in, I couldn¡¯t help but let a grinnd on my face. I had missed this.


    However, when I went to sign up for a fight my grin faltered.


    ¡°Get lost doll-face! This isn¡¯t a ce for a pretty littledy like yourself,¡± the guy doing the sign-ups said,ughing when I got to the station. ¡°You belong in my bed, not in the ring!¡± he carried on which made me scoff and put my ID on the table. He immediately stoppedughing once who saw it and his mouth hung open a little bit. ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right? You¡¯re not actually-?¡± He scanned my hidden face and then looked back at the card, face going white, ¡°I¡¯ll sign you in right away¡± I smiled back at him, ¡°thank you.¡±


    Not long passed when a match ended and the same guy who signed me in came tomentate, announcing the next match.


    ¡°HELLO, MY BEAUTIFUL CROWD! IS EVERYONE ENJOYING THEIR NIGHT!?¡± He asked through the mike and people screamed out in reply, sounding like music to my ears. ¡°GLAD TO HEAR IT ¡®CUZ WE¡¯VE GOT SOMETHING SPECIAL COMING IN NEXT! FIRST OF ALL, COME ON UP DESTROYER!!¡± My ears perked at this name, it was familiar. I looked at the man who walked into the ring, he had a simr build to Xavier but was a little shorter. Everyone cheered at the announcement, it was also a familiar cheer. One that was saved for the best.


    ¡°NOW WHO WILL GET TO FIGHT ENGLAND¡¯S STRONGEST FIGHTER TONIGHT?!¡± Ah yes, that¡¯s right. No wonder I thought he was familiar. He was Mr fourth strongest. ¡°COMING ALL THE WAY FROM AMERICA, THE SECOND STRONGEST STREET FIGHTER IN THE WORLD AND DRAWED AT FIRST OF THE U. S, PLEASE COME UP¡­ THE MYSTERIOUS DEMONNN!!¡± I was announced and a grin made it¡¯s way to my face. I walked up to the ring in confidence. People around me looking at me with either shock or hate and the number of bets were rising.


    I stood at my corner of the ring, watching Destroyer at his, and my hand went up to my chest going in to grab- oh.. I froze for a second. I had forgotten that I didn¡¯t have my jacket with me anymore and that hurt. Usually, before a fight, Xavier would give me some sort of encouragement and it wasn¡¯t until that very moment that I realized I needed it. It was our routine and now I was a mess. He wasn¡¯t here with me, to watch me, to congratte me on my win-


    I shook my head at myself. I couldn¡¯t let these thoughts consume me. I was going to win this match. I swore to myself that I¡¯d never lose again and no matter what, I was going to prove to Xavier that I am strong and I deserve to be a street fighter.


    Thementator stood in between us and after a short countdown, we were told to start. ¡°We meet again M. D,¡± Destroyer says while taking a few swings to which I easily dodge. ¡°Indeed we do. I can¡¯t wait to beat you the same way I beat you a month ago,¡± I tease which I could tell made his adrenalin pumping. This time he quickly moved towards me before doing a turning kick which caught me off guard. From what I remembered his moves were more the boxing type thest time we fought so I hadn¡¯t expected taekwondo from him. The kick went through my block and I collided onto the floor. He was fast and quickly came down with his elbow which made me groan when it hit my rib. Crack.


    My breathing suddenly got tight and I started to panic when suddenly I remembered: I wasn¡¯t going to lose.


    The destroyer was getting into a headlock position, one I was familiar with so I didn¡¯t let him have the pleasure of holding me down any longer. First, I elbowed his own neck sharply which loosed his legs from my torso. Then, I grabbed his arm and pulled him around me and under me. I kept twisting his arm behind his back and held his head down with my other hand, pushing him down, holding my position and pushing until I heard a pop from his shoulder, earning me a load moan of pain from him. I leaned in close to his ear and whispered, ¡°Tap out or I¡¯ll break your legs too,¡± and with that his free hand hesitantly mmed down three times.


    ¡°DESTROYER TAPPED OUT, M. D YOU ARE THE WINNER!¡± I let go of the Destroyer and stood up with a happy sigh which mixed into the cheers I got from the crowd. I walked out of the ring, grabbed my money, and made my way through the crowd, people congratting me and high fiving me on the way out.


    But once I walked out of the door, my smile vanished. I felt alone. Empty. The darkness around me only encouraged this feeling. Shadows around me reminded me of the people I left behind. Was leaving the right thing for me to do?


    My mind spiralled and I couldn¡¯t think straight so my hands instinctively went to my pocket and took out a cigarette. I lit one up and put it in my mouth, breathing in a deep breath.


    The silence I was in was then disrupted by a voice shouting behind me but not at me. ¡°What the fuck was that?! You lost to a girl! I bet over five thousand pounds on you and I lost it! You¡¯re a liar too! You didn¡¯te second ce a month ago, you lost to her then too!¡± I frowned at these words. It wasn¡¯t what a trainer should be saying to his trainee even if he had lost. It was definitely the Destroyer who was being shouted at and the shouting continued until I lost my patience.


    I turned a wall and faced the two, ¡°will you shut the fuck up already? Your voice pisses me off.¡± The trainer scoffed when he saw me whilst the Destroyer looked at me with curiosity. I blew out some smoke and stepped into the light. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re not dead mate, I¡¯m sure Destroyer could crush you instantly if he wanted to. In fact, I¡¯m not sure why he hasn¡¯t already.¡± I stepped closer to the two until I was face to face with the trainer who was conveniently my height.


    ¡°If you were my trainer,¡± I started, bringing the lit side of my cig closer to his face, ¡°I¡¯d make sure you bowed down to me and if you said anything in protest, I step on you like the low life you are. So Fuck off.¡± I threatened in all seriousness. He seemed to get the message clearly, fear evident in his quivering hands.


    ¡°S-shut up!¡± He said before quickly turning around and leaving which made me chuckle to myself, Destroyer joining in.


    ¡°Thanks for that,¡± He said and I turned to him, noticing him holding the shoulder I popped earlier. ¡°What me to fix it?¡± I motioned towards his shoulder and he looked at me confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t it broken?¡± ¡°No, just dislocated.¡± I put my cigarette back in my mouth and grabbed a hold of his shoulder and arm-, ¡°hey wait-¡± -and popped them back into ce. ¡°Fucking hell!¡± he yelled but after a moment he moved it around with little to no problem.


    ¡°Thanks..¡± he said, a little shocked which made me smirk. ¡°No problem man,¡± ¡°You surprisingly don¡¯t sound very American. If anything, you would like you¡¯re from here¡­ are you?¡± He then asked slowly. I grinned at his question, finishing off the cig and stepping on it.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be much of a mystery if I told you.¡±


    I then turned to start walking away but, ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then?¡± he called out which made meugh, shaking my head a little and lifting an arm, signalling a good-bye, leaving his question unanswered.


    01:00All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I leaned against the railing of London Bridge and looked out at the river while smoking another cig.


    I felt alone again.


    Watching another breath of smoke dance in the wind as it floated away, I uttered the words,


    ¡°I miss you.¡±


    .

 Chapter 28 Plan Of Action

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    It¡¯s been almost four weeks now since my sister¡¯s gone missing. It bothers me at every point of the day but that¡¯s not all. nning for our encounter with the Scorpians gang has be a pain too.


    I spent hours nning with my gang members from all over the world. Getting weapons from Texas, tracking from London, defence gear from Australia, and so on. The actual nning I had done most of with the guys here but without that extra person we¡¯re won¡¯t have the advantage and the fight is harder. The Scorpions were a strategy based gang whereas we were more weapons-based, it was a badbo and we needed as much help as we could get.


    That¡¯s why I was so desperate to get The Mysterious Demon on our side. Although The Champ could work too, Xavier would never agree. Besides, I felt as if Dominic and I had better chemistry so she would be perfect. Even so, if we can¡¯t find her then there¡¯s no point. Where could she be?? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I was frustrated, sitting at my desk, hands on my head, and paper scattered all over my desk. I needed a break, I thought so I got up from the desk and walked towards the kitchen. I took a towel on the way and wiped the sweat off of my forehead while grabbing a drink. After that, I was going to walk into the living room but stopped when I heard a voice inside so I staid by the doorframe instead.


    ¡°Hey, Dominic¡­ it¡¯s ke again. I know this is like my tenth voicemail but, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really.. really sorry. Xavier said it was his fault but I know you left because of what I said. At this point I just want you toe back, please.¡±


    ke¡¯s voice trembled as he finished his message and the option to send the message yed through the phone during his silence. He hesitated at first but then sent it. I knew ke liked my sister. I don¡¯t know when they got close but he cares for her just as much as I do and for that, I¡¯m grateful even if it meant that we were both upset and frustrated now.


    I watched as ke broke down softly after with a frown on my face. I was going to gofort him when Jake appeared and did it before me, hugging his brother and telling him it was okay. This made me sigh in relief but I was still bothered.


    The only ce I could think of would be¡­ no that would be ridiculous.


    Suddenly the door to the apartment smashed open making us all jump. My head whipped around to see Zack and Jason running into the room panting as if they just ran a few miles. I walked up to them as was about to ask what the hell happened but Zack put his hand up to stop me.


    ¡°We,¡± he huffs a bit, ¡°give me¡­ a second, damn we ran so fast,¡± I almostugh at him but he continues before I get the chance. ¡°I know this¡¯ll sound bad but we searched Dominic¡¯s house,¡± he says which makes my eyes widen but before I could question him he hushed me again, ¡°wait don¡¯t say anything because we found something.¡±


    Jason opened up aptop and turned it so I could see. On the page, there was a ne ticket receipt.


    ¡°She¡¯s in London?!¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°Xavier you gotta listen to me,¡± I tried but he wouldn¡¯t take anything from me. Heid on a sofa with a book over his head, trying so hard to ignore me. Not seeing him work out or do something relevantly active was weird to me but he was just as affected as the rest of us so I guess I couldn¡¯t me him. Even so, I had to make him listen.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to bring her back. Once I do she¡¯s joining my gang.¡± ¡°Good luck with that,¡± he says in a monotone voice which makes me roll my eyes. ¡°I know where she is.¡± I then state which makes him raise the book from his face and look at me with a new expression. He was going to ask me where but I turned my back on him and got ready to leave. ¡°Get ready for when she¡¯s back. She won¡¯t be the same.¡±


    That night I left for London. There was only one ce Dominic could be staying. I was confident about getting her but being in London triggered something else in me. Something that I constantly try to forget.


    My adoptive parents.


    No matter how hard I try, memories of them flow into my head which makes me freeze physically.


    Being at home with them was a nightmare. They were abusive, alcoholics, unloving, and cruel. It¡¯s because of them that I¡¯m as fucked up as I am now. As a child, I¡¯d get ss bottles thrown at me. They wouldn¡¯t feed me for days on end. They¡¯s beat me and shout at me.


    Thest memory I have of them was when I stole money from them in order to buy food for myself. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be home by the time I was back but I was wrong. They found out I stole and they were enraged. I remember shaking as I heard their footsteps nearing me. I had closed my eyes before flying them back open when I felt my father¡¯s hands wrapped around my neck, strangling me. I kicked and struggled but was too weak and ended up seeing ck spots and falling unconscious.


    When I woke up I was at a hospital, wounds being treated and an officer waiting outside my door to tell me that my adoptive parents had been arrested because the shopkeeper who I had bought food from had noticed the signs of abuse and contacted the police. The shopkeeper was Zack¡¯s dad and ever since then I was taken care of by them.


    I broke myself out of my thoughts when I found myself in a dark ally way that was near my biological parents¡¯ home where some younger teens were standing around and talking about something interesting.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get to the bar, the fights are awesome man, trust me!¡± the first guy exims. ¡°How do we get in though? We¡¯re all only 16.¡± ¡°I know one of the street fighters and he gets me in and guess what? He¡¯s gone against The Mysterious Demon!¡± That was convenient for me. I walked a little closer to them to hear them better. ¡°Did he win?¡± the other guy asked and the first one answered a slow ¡®no..¡¯ which made his friendsugh and I smirked along with them.


    ¡°But just you watch! He¡¯ll beat her tonight!¡± and that was all I needed.


    I was going to find her.


    .

 Chapter 29 What Are You Doing Here?

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    It¡¯s be a routine now toe to this pub every night. I go into the street fighter¡¯s section and warm-up,fortable in my surroundings now as is everyone else with me being here.


    Destroyer meets me soon after. I¡¯vee to find out his real name is Steven and he¡¯s pretty open about himself. The opposite of me. This is proven through his nightly questioning session he likes to do. Asking me how old I am, where I was born, where I live and many others which I quickly answer with an, ¡®I ain¡¯t telling you¡¯ but this time when he asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I stopped at my 100th push-up and stood to face him which made his face turn into a hopeful one.


    I smirked and answered, ¡°Secter¡±. I wanted to see how it felt to call myself that. ¡°Really?¡± Steven asked with a weirdly happy expression. At that same time, I judged that I didn¡¯t like being called Secter and shook my head negatively at him, chuckling slightly. ¡°No,¡± I started making his face fall and groan before giving up.


    I hadn¡¯t told him anything for a week but every day he would try again. I admired hismitment but like everyone else who enters my life now, I wasn¡¯t going to tell him anything.


    After a good half an hour of talking and training, the matches started. For the past week, I¡¯ve been doing nothing but going against opponents and winning every match with ease. Most fighters would look down on me for being a girl, always dissing me but by the time the match has ended I enjoy watching their face sink as I get to look down on them while theyy beneath my feet. My name quickly came to stand out here and I loved it.


    The Destroyer was the one I truly loved fighting though. He had techniques that were different from Xavier¡¯s. He was a lot faster, more agile. And I learned to pick some of his habits up. We¡¯ve helped each other get stronger this week. With every punch, there was more and more power. With every match, there was a stronger friendship.


    Tonight, like most nights, I was put up against the Destroyer and I had no doubt I was going to enjoy our fight. However, it suddenly hit me that it was four weeks since I left America for this and although I don¡¯t regret my actions, something felt off. I climbed up to the ring to have the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I felt something weird in the crowd. I scanned the area but couldn¡¯t see anything so I shrugged it off and paid attention to Destroyer who got up too.


    Our match began and punches were quickly thrown at each other. Pain on both sides.


    At some point in the match, I had Destroyer¡¯s neck in my hands and my knee up against his chest which evidently hurt him a lot since he groaned out in pain. Whilst I was in this position my head lifted to the crowd again. That was when I saw it. A familiar face watching me with a soft smile on his face. The eye contact we had that second was enough for me to lose focus and let Destroyer free himself from my grip.


    He used that moment to kick my chest which led me to fall harshly. I held my chest in pain and took deep breaths which proved difficult. I started seeing double and getting heavily dizzy. I looked up at Destroyer¡¯s face and he looked concerned and off guard which I took to my own advantage. I quickly turned my body and kicked him off bnce, making him crash onto the floor and with my remaining strength, I held him in a headlock, using the rest of my body to keep him down until he passed out. I stood up and he didn¡¯t. I won.


    I looked back into the cheering crowd but the face was gone.


    ¡ª


    I leaned against the London Bridge again. Another part of my new routine. I looked up at the sky which seemed to have the same view as the one in New York. The river below me was dirty yet the sound of the water swaying and crashing was satisfying to my ear, calming my mind. That was probably why I was so attached to this area.


    I took out a box of cigs and lit one up. Without Xavier being here I had been smoking a lot more than what I used to. It wasn¡¯t healthy but it felt good.


    Suddenly the cig was taken away from my lips and thrown into the river. Before I could turn around to face the person I hear a voice say, ¡°No sister of mine is going to smoke while I¡¯m around,¡± which made my eyes go wide.


    In the past, when I was younger, my stepbrother used to smoke but it was a secret we kept between each other. One day, when he was smoking, I picked up his box and took one of the cigarettes out of curiosity but as soon as he saw me he took it from my hand straight away and said, ¡°No sister of mine is going to smoke while I¡¯m around.¡±


    I spun around quickly but instead of finding Arthur I stood faced with the same person I saw at the pub. Nick. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I ask and he frowns. ¡°Not happy to see me?¡± he asks back and I sigh, realizing my tone and shaking my head. ¡°That¡¯s not it, I just, I wasn¡¯t expecting you,¡± I say honestly before taking my box of cigarettes out again. However, like my cigarette, it was taken from me.


    ¡°Sector, give it back,¡± Imanded but he just stood to look at it in disgust. ¡°Our name is pronounced Secter, not Sector.¡± This time I looked at him in disgust. ¡°Our?¡± I asked but he didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he turned the subject back to the cigs. ¡°How do you smoke these things? The stuff inside is disgusting and highly unhealthy.¡± I raise my eyebrow at him before trying to take the pack back but he held it higher so I couldn¡¯t reach it without jumping. I didn¡¯t have the strength to try and fight him so I let him keep it up there. But just as I was going to give up,


    ¡°Let me have one and I¡¯ll give the box back.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked confused but he just smirked at me.


    A few minutester he had a cig lit and ready to use. He put it up against his lips and took a deep breath but the next thing to happen was a violent coughing fit. Iughed at him and he said he¡¯s given up with smoking so I took his cig from him and put it in my mouth before blowing out a cloud of smoke, showing him that it was easy and I was better.


    He red at me yfully which led to me ring back at him but then we both broke and rxed before starting tough at each other for no reason.


    As weughed I looked over Nick¡¯s face and realized he had bags under his eyes and that he had been stressing himself but at the moment, he looked at ease.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Suddenly, he hugged me which caught me by surprise.


    ¡°I missed you.¡±


    .

 Chapter 30 Mum And Dad

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    I had told Dominic that morning that I wanted to take her somewhere before we left for America. It was somewhere I had wanted to show her ever since I found out she was in London.


    I didn¡¯t know if showing her this at this point in time was right or wrong but I felt she deserved to see this. It was important to both of us and in some way, I had hoped that it would be a step towards a better rtionship between us.


    I had blinded Dominic before bringing her out but she was good at reading my facial expression as I did. She knew this wasn¡¯t going to be enjoyable.


    The drive there was silent. Mostly because I was nervous and she could feel that. When we reached the destination, I took her hand and guided her slowly and carefully to the entrance. She was stiff in my hand, still untrusting of me which was fair but after this maybe, just maybe, she¡¯d start properly seeing me as her brother. Plus if that were to happen, she might finally agree to be a member of my gang ¨C as my sister, the girl who deserves all of my respect especially since she can beat me up otherwise.


    I open the entrance doors to see an old man at the front desk. When I was younger and had found out I was adopted, this man was the first to tell me about my biological parents and where I could see them. At the time I thought he meant that I could be with them, live with them, like a real family but instead he bought me here. It wasn¡¯t what I wanted to see but I¡¯m thankful that he did because I felt closer to my real home than I ever had before.


    The man raised his head at us when he realized we were in there and smile when recognizing who I was, walking up to Dominic and me. ¡°Nicks? I haven¡¯t seen you in years, my boy, how have you been?¡± he asked and I grinned, hugging him in greeting. ¡°I¡¯m alright sir, just came for a visit,¡± I reply and he gives me a sad smile knowing this was what I used to say back then too when I visited frequently.


    He then looked round towards Dominic who was standing patiently and listening to our echoing voices. Dave leaned into me a bit and whispered, ¡°Is that your girlfriend then?¡± which made me chuckle and Dominic, who had heard him anyway, cleared her throat which humoured me more. ¡°No sir, she¡¯s my sister,¡± I inform and Dave¡¯s eyes widen and is taken back a bit. ¡°Your sister? Dominic? That¡¯s impossible! She died!¡± he whisper/yelled which made me smirk and from the corner of my eye I could see Dominic doing so too. ¡°A mysterious miracle. I was as surprised as you are.¡±


    After that, he led us to a nostalgic field and left us to ourselves. We stood in front of two headstones and my nerves started to kick in again. I took a deep breath and walked behind Dominic, slowly taking off her blindfold.


    I watched her as she stood looking around herself beforeing to realize where exactly we were. I heard a soft gasp and looked to see her eyes focused on the two headstones. The graves of our parents. Amelia Nick and Zane Secter.


    Dominic¡¯s eyes switched between the two, within seconds I could see tears beginning to form. She was stubborn though, she wouldn¡¯t let them fall. Her mouth was also wavering, unsure of what reaction to make. I decided to fil the silence a little,


    ¡°Mum was a police officer so it¡¯s probably where you got your strength. Dad was a surgeon. It¡¯s ironic; they were both good people, and we ended up bing fighters and wanted people. If they were alive they¡¯d probably hate us huh?¡± I said looking up. My voice cracked so I bit my lip slightly, trying to stop my voice from shaking anymore in sadness.


    Dominic hadn¡¯t replied to me and instead fell onto her knees and stared at the pictures of our parents whichid on top of their graves. After a few minutes, I started to worry about Dominic¡¯s silence. Unsure if I should have done this at all until- ¡°They¡¯re beautiful.¡± I hear her say. I smile at her words and knelt next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder protectively and in support, myself also looking down at their photos too.


    ¡°You look like our mum,¡± I say and that¡¯s when she broke. Crying silently yet there was still a small smile on her face, letting me know that she was happy. My own eyes watered while watching her.


    ¡°Mum, Dad, it¡¯s nice to meet you. It¡¯s Dominic, your daughter. I¡¯m d to finally be able to see you.¡± She introduced with a pain-filled voice which made my eyes sting some more because I remember saying something simr when I first got here. She felt my pain and I felt hers.


    ¡°Amelia Nick¡­ is that why we both have ¡®Nick¡¯ in our names?¡± she then asks me when made me grin, ¡°you caught onto that faster than I did. We have a piece of both of them in our names and we didn¡¯t even know it.¡± weughed together before sitting infortable silence for a bit, taking everything in.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Some more time passed before I felt like it was time to officially ask her properly. Hoping that she would ept. ¡°Dominic?¡± I ask and she hummed before turning to look at me with a calm expression. ¡°When we get back, the Scorpians will being. I know I¡¯ve pestered you enough about this already and given you more pain than deserved but for your brother¡­ will you please join my gang?¡± I asked, looking at her hopefully. For a second she didn¡¯t reply but then a smirk formed on her face.


    ¡°What would you do without me, Sector?¡±


    .

 Chapter 31 Rewind

    -Dominic¡¯s POV (from a few weeks ago)-


    I woke up and the first thing that I thought was ¡®ow¡¯ as pain shot up my body. My legs were killing me.


    Even as I tried getting up from bed carefully, I ended up copsing and falling onto the floor because my legs still couldn¡¯t support me properly. So, I grabbed my desk-side heaved myself up before leaned on the wall whilst slowly walking to the bathroom, knowing that I¡¯d probably have to get used to that happening in the morning now.


    When I got to the bathroom, I looked in the mirror and cringed at my reflection. I have bruises all over and a huge gash on my cheek. I didn¡¯t enjoy putting makeup on but with my face looking like this and the fact that I won¡¯t be fighting for a while, I thought that maybe a little bit of makeup wouldn¡¯t be too bad.


    I washed up and applied. I then looked at my final results and had made a firm decision. ¡°Not for me.¡± I looked different and I didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Xavier asked, looking down at me and blocking me froming in further into our room. I scowled at him and pushed him aside.


    ¡°I know I look different but not that different. Now get ready. My training will be strict.¡± I say, taking off my hoodie in the process, leaving me in a white short training vest. I then sat down at a chair on the far side of the room, crossing a leg over the other.


    ¡°Demon? Damn you look hot.¡± Heplimented which made me roll my eyes. ¡°Get a hold of yourself, you¡¯re ten years older than me,¡± I say, wrapping bandages over my knuckles just in case I might do some punchingter.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t think you¡¯re hot. Besides, you¡¯re of age, if you consent we can do anything we want and exclude age,¡± he says,ing closer to me, putting both of his arms on the side of my head, holding the back on the chair, trapping me in ce. ¡°All you need to say is ¡®go''¡± he carries on and I smirk, ¡°you forgot the ¡®away''¡± this made his grin falter a little but he recovered with a smirk. ¡°Won¡¯t be able to run from me forever, demon.¡± He then leaned back, giving me my space again.


    ¡°So, what are we doing as training today?¡± He then asked which made me look down at the list of things I had nned and written on my phone. ¡°First, you have to do one hundred push-ups in four minutes. Starting¡­.¡± I slid to my timer app and at that time Xavier got down in his perfect push-up position. ¡°Now!¡± I started my timer and then watched his form and counted his push-ups. I corrected him on the way and he was at 97 when the timer rang. Xavier finished off hisst three but I shook my head.


    ¡°Redo.¡± He looked at me wide-eyed and his mouth a little open, both due to his pants and because of shock. He then turned the shock into a chuckle of humour but nothing about what I said was a joke and he could see that. ¡°I was only a couple of seconds off Demon, you can¡¯t do that.¡± I looked up at him sharply which allowed me to see the hint of fear in his eyes which I liked. ¡°You know I very well can. Do. It. Again. ¡± I ordered in a threat filled voice which made him stare at me for a bit as if checking if I was serious before sighing and starting again.


    This time was worse than thest however and he ended up twenty seconds off. I shook my head again, ¡°Redo.¡± Xavier growled this time, standing up, marching towards me before mming a hand on the wall above my head making it shake. The slight mumbling I could hear of the people outside went silent after that too. They were probably wondering or maybe fearing for what was happening here. I already knew there were quite a few conspiracies about Xavier and me and I¡¯d rather not give them any evidence for them. I wasn¡¯t phased at Xavier¡¯s little outburst either. I looked up at him and didn¡¯t flinch. A trail of sweat ran down his face andnded on my own but we still didn¡¯t back away. I was the more patient one though.


    ¡°If you¡¯re so fucking confident, do it with me.¡± He whispered at me, staring right into my eyes, challenging me. I smirk back at him. ¡°With a broken leg?¡± I ask which brought him back to reality. He groaned at me a little before finally going down again. This time he sped up and made it before five minutes which made me grin down at the timer. I could hear Xavier panting harshly and looked at him to see him walking towards his water bottle. ¡°I haven¡¯t given you permission to go and get water, Xavier. Come back and carry on. You¡¯ll only have a break when I tell you to.¡±


    I could feel his re on me as he continued his way towards the water. So, I decided to stand up silently and make my way towards him back before he could put the bottle of water in his mouth. I grabbed his shoulder with one hand and in one swift movement, I kneed his lower back as hard as I could. He groaned out in pain but I didn¡¯t stop there. I circled around him, tripping him up with my good leg and when he was down, I pressed an arm on his neck, stopping his breathing.


    ¡°I¡¯m training you. You do as I say.¡± I state, pushing harder against his neck which makes him repeatedly tap out so I let him go knowing he won¡¯t disobey me from here on.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I limped back towards my seat but cursed halfway. I had put too much of a strain on my leg and now an electric feeling was sticking up my leg and I couldn¡¯t move. I bent down, clutching my leg but touching it only made it worse. I grit my teeth, mind going nk as to what I should do when I was suddenly lifted into a bridal position. I looked to see Xavier carrying me while looking at my leg with worry. Moving my legs only made the pain worse so I hissed in pain when he shifted me but the pain was relieved a little when he sat me down onto the chair after.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have actually just died during that first car crash? You cause way too much trouble for me here.¡± Xavier then says which makes me roll my eyes again. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry, want me to go let the Men of Mayhem kill me off then?¡± I joke but he gives me a warning look before sighing. I knew he was going to say something about taking the day to rest so I carried on talking.


    ¡°Forget about me, this is training time. Go punch that punching bag 500 times and when you¡¯re finished then you can have your break.¡± I say which cracks a smile on his face. ¡°I feel sorry for your trainees. How do they survive?¡± He asks which makes meugh. ¡°What do you mean? They love me!¡± I exin which makes him shake his head butugh with me too.


    ¡°Admit it, Xavier, you love me too.¡± I taunt grinning. He grins right back at me and says with confidence, ¡°I love you, Demon.¡±


    .

 Chapter 32 Welcome BackWelcome Back

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    As Dominic and I came out of the airport I looked around and then looked back at my phone, texting theds to check where they were but was cut off by someone calling, ¡°Nick!¡± My head shot up and I smiled towards my four guys who were walking towards me. We greeted each other with hugs and handshakes before we started talking.


    ¡°So, what happened?¡± Jason asked and I grinned at him before replying, ¡°it went well, I got her back and she agreed to join our gang!¡± I eximed and we cheered until ke asked, ¡°Then where is she?¡± with a less than happy look on his face. This made us all quieten down and start looking for her.


    I looked behind me where I expected her to be but instead was left with confusion when I see she wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Dominic?¡± I called when suddenly there was a yelp where I looked towards Jake to see Dominic behind him, raising one of his arms in an inspection. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been training while I was away, impressive.¡± Shepliments which made me smirk. I¡¯ve been making these boys train senseless this past month and I¡¯m d she was able to see that straight away.


    The guys looked at her with relief and were quick to wee her back, hugging her too which I could tell caught her off guard a bit but it was nice to see nheless. ke was surprisingly the only one who didn¡¯t greet her which confused me but I decided not to point it out in front of everyone and instead let it slide for now.


    When they all let go of her Zack bounced up excitedly and eximed, ¡°Let¡¯s go celebrate!¡±


    ¡ª


    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    It¡¯s been a couple of days since I came back to America with Nick and Zack¡¯s told almost everyone about a party he¡¯s been setting up for my return. Most people didn¡¯t care about the reason why this party was held though and I think it was better off that way. Zack lived together with Nick and Jason so their house was big enough for this party to take ce and they were quite used to holding them to considering Zack was a party maniac. I, on the other hand, hated parties unless I was fighting in it. It just wasn¡¯t my scene.


    Night came around and Nick pulled up to my house to pick me up. I stepped into the car in my decent clothes and got myself mentally prepared for the night. ¡°Excited?¡± Nick asked and I shook my head, ¡°Not really, parties aren¡¯t my thing.¡± I say honestly which doesn¡¯t surprise him. ¡°Cheer up Demonic, the party is for you after all.¡± He had a point I guess so I sat quietly and told myself to be grateful that they cared at all.


    When we got to the house, music was already ring out from the windows and there were a great number of people there already. Zack was already drunk too which made meugh slightly. Nick was greeted by a couple of people and was soon taken to socialize which I didn¡¯t mind. Around me, lots of people were drunk and making out which I was used to. My life was mostly spent in a bar after all so this sight was a familiar one.


    After a while, I got really bored and tired. It was past 12 am and the jetg was still present since I hadn¡¯t gotten to fixing that since I¡¯ve been back. I yawned but was interrupted by an announcement made by nonother than Zack who was holding a mike and had turned off the music which gained everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen stop kissing and start listening! I¡¯ve got a challenge for you all with a $500 cash prize!¡± A challenge? I had thought, finding myself intrigued especially since there was money involved. ¡°Interested aren¡¯t you? Well, then I won¡¯t waste time! I will give $500 to anyone who can tackle Dominic to the ground and keep her there for more than ten seconds!¡±


    Holy Shit.


    My eyes widened and quickly scanned the room to see everyone stare at me with murder in their eyes. ¡°Damn you, Zack,¡± I mumble and people started charging up to me right after. Punches were swung from behind me and in front of me at the same time so I ducked which got both of them to miss and instead fall due to theirck of bnce. Next, some guys started kicking and punching me with weak forms so I was able to easily use my arms to block their attacks, grab their arms and legs and then shove them off to the side.


    I wanted to be angry at Zack for doing this but I couldn¡¯t because during this whole battle I had a constant grin on my face. My party had just started. Attacks woulde in over and over again, sometimes I would get hit but it didn¡¯t hurt half as much as when Xavier would punch me during training or even just for fun. So this wasn¡¯t bad at all.


    Around an hour passed and I was panting like crazy. I wasn¡¯t the only one though. The whole room seemed to have been turned upside down with people on the floor either knocked out or too tired/afraid to carry on fighting. It was definitely quite the workout.


    I walked into another room to clear my head a bit. This room was much calmer and had no idea what had gone on in the other room just before but knowing high schoolers, there were probably lots of people with their phones out, recording the whole thing. What a pain.


    ¡°Heyyy Dominic, how¡¯s it going?¡± Jake¡¯s voice called out and I turned to see him walk towards me drunkenly. Well, I thought he was drunk anyway but his appearance looked clean and he didn¡¯t smell like alcohol at all. ¡°Good?¡± I replied, uneasy. He then came up really close to me, holding my waist with his hands and his head close to my ear. ¡°You probably know I¡¯m faking but I need you to go with it okay?¡± I giggle a little. Finding his faking quite funny.


    ¡°Dance with me, love!¡± He then eximed, pulling back with a hand extended. Iugh a little louder before giving a hand to him which he took and then danced us around and into a smaller room where no one was in. He pushed me against the door which made it m closed before letting me go.


    ¡°Sorry Demon.¡± He apologized which made my eyes widen before looking down. Xavier was normally the only one that called me by that name. I hadn¡¯t seen him in over 4 weeks and it was painful. I was used to seeing him almost every day. I was used to his insults and jokes. If I was ever reminded of him the memory that would firste up would be the one where he told me to quit street fighting. It hurt and I couldn¡¯t believe it, wouldn¡¯t believe it. There must have been a reason behind it and even if there was I wasn¡¯t going to quit what I loved because of it. There was no reason powerful enough to stop me.


    After that memory though, I would be reminded of all of our good times together. I wasn¡¯t closer to anyone else as I was with him. We would have fun. We would enjoy ourselves as partners. Memories I was so fond of would y in my mind over and over. It was painful because I longed for them back.


    I snapped myself out of my thoughts when I realized Jake was waiting for my reply. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, J. So, what¡¯s up?¡± I asked and his face turned into a serious one which scared me a little.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°You and my brother have been avoiding each other, I want to know why.¡± He said, voice stern. This was the most serious I had ever seen him. I guess the ¡®brotherly bond¡¯ was really a thing. I rxed a little and decided it was only fair I told him the truth.


    ¡°My adoptive parents were killed, you know that right?¡± I say and he nods at me slowly. ¡°They were killed by the Men of Mayhem. You know that gang too I was told.¡± Nick hasn¡¯t told them much about my adoptive family if anything at all so when Jake heard this name his eyes widened a bit before nodding again, probably getting where this story was going.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why but ever since my adoptive parents were killed, they¡¯ve been sending me death threats and stalking me. They¡¯re after me. Xavier has been trying to keep me safe these past few years but even then they¡¯ve been able to find me. It¡¯s not just me they¡¯re after either. It¡¯s the people I love too.¡± I exined, sitting in a chair in the process for support.


    ¡°The night you guys came into my house drunk, ke said¡­¡± I tried saying but my voice stopped out of fear. Jake noticed this and finished off my sentence. ¡°he said that he loved you. Ever since you left he¡¯s been regretting it. Saying that it was his fault that you left.¡± My eyes glossed over when I realized that he must have been going through a lot of pain because of me and because of the gang I¡¯ve been stripped of something that could have been beautiful.


    I shook my head.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault. When he said what he did, I was afraid. I didn¡¯t know if what he was saying was true or not but if it was, I was afraid they would find out. I was also angry for letting it happen too because out of everyone he could have chosen, it was one that could get him killed!¡±


    I held my face in my hands for a moment. Jake seemed to see how upset I was and respectfully gave me my time.


    ¡°There was only one ce I could think about going. Xavier was my protector so I thought I¡¯d feel safe with him. But, he told me to quit. I was out of control, confused. In the end, all I wanted was to get away. I¡¯m sorry Jake but it felt like the right thing to do.¡±


    My voice was shakey by the end but I told myself to stay together. While focusing on my breath I suddenly felt arms wrap around me. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I looked up to see Jake looking down at me with understanding.


    ¡°It must be why you haven¡¯t gone to see Xavier yet too.¡± He says after a bit to which I nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± he continued, ¡°we¡¯ll sort this whole thing out together. I want you and my brother to be happy. I hate this tense atmosphere you¡¯ve got between you. The only atmosphere I want between the both of you is a sexual one alright?¡± He ends that with a wink at the end which makes meugh to which he grins.


    ¡°You should smile more, it suits you.¡± I shove him off of me yfully. ¡°You¡¯re so cheesy,¡± I replied getting up and following him to the door. ¡°It¡¯s my job to be, sweetheart.¡± He then opens the door and I start walking out with him behind me. I was going to say something but was cut off by a punch I could seeing our way from the corner of my eye. I didn¡¯t have time to block it properly so I just stood in Jake¡¯s defence.


    When the punch made contact with my face¡­ it hurt. It shocked me. None of the punched had hurt me today except this one. In fact, it hurt more than Xavier¡¯s.


    I looked up to see a face I knew well but at that moment, it looked different. Why was his jaw clenched? Why were his eyes dark? Why were his hands curled into fists? Why did he look so¡­ angry?


    That was thest thing I thought before I was consumed by darkness.


    .

 Chapter 33 Im Back

    -ke¡¯s POV-


    My eyes were fixed on one figure that night. I had missed her beyond anything I had ever felt before but¡­ my fear held me back. Instead of going up to her, instead of talking to her, instead of fixing the things between us, I¡¯ve been giving her the cold shoulder since she¡¯se back. I¡¯ve been ignoring her even though I want nothing more than to hold her.


    I downed another shot and kept watching her from afar when I suddenly see Jake walk up to her drunk as hell. I furrowed my eyebrows when he held onto her waist and brought his face dangerously close to hers. What the hell was he doing? My blood boiled in anger and betrayal and I wanted to go up to them and rip him off of her but I knew I had no right. So, I stood and stared as she giggled. Giggled. That sent me off.


    After that, they started dancing into a room before mming the door shut. What was going on? Why was she so happy with him? What did he have that I hadn¡¯t? What were they doing in that room?


    My head went spinning. Images of them together shed in my head until I was seeing red. I wasn¡¯t going to let my own brother take away the girl I cared for. I started marching towards the door when it opened soon after, both of theming out. Dominic¡¯s face flushed a little red too which made my head shake in anger. Murder was on my mind


    Before I could think clearly I swung to punch my brother. I felt contact but was too blinded by my anger to see who I had actually hit.


    ¡°ke! What the fuck?!¡± Jake shouted at me, shoving me roughly which caught some people¡¯s attention around us but I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Jake, how could you?¡± I asked as he kneeled down. I still hadn¡¯t realized who was on the floor next to him. ¡°How could I? ke, do you even know what you just did?!¡± He shouted at me with anger and worry on his face which shook me out of my angered state and instead I was confused. What was he talking about?


    That was when I finally saw it. I saw her. Sheid on the floor, Jake picking her head up slightly in his arms to reveal her bleeding forehead. I sucked in a shaky breath and my hands started to shake again but this time it was out of fear rather than anger. I slowly kneeled down in front of Jake. ¡°D..?¡± I whisper but don¡¯t get a reply. ¡°Dominic?¡± I say a little louder this time and reach forward but Jake pushes my hand out of the way which makes me realize the extent of my damage. What had I done?


    ¡ª


    Nicks hadn¡¯t talked to me ever since he found out about what happened that night. Instead, he¡¯s been worrying about his sister ¨C as he should.


    One of our other gang members was able to tell us that she had a mild concussion which was why she hadn¡¯t woken up yet but was due to at any time and that she was going to be okay. That made me sigh in relief but I was still restless as I waited in the room opposite the one she was in. My hands had run through my hair multiple times, I wasn¡¯t able to sleep either which probably made my eyes red but I didn¡¯t care. I just wanted her to be okay.


    Suddenly, I heard her voice from the other room which made me lift my head. ¡°Woah, what happened?¡± she asked and Nick answered, ¡°You received quite the blowst night and your forehead started bleeding.¡± ¡°Hmm, yeah I think I remember now.¡± After that their voices go lower so I wasn¡¯t able to make anything so I just sat quietly in the room I was in with my eyes closed.


    ¡°Damn, you look as if your family was killed by a gang and that same gang is after the ones you love. Oh, wait- that¡¯s me.¡± My head shot up to Dominic leaning against the door frame, chuckling at me.


    When I didn¡¯t reply to her, she started walking up to me before kneeling down and holding my hands in hers. ¡°What¡¯s wrong ke?¡± she asked which made my eyes tear up slightly. ¡°How could you ask me what¡¯s wrong when I hurt you?¡± I replied which made her look at me weirdly. ¡°Hurt me? The guy who hurt me looked nothing like you. He had scary eyes and pointy teeth, a frown on his face, and was really angry. I¡¯ve never seen you angry.¡±


    I stayed silent, knowing full well what she was trying to do which made her break into a grin. ¡°Quit messing with me Dominic, you know it was me,¡± I say to which her grin faltered. ¡°And?¡± It was then my turn to look at her weirdly. What did she mean ¡®and?¡¯


    ¡°ke my job literally has me get beat up all the time, I don¡¯t know why you take it as such a huge sin. If Nick is bothering you then I¡¯ll talk to him. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s cool.¡± She carries on while standing up and sitting on the sofa on the other side of the room. ¡°How could you say that?¡± I ask back slowly, unsure as to why she wasn¡¯t angry. She smirked back at me.


    ¡°Whether Xavier told me to quit or not, I¡¯m a street fighter. I get paid to beat people up and get beat in the process. Last night I let down my guard and you were able tond a pretty good hit which made me knock out. I believe Zack owes you $500.¡± She says beforeughing to herself but I couldn¡¯tugh with her. I shook my head instead.


    ¡°I had no right to get angry. I hadn¡¯t talked to you or given you any of my attention since you came back and I was suddenly angry that my brother was spending time with you and doing what I wanted to do. I was angry with you guys being together in that room, I-¡± ¡°That¡¯s funny because, in that room, we were talking about you.¡± She cut me off and my eyes widened slightly at what she had said. She frowned and looked out of a window for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for leaving all of a sudden like that ke. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you and trust me, it wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± Again I had to disagree with her because I wouldn¡¯t ept that it was her fault. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t said what I did, you wouldn¡¯t have gone.¡± Her frown deepened and she sighed. ¡°When you said you loved me I ran because there are people who will target you if they find out about that and there was no doubt that they would if I staid with you. I¡¯m not getting you killed ke.¡±


    Dominic rubbed her face as if this was an issue that was stressing her but when I thought about what she had just said I had finally seen some light shine on our situation.


    ¡°You¡­ were protecting me?¡± I asked with half a smile. She saw this and grinned back at me, telling me that my spection was correct which made me immensely happy.


    She then pped her legs and got up energetic. ¡°Okay! Well, now that¡¯s sorted, I¡¯ve got a fight to get to.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± I called which made her stand still with confusion written on her face. I quickly stood up and ran up to her, grabbing her waist, lifting her into the air, turning her which made her yelp a little before hugging her tightly, and for the first time, she wasfortable in my hold and held me back.


    -Xavier¡¯s POV-


    It¡¯s been four and a half weeks since she left and four and a half weeks since I¡¯ve been in the ring. Tonight was different though because it was the night I was going to show my face to the crowd again. I didn¡¯t have much choice since ourmentator burst into our room and told me to ¡®get the fuck up, there¡¯s an opponent I¡¯ve got to fight tonight¡¯ before mming the door shut before I could protest. He was one of the only people who showed me that much disrespect, the other being Dominic.


    Tonight, I was going to fight for her. That¡¯s all I would think as I warmed up. People were screaming like crazy which had my adrenaline pumping. I hadn¡¯t felt this way in a long time.


    ¡°BEAUTIES AND UGLIES, BOYS AND GIRLS, I¡¯VE GOT A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU TONIGHT! COME OUT OUR MISSED FIGHTER, CHAMP!¡± That was my signal. I walked out with my head held high. There were a lot of people tonight inparison to other nights which was a little weird but I ignored it.


    I waited as my opponent was supposed to be called out but instead by the edge of the ring I see ourmentator and another man talking quite enough for me to hear them say, ¡°Where is she? I already promised the audience that she¡¯d be here.¡± She? The only female who would fight here was M. D.


    ¡°LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR FAVOURITE FIGHTER IS HERE!¡± We suddenly hear through a different mike. Thementators cheered out in praise which made everyone hysterical. I scanned the crowd to see five familiar faces of the Skulls and Bones and they all held happy expressions, especially Nick who looked extremely smug. That¡¯s when I realised, he couldn¡¯t have, could he?


    ¡°BOYS, GIRLS, BELOVEDS, THE MYSTERIOUS DEMON IS BACK!¡± My eyes widened as I saw her appear through the doors and walking with pride up onto the ring. There was no fucking way.


    The crowd chanted her name over and over again which only got louder when she threw the mike at the audience. There were so many people who loved her, loved to see her fight and I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t one of them.


    Dominic then turned to me with a grin lurking from the edge of her mask. ¡°Good to see you again, Champ.¡± she greeted but I was unable to reply. Before I knew it, our fight started and I received a punch to the face which knocked me back into reality. However, when I opened my eyes, she disappeared. What? I thought but then got a strong kick to my back which made me lose bnce and curse. I looked back but she was already gone again. As I was hunched forwards, I felt her fists m on the back of my neck which made me fall.


    She had gotten faster and stronger than she was before.


    I got up quickly to a dizzy room of people cheering for M. D to finish me off but just as she was going to punch me again I held her fist and didn¡¯t let her go. I saw a smirk from under her mask this time. She went for another punch with her other hand which I caught too. Now neither of us had any hands free. With that thought, she jumped and span forwards while I was still holding her, using me as support as her leg made its way around and kicked the back of my head. The next thing I knew was that I was drowned in darkness and she was probably dered the winner.


    ¡°MYSTERIOUS DEMON! M. D! MYSTERIOUS DEMON! M. D! MYSTERIOUS DEMON! M. D!¡±


    When I was finally able to make my way back to our room I got in to see Dominic standing there with a Monster in one hand and her phone in another. ¡°Yeah bro, I¡¯m all good¡­ no I had my fun for tonight¡­ eh he had iting¡­ I¡¯ll be with you in a few minutes yeah?¡­ Cool, see you, bye.¡± She ended her call and gulped her drink down thirstily while I stood there watching her as if this couldn¡¯t be real.


    ¡°You know they don¡¯t have the same energy drinks as us in Ennd? It¡¯s disappointing but they had all of my favourite Monster vours so it wasn¡¯t that bad. They did have this thing called Boost though. It¡¯s kind of tangy at the end but it¡¯s good. I bought some back with me, hopefully, Zack didn¡¯t finish them.¡± She then said with a chuckle at the end. She turned to me and her smile faltered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look the least happy to see me. I know I beat you but the silent treatment? That¡¯s harsh.¡± She then walked towards where I hung up her jacket and picked it up while my voice got stuck in my throat. ¡°I missed you.¡± She carries on but I wasn¡¯t sure if she was talking about her jacket or me so I didn¡¯t respond. This led to her letting out a drastic sigh before putting her jacket on.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to head out now. I¡¯m a part of the Skulls and Bones so they want to get nning and have me get this tattoo that they all have. Who knew I¡¯d join hmm?¡± Guilt was eating me alive at this point.


    ¡°You¡¯ve actually quit street fighting?¡± I asked, trying to keep my voice from trembling. ¡°That¡¯s what you wanted right?¡± She asked back, looking directly into my eyes. That¡¯s when I see a strong fighter. Not a girl that I should have kept this from.


    I shook my head negatively. I had to make this right.


    ¡°The Men of Meyhem was going toe after you the night after. I had no other choice but get you far away from here.¡± She started walking away but I stepped in front of her, hoping to get her to listen.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I did it to protect you!¡± I say desperately to which she looks up at me and I see something I hadn¡¯t expected, an all-knowing smirk.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. No one tells me, the Mysterious Demon, to quit.¡±


    .

 Chapter 34 Meet The Scorpians

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    The n was prepared and exined to my members, now the only thing left to do was to put it into action. I knew it was dangerous to put this new team into a fight without some training first though so that was exactly what I was going to do.


    I had called everyone into the main room of my apartment and had started calling out everyone¡¯s positions, more so Dominic knew a bit more about the gang she was now in. ¡°First off, Zack and ke are our weapon guys for this division, it¡¯s their speciality. Jason is our kill off. Kind of like an assassin, he¡¯ll do the individual tasks that dont require the whole group. He prefers to work alone and does it well. Dominic, you and Jake are our hand to handbat team from now on.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    After I say this they turn to each other and give each other a fist bump which almost makes me smile. ¡°And of course, I y a role in every team as well as leading. ¡± I finalize but for some reason, I see Dominic frown as if she just made a realization.


    ¡°Wait a minute! You¡¯re telling me that until now, this group of five, only hand one person ying hand to handbat?¡± She asked which made me hesitate in slight embarrassment before Jake put both of his hands on her shoulders and answered for me. ¡°Only because they knew I could handle it, Sweetheart.¡± The answer made Dominic roll her eyes yfully, dissatisfied with the answer but wasn¡¯t going to argue.


    From beside me, I could feel ke tense up whilst Jake¡¯s hands remained on Dominic but when I looked, his face hadn¡¯t seemed to differ from normal. It was amusing seeing him try so hard to act as if he wasn¡¯t affected so I decided to leave him be.


    ¡°You all know the drill and how things are going to work so I need you guys to go off and train. You know how the Scorpians can be. We can¡¯t let them get a nudge over us!¡± I tried to motivate and Zack yelled back enthusiastically in response which made everyoneugh before they went off in their separate locations.


    It wasn¡¯t long after where I made my rounds to make sure everything was okay, Jake and Dominic¡¯s pair being thest ones to go to but when I did my anger and confusion red as I caught Dominicying on a bean bag sleeping whilst Jake was gently trying to wake her up.


    I walked in closer to the two which made Jake notice me and turn around in a panic whilst almost trying to hide Dominic from me. ¡°Hey, Nick, what¡¯s up? We were just, um-¡± but he trailed off, looking for an excuse so I pushed him out of the way a little so I didn¡¯t have anything in my way.


    ¡°Dominic!¡± I shouted to which she hummed back in reply but her body didn¡¯t move and her arm staid over her eyes. ¡°What the fuck are you doing? I told you toe here to train, noty around sleeping! I don¡¯t want a weak member in my gang-¡± I was going to carry on but she cut me off by getting up as fast as a bullet and standing less than a meter away from me, taking off her hoodie in the process, and lifting the shirt she had underneath just enough to show off her stomach which was well-toned and a six-pack was clearly visible and defined. Her arms too, now that they weren¡¯t covered, you could see the muscles gleaming back at you.


    ¡°Call me weak again fucktard and I¡¯ll beat your ass.¡± She threatened, voice low but dangerous before sitting back down in the position she was in before. ¡°Ooooo saucy!¡± Jake eximed from before me which shook me out of my dazed state before I turned back to him with a ir which made him flinch, ¡°sorry.¡±


    I then turned back around to Dominic, still unready to give up on our argument. So, I brought out my phone and called ke into the room we were in and a couple of minutester he appeared with confusion written on his face. ¡°Nick?¡± he asked but I didn¡¯t turn to him, my eyes were strained on Dominic whilst my arms were crossed.


    ¡°Sis, if you¡¯re so confident in yourself I want you to fight ke, right here and now,¡± I announce. From before me, I could hear the twins say, ¡°what?¡± in unison but I ignored it. Dominic raised her arm off of her face to look at mine and when she saw I was serious she sighed and got up, this time slowly as if shecked the energy. ¡°Eleven fights today and it¡¯s only twelve pm. Could this day get anymore tiring?¡± she muttered in between which made me pause. ¡°Eleven?¡± I ask back which makes her look at me with a bored face. It was then that I also realized that her eyes glowed red withck of sleep.


    ¡°Yeah, unlike you daisies who sleep the night away, I have fights lined up next to each other night after night and I had a three-hour training session with Xavier. I came here with one hour of shut-eye.¡± I lowered my gaze after she said that. Reminding myself that I was being rude and inconsiderate. I should have thought about her situation. I should have remembered that she made her own living by sacrificing everything and that she was probably in a lot of pain right now.


    I looked back up to tell her that she didn¡¯t have to fight after all but by then she was already standing in front of ke, ready to start.


    ¡°Go easy on me alright?¡± she said to him, smiling gently and ke nodded back. They then stood in silence for a second before beginning. ke ran up to her and got ready to throw a punch but at thest second, Dominic ducked, grabbing his leg and flipping him over her shoulder. My eyes widened as I saw ke struggling to get up. She fought as if everything she had just said was a lie. Just as ke got to his hands and knees I looked back at Dominic to see she had a gun pointed at ke which he also saw and froze. His hand went to his waistline to see that it was his gun in her hands.


    The room was silent for a few seconds but that was broken when someone barged into the room. ¡°Nick, we have some trouble!¡± Jason shouted rmed with Zack following behind him. ¡°The Scorpians were sighted only two hours away from here and are expecting us tonight.¡± I clenched my jaw and looked at my members who were also a little panicked by the news. We weren¡¯t expecting them until at least the day after tomorrow. Dominic was the only one who didn¡¯t seem panicked but instead now leaning against the wall, half asleep.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry too much about the Scorpians. We¡¯re prepared. I¡¯m just worried about Dominic. She¡¯s too tired to fight and didn¡¯t get a chance to work with Jake either.¡± I say but then both ke and Jake came forwards to defend her.


    ¡°Her fighting skills are amazing, you can trust that she¡¯ll be okay. Just let her sleep while we still have the time and she¡¯ll be ready.¡± ke said with confidence. ¡°Yeah, plus before you came, Dominic and I had talked over everything already, nned and strategized. We¡¯re ready to go.¡± They were convincing arguments but I still hesitated.


    I looked at my sister again. Sleeping was a time where people were at peace but she wasn¡¯t like that. She looked tense and on guard. Even when not awake or fighting, she was ready to beat whoever came near her.


    That¡¯s when I decided to trust her and her strength. So, I nodded and gave further instructions. ¡°Okay ke, you take Dominic to a quiet room and let her get some rest. We¡¯ll move from there.¡± It was time.


    ¡ª


    It was six pm when we were all positioned in the location that the Scorpians werest seen at. We each had at least two guns on us with ke and Zack having more. We also made sure we had bullet-proof vests on and all other extra gear to help us out. Except for Dominic. She wasn¡¯t a fan of having any weapons on her but I forced her to carry one gun on her for protection if none of us could reach her. She also didn¡¯t put the bullet-proof vest on saying that is was just going to weigh her down but no matter how much I reasoned with her she was stubborn and settled for just a leather jacket, with her mask finishing the look.


    We stood in formation. I had Jason hidden and out of sight from those who could be in front of us. ke was a distance behind us too, looking out for our back. Zack took my right simrly to ke whilst Jake and I took front and Dominic in the centre.


    ¡°So you actually showed up.¡± A voice then called out,ing out of the shadows. It was Jakob, the gang leader. Behind him were three more of his members, Jordan, Kobe, and Marcel which I had to be cautious of.


    ¡°You know I¡¯d never back down in a fight, as pointless as it may be,¡± I reply which makes him snarl. ¡°Pointless? That¡¯s riching from you. If you would have just agreed to our contract conditions, everything could have been fine.¡± ¡°You¡¯re conditions were unreasonable! You should have known negotiations were going to fail.¡± That was probably when Jakob realized that I wasn¡¯t going to agree on no matter what and so his hands went to his waist which was my sign to be ready.


    ¡°Jordan, Kobe, Marcel, we¡¯re going with our second formation.¡± he then says which makes the three of them step forward. This gang had seven members since only four were here I knew I had to look out for the other three as well. I took out a gun and got into position to fight when suddenly,


    ¡°Wait- Jordan?¡± Dominic suddenly calls out which makes me whip my head around to see her stepping forward and passed me before I could stop her. ¡°Damn you¡¯ve changed!¡± She continues which causes Jordan to halt in confusion. ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡± He asked which makes her chuckle in reply before raising her mask a little bit which makes me inhale sharply. This was really risky.


    ¡°Dominic? What the hell?¡± He then exims and they stepped closer to each other and into a hug. Did they know each other? I questioned as I watched them pull away. ¡°It¡¯s been four years! Thest I heard from you was a read text message. That doesn¡¯t make you a nice person mate,¡± Dominic started and they carried on with their little conversation until I realized Dominic was holding a finger out behind her back, signalling. She was distracting them for us.


    I smirked at that and signalled round to Jason to go for Jakob.


    ¡°And Kobe! You¡¯re here too! I talked to you like twice I remember!¡± Dominic exims which drags his attention onto her. Perfect. ¡°I thought you said you guys were nerds, why the hell are you in a gang, fighting my brother?¡± ¡°Brother-?¡± He was going to ask when he was cut off by a gunshot.


    Everyone turned to see that Jakob had been shot by his cor bone. This had snapped everyone back into a killing mode, especially Marcel who didn¡¯t wait to go and attack Dominic in rage, pouncing on her like a lion. Jordan rushed back to Jakob to start treating him which was fatal for them, their back was open.


    However, it was then when two more members came out and attacked in unison with Kobe who was now holding out two guns, firing them towards me so I took cover, letting ke and Zack handle those with a gun and Jake and Jason were upied with those who had rushed out.


    I swiftly moved towards Jordan, grabbing a gun in the meantime and pointed in at his back while it was still turned to me, however just as I got closer, he suddenly pulled out a knife and cut me across my arm making the grip on my gun weak so Jordan took the opportunity to kick the gun out of my hand andnd a punch to my face.


    When I got hit I almostughed. The night Dominic and I found out we were rted and I took her back home she gave me a 4-hour training session which she reasoned I needed after seeing how I punched at the bar. During the session, we had also fought, a lot a, it was painful as fuck but ever since then no one¡¯s punches have hurt me as much as her¡¯s had. This was no exception. It was weak.


    Jordan tried punching me a second time but I caught it with my good hand but he swung a second knife in his left hand towards my neck which made my eyes widen but before it could hit¡­ someone stopped it.


    I looked to see that Dominic was now stood next to me and she had stopped the attack by catching the de with her fingers despite it resulting in them bleeding. While Jordan was off guard, Dominic wasted no time to give him a real punch making him fall and hit his head hard enough onto the floor to pass out next to Jakob who was struggling to get up, pointing a gun at us which I kicked out of his hand.


    I looked behind me after that to see Marcel was also passed out behind us. I wave of pride went through my body for my sister. She was so fucking strong. I was going to turn back to her topliment her when suddenly sounds of sirens were heard which made everyone freeze slightly. The Scorpians looked at each other as if expecting this which made me curse. ¡°Looks like Oliver¡¯s backup n worked,¡± I hear Austin say to Tom which confirmed my theory. They nned it.


    ¡°Nick we need to get out of here!¡± Jason then shouted at me and I nodded, signalling the other guys before taking the route we had nned out before. We kept going until I could no longer hear sirens or the shouts of men behind us.


    I turned with a smirk on my face but when I did, I saw that I was a member short. ¡°Where¡¯s Dominic?¡± I asked but I didn¡¯t get any replies. ¡°Dont make me ask again, where the fuck is Dominic?!¡± I yelled and Jake was the first to raise his head to answer.


    ¡°She sacrificed herself so we wouldn¡¯t be caught by the police.¡±


    .

 Chapter 35 Jail Time

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    I looked down at Jordan onest time with sympathy before watching Nick and the rest start running from the police who wereing in closer.


    ¡°Come on D, we have to go!¡± ke eximed, grabbing my wrist and we both started running. A little distance was made between us and what was our battlefield when I came up with an idea. I stopped moving and started walking back into the open. ¡°Dominic what are you doing?¡± I then hear ke asking from behind me, looking at me with panic and worry.


    ¡°If we keep running without a n we¡¯re going to get caught. They have cars and tracking dogs. This won¡¯t work. I have to do something.¡± I reply which makes him shake his head, walking closer to me and taking hold of my hand, unbothered by my blood which was now getting on his hand too.


    ¡°We can think of something else but that doesn¡¯t mean that you have to risk getting caught!¡± He tried reasoning when Jake then burst through, rushed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked hurriedly. ¡°She won¡¯te with us,¡± ke exined which made Jake look at me for a few seconds.


    ¡°Please Jake, this is what my job in the gang is.¡± I plead which made him stare before nodding at me and pulling at ke¡¯s arm. ¡°Put your trust in her and go.¡± He tells him which makes me nod back in gratitude before watching them leave, ke looking back at me with regret.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    When they were gone, I walked in the opposite direction of where they were going and took out the gun that Nick had forced me to carry. It wasn¡¯t long before I was met with someone else. ¡°You¡¯re Oliver right?¡± I asked based on the information Jason gave me prior but he didn¡¯t reply to me which made me shrug. Fair enough.


    I then pointed the gun I had at him which made him run and shield himself behind a tree which made me smirk before I aimed the gun towards the dark sky and shot. This caught the attention of the police who were nearby which was perfect. I threw the gun an equal distance away from me and between Oliver and me before taking off my mask, putting my hands above my head and stered fake fear on my face.


    The police surrounded the area around me, pointing guns at me and yelling at me to slowlyy on the floor with my hands behind my back which I did with a little hesitation. A policeman then came and sat on my back and was about to put some handcuffs on me which was amusing. One of the few things that I had learned from being a street fighter was getting out of this position.


    I noticed that the other police officers were going to go towards where they thought there were more people so I decided to make my move. I lifted my chest as much as I could which made the police hold down my neck as I had expected him to. Then I quickly bent and moved up on my knees, allowing me to push the officer off of my back as I stood. This made the rest of the officers toe and hold me down all at once. It was suffocating so I didn¡¯t struggle this time and instead tensed my wrists as they put handcuffs on them.


    After that, I was dragged into a police car when I realized my ne had fallen off somewhere which made me panic, and yet, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    ¡°Officer I haven¡¯t done anything!¡± I exim which makes him scoff at me while shoving me in the car. The ride to the station was a quiet one. The officers would talk between themselves in a low voice while I carried on my innocent act.


    I looked down at the cuffs, suddenly feeling very suffocated and ustrophobic when I remembered something. When I was young my stepbrother would tie a skipping rope around my wrists and would time how long it would take for me to get out of the hold. Could this be simr? I thought and rxed my body. I squeezed my thumb into my hand, twisted, squeezed a little more, and repeated. It hurt but finally, I could get one hand out.


    I smiled at my sess and thought about the possibility of trying to run away now. However, the chances of me actually seeding without putting my brother and the rest in danger was extremely low. Plus, where¡¯s the fun in escaping? And so, I waited until I got to the station.


    ¡ª


    After a while, I was put into an interrogation room and sat down in front of a man in a suit. He didn¡¯t look happy to see me. ¡°Dominic¡­st name?¡± he asked and I shrugged. ¡°It used to be Johnson but now it¡¯s Secter although I haven¡¯t changed it yet.¡± He nodded at my reply.


    ¡°A few years ago you came here to report the murder of your adoptive family, correct?¡± I gulped when hearing this but nodded all the same. ¡°You stayed with a family friend since then?¡± ¡°Until I turned 18 and moved out.¡± It was his turn to nod after that before getting to the important question.


    ¡°What were you doing at the scene?¡± I sighed at him and exined, ¡°I was visiting my adoptive family¡¯s graves when I heard people yelling and fighting when I was near I was mistaken as one of the people that was fighting and all I could really do was defend myself. I wasn¡¯t prepared though. I was scared. I don¡¯t even know how I found the gun but it was the only way to keep the people away from me. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He looked me in the eyes and I looked back at him. I was good at lying so I wasn¡¯t worried at all. I had lied to people all of my life. This was second nature to me. After a couple of seconds, he nods again.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to say that you¡¯re arrested in suspicion of murder until your court date is set ¡± I winced slightly, knowing this will make my reputation a lot worse and I¡¯ll be missing a lot of fights at the bar because of this. ¡°How long do you think I¡¯ll get locked up?¡± I ask slowly and he hummed while thinking. ¡°Two or three months maybe?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smirk when he said that though. This was going to be exciting.


    .

 Chapter 36 Xavier鈥檚 Angry

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    My head was in my hands and my leg was shaking.


    She¡¯s in jail.


    I couldn¡¯t think about anything else at that moment. Not the news that was talking about her this morning nor the whispering of the people around me, ncing at me and theds from time to time because they knew we were rted. Right now everyone at school had found out about Dominic and how she was suspected of murder. Most people said they weren¡¯t surprised if it were true, others swore to stay away from her if she were to evere back which made me scoff. It wasn¡¯t as if anyone was close to her, to begin with.


    My thoughts were then interrupted when the door of my ss was opened. I lifted my head and my eyes widened at the figure standing by the door. I wasn¡¯t the only one with wide eyes though; it seemed the girls in the ss were attracted too. Xavier stood there with a smirk towards all the newfound attention.


    ¡°May I help you, sir?¡± my teacher asked which made him look at her and nod. ¡°Yeah, I was wondering if I could take Nick out for a bit.¡± He says while ncing at me. I didn¡¯t wait for my teacher¡¯s response and stood up. I knew I would have to confront Xavier sooner orter and wasting time would only make things worse. He was her father figure, her trainer, her carer, and if he was here that meant that he didn¡¯t care about anything else at that time and was ready to attack me. Ready to beat me.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I walked to the front of the ss, a walk that felt like it was taking eternity with everyone¡¯s intense stares on my face. My neck started to get hot as my eyes met with Xavier¡¯s own. I couldn¡¯t read him though which worried me. I wanted to go and sit back down. My body wanted to get away from him. I wasn¡¯t ready to face him. I wasn¡¯t ready.


    When I was midway I felt someone grip my arm which made me breathe out startled. It was Zack. ¡°Want me to go with you?¡± he asked and as much as it would probably help me, I knew I had to be stronger than that. I needed to take responsibility for my sister¡¯s situation so I shook my head negatively. ¡°Nah man, it¡¯s alright,¡± I replied and he nodded but I knew that if anything were to happen to me, he¡¯de to help.


    When he let go of me I started walking again, looking back at Xavier who winked at the ss before walking out of the door and waiting for me outside. I followed his lead and we both stopped at a quiet part of the school, no sses near. It was just us. Him staring right at me. It was then when I wondered how Dominic faces him every day.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t show up to training or to her matchesst night. Where is she, Nick?¡± He asked calmly, still staring into my eyes. He didn¡¯t know she was in jail yet, I might be able to get out of this. I thought and made something up on the spot. ¡°She¡¯s ill. It was probably the gas that the Scorpians used. It¡¯s not serious though, she¡¯ll be fine.¡± I say with a fake grin. I tried making it as believable as I could but the way he was looking at me was frightening.


    After a second he broke into a grin. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s alright then.¡± He says, putting an arm around my shoulders. He bought it, I thought but was then hit in the stomach, the pain was excruciating. I harshly collided with the wall and slid down, unable to keep myself up because of the pain. I held my stomach and looked up at Xavier with fear.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± he asks with a deep, low voice. I shake my head. No, I don¡¯t. I wanted to say but I couldn¡¯t open my mouth so I tried saying it through my eyes. He walked closer to me which made me shake my head faster but that didn¡¯t stop him. He grabbed my cor with his left hand and swung at my face with the right before throwing me at the wall again, making pain travel down my back.


    ¡°She¡¯s in jail Nicks Secter! This could ruin her entire life! I should have beat you to death when you first crashed her bike!¡± He kicked me in the chest which made me let out a yell of pain but he didn¡¯t stop. ¡°But instead I let her join your pathetic little gang out of pity! You don¡¯t know how to protect for shit! You can¡¯t attack if you don¡¯t know how to defend Secter!¡± He kept beating, but I didn¡¯t know what hurt more, his kicks, or his words. ¡°She¡¯s your sister for fucks sake! Do you not care enough to pay attention to her a little bit more?¡± he asked while giving me onest blow before standing up straight, looking down at me with anger.


    He was right. I should have protected her with my life.


    ¡°Arthur would have never let her get in trouble like that.¡± He then mumbled which tore me up on the inside. My jaw clenched but at the same time, my eyes stung.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I managed to say which made him look down at me again but this time he sighed before turning away and leaving.


    I tried getting up but I was in way too much pain so I just sat there in guilt. I don¡¯t know how long passed when I heard the sounds of trainers squeaking against the floor while running in my direction. ¡°Nick!¡± I instantly recognized the voice to be of Zack¡¯s which made me sigh in a little relief. I open my eyes to see him kneeling down next to me. ¡°Fuck. You look horrible, man.¡± He helped me up after a few grunts and we slowly started walking towards the nurse¡¯s office.


    ¡°I deserve this,¡± I say and Zack looks at me with sympathy before shaking his head. ¡°Maybe a bit of it for how you used to treat Dominic before you found out she was you sister, but she chose to stay behind, she chose to get caught and she chose to get thrown into fucking jail. That wasn¡¯t your fault at all! When she gets out, I¡¯m going to beat her into a bloody pulp!¡±


    I chuckle at him but I couldn¡¯t help still be upset. ¡°When peoplee out of jail they¡¯re always ten or twenty times stronger than what they were before. Considering how strong she was already, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to touch her.¡± I looked down before continuing, ¡°If she even gets toe out,¡± I mumble to which Zack patted my back, ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right about the strength part but don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll be fine. Dominic is a street fighter and your sister. There¡¯s no way anyone will be able to stop her. Besides, a sister of yours is a sister of mine, and I have faith in all of my siblings.


    .

 Chapter 37 A Visit Would Be Nice

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    Jail.


    It wasn¡¯t that bad. I think it was safe to say that movies definitely overexaggerated how bad it was going to be in here which was a little less fun than I had anticipated.


    I had my own cell for now because I still had time before my court date and that was absolutely perfect for me. Istion was something I wasfortable with. People in here weren¡¯t exactly nice though either. If I wasn¡¯t a street fighter maybe this ce would bother me more but because I am, non of these people scare me. In fact, I may as well call myself one of them.


    Right then I was hanging outside since it was our free time and was smoking a cig that I had taken from one of the guards. You would have thought that being in prison would have helped me get away from them but instead, I saw getting one as a challenge I was willing to ept, and evidently, I seeded. It was a good way to start the day but it was still too early to determine how the rest of the day was going to go.


    Once I was finished with the cigarette, I threw it over the fence in time to see three women walking up to me. They all seemed older than me by around ten years, probablyfortable living in prison, so I kept my guard up.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Hey, bitch!¡± One of them shouted which almost made me roll my eyes. ¡°Can I help you?¡± I asked, disinterested. She scoffed at my tone before whispering something to the other two. They both then started approaching me and forcefully held my arms in ce. Huh, this felt familiar. Oh, that¡¯s right, it was Nick¡¯s bullying phase all over again except in prison. Did I really look that much of a target? I thought to myself as I watched the seemed leader walk up to me with a smirk on her face.


    You¡¯d think for grown women, they wouldn¡¯t stoop down to this childish behaviour but then again, I wasn¡¯t one to say anything since I did simr for a living.


    The woman saw my rxed facial features and her smirk fell. At least she wasn¡¯t downright angry, that would have probably made the situation worse. She then put one hand on my shoulder before spitting, ¡°you¡¯re going to do whatever we tell you to from now on, alright? You¡¯re our little bitch,¡± she dered before reaching up to my hair and tugging on it roughly which made me grit my teeth.


    Alright, that was enough. I thought before bringing my leg up and kicking her chest, hard. This made the two women stood next to me let go to go help her as she yelled out in pain. I definitely made them angry now. They then stood up, ready to attack me but before they could a guard came up from behind us and told us it was time for lunch.


    How people treated each other in here was very biased. You either knew someone outside of prison which is why you¡¯re on good terms or you share a cell which means your forced to like each other. Everyone else was your enemy or someone you should stay away from at least. Using this, that¡¯s how everyone decided where they were going to sit during lunch. I guess it was just like school except the food was better here.


    Like school though, I walked alone with my tray at hand, to a table which was mostly deserted. As I was eating, partly grateful for the food, I suddenly felt something ssh onto the side of my face.


    I¡¯d like to say I was a patient person. Maybe I would have ignored theughtering from the same woman as before as she stood beside me with a now-empty bucket in hand. But what she had thrown from it and onto me wasn¡¯t just something I could ignore. Especially since it was burning the side of my face.


    The room was silent but I couldn¡¯t hold it in. I let out a painfilled and angry yell as I turned to her with hate in my eyes. My skin felt as if it was being sliced off of my face with a knife. It hurt. And she was to me.


    So without a second¡¯s hesitation, I leapt on her, punching her face as many times as I was able until guards had to pull me off of her but I was still enraged. Her blood on my fists hadn¡¯t satisfied me and yet I was in too much pain to keep struggling.


    There was a guard who had seen the whole thing and was currently the one holding me, telling the other¡¯s that I wasn¡¯t at fault which eased their attention off of me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked me, taking my hand which also stung. It wasn¡¯t just the side of my face, it was also my neck and right hand that was burnt. Him touching my hand made mesh out. ¡°Where the fuck were the guards?! Why weren¡¯t any of you there to stop her?!¡± I shouted which made him look away from me, not that he was fully faced to me anyway.


    I sighed after that, knowing that I couldn¡¯t keep myself angry so I pulled myself away from the hall and into a bathroom. I opened the sink, letting ice cold water run before putting my hand in it. It helps that out but I was getting restless with the stinging in my face until I didn¡¯t see any other choice but to submerge my head into the water as well.


    A good twenty minutes had passed when there was a knock on the bathroom door. I pulled my head out from under the sink and looked into the mirror before cringing. The boiling water made its mark, that¡¯s for sure, and I didn¡¯t know when something like this would heal if at all.


    With water dripping down my face and hair, I opened the door to see the same guard as before, he had probably followed me and stood out here this whole time. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked, venom spitting out of my mouth. He looks down before replying.


    ¡°I was going to get you to see the nurse before taking you to the visitor¡¯s room. Someone by the name of Nicks Secter booked to see you today at two pm.¡±


    I sighed once more before looking back at the mirror. How was I going to go out with this? I didn¡¯t want anyone, especially Nick, seeing me like this. I wouldn¡¯t want to put that on his shoulders. Yet at the same time, I now wanted nothing more than to get out of this hell hole, even if it is for a few minutes. ¡°Okay.¡±


    The nurse wasn¡¯t able to do much so my visit with her was shortly before I was led into the visitor¡¯s room. I sat at my designated seat, aware of the multiple guards here and around the room. In front of me was a phone and a ss wall, very typical. I decided that I was going to try and hide my scars so I sat with the left side of my body facing the ss and the rest away where they couldn¡¯t be seen.


    It was right on time too because then Nick and a few others came into the room, sitting in front of the other inmates who were also here. Nicks¡¯ face was straight until he saw me and his face brightened, showing me a smile. I took notice he had a lot of scars and stitches though, which I took note of to askter.


    I smiled back at him and grabbed the phone, he reflected my actions on his side.


    ¡°Hey, sis,¡± He greeted softly through the phone with made my smile widen ever so slightly. ¡°Hey bro, how have you been?¡± I ask casually and look to see his eyes gloss over which shocked me a little. ¡°How have I been? You¡¯re stuck in a cell and you¡¯re asking me how I¡¯ve been?¡± He asked with disbelief which made me chuckle.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, we only have limited time, we shouldn¡¯t waste it with small talk,¡± I say back which makes him rub his free hand over his face beforeughing out loud as if he hadn¡¯tughed in years.


    ¡°I wonder what I would do without you,¡± he mumbles and I smirk before whispering into the phone, ¡°you would probably be stuck in your own cell with the rest of yourds, without me.¡± this makes us both chuckle, ¡°yeah, I probably wouldn¡¯t have gotten beat up by Xavier either, without you,¡± he mocks which makes my eyes widen. So that¡¯s why he had stitches. This time it was my turn tough and so I faced him fully before asking, ¡°He seriously beat you up? Hah! That¡¯s hrious! Why?¡± but before he answered me I noticed his face had fallen agape and his eyes were dark as they scanned my face.


    Fuck. I had turned my body to him without being conscious of it and now he could see my scars. I tried covering the right side of my face with my right hand but that wasn¡¯t helpful since my hand was also scarred. ¡°Shit,¡± I cursed before putting that down and trying to turn away again. I was about to put the phone down when Nick crashed his fist onto the table on the other side which made me jump and keep the phone by my ear.


    ¡°Domi-the fuck-nic! What the hell happened to you?!¡± He shouted, loud enough for me to hear him without the phone. ¡°I¡¯m in jail Nick, we should have expected this,¡± I say calmly which made him stare at my face. After a moment of silence and inability to say anything else, we both sighed.


    .

 Chapter 38 We鈥檙e Doing It Legal

    -ke¡¯s POV-


    ¡°Guys, we need to find a way to break Demonic out of prison!¡± Zack suddenly says which makes me look up from my book. For the first time, Zack was saying something worth listening to whilst drunk, or at least for some amusement. Zack grew up with Nick for the most part and those two are basically brothers so he probably feels protective over Dominic too and considers her as a sister to him which is why he spurted out something like that.


    ¡°I think you should get a little sober before trying toe up with any ns Zack,¡± my brother then says,ughing at Zack and taking the bottle away from him. ¡°I¡¯m not even that drunk this time,¡± Zack defends which, I¡¯m sure, made all of the guys in the room sigh. But it wasn¡¯t as if Zack wasn¡¯t onto something. We did need to get Dominic out of jail.


    ¡°My point is if Dominic risked so much for us to the point where she¡¯s suspected of murder and is thrown into jail for a few months, why can¡¯t we risk the same to get her out? She¡¯s got the tattoo, she¡¯s a part of our gang, she¡¯s a part of our family!¡± He exims which makes me then look down at my forearm to read my own tattoo which spelt ¡®family¡¯.


    The tattoo was something that all of our members had to prove that they were in our gang and that we were a family. Jake had it on his bicep, Jason had it on his shoulder de, Zack had it on his rib and Nick had it on his cor bone. Dominic got it recently on the back of her ear. Somewhere hard to find but still in her style. It suited her and it wouldn¡¯t risk her identity being found out.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like she hasn¡¯t killed people directly or indirectly so,¡± Jason then said which made us all re at him because he wasn¡¯t one to talk. He was our kill off after all. Our res made him put his arms up in surrender and say, ¡°just sayin¡¯ dude¡± ¡°that¡¯s not the point Jason. We gotta break her out!¡± Zack carried on which made us all look his way but it ended up not being him we were looking at. It was the person behind him who wasn¡¯t in the room until then.


    Zack realized we were looking behind him so he turned before letting out a yell, ¡°you bloody scared me, Nick!¡± We chuckled at his started figure as Nick shook his head with his own smile on his face. ¡°You¡¯re not breaking anyone out of prison mate,¡± Nick then stated which made me furrow my eyebrows.


    ¡°We¡¯re not?¡± I ask and he sighed before answering. ¡°Sis strictly instructed that she wanted things to be done legally so that she didn¡¯t risk her street fighter identity more than she has already. I agreed.¡± He then exined while grabbing a drink.


    ¡°So we¡¯re letting her face the months in jail until her court date and hope that she¡¯ll win and be let out,¡± Jason concluded and Nick shrugged, ¡°pretty much,¡± before turning to me. ¡°Ready to go?¡± he asked and I nodded, getting up. We told the guys where we were going and started making our way towards Nick¡¯s car.


    The journey was ufortably silent. It felt off. There had to be something wrong, you could see it in Nick¡¯s face. So I had to ask him, ¡°What¡¯s happened to her?¡± Nick¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave the road but after I asked the question I could see his knuckles whiten in colour as he held onto the steering wheel. He didn¡¯t answer until he had stopped in front of our destination.


    ¡°No matter how much you want to, don¡¯t question how she looks.¡± He ordered which left me confused at first but nodded and got out of the car anyway, telling myself I¡¯ll probably understandter.


    I made my way inside the building and was then guided into a room where I waited to see Dominic. There were another two people in the room but it still felt as if I was waiting for ages alone.


    Eventually, the door on the other side of the room opened and two inmates were led out before Dominic was shoved into the room after them. ¡°I¡¯m not an inmate yet officer, you can¡¯t push me around until I live in your cell!¡± She growled but then her facial features softened when she saw me. I grinned at her but it was half forced when I finally got what Nick was saying. Her face and neck were scarred. It looked¡­ painful to say the least.


    So much pain. She was going through so much pain and¡­ it made my own chest ache. I hated seeing her like this. I hated that I couldn¡¯t help her.


    We both picked up the phone that was waiting for us and I waited to hear her voice. She must have caught my worried expression because in a voice that gave me chills she said,


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±


    My eyes watered. It was as if she was reading my mind but notpletely because there were still other things I was worried about.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault ke.¡± She carried on and I couldn¡¯t stop a tear from running down my cheek as I stared into her beautiful eyes. ¡°Not my fault? How could you even say that? Look at the state you¡¯re in!¡± I eximed, swearing to myself that after this, I wasn¡¯t going to leave her alone ever again.


    ¡°ke let me tell you something,¡± Dominic then started so I sat silently, wanting to cherish this time with her even though the ss between us was suffocating me. ¡°I knew I was going to be thrown into jail. This is like a game to me, I wanted to test it out. It¡¯s not that bad. Food¡¯s good. So chill, ¡®aight?¡± She says, smugly leaning back on her chair.


    This made me smile slightly, she knew her words were rxing to hear. ¡°You¡¯re insane Demonic,¡± I state which made her grin, mischief was written all over her face and I loved it. I loved her.


    My heartbeat suddenly quickened and it was loud. I could hear it in my ears and I knew that I had to tell her, properly this time now that my head was in the right ce.


    ¡°Can I say something?¡± I ask nervously and she nodded back slowly. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, ¡°I l-¡± I looked back up to her but then stopped myself from continuing. Her hand clenched around the phone, she was biting her lips hard enough for them to rip. She knew what I was going to say and it was causing her difort.


    When I saw this I knew I had to change what I was going to say. It wasn¡¯t the right time. ¡°-I want you to stay safe,¡± I saved and I could visibly see all of her muscles rx before she gave me a genuine smile,


    ¡°Me? Stay safe? I think you¡¯re the insane one B,¡±


    .

 Chapter 39 You鈥檒l Regret This

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    I was in my cell, consumed in my own thoughts when I heard my door being opened. I lifted my head to see the same guard who tried helping me when I got burnt. I had been seeing a lot of him recently and for some reason, my gut felt uneasy. Maybe it was the fact that he was too caring or because he looked familiar, in either case, I didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Dominic, you¡¯re being moved into another cell for an hour,¡± He informed so I stood up and hesitantly followed him.


    I hadn¡¯t eaten properly for a while ever since the incident, the main reason being that I didn¡¯t want to see any of those women for longer than I needed to or else I¡¯d probably start a fight. This resulted in my voice getting horse and my throat hurting but even then I wasn¡¯t willing to getfortable here.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Both I and the guard walked out of the cell and past others in silence. This was strange though because normally he¡¯d like to talk to me a little, like to lighten the situation. Instead, right now, he seemed almost nervous. His body was tense regardless of whatever he was feeling. This made me curious. ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked after we passed a few more corridors of which I hadn¡¯t seen before.


    The guard didn¡¯t answer my question which was a little annoying but I decided I wasn¡¯t going to push on it further because after passing thest corridor I heard a scream and that had answered my question for me. Dread filled my body when I realised that today was going to be long and painful.


    We stopped outside of a door with the guard¡¯s hand pausing over the doorknob. He didn¡¯t open the door right away. It was as if he didn¡¯t want to open the door. ¡°Just do as they say,¡± he said before opening the door and pushing me inside. ¡°You wish,¡± I replied under my breath as he shut the door behind me leaving me in a pitch-ck room.


    I could hear shuffles so I knew I wasn¡¯t the only one in here but I couldn¡¯t see a thing. Suddenly, I was pushed from behind before being pulled and sat on a wooden chair. It happened too far for me to be able to fight against it and it seemed like there was more than one person here too. After holding me down onto the chair I felt my hands being tied behind me as someone else walked and switched on the light. My eyes adjusted before I looked around only to be met with disappointment.


    ¡°I knew it,¡± I mumbled, making sure it was inaudible. Smirks grew on the faces of the guys around me as they realized how hopeless I was, or hopeless I seemed anyway. ¡°Nice to meet you Demonic,¡± Marcel sneered from next to me whileing in close to my face. A little too close. I turned my face and spat right at him which made him yell out in disgust while pulling away from me.


    I was going tough at his reaction when a punch came and hit the dead centre of my left cheek. ¡°Someone¡¯s got quite the swing!,¡± Ipliment and turn to look at Austin who was now holding his knuckles, ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt you did I?¡± I mock which made him growl at me but before he could go in for another attack Marcel cut in and asked me a question.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± He asked and I raised an eye-brow, ¡°who?¡± I asked back which seemed to make his anger re. I don¡¯t think he liked me ying dumb. ¡°Where is the Skulls and Bones gang!¡± he then shouted and punched my right cheek which started to piss me off but I told myself I couldn¡¯t get angry hear and instead put on a fake act. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking about!¡± I eximed but I was only met with another punch.


    ¡°Tell us and you won¡¯t get hurt more than you already have,¡± Tom threatened but I didn¡¯t answer. I looked down instead and had punches thrown at me from all directions. The more I didn¡¯t answer the harsher they got and the more their anger rose. However, despite this, I wasn¡¯t going to tell them anything about where my brother was.


    ¡°Jordan, why don¡¯t you have a go at her too? Didn¡¯t you know her before all of this? I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be fun.¡± One of them had said after a while. I raised my head a bit to look at Jordan who had been leaning against the door this whole time. He stared back at me for a moment before pushing off of the door and walking closer to me. I looked back down and before I could hold my breath, I received a hard kick to the stomach which knocked all of the air out of me.


    I looked up at him after that punch and saw nothing in his eyes which made me scoff a little. ¡°Take advantage of me in this state now whilst you still can,¡± I started which made them all pay attention to me. ¡°Because when I¡¯m out of here, nothing will stop me from killing you.¡±


    Once the words left my mouth, I finally got to see what I was looking for. Fear.


    ¡ª


    Bruised and beaten, an hourter I was finally allowed out of the room. The guys ended up not getting any information out of me, no matter how painful it was to keep my mouth shut. On the plus side I had found out that in order to get me in that position, they had worked with the Men of Mayhem. A connection I didn¡¯t expect to make. This also worried me though. It meant that there was someone from that gang working in this prison and I wasn¡¯t safe.


    A different guard came to pick me up this time which I made sure to note. He had told me that I had a visitor so I prayed it wasn¡¯t any of the gang. Right now, I didn¡¯t want to face any of them. I did a lot for them as it was, a fake act of happiness was not another I wanted to add to the list.


    When I went to the visitor room, I looked to see it was actually Xavier who was waiting to see me which made me rx a little. I sat down in my seat which caught his attention and he lifted his head only to have his eyes widened at my state. I don¡¯t me him. If I was in his seat, looking at a train wreck of a person, I¡¯d be pretty surprised too.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± he asked, amusement wrapped around his words which makes me roll my eyes. ¡°It was the bloody gang. They beat me up while having me tied down. I mean, if you¡¯re gonna beat me at least let me try to fight back ya know?¡± I say and Xavier breaks into augh. ¡°You look horrible!¡± he eximed as he carried on hisugh.


    ¡°You do too, now calm your ass down,¡± I say in a tired voice to which he eventually obeyed, face still looking like he¡¯s holding back a grin. ¡°So, when are you bailing me out?¡± I asked and he looked like I was insane. ¡°I¡¯m not spending my winnings on you,¡± he joked which made me shake my head and rub my bruised face with my free hand. He was trying to piss me off on purpose.


    ¡°Use my money for God¡¯s sake. I¡¯m tired of this ce.¡± I say which makes him chuckle back. ¡± I thought you wanted to get into prison to ¡®know how it feels¡¯.¡± He mocked. I groaned back at him. ¡°Yeah, well, I know how it feels now. I want out!¡± I order, mmed my hand against the desk. ¡°Nah, I think you¡¯re good.¡± He responds cooly which makes me hang my mouth open in shock before ring at him as hard as I could.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting beat up once I get out of here, you know that right?¡± I threatened but it just amused him more. ¡°Whatever you say Demon,¡± he replied before starting to get up. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare put that phone down!¡± I yelled but he already had and turned around with a smug look on his face.


    ¡°Fuck you, Xavier!¡±


    .

 Chapter 40 Court Date

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    Today was it. The day we had been patiently and agonizingly waiting for for two and a half months. It was the day that Dominic was going to go to court and finally get her freedom. Or at least I have hoped that she would anyway.


    Xavier and I were sitting to witness the trial, waiting for it to begin. Xavier instructed I didn¡¯t bring the whole gang with me for safety concerns and the fact that he didn¡¯t trust us to keep our mouths shut. The only other person I did bring was Jake who insisted oning. We waited for what had felt like hours and I couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious for what was toe.


    Was Dominic able to defend herself? Were there any witnesses against her? Will her lies be believed?


    ¡°Nick, calm down,¡± Jake said from next to me which made me look up from my shaking leg. ¡°But her life depends on what she¡¯s going to say today,¡± I say back which makes him hesitate a bit but that was when Xavier intervened.


    ¡°Dominic has had two and a half months to prepare for what she¡¯s about to say. She¡¯s surprisingly good at convincing people to believe her. Even when she¡¯s wrong, she¡¯ll make you think she¡¯s right. I¡¯m sure that if she weren¡¯t a street fighter, she could aplish a lot in her life but for some reason, she¡¯s stuck to being in the ring.¡± He said with a serious but positive tone. What he said had impressed me though and gave me a bit more hope.


    ¡°Besides, if she can¡¯t fight herself out of here, I could always use her street fighting money to bail her out.¡± He carried on and chuckled after which made my mouth hang open. ¡°You could have done that ages ago!¡± Jake whisper yelled which made Xavierugh. ¡°I know. I just wanted her to have some fun first.¡±


    Just as he finished his sentence, the doors to the court opened and four guards entered, holding Dominic in the middle of them, guiding her up to the front. I took this chance to get a look at Dominic. Her face was bruised and injured which concerned me. It was worse than thest time I had seen it.


    Xavier must have seen my worried expression and leaned down to whisper, ¡°She was beaten by that gang you were against. They were asking for your whereabouts and forcing her to admit she was involved with killing their leader and what not. They didn¡¯t get anything out of her in the end.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    I kept watching Dominic after that. She didn¡¯t look afraid or worried. Instead, her eyes looked darker. She was ready.


    Next came in the opposing side. Here I saw twowyerse in and behind one was- my eyes widened in shock and anger. It was Jordan. Damn it. They got someone to fight for them here too. The judge was thest person toe in.


    The judge introduced the case, the people included in it and the other necessities before they got started.


    ¡°Dominic Secter You¡¯ve been suspected for murdering a young man and injuring three others. However, you argue that you were ¡®at the wrong ce in the wrong time¡¯ almost and got caught up in all of this. Could you please tell me what you were doing before the time of the murder?¡± I held a breath and waited for Dominic¡¯s reply.


    ¡°I had been visiting my adoptive parents at the gravesite nearby, your honour.¡± She replied smoothly. Herwyer then went in forward saying that he had a statement from the person working there saying that he had seen her around that time. This was true since before our fight Dominic had actually gone to the graveyard.


    They carried on, checking all of what she had said matched up with what she had told to the police and whatnot. ¡°Your fingerprints were on the gun they had found at the crime scene Miss Secter, that plus the police who were at the scene had heard you shoot it before they got to you. Tell me what happened during that time.¡±


    ¡°There was a gang fight. I hadn¡¯t known what was going on until I was close enough to get caught in their fight. There were multiple people who were fighting around me and I was even attacked. I admit to shooting the gun but it was only in my defence.¡± This information was also backed by evidence such as the fact that she had a knife wound on her fingers despite the fact that she hadn¡¯t carried a knife and the knife itself matched with one which was found with other weapons that were found with fingerprints from multiple other people.


    The judge then turned to the opposing side. ¡°However, you have a witness who ims differently. Jordan?¡± I tensed and waited for what he had to say. ¡°Yes, your honour, I saw Dominic shoot the man as well as fight others to critical condition. It was definitely her, the clothes were the same.¡± I looked back to see the rest of the Scorpians also watching from the stands. They had confidence in their eyes. Thewyer also continued to say that on cameras Dominic was spotted and Dominic already had a reputation for being violent in her record.


    ¡°Permission to speak your honour¡± Dominic called out, ¡°Permission granted.¡± ¡°This story cannot be correct for multiple reasons. If I may?¡± The judge nodded. ¡°By testing done, you can tell the gun used to kill the victim does not match the gun that I had shot. Plus this gang-¡±


    The judge then stopped Dominic, ¡°You keep assuming they are a gang miss Secter but so far there is no reason for us to believe this.¡± ¡°On the contrary, your honour, I have proof that this group of people are a gang as well as a reason to why they have ess to all of these weapons, guns aside, which they also found at the scene.¡± Everyone watched Dominic and I couldn¡¯t help but catch the devilish grin that had spread onto her face after she cocked her head to the side and she nced at Jordan.


    ¡°This group of people has illegal ess to the police and information that isn¡¯t avable to the public. They¡¯ve used this power in order to abuse me while I was in jail. This evidence is not only in my face and body but also in the fact that there was a camera set up in the room I was beaten in.¡±


    After that, the Judge put on a video on the screen where we all were able to watch where Dominic was thrown into a room and questioned whilst also being beat by five different people. In the video, Dominic looked genuine when she said she didn¡¯t know who we were or where we would be and this video was over an hour long. Thewyer also backs her by prooving the location and time of when the video was filmed.


    Everything looked like it was in our favour. It just needed onest push- ¡°Jordan I thought I told you to take care of the camera!¡± Marcel then suddenly shouted from across the room which made everyone turn in his direction. Marcel cursed, realizing his mistake and how he let his anger get the best of him but by this time it was toote. He messed up.


    I looked back at Dominic and saw while everyone was making a fuss about the gang, she turned to Jordan who had also turned to look at her. Their faces were straight for a second before Dominic smiled and nodded at him, a genuine smile, and Jordan smiled back.


    ¡°I rest my case, your honour.¡±


    .

 Chapter 41 Baby

    -ke¡¯s POV-


    ¡°Where is she?!¡±


    I turned my head swiftly to look behind me at the opening doors to reveal two people, one barging in and the other calmly following behind. Surprisingly, the personalities were switched because it wasn¡¯t Nick who was the one with the temper.


    ¡°Boys, if I don¡¯t see my baby in the shape that I left her, I will ughter you all!¡± Dominic shouted, pushing through me and the other guys whilst going deeper into her garage where we were all standing in. Nick stopped beside me and sighed whilst shaking his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s she talkin¡¯ about?¡± Jake asked him in a lower voice so Dominic couldn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Beats me,¡± ¡°Did she get pregnant in the two months she was in jail?¡± Zack asked which made us chuckle as we walked, following Dominic in order to find out what she was talking about.


    She ended up stopping in front of her motorbike which was currently covered by a sheet for protection. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you,¡± I hear her mumble which makes me smile. Her little quirks and interests such as this one never fail to make me happy.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Dominic then grabbed the sheet with both hands and pulled it off dramatically, revelling her bike in all its glory


    Once the sheetnding on the floor, beside me I felt someone tense up. I looked to see Jake¡¯s face had lost all of its colours and he watched Dominic study her bike in -what looked like- fear. This couldn¡¯t be good.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± I asked in a hushed tone but before he could answer, a growl came from Dominic¡¯s mouth which made me pay attention to her again.


    ¡°Why is it scratched?¡± She asked which made my eyes widened. Shit. I whipped my head back at Jake, mentally asking him what the fuck he thought he was doing but he didn¡¯t look back at me, his eyes were fearfully stuck on Dominic who had now turned to face us all. She must have realized because of Jake¡¯s expression who was guilty and threateningly stepped forward whilst Jake took a few steps back.


    ¡°Sis-¡± Nick tried to intervene between them, probably thinking that she was going tosh out at him which I expected too. Nick¡¯s efforts were in vain though because she forcefully pushed him out of the way without breaking eye contact with Jake. Proceeding forward.


    ¡°Look, Dominic, it was a mistake I swear! The bike just looked so cool- I couldn¡¯t help it! You know how it feels right? To want to ride a bike really badly? Plus it wasn¡¯t even my fault, it was the guy-¡± my brother tried exining but even I knew it was a lost cause.


    In a quick movement, his cor was in Dominic¡¯s hand and she brought him closer to her. I was so ready to watch my brother be punched or beat but, instead, she asked in a calm voice, ¡°it¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    This had made me defence my muscles and instead stand in confusion with the rest of the guys.


    She let go of Jake and turned towards her bike again. Jake tried moving away from her in this time but she stopped him by wrapping an arm around his neck and held his shoulder in ce. I could see the fear was still present in his eyes. ¡°isn¡¯t it?¡± Dominic asked again when she didn¡¯t get a response the first time. This time though Jake nodded quickly.


    ¡°Y-yeah, it¡¯s great,¡± ¡°Good,¡± she replied, seemingly satisfied with that answer. She then let go of himpletely and moved towards the bike. Jake rxed a little at this which almost made meugh, especially since he held the shoulder she was holding in what looked like pain.


    However, Dominic wasn¡¯t exactly done yet. She took out two helmets and put one on before tossing the other one take. ¡°You had your fun, now you¡¯re gonna have a little fun with me,¡± she said and although Jake was afraid, he did as Dominic wanted and was soon sitting on the seat behind her. ¡°Comfy?¡± she asked and he nodded, holding onto her shoulders.


    Before you knew it though, they were out of the room faster than my mind could register but I could still hear Jake¡¯s scream echoing the building as they left which made me grin. ¡°God has some mercy,¡± Jason mumbled which made usugh.


    Fifteen minutes had passed when I heard the same screame back. ¡°Get me off, get me off, get me off!¡± Jake shouted repeatedly as he scrambled off of the bike and taking off the helmet as -for some reason- his legs were shaking wich made him fall onto the floor.


    Laughter came from Dominic as she watched him struggle, making me look at her with amusement. ¡°Come on! It wasn¡¯t that bad. It was fun!¡± She eximed which made Jake whip his head back at her as if she had said the unspeakable.


    ¡°Fun? You were riding at 130 miles per hour on a normal road! We nearly crashed into like three cars! And spread through a red light! I could have sworn you were trying to kill me!¡± my eyes widened and I wasn¡¯t the only one who was surprised to hear this. In fact, I was surprised they made it back at all.


    Dominic chuckled at what Jake had said but her smile faltered as she looked around the room. ¡°Do you ride like that all the time?¡± Zack asked her but it seemed as if she didn¡¯t hear him, she was focused on something else.


    ¡°Nick, did you find my ne?¡± She asked and I turned to Nick who looked at Dominic before letting his head drop. ¡± I could only find your mask,¡± ¡°so if other words, no?¡± she asked and he nodded. This reply must have upset her because I watched her curl her hands into fists before grabbing her phone out of her pocket and dialling a number, turning and waiting for it to ring.


    The rest of the guys went back to whatever they were doing, Jason helping Jake up and taking him into a corner whilst Nick and I stayed with her.


    ¡°Hey Will,¡± Dominic greeted to whoever was on the phone which made my ears perk. ¡°I need some bike help, I was wondering if you were free¡± she waited for a little, ¡°you¡¯re the best Will, I¡¯ll see you soon,¡± and then ended the call.


    Half an hour passed when there was a knock at the door which Dominic opened. The person who I assumed was William came in, hugging Dominic tightly which made me tense a little. Did they know each other personally? I thought to myself but decided to ask Nickter.


    I watched as he took out some tools and paint and got in position to start working on Dominic¡¯s scratch. He seemed really skilled in what he was doing but that wasn¡¯t enough for me to trust him.


    ¡°You know,¡± he then started which made me put a hand on my knife just in case he tried anything. I couldn¡¯t help it, it was instinct. Dominic on the other hand, who was leaning casually on a table behind him, looked right at him.


    ¡°You remind me of Arthur a lot,¡± he carried on which made me look at Nick who was now also looking straight at William. I knew Nick didn¡¯t like talking about Arthur, mostly because he felt as if Arthur was a better brother to Dominic than himself and felt as if Dominic cared more for Arthur than him.


    ¡°Arthur? You know we weren¡¯t blood-rted right?¡± Dominic replied and he nodded, ¡°I know, but you¡¯ve got attributes of his personality. He had a side that he only showed on the streets. He was dangerous, he was feared, he was strong. You¡¯re a lot like that. I guess it¡¯s because he was the one who trained you first in what you know when ites to fighting, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°yeah,¡± she said, almost sighing as if nostalgic. ¡°Do you have his habit too?¡± he asked turning his body so he could see Dominic properly. Dominic on the other hand grinned and took out a pack of cigarettes, ¡°you know it,¡± to which he nodded to and turned back to his work.


    I red at the pack and expected Nick to say something against it took but instead he just stood there as if he knew.


    ¡°Well, that should do it. Good as new.¡± William said after a little while and Dominic went forwards to check his work which she did with a satisfied smile. ¡°Thanks, man, it¡¯s perfect,¡± she said, handing him his money.


    ¡°By the way,¡± he started again and by this time I was starting to get a little annoyed of his presence as well as a little jealous.


    ¡°Your bodyguards have been ring at me for quite some time, mind letting them know I¡¯m not a threat?¡± he asked, amusementced in his words.


    ¡°Bodyguards?¡± Dominic started looking around, ¡°more like gang members mate. Getting their trust ain¡¯t gonna happen any time soon. Oh and William, meet the leader ¨C my brother- Nicks,¡± William looked back at Nick with shock before rxing again.


    ¡°Gang leader hm? Good luck with that, but I have to warn you, Dominic here is wanted by gangs all over the words. Before Arthur died he told me to protect her, you better do the same.¡±


    .

 Chapter 42 You Look Great

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    -Hey M. D we haven¡¯t seen ya in a while, mind giving us some entertainment?


    I looked down at the text for a moment. It was from one of the guys on a charge of setting up the street fights. I responded back to the text saying ¡®I¡¯ll be there¡¯ but that wasn¡¯t why I was hesitant.


    Why wasn¡¯t it Xavier? I thought as I packed my things and got ready for tonight.


    Normally we¡¯d let each other know when our fights were and when to arrive even if Xavier was a bit less dependant on me and did most of it all on his own, I¡¯d still always hear from him. However, ever since I got out of jail I hadn¡¯t heard anything from Xavier and that was worrying. Even if he was the strongest street fighter in the world, that didn¡¯t make me any less worried for him.


    He was the closest thing I had to family for arge portion of my life. He was my rock, my support. he cared a lot about me and I cared a lot about him. We just expressed it in our fists rather than our words.


    It wasn¡¯t long before it was 11 pm and time for me to get going. I made my way through the back entrance of the bar and stood faced with the guard. He quickly moved out of my way and let me in once seeing me approach. He was afraid of me like a lot of other people in this bar was but the fear was well deserved.


    When I first started trying to get into this bar in order to fight, I had to countless things such as sneaking in, asking for free passes and faking my identity but soon Xavier told me I had to prove my strength in order to be able to fight herefortably. And that¡¯s what I did. I had a fight with the guard. That was the only way I could gain his respect and fear. This was also what attracted the owner to having me work here. Now I have all the respect I need as a fighter.


    I walked inside with confident strides towards the street fighter¡¯s section. Music was sting in the background, alcohol was in the air and I could hear the multiple screams and shouts of people who are heard to both party and watch our fighters entertain. And although I preferred the smell of blood, sweat and tears over alcohol, my nose has started to remember it as if it was my natural smell.


    Once I got to our designated area I came to see it was crowded as usual which made me smile. Nothing had changed in my absence. That¡¯s what I had thought anyway, except when I started walking to my room I noticed the fighters would nce my way and move away before whispering to each other which caught my interest.


    Whispering was not something us street fighters did.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    It was obvious they were whispering about me but I decided to ignore it and keep walking but before I could reach my room I was spun around by a guy that I was fairly familiar with. ¡°M. D.¡± he treated with his hands on my shoulders, holding them with a tight grip. I raised my eyes brow slightly looking straight at him. ¡°Grinder.¡± I greeted back, a bit wary and even more worried about Xavier now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should go in there. Have a break! I think you need it!¡± He said, trying to pull me away from my door but I stood my ground. Have a break? I haven¡¯t found it for two months. What¡¯s he on about? I thought before replying, ¡°No, I¡¯m fine bruv. I was called in toe and fight.¡± I informed calmly, crossing my arms.


    He looked nervous at my new position but kept trying to pull me away anyway. ¡°No, you need to go,¡± he instructs but I didn¡¯t have the patience for this. I took a tight grip on his wrist and twisted it behind his back in one swift move making him groan in pain. The room was already paying attention to us but now no one was trying to hide it.


    I leaned back slightly to make sure the whole room heard when I said this, ¡°Look, alright, you don¡¯t tell me what to do.¡± I said and let him go with a little push. This time he turned back but didn¡¯t try to stop me.


    I had finally got to my door and reached for the handle but paused mid-way and stared at it.


    The door used to have the sign, ¡®M. D and Champ¡¯ engraved on it but it had now changed. Who the fuck was Angel? I thought in almost anger as I looked at the new engraved sign that now read, ¡®The Champ and Angel¡¯.


    Confusion settles in. Could he have-? I thought whilst opening the door slowly but as I did, my confusion turned into realisation. He reced me. I stood in anger, hands trembling in utter anger, but more than anything, I was upset.


    I watched as he trained her, running through a basic punch. She had an ill form too, unbnced. There was nothing strong or threatening about it.


    She then leaned in close to Xavier and giggled seductively into his ear still unknowing that I was at the door. Watching that was when I snapped.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± I almost shouted which made Xavier¡¯s head snap in my direction almost immediately. ¡°You reced me with a fuck buddy?¡± I asked, stepping forward, letting the door m behind me.


    If she had actually been a good fighter then I wouldn¡¯t have been as mad but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. She was nowhere near worthy of recing me.


    Xavier looked down in -what I hoped- was a shame, leaving my questions unanswered. The bitch, on the other hand, snarled at me, walking towards me with daring confidence until our faces were inches away from each other.


    ¡°You bet he did bitch. And guess what? I¡¯m way. Better. Than. You.¡± she said, poking my chest with each word. I¡¯m going to kill her. ¡°Stop it, ir,¡± Xavier ordered from behind her with a sigh, still without looking at me in the eye which made me ball my hands into fists. That coward.


    ¡°No, because she needs to know her ce-¡± ir started saying but I didn¡¯t give her the pleasure of finishing that sentence because instead, my fist made contact with her cheek and then a kick was made onto her stomach, making her fall and cry out in pain. I kneeled down next to her, making sure to look down on her with disgust.


    ¡°My ce will forever be above you.¡±


    I stated which seemed to spike her anger. She tried reaching for my hair but I was smarter than that. I punched her back down before she had the chance. I was about to go for another blow when arger hand told of my own. I looked back with murder in my eyes to see Xavier holding me back, still avoiding eye contact.


    I stood up after that, getting the message. I¡¯m not wanted here. I then took a few slow steps back. Surprisingly, Xavier¡¯s hold was firm as if he didn¡¯t want to let me go and yet when he did it was soft and gentle, as if with sorrow.


    I watched as the chick clung onto Xavier after I moved back. Crying into his chest making him look away from her. He hated people crying. In the bar, it was a sign of weakness and, in this case, embarrassment on his side.


    -Xavier¡¯s POV-


    I hated this woman. Picking a fight with one of the world¡¯s strongest street fighters and then crying in front of her when defeated. It was humiliating not only for her but for me.


    I couldn¡¯t wait to get out of this situation. One I wish I wasn¡¯t in, to begin with. But I didn¡¯t have much of a choice. During the two months Dominic was away, the bar needed another way to interest people. That way was by using ir, a stripper as a fill-in fighter for M. D. ir¡¯s fighting skill was almost at zero but people like seeing the role y her and the other acting fighter put on and that was deemed good enough.


    I hated it though. It was the exact opposite of what Dominic was fighting for, the aim that I respected so much. And now one of the heads of the bar has put ir on my shoulders, thinking she may be a good profitpetitor to The Mysterious Demon. I couldn¡¯t argue with them either, my ie was on the line.


    I didn¡¯t know if telling this to Dominic was the right decision though. Right now, she was angry, a state where I wouldn¡¯t be able to convince her of anything even if I tried.


    Whether she would forgive me after this or not I didn¡¯t know. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she never wanted to trust me again after this, even if I was supposed to be the only person she could put her faith into. No matter what excuse, I let her down.


    ¡°Haha see? You can¡¯t fight me! You can¡¯t defeat me bitch! I have the Champ!¡± I cringed at ir¡¯s words. She was the one in tears and she still had the nerve to spit out something like that? Dominic could ruin her life!


    I half expected Dominic tosh out in anger like she did a second ago but instead she gave a sympathetic chuckle before casually turning around. ¡°I stopped myself from killing you, you slut. But if you really insist on fighting me then get stronger. Get stronger and I dare you to try and fight me in thepetition next week. At least then I won¡¯t be stopped.¡± She challenged head half to the side.


    My eyes went wide. Fuck. That was the first time she had personally challenged someone to a fight. I tried to contain a grin from forming. She¡¯s matured.


    I looked up at her but was then temporarily frozen. Our eyes met and I knew she wasn¡¯t only talking about ¡®Angel¡¯. She was challenging me too which made a chill go down my spine.


    After that, she started taking long strides towards our door but just as she was going to open it I called out to her,


    ¡°Demon,¡±


    She stopped in her tracks but didn¡¯t turn around. Instead, like before, she turned her head a little to the side, letting me know she was paying attention. I stood up quickly. Not caring that the action made ir fall and whine next to me.


    Apologising to Dominic now would be a waste of time. She wasn¡¯t going to ept my apology. Instead, I asked something else with my arms outstretched to the side.


    ¡°How do I look?¡±


    It was a stupid question that had nothing to do with the situation at hand, but I knew. I knew this question would determine Dominic and I¡¯s a future rtionship.


    Normally, when I would ask this question, she would say I looked awful. That was just the rtionship we had, it was our nature. We would bothugh at it. It was normal. It was us.


    But if she says anything else then-


    ¡°You look great.¡±


    I¡¯ve lost her.


    .

 Chapter 43 Drink Up

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    I didn¡¯t know why they were standing around in my house, but at that point in time, I didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Get me a punching bag, now!¡± I shouted at the boys which made them all look at me with fear evident in their eyes and rightfully so. If they dared to do anything to anger me more than I was already they knew they¡¯d be asking for a death wish.


    ke was the first to make a move and hastily rolled one of my heaviest punching bags towards me, standing behind it in support. Without hesitation, I gathered all of my anger and frustration into my fist and punched the bag as hard as I could. This made ke stumble away due to the contact and the bag flew up.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t heavy enough!¡± I shouted this time to know one directly. I pushed Zack and Jason out of my way before facing my brick wall, punching it with both hands, ignoring the pain and blood that resulted from the action. I was going to carry on punching it but then someone held my wrists and pulled me back. I went to re at the person but his eyes only held concern in return.


    ¡°Sis, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Nick asked worry evident in his tone. His question snapped me out of my fit and back into reality. My fists rxed as did the rest of my muscles making my knees give in and I started to fall. Nick caught me quickly though and supported me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked again, a little softer this time. I hugged him and quietly replied, ¡°he reced me.¡±


    Silence travelled through the room for a second, the guys were probably trying to put together what I said and once Nick did, the silence was broken abruptly,


    ¡°He did what?!¡± Nick shouted, letting go of me and beginning to storm out of the room but was held back by Zack whilst ke walked up to me and gently reced Nick¡¯s spot beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist and holding mefortably.


    This action put me in a daze for a little bit, I could feel butterflies in my stomach as if forgetting that I was upset at all. I looked up at ke¡¯s face, observing him closely until he looked down at me which made me look away, remembering the situation at hand.


    ¡°What¡¯re you going to do?¡± Jake asked me which made me think for a moment. I made a quick n in my head and nodded to myself before answering him.


    ¡°I challenged them to the face-offs next week. In this week, I¡¯m going to try getting into another club and get training with some martial artists.¡± They nodded back at me and the room was quiet again until I became a little more aware and then confused. ¡°What are you guys doing in my house anyway?¡± I asked, voice still low.


    It was currently passed 12 am and these guys were at my house before I was. I knew Nick had the keys to my ce but it was still pretty weird.


    ¡°I needed to go over the n Xavier and I created to fight The Men of Mayhem who have been spotted in the area already,¡± Nick answered. The mention of Xavier¡¯s name made me lower my head. ke seemed to notice this and squeezed me against him a little before letting me go to follow the other guys into the dining room. I nervously followed him and sat at my table with the others.


    Zack in the meantime took out some shot sses from my cab and put them in front of me, my mind was too preupied to give them any thought though until he put some alcohol in each of them and whispering in my ear, ¡°drink up, it¡¯ll ease the pain.¡± When he stood straight again I looked up at him to see his eyes telling me to trust him.


    I wasn¡¯t against his coping method andfortably took the shots with ease. This had surprised some of the boys on the table whilst I noticed Zack looking at me with pride which almost made me smile. ¡°What? I¡¯ve lived most of my life in a bar, what would you expect?¡± I asked which eased the atmosphere, made them grin or smirk before turning to Nick at the head of the table.


    The n was then slowly being exined and as Nick was talking, I would pour in more shots for myself and gulping them down. Listening to Nick, gulping one down, listening to Nick, gulping another, listening, gulping, listening, gulping-


    ¡°Dominic?¡± I looked up at Jason who had called my name. ¡°Yeah?¡± I asked back lightly. ¡°Are you okay with the n?¡± It was then that I realized that I had been listening but I hadn¡¯t been taking any of the words in.


    ¡°Can you exin my bit again?¡± I asked, looking down at my empty cups. ¡°Once they arrive to take you as a hostage¡­¡± Nick started exining again but I could only catch bits and pieces of what he said. I didn¡¯t want to seem like I wasn¡¯t listening though so when he asked, ¡°that okay?¡± I nodded, ¡°yeah, it¡¯s a great n,¡± I said and hoped I could ask one of the others to reexin it to meter.


    I gulped down myst shot before getting up from my seat.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Jake asked and I started walking away as I answered him, ¡°I need to train.¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I stretched a little inside of my training room and stood in front of my punching bag again. I got in position and swung at it only to miss, losing my bnce, and starting to fall. Was I really that drunk? I thought to myself, getting ready to face palm the floor only to be caught by someone.


    It was ke.


    ¡°You need to sleep,¡± he says, picking me up and taking me to my room which makes my heart start to race but I tell myself to calm down.


    Once we got to my room I could see his eyes visibly widen at what he saw. I wasn¡¯t surprised by his reaction. My room was awfully dull and grey except for my giant wall of Monster cans on the side of the room.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be healthy,¡± ke said under his breath which made me chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± I replied before going into a coughing fit. He looked down at me worryingly before gently putting me on my bed. He then looked at my nightstand before frowning. I followed his gaze and saw a pack of cigarettesying on the table.


    ¡°ke I-¡± ¡°You need to quit all of this,¡± he instructed. I knew he didn¡¯t approve of my lifestyle, this part at least. It kind of made me happy that he cared.


    He then took the pack and put it in his own pocket, away from me. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can,¡± I say quietly, replying to his instruction. This made his look back at me, his eyes turning sad.


    ¡°You¡¯re an addict aren¡¯t you? Of both cigs and energy drinks.¡± I chuckle at him and look up at my ceiling, a little embarrassed at myself. ¡°I¡¯m not addicted. I just have a strong love for them.¡± I joked. He wasn¡¯t as amused though.


    ¡°If you need to love something, love me.¡± He then suddenly said, words shocked me. I hadn¡¯t found any words to reply with and instead looked up at him in awe. He bent down after that and gave me a kiss on the forehead before pulling up my covers and walking to the door and turning off the lights.


    ¡°Goodnight, D.¡±


    .

 Chapter 44 Leave Me

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    A week has passed and the face-offs were among us again and just likest time, my gang and I were participating. Unlikest time though, our main goal wasn¡¯t winning, it was supporting Dominic. It was her time and her stage alone. She was going to win, I had no doubt in that.


    During this past week, Dominic had spend days and nights training her ass off at different clubs, learning different techniques and even getting to know her stage by doing matches at the ce where the face-offs were taking ce- which was in a different ce tost time. We had hardly seen her but when we did, she used that time training us and you could definitely tell she was a lot stronger than before. I didn¡¯t even know it was possible to gain that much more muscle in a span of a week. She didn¡¯t go easy on us either. She was just as strict as when she gave us a lesson at the gym.


    Seeing the number of fighters walking into the gym made me excited. It was then when I realised why Dominic loved her job. Being able to show your strength and fight for yourself in front of so many people who want to do the same and gain their respect, what more could someone want?


    But before I went in myself I walked to the back of the bar in order to meet my sister. We couldn¡¯t exactly meet inside of the bar or else people could get information about her from seeing her with me by ourselves so we decided to y it safe and hidden.


    I was a corner away from where she told me to meet her up when I heard a familiar voice of a male behind the wall.


    ¡°Since when did you start fucking smoking?!¡± I heard him yell and straight away knew the voice was Xavier¡¯s.


    ¡°Why does it matter to you?¡± I heard Dominic reply calmly. I turned my head a bit to see what was going on and saw her looked up at him, posture screaming out with pride and confidence, anger and determination in her eyes with the cigarettefortably settled in between her lips. Xavier was standing inches away from her, ring down at it with hate radiating from him.


    It was my sister¡¯s confidant stance that made me stay behind the wall, she didn¡¯t need my help yet but I was ready to go out and defend her if needed.


    ¡°Why does it matter to me? Demon, it¡¯s always mattered to m-¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up Xavier! Like hell would you actually care!¡± I froze when she shouted that. You could hear the pain in her voice. Xavier seemed to have a simr reaction. ¡°Smoking is a problem now? Not the fact that you not only tried to make me quit my dream but also reced me-¡± Dominic tried to carry on arguing but was cut off by a coughing fit which made her hunch forward, the cig falling out of her mouth at the same time.


    ¡°Demon-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± she yelled, pping his arm away when he tried helping her. That was my queue toe out and help her instead.


    ¡°Dominic?¡± I called gently, walking up to her and putting a hand on her back, rubbing it until she had finally stopped coughing and was able to regain her breath.


    This wasn¡¯t something new. Dominic had been having these fits regrly recently. I had told her to get it checked with a doctor but she said she had and insisted it was fine.


    ¡°Nick?¡± Xavier questioned and I looked back at him with a stern look on my face. ¡°What?¡± I asked sharply which made his eyes darken. The way he¡¯s been treating my sister wasn¡¯t right and if she was going to distance herself from him, I was too.


    ¡°You knew didn¡¯t you?¡± He carried on, ¡°Well yeah, she¡¯s my sister, of course, I¡¯d know if she was smoking or not,¡± I replied which made him growl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that¡¯s bad for her-¡± ¡°Nick I¡¯m going in, the face-offs are starting soon.¡± Dominic cut him off with a re and turned her back to leave. I was going to leave as well when Xavier held me behind.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I heard him say and we both waited until Dominic left before he could talk again. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked rudely but when I turned to face him again my demeanour softened when I saw the hurt on his face.


    ¡°Treat me whatever way you want, but The Men of Mayhem will be here tonight. They may use this chance to attack,¡± ¡°even with all of these people here?¡± I asked and he nodded, ¡°You can protect her with your gang in a way I can¡¯t so please, protect her.¡±


    I smirked and nodded, ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡ª


    Four hours have passed since the face-offs began and everything so far had gone normally. So normally, I had almost forgotten that The Men of Mayhem coulde out of anywhere at any time.


    My gang, for the most part, had all been beaten at this point, myself included, but we did do significantly better thanst time. Now during the quarterfinals though, the only one of us that was still fighting was Dominic.


    ¡°Nick, who¡¯s the guy?¡± ke asked, nudging me from beside me whilst mentioning towards someone in the distance. I turned to see a guying to congratte Dominic for winning her 15th match. I had seen him back in London and once I recognised him I answered ke¡¯s question. ¡°Destroyer. That¡¯s his street fighter name. He¡¯s Ennd¡¯s strongest fighter, fourth in the world. He was training with M. D while she was there but lost to her countless times, why?¡± I asked amused slightly.


    ke didn¡¯t reply though and instead ended up walking straight towards them. He¡¯s usually good at hiding what he¡¯s feeling or thinking but when ites to his jealousy, it radiates off of him like a bad smell and it never failed to bring a smile to my face.


    I followed behind him and watched as he wrapped an arm around Dominic¡¯s waist protectively. I shook my head but it made me also kind of happy when Dominic looked up at him for a moment and didn¡¯t argue against the arm being there. I trusted ke and couldn¡¯t think of a better person for my sister.


    ¡°M. D, you close to this guy?¡± Destroyer asked with a mischievous grin on his face. ¡°We have a funny rtionship.¡± Dominic starts replying, ¡°His leader stubbornly wanted me to join his gang and ever since, this guy been stuck to me under his instruction. Don¡¯t think of this as a good way of getting anything out of me bro.¡±


    I cringed slightly at what she had said about me, knowing I probably deserve it. Yet, at the same time, I was also impressed at how easily she coulde up with things on the spot.


    I decided to step in here though and joined their little conversation. ¡°Talking about a man behind his back isn¡¯t a good habit M. D.¡± Dominicughed back at me. It was then when I noticed that Dominic had also done well in training herself to not only speak a little differently but alsoughs demonically and hold herself differently as well when she¡¯s M. D. When she says that she and M. D are different entities of herself she really means it. Although it¡¯s not much of an excuse, it was probably one of the reasons why I couldn¡¯t tell it was her in the beginning but now it stuck out to me.


    Destroyer at this point was looking back at me with curiosity. ¡°Nicks right? You¡¯ve got some guts to be asking this chick to join your gang, mate. I¡¯m Destroyer by the way.¡± He introduced and extended his arm forward for a handshake which I did cautiously. Dominic didn¡¯t seem to happy about this either.


    ¡°Woah man,¡± she said, gently pushing our hands away from each other, stepping out of ke¡¯s hold in the meantime. ¡°Nick, don¡¯t get friendly with this guy. He likes askin¡¯ his questions and he won¡¯t leave you alone until he gets his answers. He still hasn¡¯t left me alone,¡±


    Destroyerughs before grabbing her arm towards him and locking it behind her back whilst dragging her with it too. This worries me and I get ready to make a move, as does ke, but we both spot Dominic¡¯s other hand which was up signalling us to stop which we did hesitantly.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t n to, not until you spill.¡± ¡°Never.¡± She replied back and they both chuckled. ¡°Come on M. D, we¡¯re friends are we not?¡± He asked in her ear and she scoffed back at him. ¡°Friends? I don¡¯t have friends.¡± She stated and then lifted a leg and kicked his shin roughly which made him let go of her. ¡°Ouch. That was a good one,¡± he theplimented before throwing something at her in which she caught.


    I looked into Dominic¡¯s hand to see a new pack of cigs. ¡± Expect the best from me and thanks.¡±


    .

 Chapter 45 Demon Vs Angel

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    ¡°NEXT UP FOR TONIGHT¡¯S MATCHES, IT¡¯S NO LONGER THE PRINCESS BUT THE QUEEN OF HELL, THE MYSTERIOUS DEEMMMOOONNNN!!!¡±


    I grinned once again at thementator¡¯s introduction of me and made my way into the ring that I am nowfortable standing in.


    I knew who I¡¯d be fighting already. She had cheated by paying to skip fighting until now and wait until I was this high to fight me. She was a coward and I couldn¡¯t wait to beat her face up into a bloody pulp.


    ¡°AND CHALLENGING OUR QUEEN IS ANGEL!¡± My recement.


    I took off my signature jacket and threw it into the crowd as I always did, except now, whilst my eyes didn¡¯t leave Angel¡¯s. This left me with my stepbrother¡¯s hoodie now. I had been fighting with it on all night and it was stained with so much blood and sweat but there was still some blood I wanted on the hoodie before I washed it tomorrow. Her¡¯s.


    I watched as she stepped onto the ring with what seemed like the sluttiest clothes she could find. Is she serious? I asked myself as I looked at her with almost pity. My look almost made her cower slightly which made me smirk under my mask but she made it apparent that she didn¡¯t want me above her so she stood what little ground she had.


    ¡°Babe, you do know that cash won¡¯t be thrown at you, you have to win it, right?¡± Thementator asked ir and me, as well as a lot of the audience, startedughing at her.


    This seemed to anger her and she stomped her foot onto the ground like a child before eximing, ¡°Champ, they¡¯re being mean,¡±


    The name made my smile falter and I couldn¡¯t help but started looking for him but quickly realised from the direction of the crowds¡¯ gazes that he was stood behind me. I turned my head back slightly and saw that he was the one who was holding my jacket this round. I felt a pang of hurt in my chest which made me sigh and turn back to thementator before nodding, telling him I was ready.


    ¡°START!¡±


    With that signal, I started running up to her. She yelped when I suddenly made it face-to-face with her, probably not expecting the speed. I went in for a punch but she held up a weak block against it. Well at least he taught her something worthwhile, I thought.


    With her face covered, I ducked and tripped her over which made her head crash onto the floor. I picked up my leg and kicked her on her stomach while she was still down. She cried out in pain which was nearly satisfying.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯ll kill me! Stop p-please!¡± She then yelled as I got up slowly to look down at her while the crowd cheered my name over and over. God, this probably makes me a phsycho but I love when they beg for mercy.


    ¡°Toote,¡± I mumbled back and started kicking, punching and beating her until there was blood all over.


    ¡°Darlin¡¯ you might want to m that pretty arm of yours on the ground three times and forfeit or else our Queen really will kill you.¡± Thementator then said from outside of the ring, casually leaning himself through the rails and looking down at ir who could hardly move. I stood above them both, hardly panting and looking at thementator for permission to continue.


    ¡°I-I¡± ir tried saying but her jaw was busted, I knew she couldn¡¯t talk. ¡°Sorry love. Arm. Three Times. Bang Bang. Done. Easy peasy.¡± I chuckled devilishly. It¡¯s not as easy with two broken arms but I don¡¯t me him for not noticing. I purposely made it the most painful for her to forfeit. Regardless, she tried and slowly, she was able to forfeit.


    I put a fist up in the air and rxed in the cheers of my fans.


    ¡°WELL, THAT WAS QUICK. NOW ONTO OUR LAST MATCH OF THE NIGHT! MY QUEEN CAN YOU STAY ON YOUR STAGE BECAUSE, FOR THE FINALS, YOU ARE NOW AGAINST THE CHAMMPPPP!!!!¡±


    Angel was then carried off of the ring and her ce was reced with the Champ. We stood with the bloodied ring around us. The crowd too anxious to wait for it to be cleaned first but I didn¡¯t care because I was just as anxious as them. Anxious to get started.


    No words were exchanged between us but in our eyes, you could see that we were both saying the same thing.


    ¡®Through this, we, the first and second strongest, promise to stay true, stay fair and stay bloody no matter who we¡¯re fighting or what we¡¯re fighting, even if it¡¯s each other.¡¯


    and then we started.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    We both ran up to each other and went in for a punch but I quickly reacted and faked my punched in order to get a hold of his fist and used the momentum to flip him over my shoulder before holding him down with all of my body. He was still stronger than me though and was able to get out of my hold and picked me up into the air.


    For that moment, I could see the whole hall and all of the crowd shouting and chanting my name but for some reason, it was all incredibly slow and I couldn¡¯t hear a thing.


    I was then suddenly crashed onto the floor and looked up to see Xavier¡¯s fist ready toe down and hit. However, it was still slow and almost blurry.


    ¡°Mysterious Demon!¡±


    Like a sh, all of my hearing and vision then went back to normal. I could hear people cheer for me again, I could hear the adrenalin pumping in my veins.


    I caught Xavier¡¯s fist centimetres away from my face and rolled us over so I was on top of him. I didn¡¯t hesitate as I raised my fist in the air and- whilst putting all of my feelings into this punch-, using all of my might, I brought it down and onto his face, knocking it to the side.


    The whole hall was silent for a second and all you could hear was the impact before everyone started screaming again. Yet, I knew it wasn¡¯t over yet.


    I held his cor with both hands, letting go of his arms as I did and screamed out before shoving my knee into his stomach causing him to groan out in pain but my own followed as hended a blow to my lower chest at the same time.


    I pushed away from him and got up to watch him mirror my movements, spitting out blood and panting at the same time.


    I went to kick him but he held my leg yet that didn¡¯t stop me. As he held my leg, I jumped and kicked him with my other leg which made him collide with the floor. I tried to regain my breath and watched as he tried to trip me but I dodged it, allowing him the time to get up again.


    I got in position for another punch but this time, failed to see that he was doing the same. We both lifted our fists and as I punched his stomach, he punched the side of my head. I dropped due to the impact but also used that to kick his knee- crack- making him yell out in pain and fall with me.


    I held his neck down with my arm and used my knees and legs to pin his legs down as heid on his stomach. I then picked up his head before crashing it onto the floor as hard as I could. Then I went in and kneed his lower back.


    I was going to win this. I had to win this.


    I got up slightly, feet still on either side of his body and watched as Xavier turned to his side, taking the chance to look up at me. I didn¡¯t want to see his painfilled eyes so I kicked his ribs as hard as I could, not only making those break but his eyes also closed in pain as he held the area after.


    I looked him over.


    So many bruises were formed and blood was running down his nose, mouth and head.


    But he wasn¡¯t the only one.


    blood was running down my head and mouth and I had cracked ribs and injuries all over.


    We were both at our limits.


    Xavier rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling as we struggled to breathe. I started seeing ck spots and knew I had to end this quickly.


    I sat down on his stomach.


    ¡°M. D,¡± he called out and I looked deep into his eyes. His punches, his kicks, they held a lot of feeling- I felt them all. ¡°Hmm?¡± I hummed back, ready to listen wholeheartedly.


    ¡°I love you, you know that right?¡± he asked and I closed my eyes- not being able to help the smile that made itself onto my face.


    I know, and I love you too,¡± I replied and punched him with thest ounce of my strength before getting up.


    ¡°That¡¯s 100 to 99.¡±


    ¡°AND THE WINNER IS THE MYSTERIOUS DEMONNNN!!!!¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I let you win all that money and my title.¡±


    Xavier grumbled and I cleaned his wounds in a private room. I chuckled when he winced in pain.


    ¡°Stopining. You¡¯re getting old anyway. It was time for you to give your title up to me.¡± I said with confidence and pride but was hit with a punch to my cheek. ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up, demon. Plus, it¡¯s 100 to 100 now.¡± I looked at him with a re but then we both startedughing.


    ¡°You look like shit,¡± I told him in the middle of myughter. He gaped suddenly which made me look at him confused but he just grinned back at me. Before I could dodge he then pulled me into a headlock and started squeezing the life out of me. ¡°Xavier!?¡± I shouted, out of breath but he just chuckled.


    A few minutes passed and I started to get confused about something other than Xavier¡¯s newfound happiness.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the gang?¡± Xavier then asked, as if reading my mind. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± I replied as I took a sip of my Monster energy drink.


    I expected them toe and congratte me, at least one of them, but no one showed up.


    I put my mask back on and started making my way out of the room to try and find them but just as I was about to grab the handle of the door, someone opened it from the other side. It was Destroyer, he was frantic.


    ¡°M. D, that gang that was attached to you? I saw them getting taken by another gang.¡±


    I didn¡¯t waste another moment after understanding what Destroyer was saying. Ignoring Xavier¡¯s calls of protest behind me, I made my way out of there.


    The Men of Mayhem had taken my brother and the rest of The Skulls and Bones gang.


    I got to my bike and drove as fast as I could towards Nick¡¯s apartment. Once I made it there, I was filled with rage and worry, knowing I had to find them as soon as possible and there were only certain people who could help. The other gang members. Nick didn¡¯t tell me much about them, but he didn¡¯t have to.


    I picked up his extra phone in his room, picking up the notebook in his drawer and started looking for a certain number. After finally finding it, I rang it immediately.


    ¡°Hello?¡± a voice answered. I could hear a group of people talking in the background, a male talking to me.


    ¡°This is the Skulls and Bones¡¯ London division right?¡± I asked impatiently. ¡°Who are you? Why are you using bosses phone?¡± He asked and the room on the other side went silent. ¡°I¡¯m Dominic, and I don¡¯t have much time,¡± I answered, leg shaking in anger and impatience. He was going to ask me another question but was cut off by a females voice. I assumed he passed the phone to her and she took over.


    ¡°Dominic? As in Dominic Secter?¡± I rolled my eyes at the ¡®Secter¡¯ part but carried on anyway. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What do you need help with?¡± I sighed and then started exining the main things as quickly as I could. Strangely enough, they were really calm about it and were quick to track him and make a n with me efficiently.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need help, call our gang in Florida and they should be able to reach you by sometime tomorrow,¡± the girl said as I wrapped myself in weapons.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for tomorrow. I¡¯m going now. Alone.


    .

 Chapter 46 My Sister

    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    I watched as ¡®Angel¡¯ was carried off of the ring with a smirk on my face. The pride I felt watching my sister win her fights was huge. She was doing amazingly -despite the gore- and I knew her fight with Xavier would go just as well. There was no way she would lose, not when her goal was right there in front of her.


    I was preparing myself to watch the next match but was then brought back to my senses when I looked around and couldn¡¯t find any of my gang. They were all gone. I tensed my muscles and was about to turn when I was stopped by something cold and metallic hitting my back.


    I moved in an attempt to grab either the gun or the person holding it but when I did, the person moved the gun away from my body and pointed it to something in front of me, in the ring. I followed the direction with my eye to see it pointed at Dominic. This made my whole body freeze.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Come quietly or I¡¯ll kill her,¡± the guy whispered into my ear. ¡°Don¡¯t-¡± ¡°And the rest of your precious gang members,¡± he carried on which made my mouth shut.


    The Men of Mayhem. I was so prepared to protect Dominic I forgot what type of gang they really were. Psychology and using people¡¯s emotions was what they did. They weren¡¯t going to go for the person until they were emotionally scarred. It was the same here. They weren¡¯t after Dominic, they were after the people she loved, and, they¡¯re able to easily get to me by using my gang- my friends. People they know I can¡¯t just ignore.


    Shit.


    The man then grabbed my arms, tying them behind my back and dragging me out of the bar without anyone noticing. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t, they were too busy with the fights. Before I exited the ce I looked towards the ring for thest time. Praying she¡¯d be okay.


    When we got out, he took my guns away from me and shoved me forward. I tried using that moment to spin and kick the person behind me which was sessful. While he was hunched forward I hit his head down with my own as hard as I could. I was going to continue or try to free myself but two other men came from behind me, holding me down and putting some sort of cloth on my head, stopping me from being able to see.


    As I kept struggling, I was still being shoved until I was hit into what felt like a van and thrown inside, crashing my head against its floor.


    ¡°Nick?¡± I heard something call out, making my ears perk as I tried looking around and breathing heavily. ¡°Nick hold your breath,¡± the voice carried on drowsily. ¡°Zack?¡± I called out but he didn¡¯t answer. I tried holding my breath for as long as I could but it was toote and I started to ckout


    ¡ª


    When I wasing back into consciousness, I found myself in a really cold cage. After getting over my temporary dizziness, I got up to find the rest of my gang in separate cages around me.


    ¡°Nick,¡± I turned to see Jake who was the first to see me awake. He looked at me sadly. Everyone else also turned to me after that.


    ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± I made sure and they all confirmed that they were which made me sigh in relief.


    ¡°Does anyone have anything on them?¡± I then asked and most of them shook their heads, rechecking anyway. Jason said he did though and bent down into his show and pulling out a small knife. ¡°I don¡¯t think this wille in handy right now though,¡± he then said so we decided to sit and wait patiently instead.


    I didn¡¯t know how much time passed but then men starteding into the room. ¡°Well, well, well, look what we have here! Five men will die because of a girl!¡± Samual chuckled, encouraged by the entertained men with him. He was the one leading the group when they went against us too which was the only reason I knew who he was.


    ¡°For your information Sam, Dominic is 18 so she¡¯s a woman, not a girl.¡± Zack intervened which made me grin but Samual didn¡¯t find his joke as funny. He walked up to Zack¡¯s cage with a re before rxing again and giving him a sickening smirk. ¡°You won¡¯t beughing when said ¡®woman¡¯ dies now will you?¡± This shut the room up for a second. Suspense drifting in the air.


    ¡°What the fuck do you want from her? What had she ever done to you?!¡± ke then suddenly yelled, anger clear in his voice. I understood his exmation perfectly. It was hard for me too. The Men of Mayhem, on the other hand, looked at him with the satisfaction which made me feel uneasy.


    ¡°Even after what we did to her, she still went and found someone to love her. The girl sure does like to suffer,¡± one of Samual¡¯s men then said which spiked my anger too.


    ¡°She will never stop finding people who love her and she won¡¯t have to suffer anymore,¡± I growled which made Samual turn to me with a grin.


    ¡°So we have two boys who love our deardy,¡± My knuckles were probably white from how hard my hands were balled into fists. My nails dug at my palm but I didn¡¯t care about that pain. ¡°She¡¯s my sister you fucking skunk!¡± I shouted, stopping myself from going crazy orshing out, even more, knowing I was stuck for the moment.


    Before we could argue more though, there was suddenly multiple huge explosions which came from above us, causing the whole room to shake. Everyone looked at each other in confusion.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± Samuel asked the other guys but none of them could answer him. One of them went running up some stairs and to the door of the room but before he could open the door, he was shot dead from behind it. The door was then kicked open, light invading the room which made it hard to see for a second but once my eyes adjusted I could see Dominic standing there in all of her glory.


    knives were attached to her waist, guns tied to her legs and two more were in her hands. She looked as if she was ready and prepared for the war which she had so clearly just announced with The Men of Mayhem.


    ¡°Now boys, I don¡¯t like it when people take what belongs to me,¡± she stated and slowly and confidently started walking down the steps of the room.


    Behind her I then saw a guying and pointing a gun at her, ready to shoot, ¡°Domi-¡± but before I could even finish, Dominic raised one of her guns over her shoulder and shot the guys head without turned back. This shocked not only me but seemingly everyone else in the room too.


    ¡°Now I suggest that you let the boys go if you don¡¯t want to end up dead like the rest of the men upstairs.¡± She threatened with hate gleaming in her eyes which made me smirk but it was short-lived since a couple of guns were then pointed at me.


    ¡°And I suggest you put your weapons down and you listen to me if you want your brother to live.¡± Samual then threatens back which makes Dominic look at me, the hate that was there then reced with concern. She hesitated and I tried shaking my head to stop her but instead, she unloaded everything on her, doing what they wanted.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± Samual said and started walking towards her, putting his hand on her shoulder which made my muscles tense again. ¡°Ton, Jean, bring the two over here.¡± he then instructed and the next I knew, my cage was opened and I was dragged out and thrown in front of Dominic, kneeling helplessly. My body was too weak to get up. ke was then also thrown next to me, in the same position. Behind us, ¡®Tom and Jean¡¯ had guns pointed at our heads.


    ¡°Now I know you want your happy ending but I can¡¯t have that happen. One of them will be killed- by you.¡± He circled around us as he said this. ¡°I¡¯m giving you the option to choose though. Kill your loved one or kill your brother,¡± He made it back to Dominic and leaned in closer to her ear. ¡°Choose.¡± He ordered whilst cing a gun in her hand.


    This made her physically freeze and she looked down at us with pained eyes.


    ¡°Dominic kill me.¡± ke suddenly said which made me whip my head to him in shock. ¡°You only just got to find your family and thates before everything else. Let him live.¡± He carried on which I could tell was hurting him, even though he was scared. I stared at him and decided,


    ¡°No, Dominic, choose me,¡± I said firmly, making ke look at me with a questioned look. ¡°I may be your family now but you can have a future with ke, have a new family in the future. So kill me.¡± I said and she kept looking between us, even more, pained than before.


    Dominic then looked down at the gun in her shaking hands before, slowly, raising it. I watched her movements and then my eyes widened when she put the gun up to her own head. ¡°Dominic!¡± ¡°Dominic Stop!¡± ke and I yelled but she cut us both off,


    ¡°You want me to choose?! Choose between the people I love?! Is this how my life will end up?! Endless suffering and pain?! I might as well end all of my suffering here and now!¡± She shouted and shut her eyes closed.


    My eyes teared up as I watched her release the safety lock on the gun.


    Around us, the remaining members of The Men of Mayhem had grins on their faces as if expecting this all along. My own friends looked back as panicked as I was. I let my head drop in defeat.


    ¡°-Is what you thought I¡¯d say, right?¡± She then suddenly said and I looked up to see the grey eyes open and a grin yed on her face.


    A second hadn¡¯t passed when the guys behind me were shot by her hand. As was the rest that was here before she turned to Samual.


    ¡°I will end all of my suffering here and now,¡± she said, repeating what she said before except this time with a calm and almost murderous voice. She pointed the gun at him.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t actually-¡± he tried arguing, walking backwards in fear but she didn¡¯t stop approaching him. ¡°Oh, I would,¡± Dominic answered and shot him in the shoulder which made him shout out in pain. ¡°That was for my stepbrother,¡± she then shot both of his legs, causing him to fall, ¡°that was for my adoptive parents,¡± she then walked close to him and pressed the gun against his heart.


    ¡°And this¡­¡± she looked him in the eyes and said, ¡°is for me.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Thest gunshot was heard and we all watched as Samual¡¯s body dropped lifless on the floor.


    The silent room was then filled with our cheers in celebration and happiness. I was about to get up but we were all silenced again when- ¡°Sis!¡± we heard someone call and we turned to see a man run up to Dominic, as if ready to hug her.


    This made me stand as quick as I could and Dominic was just as tensed as I was since she raised the gun at him, stopping him from his advance 2 metres away from her.


    ¡°Domini-¡± ¡°Who the fuck are you?!¡± she screamed at him but something told me, something gave me the feeling, that this wasn¡¯t a stranger.


    ¡°Sis, it¡¯s me¡­ It¡¯s Arthur!¡± I heard Dominic gasp and I myself stood in shock. Her stepbrother? He was supposed to be dead. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Dominic replied but her voice broke in between. I knew she could tell. ¡°You have to! I swear, it¡¯s me! Remember the ne? Remember when I started teaching you how to fight? Remember-¡± ¡°You fucktard! You made me believe you were dead! You killed our parents for fucks sake! Don¡¯t you dare take another step towards me!¡± But as she shouted these words, her hand shook and tears streamed down her face.


    I picked up once of Dominic¡¯s guns that were on the floor and stood behind Dominic in support. ke did the same thing after letting the rest of the guys out of the cages.


    ¡°Dominic, I would never intentionally do something like that to you, you know that. Listen to me! They had me confined until I agreed to join their gang and do what they wanted. They said they¡¯d kill you if I didn¡¯t join. I couldn¡¯t let that happen!¡± Arthur tried to exin and after he was done, Dominic¡¯s hand dropped, letting go of the gun in the process. I then looked to see her hand twitching, telling me she wanted to go up to him. She turned to me, asking for permission though her eyes.


    I looked back at Arthur for a second. His eyes had tears in them, he was genuine, I could hear it in his voice. So, I nodded back at Dominic. I watched as she broke into a smile and ran up to Arthur before jumping into his open arms. Heughed whilst spinning her around.


    I turned away and instead looked at my gang. Zack walked up to me and swung an arm around my shoulders. ¡°Jealous are we?¡± he whispered and I scoffed, ¡°No way. She¡¯s my sister. Nothinges between blood¡­ except a bullet.¡±


    I was then going to turn back around when I was suddenly hugged into arger chest. Arthur then pulled away from me whilst grinning. ¡°Thank you for looking after Dominic,¡± he said and I nodded with a smile of my own, hoping he never finds out I bullied her for three months at a point.


    He walked back to Dominic after that and fished something out of his pocket. ¡°I believe this belongs to you,¡± he says and hands her something. She looked at it slowly and gasped, ¡°my ne!¡± ¡°Correction, my ne,¡± ¡°whatever.¡± Theds and I grin at each other seeing them bond and seeing her happy-


    ¡°Dominic!¡±


    I quickly turned to my sister. There wasn¡¯t a wound but she copsed onto the floor.


    ¡°Sis!¡±


    .

 Chapter 47 It鈥檚 Done

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    I guess having both of my brothers and living my happily ever after was too much to ask for huh?


    For a while, Iid there in my darkness, fully aware of why. Besides, I was the one who decided to live it out this way. I was the one to choose. When I realised there must have been something wrong, I went to the hospital and that¡¯s when I found out,


    My heart was failing.


    I was told that I had to stay in the hospital for testing and treatment. I was told to quit smoking and drinking. I was told to stop fighting but of course, I could never agree to that. I told them I¡¯d carry on living that same life, that I wouldn¡¯t change it for the world.


    And so it became a secret. A secret only Xavier and I shared.


    But what Xavier didn¡¯t know was that my habits grew more frequent. Things had gotten worse since my first hospital appointment which was back near when I had gotten hit by the car. So back then there was obviously going to be matters I deemed more important than my internal health issues. In my opinion anyway.


    So I kept it on a low. I didn¡¯t tell my brother I was suffering. I didn¡¯t tell my brother, my friends, that my life could end at any given moment. I didn¡¯t tell any of them and part of me regrets that the most. I should have told them. I should have stopped. I shouldn¡¯t have ignored it.


    Now that I look back in this dark world of mine, I couldn¡¯t help but wish -not to be able to go back and tell them but- to be able to see their faces onest time.


    Suddenly, my dark world was starting to fill with light. I couldn¡¯t help but be internally joyed at the fact that wishing may not be a waste of time after all.


    A soft groan escaped my lips as I blinked a couple of times before looking up at a ceiling. I was awake. In the corner of the room I was in, not too far from me, I could hear a machine sounding a steady beat, the beat of my heart. It was slow but still pumping. Hearing this allowed for a small smilend on my face. I still had a chance.


    ¡°Miss Secter?¡± Not this again, I think as I turn to the nurse who came into the room after a bit. ¡°Just Dominic is fine,¡± I replied and she smiled back at me. ¡°I¡¯m d to see you awake, there are some people who have been waiting to see you, should I let them in?¡± she asked and I nodded back.


    Not long after the door opened again quickly to reveal the faces of my brothers. ¡°Dominic!¡± they both called out in unison and ran over to both sides of the bed that I was in. They were followed by the rest of the guys as well as Xavier who stood at the very end of the bed.


    Arthur held my right hand whilst Nick looked over at me in worry. I looked at all of their faces to see some relief but also a lot of sleep deprivation. ¡°You all look like shit,¡± I coaked and a crowd of chuckles follow it. ¡°You don¡¯t look that much better than us sweetheart,¡± Jake says back and I sighed,ughing gently to myself.


    The room was silent for some time before ke spoke up with the lowest tone I¡¯ve ever heard him speak. He asked a question I¡¯m sure almost everyone in the room was impatient to hear the answer to. ¡°Dominic, what¡¯s going on?¡± He asked. I stayed quiet for a little bit, looking at Xavier who looked back at me. It seemed that he hadn¡¯t told them yet about my condition which I was thankful for.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been diagnosed with lung cancer for a while and I¡¯m dying.¡± I blur out. This lie probably being my worst but for it came out just believable enough for them not to question it. I could tell Xavier was looking at me suspiciously but didn¡¯t say anything out loud either.


    The truth was that that it wasn¡¯t lung cancer I had. If I did things would have been a little more simple. No, instead my heart was being suffocated by my lungs and due to the fat that already surrounds it, my heartbeat is irregr and could stop at any given moment. It would have probably been easier for everyone if I did die now than have to live in fear that it coulde upon me unexpectedly. But, I don¡¯t have that pleasure.


    ¡°How long did you know?¡± Zack asked and I let a little smirk arise onto my face, ¡°for a while¡± I replied, trying to sound as casual as I could but, as I suspected, my calmness made another mad.


    ¡°How long is a while, Dominic?!¡± Nick shouted from next to me, making me cringe slightly due to his raised voice but I rxed again when I felt something wet hit my hand. I looked up at him to see his eyes shut closed tightly and figure all slumped, his anger had turned into sadness and tears made their way down his face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± He asked, voice soft this time, near a whisper, and cracking in between. It saddened me slightly to see them all this way. I hadn¡¯t thought anyone would care. I thought people wouldn¡¯t notice and would forget and yet here stood people who made me want to carry on living.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to worry you,¡± I answered. Regret. The regret was suffocating me. I wanted to stay with these people. But I couldn¡¯t. I noticed that the monitor at the end of the room was beating slightly slower than before.


    ¡°But look, I want to tell you all something important.¡± I started to say and they all waited. I looked in Arthurs direction. He was still holding my hand but knelt on the floor, shaking his head in what I think was denial over the whole situation. I used my hand to slowly lift his head and grinned at him once our eyes met. ¡°Never show weakness,¡± I said. Repeating the words that he once would say to me over every day.


    I then looked at Xavier, he looked fairly calm inparison to everyone else which put me a ease a bit until I saw his hands, they were held right against the bed frame, knuckles white. I guess he¡¯s worried about me too. ¡°Always show strength,¡± we follow this rule together. Always.


    I then turned to Jason who was stood next to Arthur. ¡°Keep on living,¡± I wanted to talk to Jason more. The kill-off of the gang. The guy that would never tell others that¡­ he could be suffering. I didn¡¯t have the opportunity but I hoped that this would be better than nothing.


    ¡°Get through the pain,¡± I told Zack after that. I got to know him more from being around Nick. He helped me when I was struggling with my sanity but through that, I could tell that he was struggling too. Everyone had their way of coping, I just hoped his was strong enough.


    I then turned to Jake who had already been grinning at me before I even got to him. This made meugh a little, sadly still. ¡°Always be yourself.¡± Jake¡¯s caring and fun nature were ones that I had hoped to see developed.


    Then I turned to ke, unlike Jake, there was no smile to be seen. He wasn¡¯t even able to look at me. Simrly to both Arthur and Nick, he was crying but his back was turned to me and all I could see was his shaking figure. Jake put a hand on his shoulder, motioning him to turn around but he just shrugged it off. The smile on my face staid present, ¡°Keep on loving.¡± I told him and that made his whole body freeze. He still didn¡¯t turn though so I looked at myst person.


    Nick now stared intensely into my eyes and I stared back into his. Our grey eyes connecting like they had when we first met. Connecting our blood once again. ¡°And never give up.¡± Never give up learning. Never give up fighting. Never give up until you seed.


    I hoped he got that message because breathing was difficult now and I couldn¡¯t form those sentences but there was still one thing I wanted to say. One thing I was desperate to get out.


    I looked at all of them, ke now half-turned to my direction so he could see me too but wouldn¡¯t look at me in the eye like I had wished. In any case, I drew in a breath and said, ¡°I lov-¡±


    A gasp was drawn into my mouth the second after. I couldn¡¯t breathe, I was in pain, I couldn¡¯t move. Just when I could have said the words I had always wanted to say without fear. Things just couldn¡¯t be perfect.


    Thest thing I saw were doctors surrounding me before I was in my darkness again


    ¡ª


    ¡°We¡¯ve managed to save her again but we don¡¯t know how long she¡¯ll have before the next drift. They¡¯re drawing more frequent. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to force her to stay in the hospital if she is to survive.¡±


    There was some quiet shuffling before something warm took a hold of my hand.


    ¡°Hear that Demon? So, what will it be?¡±


    My mind still hadn¡¯t registered what exactly was happening, I couldn¡¯t think properly or form proper thoughts but I did know one thing for sure and so I roughly ordered,


    ¡°Tell them it¡¯s done.¡±


    I could tell he was looking down at me with hesitance. I looked back at his blurred figure and saw him nodding his head.


    ¡°Whatever you wish.¡±


    -Nicks¡¯ POV-


    My heart was racing with panic inside of my ribcage. Why? Why did it have to be now? Why did it have to be when we all could have achieved happiness? Why? God damn it! Why?!


    I was shaken out of my thoughts when there was a slight grip on my shoulder. It was Arthur, looking down at me with red eyes that had cried more tears that I had. The 24-year-old had set his whole life aside for Dominic and now he was losing her. We shared the same pain of worry for our sister.


    ¡°I wanted to tell you stories about her, stories you wouldn¡¯t know about because you didn¡¯t grow up together.¡± He started and paused to see if I wanted him to continue. I smiled gently at him and nodded. The rest of the guys sat down next to me in the waiting room and also started paying attention to him.


    ¡°When my parents first adopted Dominic, she wouldn¡¯t cry at all. She hardly ever did. When she was able to she wouldugh and stay happy and in turn, it would always bring joy to my family. I can¡¯t forget Dominic¡¯s first word. She said, ¡°Boda¡± and I remember being so happy hearing her call me her brother.¡±


    I watched him smile as he reminisced what I¡¯m sure was a fond memory and it also made me smile with him.


    ¡°I was always very protective of her and responsible. We did everything together. She was always interested in what I would do too. I introduced her to William and Xavier and soon started training her. She was and is one of the strongest girls I know.¡±


    I nodded in agreeance. She made me change my perception on a lot of things and had hoped to keep doing so.


    ¡°She would get bullied back when we were living in London but one day in year six she beat the bully¡¯s ass and came home so pleased with herself that I couldn¡¯t get mad at her for using her training on a harmless kid. She was so tough but also¡­ really caring. She saw the light in everyone.. was able to see the humour in every situation. She¡¯d remind me that when she joked around with me whilst tending to my wounds after my street fights. I love my sister like I¡¯m sure you do too.¡±


    After that he wiped his eyes before looking down, his eyes visibly turning a shade darker as his whole body became tense.


    ¡°That fucking gang took everything from me. I knew I was being targetted so I gave my sister my ne beforehand but it was worse than that. I scarred us both. For her, I was forced to take away our parents, the only people she had family left after me. For me not only was it that which had broken me,¡±


    he held his chest in pain and I put a hand on his shoulder in support.


    ¡°But I had also had to spy on Dominic whilst unable to get closer to her ever again. I watched as the light in her eyes faded. The only times they¡¯de back was when she was street fighting and¡±


    He looked up at me and then grinned. He put a hand on my head and ruffled my hair more than it had been already. ¡°With you.¡± He looked at the rest of theds, ¡°All of you. You all brought back that light inside of her and I¡¯m very thankful.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Aw shucks, it was nothin¡¯!¡± Zack eximed which made us allugh. Something we definitely needed at that moment. But the moment was short.


    ¡°Mr Secter?¡± My eyes travelled to where I was called. Everyone silenced as I got up and faced the Doctor.


    ¡°How is she?¡± I asked impatiently, scared.


    The doctor looked at me for a couple of seconds before sighing. He was going to carry on and say something when Xavier came up from behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder which made the doctor look back at him in silence.


    ¡°Dominic¡¯s¡­¡± he paused and looked down, defeat clear in his eyes.


    No- it couldn¡¯t be. Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s-


    ¡°Gone.¡±


    .

 Chapter 48 The End鈥?r Is It?

    -6 Months Later-


    The summer break had finally begun but unfortunately, it couldn¡¯t be spent happily. After losing one of his most precious members, Nicks Secter had been left devastated and in pain. After 6 months without her, he returned to being the cold-hearted leader he once was. However, that mask was ripped off of him when he stood in front of her resting ce every week. Many tears were shed on the soil that wasid beneath them.


    Again it was time for him to see her. For him to look down and remember his sister one more time. The sister he considered a miracle. The sister he grew to love.


    He stared at her name across the stone that was nailed onto the tree in front of him. The words, ¡°The Mysterious Demon¡± brought tears into his eyes. He ran his fingers over the words,


    ¡­ unaware of the being approaching him from behind.


    The being was female and had a strong build. She had shining grey eyes and long brown hair that would sway as she made her way towards him with elegant strides.


    She kept walking towards him until her mouth was centimetres behind his ear; getting closer and closer causing the male to inhale sharply and freeze on the spot, waiting.


    With a smirk on her face, she took in a short breath and whispered the words,


    ¡°Boo¡±


    ¡ª-? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    The story isn¡¯t done and a new chapter is ahead.


    ¡ª


    After months of heartbreak, she¡¯s back and this time I won¡¯t let her go.


    When I saw the guy leaning in towards her lips, my whole body started trembling in anger. I wouldn¡¯t let her go. I refuse to.


    They were close to kissing when I had had enough and pulled her arm towards me and started marching out of there.


    ¡°How am I supposed to prove myself when you don¡¯t let me?¡± She asked in amusement at my actions which made me stop in my tracks causing her to stop too. ¡°This is how,¡± I say and swiftly turn to face her before I grabbing her chin and pushing my lip onto hers.


    ¡ª


    .

 Chapter 49 A New Chapter

    -ke¡¯s POV-


    Silence.


    My world, for the most part, had gone silent. I had blocked everything for a while. People. ces. For months, everything had gone grey.


    I¡¯d see her sometimes. Convinced she was back. Argued that she was right there in front of me, talking to me,ughing with me. But I was wrong. Hallucinating maybe. Jake would often tell me that. I was even sent to the hospital for it, given medication.


    I¡¯d like to say I was healing. Maybepletely healed. After all, I was able to sit in her house like I am now with the rest of the gang without getting a panic attack, without being hurt and upset about her being gone,


    ¡°But she rejected me!¡±


    The rest of the guys and I were listening to Zack¡¯s rediculous story, waiting for Nick to return in order to tell us some ¡®important news¡¯. When he said it, he was surprisingly optimistic, a grin stered onto his face which was weird to us. We hadn¡¯t seen him like that for a while after what happened.


    The clock hit 9 am when we heard the main door opening. ¡°The must be Nick,¡± Jason said and we all waited, expecting him toe in but instead we heard another voice through the walls.


    ¡°Wow, my gym room is a mess, you couldn¡¯t have cleaned up a little? There¡¯s still blood on here!¡±


    My whole body went rock solid, hairs pricking upwards at the voice. I looked around to see the other guys holding expressions of confusion. Zack and Jason reached for their guns that were by the sides just in case an attack was needed when,


    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯ve been using this ce as our base for a while and haven¡¯t had the time to clean,¡± Nick¡¯s muffled voice was then heard too which made us rx a little but still unsure. Who was he talking to? It sounded like-


    Suddenly, the door to the room we were in was opened to reveal her. She had grown taller, hair was longer, body firmer, and face even more beautiful than it had been when Ist saw her. My eyes could only focus on her. Her sharp jawline, her shining grey eyes, her confident aura. It couldn¡¯t be. I couldn¡¯t ept what I was seeing. I couldn¡¯t because it was her.


    ¡°So, Nick isn¡¯t the only one who¡¯s changed I see,¡± she grinned while studying all of our faces, ¡°Hey guys,¡±


    Silence.


    No no no no no, ¡°I-it can¡¯t. I stopped hallucinating. I¡¯ve healed I swear-¡± I held my head with both of my hands and shut my eyes as tight as I could. I couldn¡¯t get worse again. I couldn¡¯t.


    Jake responded quickly and pulled me up and into a hug, ¡°You¡¯re not hallucinating. It¡¯s okay ke. Calm down.¡± He tried but I couldn¡¯t ept it. I looked up to see her again. Face filled with concern as she turned to Nick who also just entered the room with Xavier and Arthur following behind him.


    It seemed she asked Nick something which I couldn¡¯t quite hear over my shivering breath but Nick answered her with a frown, ¡°He¡¯s been like this ever since you left,¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    I closed my eyes again. Trying to get my head together. Trying to tell myself that I definitely took the medication and I¡¯ll be okay.


    Jake¡¯s arms unwrapped from me slowly which made me open my eyes again to see her approaching me. My breath hitched into my throat and my body froze in ce. Her hand raised and she gently put it against my cheek, looking me in the eye and telling me, ¡°ke it¡¯s okay. We¡¯re okay. I¡¯m here.¡± Her saying this calmed me down instantly. I was able to breathe again.


    ¡°Dominic,¡± I said gently and she smiled before pulling me into a hug. A hug that seemed to give me life in itself. That seemed to bring light back into the world I stood in. I hugged her back. Her smell was intoxicating, breath was soothing, touch was mesmerising. I could feel again.


    When she pulled away she turned to everyone else and teased, ¡°Is one hug all I¡¯m going to get?¡± which made the guys break out of their simrly shocking figures and grins formed on all of their faces before we came together for a group hug.


    A few minutes passed and we all had settled down in the, most of us with one question in mind.


    ¡°Dominic, how are you alive?¡±


    Zack didn¡¯t hesitate as much as everyone else though it seems and asked right away. I didn¡¯tin though. We all stared at Dominic intensely and looked down with a grimaced expression.


    ¡°Okay, well, I believe it¡¯s fair if I start from the beginning.¡± She started and we all nodded in support, ¡°A while ago, I was told by the doctors that my heart was failing because it was being continuously suffocated by my lungs. This could cause it to give in at any moment. The exact treatment wasn¡¯t known yet-¡±


    ¡°So it wasn¡¯t lung cancer?¡± Jason asked and she shook her head negatively, looking as if she was ashamed which made me look at her with pity.


    ¡°Why would you lie about something while you¡¯re dying?¡± Jason carried on questioning and Dominic looked as if she was going to answer but before she could, she bit her lip and held her shirt around where her heart was. This action worried me, Arthur seemed to catch on too.


    ¡°Let her exin!¡± Arthur eximed which made the room go quiet enough for us to hear Dominic¡¯s nervous breaths.


    ¡°They had wanted me to stay in the hospital for further testing. They told me to quit everything. Drinking, smoking, fighting, but I couldn¡¯t handle something like that. I didn¡¯t want my life to change because of something like that. So, I told them I¡¯d carry on living normally,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± Jake said but before he could say anything else, Nick¡¯s voice interrupted him,


    ¡°Listen to her,¡± Nick growled and that¡¯s when we knew we had to shut up. When Dominic was pronounced dead, Nick turned dark. Heshed out at everyone all the time. He would go to the gym often and spend hours beating up punching bags. The fear we once had for him came back so now as he stood leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, we stayed quiet and listened.


    ¡°They gave a bunch of medication that I had to take daily. You¡¯ve probably seen them in my drawer,¡± I thought back to which drawer she could have been referring to and I realised. In her kitchen, she had a drawer which is hard to open because of how many pills and medication packets were in there. I hadn¡¯t thought she had to take them all.


    ¡°I was okay at first. There were times I¡¯d get dizzy, vision blurry for a little while, things slow and I¡¯d have a hard time breathing but it wasn¡¯t that bad and at times I¡¯d forget so I assumed it was okay and stopped taking the meds,¡±


    ¡°Which, let me remind you, was a stupid decision Demon,¡± Xavier then said from next to her making Dominic rx and smile before shoving him slightly,


    ¡°Shut up Champ. Anyway, it got worse and I got put into the hospital and as you saw, I was tlining. I told you guys I had lung cancer because it would be easier to ept than just me not taking my medication and the rest of the situation. I also didn¡¯t know if that was it or if I¡¯d wake and have another drift again. Most of all, I wanted to heal. ¡± I took in a breath


    ¡°After what you guys saw at the hospital, I woke up again and Xavier asked me what I wanted to do. I told him to tell them it was done. My suffering was done. It was time for me to fix myself. He told you guys I was dead in order to clear my mind a bit to let me recover. For three months I went through tests, scans after scans, therapy, and finally, I was let out. I still had meds to take for as long as I live but I¡¯m pretty much cured. For the next three months, I was training with Xavier, getting my strength back, living with him since I had to have some sort of supervision. I showed myself to Nick a week ago and here we are now!¡±


    She concluded and I was able to rx. Satisfied. I was able to feel satisfied with everything again. Our questions were answered and I was d to have her back, safe and sound.


    ¡°Wait, I still have a question!¡± I turned to my brother with a confused look but smiled anyway, knowing it was going to be something stupid.


    Jake then pointed at Arthur and asked, ¡°howe he knew before us?¡± Once this question was asked I noticed even Nick looked at Dominic with confusion but Dominic and Xavier started chuckling at it.


    ¡°That was totally your fault,¡± Dominic said between her chuckles towards Xavier,


    ¡°Was not!¡± he replied, ¡°You were the one who had to flip me like that. If you didn¡¯t then I would have heard himing.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d you give him the key?¡± Dominic argued, hand against her mouth, trying to contain herughter.


    ¡°Can you guys exin already?¡± Zack cut them off jokingly which made Dominic look back at us casually. The nerves from before gonepletely.


    ¡°Xavier and I were training in his gym room and Xavier had forgotten that Arthur was going toe over that day and that he had previously given him the key to the house. We were sparing and during it I had flipped Xavier so I was on top of him, holding him down when Arthur came in,¡± Dominic startedughing and turned to Arthur, ¡°Your reaction was hrious. You were like, ¡®WHAT THE FUCK?!¡± Dominic mimicked and Xavier burst outughing causing us to do so as well.


    ¡°How else was I supposed to react?¡± Arthur argued, finding this less funny. ¡°My baby sister, who I thought was dead by the way, was on top of my friend who is ten years older than her as if they were going to fuck. Of course, I was going to be shook!¡± He eximed which made usugh even more.


    ¡°Man, it¡¯s good to be back!¡±


    .

 Chapter 50 You?

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    Gym ss was next.


    I sighed. It wasn¡¯t as if I didn¡¯t like gym ss, it was my speciality after all, but what we do during gym was always boring as fuck. It wasn¡¯t challenging, it didn¡¯t work up a sweat, girls usually had it easier and I couldn¡¯t use any of my strength at all. It was seriously a waste.


    It was thest term of high school for me. Most people had been here for years and years and couldn¡¯t wait to get out in a months time. They imed they¡¯d miss the ce, miss the people in it. I had no such connection. I wasn¡¯t going to miss the building I hardly spent time in, I didn¡¯t have people I was going to miss, the teachers were useless, the education system a failure. But one thing I could rte to was the want to be free.


    I had taken the exams I was meant to take. I could tell I did well, Xavier would hate me if I failed anything despite all of his efforts to teach me which he¡¯s done sessfully. I excelled for him. His pride was my pride. Even if I cared little to nothing about grades or moving onto American coge. My good grades are also the only reason I¡¯m allowed to stay at this school. Nothing else kept me here.


    Yet, s, here I was. In the same corridors. Heading into the girls changing room. Despite having almost only 30% attendance, I was going to make an appearance in thest month of school and was going to attend gym ss.


    Silence and stares.


    That was usually what I was met with now every time I went into a ssroom. I didn¡¯t me them. I¡¯ve been involved in so many fights, I¡¯ve been suspected for murder, I disappear. It¡¯s only natural for them to want to stay away from me but I didn¡¯t care. That¡¯s what I told myself. I didn¡¯t care.


    I got to a corner and started changing which is when they started talking normally again, some whispering about me but it didn¡¯t bother me. I wasn¡¯t in the mood anyway. I felt.. off.


    After getting changed into kit we went to the sports hall where our lesson was going to be held. My eyes were glued onto the floor for most of the way there, more because ofck of interest in anything else than any other reason. When I did eventually raise my head, my eyes couldn¡¯t help but widen at what I was seeing.


    What the fuck was he doing here? I thought as I watched Xavier stand there with a grin stered on his face.


    ¡°Gather around ss so I can introduce myself to you all!¡± He boomed and everyone hurried to do as he ordered. Some more willingly than the rest of us. I turned to the boys and found Zack and Jake who were also in my gym ss looking at me as if asking me why he was here but all I could do was shrug. My best guess would be that he was here to keep an eye on me like the doctor wanted him to.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you all! My name is Xavier but I expect you all to call me sir!¡± I rolled my eyes, remembering when he tried to make me call him ¡®sir¡¯ when he first started tutoring me. I told him to go fuck himself. ¡°The reason I am taking your ss today is that I am promoting the gym that I work at which is known for its private bodybuilding and martial arts courses. You may be may familiar with it because a shooting went down over therest year.¡± A wave of mumbling spread between everyone. People definitely knew which gym he was talking about and of course, he had to mention the courses that he and I run. Almost made meugh.


    ¡°Today, we¡¯re going to be looking at a bit of self-defence-¡± I smirked as that sentence came out of his mouth. This gym ss may not be as bad as I thought any more. The rest of the ss seemed excited too. After answering some more questions and talking about some health and safety rules, we were ready to get started.


    ¡°I want you all to get into pairs. Dominic, you¡¯ll be working with me.¡± I look around to have the whole ss looking at me now, Xavier grinning smugly from in between them. ¡°As you wish,¡± I mumbled and walked towards him.


    He made us do some stretches and warmups in the beginning before saying he wanted to test us on the ¡®high school kids¡¯ favourite¡¯ (whatever that meant) punching and blocking. ¡°We¡¯ll demonstrate,¡± Xavier announces after exining the stances and importance of posture and reaction. He then came up to be and didn¡¯t hesitate to throw a really hard punch, one he¡¯d usually save for actual matches. I blocked. I see how it¡¯s going to be.


    He threw his next punch at me, it was again another hard one, he was trying to break through my block but I would let him and pushed harder against it. We both looked at each other¡¯s eyes and switched, I threw a punch this time and he blocked me. The others looked at us with amazement and also a little worried which was humourous. The contact must have been loud.


    It wasn¡¯t long after, I finally broke through his block was he was able to evade getting hit. ¡°Like that but not as harsh,¡± Xavier said chuckling a bit out of breath.


    ¡°Sir!¡± Someone called out, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you and Demonic know each other?¡±


    The question made Xavier and I turn to each other. I was expecting him to say no but he suddenly slung an arm around my shoulder and brought me closer to him before answering, ¡°Of course! We work at the same gym.¡± You could physically see their changes in opinion on me once he said this, couldn¡¯t really call myself a fan. ¡°Now, get punching!¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°Last technique!¡± There was still more?


    This past hour Xavier took the opportunity to make this as hard as he could for me, knowing I couldn¡¯t fight back to higher his ego and pride. He definitely thought this was all a joke to him, I could practically see himugh as he threw me around.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He exined thest technique, my role again being the attacker which usually left me in the worst position after. Xavier took hold of my shirt and lifted. I wasn¡¯t even up there long enough to see other people¡¯s faces before he crashed me onto the ground which anyone could tell made a huge impact on the floor.


    I¡¯m sure I heard people gasp, another shriek. I held in a gasp of pain and instead grit my teeth while I was faced away from everyone¡¯s eyes.


    Xavier was too busy exining key points to the ss to notice he was still on top of me, holding me down with all of his weight and pushing down on my joints.


    After he was done talking I raised my head up a bit and went to his ear, ¡°You¡¯re dead once I get to the bar,¡± I whispered with a threat filled voice. He must have felt my anger because I could feel him freeze on the spot while looking forward. ¡°Shit,¡± he cursed under his breath which made me smirk. It didn¡¯tst long though because he picked me up again, ¡°when you¡¯re good enough you can go from that position-¡± then crashed me on the floor in another position a second time, ¡°to this one which puts more pressure on them and more control to you,¡± he carried on.


    ¡°You are so fucked,¡± I say when he turns his face to me, ¡°that¡¯s why I¡¯m going to make the most of it now,¡± he says confidently back with a devilish grin. What was this? Childish revenge?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going a bit harsh on her?¡± Jake then asked which made me chuckle. I may be in pain but too harsh?


    ¡°What? No! Of course not. Dominic is trained for these sort of things, right?¡± Xavier asked me, having the time of his life on top of me. I put a grin on my face and faced the ss, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a normal routine,¡± -for the strangest street fighters in the world I wanted to add. I could only hope that none of these students actually learnt from us today.


    After that beating session from Xavier, the lesson was finally over. As people were walking back to the changing rooms I made sure to give Xavier a really hard blow to the stomach as my own type of revenge. He kept in a groan of pain behind a smirk as I turned away and towards the changing rooms too, ¡°Love you too, demon!¡± He called outughing- still in pain.


    While I was changing I noticed the girls were whispering again but this time it was different. ¡°Omg look!¡± ¡°She actually has abs,¡± ¡°Her body has so many scars¡± ¡°Ew I could not with those bruises,¡±


    I bit my lip to stop myself from saying anything and put my clothes on as quickly as I could, making me one of the first to leave for lunch. I was hoping to be able to leave school and beat up a certain street fighter but when I came out I was met with unexpected faces. Unexpected and unfamiliar.


    A group of guys had gathered around and seemed to be waiting for someone toe out and, unfortunately, the person was me. ¡°Demoni-!¡± One was about to call but another jabbed him on the side which made him stop and correct himself. ¡°Sorry, I mean, Dominic,¡± I almost rolled my eyes at them. Could there be anyone faker than them right now? I decided to ignore them. I really really wasn¡¯t feeling like dealing with anyone right now. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ignore us!¡± they called at me when I tried walking away.


    ¡°What the fuck do you want?¡± I growled, looking back at them with all the hate in the world. These boys weren¡¯t going to leave me alone unless I put some fear into them. I kept ring at them and watched as the first guy took out his phone and swiped around as if looking for something on it.


    ¡°Is this you?¡± He asked and showed me a video. It was of me at Zack¡¯s house beating up a few other guys. ¡°So what-?¡± ¡°It¡¯s her!¡± He suddenly shouted, cutting me off and before I could move, I was held by a pair of arms behind me and shoved onto the wall before hearing something being torn off of me. I felt my eyes widen as I looked down at the shirt they ripped off of me but I was still unable to move away from them.


    ¡°Make sure you smile for the photo!¡± I heard one say before a camera went off. I looked down, feeling weak, feeling helpless-


    ¡°Oi! What the Fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± I kept looking down and listened to the sounds of shoes running towards me and others running away. ¡°Shit, get her a shirt.¡±


    It seemed that Zack and Jake had juste out of their changing room but were toote to prevent anything. Zack took off his shirt and gave it to me which I took slowly with gratitude. It wasn¡¯t like I was nude but I couldn¡¯t walk the rest of the day with only bandages around my chest so the shirt was mandatory. Putting it on, I looked up at the boys¡¯ faces which only held sympathy and anger towards the group who ran away.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you fight back?¡± Zack asked me and I tried answering but my voice got caught in my throat and I couldn¡¯t. Jake seemed to notice so he wrapped his arm around my shoulder -making me flinch- before saying, ¡°let¡¯s go have lunch yeah? We¡¯ll talk about this with the rest of the guys and figure out a way to fuck those guys up,¡± Zack nodded at this and put another shirt on himself before we all went to the lunch hall.


    It was weird. Why didn¡¯t I fight back? Why did I feel so suffocated? Why did I feel ufortable in my own skin? Why did I suddenly feel so¡­ alone?


    I gulped down a whole bottle of water once we got to a table and stared at it once it was empty.


    Jason then joined us. ke wasn¡¯t here yet and Nick hadn¡¯te in today because of some work he had to do with his gang¡¯s division in Italy.


    ¡°Everyone got sent the pic,¡± ¡°What?!¡± That wasn¡¯t that surprising I guess. Having proof of beating someone strong and not sharing it? Seemed unlikely. I shut my eyes tightly and squeezed on the empty water bottle. The fuck do I do?


    Suddenly the door to the cafeteria was smashed open to reveal an angry face with dirty blonde hair and dark eyes which scanned the crowd until he was able to see his friends who were standing and blocking him from seeing me as I was sitting.


    ¡°Who the fuck took the photo?!¡± ke shouted which made silence follow. ke¡¯s anger made me feel ashamed of myself and embarrassed. How could I have let him see me like that?


    I could hear the steps of keing closer to us as people started talking to each other again so I decided to take the initiative and started to leave through the back doors. With Zack¡¯s shirt and a beanie, we hopefully wouldn¡¯t know it¡¯s me so I stood up and left.


    ¡°William? Can you pick me up?¡±


    .

 Chapter 51 Memories

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    ¡°Thanks foring, William,¡±


    ¡°Anytime D,¡±


    I put my seatbelt on whilst sitting in William¡¯s car and looked forward. Peace. I think that¡¯s what my mind was craving. Away from the people I wasn¡¯t used to. Away from the chaos I left behind. Peace.


    I wanted to go somewhere far and away, somewhere I didn¡¯t know. Somewhere to breathe. Yet I knew that wasn¡¯t possible. I didn¡¯t have the freedom for that plus it wasn¡¯t safe.


    I didn¡¯t want to go to Xavier, I was in way too weak of a state to go and pretend to be strong with him. I also wanted to be away from my family right now. Arthur was with Xavier anyway and Nick was busy so I couldn¡¯t go to him even if I wanted to. So the only person I could think of at that moment to get me away from school was William.


    ¡°What happened?¡± William then broke the silence and asked in a gentle voice, ¡°You haven¡¯t called me for something like this since you were 13.¡± he carried on. I didn¡¯t answer him straight away though because I was asking myself the same thing.


    ¡°Sorry Will, I just- I don¡¯t know how to exin it- I¡± He could tell I was struggling. He nced my way when I went silent again before telling me,


    ¡°You¡¯re breaking down arent you?¡± I looked at him with surprise which he noticed and nodded to himself, ¡°I heard about what¡¯s been going on from Arthur. You¡¯ve gone through so much in such a small amount of time. So much pain. You¡¯re independent and strong, always have been, but now you¡¯re tired. I can see it.¡±


    I gulped at what he said. Hands shook slightly but I stopped them from shaking any more. He nced at me again, ¡°Seems like I was right,¡± he then let out a sigh before putting a hand on my shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, D, it¡¯s okay. I know where to take you.¡±


    After that, we fell into afortable silence with the radio talking for us. I watched the city whiz passed us and was soon reced by trees and a huge forest. It wasn¡¯t long after when William stopped by the side of a road and got out. I followed behind him and looked around in confusion. Why did this ce look familiar?


    ¡°Recognise it?¡± he chuckled, probably seeing my reaction, ¡°probably not I¡¯d imagine. You were only 11 when Arthur and I made this,¡± he carried on saying as he led me behind some trees and deeper into the forest. When we made it to a clearing, I gasped.


    ¡°The treehouse,¡± ¡°Bingo.¡±


    The treehouse was a ce Arthur and William made as kids with the help of our father. We used to y there all the time when we were younger. Our summers spent here. Days, nights. It wasn¡¯t very big orplicated. It didn¡¯t even have a swing but this ce was heaven to us. It¡¯s where I was first trained, where I got closer to William. After my adoptive parents died though, everything changed and I forgot about this ce. Forgot it all.


    ¡°Race you to the top!¡± William eximed and started running which made me break into a grin and run after him. We climbed up our olddder, almost falling in the process, and went into the main room of the treehouse and once again, my breath was taken away. It was just as I remembered it. It was filled with all the same memories.


    William seemed as excited as I was if not more because he started looking around and opening old boxes of things we had left here. ¡°Oi! D! Look what I found!¡± he called and I looked over to see him raising a bunch of cards that I remember we spent ages saving up for. Cleaning, babysitting, doing whatever we could. Now they were just collecting dust. Iughed and said, ¡°Those bring back memories,¡± ¡°Tell me bout it,¡±


    I decided to start looking through some things too until I stumbled upon a box with my name on it scribbled with the words, ¡®don¡¯t open!¡¯ I chuckled at my younger self and opened the box only to be left with amazement. It was my old art set. I didn¡¯t remember how I got them or why they were in the box but I remember having the set.


    I then looked through the pages of my old sketchbook and smiled. I was so happy back then. I thought as I looked at the drawing of my old house, of my family, of nature, of my toys even. Before fighting, I loved drawing. Loved art. Loved beauty.


    I kept looking through the sketchbook when I got to a certain ce where the happiness had ended. I had lost Arthur already but now my parents had died at this point. I looked down and traced my hand over the picture of three gravestones. Done in ck and white. That was thest drawing in the sketchbook.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I stopped after that and read the box again, ¡®don¡¯t open!¡¯ I left these things here in order to forget on purpose. This is where everything changed.


    I picked myself up from my spot and slowly walked to the edge of the room, dangling my legs over and leaning on the wood next to me whilst looking out into the distance. Looking into the nature I once loved.


    William must have noticed my change in mood because he stopped talking about the things he had found and slowly walked up to me. He put his hand on my shoulder again which made me look up at him sadly. ¡°No ones here. Let it out, Dominic. Let it out.¡± He told me before walking away and out of the treehouse.


    Once I couldn¡¯t see him again, I did what he told me to. I broke down and let it out. For the first time in a long time, I let myself cry. I let the tears run. I let myself sob. My tears were so warm. I had wished their warmth would remind me of a hug of some sort but instead, I was reminded of the pain of having boiling water thrown on my face. It was always pain I was reminded of. Always.


    More tears continued to fall and soon, I couldn¡¯t stop them even if I had wanted to.


    Years. I had been holding these in for years.


    ¡°I must look like a wreck,¡± I mumbled to myself as I felt my injured skin. The makeup I was wearing to hide my scarred face had probably washed or smudged off by now. I could imagine no one wanting to see me in this state. No one being here tofort me.


    I was a mess.


    I screamed out in frustration, in sadness. I sobbed. I carried on crying.


    I was alon-


    An arm wrapped around me suddenly and softly pushed me against the person¡¯s chest. My tears stopped abruptly and I slowly looked up to see it was¡­ ke. He kept his arm around me and rubbed my back in slow circr motions. Sitting next to me with his head up and looking forward. I let myself rx a little in his arms. Leaning my head against his chest and quietly beginning to cry again. Cry the tears I had wished no one would ever have to see.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡± he cut me off.


    ¡°I¡¯m here now.¡±


    .

 Chapter 52 I鈥檓 Here

    -ke¡¯s POV-


    ¡°Who the fuck took the photo?!¡±


    Rage. That¡¯s what was going through my entire body. Under the grip of my fingers, my phone was near its breaking point. The screen holding a picture of a couple of guys holding Dominic against her will, wearing nothing but bandages, hostage under their arms.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    She looked weak and defeated and that¡¯s what angered me the most. They wanted to boost their own egos. Wanted to make themselves look better and in turn, made her out to be something she wasn¡¯t.


    Dominic was strong. That was something I liked about her. When we would bully her she never asked anyone for help, fought her own battles, didn¡¯t get teachers involved and took beatings in order to keep herself safe. I failed as her friend then but now I know that even though she¡¯s strong, she should never have to go as low as to facing bullshit like this. Never again.


    My outburst made the whole lunch hall quieten down instantly yet no one came out and answered me. The guys in the photo were nowhere to be seen either.


    I looked around some more until my eyesnded on my friends. I had hoped to get some answers from them at least if no one else was going toe out about it. Zack and Jake had a lesson with Dominic so they¡¯d know where she was at least.


    I walked up to them and they looked back at me, knowing what I was looking to get out of them but instead of giving me any answers they started telling me to, ¡°Calm down,¡± and that, ¡°we¡¯ll deal with the guys soon,¡± but that wasn¡¯t enough for me.


    I shook my head and sat down at one of the seats behind them. ¡°Where¡¯s Dominic?¡± I asked. I had to know if she was okay. I looked up at the guys but in response, I got wide eyes as if they had seen a ghost. They then turned to each other. ¡°Guys?¡± I asked again but they ignored me.


    ¡°She was right fucking there,¡± ¡°where¡¯d she go?¡± I heard them mutter which made me furrow my eyebrows. ¡°I don¡¯t know, she was sitting right there!¡± Worry started stirring inside of me. I opened my phone and went to call Dominic but the call went straight to voice message.


    ¡°Shit, she¡¯s not answering,¡± I say out loud which makes them all turn to me. One by one they all sat down with me, unsure of what to do or how to handle the situation. ¡°Who were they?¡± I asked, calmly this time.


    ¡°A group from one year lower. They¡¯re unimportant and weak. Dominic could have easily beat them up but we just had a gym ss and was beaten up by Xavier quite a lot so she must have been tired or something. I don¡¯t know she just seemed out of it in general today.¡± Jake replied and silence consumed us again.


    ¡°Should we tell Nick?¡± Jason asked but we all shook our head. I cringed at the thought. Besides the fact that he¡¯d kill us for letting it happen, it¡¯s thest thing Nick needs to hear right now. He had enough on his shoulders already.


    I stared down at my phone again when I suddenly got a notification from an unknown number. It was a message with an address and name, saying that Dominic was there and that she needed me. That¡¯s all I needed to hear.


    I got up hastily, without answering any of the guys¡¯ questions and left the school building, calling an Uber and getting to the address.


    William? I knew I had heard the name somewhere but couldn¡¯t piece it together.


    I knew I had to be cautious, especially since where the Uber stopped was in front of a forest. I got out and slowly started walking in. I was only a few meters in when I saw a man walking towards me. I went to pull out my pocket knife but before I could, the man put his hands up and eximed,


    ¡°Hold up, hold up! It¡¯s me, William!¡± I raised my brown and when he was close enough, I rxed because I recognised him. ¡°The mechanic?¡± I asked and heughed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. The mechanic, not a threat. But that¡¯s not important.¡±


    His face then went serious and he looked behind himself sadly before looking back at me again. ¡°Keep walking forward and you¡¯ll find her. Comfort her. Be there for her. She needs someone right now, but I can¡¯t be that person. You can,¡± he said giving me a look of trust before walking past me.


    I did as William instructed and walked forward until I was met with a simple little treehouse. From inside it, I could hear cries and sobs which made me frown. It hurt me that she was hurting this much and alone at that.


    I walked closer to the treehouse, climbed up before slowly walking towards her figure and sitting down next to her. I pulled her in close to me, making her lean on me instead of the wood as I looked forward.


    I had to be here for her. I couldn¡¯t let her suffer alone anymore. I knew it took strength to let all of her feelings out just now and now it was my duty to help her get the strength to keep on walking after this.


    It warmed my heart when she rxed her head against my chest, to see herfortable enough to keep on crying instead of pretending to be okay.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡±


    She had no reason to apologise. Her feelings were valid.


    ¡°I¡¯m here now¡±


    I reassured her which she seemed to appreciate as her breath started to calm down and eventually she naturally stopped crying. ¡°I probably look so weak right now, damn it,¡± she fakeughed as she rubbed her eyes but I couldn¡¯t join her sadughter.


    ¡°You¡¯re not weak Dominic. You¡¯ve just been strong for too long. You needed a break and that¡¯s okay. Please rely on me- us when you feel this way.¡± I replied which makes her look up at me for a moment. I wondered if everything was okay which she seemed to be able to read and then she smiled to which I smiled back.


    After that I got up slowly, pulling her up with me and we both dusted ourselves off.


    I then looked around at the treehouse a bit and smiled again, it looked really cosy. I looked back at Dominic who was also looking around when suddenly my breath was taken.


    The way the sun gleamed down on her figure, the way her hair swayed with the wind, the way her eyes glistened due to her tears. She looked stunning. This feeling I got from her was as if a blind man got to see the light for the very first time. She was my light and I couldn¡¯t help but stare in astonishment at her beauty.


    ¡°You know, if you keep staring at me, this will be really awkward,¡± she suddenly says while started to walk towards the exit.


    My face heated up slightly and I jogged to catch up to her with a grin on my face, ¡°I know a good way to ease the tension,¡± I teased and she gave me a friendly re, ¡°You perv,¡± I faked a shocked expression and nudged her shoulder as we started walking out of the forest. ¡°I was going to suggest¡­ a pillow fight!¡±


    She nudged my shoulder back, ¡°Really? A pillow fight? With what? leaves?¡±


    I smirked at her suggestion and without a seconds thought, grabbed a bunch of leaves from the ground and threw them in her direction,ughing as I did. I held my stomach when I got to see her facial expression, watching her scowl at me made me burst outughing even louder.


    In the moment my eyes were closed though, I heard shuffling and when I opened them again, all I could see was a storm of leaves being rained on me from a tree above. This time Dominicughed as she stopped shaking the tree. We both ended upughing at how rediculous the other looked with leaves stuck in random ces.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t fair,¡± I pouted and then she grabbed my chin. My eyes immediately moved to her lips but my hopes fell when she pushed my face away and patted my cheek twice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pout, it¡¯ll make your cheeks sag when you¡¯re old and wrinkly,¡± She then said before starting to walk away again, making me scoff yfully.


    ¡°Me? Old and wrinkly?¡± I started as I caught up to her, ¡°Sorry D, those words aren¡¯t in my dictionary,¡± ¡°Sure, whatever you say Mr, sexy pants.¡±


    I almost stopped in my tracks with a grin forming on my face.


    Did she just call me¡­ sexy?


    ¡ª


    ¡°WE¡¯RE SORRY! PLEASE STOP! WE¡¯RE SORRY!¡±


    ¡°You better be you fucktard. Let the whole school know how sorry your asses are.¡±


    We sat and watching Dominic from afar as she beat up the group of guys who took her picture from before. They were in the middle of a group of other people from our year too who stood as witnesses, recording the whole thing before the teachers coulde out.


    ¡°Looks like she¡¯s back to normal,¡± Jason mumbled and the rest of the guys agreed from next to him.


    ¡°It also looks like someone else here is in love,¡± Zack said but I was still in my little happy daze toment on what he was saying. I was watching Dominic act in her demonic ways, couldn¡¯t think of anything worth more than that.


    ¡°Come on, we all knew that from the beginning,¡± Jake then says, waving a hand in front of me. ¡°You¡¯ve lost it, dude,¡±


    I sighed and looked at his ugly face, ¡°I haven¡¯t ¡®lost¡¯ anything but I¡¯m going to get her.¡±


    .

 Chapter 53 Drunk

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    ¡°Dominic! Dominic! Dominic!¡±


    Iughed as I was thrown into the air before being caught by sturdy arms.


    The room was spinning and the night was a blur but it was the most fun I had had in ages. The taste of alcohol in my mouth, the cheering, the excitement, the sheer joy of having everyone here to enjoy this with me.


    This is what you call a party.


    -5 hours prior-


    ¡°Dominic, please,¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re bored,¡±


    ¡°So be it,¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even have a fight scheduled tonight,¡±


    ¡°I could get er,¡±


    ¡°Demoniii¡±


    ¡°Zackkkk¡±


    We both red at each other, only a couple of meters away. Neither one of us breaking eye contact. ¡°Just help us get into the club, it won¡¯t kill you! You practically live there!¡± Zack argued. He¡¯s been trying to convince me for a while now to get me to use my street fighter ID to get into a club tonight but I haven¡¯t been agreeing. I didn¡¯t want to go to the club, it¡¯s never been my scene.


    ¡°M. D lives there!¡± ¡°That¡¯s you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s another side of me!¡±


    -¡°Jake, tell her!¡±


    -¡°ke, tell him!¡±


    I pushed ke in front of me which resulted in him facing his brother who had also been used by Zack. They both looked at each other and shrugged. It was as if they weremunicating in their minds because ke then turned to me instead of fighting for me.


    It would be funny if twins could actually do something like that because they weren¡¯t the only twins here. But s, it¡¯d be impossible for Nick to-


    ¡°Guys, leave her alone,¡± Nick suddenly said, making my eyes widen slightly yet I smirked right after. ke nced at Nick but then looked back down at me. Unseaming to give up just yet.


    ¡°Come on D, it¡¯ll be fun. You¡¯ve been under a lot of stresstely and so has Nick. I think everyone needs a day to rx and loosen up. Think of your brother.¡± Once he said this I suddenly felt really guilty. I turned back to Nick who was typing furiously on hisptop and sighed at the sight. Maybe ke was right.


    ¡°Fine, but only for Nick,¡± I finally give in which causes the guys to cheer. I rolled my eyes at their celebration but couldn¡¯t hold in a little smile that followed it.


    I started walking up to my room to start getting ready when I hear a call from behind me saying, ¡°Make sure you wear something sexy Demonic,¡± Zack again. I put up a finger without turning back to him and after heard him receive a punch which made me chuckle,


    ¡°You deserved that!¡±


    When I got to my room, I closed the door gently before letting out a sigh. Those guys were going to be the death of me.


    Opening my closet, I looked around until trying to find something decent to wear. Partying has never been my forte but since I officially work at the bar and was one of their main moneymakers, they expected me and Xavier to make appearances at events at least once a year so I did have outfits suited for this. I wasn¡¯t a fan of dresses but I¡¯ve agreed to this already so here I was, wearing a dress.


    I ended up picking something a little edgy yetfortable and good looking before sitting down to put on some makeup. I was getting used to doing this now. It wasn¡¯t anything professional or extra although I was probably capable of doing better with a little pratice. I wanted to keep things as minimal as I could, not wanting to draw any attention to myself at all. I mainly used makeup normally to hide my scars though and thankfully it was doing a good job considering Arthur hasn¡¯t noticed them yet.


    After around half an hour, I was done. I took one final look over and nodded to myself. I looked¡­ good.


    I then got up to start heading for my door when I spotted something in the corner of my eye. On my nightstand sat myst pack of cigarettes.


    I hadn¡¯t smoked since myst face-offs and I¡¯d be lying if I wasn¡¯t craving them constantly. I wasn¡¯t addicted. That¡¯s what I had told myself. I wasn¡¯t because I¡¯ve gone six months without them but I craved them so badly, energy drinks too although I¡¯ve had them here and there when I could.


    One wouldn¡¯t hurt, right? I picked up the pack from my nightstand and took one out when I heard my room¡¯s door being opened. I quickly put the cigarette back in the pack but wasn¡¯t quick enough to put the pack away.


    ¡°You never learn do you?¡± I sighed and looked down at the pack in my hand. He caught me.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had them for six months, Nick,¡± I tried to excuse my actions but he didn¡¯t seem satisfied. He walked towards me and gently took the pack out of my hands. I hesitantly let them go.


    ¡°Is there a reason besides thatme excuse that you want one right now?¡± he then asked which made me gulp. He could see right through me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to breakdown again any time soon. I don¡¯t want to be weak and let you guys down.¡± I replied, not wanting to look at him so I closed my eyes while my head stayed down. I didn¡¯t hear anything back from him which saddened me when he suddenly pulled me into a hug.


    ¡°You could never let me down. You¡¯re strong as fuck and we all know that. You¡¯re the strongest street fighter in the worlds the Christs sake! So stand tall, okay sis?¡± He pulled away softly after and I did as he said, I stood up tall and gave him a smile which he returned.


    ¡°Here,¡± He then gave me back my pack of cigs which made me look at him with surprise. Nick scratched the back of his neck, mumbling something along the lines of, ¡®Xavier¡¯s going to kill me,¡¯ before saying, ¡°I trust you know what you¡¯re doing. Don¡¯t get addicted and don¡¯t have them inrge amounts, understood?¡±


    I gave him a two-fingered salute and replied, ¡°yes boss,¡± to which he chuckled and gave me a nudge,


    ¡°You look good by the way, I¡¯m prepared to punch as many guys as you need,¡± he assured as we walked to exit my door. ¡°Give Zack a second one for me!¡± I called back and I heard himugh back, ¡°Don¡¯t take too long or you¡¯ll miss it!¡±


    ¡ª


    It wasn¡¯t long after that when we got to the club that Zack had rmended. We stepped out of our vehicles and ke stood by my side behind the rest of the guys as we walked to the club.


    ¡°You¡­ look hot, tonight,¡± ke says, nervousness evident slightly which made my own butterflies fly around in my stomach and chest but before I could let them take control of my throat, I covered myself with confidence, ¡°So, I¡¯m not hot other nights?¡± I joked which made him bite his lip and before he could reply, Jake pushed in between us and eximed,


    ¡°He meant to say that you¡¯re hot tonight but you¡¯re sexy as fuck other nights! Right, brother?¡± His enthusiasm made me giggle but secretly wondered if ke actually saw me that way especially since he replied with, ¡°Shut the fuck up Jake,¡± which made meugh.


    Jake took that opportunity to lean down and whisper in my ear, ¡°I¡¯m right ya¡¯know,¡± I quietened down a little surprised. Really?


    This must have caught ke¡¯s attention since he tried to move Jake out of the way but instead Jake pulled me with him towards the front of our group making meugh again. ¡°You¡¯re pissing him off,¡± I stated, ncing back at ke.


    ¡°I know sweetheart, it¡¯s my job to do so,¡± Jake replied to which we both sniggered.


    We then got to the front entrance of the club and I pulled out my street fighter ID, showing the security guard. Since we were underage in America, this was the only way for us to get in. Streetfighters take priority regardless of age. The only worry I had was my secret identity now. So, even though it was dark enough for me to go on without doing anything, I pulled the guard down and threatened,


    ¡°Tell anyone about anything you¡¯ve seen here, well, I assume you know what I¡¯m capable of doing,¡± to which I could see him nod with fear evident in his eyes.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    After we got in, I couldn¡¯t help the little bit of excitement as I felt the loud music bounce off of the walls and it¡¯s vibrations travel through the ground and onto my body. The smell of alcoholic drinks hitting my nose and the crowds of people dancing and cheering the DJ on.


    -3 hourster-


    ¡°I challenge you to a drinking contest!¡± Jason shouted, pointing a finger at me which made me look back at him with amusement. We¡¯ve all had many drinks at this stage and it¡¯s right to say that we were all pretty drunk, some more than others. Jason I think was the most. From being the conserved one, he was now an animal.


    ¡°I wanted to challenge her!¡± Zack shouts over the music,ing in, holding three bottles in hand.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just do it all together!¡± I shouted back which made the two boys turn and grin at my idea and started setting up.


    ¡°You sure this is a good idea, D?¡± ke asked from next to me. He probably had the least to drink tonight and the sanest but that didn¡¯t stop me from this challenge.


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m gonna beat them all!¡±


    A count down was done and before we knew it, we were chugging down our bottles of vodka like madmen as fast as we could. With each gulp, I could feel myself losing it more and more but before I fully lost my sanity, I was finished first.


    ¡°I WIN MOTHER FUCKERS!¡± I screamed and a crowd of people who seemed toe out of nowhere started cheering me on, started throwing me up into the air and I was caught by a strong pair of arms.


    I looked up to see it was ke who had caught me. ¡°Was he always this good looking?¡± I thought as the way he had caught me made me see him differently. His facial structure, his grin, his self as a whole. They suddenly stood out to me in a way they never had before. He looked¡­ amazing. Amazing enough to make my chest squeeze.


    ¡°Yes, I was always this good looking,¡± he then answers with a chuckle which makes me burn up. I must have asked that out loud.


    I giggled back at him and buried my head in his chest, getting the most I could out of him holding me in this position. I feltfortable in his arms. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry for only noticing now. You don¡¯t have a girlfriend right? You should get one so I can ship you guys and then strangle her to death if she hurts you!¡± I said not really liking the idea of him taken at all. In fact, as the words came out of my mouth a little upset feeling grew inside of me. As if I didn¡¯t want it at all.


    ¡°You think so? Because I know a girl,¡± he said, amusement clear in his voice as he started taking me somewhere. I pouted and the sad feeling grew even more.


    ¡°No, I like it better when you¡¯re with me! You help me train and stuff!¡± I argued, trying my best to reverse the idea I gave him.


    ¡°That¡¯s all? I think I¡¯m more into the girlfriend idea. The girl I¡¯m into is strong and beautiful and can stand up for herself at all times.¡± He listed and I felt like crying.


    ¡°Who could be stronger than me? I¡¯m the strongest there is! Plus, look at me! I¡¯m drop-dead gorgeous!¡± I said loud enough for probably the whole world to hear me. I probably said it that loud to convince myself more than I was convincing him.


    When I said made him pause for a second and look me over, ¡°Trust me I know.¡± heplimented and was about to keep walking when I said something I hadn¡¯t thought over,


    ¡°Then why can¡¯t I be your girlfriend?¡±


    .

 Chapter 54 Her Sober Lips

    -ke¡¯s POV-Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Then why can¡¯t I be your girlfriend?¡±


    I stopped. It seemed as if everything froze with me.


    I looked down slowly at Dominic. Her lips captivating me instantly but I resisted.


    She¡¯s drunk. She¡¯s drunk. I had to remember she was drunk.


    ¡°You¡¯re drunk Dominic,¡± I stated, trying to divert my attention from her to the exit. I didn¡¯t know why I was panicking or why my heart was racing like it was but at that moment, all I could hear was its unsteady beat and how it wouldn¡¯t slow down.


    ¡°I know,¡± she deadpanned, ¡°but you were also drunk when you told me you loved me so I think this makes it equal,¡± I gulped, we hadn¡¯t brought that up again ever since she hade back to America so this caught me off guard. ¡°Unless that was a lie of course,¡± she finished which made me shake my head negatively.


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t a lie- and I do still lo-¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± She shouted, cutting me off as I walked down the street with herid in my arms.


    Seeing her this excitable was a shock to me. We became friends in the first ce because we were so alike in our ways of expressing our emotions and feelings, so I hadn¡¯t expected her to have this sort of side to her, that too when drunk.


    Suddenly she let out a squeal and hugged my neck which shook my insides again. She¡¯s never like this usually but I¡¯d be lying if I didn¡¯t like this, this newfound attention. In fact, it only made me crave the attention more.


    ¡°You can put me down you know,¡± she said but the way her arms werefortable around my neck and how she was yfully swinging her legs made it seem like she didn¡¯t want to be let go of so I smirked instead.


    ¡°I could, but, don¡¯t lie, you love me carrying you,¡± I felt confident in that moment so, ¡°just like you love me,¡± I carried on. Yet the look on Dominic¡¯s face told me that she wasn¡¯t amused. She was drunk, yes, but her facial expression made her look like she sobered up as the words left my mouth.


    I knew ¡®love¡¯ wasn¡¯t afortable word for her but I didn¡¯t think it would affect her that much anymore.


    ¡°Carry on this way and I¡¯m going to be in danger ke,¡± she whispered after a moment of silence. I tried ying it cool despite how nervous I was. ¡°Danger? The Men of Mayhem are gone, D. You¡¯re not in danger anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in danger of falling-¡± ¡°but I¡¯ve got you,¡±


    ¡°-In love.¡±


    By now I had made it to the door of Jake and I¡¯s apartment but the only bell that rang was the little one in my head when Dominic said those words. The more I thought about them, the more they¡¯d make me burst with happiness. I had a huge grin on my face and couldn¡¯t help myself from screaming the words, ¡°YES!¡± the loudest I could regardless of it being past 2 am and Dominic¡¯s ears being right next to my face. I didn¡¯t care about any of it.


    All I cared about was Dominic finally -even though she was in a drunken state- finally said that she was somewhat in love with me. Falling. Arg I didn¡¯t care but I was happy as hell.


    I swung my door open with my foot and walked in a different man. She made me a different man and, God, I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.


    ¡°You almost made me deaf! What the hell is wrong with you?! Shouting like that all of a sudden. At least give me a warning!¡± Dominicined but all I could say in reply was, ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± and flopped her onto my bed.


    ¡°Meanie!¡± she eximed and stuck her tongue out at me like an anime character which only made meugh before my attention was caught by her lips again. Damn, they were going to be the death of me. I thought, raising my head upwards to thank whatever the hell was there for giving me her.


    I didn¡¯t even realise that she started walking around my room and towards my desk until she asked, ¡°You have vodka in your room?¡± ¡°Actually they¡¯re Zack¡¯s, he left them here-¡± but before I could stop her, ¡°Sick, I needed a drink!¡± she says with excitement and although I knew I should have stopped her, I watched her swing the bottle back and gulp the thing down. Again, drawing my attention to her lips.


    I wasn¡¯t as drunk as she was, I knew what was right from wrong. Yet, I didn¡¯t know if my body would correspond with that. Sheid back on my bed again, letting the bottle drop out of her hands and calmly looking up at the ceiling. Probably in a daze from all the alcohol but regardless, she looked hot as fuck.


    The dress she was wearing wasn¡¯t all too revealing- it had oneted sleeve, the rest of the dress ck and ending mid-thigh which she matched withted tights. The look itself making her look all the more gorgeous and I didn¡¯t stop myself from climbing on top of her after circling to the front of the bed. What made it worse was that she didn¡¯t stop me either. Instead, she looked right back into my eyes.


    If only she let me do this while she was sober.


    My eyes went from her own down to her pink attention-seeking lips that just never seemed to leave me alone. As if calling my own closer to hers, I started leaning in. This was what I wanted. This is what my body had been craving. This was going to be it.


    ¡°Sleep.¡±


    I pulled back. Eyes wide and breath lost. I started shakily panting, more out of shock than anything else. What the hell was I doing? I couldn¡¯t do that to her. Never. I wasn¡¯t that sort of man. I assured myself that and looked down at her to see that she was closing her eyes and falling asleep. I startedughing at both of our foolishness.


    What the actual hell?


    I ended up rolling from on top of her to next to her, grabbing some wipes I had in my drawer and cleaned the makeup off of her face, revealing the scars I wish she didn¡¯t force herself to hide. I then tucked her in, making sure she wasfortable before putting some distance in between us and slowly going to bed.


    ¡ª


    I started the morning with a fall and two bruises. One from the impact of the floor and one from the impact of her foot kicking my back.


    ¡°Why the fuck are you in my fucking bed?!¡± Dominic shouted as I groaned in pain and slowly got off of the floor.


    I had thought that afterst night she would be a little nicer to be but I guess Dominic wasn¡¯t one to change. Unless..! ¡°What the fuck happenedst night?¡± she mumbled and I sighed in disappointment. Thought so. She doesn¡¯t remember a thing and now it was back to level 1. So much for falling in love with me.


    ¡°You got way too drunk so I brought you to my house since it was the closest,¡± I replied to her with a monotone voice, checking myself for any other bruises in the long mirror in my room.


    ¡°Oh, thanks I guess,¡± she said but something in her tone made me raise an eyebrow,


    ¡°You ¡®guess¡¯? Why did that sound like you were disappointed?¡± I asked a little amused but that feeling was reced when she answered me with something that made my anger re.


    ¡°Well, it means I had less time to have fun with the guys that were there,¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if she was teasing me or if she was serious, either way, I was angry and, truthfully, jealous.


    She can¡¯t just remember absolutely nothing fromst night. She was the one who said what she did about me!


    ¡°As if any guy wanted to have ¡®fun¡¯ with you, Dominic. No offence, but what you were wearing wasn¡¯t really a turn on,¡± I challenged. It was a lie of course. I caught many guys looking at her at the club yesterday, it was me keeping them away from her in the first ce, not her hot outfit. What I didn¡¯t realise in my moment of anger and want for revenge was how much a statement like that could upset her.


    Dominic turned to me, she wasn¡¯t necessarily upset but her fists made it look as if she wanted to punch the living daylight out of me. Yet, her eyes. They were different than the way they were a moment ago. Different in a way that nearly broke me and I didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°And you would know? I don¡¯t see you sleeping around with anyely.¡± She returned but all I could think was that it was because she was the only one I wanted¡­ but I couldn¡¯t say that out loud.


    ¡°I could have anyone I fucking want, all the girls at school love me. No one loves you.¡± -Not as much as I loved you.


    This made her fists start to tremble in anger now and her jaw was shut tight. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to fucking love me. Love is a waste of time. I¡¯d rather everyone hate me!¡± She almost yelled. She was insulted but there was also something else. Something I couldn¡¯t quite make out.


    ¡°No wonder you don¡¯t have a boyfriend. Scratch that- you haven¡¯t even had your first kiss. You¡¯re so sad Dominic.¡± She wasn¡¯t at all. I meant nothing I said. Her reason for not kissing anyone yet was one of the first things that attracted me to her and now¡­ I felt like an asshole.


    What the fuck was I saying? Why was I being such a childish jerk? This wasn¡¯t what I wanted at all.


    After mystment, Dominic surprisingly went from angry to calm. She scoffed in my direction and started walking towards my door. I reached out my arm to stop her but froze when she said, ¡°you think I care about one single little kiss?¡± She then shook her head and carried on which brought fear into my body now. ¡°If you think you¡¯re so much greater then prove it. We have school soon. I¡¯ll also prove myself to you. I¡¯ll show you I can have any man down at my feet.¡±


    And with that, she opened my bedroom door and left with a m. The atmosphere in my room changed now because I finally figured out what was in her eyes and what I had also been feeling. It was:


    Heartbreak.


    ¡ª


    When I got to schoolter I wasn¡¯t surprised to find a group of girls by my locker.


    What I said to Dominic, as wrong as it was of me to say, was true. I am constantly surrounded by a girl who wanted something from me so finding one to challenge Dominic wasn¡¯t hard. There was one girl in particr who had been persisting in kissing me to convince me I¡¯ll like her after I do and -knowing it wasn¡¯t possible- I was going to use her.


    Just as that thought came in Dominic walked through the door, drawing attention to herself as she always does but this time the attention was well deserved. I should have known better than challenge Dominic, the girl who is able to transform herself to whatever the fuck she wanted if it meant winning a battle, and now, she transformed herself into the worlds hottest woman.


    Dominic walked in with high waisted skinny jeans and crop top which stopped by her upper stomach, showing off the defined abs which screamed nothing but sess. On top of her crop top was a ck leather jacket, simr to the one she wore to her street fights except this one had a small ¡®D¡¯ at the back by its cor, representing her.


    But it wasn¡¯t just the simple outfit that made her look good, nor was it the makeup that she had perfected- although it deservedpliments on its own.


    No, it was the way she held herself. Her posture, her stance, her aura. Her head was held high, her shoulders wide and her spine straight. She gave off the feeling of power. She made me want to bow as if she were a Queen.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt this presence either. Everyone turned and gaped at her. She took no notice of it though and carried on walking. She did take notice of the attention I was giving her though and smirked at me but when she saw the girl next to me the smirk faltered. Yet it didn¡¯t phase her for long because she blinked and looked forward again. Walking towards her locker which wasn¡¯t that far from my own.


    I scoffed in her direction after I snapped myself out of my daze in order to get her attention which worked. When she turned to me she looked uninterested but I knew the look would change once I did this.


    I grabbed the girl next to me and leaned her against my locker. I lifted her leg that was closest to Dominic¡¯s direction and wrapped it around me before putting my lips onto the ones I was so uninterested by. Nothing about the kiss was good and it didn¡¯t make me feel anywhere near as good as how I felt with Dominicst night but I didn¡¯t have a choice.


    Through the corner of my eyes, I watched Dominic¡¯s facial expression. She looked disgusted which wasn¡¯t what I wanted.


    After seeing that my n hadn¡¯t worked, I pushed away from the girl and cast her aside, ignoring her whine and want for more. Instead, I walked towards Dominic with fake confidence on my face.


    ¡°There you go, I proved myself. Not that I had to,¡± I said, wiping my lips clean. I hated the taste I had left on them. As I wiped mine, I took a quick glimpse at hers wondering what they tasted like only to see her say darkly,


    ¡°Well, then I guess it¡¯s my turn.¡± No. Her expression instantly changed from a monotone one to one that was more lit up, as if looking like apletely different person. She turned and with elegant strides walked up to a guy. I had seen him countless times at school but never took the effort to remember his name.


    Out of all the guys who were staring at her, drooling over her, I wondered why she walked up to him. Jealousy bubbled in me thinking about the possibilities. What if she liked him?


    ¡°Jerome,¡± she calls sweetly which made him look up with wide eyes, catching my sharp re before focusing on the girl in front of him.


    ¡°Dominic! What¡¯s up? Hey, you look hot! I like the change-¡± he started but before he could finish his string ofpliments, she pushed him against the wall opposite them. Watching her do that made my hands curl.


    She then started whispering something inaudible into his ear. What I did catch though was a real smile on her face and a grin that soon spread on Jerome¡¯s. After she was done with whatever she said, she pulled away ever so slightly but the action was quickly followed by him flipped them over so he was now pushing her and called out loud,


    ¡°Man, I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for a long ass time!¡±


    Before going into her neck. He left a couple of kisses up it which made me feel a whole range of unexinably bad emotions. When he got to her jaw he pulled away from her neck and started leaning into her face, her lips being his target.


    This whole thing was stupid. She was mine, mine alone and I had to make sure she knew that.


    When I saw the guy leaning in towards her lips, my whole body started trembling in anger. I wouldn¡¯t let her go. I refused to.


    They were close to kissing when I had had enough and pulled her arm towards me and started marching out of there.


    ¡°How am I supposed to prove myself when you don¡¯t let me?¡± She asked in amusement at my actions which made me stop in my tracks, causing her to stop too.


    ¡°This is how,¡± I say and swiftly turned to face her before grabbing her chin and doing something in which I had wanted to do for the longest time.


    Kiss her sober lips.


    .

 Chapter 55 Rewind

    It had been only a few days since the new guys had joined the school and they were getting popr, fast. Apart from their poprity, another thing that was rising was their rivalry with Dominic. Dominic¡¯s reputation didn¡¯t falter however, she stood her ground and spent her days as normally as she could. Well,hernormal anyway.


    School began and just like any other day, Dominic walked towards her locker with a monotone face, clearly showing her disinterest tothe people around her.


    She opened her locker and took out the necessary books. She had maths first, a subject she found interesting but wasn¡¯t thrilled about. But it didn¡¯t matter, she thought. She just closed her locker and turned around hoping to avoid the said guys that seemed to bother her all the time just because she was stealing the attention they believed belonged solely to them.


    Yet it seemed that luck wasn¡¯t on her side and just as she had turned, she had bumped -pretty roughly- into ke who¡¯s locker was only a couple of rows down.


    ke was a guy who minded his business, he paid attention to people who paid attention to him and ignored those who ignored him. He was cool-headed but also a flirt. He looked rxed but he was strong. Dominic could rte to him, could respect him the most out of the rest. In fact, he interested her but she knew that with the way everything is going there was no use trying to interact with him. She didn¡¯t need any more trouble.


    After they had bumped into each other, they both stood and stared. To be honest, Dominic was surprised that he hadn¡¯t made a meanment yet, that he was actually silent. He was probably waiting for her to apologise, but Dominic knew better than to do what people want her to. ¡°Are you going to apologise?¡± she asked first, her voice showed no interest yet it did make ke quirk his eye-brow in amusement.


    ¡°For bumping into you?¡± he asked, a little smirk forming on his face as he did, ¡°-no.¡± He continued but instead of walking on, he stayed still, wanting to see the demon¡¯s reaction but to his surprise, she was rtively calm. As if she was expecting his answer.


    ke was interested in Dominic just as much or perhaps even more than she was him. Maybe it was the way she dressed, acted or spoke, he wasn¡¯t sure. Yet what he did know was that he wanted something out of her and he was going to get it.


    Dominic then cocked her head slightly to the side, making herself look in a way¡­ innocent, in ke¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not going to shove me away or insult me like the rest of your group?¡± she asked, her monotone voice now reced with a speck of curiosity. She was almost certain all of them were the same, going to treat her the same, but he hadn¡¯t. So now she wanted to know if there was something more to him, something that she could benefit from.


    His own thoughts were simr. Getting to know the most mysterious yet feared girl in school? Count him in.


    ¡°Bullying isn¡¯t my scene. If you hit me, I¡¯ll fuck you up. If you love me¡­¡± he trailed and stepped closer to Dominic but she didn¡¯t back away, instead she looked right into his eyes. Both of them breathing the same air. She could tell he had bad intentions and that she couldn¡¯t trust him and so stood on guard, ready to fuckhimup if he came any closer.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be the case. You see, demons don¡¯t believe in love¡± Dominic defended and ke backed off slowly, smirk even wider than it was previously.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good. You¡¯re not like the other annoying chicks in this school.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t realise before?¡± Dominic asked in reply and started walking forward, knowing that the bell was going to ring any time soon.


    ¡°Oh no I definitely did, I just had to make sure I wasn¡¯t going to disappoint myself.¡± Dominic scoffed at his statement but didn¡¯t say anything. Instead she staid cautious of his presents following behind her.


    ¡°You have maths right?¡± ¡°The fact that you know that concerns me.¡± Their conversations strangely went smoothly. It was as if they knew each other and knew how the other was going to reply. As if they were friends.


    ¡°Well, I was supposed to be paired up with you for a while since ¡®I¡¯m new and need help¡¯ but since Nick has it in for you we decided to follow his lead instead. Why does he hate you anyway?¡± ke asked with his hands in his pockets but attention was focused on her.


    ¡°Heck if I know. Its probably because you guys follow him every word so when I don¡¯t ¡®obey¡¯ him, he gets mad. It¡¯smon so I¡¯m not rtively surprised.¡±


    ¡°We do not ¡®follow his every word''¡± ke defended while taking out his timetable and the map of the school that he was given. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I believe you¡± Dominic added, not satisfied.


    ¡°Do you alle from the same ce? Howe you all moved to this school?¡± She asked, curiosity getting the best of her now. She had wondered a lot about them. She likes knowing as much as possible about the people that she¡¯s around and since these guys are probably going to be here for the rest of senior high school she knew she was going to have to get used to them.


    ¡°I was born here but moved to Ennd with my brother when we were 15, that¡¯s where we met Nick and well, we grew close to him and the rest of the guys so we just stuck together. Now we¡¯re here.¡± There were definitely things he was missing out on purpose, it seemed that he wasn¡¯t going to be as easy to get information out of as she had thought but she let it slide for now.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re going the right way? The map says that the math rooms were on the other side of the school¡± ke chuckled, ¡°you¡¯ve been here for how many years? And you still get this wrong?¡± Dominic held back a re and instead made a ¡®tch¡¯ noise with her mouth.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to follow me around your prick. You decided to do it on your own. Besides, this is the faster and less crowded way to get to ss. If you don¡¯t believe me, fuck off.¡± She responded which took ke back a bit. She definitely wasn¡¯t the stereotypical target that one may want to challenge.


    ¡°And they call us the bullies.¡± ke sighed but kept following Dominic anyway until they made it outside their ssroom surprisingly quickly which is when ke realised that Dominic was right.


    Interesting, he thought with amusement and turned wanting to say something but stopped himself when he saw Nick and the rest of his matesing up behind them. ke¡¯s loyaltiesid with Nick first and he knew that. He knew Nick would hate seeing them standing together at all. So, instead of carrying on their conversation, he barged passed Dominic, nudging her shoulder and whispered, ¡°See youter, D¡± which makes Dominic stop in confusion.


    However, when Dominic hears the calls of the gang behind her, she let herself smirk once she realized what had happened. Unable to help herself from thinking,


    ¡®So this is how it¡¯s going to be, is it? Huh, I¡¯ll ept it, ke.¡¯


    .

 Chapter 56 What Just Happened

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    Confusion was the first thing I had felt when I woke up that morning.


    The walls were unfamiliar, the bed was unfamiliar, everything was unfamiliar. This wasn¡¯t my house, I confirmed before looking down at myself, almost afraid that I had done something I regretted. However, to my relief, I still hadst night¡¯s clothes on and nothing looked or felt out of ce at all.


    With further inspection of the room I was in, I realised it was a guys room and that the guy wasying in the space next to me in bed. So, I slowly checked who it was only to have my breath stuck in my chest. It was ke. This was ke¡¯s room and I was in ke¡¯s bed.


    I calmed my racing heart before trying to look over the memories I had ofst night. I was used to drinking and didn¡¯t tend to get heavy hangovers either so this wasn¡¯t hard. If I did get side-affects, I had pills at home which could cure them quickly anyway but it didn¡¯t seem to be the case. My memory wasn¡¯t affected too badly and usually, I¡¯d thank myself for that but this time-


    This time I couldn¡¯t hold in my gasp and shot a hand to my mouth. Fuck fuck fuck.


    Not only had I asked him to be his girlfriend, but I also told him I was falling in love with him! Shit.


    ke was a good friend of mine, one of my only friends in fact. I¡¯ve been aware for a while that I had feelings for him but I hadn¡¯t thought any results woulde from them. I thought with the whole school drama aside from the whole gangs¡¯ situation would have to lead us separate ways but it hadn¡¯t. We had gotten closer if anything.


    But even then, I was afraid of love. I could me the men of Mayhem sure, but I knew deep inside that my fear was more than that. I was inexperienced and I wasn¡¯t trusting of anyone else either. I didn¡¯t know if I could get used to relying on others. If I could learn to give the love he deserved. Which is why I¡¯ve been avoiding it.


    I had to make a n. I¡¯d just pretend that I don¡¯t remember what happenedst night ad hopefully that would be enough to convince him nothing happened. I was going to stick to that theory.


    Yet also, in the back of my mind, I couldn¡¯t help but be a little happy with how things wentst night. His reaction to me telling him I was falling in love with him was all I could dream for.


    I caught the smile that was about to spread on my face and shook my head instead. This wasn¡¯t me. I¡¯m a street fighter and now a gang member too. I couldn¡¯t do this.


    I remembered what I had told ke during our first conversation, ¡®Demons don¡¯t fall in love,¡¯. It was a piece of advice that Xavier gave me after I chose my street fighter name, the Mysterious Demon. I was young then and Xavier was keen on keeping guys away from me. They were a distraction and I had to keep the focus on my fighting. It worked and, until this year, I had believed it. Yet now, I also believe that -maybe- I will one day also have a chance.


    When I heard ke starting to move I knew I had to act fast so while apologising to him in my head, I got ready to kick.


    ¡°Why the fuck are you in my fucking bed?!¡± I shouted after making ke fall onto the floor with a lot of pain which was evident with his groan. I felt bad but in some way, I thought it was worth it if my n worked. To make sure, I mumbled, ¡°what the fuck happenedst night?¡± loud enough for him to hear me.


    He then exined how I got too drunk and so he brought me home and we went to sleep. He missed out almost all the details and that confirmed to me that the n worked but¡­ was I really happy about it?


    In my inner doubt, I replied to him with, ¡°oh, thanks I guess,¡± unintentionallying out disappointed despite the fact that I wasn¡¯t at all. ke caught on this as well and asked me about it so I teased saying that I didn¡¯t get to ¡®have fun with the guys that were there¡¯ which even made my inner self scoff at me. It was all a joke of course. ¡®Other guys¡¯? I had no such interest.


    What I hadn¡¯t expected though was ke¡¯s reply to my joke, ¡°As if any guy wanted to have ¡®fun¡¯ with you, Dominic. No offence, but what you were wearing wasn¡¯t really a turn on,¡±. My breath had cut off and at that moment, I could feel my heart break into two.


    I looked down at myself, gently lifting the edges of my skirt a little in sadness. I genuinely thought I looked goodst night but to have him say that-


    I couldn¡¯t let him get to me. I couldn¡¯t let anyone get to me. I decided to turn my sadness into anger and I turned to him before throwing the best insult I could shoot at him which wasn¡¯t a very strong one but it was better than being silent. Anything right now would be better than being silent and letting him hurt me-


    ¡°I could have anyone I fucking want, all the girls at school love me. No one loves you.¡±


    The two pieces of my heart kept shattering. I could feel tears creeping up but I forced them back by clenching my jaw and muscles as much as I could until they started trembling. I guess love really wasn¡¯t worth it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to fucking love me. Love is a waste of time. I¡¯d rather everyone hate me!¡± I shouted and at this point, the words were true to me.


    After ke¡¯sstment about me never having a boyfriend or being kissed, my chest felt void. So void that I couldn¡¯t even say I was upset. My body rxedpletely and I no longer cared. I told him I didn¡¯t care about the kiss and then I challenged him. I was going to prove myself, I was going to prove I didn¡¯t need him.


    With that, I opened his bedroom door and mmed it closed. I was going to keep walking but my body was frozen behind his door. The void in my chest was now in pain. I was heartbroken but I wasn¡¯t going to wallow in sadness, I was going to make him regret it.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    So, ignoring Jake who had peaked out of his bedroom after hearing my m and asking if I was okay, I walked out with my head held high.


    ¡ª


    I entered the school building with newfound confidence. One that only ¡®M. D¡¯ would use normally. One that people had never seen ¡®Dominic¡¯ with. For the first time, I wasbining them both.


    I dressed in a way I never had, I showed myself off, I became another version of myself and I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t enjoy it a little.


    I had a n and unlike myst one, I knew it was going to seed. I knew exactly what I wanted and I was going to get it.


    When I thought about who that was about, my eyes focussed on ke and his dumbfounded face which made me smirk. I had all of his attention. Not just his though, even the girls with him turned to me, everyone had. And I loved it.


    I got to my locker when I heard a scoff in my directioning from ke. He wanted my attention and to have him have to do something like that to get it almost made meugh but I looked in his direction anyway. When I did, he grabbed the girl who was almost drooling over him and then kissed her. I felt a pang of jealousy but the feeling didn¡¯tst long. Neither did their kiss which was somewhat satisfying but just as uninteresting.


    After probably seeing my expression he broke away from her and started walking to me. ¡°There you go, I proved myself. Not that I had to.¡± I almost rolled my eyes at his tone but instead told him it was my turn now in my normal -some would describe demonic- tone before turning and walking to the direction of the person I needed. Jerome.


    After the incident with Jesica, Jerome hadpletely changed. Before the situation though, he would constantly bother me about hooking up or dating for fun. I was going to use both of these personas to my advantage. I didn¡¯t know about getting kissed today but I was going to make ke burst today.


    ¡°Jerome!¡± I called and he turned to me, surprised to see me the way I was which I expected due to how I was dressed but I carried on my act. I ignored his greeting and went straight in, pushing his body against a wall opposite us before leaning into his ear and whispering, ¡°Do me a favour, ke¡¯s my target, I need you to go all out.¡± With those words, I knew he understood.


    ¡°Lucky fool,¡± he whispered back before flipping us over and saying out loud, ¡°Man, I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for a long ass time!¡± before going down to my neck, kissing it a couple of times. My body almost instinctively wanted to push him off but I told myself to wait. This was going to work. I knew ke.


    Jerome then went higher before directing himself to my lips. I could feel his breath on my lips for a second but then was pulled away quickly. Before ke could drag me too far I turned and mouthed a ¡®thank you¡¯ to Jerome to which he nodded to.


    I then turned to ke¡¯s back with amusement, ¡°How am I supposed to prove myself to you if you don¡¯t let me?¡¯ I asked but wasn¡¯t expecting him to stop in his tracks saying,


    ¡°This is how,¡± before swiftly facing me, grabbing my chin and kissing me.


    My whole body seemed toe to life. With only a couple of seconds, he got me to melt and kiss him back. My senses had shut off but could feel everything. I could hardly begin to exin how it felt like to get kissed by him but for the first time, I was satisfied with mystery.


    His hands werefortable on my back just as mine were on his neck. We- I was happy. I couldn¡¯t dream for anything more.


    And just as the moment started, the moment ended and we pulled apart. I looked into his eyes as he looked into mine before letting out a huge breath and sliding down onto his knees while keeping a hold of my hands.


    ¡°ke!¡± I said panicked but his face just greeted me with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to do that for so long. I¡¯m sure I was about to go insane.¡± He breathed and the butterflies in my stomach came to life again. I broke into a grin,


    ¡°Well there shouldn¡¯t be anything stopping you here on should there?¡± I asked which caused him to chuckle.


    ¡°But before I do, I want to ask you,¡± he started, still knelt on the floor, ¡°Dominic, I love you, will you be my girlfriend?¡± My insides exploded once hearing his question, my grin never faltering


    ¡°I¡¯m sure my drunken self already said yes,¡± I answer which made himugh and get up before excitedly pulling me in and giving me my second kiss. Another that I will cherish for as long as I live.


    ¡°FINA-FUCKING-LY YOU GUYS! I¡¯VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOREVER!!¡±


    ¡°Jake!¡±


    .

 Chapter 57 Proposal

    -Arthur¡¯s POV-


    How many fucking pills were in here? No matter how many I took out of the drawer, morey inside, taunting me. I red at the pill containers in my hands and grit my teeth. It was all my fault.


    Suddenly someone grabbed my shoulder which made me ease my muscles and turn to face him. It was Nick. I was so consumed by these that I hadn¡¯t heard hime in. ¡°Hey, we just came back from school. Dominic headed straight to the bar but the rest of theds are here.¡± He then looked down at my hands and the drawer before looking at me with concern. ¡°You alright?¡± he asked which made me put the containers down and giving him a nod.


    He seemed to catch onto my sadness pretty quickly. He understood. He patted my back softly and promised, ¡°she¡¯ll heal.¡± Those words were enough to lift my spirits a little so I nodded to him again except this time with a small smile which he reflected.


    ¡°Come on, apparently ke has some good news for us!¡± He then eximed before dragging me towards the training room which almost made meugh. Nick had grown to be more and more like my brother now and I couldn¡¯t be happier. I had never really thought about having a younger brother but now he was here, I really enjoyed it.


    Sitting next to Nick, I looked around to see everyone in a cheerful mood which made me brighten up as well. I missed this emotion. Happiness.


    Once we were all settled, everyone looked at ke in anticipation. He sat directly in front of me, somewhat nervous but also excited. You could tell from his grin. His brother nudged him from next to him in encouragement. He looked all giddy which made me raise my eyebrow in amusement at the two. What could this news possibly be?


    ¡°Guys,¡± ke then started after taking a deep breath, ¡°I¡¯m in a rtionship with¡­ Dominic,¡± he said slowly while looking straight into my eyes. My eyes widened once the words left his mouth. I held myself from shaking my head. No, he couldn¡¯t possibly mean her. He did not mean my baby sister.


    I looked at Nick who got up shouting, ¡°Congrattions!¡± and hugging ke which confirmed my thoughts. There was no way that Nick would be epting of his best friend dating his sister, right? He must be-


    ¡°You got a boyfriend? Congrats man! I didn¡¯t know you were gay!¡± I eximed as well, wrapping an arm around his neck but once I did, the whole room fell silent for a second. I looked around confused and they all burst outughing.


    ¡°Bro, he¡¯s dating your sister!¡± Zack says in between hisughing which made my grin drop.


    ¡°No, the fuck he¡¯s not.¡±


    -ke¡¯s POV-


    It took almost an hour to convince Arthur to let me and Dominic be together after my announcement that afternoon. Eventually, he did calm down though and epted it.


    I didn¡¯t me him for the way he reacted. He was protective over the only member of his family he had left. Plus it was his younger sister, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be the same in that situation. I was actually pretty surprised at how chill Nick was about it. I was originally more afraid of what he was going to say but he was happy for us and trusted me which made me really happy.


    At the moment, I was on my way to the bar in order to find Dominic. I had hoped to spend some time with her that night but once I got there I realised that was definitely not going to happen.


    There seemed to be a line of fighters who were here to challenge the Mysterious Demon for a prize fund of¡­$10, 000?! I almost froze at the craze of this ce. I knew it was sessful as fuck but wasn¡¯t that a huge risk to take?


    That was my initial thought anyway until I looked up at the ring to see my girlfriend there beating up her opponent, holding him in a kimura which was ripping the muscles in his shoulder into shreds. The pain in the guy¡¯s face told it all, making me cringe with him. It was only after his arm went lifeless did he get the opportunity to tap out with his other hand whilst screaming out. Dominic truly was¡­ amazing.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    When I saw the next contestant going up onto the ring I came up with an idea. I may be able to spend some time with her after all.


    ¡ª


    ¡°FOLKS, I AM SAD TO SAY THAT THE COMPETITION IS COMING TO AN END AND THE TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR PRIZE STILL HASN¡¯T BEEN WON!¡± The crowd groaned and booed in protest at the announcement.


    ¡°BUT DONT FRET, WE HAVE ONE LAST COMPETITOR TO FACE OUR QUEEN! COME OUT OUR SEXY BEAST, BLAAAAKEE!¡±


    I could see Dominic¡¯s eyes widen behind her mask as I walked up to the ring with a grin on my face. We had everyone cheering us both on, girls squealing my name, telling me to defeat her. Guys shouting and screaming for her attention. It was almost like we were back to the beginning of the school year again where the school was divided between the bullies and the target except this time, she had nothing holding her back.


    They also started shouting that they loved her which made me roll my eyes. No one could love her more than I do.


    ¡°START!¡±


    We circled around a couple of times, cautiously watching each other¡¯s movements. ¡°What are you doing in the ring ke?¡± she asked and I grinned back.


    ¡°Im here to propose a fight for you. It helps you out, doesn¡¯t it? You aren¡¯t too worn out from your previous matches are you?¡± I asked confidently. She¡¯d been fighting for hours. If any normal person were in her position they¡¯d be knackered-


    ¡°No mate, I don¡¯t feel a thing. But do try to amuse me!¡± The crowd cheered once more which distracted me for a second but that split second was all she needed.


    Before I could react, she disappeared from in front of me. I tried turning as fast as I could, knowing she was going in from behind but I wasn¡¯t fast enough then either and got kicked to the rib hard enough for me to hear a crack before being followed by a thud from my contact on the floor.


    Fuck she was much stronger than I anticipated. She wasn¡¯t as caught off guard by my presence as I wanted either.


    As Iid on the floor I saw a punching my way and was able to move out of the way in time but just as I breathed out in relief, the air was knocked out of my chest even further when I received a kick to my stomach, making me cough. ¡°No mercy?¡± I asked between my slow painful breaths.


    ¡°You¡¯vee to the wrong ce to ask for mercy. Have you forgotten that I am the best?¡± she replied and I couldn¡¯t help but smirk in pride for her. Looking up at her with her arms outstretched and weing the continuous cheers of her fans made me feel nothing but utmost pride even if I were the one she was standing above.


    I got up slowly and tried throwing in a punch while she was being celebrated but her reflexes were quick and she acted as if she knew I was going to take that opportunity and blocked me instantly. Whilst my arm was stuck in hers, she returned the punch but ten times stronger.


    Shit.


    My lip and nose started bleeding and I was dizzy. It wasn¡¯t long after that that I cked out.


    ¡ª


    ¡°You don¡¯t think you went a bit too hard on the guy, D?¡± I woke up to mumbles of voices around me. This one sounded like.. Jason?


    ¡°Hey, he¡¯s the one who signed up, why am I the bad guy?¡± And that voice was definitely Dominic¡¯s.


    I groaned out in pain whilst trying to get myself up which made them turn to me. I was in some kind of extra room or something. It was probably where they took all those who were misfortunate enough to be knocked out by the fighters.


    ¡°Because you could¡¯ve gone easier on your poor boyfriend?¡± I asked and instead of replying, she first came up to me, pinching my bruised cheek while ¡®aww-ing¡¯ at me, hurting my man-pride all the more.


    ¡°Then that wouldn¡¯t make me the best now would it?¡± I stared back at her with a slight smile on my face.


    Something about her always put me in some sort of daze. Even while she picked up a monster and put it up to her mouth, everything else around her goes nk in my mind. The only thing my eyes could pick up was her.


    And like after all of my dazes, I just wanted one thing out of her and now, I didn¡¯t even have to ask. I took hold of the back of her neck gently before pulling her in and kissing her.


    She was perfect. The rise in my heartbeat proved that.


    .

 Chapter 58 Fuck You

    The sound of a heavy door mming shut and footsteps echoing into a room filled the empty set. There were no windows, no desks, one way in and one way out. The room was dimly lit with just enough light for the two males to see that they weren¡¯t alone.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± The man who just entered asked, eager to leave as if someone was chasing him.


    ¡°You know what we want,¡± the first man hissed, stepping forward threateningly. ¡°And you¡¯re going to help us get it. You¡¯re one of us remember?¡±


    The second man grits his teeth in frustration and didn¡¯t reply for a moment. Instead, he stared back at him with an intense re. ¡°It¡¯s not going to work. You¡¯re not going to be able to kill them-¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up! You do as I fucking tell you!¡± The yelling whispered on for a couple of seconds before he continued in a calmer voice. ¡°Her life¡¯s in our hands, remember?¡±


    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    ¡°Good work tonight Demon, go get some rest!¡±


    I scoffed in Xavier¡¯s direction and threw my towel at his face whileughing slightly. ¡°I was going to do that whether you told me to or not,¡± I replied which made him chuckle despite being disgusted by my sweaty towel.


    It was around 7 am when I left the bar, knackered and ready to shut my eyes for probably the whole day. Thepletion was rough as fuck and whoever was able to beat me could win $10, 000. What wasn¡¯t advertised though was that whenever I won a fight I would get $2, 000 which by itself isn¡¯t a lot of money but considering I was fighting for hours on end and multiple people in those hours -none of which were able to beat me- I ended up getting quadruple the amount of the original prize fund.


    ¡°$40, 000. Not bad at all M. D, not bad at all.¡± I mumbled to myself as I swung my bag over my shoulder, strapping up my helmet and making my way home.


    Turning the key, I opened my door and the smell of food hit my nose like a ton of bricks.


    ¡°Wee home,¡± I hear ke say as he walked to the entrance, funnily still having the ster on his face from where I punched him earlier however he also had a smile on his face whichforted me and I didn¡¯t feel guilty about it, I never do, but having him stand before me now almost changed that. Almost.


    Seeing his face now also reminded me of something else he did earlier which nearly made me blush. Kissing me all of a sudden like that,ing out of nowhere. I wasn¡¯t prepared at all but I loved it too.


    My thoughts were cut off midway by ke¡¯s face which somehow appeared centimetres in front of mine, making my whole body tingle. Fuck.


    ¡°You look cute when you smile to yourself,¡± Shit. ¡°Come on you must be tired and hungry. I made breakfast so we can eat first and cuddleter?¡± He asked, leaning back but I wasn¡¯t concentrating on that as much. I don¡¯t know what was wrong with me but he just seemed so.. perfect.


    ¡°D? You kinda zoned out there.¡± ke then said, waving his hand in front of my face. I grinned at him before giving him a kiss on the cheek before walking towards the kitchen with a positive hop in my step.


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± I started but then realised something. ¡°Wait, where¡¯s Arthur? Wasn¡¯t he staying over at my house?¡± I asked washing my hands and sitting with pancakes on my table, ready to eat.


    ¡°Yeah, but he left after I came back from the fight saying he wanted to talk to Xavier about something.¡± The hand that was about to put a slice of pancake in my mouth paused before slowlying down.


    ¡°You came back at around 3:30 right?¡± I asked calmly to which ke nodded as he sat down as well casually. Although, I could tell that after that he started studying my now tense face, curious as to why I haven¡¯t started to eat yet.


    The reason I paused was that I knew that what Arthur had told ke wasplete and utter bullshit. Either that or ke was lying to me as to where he really was. Looking at ke¡¯s face though, he wasn¡¯t lying. I would be able to tell instantly. So it was Arthur.


    Xavier was with me from 3 am onwards even though he said he wasn¡¯t going toe. If Arthur went to see Xavier I would have seen him or Xavier would have told me he was there but he wasn¡¯t and he hadn¡¯t.


    I looked back up at ke¡¯s face one more time. He seemed concerned now but I didn¡¯t want to worry him so I started eating again.


    It wasn¡¯t until after we had eaten and cleaned up that there was a knock on my door. Ever since ke had told me about Arthur, I had been hiding my foul mood despite it being quite strong and persistent. So when ke opened the door and Arthur stood on the other side, I waited and stared with suspicion radiating off of me.


    He seemed to catch on as well but instead of stopping in front of me or greeting me even, he was ready to walk past me. I didn¡¯t let that happen though. I grabbed his wrist in a tight grip which made him stop. ke could sense the tension between us and stood near me for reassurance, letting me know he was there.


    ¡°How was your talk with Xavier?¡± I asked, trying to stay as calm and monotone as I could.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I grit my teeth slightly at his response but carried on anyway.


    ¡°His scar doesn¡¯t still hurt, does it? He wasining quite a lot about it,¡± I was making shit up. Xavier didn¡¯t have a fight today. Anyone near the bar would know that.


    ¡°He said it was healing.¡±


    ¡°And when are you going to tell me that you¡¯re lying?¡± I responded, deciding to cut the bullshit now. My tone went down and he turned his face to look at me. His eyes were cold, face rigid. He was definitely hiding something from me. ¡°Where were you really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± He raised his voice, threatcing around his words but I wasn¡¯t threatened.


    ¡°We¡¯re not kids any more brother. I¡¯m 18 and you¡¯re 24, so act like an adult and speak to me.¡± I said, voice as stern as his. Arguing would be illogical, I wanted him to trust me, to speak to me but,


    ¡°Let go, Dominic,¡± He said quieter, but still loud enough for me to hear.


    ¡°Like hell.¡±


    I had to make him know that I wasn¡¯t going to back out of this. He tried getting his hand out from under my grip but he couldn¡¯t. He had to have realised by then that I was serious. We kept staring at each other¡¯s eyes for a bit. I tried reading him as much as I could but got nothing. I had to be stubborn though. I had to because he was my brother-? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°You¡¯re not really my sister so fuck off,¡± he suddenly ordered which caught me off guard. He hurt me and he knew that, he could see that.


    ¡°Let me go,¡± he pleaded, softer and more tired tone used this time. Pain. There was pain in his eyes too.


    I sighed and whether this was right or wrong I¡¯m unsure but


    I let him go.


    .

 Chapter 59 Reeeeewinddddd

    -Arthur¡¯s POV-


    ¡°Bye Arthur! See you after school!¡± I kissed her forehead and grinned down at her.


    ¡°See youter sis, stay safe alright?¡± She gave me a curt nod and ran towards her school¡¯s building. I loved my sister, so much so that I¡¯d probably die in order to keep her safe. Dominic meant so much to me, her happiness meant so much to me.


    That was on my mind whilst I was riding my motorcycle back home until I heard a gunshot. I hadn¡¯t had enough time to turn and look at where it came from when I was hit. I wasn¡¯t prepared for it at all. It was quick but I was in so much pain. I had been shot. I fell off of my bike, rolling against the floor before stopping and groaning in pain.


    I tried motivating myself. Telling myself I had to get up, telling myself I had to be strong. For myself. For my family. For Dominic. I couldn¡¯t stay there no matter what.


    I started getting up and eventually moving slowly but that wasn¡¯t enough. I didn¡¯t even get a metre away before I was faced with the feet of a male who pushed me back onto the ground. From the looks of it, he was in a police uniform but with closer inspection, you could tell it was fake.


    I wanted to run, to get away and I tried. I tried as hard as I could but this guy wouldn¡¯t let me get away, he beat me, kicked my bullet wound making me shout out in pain and watch as the blood flowed out of it. It wasn¡¯t long before my vision went blurry and eventually went ck.


    ¡ª


    As soon as my eyes opened, I struggled. I knew I shouldn¡¯t be there. My time as a street fighter had taught me better than that. I fought against whatever was holding me down but even I was too weak against the chains that seemed to get tighter as I fought against then.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in struggling, you¡¯re not getting out of this,¡± A man said, walking out of the shadows and in front of me with slow strides before putting a gun at my head.


    ¡°Go on, you might as well kill me,¡± I tempted with a smirk on my face but instead of shooting me he hummed with amusement and took the gun away from my head.


    ¡°I ¡®might as well¡¯? No, that isn¡¯t my ain¡¯t. You¡¯re going to join us Arthur Johnson, or should I call you ¡®The Monster¡¯?¡± I rolled my eyes after that, finally getting it.


    ¡°Oh, this is a street fighter rted thing? Sorry mate, a street fighter remains a street fighter, not a gang member. It¡¯s kind of an unsaidw.¡± I said casually, almost making myselfugh but the humour in my voice fell as soon as he shot the gun and the bullet flew right past my face.


    ¡°Look behind you,¡± he ordered and as I had no choice, I turned my head to see what the bullet had hit. Once my face was turned, my eyes widened and jaw clenched. He had shot a picture of my family which was pinned up next to documents with our data.


    ¡°That¡¯s what will happen if you don¡¯t agree with our terms¡­ so?¡± I didn¡¯t want yo. I really didn¡¯t. But in order to keep them alive, I had to.


    ¡°Fine. I agree.¡± I mumbled angrily.


    ¡°Great!¡± He eximed, ¡°There are also some rules you have to follow. The first rule, you can¡¯t get in contact with anyone you know anymore.¡± My head whipped around at him and I red but knew I couldn¡¯t say anything.


    I couldn¡¯t see them ever again? The faces of the people I knew shed in my head. Mum, dad, Dominic, Xavier, William¡­ William! That was it!


    I searched in my back pocket for a moment before I found what I was looking for. I knew they had taken my phone but they didn¡¯t take my keys. My keys had a device attached to the ring of it and when I clicked a button, a message was sent to William. All this I had programmed just in case something like this were to happen. The message was:


    Protect her.


    ¡°Rule number two, you give your full loyalty to us and to prove this¡­¡± he out a picture of Dominic in myp. She had a hard face on and her leg was in the air. I was cut out of it but I knew this was a picture of me training her. ¡°Kill her.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I denied straight away. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything except kill my sister.¡±


    ¡°Come on!¡± he shouted exasperatedly. ¡°She¡¯s not even your real sister!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s more to me than any real sister would be!¡± I shouted back with venoming out of my mouth. He held his face after that and gave a dark chuckle.


    ¡°Fine then, you can kill your parents,¡±


    ¡ª


    After a week of confinement and torture, trying to make me pick out of the two options I fought with them and myself over and over until I chose.


    I watched as they left the house, heads hanging low. My mother¡¯s eyes were red, puffy and sleepless. My father was lifeless.


    I didn¡¯t know how exactly they had done it but the gang was able to fake my death and present enough proof to my parents that I died and now they were headed to what¡¯s supposed to be my funeral. However, I knew, the funeral won¡¯t be mine.


    Before they got into the car, I walked towards them. The gang had people watching me so I couldn¡¯t get out of this but I thought if I were to do this, I was going to do it directly. I wasn¡¯t going to cower away.


    My mother was the first to see me and when she did, she shouted, ¡°Arthur!¡± before running up to me and hugging me as tight as she could. My father soon followed this action. Both of them had tears streaming out of their eyes as they asked me questions and saying how sad they were but I refused to hear them. It only made it hurt more.


    My eyes started to sting.


    ¡°Mum, Dad, I-¡± I trembled a bit but carried on as strong as I could. I quickly pulled them close to me and whispered in their ears, ¡°You see the people behind me?¡± they were silent for a moment but then I got nods from both of them. They held me tighter.


    ¡°Do what you must, son,¡± my father said and my mother slowly nodded too.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°But promise us this,¡± she started and I listened, ¡°look after Dominic.¡± When she said those words, tears started falling out of my eyes, I was unable to hold them in anymore.


    ¡°I will,¡± I promised sobbing as I raised the two guns to the sides of their heads. ¡°I love you,¡± I said, broken, destroyed.


    In sync, they replied, ¡°We love you too.¡±


    Bang.


    .

 Chapter 60 Trust

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    Difort.


    No matter what I did or who I was with I was ufortable.


    Arthur¡¯s words rang constantly in the back of my head and it was driving me insane. ¡®You¡¯re not really my sister so fuck off,¡¯. Sure what he said upset me but it was whatever drove him to say those words which annoyed me too.


    I thought I could trust Arthur but now I wasn¡¯t so sure. Not only did he lie to me, but he also wouldn¡¯t tell me the truth after I caught his lie. He was hiding something from me and -as much as I didn¡¯t want to believe it- I had a feeling I knew what he was keeping hidden.


    Clearly, I hadn¡¯t killed the whole gang, I thought with minor anger but took a breath and rxed.


    I looked up to see theds in the room that I was in and let a little smile hit my face. The guys were all chilling over at my house now after our meeting with the gang¡¯s division in Florida. They were getting ready to attack another gang and it was important they went through the n with Nick and if they needed supplies we would be able to send it to them and such. Itsted for around three hours before we were able to disconnect.


    Just then there was a knock at the door which got all of our attention. ¡°I¡¯ll get it,¡± I announced and got up from my seat before opening the door.


    I raised my eyebrow at the person at the entrance and greeted with, ¡°hey,¡±


    ¡°Hey to you too, now get your ass out here. We¡¯re going to my ce,¡± He instructed which made me look at him confused but he didn¡¯t seem to be very patient right now.


    ¡°Xavier, what the-¡± I eximed as he took my arm in his hold and started dragging me to his car. Once I got in I took out my phone, texting ke what had happened and then put it away before turning to Xavier. His face had also seemed to be very cold and tense which was worrying.


    After everything happened with Arthur, Arthur left my house and started staying with Xavier since he still didn¡¯t have a ce of his own. So when Xavier said we were going to his ce I was a little nervous. I don¡¯t think Xavier knew what had happened between us but at the same time, he¡¯s smart as fuck so I wouldn¡¯t put it passed him if he figured something was up between us already.


    Either way, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to go and see Arthur and I needed him to know that.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Arthur staying at your ce? I don¡¯t want it to get overcrowded or anything.¡± He scoffed at my sorry excuse, giving me a small but all-knowing nce.


    ¡°You had five guys at your house back there. I think I¡¯m doing you a favour. Unless you lot were nning on a gang bang and to that I say cool but your bro¡¯s in there too and we know incest isn¡¯t a New York thing, leave that to bama.¡± I gasped and pped the back of his head to which he startedughing. I rolled my eyes but couldn¡¯t help smiling too.


    ¡°We were NOT nning that at all. You disgust me.¡± I state making himugh more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Demon,¡± he then reassured after calming down and looking straight ahead. ¡°Arthur¡¯s not home, he left earlier,¡± I tensed at the mention of Arthur but didn¡¯t say anything until we got to Xavier¡¯s house. He hadn¡¯t said anything either.


    When we got to his training room, I took off my shirt leaving me in my gym uniform and he did the same. We faced each other and he threw a quick punch which I blocked.


    ¡°What did he do to you?¡± My eye widened and my block broke down, allowing his punch to make contact with my face, making me fall.


    I sighed and decided to answer with the truth.


    ¡°He lied,¡± I answered, looking down and expecting him to hit me again or insult me but to my surprised he said


    ¡°And?¡± knowing there was more. I looked up at him, feeling vulnerable.


    ¡°He said I wasn¡¯t his sister,¡± I said in a low voice and closed my eyes, re-feeling the pain. I hadn¡¯t wanted to admit this but it hurt me a lot when he said that. Kept me up that day despite me being exhausted when I got home. The aches my body had were inferior to it. It hurt.


    I then heard some shuffling and when I opened my eyes I felt Xavier¡¯s arm around me in a tight hug which I slowly returned with my own.


    ¡°Look, I know you have a hard time trusting people and something like that probably fucked you up. I understand. So make it easier for yourself, the only person you can trust right now is me.¡± He then pulled away slightly and looked me in the eye with determination.


    ¡°Arthur is still connected to the gang -I¡¯m sure you figured that out already. Gangs always stick with gangs over individuals or street fighters so we can¡¯t really trust Nick¡¯s gang either. I know he¡¯s your brother but he was a gang leader first. I¡¯m going to talk to William about helping us but I¡¯m not one hundred per cent on him either, he¡¯s Arthur¡¯s mate after all.¡± He sighed, knowing this was probably hard for me but I gave him a straight face. It seemed logical to me. ¡°Understand?¡± I nodded and he held my hand, helping me up but didn¡¯t let go.


    I gripped his hand tighter and nodded strongly. Together in sync, we said,


    ¡°Through this, we, the first and second strongest, promise to stay true, stay fair and stay bloody no matter who we¡¯re fighting or what we¡¯re fighting, even if it¡¯s each other.¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I¡¯m putting my trust in you,¡± I said and he nodded,


    ¡°And I won¡¯t lose that trust again for the rest of my life. I assume I can expect the same thing?¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    After that, the door started opening and we both knew who it was going to be standing there.


    From the corner of our eyes, we watched Arthure in and stand in shock and in fear. Xavier let a smirk take ce on his face when seeing that reaction but pretended like he didn¡¯t notice his presence. Instead, he walked over to his punching bags and rolled one over.


    ¡°You think 100 pounds is enough?¡± he asked but instead of answering his question, I mustered up my new strength and swung my fist towards the bag. The punch was strong, loud and I dare say scary.


    ¡°Xavier, I don¡¯t think it was heavy enough.¡±


    .

 Chapter 61 Protect

    -ke¡¯s POV-


    I smiled down at my screen as I read Dominic¡¯s text message exining that the was dragged out of the house by Xavier to go and train which was why the door was suddenly mmed closed all of a sudden. I trusted Xavier with Dominic so I saw no problem with him taking her but now the only issue was finding out what to do now that she wasn¡¯t here.


    I wasn¡¯t bored for long though as there was a knock at the door and this time theds and I go up to open it with caution. When we did, we saw that Arthur stood outside with a straight face. Nick was pretty weing and invited him in happily but there was something about him I wasn¡¯tfortable with. After Dominic and I¡¯sst encounter with him, his presence felt off to me. What he said to Dominic and how he lied was just wrong.


    Yet, I knew he was someone really special to Dominic so I couldn¡¯t just start using him of anything untrustworthy either so I didn¡¯t say anything and sat down with the rest in the living room.


    ¡°Guys, I need your help,¡± he pleaded after a sigh with a tone that was different from how he spoke to Dominic, softer, so I eased my guard slightly.


    ¡°Sure man, anything,¡± Nick said without hesitation. He looked around after to see if we agreed with him and everyone else nodded whilst I held my stern face which made him look at me with a questionable gaze but mostly ignored me.


    ¡°Dominic¡¯s being chased.¡±


    ¡ª


    Arthur had a reason. That¡¯s why he acted the way he did. He was stressed and needed our help.


    He told us that he knew a group of people were after her and that he knew people who could wipe her clean from the world which would keep her safe. The only problem was that Dominic was needed there with them but she won¡¯t go because she doesn¡¯t trust them which is why he needed us. Not only did we have to fight against any uing gangs or individuals, but also force her to go with Arthur in order to make herself undetectable.


    After exining this he gave us a ce to meet him and a time to continue further nning. I no longer had any doubts in regards to him. I trusted Arthur and now all I had to do was get in touch with Dominic. I knew she would listen to me-


    ¡°No.¡± she deadpanned as she got out of her bathroom and walked casually towards her wardrobe whilst drying her hair.


    ¡°Babe,e on, I know you find it hard to trust people but-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you who shouldn¡¯t be as trusting to him ke,¡± I froze when she said my name. Her voice seemed emotionless. There was no love. It was as if she no longer cared and I couldn¡¯t ept that. I went and grabbed a hold of her arm but when I did, she tensed.


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to protect you,¡± I stated but she didn¡¯t want to hear it at all.


    ¡°He¡¯s deceiving you,¡± she yawned andid on her bed, detaching herself from me softly.


    ¡°How could you say that? he cares about you, D! Why can¡¯t you see that?¡± I asked and watched her roll to pick up a pack of cigarettes, taking one out and lighting it in probably less than five seconds.


    ¡°It may not seem like it B but I care about myself more than anyone else could,¡± When she said that, I lost my cool and started storming towards her. I grabbed both the lit cigarette and the rest of her box and threw it out of her window using all of the strength and anger in me. I hated it. She was slowly killing herself and yet she had the nerve to say she cared about herself more than anyone else did.


    I heaved a breath and was about to turn from the window when Dominic stood next to me and softly tutted, looking out at where I had thrown her things. I had expected her to be angry or pissed at me but she looked surprisingly calm, almost happy about what I had done.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that doesn¡¯t start a fire yeah?¡± she said with amusementced in her tone beforeughing at herself slightly which made my shoulders rx and made me want tough with her. This was the girl I fell in love with.


    ¡°Ah, I crack myself up. Am I not funny? I think I am.¡± She said, conversing mostly with herself before linking her arm in mine and walking us downstairs and into the kitchen and grabbing her bag. ¡°You know what ¡®normal¡¯ thing we haven¡¯t done? Gone to get coffee,¡± She turned to me and smiled,


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s drop the past conversation and enjoy ourselves, alright B?¡± she asked and I could tell that although she wanted to make it sound as casual as she could, she was desperate to try and get us both to forget the subject so I sighed and decided to enjoy my time with her.


    Stressing either one of us wasn¡¯t a good thing and arguing wasn¡¯t healthy for our rtionship so instead, I smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    ¡ª


    Having coffee with Dominic made me realise something I should have found out about her before and that was that she had a part of her that was just like any other girl. Aside from her strong set and constant cautious state, she was cheery, crazy and fun. She likes coffee dates, hugs and kisses, choctes and flowers. She¡¯s probably not used to showing it because ever since she was small she¡¯s been taught to be strong and cold but with me, she¡¯s starting to show this other side to her and for that I am thankful.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    On our way back we walked passed the bar that Dominic fights in and she asked me if we could stop so she could check the sign-ups for tonight and that was when I was reminded that I wasn¡¯t dating just any regr girl. The Mysterious Demon was exactly as her name suggests: a demon.


    While she was inside I saw two guys waiting outside and I couldn¡¯t help but catch them talking about attacking M. D for some money from another guy which reminded me of what Arthur had told us earlier. My mood had changed and I walked up behind them and using the back of my gun, I knocked them both out, ring at their unconscious bodies.


    For a moment Dominic had blinded me with an ideal dream but now I was awake and knew that no matter what,


    I had to force Dominic to do what we need her to do- to protect her.


    .

 Chapter 62 A New Fight

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    ¡°He¡¯s done what?¡± Xavier asked nerve struck.


    ¡°He¡¯s convinced them all that he¡¯s doing this for my benefit. They¡¯re trying to get me to go to some people to get ¡®wiped clean¡¯ or some bullshit like that.¡± I responded dryly. Unlike, Xavier I wasn¡¯t really angry, I was just tired of it now.


    ¡°I know I said that we shouldn¡¯t trust them but I didn¡¯t know that they couldn¡¯t be trusted! Fuck this!¡± He eximed, iling his arms in the air before holding the bridge of his nose to calm down. ¡°Fine. It doesn¡¯t matter. We were alone for four years, we can carry on working alone. Remember, act normal, don¡¯t let them get anything from you. I just-¡± He clenched his fists, ¡°I just can¡¯t believe they fell for his lie!¡±


    ¡°They fell for it?¡±


    I turned my head to William who came through the door and gave him a small smile in reply to his own. He greeted Xavier too before carrying on, ¡°No but seriously? That lie was so obvious and fake, even for me.¡± He turns to me again, ¡°your brother¡¯s a dumbass,¡±


    I rolled my eyes and turned to my collection of contact lenses on my desk. ¡°You tell him that and I wish you luck on dodging the bullet that chases you after that.¡± I hear a scoff in reply but nothing was said for a short period of time. Not until I felt handsnd on my shoulders. To my right, I could see Xavier in deep thought whilst leaning against a wall so the hands must have been William¡¯s.


    William¡¯s face then started getting closer to my own as he leaned down from behind me which made me stay on guard, ready to react if he tried anything but, ¡°You okay?¡± he asked which made me look up at him questionably. He continued when seeing my reaction, ¡°about the whole situation, I mean. Arthur refuses to tell me anything important except that what he will do will probably ¡®destroy everything¡¯ which is worrisome. I also feel a bit betrayed because, since we¡¯re best friends, I expected him to tell me if things were bothering him. You guys are siblings so I can¡¯t begin to image what you may be feeling.¡±


    ¡°Fuck being siblings. He said she¡¯s not his sister and so she won¡¯t be.¡± Xavier finally spoke up in anger. William must have heard this for the first time because his eyes widened and he turned to me as if to confirm but I couldn¡¯t reply. Instead, I scrunched my eyes closed and looked down until Xavier carried on talking. ¡°Has he told you anything else apart from that?¡±


    ¡°Not really. He did tell me about this time with the gang though. Apparently, it was hell. Almost like being stuck in prison but without the cells. The gang was filled with disgusting people and an endless amount of them, more that one base could hold. So I assumed he was hinting there were more of them, aside from the one¡¯s Demonic here killed off.¡± William informed. Xavier and I took in this new information.


    ¡°Could that mean that the guy that I killed wasn¡¯t the true leader of the gang?¡± I asked and Xavier looked at me intently,


    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility.¡±


    Suddenly, there was a specificbination of knocks on the door so I put my hood up before we all looked in its direction. The door opened to reveal the owner of the bar, the only non-involved man that knew everything about every fighter, myself included, which was why he was able toe into the room as he has.


    There was a gleam in his eyes. He looked excited. ¡°M. D! Do I have a fight for you!¡± I raised my eyebrow with newfound amusement. Rarely did the owner look this excited for a fight.


    ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± I asked and he grinned back,


    ¡°Monster.¡±


    ¡ª


    Monster. A street fighter¡¯s name in which I thought I¡¯d never hear again. This name and the disappearance of the fighter of which the name belonged to was why I started drinking energy drinks. Monster Energy was my way of recing him. Recing Arthur.


    It saddened me though because although I missed the name, missed him, we weren¡¯t in a good position with each other at all and it¡¯s disappointing. It¡¯s disappointing because I¡¯d much rather fight him and be able to enjoy it to the fullest without having to hold onto all these difficult emotions. Why did he have to choose now out of all times toe back here?


    ¡°COME OUT OUR LONG LOST FIGHTER, MONSTERRRRR!!!!!¡±


    I watched as he entered the ring and wanted me steadily despite the match not starting yet. He continued walking towards me, looking me in the eye as I took my leather jacket and handing it to Xavier who stood behind me. ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal,¡± He proposed,


    Well, we may not be on the best terms but I guess I could enjoy this a little.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That depends on the terms. If it includes money then f**k yeah!¡± I eximed and I could see him trying to surpass a smile, making me internally happy to see.


    ¡°If I win this fight, you¡¯reing with me,¡± He stated quietly but after hearing his condition I burst outughing. From behind me, I could hear Xavier chuckle along too. I smirked and cockily announced,


    ¡°You? Beat me? I think you¡¯re just in this ring to make meugh!¡± When hearing this the audience goes crazy, cheers louder,ughter, all here, cheering me up infinitely.


    I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in so my head was by his, ¡°But I agree to your little bet,¡± I whispered in his ear before pushing his shoulder away from me roughly.


    Arthur underestimated me. I knew that during his time as a street fighter he was one of the top twenty fighters but that wasn¡¯t enough to beat me anymore. I knew his fighting style. I knew his weaknesses. Back then he couldn¡¯te close to beating Xavier and although I didn¡¯t know how much he progressed in these four years, I knew he definitely wasn¡¯t stronger than me. Besides, his number one weakness was me.


    ¡°START!¡±


    He swung his fist towards me. Imended him for having the courage to go all in straight away. I could have blocked his punch but instead, I decided I wanted to test his strength so I let the fist hit. It was a solid punch, no doubt there, but as I rubbed my jaw I noted that it wasn¡¯t a punch that would do any considerable damage to me. So, I stepped back with a grin, blocking his next punch with one arm whilst going in with a real punch of my own. It hit him hard, his head flew to the side due to the impact.


    I then jumped into the air and gave him a flying kick which made him fall and groan out in pain. He charged at me after getting up and tried hitting me again but I knew he couldn¡¯t. I easily blocked his punch, pushed both of his arms away and in one swift movement I crossed my hands, grabbed the inner back of his cor and pulled to the side, suffocating him and knocking him out.


    I guess you could say this was revenge. For leaving me, hurting me, ignoring me, insulting me and threatening me. All of it. There was no better way to release all of my anger than in my ring. And that I did. With pride.


    ¡°AND THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS OUR QUEEN, THE MYSTERIOUS DEMONNNNN!!!!¡±


    ¡°Sorry man, I guess I win this bet.¡±


    .

 Chapter 63 Sweetheart

    -Jake¡¯s POV-


    ¡°She won¡¯t listen to a word I say. She just doesn¡¯t trust him, Nick.¡±


    Currently, ke, Nick and I were sitting in one of Nick¡¯s rooms while ke was exining how things were going with Dominic to Nick. So far he¡¯s had no luck in trying to get her to agree to what we had nned. Originally I thought she was just being stubborn but the more ke told us about the way she had been acting, the more I began to specte.


    I¡¯m not the smartest in the group -in fact, I may be the dumbest after Zack- but I knew women. They were logical, forward-thinking and cautious. They¡¯ll get yed but will learn after they¡¯re yed. Guys, on the other hand, will just get yed over and over and never learn. Therefore, Dominic must know something we dont. Plus, with everything she¡¯s said to ke, there¡¯s been something off about it.


    ¡®It¡¯s you who shouldn¡¯t be trusting him¡¯, ¡®he¡¯s deceiving you¡¯ ¨C they weren¡¯t thing someone with just a personal vendetta would say, not about someone like their brother. This couldn¡¯t be right. There had to be something more. That something I could only ask Dominic about.


    ¡°How about I give Dominic a go?¡± I asked, cutting the guys off in the middle of their conversation causing the two to face me.


    ¡°Do you think you could get her to agree?¡± Nick asked with an amused confusion on his face which made me grin.


    ¡°I can try can¡¯t I?¡± I replied, putting my hands behind my head. I turned to my brother after that and my grin faltered seeing his unhappy face. I wanted to roll my eyes at it but I kept myself from doing so. I knew my brother. He thinks I¡¯m going to try something stupid like taking Dominic away from him. He gets jealous quickly, especially when I¡¯m involved, and no matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t convince him that I don¡¯t see Dominic like that. I actually wanted nothing more than for them to be together. I mean COME ON THEY BELONG.


    Besides, Dominic scares me.


    Yet, at the same time, the sibling side of me also found making ke angry quite funny so I didn¡¯t mind all too much.


    ¡°Jake, can I talk to you a minute?¡± ke said in a low tone before exiting the room. I looked at Nick and shrugged to which he shook his head, telling me I was allowed to go to Dominic if ke let me. I took that as all I needed and followed ke out of the room we were in and into another one.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± he asked, clearly pissed as he looked me straight in the eye. Now if I was a nice person, I would have said something along the lines of, ¡®oh nothing brother, I just want to get this situation over and done with to help Dominic,¡¯ but I¡¯m not so nice so instead, I replied,


    ¡°Definitely not trying to steal your girl away from you,¡± with some sarcasm and a chuckle at the end but then what I hadn¡¯t expected was for him to shove me against the wall as harshly as he could with his arm against my neck. Damn, I sure made him mad.


    ¡°You dare do anything with Dominic I swear-!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to let a girle in between us?¡± I asked back which made him pause but he didn¡¯t release.


    ¡°Not just any girl, my girl,¡±


    I snapped ¡°Fuck that ke, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d think that low of me,¡± I replied to him, finally losing patience. I pushed him away and walked out.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Knock Knock!¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°No that¡¯s not how it goes sweetheart, you¡¯re supposed to say ¡®who¡¯s there?¡¯ I¡¯ll try again. Knock knock!¡±


    The door was opened to reveal Dominic standing there with a slight smile on her face. ¡°Come in.¡± I grinned back at her and walked in with pleasure.


    ¡°You really aren¡¯t into jokes,¡± I said as I flopped onto the sofa.


    ¡°Your life is a joke,¡± I heard her reply as she walked into the kitchen making me gasp, faking offence, as I got up and followed her.


    ¡°That was rude!¡± I eximed jokingly and she chuckled back


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t find it rude if it wasn¡¯t true.¡± She got me. ¡°Anyway, tea or coffee?¡± she asked which made me light up.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had a good tea in ages so that¡¯ll be my pick please,¡± I sat on a chair at her dining table as I waited for her. I liked this. Casual talk. Recently, everything had been so tense so it was nice to pretend like everything was normal for once.


    ¡°What make¡¯s you think my tea is good? Also, ¡®please¡¯? I didn¡¯t know you had manners,¡± I red at her yfully as she put the tea leaves inside the pot. ¡°Well, to be honest, I didn¡¯t expect you to be a tea person in general,¡± She carried on, making her way to the table.


    I shrugged, ¡°it seems maybe living in Ennd rubbed off on me. Plus I don¡¯t like water all that much, tea vours it! How could someone not like tea?¡±


    ¡°We have that opinion inmon then.¡±


    After that, she poured in our tea and as we waited for it to cool slightly, I sighed and was about to talk to her about the whole situation but she seemed to predict this and stopped me, ¡°if you¡¯re going to start talking to me about agreeing to what Arthur said, forget it.¡±


    ¡°Can I at least ask why?¡± I asked and this time it was her turn to sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost 100% sure that Arthur is still working for that gang and that shit worth of a gang must have some kind of aim so I am not going to do what they want!¡± My eyes widened. I knew it. I knew there was something.


    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± I asked before getting ahead of myself. She looked down at her cup before replying,


    ¡°He¡¯s not the brother I once knew,¡±


    I picked up my ss of tea and thought a bit as I drank it. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell my brother that?¡± I asked still confused but slowly making sense of it all while also realising that the tea was in fact good.


    ¡°ke was there every time Arthur acted dodgily. He was there when Arthur lied to me, when he said I wasn¡¯t his sister, he was there! I expected him to believe me when I said that he couldn¡¯t be trusted but¡­ he wouldn¡¯t listen to me. He¡¯s stuck to the idea of protecting me so I gave up on trying to convince him. The only thing I care about now is protecting him and the rest of you.¡±


    That was enough for me. I came up to my conclusion and put a hand on her shoulder which made her look at me as I said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry sweetheart, I believe you and I¡¯m going to help you. You can trust me, I promise! So, tell me what you¡¯ve got,¡±


    ¡ª


    I entered Nick¡¯s house whistling optimistically but my whistling came to an abrupt stop when I saw everyone there, looking at me. Arthur included.


    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Nick asked, breaking the awkward silence. I nced at ke to see him fiddling with a gun which caused me to hesitate but after a second I grinned and replied,


    ¡°I mean, I think it was obvious how it was gonna go, I wasn¡¯t any better than ke. We just drank tea and¡­ talked¡± I said thatst bit slowly, knowing it would trigger ke, which it did -evident in the way his hand clenched around his gun- but he then looked at me and rxed. He looked at me guiltily which made me smile back reassuringly.


    The rest of the guys paid no attention to us except Arthur who stared at me as if he wanted to ask something but kept himself from doing so which was interesting but I decided to wait.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Jake,¡± someone called. I stopped myself mid-kick and turned to the door where Arthur stood.


    Remembering what Dominic and I had talked about, I grinned at him and acted casual, ¡°What¡¯s up man?¡± I asked which made him noticeably rx, confirming my suspicion about him. He was probably also worried that I had found out about his intentions.


    ¡°I was wondering if Dominic was¡­ okay when you went to see her,¡±


    This was probably why I¡¯d doubt anything Dominic had told me. When asking about Dominic and her health, Arthur always looked genuine, concerned, like any brother would be. If he was worried about her health then why would he be nning something horrible to uster¡­ unless-!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not doing well,¡± I lied, making Arthur¡¯s face fall into worry.


    ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean exactly as it sounds. She smokes a pack of 20 a day, overworks herself and drinks all night. She¡¯s making herself worse and slowly killing herself,¡± Those were probably the biggest lies to ever be said. Dominic was doing nothing but getting better. She even quit smoking from what ke told me and from what I had seen which is a huge step for her. Something we were all proud of her for.


    At this point though, Arthur looked distraught. ¡°Why?¡± he asked softly, at a near whisper. I¡¯d feel bad for being a jerk if it wasn¡¯t for what I had found out today.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Arthur, why don¡¯t you tell me?¡± I asked seriously but then lightened up a bit so I didn¡¯t give myself away. ¡°I¡¯m kidding. What would you know about it anyway? You¡¯re trying to protect her and us. I guess girls will always be a mystery huh?¡± I said, patting his back but he didn¡¯t reply. That was enough for me.


    After that, I left the room to see ke standing by the door of the room opposite us. He looked at me but didn¡¯t seem to want to say anything so I shrugged. Time to get drinking with Zack!¡±


    -ke¡¯s POV-


    ¡°She smokes a pack of 20 a day, overworks herself and drinks all night. She¡¯s making herself worse and slowly killing herself¡±


    That couldn¡¯t be right, could it? I was there as much as I possibly could. Of course, it was less now than what it used to but that couldn¡¯t mean she would start doing things like that behind my back. After what we talked about? After her agreeing to quit? Was I really not supporting her enough? Not there for her enough?


    After Jake exited the room looking like his causal self, I had a feeling what he said wasn¡¯t urate, he would have been more serious if he was but if that was true then why would he say something like that to Arthur? Either way, I decided to trust him. As long as it wasn¡¯t true and Dominic was safe. That was all I cared about and so I needed Arthur¡¯s n to seed.


    -Arthur¡¯s POV-Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.


    I was killing her. I was the reason she was killing herself. I had broken her more than she was already broken. ¡®She¡¯s not my sister¡¯? Was I insane? I want nothing more but for us to be the way we used to be. This was a lot worse than what that fucking gang was nning and I fucking hated it!


    I wiped my damp eyes and told myself to focus. Everything could get a lot worse for her if I didn¡¯t do what they wanted me to.


    Just then Jake¡¯s words ran through my head, ¡®What would you know about it anyway? You¡¯re trying to protect her and us¡¯. Could he know something? No, it would be impossible.


    ¡°Hey man, you alright?¡± I looked back to see ke at the door. He seemed to be the person who wanted my n to go through the most.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I was just thinking, it¡¯s time to start the n.¡±


    .

 Chapter 64 Start

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    Knock Knock.


    He was here.


    I got up from my seat, nodding towards Xavier and William before making my way towards the front door. Before opening it, I checked who was on the other side with caution. Seeing that it was, in fact, the person I was expecting, I let him in.


    ¡°Hey Dominic,¡± Jake greeted before hugging me tightly. That was enough for me to know that their n was going forward. There wasn¡¯t a ¡®sweetheart¡¯ and his face was pale, almost grave.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    After he stepped into the house, I closed my door -making sure to lock it securely.


    Walking back to the dining room, I searched the walls around my home onest time for signs of trouble and apart from the open window which I closed shortly after, everything seemed normal.


    ¡°So,¡± Xavier started as I pulled my chair back and sat down. ¡°We¡¯ve talked about bits and pieces of our n and now we¡¯ve finally finished it. Before I get started though, Jake, are they out there?¡± Jake nodded slowly, almost looking ashamed. The rest of us all tensed unconsciously. We had asked Jake to try and hint things to the rest of the gang, somehow convince them against Arthur before this time. We knew it was a long shot but we hoped. I guess it was too long of a shot.


    ¡°Do they know who¡¯s in here?¡±


    ¡°They know approximately how many are in here but not who. They could probably assume that you¡¯re in here too but unless they get a clear image through a window or something, William should be in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± After confirming that, Xavier took out a box or ying cards and dealt them out to us. This was how we had been nning things for a while, took some getting used to but it keeps our information hidden well and was efficient so it was worth the time we put into it. I took a look at my hand to see a few numbers and a Queen.


    Before the n could start being exined, I took out a box from my pocket and put one of the sticks in my mouth with one swift movement. When I nced up at everyone I froze a little and stared back at their amused looks. ¡°What? They¡¯re my recement!¡± I eximed, mentioning towards the pack of candy sticks that I had grown quite fond of. This lightened up the mood a little as theyughed back at me, rxing as they did before we began.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to the left of the dealer. Jake, you¡¯ll start. We know that their n will begin as soon as you leave the house to pick up their call right?¡± Xavier asked


    Jake nodded as he took out a card and put it in the ying field. The five of clubs. This one card symbolised a lot of things. The clubs were the Skulls and Bones. Theyout of the card meant that we were surrounded in all corners, probably in trees or ces we can¡¯t see. Lastly, number five. I looked up at the clock to see there was an hour until five. Alright.


    ¡°They¡¯re not here to kill Dominic, but they¡¯re prepared to defeat anyone in their way. They¡¯re heavily armed.¡± Jake exined and then everyone looked at me.


    ¡°You¡¯re next, demon.¡±


    Crack. The candy stick broke in my mouth as I put down the next card. Three of hearts. The hearts symbolised us. ¡°While Jake is outside, Xavier, William and I will split up. They probably expect us to stay around this table so splitting up will be our smartest move. We¡¯ll hide in ces that are hard to see but easy to get out of. Surprise attacks always hurt.¡± I said nonchntly.


    After that William put down the King of clubs.


    ¡°Is that Nick?¡± Jake asked but William shook his head negatively.


    ¡°It may look like it but at this point, even Nicks is being controlled. This is Arthur. As his ¡®best friend¡¯ I should be the one to take care of him. He told me to look after Dominic and if he¡¯s going to be a threat to her life then I¡¯m going to step against him. Knowing Arthur, he¡¯ll want to be the one to get Dominic so when he¡¯s alone, I¡¯ll weaken him.¡± Xavier and I nodded at this.


    Jake wasn¡¯t as satisfied though, ¡°Why not stop himpletely?¡± William chuckled at that.


    ¡°I wish I was as strong as you all but I¡¯m just a mechanic, blood makes me feel sick, there¡¯s not much I can do,¡± I chuckled to myself when he answered with that. It was true though. He¡¯d never go to Arthur nor I¡¯s fights because he could never handle blood.


    ¡°You really are innocent,¡± Jake asked astonished which made me burst outughing, ¡°He gives off a different persona, doesn¡¯t he? Like some mysterious bad boy spy,¡± I said back and funnily enough, everyone joined me in myughter. Jake startedughing so much that he pped his thigh eximing,


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it!¡± Easing us all a bit more. It made me happy that even in this tense situation we were able tough.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m next,¡± Xavier then said when ourughter died down. Four of clubs. ¡°Leave everyone else to me.¡±


    This action seemed to catch Jake off guard. He wasn¡¯t fully aware of the next bits of the n so I wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! They have weapons you know. You can¡¯t possibly beat them all on your own!¡± Jake raising his voice made us all look at him with seriousness settled in our faces which made him shut up and calm back down.


    ¡°I understand your point, Jake,¡± Xavier started, ¡°However, we need our Demon to escape no matter what. That¡¯s why¡­¡± He trailing, waiting for Jake to realise.


    Jake looked down at his hand and finally got it, ¡°That¡¯s why I have the Joker.¡± Jake finished while putting the card down.


    ¡°Exactly. You pay the part they need you to y in their n but when it¡¯s time, you take Dominic and run. Not only will this protect her, but will also protect you.¡± I put down a two of hearts to correspond with this.


    The six if spades was then put down by William. ¡°The Men of Mayhem or at least the people working with them should thene out if our spections are correct. It would be the perfect opportunity considering the people that they¡¯re really after are weakened.¡±


    ¡°The Skulls and Bones,¡± Jake confirmed and we all nodded. This must have been hard for him because it was he who made this main realisation and in the end, he couldn¡¯t do anything to warn his own gang, family, about it.


    I put another candy stick in my mouth. The third one already.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take that time to find their leader,¡± said Xavier and put down a King of spades, ¡°and take him out.¡±


    That left us all with one card each in our hands. ¡°Then what about these?¡± Jake asked, referring to them as we expected him to.


    ¡°These are our back up ns.¡± Xavier then turned, ¡°William,¡± Jake and I also turned to him and watched him show us his final card. Jack of Hearts.


    ¡°I will do what I can to protect you guys and make us another n if necessary¡±


    Then Xavier showed us hisst card. King of Hearts.


    ¡°I will do whatever it takes to make sure Dominic isn¡¯t found and that everyone leaves alive.¡±


    Jake then turned his final card. Ace of Hearts.


    ¡°My job will be to help our gang escape and exin to them what¡¯s really going on.¡±


    We nodded in agreement before everyone looked at me. ¡°And finally,¡± Xavier announced which made me smirk demonically. I turned my card and held it in between two of my fingers. ¡°Our Queen!¡±


    ¡°And I will be the one toe and save all of your asses if youe to fail.¡±


    That was the n, all said and done. Now, all we had to do was wait for-


    Ring ring


    -it to begin.


    .

 Chapter 65 Begin

    -ke¡¯s POV-


    I watched from afar with my hands clenching my gun as my brother walked towards Dominic¡¯s house, ready to start our n.


    I was bothered. Really bothered. It was bad enough that Dominic and I have been on off terms because of this whole situation but it was worse that she and Jake had gotten closer as we drifted. She seemed to be morefortable with him than she used to be and it really bothered me. Why?


    I knew it was bad to think of my brother as someone who would hurt me. I knew that the trust he had from me was well deserved and he wouldn¡¯t do anything to tarnish that but¡­ why?


    Why were they meeting more frequently while we¡¯re in a situation so chaotic? Why was Jake acting distant towards us now? Why was he acting different and on guard whilst also acting as if he deeply cared? Acting as if it was our safety on the line?


    Why did it have to be him who was chosen to be this piece in our n?


    -shback-


    ¡°We need someone to be inside with her while we¡¯re preparing outside. We can¡¯t have her getting awayst minute.¡± Nick looked around the room at each one of us, passing me beforending on my brother. ¡°Jake, will you do it?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± He replied quickly. He noticed my gaze and tensed but didn¡¯t turn to face me.


    ¡°Why not me?¡± I asked interrupting them from exining Jake¡¯s role. Both Arthur and Jake looked to Nick for an answer as well, making Nick sigh and stare back at me.


    ¡°I need both my gunmen outside. Plus, Jake is a hand to hand, so he¡¯ll be able to stall her if pushes to shove. We¡¯re not going in to kill her remember, we¡¯re doing this for her protection. That and the fact that you and sis have argued over this matter way too many times, she probably won¡¯t feel at ease knowing you guys aren¡¯t on the same page.¡± He then put a hand on Jake¡¯s shoulder, smiling at him before looking back at me again ¡°Jake is good with people and he and Dominic are close friends so he¡¯s our best shot¡±


    ¡°But Nick-¡± I tried interjecting,


    ¡°NO.¡±


    I stood shook for a second. Nick¡¯s eyes had turned dark. It scared me how much he was able to change his demeanour in such a short amount of time.


    ¡°Jake will do this job, is that clear?¡±


    -End of shback-


    Goddamn it. I was starting to hate this. I couldn¡¯t believe we were putting up arms against the girl I loved and our leader¡¯s sister. It¡¯s not like Dominic wasn¡¯t logical. I¡¯m sure if we just listened to each other more, talked to each other more, this could have been avoided. This was crazy and now starting to get stupid. But it was toote for change. I¡¯d just have to ept that.


    The door opened and Jake greeted Dominic with a hug which she had returned. It wasn¡¯t a long hug but it was long enough for me to wish I was the one receiving it.


    ¡°There¡¯s four of them inside. We know there¡¯s Jake Dominic and probably Xavier, but who could the other person be?¡± I heard from my earpiece, we all had one- ¡°Also I don¡¯t hear anything from Jake¡¯s line¡± Jason continues which made me facepalm.


    Zack seemed to realize the same thing I did too since I heard hisugh from over the line, ¡°He probably forgot. We all know he never remembers to put this thing on,¡± I sighed and shook my head before checking and loading my guns.


    Regardless of anything now, everything will stat at five and all I could do was pray no one would get hurt.


    -Arthur¡¯s POV-


    I stood at my spot, a few metres away from Dominic¡¯s dining room window. All of her windows were shut and blinds were down so there was no way of looking inside. It was have been weird and I would have been worried they¡¯d know of our n but I shook that thought out of my head. No, Dominic was always cautious. Xavier and I brought her up to be that way so this behaviour was normal.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Even while she was in prison and I had disguised myself as one of the jail guards to look over her, despite being so kind to her, she wouldn¡¯t let her guard down.


    Thinking back to that time made me remember something I still me myself for. When she had the boiling water thrown on her, I wasn¡¯t close enough to stop it. She got hurt and she still has the scars even though she tries so hard to hide them. I knew and I swore I¡¯d never let something like that happen to her again.


    Not long past and I saw her shadowing into the dining room where the other three were. They talked for a bit, about what I didn¡¯t know, before one of them took out a deck of cards and dealt them out. Nothing looked out of the ordinary except I had never really seen her y cards before. I shrugged this off though, she probably yed with Xavier at the bar.


    ¡°They¡¯re ying some sort of card game, they don¡¯t suspect us,¡± I said into ourmunication devices.


    ¡°Any clue on what they could be talking about?¡± I heard Nick as. Hearing his voice suddenly saddened me. During all of this scheming, I had got to spend a lot of time with Nick. We grew closer to each other and I couldn¡¯t help but see him as a younger brother. One that I would have stood to protect if it wasn¡¯t for my situation. Leading him like this now made me feel nothing but guilt.


    ¡°No, the house is soundproof,¡± I answer like it was nothing but it didn¡¯t seem like nothing to those who heard it.


    ¡°It is?!¡± Zack asked astonished which made me chuckle.


    ¡°Yeah, Xavier installed it a couple of years ago,¡±


    ¡°Gives me the shivers, what do you think they were doing in there to need soundproof systems? Are they killing people? HIDING THEIR SCREAMS?!¡± There were a bunch of chuckles that followed his questions, I smiled before replying,


    ¡°Their training is loud and was scaring a lot of neighbours, most of them are old. Dominic got annoyed by theints so she asked for them to be installed.¡± Realising that I knew more than I thought I did,


    ¡°It worries me how much information you have about her,¡± ke¡¯s low toned voice came in which allowed me to refocus.


    ¡°Yeah, well, I did spend years of my life tasked with watching her-¡±


    I then stopped, shock and sadness shot up my body like an electric current.


    She had taken out a box from her trouser pocket and put a cigarette in her mouth. It was true, what Jake had said, she really wasn¡¯t getting better. What was worse was that no one around her looked they were saying anything against it, in fact, they looked like they wereughing. What the hell?


    Her head didn¡¯t turn my way but as she yed the game, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. ¡°She¡¯ll die before she heals,¡± I mumbled, distraught


    ¡°Did you say something Arthur?¡± Nick¡¯s voice came in but I answered a soft, ¡®no,¡¯ and kept watching. After her second cigarette, my eyes started to tear up. What was the point? She was already a wreck. Protect her? I had been making things worse.


    I looked at my hands which were giving up their grip on the guns held in them but before I could fully give in, I got a call.


    Picking up the phone, already knowing who it was, I temporarily switched off themunication device and answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Are they in ce?¡± It was the boss.


    The people that Dominic had killed were only part of the gang. This guy was the actual leader and the gang was muchrger than thought by the Skulls and Bones. If only I could tell them that.


    ¡°Yes sir, they¡¯re all around the house and will be going in at five.¡±


    ¡°Good, make sure they stay there, we¡¯ll finish them off in her own home,¡± he said with amusement before hanging up. I kept the phone by ear for a second, still looking forward before letting my hand drop entirely.


    As Dominic took out the third cigarette, I had realised the full extent of the damage that I had caused and was going to cause. I regretted it. I regretted everything I had ever done. I regretted what I had be. I regretted what I made her be.


    Today the Skulls and Bones gang was going to die and It would be my fault.


    I looked down at my phone.


    Five O¡¯clock.


    .

 Chapter 66 Plan Initiation

    -Arthur¡¯s POV-


    I watched intently as Jake stepped out of the house, scanning the area before picking up his phone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start, everyone, go!¡± Nick instructed and with that ke shot at each hinge of Dominic¡¯s door which had closed as Jake exited. The shots had caused the door to fall and as it did, Nick, Zack and I ran in whilst Jason and ke had staid out to guard just in case they get out.


    If I didn¡¯t have my other motive then leaving Zack out there to guard as well would have been a smarter choice. Nick had caught onto this as well but I convinced him otherwise. Even though I wanted us to seed, I needed the other gang to seed more and so I needed the least defence on the outside as possible.


    With that going through my head, we made it into the dining room where we were all supposed to be faced by the three others but instead were greeted by an empty room.


    ¡°Wait, this isn¡¯t right,¡± Zack said which was what Nick and I were thinking too. They weren¡¯t here. The dining table was deserted with nothing but the cards there to greet us.


    ¡°Zack and I will check upstairs. Arthur, you look around down here,¡± Nick ordered and I nodded back at him. As they left I walked closer to the dining table, a little more rxed because no one was here.


    A game where they did more talking than ying, where the order wasn¡¯t continuous. It was something I had never seen or heard of before. I checked through the cards that had already been yed on the field with confusion. There was no corrtion between them. I then looked at the cards that were left behind, which were supposed to be in their hands. These cards did corrte, all of them were royalty and the heart suit. Dominic was the Queen, the guy who¡¯s shadow looked like Xavier¡¯s was the King, Jake was the Ace and the other dude was the Jack.


    ¡°What the actual fuck,¡± I thought out loud,


    ¡°It¡¯splex isn¡¯t it?¡±


    I quickly turned, pointing my gun in the direction of the voice but to my surprise, the person standing there was one of the few people that I would never want to point a gun to. I put my gun down and let out a breath of relief. ¡°William! What are you doing here man?¡± I asked and hugging him with one arm.


    ¡°Actually Arthur,¡± he stared, he hadn¡¯t hugged me back either, ¡°I¡¯m not William right now,¡± I furrowed my eyebrows and pulled away. What was going on? William gave me a fake-looking closed-eye smile before carrying on, ¡°Right now, I¡¯m the Jack.¡±


    ¡°Will?¡± I asked confused but in that split second, I realised: the cards.


    The person that was left. William was the Jack of hearts.


    My eyes widened and William took notice that I figured out what he meant, he didn¡¯t hesitate to pull out a knife and sh it against my stomach. ¡°Arg!¡± I grunted in pain and stumbled back into the dining table, dropping my gun and using one hand to hold the table, the other holding tightly against my bleeding stomach.


    Everything was going so fast, it left me in a dizzy state. I slowly lifted the hand that was on my stomach, watching it tremble once I saw the amount of blood covering it.


    I dropped onto the floor after that but to my surprise, William also dropped the knife he had in his hand and slowly sat on the floor in front of me. I looked into his eyes and he did the same back. I don¡¯t know what I had expected to see but it wasn¡¯t tears.


    He scoffed at my expression and looked away but the scoff was one that was filled with pain more than anything else. ¡°H-how do you guys do this?¡± His voice trembling, ¡°I can¡¯t even think about hurting someone else and this? This is driving me insane!¡± He expressed which made me grin. So it was the William I knew after all.


    ¡°They why did you do it?¡± I asked with amusement but his face suddenly went nk, as it did before, which scared me slightly.


    ¡°Because what you¡¯re doing is wrong and I have to be the one to deal with you. You did tell me to protect Dominic after all.¡± He stated when suddenly gunshots were heard from above us making us both look up but William didn¡¯t seem fazed.


    ¡°I¡¯m in the wrong?¡± I hesitated a little but carried on, ¡°I¡¯m also trying to protect Domi-¡±


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± He shouted at me with a deadly look in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit and you know it! You¡¯re going to get her and the rest of them killed!¡± He throat was straining itself while screaming like that, I could hear it and it pained me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill her!¡± I shouted back but he then jumped on top of me and gave my face a hard punch,


    ¡°BUT THEY ARE!¡±


    I flipped us around and tried punching him back but when I raised my fist I flinched in pain due to my cut. He took note of this and used the opportunity to block so when I punched him it didn¡¯t hurt him.


    ¡°They told me they weren¡¯t!¡±Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°And you trust them over us!?¡±


    He pushed me off of himself pretty easily and stood, grabbing the knife on his way up. Seeing that, I also grabbed my gun and did the same. ¡°You know they say ¡®don¡¯t bring a knife to a gunfight¡¯ right?¡± I say and he smiles back which makes me uneasy,


    ¡°But I was prepared. You are the one who isn¡¯t prepared to shoot your best friend.¡±


    I froze after his statement. He was right. I couldn¡¯t shoot. My finger wouldn¡¯t even get on the trigger.


    I watched hime nearer to me, knife ready.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to let us take control for a bit, Arthur.¡±


    -Nick¡¯s POV-


    Zack and I headed upstairs, on guard and ready to attack. Them disappearing like this, at the same time as our attack n didn¡¯t make any sense. We checked all the rooms with Dominic¡¯s being thest one.


    ¡°Sis?¡± I called out but didn¡¯t get a reply.


    ¡°It¡¯s like they vanished!¡± Zack eximed as we entered the room.


    ¡°They¡¯re street fighters, not magicians,¡± I said, amusing myself while looking at a phone of Dominic and I that she had on her desk next to one with her and ke, another with her and the rest of the gang, andstly one with her and Xavier.


    Distracted by the photos, I hadn¡¯t noticed for a while that I didn¡¯t get a reply from Zack, instead, I heard the door of the room closing. ¡°Zack-¡± I turned but behind me, I saw Xavier holding Zack¡¯s mouth shut. My first instinct was to help Zack so I took hold of my gun and managed to shoot, scraping Xavier¡¯s arm as he tried to dodge which led to him letting Zack go.


    After that, Zack tried to hit Xavier with the back of his gun but Xavier blocked it and threw the gun out of the window, smashing it in the process. This didn¡¯t stop me though and instead, I grabbed a knife and went in to attack him. At the same time, Zack went in as well which wasn¡¯t wise of either of us because as we went forward, the fear of hurting the other made us hesitate and Xavier took that opportunity tond a punch on both of our stomachs hard. Making us both double over. He was something else entirely.


    Before I could fallpletely, I raised my gun and tried shooting again. This time I didn¡¯t hit him but Zack was able to trap him while he was trying to dodge again.


    ¡°Xavier, stop fighting us,¡± I ordered but he red back at me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop fighting you when you get back to your senses, you fucker!¡± He shouted and easily broke out of Zack¡¯s hold. I ignored what he said and instead got ready to fight.


    -Jake¡¯s POV-


    Shit.


    As I stood outside of Dominic¡¯s house¡¯s door I realised something. ¡°We have two men outside,¡± I mumbled to myself. The n hadn¡¯t thought about how to deal with the guys outside. Fuck.


    As I thought about this though, ke came out and ran up to me, looking at me hurriedly. ¡°Stay out here, I¡¯m going to get Dominic,¡± he said, handing me his gun before running in. Normally, I would be bothered by his anger but right now, all I could do was smile. He¡¯ll go in there, Xavier or William will catch him and everything will go to n. This will probably be the first time I¡¯m thankful for his jealousy.


    When he went in, I walked towards the back of the house, where Dominic and I were supposed to meet, but as I went around, something caught sight in the corner of my eye. Jason. He was in his sniping position and hadn¡¯t spotted me yet. He was inspecting the house, I was sure.


    I looked at the house too to see rows of windows and Dominic¡¯s shadow could be seen inside. Knowing Jason, he was going to use his sniper to shoot Dominic as she ran to thest window to stop her from getting away and I couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    I started to run as Dominic ran, following her shadow, getting ready for thest window. I closed my eyes and ran.


    Bang.


    I almost fell, almost gave in to the pain but I pushed my body and kept running.


    Jason would probably head inside after this and they¡¯d all be trapped. My job now was to get Dominic away from here.


    I jumped over the fence and ran towards The Mysterious Demon¡¯s bike. Dominic made it there at the same time as me and tossed me a helmet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go-¡± she started but her eyes met my wound, making her stop. ¡°Jake¡­¡±


    ¡°I only have adrenaline keeping me going, we can¡¯t stop now,¡± I said quickly, trying to divert her attention. I couldn¡¯t have her worrying about me. She stared but and then ordered in reply,


    ¡°Jake, drive the bike.¡±


    This was crazy. My vision was getting blurry and I was scared. I wasn¡¯t scared of crashing but of what Dominic would do if I damaged this bike. Dominic was sitting behind me, not telling me why she told me to do this yet suddenly started tearing my shirt behind me, shocking me into nearly swerving.


    ¡°This is going to hurt but you¡¯ll just have to stay calm,¡± she instructed, ¡°let¡¯s talk casually, yeah?¡± She continued before I felt her stick something inside my back, making me grunt in pain. I see, so she was taking the bullet that got stuck in my back under my shoulder de out.


    ¡°Well then sweetheart, why do you have a boys¡¯ name?¡± I asked, trying to focus on anything other than her sticking something sharp in my back.


    ¡°My birth parents knew they were having twins but Nick covered me in the ultrasounds or something and only found out that he was a boy so they assumed I was one as well. They chose the names early and I guess they decided not to change them after our births.¡±


    When her story ended, I groaned again as she finished stitching the wound but then I smiled in satisfaction.


    ¡°You are really something you know that? Stitching up a wound while on a bike? ke better take good care of you after this,¡±


    ¡°Stay focused on the road J, crash my bike and I¡¯ll stick this bullet back into you twice as deep.¡±


    ¡ª


    It didn¡¯t take too long before we got to a safe location. It was the ce where we had nailed Dominic¡¯s streetfighter name on a tree after we thought she had passed.


    The n didn¡¯t state what to do after we got here but I assumed that we waited for the rest of the guys toe here or give us some word that they needed help. Except, as I sat down to try and preserve what was left of my energy, Dominic didn¡¯t look rxed at all.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back,¡± she suddenly announced which made my eyes widened and I sat up, wincing in pain as I did.


    ¡°What? Are you insane? That¡¯s only in the backup n! So far everything going great!¡± I eximed, trying my best to change her mind but due to the blood loss, I felt really weak, starting to get dizzy because I moved around too much.


    Dominic kneeled down next to me and smiled. ¡°Rest Jake, you¡¯ve done your part, you¡¯re safe now.¡± She started, and before my eyes could fully close, thest thing I heard her say was,


    ¡°The Queen must protect her people.¡±


    .

 Chapter 67 Kill Or Be Killed

    -Xavier¡¯s POV-


    ¡°Tied them all up?¡± I asked as I carried a passed out Zack and Nick on my shoulders into the dining room.


    The fight against all of these boys was rough. It was no wonder they were one of the strongest gangs in their generation. I was impressed, sure, but they weren¡¯t at my level, not yet. Perhaps that was why they asked Demon to join them over me and I¡¯ll give it to them for being that smart at least.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± William replied, wrapping some bandages over a wound Arthur had while he was unconscious. ¡°Has Dominic gone?¡± He then asked so I looked back through the window of the garden just to double-check before nodded at him.


    ¡°So far everything¡¯s going ording to n, now the only thing left is the Men of Mayhem,¡± I said but just as the words left my mouth, Arthur¡¯s phone started to ring. William looked at me and nodded before picking up the phone and putting it on loudspeaker.


    ¡°Arthur, we¡¯re outside, is everything ready?¡± A voice asked and William replied mimicking Arthur¡¯s voice identically,


    ¡°Yeah, the door¡¯s open and they¡¯re all passed out. We¡¯re ready.¡± Then the phone hung up.


    ¡°That¡¯s an amazing act you have,¡± Iplimented and heughed before giving a bow,


    ¡°Why thank you, I¡¯ve practised it for quite some time,¡±


    ¡°Run!¡± We both turned to Arthur who was now awake, groaning in pain. ¡°If they find out that you¡¯re the ones in here then they¡¯ll never let you live!¡± He tried to warn which made me smirk. I walked up to him, crouching down in front of him and lightly pping his cheek twice.


    ¡°If we didn¡¯t know that then we¡¯d be killed already Arthur, my boy. So, just sit tight and try not getting shot when your friendse in, alright?¡± I advised, making him stare at me, conflicted for a second, before looking down and giving up, not arguing with me which was my queue to get up.


    I hadn¡¯t gone street fighting in a while so my adrenaline was pumping and I was ready to fight. Besides, doing this for Dominic¡¯s sake made it all the more worth it. I was convinced this n was going to seed and we would all be alright after this.


    ¡°What the fuck-¡±


    I then heard from behind me and I knew it was the gang so I ran, grabbed the guns we had stored under the dining table, and turned to shoot as they had started shooting. The guns were preloaded so as I ran towards them, I focused on shooting them where it counted, moving continuously and getting behind furniture to avoid getting shot. Behind me, William was shielding the gang and Arthur was using his gun to fight back so I pushed forward.


    When I was close enough, I grabbed the barrel of the other guys¡¯ guns and changed to hand to handbat which was proving effective since I was able to beat them fairly quickly. However, I also came to realise that we were heavily outnumbered. More of them would keep appearing seemingly out of nowhere. I guess it made sense since they were nning on fighting a whole other gang but now this was much harder for me.


    I could feel myself getting hit, getting jabbed, getting sliced and almost toppled when suddenly I heard people getting beat up from my side but opposite where William and Arthur were defending. It confused me until I felt someone back against mine.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got your back Champ so don¡¯t fall,¡± my eyes widened,


    ¡°Demon!¡± I was going to tell her off for being here but after blocking another punch I just shook my head and smirked, ¡°We¡¯ll see who¡¯ll be doing the falling.¡± Sheughed back at me and with that, we fought together. We broke arms, broke legs, strangled, tied, suffocated, knocked people out until,


    There were only four left.


    Bang.


    I turned worriedly behind me but sighed in relief when I see Demon with a gun, looking back at me sheepishly.


    Only three then. One being the leader.


    -ke¡¯s POV-


    I gained consciousness to the sounds of shooting and someone pping sarcastically.


    When I opened my eyes, I was left shocked at the piles of bodies thrown onto the floor and around the house. Blood was sttered all over the walls and broken furniture was scattered around the house. Next to me the rest of our gang were on the floor, tied and passed out but Arthur, William, Xavier and Dominic were up and faced with three other men. One of them was the one who had been pping.


    ¡°Well done, that was quite the show you put on for me. Also, look who¡¯s here! Princess!¡± The leader, I presumed, of the Men of Mayhem eximed before stepping forward which made me want to get up and run in her defence but the ropes kept me from moving.


    Arthur, however, noticed my struggle and looked at me with guilt. He had lied. Damn it! That meant that everything Dominic said was true. I needed to help her. I struggled harder but still to no avail. ¡°Arthur!¡± I whisper called towards him angrily yet with a worry-filled voice. ¡°Let me out of here!¡±


    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    When the guy stepped forward, I tensed so hard that it almost hurt. Xavier noticed this and moved towards me, reassuring me that I was going to be okay.


    ¡°I see you figured out our n. Since we convinced your brothers, I thought you¡¯d fall for it too.¡± He says egotistically to which I scoffed.


    ¡°When they said they knew people who¡¯d ¡®erase me from the world¡¯ the only question I had was whether it was going to be with a knife or a gun. I could smell the rest of the answers out of the lies. Besides, Arthur would never make a move against our gang unless you made a threat involving me. But what Arthur failed to realise was that by killing the Skulls and Bones that would also mean killing me anyway.¡± I nced at Arthur to see him looking down, clearly ashamed for not noticing.


    After hearing my exnation, the leader startedughing, head back, holding his stomach as if it was the funniest thing in the world. ¡°It was going to be with a gun, ssically,¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°ssically.¡± I mocked.


    ¡°Now then, you know the n. We¡¯ll kill you first instead ofst since the only reason we were keeping you alive was to keep Arthur in check. He seems to have made up his mind about going against us though so I don¡¯t need either of you. I¡¯ll then take the rest of the gang that you¡¯ve conveniently knocked out for me. I¡¯m tired of them always getting in my way.¡±


    ¡°Not if we can kill you first,¡± Xavier challenged and at the same time, everyone raised their guns. No one was willing to give up their advantage to the other side so we didn¡¯t hesitate.


    The shooting began.


    Windows broke and anything we could get our hands on, we used to our defence. There were yells from both sides, everyone stubborn and no one falling but finally, my vision cleared and I could see my bullet hit the chest of the leader. He yelled out in anger and pain as he fell which distracted his two other men, allowing them to be shot down too.


    What followed was an unsure silence.


    I looked around, no one on our side was killed, Xavier was still standing next to me. I started to rx and lowered my gun. Xavier came over to me scanning me before bringing me into him and we both sighed out in relief. Just as I was about to hug him back though, a shot was fired.


    My head whipped around and I turned as fast as I could but I was toote. The bullet which was supposed to hit me instead hit the chest of the man who had run in front of me.


    I let my body numbly drop onto my knees after watching his fall onto the ground.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°No no no no, this can¡¯t have happened,¡± I said a little louder in disbelief. William quickly exined that the leader shot on hisst breath and was dead but that didn¡¯t matter to me. That was just background noise now. The only person who mattered was-


    ¡°BLAKE!¡±


    .? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 68 Our End

    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    Beep¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s fallen into aa-¡±


    Beep¡­


    ¡°But you said the operation was a sess!¡±


    Beep¡­


    ¡°It was sir, but you have to understand that he had severe blood loss and until the transfer was given, the damage was already done.¡±


    Nick pulled on his hair and turned away in annoyance and anger. All I could do though was continue staring at ke¡¯s unconscious figure.


    I hadn¡¯t slept in the three days that it had taken for ke¡¯s recovery to be stable. When they needed a blood transfusion, I didn¡¯t hesitate to volunteer. Eating, drinking, the essentials had all been pushed into the back of my mind and all I could do was pray for ke¡¯s safety.


    Beside me, Jake was sitting in a chair by ke¡¯s bed with his head in his hands. He had also juste back from his recovery for his bullet wound. Thankfully, his wasn¡¯t serious since I had already taken care of most of it, it just needed some anti-bacterial spray, re-stitching and time to heal.


    ¡°I should have been there,¡± he whispered to himself.


    I knew that part of him felt like he was to me. No matter how much I told him it wasn¡¯t his fault, as much as I told him that we¡¯d do whatever we could to help ke, he didn¡¯t believe me. It didn¡¯t stop him from screaming for his brother when ke was rushed into surgery, it didn¡¯t stop him from staying up with me, day and night until we heard something to do with ke¡¯s condition.


    The rest of the guys were at home, either drinking or trying to pass the time less painfully as they waiting for words from Nick.


    Just as I had thought about this, Nick headed outside to go and call them. As he did, I thought about another issue that I knew I had to take care of so I started walking out of the room when,


    ¡°D¡­?¡± I turned back at Jake¡¯s weak call. His eyes were red and tired. His face demonstrated the suffering he was going through.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a second, I just need to ask the nurse something,¡± I answer with a low voice. I probably didn¡¯t look any better than him. My throat was dry and in pain but I forced myself to ignore it.


    ¡°Come back soon,¡± he pleaded, a little desperately. He felt alone and was afraid of losing someone else again. I understood that perfectly and nodded back to him before leaving the room and walking around to the next corridor.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I called out to the nurse who had just been in our room. Once she heard the call, she faced me with a small smile.


    ¡°How can I help you?¡± she asked,


    ¡°How much will the hospital bills be?¡± I went straight to the point. my patience waspletely depleted and I just needed an answer. Her eyes looked at me with pity and with that alone, I knew I wasn¡¯t going to like the answer.


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t have any insurance, the full cost of the operation will be $150, 000 and there will also be extra costs depending on how long you¡¯re going to keep Mr Lucifer at the hospital-¡±


    ¡°As long as he wakes up!¡± I replied instantly which took her back a bit.


    ¡°That may be another $1000-2000¡± she informed with a shaky voice. She had been scared of Nick and now I raised my voice too, making us seem horrible I¡¯m sure.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be sure to pay the bill. Please send me an email with the full amount and I ask that you do not bring this subject up to any of the other people involved, is that clear?¡± I asked sternly,


    ¡°But Ms-¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± I begged a little louder and with hesitance, she nodded.


    With that sorted, I went back into ke¡¯s room to see that Jake had fallen asleep already and since there was only one person allowed to stay, I put a nket -which had been left on the side of the room- on top of Jake before walking towards ke.


    I looked down at him one more time. This time I couldn¡¯t hold it in.


    I broke down.


    I put both hands on my mouth, trying to keep it shut, trying to keep myself together but failing horribly. I had to get out of there. So, without making too much noise, I picked up my bag and ran out of the hospital, hand stationed on my mouth.


    -Nick¡¯s POV (4 weekster)-


    ¡°Has anyone heard anything from Dominic?¡± I asked theds, filling the silence that seemed to have made itselffortable in our schedules.


    Jason shook his head and Zack replied with, ¡°Nope¡± but Jake hadn¡¯t said anything. He looked as if he was in deep thought instead, unaware that I had even asked anything.


    ¡°Jake?¡± I asked calmly, making him snap out of it.


    ¡°Sorry -no, I haven¡¯t for a couple of weeks.¡±


    Seeing him this way upset me. You could tell that he was broken and suffering deeply. He and ke had been inseparable since birth, losing their parents at a young age, they promised each other that they¡¯d never leave the other. Of course, this was hard on him, I understood that. At the same time though, him not knowing where Dominic was was a little weird.


    After the incident, William had exined everything to us, about what was actually nned, about what happened, about how Jake was helping protect us. I felt like an idiot who kept messing up and even now wished I could turn back time to change what I believed was right but it was impossible and all I could do was learn for the future from here on.


    Arthur was staying with William now, trying to stay hidden from the leftover members of the Men of Mayhem. I told him he could stay with us but he refused, saying that he doesn¡¯t want to put us in any more danger so I let him go. That way it benefited us both.


    I stood up after that and walked towards the nearest window while dialling a number on my phone. I looked up at the sunset as I put the phone to my ear but it didn¡¯t ring. Instead what came through was a voice mail,


    ¡°You¡¯ve reached Dominic. Unfortunately, this number is unavable at the moment. Please try calling againter.¡± I let my hand drop for a second but decided not to give up.


    Instead, I called Xavier and waited for it to ring but just like Dominic¡¯s phone, it went straight to voice mail, ¡°Xavier here, I work from sunset to sunrise so if you¡¯re hearing this, that¡¯s why. Call me tomorrow or leave a message.-¡± I ended the call and went to sit back down.


    I was being paranoid. They¡¯ve gone street fighting, of course, they won¡¯t be replying.


    I staid sitting while my fingers fidgeted and I looked around in hopes to distract myself. This went on for a bit until- ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve had enough,¡± I looked towards Jason, confused, and he came up to me before grabbing my hand and pulling me up. ¡°I can¡¯t handle fidgeting. Let¡¯s go to the bar and check if she¡¯s there -which she will be- and then we¡¯lle back.¡± He nned and then turned around to Jake who seemed zoned out again.


    ¡°Youing, Jake?¡± Jason asked him with a softer voice, probably wanting Jake to get out of the house since he rarely did anymore. Jake looked up at us and shook his head negatively.


    We then looked at Zack who had also watched Jake¡¯s answer. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with Jake, you guys go,¡± We hesitated but left soon after.


    ¡ª


    By the time we reached the bar, the sun was gone and darkness loomed over us. Jason and I walked towards the entrance of the building which should have been easy to get into yet when we were about to step inside, the guard stopped us.


    ¡°Nicks Secter?¡± he asked,


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    After hearing my reply he blocked the entrancepletely, ¡°I¡¯m under strict orders of my boss not to let you in at any costs. I¡¯d like to ask you to leave.¡±


    ¡°But I-!¡± I was about to start but Jason pulled me back as I struggled against him slightly.


    ¡°Nick! We can¡¯t cause a scene here. Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll just call Xavier again,¡± I growled at the guard but turned to leave anyway. Just as I did I was stopped again except this time by a phone call. In hopes that it was Dominic, I picked up without looking at the caller ID but it wasn¡¯t Dominic¡¯s voice through the line, it was Jake¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Nick, there¡¯s something I have to tell you.¡±


    -Xavier¡¯s POV-


    ¡°Dominic, I won¡¯t let you keep fucking yourself over like this! You have to eat properly damn it!¡± I shouted at her, reminding her every day now, and yet nothing seemed to change.


    ¡°You worry unnecessarily Xavier, I keep telling you I¡¯m fine,¡± she started saying in disagreement with a rough voice as she lifted her energy drink, ready to down it but I grabbed her wrist and forced her to look me in the eye instead. I was desperate. I needed her to change this new routine of hers or else she¡¯d kill herself before ke woke up. I needed her to see that.


    And yes, this had started ever since ke went into aa. She had been fighting night and day in order to gain enough money for his hospital bills. She stuck to eating the bare minimum of a sandwich a day and the rest of her diet consisted of energy drink and pills or protein shakes but only if I forced that on her. If she wasn¡¯t fighting she probably wouldn¡¯t eat at all.


    I knew how much ke meant to her but this wasn¡¯t worth that. Her health had to be her top priority.


    Yet at the same time, I didn¡¯t have the gut to call Nick and tell him about her state in order to help change it. It wasn¡¯t because I was afraid of Nick. Not at all. I hadn¡¯t told him because of Dominic.


    When she told me four weeks ago, that she had to do this to rece the guilt she had and that I ¡®couldn¡¯t tell a soul¡¯ about what she was doing, I couldn¡¯t go against her. I understood from just her facial expression that ke¡¯sa was haunting her, that the fault was all hers and she had to do whatever she could to repay him. This seemed minor inparison to his suffering. I understood but I didn¡¯t agree. I respected her desperation though. That was one reason.


    She even made our boss ban Nick from entering at any point in the day so he doesn¡¯t see her condition. She was serious.


    Seeing that also made me worry about what she would start doing behind my back if I started going against her too. As much as I hated this, I didn¡¯t want her doing it alone. That was my main second reason.


    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ finally got enough money saved up to pay the bill,¡± She said, slightly breathless and then flinched a little before holding her chest in either difort or pain. I sat next to her quickly and sighed, trying to think about what to do.


    I reached towards a water bottle that was next to me and switched Dominic¡¯s energy drink with it. ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to fight in this bar then you¡¯re going to do it the way I want you to from now on. Not only do you fight here, but you also work at the gym and I cannot afford you to lose yourself now.¡± She looked at the water bottle with disgust so I shot her a look which told her that I was serious and she replied back with wide eyes.


    Just when she was about to start drinking the water, she groaned out loud and bent forward which alerted me.


    ¡°Demon? Hey, you okay?¡± I asked in panic while supporting her up but she seemed to not be able to reply. She grabbed onto my hand and squeezed it hard.


    ¡°I-it hurts Xavier- help m-me, please.¡± My legs shook slightly seeing her in this state but I stayed strong and stood up, ready to help.


    Another wave of pain must have gone through her because she groaned again which was my sign to make a move.


    As I decided to pick her up, I felt Dominic suddenly going limp in my arms. I looked down at her panicked, ¡°Demon?¡± I called, shaking her a little but her eyes closed and she slowly fell unconscious. ¡°Shit.¡±


    -Nick¡¯s POV-


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I know I should have told you! But when I overheard her talking to the nurse she said she didn¡¯t want any of us to know and I just felt like I should respect that¡­¡± Jake looked down in what looked like shame after exining the whole situation to me.


    I wasn¡¯t mad at him, I couldn¡¯t be, I was too shocked to feel anger. ¡°But $150, 000 is a fuck ton of money¡­ She would have to work all day and night,¡± I mumbled and Jake, unfortunately, nodded at my words.


    ¡°I know,¡± he replied, ¡°I went to check up on her two weeks ago because I had a bad feeling about her overworking like that and I was right. I could tell that she wasn¡¯t eating or sleeping properly-¡±


    as he continued, a wave of sadness held my body in a suffocating grip but I didn¡¯t have the time to let it settle in because my phone started ringing.


    I looked at the caller ID and my body tensed when I saw Xavier¡¯s name sh across my screen.


    ¡°Xavier?¡±


    As Xavier started talking to me, my teeth unconsciously gritted together and my hand swam through my hair, tugging from time to time. When he was done, I hung up and got ready to leave with the other guys who had also been listening in behind me.


    I swung my door open, prepared to start rushing towards my car but instead, I was forced on my doorstep by a group of men in uniform.


    -Dominic¡¯s POV-


    In the past few weeks, all I could think about was how much I owed my life to ke for not only saving me from the bullet but also supporting me, loving me, and giving so much to me. His time, his love, his care. He gave it all to me and I had never thanked him.


    I didn¡¯t know what I would do if I were to never be able to see him wake up and be able to tell him all this. I didn¡¯t want to think about the possibilities where things went wrong so I consumed my time with things like fighting and the gym.


    Not even sleep left me alone as all I would see would be his face as his chest was shot, the way his body stood frozen before copsing, his eyes shutting. Nightmare after nightmare. When awake, if I wasn¡¯t physically doing anything, I¡¯d overthink and imagine him never opening his eyes ever again.


    I gave up on sleeping, only doing so when my vision started to go blurry and for four hours at most.


    I hadpletely lost my appetite ever since that day too, forcing myself to eat at least once a day to keep some of my muscle mass but even then that was a struggle. Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten about my medication too and now I was faced with the consequences. Unconscious. Unknowing of the time or ce.


    ¡°D?¡±


    I suddenly heard in my dark world. A voice I hadn¡¯t heard in a while.


    ¡°D, wake up!¡±


    It was an echo at first but then it started getting clearer.


    Slowly, I opened my eyes to be greeted with the sun¡¯s rays. I squinted before looking around to realise I was in a familiar hospital room. Wasn¡¯t it ke¡¯s room?


    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡±


    My eyes widened and I looked to the side slowly, to the left where ke¡¯s bed was. He was there. Awake.


    I chuckled for a moment. The chuckle turned into augh before slowly theugh came down into a smile as I looked back into his beautiful eyes. My soul felt as if it had experienced a miracle by seeing them again, felt light. ¡°I could say the same for you,¡± I replied, making him grin back at me.


    ¡°I love you.¡± We both expressed in unison causing us to chuckle together.


    ¡°The nurse told me what you¡¯ve been doing. Thank you for taking care of me, even if it meant not taking care of yourself.¡±


    I smiled, ¡°Thank you for saving my life, even if it meant nearly losing your own.¡± Beginning my long list of things to thank him for.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I knew my girlfriend would take care of me!¡±Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Ourughs were interrupted by a knock on the door which ripped us out of our little moment. We watched as the door opened and my smile turned into a straight line as two policemen walked into the room.


    ¡°The two individuals have been identified as ke Lucifer and Dominic Secter, Skulls and Bones gang member and street fighter.¡± One said into a mic, ¡°You are both under arrest along with the rest of the gang-¡±


    The rest of his voice was drowned out when ke and I looked at each other again. We both knew this was going to happen eventually and instead of being worried or scared, I was actually very rxed and ke seemed to be feeling the same thing.


    ¡°See you when we¡¯re released?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah.¡±


    -The End-


    It¡¯s been a long long journey but my story is finallyplete. This was a story that has been and will always be very close to my heart.


    As my readers, who all mean a lot to me and I really appreciate you all wholeheartedly, I want to know what you think. I¡¯m always reading through myments or if you want something more private my Instagram is: y_siddiqui_


    I¡¯d love to see you there and hope to continue having your support, whether that¡¯s on here or Instagram.


    For now though, I¡¯m going to head off.


    I love you all and thank you from the bottom of my heart.


    From myself and everyone in this story:


    Goodbye.


    I turned on my chair and faced the guys who were sat around the room, casually having fun as if they didn¡¯t live one of the most messed up lives.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally done!¡± I announced, making them all look at me with smiles and grins growing on their faces.


    ¡°Congrats!¡±


    I nodded back at their celebrations.


    ¡°Also thank you to the guys who wrote those chapters, it made the story way better.¡± Iplimented, fully genuine and somewhat at an empty peace now.


    ¡°No problem, love,¡± ke replied from next to me, his arm circling around my waist into a side hug which I epted happily.


    ¡°I personally think, if I wrote some chapters, the book would be a worldwide bestseller!¡± Zack eximed causing us all tough.


    Suddenly a notification sound came from my phone which caught my attention.


    -Xavier: Come down here Demon, you¡¯re on in an hour.


    I grinned again and grabbed my bag, ¡°well, I gotta go, a street fighter¡¯s night begins now. I¡¯ll see you guyster?¡± I asked and got nods around the room.


    ¡°Make sure you¡¯re notte for the meeting with the rest of the gang tomorrow,¡± Nick reminded and I gave him a two-finger salute as I left to indicate I got it.


    With that, I walked out of the door, ready for my next fight.

 Chapter 69 Continuation

    Dear Readers,


    Thank you to all of you who have read my story this far, it means a great deal to me and I really appreciate it.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although the previous chapter was the intended ending, for those who weren¡¯t satisfied, the decision to continue with the story has been made and updates wille out every week.


    I hope you enjoy the story!


    -Your Author

 Chapter 70 Welcome Back To The World

    A gate is opened and footsteps emerge from within the facility.


    A man, taller now, body toned as it ever was, looks up the sky with a hand shielding him from the sun that beamed down at him and the rest of the guys that followed behind.


    A handnded on his shoulder making him turn back to his brother and away from the ball of fire. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to see her soon,¡± he started, ¡°Ready?¡±


    He stared at him, there was something in his eyes. Nervousness? No. But it wasn¡¯t determination either. Words weren¡¯t said but it¡¯s as if you could read it. It was longing. Longing for something he didn¡¯t know was still there.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a choice.¡± A voice called out making the group of males look in her direction. Her entrance to their scene just as magnificent as it always is. Seeing her lean against the ck sports car behind her wearing whats signature to her, her leather jacket and once the ck sunsses were taken off of her face, the glimmer of grey in her eyes, confirming her identity.


    ¡°Wee back to reality boys,¡± She said, pushing off of her vehicle, arms wide, grin stered on her perfect face. ¡°It¡¯s been ten years.¡±


    ¡°Dominic!¡± A crowd of cheers came from the group and they all walked towards her with happiness and excitement. All but one.


    ¡°Is that my car?¡± Nicks asked caused her tough and push his head away from the vehicle. Her rough side still intact.


    ¡°You wish bro, this baby is mine.¡± She replies before they give each other a warm hug. ¡°Xavier should be here soon with your ride.¡±


    Nick looked at her with a look ofical disbelief. ¡°So who¡¯s riding with you?¡±Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    A smirk was formed. ¡°My boyfriend of course!¡±


    Everyone turned to turn ke who was still stood a distance away. Dominic raised her hand and he couldn¡¯t help but burst into a grin, walking to her with bright eyes. He took hold of her extended hand but only to pull her in before grabbing her waist, and as he examined her face which he had found so beautiful, he walked forward and leaned her against her car before giving her a kiss. A kiss which she smiled through and returned.


    ¡°Too much PDA! Save it for when you get home! And what¡¯s with the rest of you? Nicks, you that horny that you¡¯re fine with watching your sister make out in front of you?¡±


    ¡°Fuck you dude!¡±


    Laughter erupted from the couple as they watched Xavier who was now leaned against a partly opened door of a Te, chuckling at himself and dodging the pair of sunsses Nicks had stolen off of Dominic¡¯s head and thrown at him. ¡°Now is that how you treat your driver?¡±


    ¡°Is that what you say to your passenger?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer the question, I¡¯m assuming the prison didn¡¯t provide a lot of action.¡±


    ¡°Alright guys, that¡¯s enough,¡± Dominic interjected, arm around ke¡¯s body and his went around her shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡ª


    A yawn came out of Jake¡¯s mouth as he stepped out of the carst. The journey was a long one from the prison back to New York but they finally stopped. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re staying in this fancy hotel For the night? Isn¡¯t our apartments only a couple of miles away?¡± He asked while the rest stood impressed with the building they were faced with, grand and modern, the small lights teasing at its actual size but it was too dark to see anything with great detail. One thing for sure though, it looked expensive.


    Xavier, who was stood next to Dominic, turned to her and she did the same, sharing a cheeky grin. She took a few steps forward towards the entrance which held an inte where she scanned a key and the door unlocked, a voiceing from it as it did, ¡°Wee home, Miss Secter.¡±


    ¡°Hotel? No¡­¡±


    She turned to face the men.


    ¡°This is my home.¡±


    It took quite a while for the guys to be ustomed to the idea of this being her house, the tiredness they hadpletely gone and reced by excitement as they entered the huge home, looking around at the kitchen and which room they were going to stay in for the night. Dominic didn¡¯t speak much after, letting the guys roam around till their hearts were content. Instead, she just watched with a little smile ying on her lips.


    To say she missed this was an understatement. The chaos and noise that the guys brought along with them brought peace to her mind, a peace that she hadn¡¯t experienced for a long time.


    ¡°They¡¯re finally back huh?¡± She looks up at Xavier who was holding his jacket on his back, a duffle bag with it. ¡°You going to tell them?¡±


    She sighed once faced with this question, her smile falling.


    ¡°Not now, it¡¯s not the time.¡± She answered, voice low almost at a whisper. She notices Jason watching them and she was quick to rece her facial expression with a happier one, shooting him a temporary smile as he walked away.


    Xavier hummed at her response. ¡°Make sure you find a good time. I won¡¯t let you keep it a secret. Not after what happenedst time.¡± She nodded back to him and this time it was his turn to sigh. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off then. I¡¯lle back tomorrow with William and Arthur and we can have some time to rx and catch up before you have to go back to work.¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK, YOU HAVE A WEAPONS ROOM?!¡±


    Zack¡¯s shout echoed making Dominic chuckle slightly. ¡°It¡¯s best you leave before they tear the ce apart,¡± she says as she walked Xavier out. When they made it to her front door he turned to look at her again to see her with her head down.


    ¡°Oi!¡± She shoots her head up to see his punching right at her, instinct took over and she was able to hold his fist a few centimetres away from her face. They held the stance for a second before he pulled back, looking her over with a hidden proud smile.


    ¡°You¡¯ve still got it in you.¡±


    Dominic shook her head but before she could say anything Xavier flicked her forehead harshly before turning and leaving.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter, boss!¡±


    The door was closed and Dominic turned back to see ke walking towards her, two cups of tea in his hands. This image made Dominic grin again, filled with warmth and joy. ¡°Thought we¡¯d spend some time together?¡± He said handing her her cup.


    ¡°I know just the ce.¡±


    Dominic opened the door to her garden and after drinking their tea, talking under the stars for an hour or so, they ended up lying down on the cool grass, staring up at the sky in peaceful silence.


    ke then turned his head from the sky to Dominic¡¯s own face. The breeze blowing at her hair which he took in his fingers and started fiddling with. He realized it was a little shorter than it was thest time he had seen her. Her eyes looking as if it could see souls and the greek Gods above them. Her physic not any less impressive as it was years ago.


    ¡°I missed you. A lot.¡± He whispered pulling her into his chest and kissed the top of her head. Dominic sighed in relief from under him and tucked her head into the crook of his neck.


    ¡°I missed you too.¡± She replied.


    ke unknowing of how deep of a meaning those words had under them.

 Chapter 71 My Girl

    -ke-


    Skin pressed against one another. A shared warmth between us. Movement as one.


    She was under me, strangely submissive in contrast to her normal dominance, our tongues dancing, bodies following one step at a time, in rhythm with the beats of our hearts which pound against each other.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I sp one of my hands with one of her own while my other travels down her strong, gorgeous, figure, longing to open all the secrets it held. To dig deeper into what she had to offer. My ears perking at the soft sound she lets out. I smile and ce my head into her neck, getting as close as I could to her. She was intoxicating, forcing my body on a drive. To be apart of her was as divine as what I imagine heaven to be.


    And together we reach our climax.


    ¡ª


    I woke up to a gentle breeze, colder than I had been a few hours before, much colder.


    I looked to my left, expecting to find Dominic there, where her bear back was pressed against my chest before we fell asleep, but it wasn¡¯t.


    I yawned and sat up on the bed, keeping the covers on my body that had yet to be clothed which told me what happenedst night wasn¡¯t a dream. I grinned. This wasn¡¯t the first time but it was the best. The thrill she gave me. Fuck. I was addicted.


    After showering and cleaning up, I looked around the room we had slept in, her room. Unlike her old one, this room was very modern and sleek, aesthetically pleasing to look at. Staying in this room alone gave me a feeling of calm. Colours of white with ents of silver. It was almost as beautiful as the one who slept in it.


    And now it was time to find her.


    I walked out of the room a confident man, nothing could possibly ruin my day.


    I got down to the kitchen where I finally see her. Dominic was standing by, making food with a certain glow radiating from her which made me unable to pull my attention away from her. Maybe it was all the time we had spent apart, I don¡¯t know, but I didn¡¯t care.


    I walked up behind her, pulling her waist closer to me gently before kissing her shoulder which had been exposed by her off the shoulder shirt. ¡°Morning beautiful,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°Morning to you too sleepyhead,¡± she replied with a smile which made me roll my eyes yfully while swaying us side to side.


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®sleepyhead¡¯? It¡¯s 9 am, it¡¯s notte. In fact, I¡¯m upset that I didn¡¯t wake up with you next to me this morning.¡±


    She chuckled before gently pulling away to grab something. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry for waking up at 4 am regrly.¡± My eyes widened.


    ¡°4 am? We only slept at 2! You¡¯ve hardly gotten the chance to sleep!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got insomnia,¡± she starts which shuts me up. She walks up to me afterwards and flicks my forehead which makes me flinch and her smile. ¡°Don¡¯t furrow your eyebrows, you¡¯ll get wrinkles. Besides, the two hours I¡¯ve had tonight were the best two hours in a long time.¡± She then kisses where she flicked and pulled away.


    ¡°So what have you been doing since 4?¡± I asked but really it was then when I examed her face properly.


    ¡°I work out for two hours, have a shower, do some work-¡± The rest is drowned out in my head. There were dark circles under her eyes, she had wrinkles of her own on her forehead and under eyes, not to mention her scarring still present from all those years back. It didn¡¯t make her any less beautiful to me though.


    ¡°Well, next time, wake me up too. I could use a training session from you from time to time.¡± She smirked at me,


    ¡°Who said you were staying here?¡± She burst outughing once seeing my face drop which made me shove her lightly.


    ¡°You two seem to be having fun.¡± We both turn to Jake who hops into the kitchen with a grin. ¡°Breakfast?¡± He then motions to the food already spread on the table.


    Dominic nods at him and tells him that Xavier, Arthur and William should be here any minute and that we were going to have breakfast together with them. To think I hadn¡¯t seen them in ten years is amazing. Even the small amount I had seen of Xavier the day before didn¡¯t really hit me as hard as it did now with this realisation. I could hardly believe that I spend almost all of my 20¡¯s in a prison cell.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Jake then says when I go back to listening to their conversation again, ¡°You never really got round to telling us how you were able to get this house, sweetheart,¡±


    ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t just carry on living in the home we had torn apart now could I?¡± Dominic replies casually and he grinned.


    ¡°Of course of course, and that definitely exins how you can afford a mansion.¡± He throws a piece of bread in his mouth and leans on the kitchen counter to get closer to Dominic¡¯s face. Dominic¡¯s stance didn¡¯t falter though, she looked right back into his eyes with a smug look of her own, head high, spine straight. Almost intimidatingly. But before their staring went on for too long,


    The inte was rung.


    Dominic¡¯s smug look didn¡¯t leave her face as she walked around the table and towards the door. As soon as she left the room Jake turned to watch her whilst walking to stand next to me. ¡°You don¡¯t think she¡¯s hiding anything from us?¡±


    I didn¡¯t reply straight away. I hadn¡¯t really thought about it and wasfortable that way, forgetting the lives we had previously lived and how that could possibly affect us now. Dominic was released six years before we were and I had no idea what she had been doing during that time. What she¡¯s doing now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    After that, the rest of the guys started walking into the room so we decided to put the conversation behind us. We had breakfast which was a hell of a lot better than anything they gave us in prison. Waffles, pancakes, eggs and everything else just tasting heavenly.


    Around an hourter we were all in the living room, Arthur and William casually filling us in on what we had missed in all of these years, that they were actually married now¡­ to each other.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    A rumble ofughter came out of Dominic who was sat next to me and as shocked as I was to the news, she instantly distracted me from it.


    ¡°You knew, D?!¡± Zack, who seemed the most frazzled, asked and as she was going to answer, I was tapped on the shoulder. I looked back to see Xavier standing and motioning me to follow him so I stood, unwrapping my arm from Dominic¡¯s waist, and followed him.


    He didn¡¯t say anything until we got to Dominic¡¯s work out room, to say it was big was an understatement, it was huge, a gym of itself but I paid attention to Xavier instead. ¡°What¡¯s up, man?¡± I asked while his back was faced to me. Suddenly the whole atmosphere seemed thick and tense. His aura was dark and dangerous. When he turned to me, he looked down at me with eyes that almost told me he was disgusted in me.


    ¡°ke, I don¡¯t approve of your rtionship with Dominic.¡±


    My fists curled but although anger started to surface, I told myself to be calm. Xavier cares for her like a father would his daughter, I had to hear him out.


    ¡°Why? What have I done?¡±


    He took a step towards me, threateningly. I didn¡¯t let it show but fear had started to creep in, his presence was huge and I felt like an insect from under him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you¡¯ve done. It¡¯s that you¡¯re not enough.¡±


    I furrowed my eyebrows. Taking a step back.


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about-?¡±


    ¡°-I¡¯ve fucked her, ke.¡±


    I stopped breathing once those words were said. No. Betrayal waved down my body. Eyes stinging.


    ¡°Her body is so fucking sexy, she¡¯s so well experienced too, submitting to me perfectly, I was able to be as rough as I fucking wanted and her taste¡­¡± I watched murderously as he rubbed his lips, ¡°so sweet.¡±


    Teeth gritting, body aching, I swung at him.


    I had contact. The punch knocked his face to the side, lip busted but¡­ he chuckled.


    ¡°What¡¯s so fucking funny?¡±


    ¡°This is it.¡± He starts which makes me look at him with confusion but my anger is not forgotten, I¡¯m ready to punch him again if anything bades out of his sick mouth.


    ¡°You know you¡¯re not enough. You¡¯re insecure enough to believe me just like that,¡± He leaned his face down right next to my ear and whispered the rest, ¡°to be unsure whether what I said was the truth or a lie.¡± He leaned back and looked at me with a smirk.


    ¡°You know I could fuck her if I wanted to. For all you know, I have many times.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    ¡°Your jealousy! If you were a man worthy of her, you wouldn¡¯t get jealous at all! No one approves of you!¡±


    I wanted to punch him again but¡­ I couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t because


    It was true.


    I looked down, my pridepletely broken and torn apart. He was right. I was nothing. I was weak.


    ¡°But,¡±


    He started, putting a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to look up into his eyes again, eyes that now held determination and strength.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to make you enough.¡±

 Chapter 72 Communication

    -ke-


    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡±


    I looked away from Xavier to turn to Dominic who was leaning against the door frame, staring at the two of us with slight confusion. Her look would usually look cute to me, calm me down, but Xavier had confused my senses, my emotions on a roller coaster that I almost couldn¡¯t control.


    ¡°Nothing, Demon, we were just having a man-to-man chat,¡± Xavier answered casually. His voice was so normal as if what just happened here didn¡¯t shake my core.


    I watched as he walked passed me with a hidden smirk and then to her which made me tense almost every muscle in my body. ¡°Oh, am I disturbing you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    I kept a ring eye on them when they leaned closer together and began mumbling about something I couldn¡¯t make out but ended in Xavierughing out loud before yfully flicking her forehead.


    I turned my back on them quickly, trying to control myself as best as I could. This was what he was talking about, he¡¯s testing me, I can feel him internallyughing at me struggling and I hated it but I didn¡¯t want to doubt her. I didn¡¯t want to hurt her. So I turned back and told myself that I had to ignore it. Ignore my anger.


    At some point, Xavier had left and I didn¡¯t realise Dominic was still here until she walked around and in front of me. ¡°Hey,¡± she said softly, lifting my head with one hand and holding my hand with the one of hers. Her eyes looked worried but after everything, I felt ufortable so when she asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± I unintentionally pulled away from her touch as quickly as I could but on realising how that looked I moved to rub the back of my neck instead, putting on a smile and replied,


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go back to the others.¡± I then walked out and back to the main room where they were now talking about Nick¡¯s n with his gang and such but I couldn¡¯t focus on any of it at all. Dominic came in a little after and sat next to me as we had been before. I sighed and looked at the side of her face while she looked forward, seemingly feeling nothing while I was conflicted. I reached and put an arm around her waist. I had to talk to her, find out the truth, until then, I was going to show everyone, including Xavier, that she was mine.


    -Dominic-


    I watched as ke walked out of my training room before looking down at my hand which now felt¡­ empty. The way he pulled away from me as if it hurt him, the fake smile he forced himself to put on, the rush to get away from me. All that ran through my mind was, what did Xavier tell him?


    I looked away from my hand and now up at my ceiling, a new habit of mine that I did unconsciously. I was looking for something, but just like every other time, there was nothing to be found.


    So, I decided with a heavy chest that I would go back into the room. I needed to talk to him,munication was the only way but until then, I had to be strong.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    When I walked back into the room he didn¡¯t turn to look at me but I sat next to him anyway. I looked at Xavier who seemed to have a certain look on his face, a look that he usually puts on when he¡¯s thinking of a n. I sigh, his ns were never easy.


    What got my attention again though was when ke snaked his arm around my waist, it was a small gesture but, it rxed me, made me smile a little that not all was lost just yet.


    ¡ª


    The day had passed, Nick and I went out driving for a bit, getting to catch up on a few things. He told me that his gang had a protocol for if he were to ever get caught which they had been following these past ten years. Each section of the gang wasn¡¯t to talk to one another, trades would be paused until he was able to continue. He was shit when it came to physically fighting and foresight, even I could see that, but when it came to nning and instructing, leading, he wasn¡¯t too bad. Now all he had to do was call a member from each segment and get everything running again. That is, if he wanted to.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± he started, hand on the wheel. I let him drive my car in order to rx him but I, on the other hand, was now having trust issues. This was my first car and I almost loved it as much as my motorbike, I¡¯d let hell loose if anything happened to it. Either way, I let him continue.


    ¡°Being a gang leader, creating a family with this huge group of people from all over the world has been¡­ amazing but¡­ The danger I put everyone through, the times I¡¯ve nearly lost people, the times I have lost people, ruining their¡­ everything! I just- I don¡¯t know if I can do that anymore.¡±


    I stayed silent for a bit. Debating on something mentally but deciding against it before putting a hand on his shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. ¡°No matter what you choose to do, I will back you and support you.¡±


    Support. I think support is one of the most important things for people. One of the things that everyone needs from at least one person. To have someone there having their back. He was my brother, if there was anyone who should provide that support for him, it had to be me.


    When we got back we started ying card games and watching movies with the rest of the guys until it was around 11 pm and a lot of the guys were getting sleepy.


    ke and I hadn¡¯t talked much but it didn¡¯t seem as tense as it was before, he still stuck close to me and when most of the guys went home he staid behind, helping me clean up before heading to my room with me.


    ¡°Before, you and Xavier were talking to each other about something, what was it?¡± He asked me out of the blue. I tried remembering what he was talking about and then it came to me when I caught him and Xavier in my training room I had warned Xavier about calling me, ¡®Demon,¡¯ but he wasn¡¯t a fan of listening to me, arguing he can call me whatever he wants to.


    ¡°Nothing important,¡± I brushed off, because it really wasn¡¯t, not anymore. I watched as he slumped down on my bed with a diforted face. ¡°Is something bothering you?¡± I asked, not letting this go on any further, I wanted to fix this. I wanted, rather, needed him back.


    I think he read my facial expression, how serious I was because he held his face in his hands before sighing out loud. He was going to begin to say something when-


    Ring.


    My phone started ringing. I looked down at the caller ID. Damn it. I thought I would have more time. I looked back at ke who seemed defeated. ¡°Pick it up,¡± he instructed but after looking back into his eyes, I declined.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, walking up to him, kneeling down and holding his hands in mine which he let me do this time. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s bothering you.¡±


    ¡°But you-¡±


    ¡°I said no.¡± He looked a bit taken back, my tone must have been harsh. I calmed down a little and smiled at him. ¡°Your happiness means a lot more to me than that phone call.¡± After I said that he gave me a gentle smile to which I returned.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not good enough for you. That there are people who are better, stronger, that you can choose over me.¡± My chest squeezed at him saying that. Squeezing painfully. He had no idea- I clenched my jaw, shutting my eyes tight for a second before opening them again. ¡°Xavier for example-¡±


    ¡°Cut your bullshit,¡± I say, stopping him from continuing. It was too painful to hear. He stared back at me, waiting for me to continue.


    ¡°I waited ten years.¡± I began, ¡± Ten years, four in jail, the other six were possibly the hardest years of my life. The things I went through. And all I wanted was for you to be here when I got home to help me, hold me, tell me you cared. You are the only person I trust with my feelings. You are more than enough. You always will be. Always.¡±


    I meant it with everything I had, I tried to convey it as best as I could but talking about feelings were always one of my weaknesses. I didn¡¯t know how tofort as well as I wanted to. I just hoped he understood.


    ¡°Xavier told me you guys had sex, did you?¡± he then told me and my breathing slowed slightly.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what he told you,¡± I sighed and got up. What the fuck was Xavier trying to stir up this time? I knew he was nning some shit.


    ¡°I need to go to work, ke. I promise you I¡¯ll fix this, okay?¡± I told him, getting up, kissing his forehead before picking up my bag.


    ¡°Streetfighters never sleep, huh?¡± I froze for a second, heartbeat quickening instantly. But I remembered not to make it noticeable so I turned my face slightly to him, smiling as best as I could.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± I answered him before wishing him goodnight and heading to work.


    -ke-


    She didn¡¯t answer my question.

 Chapter 73 Work

    -Dominic-


    I walked through the front door of the bar, having the attention of everyone there turn to me as it always has.


    But it¡¯s not the same.


    I had some people greet me, others had their heads down, avoiding me. Word got around that I was here and soon someone came out to meet me.


    ¡°Miss Secter, I tried calling you earlier.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Jessica, I was doing something important. Also, how many times do I have to tell you? Just Dominic is fine.¡± After high school, Jessica decided she didn¡¯t want to go to college, it took her four years but she was able to raise in the ranks here and now she works as the CEO¡¯s secretary, my secretary.


    We walked down to the basement where I knew my presence was expected with her by my side. ¡°We have five guys on the list tonight, the fights will be starting in 45 minutes.¡± She informed me which made me pause and turn to look at her.


    ¡°Only five?¡± I asked and she nodded back at me slowly. I turned my head forward again to keep her from seeing my diforted face. This was starting to get ridiculous. The numbers of fighters were decreasing. There used to be up to fifty, hundreds signing up for a slot within a week. But now-


    ¡°Where¡¯s Xavier?¡±


    ¡°In the office.¡±


    By ¡®the office¡¯ she had meant our old training room. It still contained a lot of the equipment we used to have in there but now it was where he worked rather than where we trained. It was weird to say, I still wasn¡¯t used to it but he was a retired fighter and now, he was this bar¡¯s head manager. When I was at our other bars, he was in charge here.


    As I walked by the ring, I took in the abnormal quietness of the room. Closing my eyes a second, I could almost hear the screaming, the shouting, the cheering that used to echo in this room for hours on end. Seats were unnecessary due to it being so packed everyone had to stand. And most of all, when the winner was dered, the name, ¡®M. D!¡¯ was chanted over and over. Now only a distant memory thatid in between the walls and me.


    ¡°Demon!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me ¡®demon¡¯.¡± Xavier rolled his eyes but stood anyway when I got inside of the room. ¡°The number of fighters are getting less and less every week here, what the hell is going on?¡± I asked. This wasn¡¯t the first time we were having a conversation simr to this. He was probably tired of it too judging from his sigh.


    ¡°I told you, we can either hire strippers,-¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re a bar, not a cabaret, Xavier, I said no to that.¡±


    ¡°Well, then I have to remind you after what happened people haven¡¯t been interested in getting involved anymore. The fighter they supported the most is gone, of course, everyone left! Demon we need you-!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Demon. And why can¡¯t it be you? People love you too!¡±


    ¡°Of course. Who doesn¡¯t?¡± He smirked and winked at Jessica who stood silently behind us, making her smile and ease slightly. ¡°But I could go out there, win, people woulde in again temporarily, see there¡¯s no one to match me and I¡¯d be the same as what¡¯s-his-fuck-face and they¡¯d leave again!¡± He said, raising his voice a bit, walking towards me until we were face-to-face but, like always, he failed to intimidate me. His eyes looked daring though. He was going to say something he knew I didn¡¯t like but before I could let him say it, I diverted the topic to something else I remembered I came here to talk to him about.


    ¡°Why did you tell ke we fucked?¡±


    His smirk turned into a devilish grin. He lifted a hand and rubbed a finger against my jaw, holding my chin before having his facee dangerously close to mine, ¡°It¡¯s a nice thought, isn¡¯t it? Something I¡¯m sure many people have wanted from us. Even if there isn¡¯t a crowd, I could please you at least.¡±


    I took a strong step back, took a hold of the hand that had been on my face in a tight grip and in a swift motion twisted it into a kimura. I knocked his knees down after that, having his whole body kneel in front of me. ¡°I guess we¡¯re both not very good crowd-pleasers,¡± I say, trying to control my voice to be as monotone as possible despite feeling disrespected and used. ¡°What n are you stirring up this time?¡± I asked ncing back at Jessica who stood agape. I didn¡¯t want to do this in front of anyone anymore but he forces it out of me.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Xavier didn¡¯t answer my question straight away and instead, he went to trip me up but I saw iting and jumped over his leg. He seemed to have predicted that though and quickly went in for a second kick to my stomach. It made contact and had me let go of him and fall into his desk. Instinctively I got up and ran if for a punch, he blocked it but my second one came in faster and stronger and hit the side of his jaw.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! That¡¯s what I¡¯m looking for! Fight!¡± He shouted and swung, aiming for my side which I blocked but was hit on the other. ¡°I know you still train every fucking day! You have the strength to beat him!¡± I spun and kicked, it made contact but he didn¡¯t fall.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t!¡± I argued and swung again for another punch but he caught it in his fist.


    ¡°You can!¡±


    I swung with my other hand but he caught that one in his other fist as well. ¡°You saw what happenedst time! I¡¯m not going through that humiliation again!¡±


    ¡°But if we just had the Mysterious Demon-¡±


    ¡°THE MYSTERIOUS DEMON IS DEAD!¡±


    I dropped my head. Silence.


    The only thing that could be heard was my shaky pants as my fists were still in Xavier¡¯s hands. There was no reaction at first. I cursed myself for saying what I did in front of Jessica, it was supposed to just be a rumour that would eventually go away with time but now the embarrassment was there for the world to see once again.


    I then felt Xavier¡¯s hands squeezing my fists. I thought he was going to say something but instead,


    ¡°Dominic?¡±


    My eyes widened and I turned, almost afraid of who it was even though I recognised his voice instantly.


    ¡°Nick¡­¡± I mumbled, unsure of what to say, what I was going to tell him. I felt Xavier leaning closer to my ear but this time it was to say,


    ¡°I told you I wouldn¡¯t let you keep it a secret.¡±


    Before letting go of my hands and walking out of the room, motioning Jessica to follow him which she did after giving asting look at Nicks.


    ¡°Did I just hear you say¡­?¡± He started, expecting a reply from me to finish but I just looked down, shutting my eyes tightly. ¡°Dominic!¡± He shouted. It would have made me flinch if I wasn¡¯t immune to it from Xavier already. My mind distracted itself with how much more Nick had be a sort of darkened demeanour than a childish one like he used to be to keep me from answering him.


    He seemed to get impatient with me though, walking up to me before putting a hand on my shoulder. It might have looked like aforting action to anyone who was looking at it from the outside but the way he gripped at me was deadly, and his eyes, they looked down at me with disappointment.


    The look that¡¯s scarred me.

 Chapter 74 Reveal

    -Dominic-


    ¡°What the fuck did you mean by ¡®The Mysterious Demon is dead¡¯?¡±


    His voice. It was so devoid of any emotion yet stern that it was as if if I said anything that could push it-, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything-¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T FUCK WITH ME DOMINIC!¡±


    He would snap.


    I was looking right into his eyes, eyes that held the look of a tiger. It was searching for something to satisfy its angry hunger. It was that look that made my body straighten up, shoulders back and I held my head higher. Whatever I may be, I am not prey. I did not fear anyone. I had too much pride.


    He seemed to notice this as well.


    He detached his hand from my shoulder and his eyes softened down. It was no longer sharp and instead held guilt but that also wasn¡¯t the emotion I wanted from him.


    ¡°I quit street fighting, Nick,¡± I stated, my voice sturdy. I refused to be weak in front of yet another person.


    He seemed taken back, confusion written all over his face. ¡°But how? Why? You used to refuse giving up street fighting no matter what. It was your life! It meant everything to you!¡± I sucked in a breath because¡­ he was right. He was right and that hurt the most. ¡°Are you really okay with that?¡± He then asked after a pause, he seemed to be in disbelief, his voice made it so clear.


    I looked up at the ceiling, lights being too bright so I closed my eyes but that just made me focus on the pain even more. I didn¡¯t want to admit it but I also didn¡¯t want to lie to my brother. It will make things harder but I had to say, ¡°No.¡± It was whispered but that had been enough.


    I could hear him stepping forward towards me but I decided that whatever he¡¯d hit me with, I¡¯d deserve it. The trouble I put him in back then, my stubbornness and the fact that I kept it from him and had nned to keep this from him for longer. I felt him grab a hold of my shirt¡¯s cor so I tensed slightly to get ready for any impact but instead I was pulled into his chest aggressively.


    ¡°I told myself I¡¯d never hurt my sister ever again.¡± I heard him whisper and those words, his hug, were what made all my muscles instantly soften.


    ¡°Nick..¡±


    My voice wavered but I knew that I had to tell him. I had to tell him what happened.


    ¡ª


    It was three years ago, three years after I was released from prison and I was fighting in the bar, habits unchanged. Xavier had retired already, tired of fighting and holding the bar¡¯s financial status on his back while I wasn¡¯t there, tired in general.


    I was back on my stage, going as strong as I ever was. People were loving their Queen and even though opponents were strong, I would always get up again. I would always be able to fight and win.


    That was until he arrived. He had named himself  ¡®King¡¯. Obviously in an attempt to gain attention and challenge me. I don¡¯t know where he came from but apparently, he had beaten the other top-five fighters and was after my title as the first.


    It was the face-offs when we were finally able to fight each other. After months of hearing about the guy, I was genuinely excited for the fight so I made sure I got to the finals and so did he. The crowd was just as or perhaps even more excited at this pairing. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t be? The title of this fight was ¡®The Queen vs The King¡¯. A fight that was going to be written in history forever.


    He was the worst type of person though. He looked at me with his arrogant grin. He insulted me to all extents. ¡°You¡¯re probably going to be my least favourite opponent just because I¡¯ve seen guys better looking.¡± ¡°Are you sure they don¡¯t just let you win?¡± ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t cry when your face is under my foot.¡± ¡°Bet you suck the cock of this ce¡¯s owner just to be here.¡±


    It would make my blood boil but I kept calm, calctive. I¡¯d fight as I always did. I¡¯d wait for his first move, I¡¯d block and hold him in a position that allowed me to get the advantage, twist his arm. I¡¯d punch him or kick him repeatedly, flip him and carry on. I¡¯d go on until he freed himself but that¡¯s when things would suddenly turn in a different direction.


    He had techniques, holds, that I had never seen before. I¡¯d get held down, beat up. However, if that were the only thing then maybe I¡¯d still be optimistic. No. I didn¡¯t know how he did it, what tool he was using but there were times in between the fight where I¡¯d get shed. Sliced at. They weren¡¯t huge cuts but I would bleed nheless. My waist, where my hoodie had covered my body the most was where he targetted.


    It was the distraction of it that kept me down. The more I stayed down, the more I¡¯d get beat up and it wasn¡¯t as if he was physically weak either. He was just as huge as Xavier was, possibly a little bigger and he was as fast as me. His punch partially dislocated my jaw. Multiple ribs were broken.


    I remember as Iid there in the middle of the ring near the end, in a position I had never been so entrapped in. I was punched in the face and it was as if the whole crowd could feel it because they quietened down instantly.


    I was punched a second time. The room had never been so silent with so many people there.


    A third came down and that was when I heard a final crack but it was nothing internal.


    It was my mask that was broken. My identity was exposed.


    Thementator didn¡¯t even have to say a word but everyone knew,


    I was defeated.


    The King raised from above me, grabbing my broken mask. I had tried to reach for it but he stepped on my arm, stopping me from doing so and fracturing my forearm.


    He lifted the mask in the air and with the loudest voice he could possibly conjure he shouted,


    ¡°I HAVE KILLED YOUR FUCKING QUEEN! YOU WILL BOW DOWN TO ME FROM NOW ON! I AM YOUR KING. UNDERSTAND YOU FUCKERS?!¡± He then spat down at my face before continuing, ¡°TRY CHALLENGING ME AND I¡¯LL FUCK YOU UNTIL YOU CRY LIKE A FUCKING GIRL!¡±


    The anger I had. The pain. The humiliation.


    Apparently, Xavier who had been watching the whole thing by my corner and was also in shock with the rest of the crowd had snapped out of it after thatment. He climbed up on stage with a type of rage that no one had ever seen before and marched up to him. I heard he punched him so hard that he spun andnded against the opposite side of the ring, he had grabbed my broken mask out of his hand as it happened too. It caused the whole crowd toe to their senses again but watched in horror as the Kingughed as he moaned in pain.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t have I fought you? You had to go on an retire, leaving me with a skunk like her.¡± He had said in between his maniacalughs but there was no reply to it. Xavier hadn¡¯te up there to fight him, it was to help me out of there because by then,


    I had passed out.


    Thest thing I saw was the ceiling.


    People had lost thousands that night. Bets which were on me had lost and I had therger majority. I tried avoiding people as I left, battered, bruised, in bandages, but it was near impossible even though days had passed. Everyone knew my face. They looked at me with nothing but disappointment.


    Everywhere I went.


    Disappointment.


    The people that loved me could no longer look at me with anything other than that.


    News spread around the world:


    ¡®The Mysterious Demon is dead.¡¯


    After that night the number of people who would show up only got less and less. The fighters were bullied by the King who used them as ves outside of the ring and was beat into bloody pulps inside of the ring, disrespected, so no one would want to stay around. The crowd wasn¡¯t a fan of his personality either. They didn¡¯t even want to watch him fight anymore.


    Six months after the fight the owner of the bar called me up. It wasn¡¯t to fight. He was telling me that he was giving up the bar. The business was doing so badly, he couldn¡¯t go on so he was leaving it. He said that if I wanted it, it was mine.


    I had helped him, my favourite subject being business studies allowed me to get a word or two into the business back when I was still in high school so he thought it was best he handed it over to me, someone he trusted despite what had happened and it being my fault that he was in this position.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    I didn¡¯t want to show my face anymore but I also knew that I couldn¡¯t go on doing nothing. I had to pay him back somehow. So I epted.


    With what I was able to do, I expanded the brand. We made our own drinks, held different events. I was able to open multiple more bars across the state, I spent days, weeks away from home. But I think it was obvious that it was because I was avoiding him. He who made the original bar his hangout spot.


    We argued a lot. The arguments mostly to do with how he¡¯s treating everyone, how he needed to pack up and leave, how he¡¯s fucking everything up all the time. I¡¯d usually be able to stand my ground against him. The whole bar would turn to stare at us as we argued as if it was a fight even though we would never scream, we¡¯d raise our voices but only near the end when he would lose patience and start getting angrier at me. He¡¯d keep pushing at me until he used that night against me. Striking at my weakness.


    I¡¯d look around and once again people would look at me with disappointment.


    So I avoided him, trying to get people to forget my face. Of course, though, that was never entirely possible.


    Being unable to fight broke me day by day.


    When my brother and the rest of the guys were released, I had hoped that I could gain some normality again. I could go back to the days of ourst year of high school. I could be happy again but-


    I continue to break hour by hour,


    Constantly reminded that I am a failure.

 Chapter 75 King

    -Dominic-


    ¡°Oi Dead Corpse! Grab me a drink!¡±


    Nick and I had just walked out into the main room of the bar and my ears instantly pricked at the voice who I knew directed thosemands to me.


    Both Nick and I turned to see it was him. King. Sitting there with his feet up on a table staring right at me, a challenging smirk on his face, knowing he had gotten my attention and a good few of the rest of the people in here.


    ¡°That him?¡± Nick asked quietly from next to me and I nodded. His muscles instantly tensed but all he did was put a firm arm around my shoulders and kept me in ce. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, Dominic, ignore him.¡± He tried convincing me but my eyes hadn¡¯t left him yet. They couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t just ignore him because,


    ¡°He¡¯s asking for a fight.¡± And I never back down. He may have beaten me but I¡¯m not weak. I needed everyone to see that. So, I took Nick¡¯s arm off of my shoulder and walked right up to him. King¡¯s smirk widened into a grin when he saw this action. He was going to say something but before he did, I quickly lifted a leg and kicked his legs off of my table without a seconds hesitation. It caused him to lose his bnce on his leaned back chair and fall over. He growled when looking up at me.


    Served him right.


    He seemed to see my amused look and shot up right away, standing dangerously close to my face with an ugly look on his own. ¡°You bitch.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, rules say vermin are to be terminated, I was hoping a little kick would do the trick,¡± I replied, holding my ground despite having to look up at him. It pissed him off nheless. There was no anger in my tone and that annoyed him the most. He wanted to get under my skin.


    ¡°The only vermin I see is what¡¯s left of you.¡± He started and I put my hands in my pockets as I listened. ¡°Aren¡¯t you embarrassed to show your face here? You¡¯re nothing but dead to all the people who once loved you.¡± I ignored the pain in my chest and instead let out augh.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to be dead to those that once loved me rather than not be loved at all.¡± I retorted and for the first time, this seemed to tick him off more than usual. He put his fist up in the air, ready to strike. I knew I could have blocked this punch but a part of me wanted him to hit just so it would start a fight. I was deprived and this was a good excuse.


    His fist starteding down but just before it made contact, it was stopped mid-air. I looked to see that on my right Nick stood holding his shoulder back, behind me, Xavier stood looking down at him with a ir and on my left stood ke, holding his wrist, stopping the punch from hitting me.


    King looked around at the guys, a hint of fear running through his eyes before he covered it with annoyance and roughly pulled himself away from ke and Nick. ¡°Hah,¡± heughed sarcastically, ¡°Got yourself some bodyguards because you knew you couldn¡¯t beat me. You¡¯re so sad.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xavier carries on casually, ¡°We stopped her from killing you.¡± King scoffed at this and picked up his bag before heading down to the street fighter¡¯s area, probably hoping for a fight to cool him down.


    ¡°Thanks, guys,¡± I say, turning around to face them all who was grinning down at me. I then looked at ke with a half-amused, half confused face, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked and he shrugged,


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but give my own grin back. These guys instantly making me a lot happier than I was before. I gave ke a side hug and with his arm around mine, Xavier led us to his office where we decided to chill while also supervising the fights.


    At one point Xavier for some reason decided he wanted to have a friendly spar against ke, saying something about being curious about his strength. Unconsciously, I assessed both of them, their stances, their weak points, their positions. Xavier clearly had the upper hand but it seemed he was more out of shape than he used to be, it almost made me cringe.


    I stood up and walked in the middle of their spar, catching ke¡¯s shin as he tried kicking Xavier and jabbing in between Xavier¡¯s ribs and elbowing his chin up when he reacted to it. ¡°You guys are painful to watch. B, your kick isn¡¯t strong enough to give you an edge, he¡¯d block and counter quicker than you¡¯d be able to hit him. Work on it. Xavier, your posture¡¯s worse than your grandma¡¯s. Why the hell are you bent so low?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault your boyfriend¡¯s so short, and leave my grandma out of this.¡± Weughed at hisment before I told them to go at me again which Xavier did with no hesitation and ke followed after. Xavier swung a fist to my side which I blocked with my forearm and moved forward to then have to block ke¡¯s second kick which was a lot harder than his first but I was still able to catch. I pushed ke¡¯s leg behind me and at the same time kicked Xavier¡¯s leg from under him causing them both to fall together.


    I smirked at the both of them under me only to suddenly fall myself when Nick knocks the back of my knees at the same time. ¡°That was so low,¡± I sayughing beforeying with my back against the floor, cherishing this moment.


    ¡°You know, Demon, I wasn¡¯t kidding when I told that bastard that we stopped you from killing him,¡± Xavier suddenly says causing me to sigh and sit up, reaching for a Monster out of the minifridge next to me. So much for the moment.


    I was about to tell him to drop the subject when ke suddenly says, ¡°She knows that, she just doesn¡¯t want you feeling bad because your student¡¯s better than you,¡± which causes me to spit out my drink and burst outughing,


    ¡°ke, I love you!¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡ª


    It was around 4 am when we decided to go home that night. ke ended up getting a text from Jake saying he needed him at their apartment so I¡¯d see him some other time and I went home alone.


    I changed clothes and was about to go work out when my inte rang. I was confused because I wasn¡¯t expecting anyone and it was way too early for anyone to be awake so I put on a hoodie on top of my work out bra and went to open the door.


    ¡°Zack?¡±


    Zack was at my doorstep, drenched in rain, in his own dark hoodie. ¡°Hi, Dominic,¡± His voice was very sombre and he usually called me ¡®Demonic¡¯ so this was pretty off and concerning.


    ¡°Nick and Bake aren¡¯t here, they headed home from the bar,¡± I informed him, thinking maybe he was here looking for them.


    ¡°Yeah no, I know,¡± he sighed, running a hand through his hair, ¡°can Ie in?¡± he asked earnestly.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I opened the door for him and let him in before grabbing him a towel to dry off and something warm to drink.


    He thanked me before sighing again. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked curiously and worry especially getting the best of me.


    ¡°I just-¡± he paused, shaking his leg anxiously whilst biting his lip as if trying to keep himself together, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m such a failure!¡± My eyes widened at his outburst but continued to listen anyway. ¡°All I¡¯ve done all my life is drink and party and haven¡¯t taken life seriously, knowing that I¡¯ll fuck myself up but decided to fuck it and live how I wanted at that moment for my own self-satisfaction. I hoped that I wouldn¡¯t live long enough to have to decide what to do or go through shit like this and yet here I am, unable to do anything!¡± At this point, he started breaking down but tried hard to wipe away any tears that fell. ¡°I continue to be happy, you know? Because my act is all I have left but I¡¯m breaking! And I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    He looked at me with a mix of pain and hope, ¡°you¡¯re sessful, and I didn¡¯t want to disappoint Nick so I thought I coulde to you for help,¡± but then his eyes darkened, ¡°I understand if you can¡¯t though,¡±


    I was more than willing to do whatever was in my power, but listening to him made me realise something and that was that the fear of failure was something I didn¡¯t face alone.


    I put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, a genuine smileying on my face which seemed to rx him a little.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a failure, and I¡¯ll prove it to you.¡±

 Chapter 76 Family

    -Dominic-


    ¡°You did well today, I¡¯ll see you next week,¡± I walked one of my trainees out of my gym room, he paid me by the front door and we parted ways.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Ever since I got out of jail, getting a normal job wasn¡¯t easy. The gym wouldn¡¯t let me work there anymore and so I learnt a new way to get cash on the side. Private training. I advertised it to my old trainees and unsurprisingly they all sighed up. I was what made them what they are, the strongest, so it was expected they would want my teaching to continue. They paid well and it distracted me from my nothingness that surfaced during my free time.


    After I showered and dressed, walking into my office room to start getting on with some work, I got a phone call. It was from Nick.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Dominic! Have you seen Zack?!¡± His voice was worried and frantic, shouting as if he was running out of time but also really tired.


    ¡°Zack?¡± I asked as I walked out of my office calmly and walking towards another room.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s been missing all night! I¡¯ve called everyone but no one¡¯s seen or heard from him and he won¡¯t answer his fucking phone!¡±


    I knocked on the door to the room but didn¡¯t get a reply so I slowly opened it and peeked inside only to get myself a sight that made me smile. Zack, although it was now almost midday, was fast asleep, snoring in the guest room with a pile of my books spread around him. I went over to his phone to see is was on aerone mode which when I turned off, revealed a hundred missed calls and hundreds of unread texts making me chuckle slightly.


    ¡°Dominic?!¡± I heard Nick shout from the phone which made me realise that I had been ignoring him identally. I quickly left the room before answering him.


    ¡°Nick, calm your ass down!¡± I whisper yelled as I walked away. ¡°He¡¯s been at my house all night,¡± I reply


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me to calm down! I- Wait he¡¯s at yours?¡± he asks with apletely different tone which makes me roll my eyes at him.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°THANK FUCK!¡± I then hear him yell to people on the other side, ¡°He¡¯s at Dominic¡¯s!¡± This started a bunch of chatter that I decided was unimportant so I hung up, expecting that they¡¯ll probablye over soon to check on Zack.


    ¡ª


    It seems that they were prepared toe over faster than I had initially thought. Less than an hour passed when they were at my front door and after letting them in they marched in as if imitating children ying soldiers towards my guest rooms. They barged into every one until-


    ¡°AHHHHH!¡± I heard a male scream who I assumed came from Zack himself. My guess was right considering only secondster did theye down, carrying a struggling Zack by his arms and legs. I followedughing as they went towards my garden and to my pool. ¡°Guys,e on-¡± Zack tried protesting when he realised what they were going to do. ¡°GUYS! DOMINIC HELP ME-!¡± but before anyone could move he was thrown into the pool,nding with a huge ssh.


    In between ourughs I asked they guys, ¡°you don¡¯t think you went a little rough on the guy?¡± To which ke came up to me, grabbing my waist and nting a kiss before answering me,


    ¡°None of us has been able to sleep because Nick wouldn¡¯t let us rest until we found him, I¡¯m pretty sure he deserves it,¡± He says in a tired voice.


    After that Jake then suddenlyes up from behind me and jumps up and down, using my shoulders as support, ¡°Sweetheart! I want tea tea teaaaaa!¡± He exims before running into the house, leaving me there shaking my head in disbelief.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look as if he¡¯s stayed up all night,¡±


    ¡°Oh, his energy will deplete soon, give it another hour,¡± Jason says walking passed me, making me sighughing a little. ke followed Jason in and I turned to thest two remaining.


    Nick was helping Zack out of the pool but ended in the both of them falling in the water and fighting it out. I guess guys will be guys. I grabbed two towels before walking up to the two who were finally calmed down and getting out, clothes fully soaked. Iughed at the two and threw the towels at them whichnded on their faces, causing Nick to lose his bnce and Zack took that opportunity to trip him and have him fall t on the ground.


    ¡°Zack!¡± He yelled but Zack was already running away and into the house at top speeds. Nick was about to chase him but I decided I didn¡¯t want my house to be a y area so I grabbed his shoulder, slowing him down.


    ¡°Woah there tiger, that¡¯s enough now,¡± I say and he sighs, shaking his head. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you contact me earlier?¡± I asked and he stopped for a second, putting on a thinking face.


    He hummed before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, ¡°I guess I forgot. I didn¡¯t expect him toe to you at all.¡± Yeah, I guess that made the both of us, but I¡¯m d he did.


    ¡°Well anyway, lunch is almost ready, youing in?¡± I asked, already on my way inside.


    ¡°In a second, I have to call the guys in London, I¡¯ll be right there,¡±


    I nodded back to him and continued in. I finished off making lunch, made tea for Jake and me since it was our thing, the rest wanting water or juice. We were about to sit down and eat, when the guys decided to question Zack, asking him what he was doing here. Zack nced at me before nervously saying,


    ¡°Dominic¡¯s teaching me business!¡± This seemed to surprise the guys but I casually started eating, ignoring their chatter.


    ¡°You came all the way here in the middle of the night to be tutored?¡± Jason asked and I could tell Zack was breaking under the pressure a little so I stepped in.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯d be surprised what time the best ideas are formed.¡± The guys seemed to ept this and Zack¡¯s body physically rxed after that, mouthing a ¡®thank you¡¯ at me to which I nodded to. The rest started eating as well until someone asked if we should get Nick since he still wasn¡¯t back. I volunteered to go get him but when I stood, Nick suddenly burst in.


    His hands were shaking. He tried leaning against the wall but his knees gave in and he copsed which made me run up to him. ¡°Nick? Nick are you okay?!¡± I asked but for a second he didn¡¯t answer me, his eyes wide and staring at the floor. The rest of the guys got up too, gathering around, checking if he was okay only for him to finally tell us,


    ¡°They betrayed us.¡±

 Chapter 77 Betrayal

    -Dominic-


    ¡°They betrayed us.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have to say anymore. I nced around at the guys who seemed to get the message as well. We understood right away. There was only one thing that could cause a gang leader to react the way he did.


    His gang is working against him.


    It took a few minutes for us to be able to help Nick up and into the living room where we¡¯d be able to talk properly.


    ¡°Is it London?¡± Jason was the first to ask, breaking our silence.


    Nick shook his head negatively. ¡°They told me that after we were caught, Florida decided to work independently. After gaining enough influence and money they started convincing other departments to work with them rather than wait for me. The only groups we have left is London, Sydney and Ottawa.¡±


    ¡°Only three?!¡± Jake eximed which made us look at him, quickly making him say, ¡°Sorry¡±.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t apologise, that¡¯s crazy! What the hell? We had 11 locations and you¡¯re telling me 7 went against us!?¡± Zack got up and eximed.


    ¡°8, actually,¡± Jason corrected. Making Zack kiss his teeth and sit back down.


    ¡°What¡¯s London done about it so far?¡± I then asked with a lower tone which quietened the guys and Nick sighed, gliding his hand through his hair.


    ¡°For the most part, following procedures. But they also told me that they¡¯ve secretly started stocking up on weapons and defensive equipment just in case. They¡¯re waiting for mymand on what to do next.¡±


    ¡°And what are you going to do next?¡± I asked, crossing my leg over the other and leaning back. As much as this question was on all of our minds, there was also something else I wanted to know through his answer to it. Testing him a little.


    He seemed to be able to feel what I was trying to do but couldn¡¯t understand it. He sat looking as if he was struggling but getting up and walking away and back into the garden. Zack tried following him but I raised a hand slightly and told him to give Nick some time. Plus, if anyone needed to talk to him, it should probably be me.


    I let him stand out there for half an hour alone before I came out there with two sses of coffee. He was too distracted with his thoughts to notice meing up from behind him so I raised my leg and gently kicked his back, causing him to stumble and curse but not fallpletely.


    ¡°God damn it, you training your legs recently?¡± He asked, trying to rub the area but after failing to reach properly he gave up.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I answered him, handing him his cup which he took with a quiet thanks. ¡°You know why they betrayed you?¡± I asked which caught his attention. He thought for a moment before replying ¡®no¡¯. ¡°They don¡¯t trust in your leadership,¡± I stated which made his eyes go wide in both shock and confusion which I guess he had the right to feel.


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯ve been doing this for years!¡±


    ¡°When I asked you what you were going to do next, you hesitated,¡± I said and he looked at me intently, waiting for where I was going with this. ¡°A gang leader would have told me that he was going to show them why he was the leader, would have gone to get his men back. We¡¯re a family,¡± I pulled back my hair and showed him my tattoo, ¡°Aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Nick quietly lifted his hand towards his neck where his own tattoo was, thinking over my words.


    I sighed before carrying on. ¡°You told me before about how you were considering giving this all up. If there was time to announce it, it would be now.¡± For some reason, after I said this he tensed his jaw as if he didn¡¯t want to ept it. It wasn¡¯t something I was happy about saying either but this was his reality. He¡¯s gone to prison for this, served his time. He can either let his past gopletely, or fight for a stronger future.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to just give the gang to those who went behind my back! I¡¯m the leader for fucks sake! They should respect me for putting them together in the first ce!¡± Nick then eximed angrily. I seemed to have sparked something in him.


    ¡°You got the gang together when you were 17 and controlled them for a few years, what part of that makes you a gang leader? It was a children¡¯s ygroup.¡± I carried on, hoping. Hoping for something.


    He turned his face to me, fast, triggered by my words. ¡°We owned the biggest drug cartel in the whole world!¡±


    ¡°Your strength was in numbers! Not leadership!¡±


    ¡°I was what built this family! They respect me!¡±


    ¡°Clearly, the majority never did! They can work without you!¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Dominic!¡± He shouted, his cup long dropped on the floor, fist now inches away from my face but he held back strongly. It was more for intimidation than it was to hurt me. Too bad I didn¡¯t get intimidated. I grabbed his fist with one hand and drove my own into his stomach. He groaned in pain but my hand holding his fist stopped him from fallingpletely.


    I let go of his hand and sat down. He saw this and decided to sit down next to me.


    ¡°In these past few years, I¡¯vee to find out what it means to lead people. It¡¯s more than just a title. You have to work at it consistently, be able to constantly prove it to those working under you.¡± I said, now with a calmer and lower voice. He seemed to have calmed down as well.


    ¡°You really think I should quit?¡± He asked I turned to look at him with a sympathetic face.


    ¡°I want you to do whatever will make you happy and do it right.¡± He didn¡¯t reply for a couple of seconds after that, trying to decide what exactly he wanted to do.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to call them,¡± He stated.


    ¡°Call who?¡± I asked but already had an idea.


    As he took out his phone he answered, ¡°Florida.¡±


    There was no hesitation in his next actions which I liked to see. He got up their number and called them straight away. It took a few rings but they finally answered.


    ¡°¡­ Nick?¡± It sounded like a man on the other side.


    ¡°I heard there¡¯s been work going on that I didn¡¯t know about Liam.¡± Getting straight to the point, Nick¡¯s voice was now stern and he finally started sounding like a leader.


    ¡°Hah, I guess there¡¯s no point in trying to pretend, you were going to find out one way or another.¡± Nick clenched his first but then rxed and let the guy carry on, ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve started working without you. The Skulls and Bones are changing¡­ under me.¡±


    ¡°What was the problem, Liam? What made you want to go rogue?¡± Nick asked. I could see him try so hard to contain his anger.


    ¡°What was the problem? Everything about you was the fucking problem! You¡¯re a fucking phsycho with an anger problem! You want problems with people just to have a fucking problem! You know what? You son of a bitch, you¡¯re the only god damn problem in this fucking universe!¡±


    Nick went silent for a second but I couldn¡¯t let these things get to him. I put a hand on his shoulder and when he looked in my direction, I gave him a positive nod, telling him that he had to keep strong.


    ¡°I guess the only thing I have to thank you for-¡± Liam started again, probably thinking he has the higher stance since Nick hadn¡¯t said anything in retaliation yet, ¡°Is giving me a fucking family. But from now on I¡¯m going to control this family without your bitch ass.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± Nick finally speak up but when I look at him, his face doesn¡¯t hold anger or sadness, he¡¯s smirking.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready for war.¡±

 Chapter 78 Kids

    -ke-


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired¡­¡± Jake started nodding off andnded his head on my shoulder but then it grew heavy, eventually sliding off and onto the sofa we were sitting on.


    ¡°Jake¡¯s gone,¡± I announce but the room stayed quiet. It was too tense to make fun of the situation.


    We had just heard muffles of Dominic and Nick arguing through the ss of her garden. Unsure of what to do but Dominic ordered Jason, Zack and I to stay in the room so that¡¯s what we did. To say we were shocked about the news was an understatement. I thought this family was one that we could depend on, one that wouldst. Yet, it seems I¡¯ll be losing another family again.


    I looked back at Jake, trying to remember the little of the memories I had of our parents, our time together, happy. We were 15 but our parents were always busy trying to make ends meet at home. Regardless, we were happy and trying. They ended up dying because they were too desperate for money, spoke to the wrong people, did the wrong thing and now they¡¯re gone.


    I¡¯ve always wondered if I had kids, would I be a good father? Would I be able to support and carry them? Would our family be happy?


    Both Nick and Dominic came into the room after that thought and my heart felt as if it skipped a beat when seeing her. Would¡­ would we make good parents?


    ¡°I spoke to Florida,¡± Nick started, which pulled me out of my fantasy and made me realise that the chance of us having a family- ¡°There¡¯s nothing to negotiate, we¡¯ll be fighting the rest of our gang.¡± -is close to zero.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a fight I¡¯ll force you to take part in. They¡¯re our family, our friends, we¡¯ve known them for years but as a leader, I can¡¯t just sit around and let this happen, I¡¯m sorry. ¡±


    I¡¯m sure all of us were surprised at him saying this. It was¡­ new. He never apologised yet despite it, it made him seem stronger. Dominic who was leaning back against the door frame with her arms crossed against her chest was the first to speak up.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let my brother get killed alone, I¡¯m not really in for the guilt-filled life. I¡¯ll fight with you.¡±


    It made me smile and so I decided to speak up next and reassure him, ¡°I¡¯ll have your back as well.¡± He took Jake and me in when we had nowhere else to go and no motivation, I wasn¡¯t going to bail on him now. ¡°I speak for Jake as well,¡± I then add, picking up Jake¡¯s hand and waving it, knowing that he¡¯s a deep sleeper and won¡¯t be getting up. This made Nick smile gratefully which was calming.


    Zack then got up and walked around Nick before mming both hands on his shoulders, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re my brother too! Just say the word and I¡¯ll fight whoever you need me to fight!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll all fight when you need us to fight, boss,¡± Jason carried on and a grin spread on all of our faces before Jake let out a loud snore, making us all burst out inughter.


    We talked a bit more after that on what was going to happen from now on. Nick exined that it won¡¯t be heavy for a while so we could rx while he got in touch with the other groups and how they¡¯ll be involved. He decided to go home after that, saying that he wouldn¡¯t be able to n whist being this tired. Jason followed suit and Zack said that he needed to go home too, asking Dominic if he could take some books home to which she agreed.


    ¡°You not going too?¡± Dominic asked, standing next to me as we waved them goodbye.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not as tired and I want to spend some time with you,¡± I answered as we closed the door. ¡°You think he¡¯s going to be okay?¡±


    She smiled at my question, a sense of pride radiating off of her. ¡°I know he will be.¡±


    After that, we sat by the TV for a bit, talking about things that didn¡¯t matter until I decided to bring something up, ¡°Nick told us what happened,¡± she tensed under my arms and didn¡¯t say anything in reply. I had a hand on her thigh and gently rubbed it with my thumb, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there.¡± Another silence.


    She then put her head on my shoulder, still silent until I felt something wet. I let out a little relieved sigh when she started leaning into me more, letting out what she was feeling, ¡°I had wanted to talk to you about it for so long.¡± Her voice broke in between it. ¡°It was suffocating, all alone.¡±


    My heart broke for her. I can¡¯t imagine how hard it must have been. I kissed her head and wrapped my arms around her. ¡°You¡¯re not alone anymore. You can always lean on me. I¡¯m here, remember?¡± I said and she snuggled into me, calming her breath with a little smile. A smile I¡¯d hoped to protect for as long as I lived.


    Suddenly, her phone started ringing, breaking us away. ¡°It¡¯s Arthur,¡± she informs before picking up. ¡°What¡¯s up, bro?¡± I couldn¡¯t really hear what was going on on the other side of the line but I wasn¡¯t worried about it. ¡°I refuse,¡± she said and quickly followed with, ¡°You can¡¯t just do that-¡±


    The doorbell then rang which made us both get up to answer it. On the other side stood Arthur and behind him, William was sat in the driver¡¯s side of a car.


    ¡°Love you, sis,¡± He kissed Dominic¡¯s forehead and rushed off before Dominic even got the chance to say anything. After they had gone, I turned and looked at what Arthur had handed Dominic in the hurry he was in. I was surprised to find¡­


    ¡°A baby?¡±


    Dominic sighed and looked down at the baby girl in her arms, she seemed around one year old and ethnically Asian.


    ¡°Her name is Hiyori,¡± We walked back in the house as she spoke, ¡°She¡¯s Arthur and William¡¯s daughter.¡± My eyes softened when she said this. So, they wanted a family too. ¡°They¡¯re great parents and love her dearly. I love her too but I do not love having to babysit herst minute.¡± I tried keeping in myugh but right on queue, Hiyoriughed at Dominic¡¯s anger which made me burst out withughter.


    ¡ª


    After an hour of being with the little girl, it made me start loving her too. She seemed so bright and full of energetic life. It almost reminded me of the woman during her fights who sat in front of the baby now and despite acting as if she wasn¡¯t a fan of taking care of her, the way they yed together, the way Dominic fed her and made sure she was okay all the time, I started to wonder if Dominic had ever thought about the things that I did.


    ¡°Dominic?¡±


    She hummed back in reply as she fed Hiyori.


    ¡°Have you ever thought about getting married?¡±


    ¡°With you?¡± She asked back, making my heart race.


    ¡°In general,¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I was startled by her quick response which she seemed to catch. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I think marriage is a beautiful thing. Arthur and William are the happiest I¡¯ve ever seen both of them. People, in general, live their lives looking for love,¡± she nces at me before carrying on, ¡°and marriage is a step in which one proves that their love is beyond just lust but also for life. But¡­¡± she pauses for a second, looking down at herself and her hands beforeughing. Augh I¡¯d have to call ingenuine.


    ¡°Look at me! There¡¯s no way I could be a wife, a mother. I¡¯m a fighter! And a horrific one at that.¡±


    I sat behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and tucking my head in her neck. She may not realise it but it¡¯s her being a fighter, being who she is, that makes her strong, makes me want her to be my wife and mother to my children if she so wishes.


    She¡¯s a fighter and that doesn¡¯t take anything away from who she is and who she can be.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Whispering in her ear I say, ¡°I love you.¡±

 Chapter 79 Stronger

    -ke-


    I was knocked out of my thoughts by a punch to the gut which had me bend forward and groan out in pain.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the pleasure of zoning out ke. I shouldn¡¯t even be able to get all the way to your gut that easily! Focus!¡±


    I was currently training with Xavier while Dominic was at another branch of the bar somewhere in New York City. The training session was unexpected. I randomly got a call at 7 pm telling me to get to the bar and while I got ready, all I could think about was how the hell Xavier got my number.


    When I got to the bar a fight was going on. It was King and some other unfortunate guy that I didn¡¯t recognise. More so, I wouldn¡¯t be able to recognise. His face was bloodied up to the point where none of his features could be pointed out. His arms and stomach in a simr position. How could someone even get like that through just hand to handbat?


    ¡®He cheats,¡¯ Xavier had told me when I asked him about it. He then went onto exin that a lot of fighters would say that he has some kind of de on him which he uses to gain the advantage but no one had been able to prove it which is why he¡¯s still fighting.


    Regardless, Xavier then said that he was going to train me and that¡¯s what got me to where I was now, holding my stomach which pulsed with pain as I tried catching my breath and spitting out the blood that umted in my mouth.


    ¡°You have to continuously watch all the limbs of your opponent, see where their hold is open, see where they¡¯re the most defensive. You have to be able to predict where they¡¯re going to strike from their posture alone.¡± He instructed, bouncing on the spot, his adrenaline seemed to be running at high speeds now.


    ¡°How does Dominic think about all this at the same time?¡± I mumbled but he seemed to hear it anyway.


    He stopped jumping around and stood up tall which made me rx a bit too. ¡°Demon is another situation. When she fights, she doesn¡¯t think at all.¡± He grinned up at the ceiling in pride. Doesn¡¯t think? ¡°Her mind goespletely nk when she fights. She doesn¡¯t strategize and lets her muscle memory and instinct take control.¡± He then blinked and looked at me with a serious look, ¡°Something you cannot do.¡±


    He then quickly bent down low and swung again, hitting my jaw. ¡°Fuck,¡± I cursed and stumbled back whilst holding a weak stance.


    ¡°Still not focused,¡± he then walked away and threw me water from the minifridge, ¡°Here,¡± I caught it and the cold felt nice against my skin. ¡°I know you¡¯re fond of your gun so I won¡¯t ask you to quit it, but I am going to make you stronger. You can¡¯t be a man if you don¡¯t know how to use your fists when you need to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I was capable enough before¡­¡± I started but then sighed, ¡°Fine, but only because I want to protect Dominic too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I need.¡± He said before letting a devilish smirk take ce on his face.


    ¡ª


    We had gone at it for around 2 hours. From ab training, weights, sparing, he had been testing as much as he could in this short period of time and I couldn¡¯t help but feel like this was only the trial. It reminded me of the one day we had gone to Dominic¡¯s gym ss except my body convinced me that that was still rougher than this. Xavier at least was fair with how much he¡¯d push me, would give regr breaks, he was a better instructor than I had first thought. Not that I doubted him, he was the one who taught Dominic everything she knew after all.


    Suddenly, there was banging on the door. ¡°Ignore it,¡± Xavier ordered so I didn¡¯t get up but the banging continued.


    ¡°CHAMP! I¡¯M BORED AS FUCK! COME OUT HERE AND GIVE ME A GOOD FIGHT! THESE GUYS ARE ALL PUSSIES!¡±


    It was ¡®King¡¯. Just his voice alone pissed me off but I kept my cool. ¡°Does he do this often?¡± I asked Xavier and he scoffed,


    ¡°More times than I¡¯d like to admit.¡±


    ¡°CHAMP!¡±


    We both sighed at the same time and Xavier knew he had no choice but to open the door. ¡°What the fuck do you want?¡± Xavier¡¯s tone hadpletely changed. It was extremely low and sounded like he wanted to kill the guy.


    ¡°I said-!¡± King started but then he nced my way and his eyes darkened. ¡°You¡¯re the guy from before.¡± He stated and looked back at Xavier with betrayal, ¡°You¡¯re training this weak fucker? Why give him the time of day? Fight me!¡±


    ¡°This weak fucker deserves the title ¡®King¡¯ a fuck ton more than you do mate,¡± Xavier responded which caught both King and me off guard. What did he mean by-?


    ¡°What the fuck do you mean?!¡±


    Xavier stepped forward and towered himpletely. ¡°That guy is M. D¡¯s -the Queen¡¯s- boyfriend. By default, that makes him King.¡± There was humour when he said that.


    King looked back at me with disgust but I kept myposed stance. He didn¡¯t scare me. He saw this and scoffed.


    ¡°If he can¡¯t beat me then he¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Before Xavier could reply I walked forward to the both of them. I couldn¡¯t have people defend me all the time and I definitely wasn¡¯t going to let myself be insulted by him. ¡°It isn¡¯t the situation of ¡®if¡¯, I know I can beat scum like you. But I¡¯ll let my Queen have that pleasure instead.¡±


    After that, it was obvious that his anger red. He was about toe forward and start a fight, it was weird to me but I was able to tell that he was going to swing with his left arm towards my face if he had the opportunity. That was something I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to notice before.


    However, I wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed. Xavier was faster than me and so he grabbed King¡¯s arm and gave him -as he did to me- a punch in the gut but unlike mine, you could tell that this one was much harder and he dug it in as far as humanly possibly. The impact was loud and King¡¯s yell in pain was louder. So much so that everyone in the basement turned to look in our direction. Granted there wasn¡¯t many but all eyes were turned nheless.


    I felt that although Xavier was protecting me, there was more to what he did. It was an example. He wanted me to see that this is how it should be done and more so, this is what he could have done to me if he so wished.


    ¡°Now¡­¡± he said with a lower tone again but the same couldn¡¯t be said by what he continued with, ¡°FUCK OFF!¡±


    His voice boomed and made the walls shake a little. I don¡¯t think I had ever seen him that angry before.


    King seemed to get the message this time, he grunted in annoyance and turned away, still holding and flinching at his stomach which I know will pain him for days after this one.


    Xavier closed the door calmly after that and turned to look at me. He still looked angry so I kept my guard up but his expression suddenly changed. He switched and grinning down at me.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°Well done ke, you grew the balls to threaten the strongest fighter in the world -at the moment.¡± He put a hand on my shoulder reassuringly before announcing,


    ¡°Step one isplete.¡±

 Chapter 80 Past

    -Dominic-


    ¡°Alright,¡± Nick stood up and we all turned our eyes on him. His own eyes were dark and tired. Nick hadn¡¯t been sleeping well for the past couple of days, Zack told me that when he wasst over at my house for a tutoring session. Said that he¡¯d wake up in the middle of the night and see Nick working at a desk continuously and unaware of the time. Not to mention the time zone differences between us and the other sections of the gang. I can imagine it¡¯s been really hard for him.


    However, it¡¯s time for things to start taking shape, after this, he can depend on us a bit more and we¡¯ll be able to help him. Hopefully then he¡¯ll be able to rest a bit better.


    ¡°What make¡¯s this fight different from our other one¡¯s with other gangs is that this is my own gang. They know everything about us, our facilities, our capabilities, but we also know theirs. I know we don¡¯t have numbers on our side, but fuck it! We¡¯re strong and if we¡¯re not strong enough then we¡¯re going to have to force ourselves to be! We agreed we were going to fight them so we have to forget that they are our family. They¡¯re our enemy, understood?¡±


    We all nodded silently. I could tell this wasn¡¯t easy for the other guys. They had bonded with each of these members, they had bonds that I didn¡¯t. This may have been easy for me to ept but even Nick wasn¡¯t happy with the conditions and I¡¯m not sure how he¡¯ll be affected after this either.


    Whatever the case, Nick was prepared to be in charge. He had multiple ns that he ran us through, situations, cases, risks, opportunities, expecting us to memorise and train through each in theing week whilst our equipment arrived. One of the scenarios that were pointing out to me the most was when he said that if they were targeting him, they¡¯d turn to me first. Out of all of them, this seemed the most likely.


    Everyone in the gang had known about me, I was the leader¡¯s sister, probably his biggest weakness, but what wasn¡¯t shared around was how strong I was. The only people who knew in detail of my strength was London because of the fight with The Men of Meyhem and fortunately, they were on our side.


    This went on for a while, three hours went by, possibly four with conversations from Ottawa and Sydney in between. It wasn¡¯t until we were starting to wrap up for the day and nned to get something to eat when there was angry thumping at the door.


    We all made eye contact with one another quickly and reached out for the weapons we had on hand. We hadn¡¯t expected attacks toe this early, even for them, this would be too risky but the thumping only got louder until-


    Crash


    The door was broken into.


    ¡°NICKOLAS!¡±


    I froze at that voice, I turned to the guys who seemed to have a simr reaction to mine because this wasn¡¯t one of the gang. It was,


    ¡°Arthur?¡± I asked and stepped forward to see him breathing heavily, eyes dark and looking as if he could kill. He was enraged.


    I walked closer to him but as I did, he started walking further into the house as well. I had never in my life seen him as angry as I did now and for some reason, his eyes wouldn¡¯t leave Nick¡¯s. There was only a split second when he nced at me and that was when I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to stop him and figure out what was making him so angry but instead, he replied with,


    ¡°Dominic, leave the house.¡± He ordered. His voice stern and the most serious I had ever heard it.


    ¡°Brother-¡±


    ¡°NOW!¡± He shouted before storming up to Nicks. My body reacted when I saw that, when I saw him lifting both of his arms, one to Nick¡¯s cor and the othering back in preparation to swing forward again. My body reacted.


    I grabbed ahold of the arm that wasing back and swiftly put him in an arm lock. ¡°Calm the fuck down,¡± I ordered back at him, my tone of voice low now. He looked at me properly this time, realising how serious I was.


    It was then when two other individuals ran into the house in a state of panic. It was William and Xavier. They saw I was holding him though and began to sigh in relief. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Nick asked. He and the rest of the guys seemed just as shook with this situation.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?''¡± Arthur mumbled, now facing Nick again, eyes not any calmer than they were a second ago. ¡°WHAT¡¯S GOING ON? FUCK YOU NICKOLAS!¡± Arthur then started struggling from within my grip and pushing me away from him. Xavier and William came around to help me whilst ke pulled me away and shielded me behind him.


    ¡°YOU BEAT DOMINIC UP AND BULLIED HER? YOU SICK FUCK! AND YOU¡¯RE HAVING HER WORK IN YOUR GANG? RISKING HER LIFE FOR YOU? HOW CAN YOU FUCKING LIVE WITH YOURSELF!? HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO MY SISTER!¡±


    His yells silenced the whole room, the only thing we could hear was his own breaths. He stopped trying to punch Nick now, being held back by William stopped his advance but the words seemed to hit harder. Nick¡¯s face was frozen in a state of shock, horror and fear.


    The silence only seemed to make him angrier though. ¡°DID YOU EVEN APOLOGISE TO HER? YOU SELFISH PRICK!¡± He started struggling again, both Xavier and I saw it at the same time but Xavier acted first and, ¡°Sorry Arthur,¡± quickly knocked him out before he could go in and attack again.


    Another silence.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hiyori?¡± I directed to William who slowly put Arthur down on the floor.


    ¡°She¡¯s with my mother,¡±


    ¡°How did he find out?¡±


    William sigh before shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He suddenly came into the room asking if it was true and for everything we knew. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I looked back at the gang, most of the guys seemed to have made the same spection as I had. ¡°The gang,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± ke answered him but their voices were low because Nick was still out of it, his eyes glued onto Arthur¡¯s. Suddenly he lifted his hand and held his chest, breaths getting louder and faster. He was trembling.


    ¡°It may have been the gang that let him know but his reaction was a genuine one, he¡¯s not going to just let it slide,¡± Xavier said but Nick¡¯s breath only got more unsteady.


    He was having a panic attack.


    ¡°Nick,¡± I quickly walked to him and stood in front of him, blocking his view of Arthur. I forced him to look up at me and his eyes held tears.


    In between his hard breaths, he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    ¡°Nick, it¡¯s okay, breathe with me, it¡¯s going to be okay,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m s-so sorry,¡± He started to break down.


    I turned to everyone else, ¡°step out, I need to help him,¡± most of them heeded my words, quickly leaving the apartment building. Zack seemed hesitant but when he saw me supporting him he followed the rest, trusting me despite worrying, his eyes telling me to do the best I can.


    This wasn¡¯t the time for this. I should have stopped everything quicker. I should have dealt with the situation better. I should have helped him more.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± He kept repeating and I kept telling him that it was okay but he continued anyway. After a while I got him to breathe normally again to my relief. His eyes were drooping at this point so I walked him to his room andid him down which made him go to sleep almost instantly.


    I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. This wasn¡¯t my fight but I was the cause and that made me feel different than I usually do. It¡¯s usually me in the ring but like my life, right now, I¡¯ve been pulled away and am now instead just orchestrating the event. How could one fix something like that?


    Regardless, one thing was certain: our internal war had begun.

 Chapter 81 Unit

    -ke-


    ¡°Have a break, boys. We¡¯ll start working again in 30 minutes.¡±


    Panting, I hit a wall with my back hard and slid down, legs hardly able to have me stand anymore. I had taken my shirt off over 45 minutes ago and yet my whole body was drenched in sweat as if I had a session in a sauna but that could only be a wish.


    Dominic had us have a training session.


    For two hours we were working our asses off, going on and on. I could still hear her voice shouting in my ears, ¡®AGAIN!¡¯, ¡®COME ON, UP!¡¯, ¡®YOU¡¯RE GANG MEMBERS AREN¡¯T YOU?! AGAIN!¡¯ If it was just normal training or at least what I had worked with Xavier on then it might not have been this painful but she was different. We should have expected it but our muscles were rxed.


    We brought this onto ourselves.


    It was my idea. Not the workout, I wanted us to apologise, that was our responsibility. Arthur¡¯s words, as much as it was directed at Nick, we were all involved. We were all hit and we had to set things right.


    After Dominic helped Nick, she sent people to fix his door and told us to stay at her house while he was getting better. There we would be able to go through with the nning without disrupting him and we agreed. We didn¡¯t start nning though, Dominic got a call from work and told us she¡¯d be in her office for a bit. That¡¯s when I told the guys the idea. They agreed.


    We knocked on her door and heard a suttle e in¡¯ which we did. ¡°Dominic,¡±


    She was sitting on her ck leather chair, leaned back and to the side so half of her body was shined on by the lighting through the window behind her. She looked at us with a raised eye-brow but overall monotone facial expressions.


    In turn, we had told her that we were sorry, that we were fucktards, that what we did was unforgivable, that we would do anything to have her stay because we needed her as part of our family. Then there was silence.


    We looked at her, expecting something. Hate maybe. Hate that she was hiding for years and was ready to scream at us but she didn¡¯t. She shocked us by¡­ smirking. ¡°Anything hmm?¡± She put a hand on the desk and stood, looking down at us with a demonic look. ¡°Then fight me.¡±


    ¡®Fight me¡¯ she had said and she meant it literally. In our confusion, she led us to her gym room, took off her zer, throwing it to the side, and got it position. I would have found it hot if her next move wasn¡¯t telling Jake to step forward before grabbing his shirt and flipping him over her shoulder as he yelled. I would have found her hot if she didn¡¯t scare me.


    At first, she had told us toe at her one at a time but she wasn¡¯t satisfied. Jakested the longest after getting up from the flip, I was second to him. She then ordered us toe all together. The sternness of her voice made my muscles tense unconsciously. I remembered Xavier¡¯s training session and I didn¡¯t hesitate.


    It wasn¡¯t enough though. Maybe this was her way of screaming her hate at us. I didn¡¯t know though before I could think too long on it, I had received a kick to the stomach.  We wanted to stop countless times but, ¡°AGAIN!¡± and we would go again. Tricking our body to dull out the pain with the adrenaline. In between each round, she tied weights onto us, making it infinitely harder and now that we had been given a break, the pain rushed in.


    I watched Dominic as I tried catching my breath. She was panting too but after a couple of deep breaths, she stood tall again.


    That wasn¡¯t fair.


    I pushed myself up and walked up to her, a new motivation found. She realised halfway that I was approaching her and she watched me. I grinned and I saw a sense of confusion run through her eyes. ¡°ke?¡±


    I didn¡¯t stop walking up to her our bodies were almost pressed against each other. I saw her eyes wander to my bare chest and her face dusted with pink on her cheeks. That was the first time. My grin became a smirk, ¡°It¡¯s yours, you know.¡± I say which makes her eyes shoot back up at me.


    ¡°It looks like you took a bath in your own sweat-¡± I put my hands on her waist and pressed her against me,


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I say shutting her up slightly and slowly back us up until her back is pressed on a wall, outstretching one hand and trapping her in ce. Slowly I lean myself in until our breaths are mingled with one another. We had paused like that until I couldn¡¯t keep myself any longer and mmed my lips against hers in a passionate kiss, tongues fighting as we just were.


    When we broke away I looked into her eyes, captivated. ¡°You know,¡± She says, little over a whisper. ¡°I¡¯ve forgiven the other guys but I haven¡¯t forgiven you just yet,¡± She says this as her finger twirls my hair around her fingers. I lean my forehead on her shoulder, hiding my mischievous smile despite only reflecting her own.


    ¡°And?¡±


    Her lips brush my ear and she says, ¡°Get in the shower with me.¡±


    Her wish was mymand, so I left the hollering boys behind and carried her out.


    ¡ª


    It was safe to say the second half of the training session was cancelled. The boys thanked me for that when I met back up with them in themon room, drying my hair with a fresh towel and leaving Dominic to get changed in her room.


    The guys were teasing me, making me roll my eyes until we were stopped by the inte. We went to check and saw it was Nick which we were d to see. I opened the door, greeting him as the rest did. He seemed to be doing better but was still looked quite the wreck, unable to properly remember anything that happened but that was probably the best for now.


    Whilst the rest were filling Nick on what he had missed, I decided to go and let Dominic know Nick was here. As I climbed up the steps I couldn¡¯t help but grin at the images that shed in my head, the water, her body, her lips-


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to know right now.¡±


    I froze as my hand was about to open Dominic¡¯s bedroom door. She seemed to be on the phone with someone. Again.


    ¡°Trust me, it¡¯ll work out,¡±


    I wanted to storm in there, asking what was going on, but I also wanted to step back and walk away. Xavier¡¯s words rang in my head, ¡®I¡¯ve fucked her¡¯ ¡®you know you¡¯re not enough. You¡¯re insecure enough to believe me¡¯. Fuck that, I decided and walked into her room calmly.


    She turned my way and gave me a smile I¡¯ve fallen in love with a hundred times. She then ended the call with whoever was on the phone. ¡°Was Nick at the door before?¡± she asked, standing up, but I met her in the middle of the room.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I answer but before she could say anything else, I quickly took hold of her arms andid her on her bed, I hovered on top of her and held her hands gently above her head. I took in her wet hair, her new shirt, her skin, her scars,


    ¡°Do you love me?¡± I asked with a sturdy tone.


    She didn¡¯t answer straight away, I could tell she was trying to read my eyes, my facial expressions, wondering why I was doing this. ¡°Yes, ke,¡± she then says with a gentle smile. She doesn¡¯t say this often but when she does, ¡°I love you.¡± I know she means it.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Then you¡¯re mine, alone.¡±


    ¡°Always.¡±

 Chapter 82 Taken

    -Dominic-


    My eyes flung open to the feeling of cloth being pushed against my mouth. I held my breath and quickly kicked the guys head making his hands detach from my face. ke, who had been sleeping next to me, also woke up in time to shield me from shards of ss that flew towards us once a second man burst in through my window.


    When the first guy got up again, he took out a knife and prepared himself to fight me, swinging a couple of time in my direction when I got up into a morefortable position. I dodged his swings and was able to go in a give him a hard punch to the jaw and a second to his upper stomach making him yell out in pain.


    I nced back at ke who at that moment had kicked the other guy¡¯s gun out of his hand and with the same leg, kicked his head but before the guy could fall back, ke grabbed his shirt with one hand, pulling him forward again beforending a punch which effectively knocked him out.


    ¡°You might want to pay attention to the guy behind you, love,¡± he tells me which makes me roll my eyes yfully but when the guy did lung forward with his knife from behind me, I sidestepped it, grabbed the wrist that was holding the knife and plunged it back into his own side, taking pleasure in his scream.


    ¡°You were saying?¡± I asked smugly and he smirked at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost frightening how satisfied you were with stabbing a man,¡± he continued but I didn¡¯t have the pleasure in replying because four more men charged into the room from both my windows and within the house, shouting formations and telling people over a radio that two were down and that I wasn¡¯t alone.


    ke and I had our backs to each other as we scanned the situation, ¡°Think you can take two?¡± I asked and I could feel his back rumble as heughed.


    ¡°For you? I could take a thousand.¡±


    That was pretty reassuring considering we both knew there were definitely more people waiting for us than those in this room but the probability the both of us actually fighting our way out of here was close to none.


    ¡°That was a corny thing to say, ke. It¡¯s not like you.¡± One of the new guys says with a smirk on his face as he goes in to fight ke with the help of his partner. ¡°Make this easier on us and let us take the girl, will ya?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Tyler, the ¡®girl¡¯ is kinda my future wife so just letting you take her isn¡¯t really in the n.¡± ke replies and I would have been more shocked about hisment if I didn¡¯t have to dodge the attacks from the pair in front of me.


    ¡°Future wife? Pretty intense thing to say about your new temp job.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Leave the guy alone, Tyler, we¡¯re not here to make things harder for anyone. Just get Dominic and go.¡± A female voice then came in which made my ears perk. It wasn¡¯t something you heard often in gangs or anything violence rted. I turned to see a woman at the door. She was wearing less on her than the rest and was more focussed on her earpiece andmunication than actualbat. She must be leading this group.


    At the moment that my focus was turned elsewhere, I got sliced on the arm which made me hiss in pain and then when the guy threw a punch at me, my block was weak and I was hit in the face. The punch itself wasn¡¯t too bad but the second guy used that opportunity to also kick me down before the both of them kept me in ce. ¡°She¡¯s down!¡±


    They moved quickly after that, tying me up as hard as they could, bringing the cloth back to have me pass out and making sure that ke was as far away from me as possible. One thing was for sure, these guys were trained.


    ¡ª


    When I woke up, I was tied onto a chair, face soaking.


    ¡°You know,¡± I start, looking down at the chains on my wrists and ankles. ¡°I would have been more pissed about the whole throwing-ice-cold-water-on-my-face thing but I¡¯ve had people throw boiling water on my face while I was awake. So, inparison, this is pretty refreshing.¡±


    I then looked up and around at the room which sat around 10 people. Most sitting casually on sofa¡¯s or chairs, others standing with arms crossed or with something on hand. ¡°Our intention isn¡¯t to hurt you.¡± The lone woman said.


    ¡°Yet,¡± I heard someone else mumble which tempted me to smirk but I kept it back.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t let me bleed out, I appreciate it,¡± I say, motioning towards my cut arm which was now bandaged and had stopped bleeding.


    ¡°That would be thanks to me.¡± I looked round to see the guy who had cut me in the first ce which made my face fall monotone.


    ¡°Then I take back my appreciation.¡±


    Myment seemed to piss him off, making him stand from his seated position but he was held back by those next to him. ¡°Don¡¯t make this harder than it has to be Dominic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking you¡¯re not a fan of the whole gang civil war.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say it would be a lot easier if Nick just epted that he wasn¡¯t a strong enough leader.¡± I rxed back into my chair as she said this.


    ¡°So, where are we? Moreso, what do you want from me?¡± I asked which seemed to make them rx a little as well.


    ¡°We¡¯re in New Jersey at the moment. In terms of you, I want you to cooperate with us-¡±


    I lifted my hand as much as I could even if it was slight while saying, ¡°Ah about that,¡± which silenced her, ¡°You¡¯ll have to rewrite your ns if it has anything to do with me cooperating with you in any way.¡±


    ¡°We know he¡¯s your brother-¡±


    ¡°The fact that he¡¯s my brother has little to do with any shit. Nick was a leader before he was my brother and he will continue to lead his gang to sess. ¡±


    I could hear guys scoffing at me, most not believing a word I say. ¡°You may think that,¡± one of them said, ¡°But he¡¯lle after his sister, and when he does, we¡¯ll be ready to defeat them. We won¡¯t even need the rest of the gang divisions.¡±


    I grinned back at him which made his smug face turn to one of confusion. ¡°Wanna bet?¡±


    After that it seemed that they realized they weren¡¯t going to get through to me so one at a time they started leaving the room, leaving me in my shackles.


    Around two hours passed when the door opened again. A guy came in with a te of food in his hands. He didn¡¯t say anything for a while, locking the door with a key attached to his waist, not until he was in front of me, untying me and setting my wrists free so I could feed myself.


    ¡°Dominic?¡± I looked up at the guy wondering if it was him. ¡°My name is Harry, I¡¯m the inside agent from London.¡± The guy who used to be apart of the London division but joined this one after moving to America, the guy who will help me fulfil my n.


    I extending my hand and he shook it.


    ¡°I look forward to working with you Harry, oh and also, can you bring me a Monster too next time?¡±

 Chapter 83 Next Step

    -ke-


    I feel like I should have run but I didn¡¯t. Maybe I should have burst into Nick¡¯s apartment and ordered that we move because she¡¯s gone but I didn¡¯t do that either, there was no need. We knew they¡¯d take her. It was apart of the n.


    Instead, I walked to the apartment calmly and knocked on the door following a breath. After a few seconds, Jason opened the door and without a word, I was let in. We didn¡¯t need to say anything, just me being here alone was enough to let the whole house know.


    We walked through and joined the rest of the guys in the dining room where they were sat silently. They didn¡¯t lift their heads to greet me but that was fine. Jason and I sat down on our own chairs and for a minute, that¡¯s all that happened. It was weird to have us be so tense, especially with all of us here. Zack didn¡¯t make his normalical remark. Jake didn¡¯tugh along. Nick didn¡¯t tell them to shut up. Jason didn¡¯t shake his head in an attempt to hide his own amusement. None of it was there.


    Finally, Nick sucked in a breath and asked, ¡°Was she hurt when they took her?¡±


    Shaking my head, ¡°No,¡± I answered and he let out a sigh of relief, as did some of the other guys. It had meant that our worst-case scenario of her being too hurt to fight against them as they took her was avoided. It was my main job, I was our precaution against it and although she probably didn¡¯t need me there, I¡¯m d that I was.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Nick started, ¡°You guys know the rest of the n. We ignore the kidnapping.¡± I had some of them nce my way to make sure that I was still okay with this. Their worry was justified. When we were first drafting out this n, I wasn¡¯t happy about it. How could I be? God knew how they were treating her and I didn¡¯t want her to be trapped alone like that with them. But I also knew Nick¡¯s underlying intentions behind this because if he wanted to, he would definitely still have Dominic fight with us.


    He was protecting her.


    Having Dominic stay out of this fight was the best way for him to go on without having to constantly look over his shoulder to make sure she was okay, even if he didn¡¯t necessarily need to. What Arthur said has hit him hard and he wasn¡¯t going to be able to just shake it off of him. I understood his feelings. I would take a bullet for her as many times as I had to but I¡¯d hate to imagine a time where I wouldn¡¯t be able to save her from one.


    ¡°While Texas has her, we have to get ready to ambush California. Ottawa will meet us there where we should also expect to fight Florida, Michigan and Colorado ording to London¡¯s data.¡±


    ¡°London still can¡¯t help us?¡± Jason asked, ¡°We¡¯d have a much better chance at getting through this with them on the field with us.¡±


    Nick nodded in understanding but we all knew the answer he was going to give. ¡°I agree with you but with the money being spent on gear, there¡¯s no way for them to get here in time.¡± This was definitely annoying all of us because-


    ¡°But they¡¯re the biggest group out of all of us! Florida is taking charge and has only 10 in their group and London has double them! We¡¯re outnumbered without them!¡± Jake exims as if reading my mind. Nick knows this already though, we all did. There was just nothing we could do about it.


    ¡°Our next shipment of gear should be here tomorrow. We leave the day after. Make sure you guys are ready and well-rested.¡± Of course, we had to leave as soon as we could, this wasn¡¯t a surprise either since we were well warned. Aside from the fact that our producers and drug clients will all have knives at our throats if Nick doesn¡¯t buy and sell in time, if Arthur doesn¡¯t hear anything from Dominic in the next few days and finds out she¡¯s been kidnapped by our own gang, I seriously think he¡¯ll kill Nick and the rest of us.


    ¡°We¡¯ll win this, I have faith that we will.¡± Nick finished, that piece of motivation being all we needed. We were confident. We had no choice but to win.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Well, your n doesn¡¯t seem too bad so far. With the gang being all across the country this is the best you can do. I¡¯ll try to keep Arthur at bay until you guys are back.¡±


    Xavier walked towards where I was punching a punching bag, putting a hand on my shoulder which makes me look up at him and into his eyes which held seriousness. ¡°Make sure you alle back.¡± He says in a voice I could have sworn had concern in it.


    ¡°Are you-?¡± I was about to ask if he was worried but he seemed to read it out of me and scoffed.


    ¡°You wish. Aside from Dominic, I couldn¡¯t care less about te rest of you, you can all get killed by each other for all I care.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    I rolled my eyes with a little smirk of my own, ¡°That¡¯s pretty harsh but unfortunately for you, wherever Dominic is, there¡¯s a good chance I¡¯ll be there too,¡± I answer and step in front of him where we both got into position.


    ¡°Remind me to have you uninvited to my funeral.¡± He says and we start our fight.


    This was starting to be normal now. He¡¯s been training me for long enough for me to be able to go against him for a good while on equal grounds. There was a good chance he was still going easy on me but I¡¯ve improved nheless.


    ¡°By the way,¡± Xavier then starts in between throwing me a punch,


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Are they good people?¡± He asks me which puts me off guard for a second. In that second Xavier kicks and trips me over, earning him a groan of pain from me.


    ¡°Is who good people?¡± I ask back, rubbing my head with a wince.


    Xavier extends a hand and pulls me up but when I stand, he doesn¡¯t let go of my hand straight away. He waits to make sure I¡¯m focused on him. It¡¯s then when I see real concern in his eyes. ¡°The people who took Dominic, are they good people?¡±


    I wanted to tell him that of course, they were, they¡¯re our family, we¡¯ve grown together, we used to trust each other and had each other¡¯s backs no matter what. But I couldn¡¯t tell him that, not with certainty anymore and realistically, I never could.


    All of our gang members are formed from people who either lost something or never had anything to begin with. We ranged from addicts to orphans to criminals and so on. The fact that we were all social outcasts were what made us ¡®family¡¯ in the first ce. It wasn¡¯t love.


    Perhaps the best thing about us was our shared feeling of belonging with one another.


    With some of us, that made us better people. London, where our divisions first started, are tight-knit, we have great chemistry, we have always cared for each other and made sure everything always went to n. That¡¯s why they¡¯re the biggest group. There are more like that too.


    However, there were definitely other people who got worse. It was less about belonging and having a home and more about getting power, money and status. It¡¯s what drove the Florida division to where it is now but I didn¡¯t know about Texas. Not anymore anyway. I would like to believe that with Tara there, Dominic will be treated right but after seeing them after so long, I came to realise that while most of them were still the same, they¡¯re not all who they used to be.


    Xavier seemed to understand my hesitance but he didn¡¯t seem saddened or disheartened.


    ¡°If not, that¡¯s great!¡± He exims happily which confuses me.


    ¡°Great?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± He pauses to grin at me knowingly,


    ¡°It means she¡¯ll having something to entertain her.¡±

 Chapter 84 Physical

    (Warning: This chapter may contain graphic scenes that some readers may find triggering. Please take care when reading.)


    -Dominic-


    ¡°Wakey wakey,¡±


    I lift my head and turn it towards the door.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re awake,¡± the guy who had been fighting ke the day before walked in, Tyler I think it was. Wasn¡¯t really a face I wanted to see but a face nheless. Sitting tied to this chair in a near to empty room for hours on end was starting to drive me insane with boredom.


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t my most preferred sleeping position,¡± I reply which makes him grin at me as if satisfied with my difort.


    I watched as he walked in, taking note that he left the door unlocked. He continued toe closer to me until he was standing right in front of the chair, almost too close forfort. ¡°ke seemed really interested in you, I think I¡¯m starting to see why.¡± I raised my eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this. ¡°You have no fear, you¡¯re witty,¡± he starts before leaning closer to me,


    ¡°And you¡¯re incredibly sexy.¡±


    ¡°Why thank you,¡± I say in a disappointed tone because while receiving apliment is nice, I would have rather been receiving it from anyone but him right now. ¡°You don¡¯t mind telling me the time?¡± I asked since I had no way of telling the time here but for some reason it made him smirk.


    Quickly, his hand wrapped itself around my throat, squeezing at it threateningly. My hands instinctively started to struggle but they were tightly tied to the arms of the chair, my legs tied apart too. Tyler came in even closer until his lips stroked against my ear, ¡°Late enough that no one will hear you scream,¡± he whispered before biting at my neck.


    ¡°Stop!¡± I instructed but as I did, I felt a sharp and painful slice at my thigh. My eyes widened to see a knife in his hand which he had used to cut me.


    He pulled himself just a bit away from me to look into my eyes with a disgusting amount of lust in them. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure we both don¡¯t want you bleeding out so just sit still. If you struggle, I¡¯m not afraid of cutting you a thousand times over.¡± He then used the hand he was strangling me with and shoved his thumb in my mouth while the rest of his hand kept my face up.


    Instinctively I bit down on his thumb, but he didn¡¯t react to the pain, instead he bit down harder on my cor bone and sliced at my leg again making me hiss in pain. ¡°You try biting me again and it¡¯ll be a lot deeper of a cut, Dominic,¡± He hums against me.


    I shut my eyes as tightly as I could. I had to think. Think of some way I could get out of this but I couldn¡¯t. He finally took his hand away from my face but it only got worse. Instead, he put his hand under my shirt and started groping me. I leaned as far back as I could from his touch as if it burnt but I was trapped. Behind me was a wall.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    When I opened my eyes I was horrified to see him stand to start to unbuckle his trousers,ing closer to me again. I tried shutting my legs but I couldn¡¯t, now my strength weaker than before because of the blood I had lost and how much it hurt. I knew if I said anything, he¡¯d slice at me again.


    He stopped once his waist was by my mouth. I shut my jaw as hard as I could as he started stroking himself right in front of me. I closed my eyes once again but they shot open when a surge of pain came from my leg, different from the slices before. He had stabbed me, leaving the knife in there, making sure I looked at it, looked at him. He was enjoying me in pain. ¡°You¡¯re going to watch me cum all over you, understand?¡±


    I was looking up at him and for the first time in a long time, I felt fear. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± he said, caressing my face with his dirty hand.


    ¡°Fear me.¡±


    He forced my mouth open after that, no matter how hard I tried keeping it closed, and then he put himself in my mouth. I bit down which made him yell out in pain but he didn¡¯t move away. Instead, he grabbed a hold of the knife and, ¡°YOU FUCKING BITCH!¡± -twisted it deeper into my leg. I would have screamed out if I hadn¡¯t been muffled. There was no denying that I was in a horrendous amount of pain.


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go until I¡¯ve filled you everywhere. I bet ke will love knowing that I¡¯ve fucked you into oblivion.¡± Tyler continues as he grabs my hair and moves himself in my mouth.


    ke.


    His face shes in my head, I couldn¡¯t think of anything but the thought that I must be disappointing him, that he¡¯ll hate me and will be disgusted by me and my eyes start to sting but I refused to let any tears fall, I wasn¡¯t going to give Tyler that sort of satisfaction.


    I would have said that he¡¯d ruined me, but I was never a perfect angel to begin with. Now, he had made a devil out of me.


    I used all of my arm strength and struggled against the rope until it was just loose enough. I was impatient and desperate, so I grabbed the knife out of my thigh and plunged it into his own with all the force I could plunger. He screamed out and fell onto the floor, holding tightly onto his leg. ¡°FUCK!¡± He shouted and I took the opportunity to free my hands but he was up anding towards me before I could free my legs but it was enough.


    When he was close I jumped into a handstand and mmed the chair against him, making us both fall. The ropes that I had cut started untying themselves so I quickly freed my self and got up as fast as I could. My legs were killing me but the anger that had now emerged was enough to distract me from it.


    As Tyler was struggling from under the chair, I stood over him. When his eyes met mine I spat on his face. As he tried to wipe his face I grabbed the knife again but this time stabbed it into his arm.


    ¡°STOP! YOU¡¯LL KILL ME YOU BITCH!¡± He screamed but at this point, I didn¡¯t give a shit.


    With a monotone face, I shed against his stomach. ¡°Well, then I guess I¡¯ll meet you in hell.¡±


    He almost looked relieved when I dropped the knife but I was nowhere near done. I stood the chair up and roughly dragged him onto it. He was bleeding out too much to fight against me but he tried regardless.


    When I got him to sit down, I conjured up my strength and punched. Again and again. His face, his gut, his jaw. I kept going on until his face and my fists were bloodied. He could no longer talk either. Hell, I didn¡¯t even know if he was conscious anymore.


    ¡°Dominic!¡±


    I turned to see Harry by the door frame. He looked at the scene in horror. I don¡¯t me him, he was standing face-to-face with hell.


    ¡ª


    I stepped out of the bathroom, Harry and the woman sitting in the new room that I was led into. They let me clean myself up, got me new clothes but that didn¡¯t ease me. Even though I was in the shower for two hours, I still didn¡¯t feel clean.


    ¡°Tyler¡¯s dead,¡± Harry states, voice devoid of emotion.


    ¡°I¡¯d apologise but I¡¯d be lying about being sorry,¡± I reply, tone no different, in fact, I let a smirk grow on my face.


    The room was silent for a couple of seconds until the woman started chuckling, the chuckle turned into augh. I looked at Harry with a confused look which made him sigh, ¡°Tyler was known to rape Texas¡¯ female members, most of them left. Tara is the only one who¡¯s staid.¡±


    I turned back to look at Tara who had now stoppedughing, instead, tears started streaming down her face, sobbing, she tried rubbing them away but couldn¡¯t. All she could say after a moment was,


    ¡°After 10 years, he¡¯s finally gone.¡±

 Chapter 85 Ottawa

    -ke-


    After almost two days, we¡¯ve finally made it to California and 5 miles away from our California division¡¯s base. We stopped outside of a hotel where, if we were right, we¡¯d be meeting them.


    ¡°Nick!¡±


    All of our heads turned and grins spread on our faces as we saw them, the Ottawa division.


    We all gathered together and spent a good while greeting each other. We hadn¡¯t seen this group in years and it felt amazing to be reunited with our family again. For a moment this ¡°war¡± of ours was forgotten, there was no hate, no nervousness, and it felt like we were 16 again. It felt like the summer we had met where we spent nights camping, jumping off of cliffs and just having a ton of fun together, less as a gang but more so, as an actual family.


    ¡°We¡¯re not actually staying in this hotel are we?¡± Nate, the leader of the division asked Nick with an arm around his shoulders.


    ¡°Where would you rather stay?¡± Nick asked him but I was pretty sure we all knew the answer already.


    ¡°Let¡¯s camp!¡±


    ¡ª


    A couple of hourster and we were all set up, everything looks just as it did years ago. The only thing I could have wished was that Dominic was here to experience it with us this time.


    ¡°Howe you didn¡¯t bring your sister, Nick? We were excited to finally be able to meet her in person!¡± Jane asked. Ottawa¡¯s division probably had most of the girls of the gang so it would make sense that they¡¯d want to meet her. I wanted Dominic to be able to meet them too.


    Nick¡¯s smile faltered slightly when asked this question, the rest of the gang took notice of this too. ¡°She¡¯s been taken by Texas already.¡± He replied which made everyone quieten down.


    Sofie then lets out an audible breath before saying, ¡°That¡¯s probably the worst group to be taken by,¡± which catches our attention.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask and she turns to the other girls who, after a second, nod back at her, telling her to proceed with whatever she¡¯s about to say.


    ¡°I think it was around 5 years after you guys went to prison but, Tara got in contact with us.¡± She began.


    ¡°Tara? But wasn¡¯t the divisions split up by then? We weren¡¯t talking to Texas at that point.¡± Nate said and Sofie nodded back at him.


    ¡°Which is why we haven¡¯t really said anything until now. It was something she was onlyfortable telling other girls.¡± She took a sad breath before continuing. ¡°There was a rapist among their group, which is why both of the other female members left their division.¡±


    My breath hitched in my throat when she said that. An image of Dominic shed in my head. An image of what could happen to her. No. There was no way-


    ¡°Hold the fuck up, and she didn¡¯t specify who?¡± Zack asked, almost angry at hearing this. They all shook their head negatively at him.


    Ka then exined that ¡°We¡¯re groups of people who have done fuck all, killed people, done drugs, whats another crime? Tara, although she was suffering, thought that way and decided to protect whoever it was because he¡¯s apart of them-¡±


    ¡°We do what we do in order to protect ourselves, each other and live!¡± Nick then exims, voice louder, probably now also worried for his sister. ¡°In no way will I allow anyone within our gang suffers in that type of way!¡± He then stood and reached out for his phone but was stopped by Jason.


    ¡°Who are you going to call?¡± He asked,


    ¡°I need to find out if Dominic is okay,¡±


    ¡°But that would go against what we nned,¡± Jason argued and he was right. We needed them to think that we wereing after Dominic but unaware of where we are. Getting in touch with them and giving anything away could give them information on what we¡¯re nning.


    Nick stood looking conflicted for a moment. He looked at me to see what I thought but I couldn¡¯t give him anything either. I wanted to check if she was okay but if that meant putting her at risk, I didn¡¯t know if it was worth it.


    Suddenly, Nick¡¯s phone rang instead. ¡°It¡¯s London,¡± He says before picking up and putting it on speaker.


    ¡°Hey Nick, is everything going ording to n?¡± One of the guys asked.


    Nick calmly replies, ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re with Ottawa now. We¡¯re ready to fight tomorrow morning.¡± He¡¯s been making an effort to control his anger recently, I¡¯m d to see it somewhat work. He¡¯s been a lot more cool-headed than he would be in the past.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Before I go though, we received some news from Texas.¡± I tensed at this and I could feel that everyone else was waiting in suspense too. This news couldn¡¯t have been more convenient and coincidental.


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Tyler¡¯s dead.¡± He states which makes us all look at each other.


    ¡°Who killed him and why?¡± Nick asks with a stern tone. He¡¯d never easily take the death of one of our members. Even now when we were split, I know he cares for everyone-


    ¡°Dominic killed him.¡± My eyes widened, my head whipping towards the phone. Did that mean¡­? ¡°He was going to rape her and she killed him. It¡¯s all I know at the moment but I thought I¡¯d tell you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Sam,¡± Nick says, voice low, before hanging up the phone. Silence consumed us after that.


    ¡°This is going to make me sound horrible but I don¡¯t give a shit.¡± Ka suddenly says, ¡°If she didn¡¯t kill him, I would have.¡±


    She said it before I could.


    The thought of another man forcing himself onto her, the pain she must be in and all the more, the fact that I wasn¡¯t there to help her. It enraged me.


    Nick turned his back on us for a moment, letting out a shaky breath. Again, trying to control himself. He says, ¡°Tomorrow, no matter what, we have to win this fight.¡±


    ¡ª


    We woke up early the next day. Most of us silent and focussed.


    I put on my gear, making sure the bulletproof vest was on, I had made sure both of my guns and my sniper rifle was loaded and had refills. There were also other things too from knives to hand grenades and one could only wonder where those were from. The rest had other equipment, depending on what they specialised in.


    We went over our new formations, our rout, our spacing. It was already drilled into our minds but as long as we had the time, Nick would make sure we all knew what to do. In between his orders, his repetition, his harsh tone, you could make out clearly that he was trying to say: he can¡¯t lose us. That alone was enough to motivate us.


    It was 8 am when we got to walking distance to the base. Jane and I slowly made our way towards the left side, splitting from the rest of the group.


    ¡°Hey, ke,¡± Jane says which makes me look at her but she¡¯s faced forward, ¡°Are you worried about Dominic?¡±


    I face forward too as I answer her, ¡°I¡¯d like to say that I believe in her strength enough not to be but¡­¡± I hesitate and I can tell she nces at me,


    ¡°You can¡¯t help it.¡± I nod, agreeing with her, which makes her smile. ¡°When I first met you, you were the type of guy who¡¯d hardly smile, kept to himself. Over the video calls, I finally met a different side to you, a more open and happy side. Dominic must be really special.¡±


    I smile at that, ¡°She is,¡± I confirm.


    ¡°Well, then you better introduce us properly when this is all over.¡± She says, nudging my arm with a wink before going to get in her position.


    When this is all over.


    It was thatsting thought that I took with me to my position. Why did she make it seem as if we were going to die? God damn it. I shook the thought out of my head. I had to live.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    No matter what.

 Chapter 86 Action

    The California division¡¯s base consisted of a warehouse-like structure out in the lesser popted areas surrounded by greenery for miles. Whatever went on today wasn¡¯t going to be found out by anyone. The deaths, casualties, the battle would remain between those who fought in the war.


    Nicks¡¯ main division and the Ottawa division stood at their posts. ke and Jane covered the left outer side, Sofie and Ka took the outer right, Nate and Natasha taking the outer front, Jake and Zack in the inner right and left and Jason at the back. Nick started walking towards the entrance, putting him in the middle.


    Nick took a deep breath and let out a sigh. He was ready.


    He lifted his hand to his ear and in the earpiece, he counted down, ¡°Five,¡± Everyone held their positions, ¡°Four,¡± Tensing, ¡°Three,¡± Ready to engage, ¡°Two,¡± Hands on weapons, ¡°One,¡± To fight in a war they wished wouldn¡¯t have to take ce.


    ¡°Let¡¯s win,¡±


    On Nick¡¯s cue, Nate shut the security systems down, making the security cameras drop and the locks release. Nick took that opportunity to swing the double doors open and putting his hands to the weapons on his waist as he walked in but when he did, he was met with 10 guns being pointed at him.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d stroll right to us, Nick. I¡¯ll give it to you for having balls at least.¡± One of the members said.


    Nick smiled, although he was in a bad situation, he still loved every single one of his members, so much so that he held no fear. ¡°Since you all have your guns pointed at me, I¡¯m going to assume negotiating isn¡¯t an option.¡± He replies casually.


    ¡°I think we know you weren¡¯ting here to negotiate, not with guns in your hands like that.¡±


    ¡°A little self-defence never hurt anyone,¡± Nick shrugs, ¡°But I¡¯m d you noticed the guns,¡± He started before all the power suddenly went out, drowning them all in darkness.


    ¡°Because I¡¯ll be using the grenades,¡± He finishes before throwing to grenades in their direction. Explosions of light allowed for the faces of anger, shock and panic to be revealed in shes within the void. Shots were fired blind, with the few members of California that were there hiding behind columns and crates that they knew would defend them as they shot at where Nick was standing. Nick was fast though, standing still wasn¡¯t an option for him.


    As he circled, dodging things he couldn¡¯t see, he dropped a few other bombs across the floor but these let out gas. Their intention wasn¡¯t to hurt any of the members which were what made this so difficult. His guns were tranquillizers, all limited a lot more than any gun, his bombs either sleeping gas or harmless light shows. The only things attached to him that could actually kill someone was his knives but he¡¯d have to be attacked up close if he were to use it.


    Nick knew that this wouldn¡¯t end as simple as that though, not all of the members were here -only 5 out of the 10. Still, he knocked out as many as he could, going to tie their hands and feet as quickly as possible before moving deeper into the facility.


    ¡°What¡¯s the status outside?¡± He asked through the earpiece but what he heard from the other side was wreckage.


    Ka was the first to shout in, ¡°We¡¯ve got 10 from outside! Florida and Michigan!¡± Gunshots could be head from their end, copsing trees and yells from both sides.


    ¡°Another 10 on this side! Colorado and Florida!¡± Natasha shouted in with the same chaos on her side.


    Zack was the next one, ¡°We¡¯ve got five on our side! Michigan and Colorado!¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Nick cursed, ¡°Has anyone spotted Liam?¡± He asked but only got negative responses. He thought a second before going forward with his nextmands. ¡°Jason, ke, Jane, they¡¯reing from the right side and around,e back them up!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± They replied.


    ke scanned his surroundings from the tree he was sat in and when he saw everything was clear, he climbed down and moved towards where Jane was, thinking it was better to move together as a team rather than leaving each other alone, especially since the attack on the rest of the team was a surprise one from behind.


    When he got to her, she had also climbed down from her position and silently nodded at him when she saw him from a distance but just as she did, ke spotted someone behind her.


    ¡°Jane!¡± He shouted in warning, quickly putting his gun up. Jane turned and quickly blocked the swing of a knife that was directed at her. It was Liam and he was alone. Jane then kicked at him which made him fall, giving her an opportunity to run towards ke but just as ke got a clearing, Liam had vanished from where he had fallen and in a split second sprung at ke.


    ke used his gun as a shield because Liam was too close to shoot at without doing severe damage and when he could, he switched to hand to handbat. Punching hard at his jaw before throwing a second at his gut and his reaction was just as what King¡¯s was to Xavier¡¯s punch which made ke smirk.


    ¡°I liked you, ke, out of everyone in Nick¡¯s main division I really thought that you¡¯d most think like us,¡± Liam says as he wiped the blood from his lip.


    ¡°Yeah? Well, I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you,¡± ke replies before directing his nextmand to Jane, ¡°Shoot him when you get an opening!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too close to him ke! I¡¯ll end up shooting you!¡± She says back while ke and Liam continue their fistfight.


    ¡°I think she should be more concerned about where she ces her next step than on me,¡± Liam whispers in ke¡¯s ear when he got the chance which makes ke¡¯s eyes widen before quickly turning back to Jane who was behind him, moving further back to get a better shot.


    ¡°Jane, don¡¯t move-!¡± He shouted running at her but it was toote.


    Jane stepped back and right onto and mine.


    A beep was sounded and Jane froze, realizing her mistake but right as the bomb exploded from under her, ke was able to jump and push them out of the centre of the explosion. Still, the force was strong and painful, blowing them a few metres away andnding harshly.


    A few minutes passed before ke woke up, groaning as he got up. Aside from a couple of gashes and a lot of bruises and burns, he seemed fine. He quickly scanned around to try and find Jane who was passed out further away.


    ¡°Jane?¡± He shook her and sighed in relief when her eyes opened.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ke,¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°Can you move?¡± He asked but she looked a lot worse than he did. Her legspletely burnt and cut and her right arm was broken, probably from thending. When realizing this, he looked at her sympathetically.


    ¡°it¡¯s fine, we know the drill. I¡¯ll get myself back to the meet-up point and scout from above with the drones. You need to go and help Nick, I saw Liam heading towards him before I passed out.¡± ke nodded back at her and got up quickly. With onest nce at her, he ran in Nick¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Nick, Jane is down and Liam is headed your way.¡±


    Nick dropped his hand from his ear, silence being his reply because he was stood eye to eye with Liam already. Under the gleaming sun.


    ¡°Some leader you are, a group of 10 against a group of 25? It¡¯s suicide! FUCKING SUICIDE NICK! I beat two of yours alone!¡± Liam eximed, in rage now. Nick looked at him and couldn¡¯t help but think of his younger self, one that he raised. Liam was the youngest in the gang, 5 years younger than Nick so while Nick stood at 28 years old, Liam was 23 and youth was on his side.


    ¡°And I beat 5 of yours. Not all is gloom and doom.¡± Nick joked which made Liam scoff.


    ¡°As we speak, your side is being torn apart. There arendmines everywhere! The geography is on our side! And you¡¯ve ordered mercy! If you want to win, order them to actually try toe and kill us!¡±


    This made Nick¡¯s mood drop. He knew that the right side was suffering a lot of casualties. Sofie, Ka and Zack were down and the rest won¡¯t be able to hold off for long, not even long enough for him to bluff.


    ¡°I guess we have no choice,¡± Nick started which made them both get in battle positions. Nick was the first to run up and attack him, swinging one knife from the right towards Liam¡¯s face but Liam ducked and swung at Nick¡¯s stomach with a knife of his own. Nick knew he would though because he was the one who taught him that. They had reenacted this in their training sessions countless times before. So, Nick was able to catch his wrist in a tight grip with his left hand before kicked and tripping him up.


    ¡°Stop struggling Liam,¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t however, and carried on trying to fight him, ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to be a leader!¡±


    ¡°Liam,¡±


    ¡°Making divisions all over the world for no good reason!¡±


    He sessfully got out of Nick¡¯s hold and was able to make a cut on his arm.


    ¡°Liam!¡±


    ¡°And then leaving them all behind!¡±


    Liam¡¯s shout echoed after Nick¡¯s thud to the floor allowing him to look up at the knife that Liam had pointed above his face but Nick¡¯s eyes softened, less concerned about the knife and more so on Liam.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Nick apologised, finally understanding. Liam¡¯s eyes were filled with shock and sadness but quickly attempted to cover that up. Still, it reminded Nick of when he first met Liam on his trip to Florida. Liam was only 12 but had been on the streets for a while but Nick was the first to give him any attention and any sense of love or care.


    The apology was enough to make Liam freeze and unable to plunge down at Nick. Despite still being angry, he couldn¡¯t. ¡°They¡¯re going to die out there,¡± He says at Nick, ¡°Why don¡¯t you fight me? I¡¯m hesitating!¡±


    Nick smiles back at them, ¡°Because I have faith in every one of my members. No matter where we are.¡±


    ¡°LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING THE PRELIMINARIES BUT THE REAL FIGHTS START NOW!¡±


    A sudden announcement came from above which made both of the males to turn and look at the sky. It was a private jet and the announcement came from a familiar female voice.


    ¡°NICK, YOU HAVEN¡¯T HAD YOUR ASS HANDED TO YOU ALREADY HAVE YOU, BRO?¡±


    Nickughs and in a swift movement, flipped Liam in a lock before tying him down. Liam didn¡¯t struggle as much this time.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Nick then looked back up into the sky and put a thumbs up in her direction.


    ¡°All good here Dominic!¡±


    This causes Dominic¡¯s eyes to sparkle and turns to the rest on her jet with a grin. The Texas, Sydney and London divisions.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go give them a hand shall we?¡±

 Chapter 87 News

    -Dominic-


    I smirked looking down from the door of the jet. The wind barely letting me breathe but it was a thrill nheless.


    ¡°You¡¯re not scared are ya?¡± I looked back at Harry who, like the rest of the members on board, had his gear ready to go.


    I scoffed at his question, ¡°Sure I¡¯m the one you¡¯re supposed to be asking?¡± I asked back with a confident look on my face. Heughed and turned to nce at the rest beforeing back round to look at me.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, the only reason they¡¯re here is that they trust you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    I raised an eye-brow, pointing to the backpacks strapped to us, ¡°About this?¡± I asked and he nods, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve actually never done this before.¡±


    I watched in amusement as his face turns white. ¡°What?! Dominic you¡¯re going to get us killed!¡±


    Iugh out loud at his expression. The rest of the crew seemed to have heard myughter over his concern which was for the best. Having one person panic was fine but having the whole ce know I¡¯ve never actually skydived yet am making them do it for the first time with me would then actually get us all killed.


    ¡°Just do as we trained and you¡¯ll be fine! Trust me, I was taught by a professional.¡± I reassured him while patting his back.


    The truth was, Xavier was the one who told me about how to skydive during one of our training sessions. We had gotten sidetracked from a physics lesson and he just happened to have experience which he liked distracting me with by giving me a whole synopsis on ¡®how to skydive¡¯ only to kick me from behind and scold me about pausing my consecutive punches.


    I shook my head. What was I doing? Having my life sh before my eyes? I didn¡¯t have the pleasure. I had to give our team back up as soon as possible.


    ¡°Ready?!¡± I shouted, and everyone got in their positions. ¡°WOO!¡± I eximed, jumping out of the ne first, instantly having my breath knocked out of me. For a moment, life, death, fighting, walking, living, breathing, it was all forgotten and I felt amazing. For the first time, I felt at peace. Falling through the air.


    ¡°Dominic!¡±


    But unfortunately for me, peace wasn¡¯t really my scene. I let out my parachute and glided towards where Nick was. I had already nned beforehand that London would help the outer right, Sydney would help the outer front and Texas would help the inner right. That left me to help Nick deal with central.


    After what happened to Tyler, most of the Texas division had started to fear or respect me slightly. That in itself allowed me to get to talk to them. I knew I didn¡¯t have a lot of time so nning an escape wasn¡¯t easy. The best way to do it was to have Harry and I convince them to join our side.


    We came to realise that the reason this division specifically went against Nick was because of theck of involvement. They wouldn¡¯t be involved in shipments, in ns and weren¡¯t told everything that they should have been told which then led to a lot ofck of trust. Florida promised a tighter rtionship, it was more beneficial for both of them which had them agree.


    Aside from that though they all had a tight friendship with Nick and the rest of the divisions and for the most part, didn¡¯t even want this to happen in the first ce, rather, they needed something while Nick was away.


    I used that to my advantage, convincing them that they were needed, how much Nick cares for all of them, so much so that even I -someone who didn¡¯t know any of them- could understand. Which was all true. I then ended up promising them that they¡¯ll be satisfied with the oue of this war if they joined our side. They hesitated but ended up agreeing.


    Through them, I was able to know what Florida was nning, where they¡¯d be and what strategy they¡¯d be using. I informed them of our n and we made a separate one. The one we¡¯ll be using now.


    ¡°Dominic!¡± Nick called as Inded. I grinned at him, getting out of my parachute gear before making my way towards him.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I then looked to see there was a guy behind him already tied up but he wasn¡¯t unconscious like the n said Nick would end it. He was awake and looking down at the floor. ¡°That him?¡± I asked and Nick nodded back at me.


    I walked up to him, crouching down in front of him which made him look up at me with confusion. ¡°He¡¯s a little young isn¡¯t he?¡± I ask Nick again while flicking the kid¡¯s forehead, making his eyebrows furrow but he didn¡¯t talk back.


    ¡°He turned 23 a couple days ago, he¡¯s not that much younger than us,¡± Nick answered which seemed to make the kid¡¯s ears perk up with surprise, turning to look at Nick


    ¡°You remembered?¡± Despite Nick telling me, he wasn¡¯t that much younger than us, the way he said that made me soften. It reminded me of a ten-year-old child who had thought everyone forgot about him and from what I know about Nick and his gang, I probably wasn¡¯t too far off.


    This instantly made me protective over him like he was my little brother or¡­ like a son.


    Nickughed back at him, ¡°Of course I remembered! I buy you a new de every year! Well, except for thest 10 years because I was in prison of course.¡± He then reached into his backpack before taking out a long box. ¡°Here.¡±


    I untied Liam and let him reach for the box, taking it gently before unwrapping it. I watched as a smile formed on his face, looking down at the knife that had his initials engraved on it. ¡°Your first knife?¡± He asked Nick to which Nick nodded positively. He tried to hide it from Nick but I saw a few tears streaming down his face in happiness making me ruffled his hair with a grin.


    We then heard someone running in our direction and I brightened up when I saw ke emerging from the forest. He seemed battered but overall fine which was a relief. When he saw me, his worried expression turned to one of happiness. ¡°D!¡± He then ran up to me as if going in for a hug which I was ready to ept but then an image shed in my head.


    Tyler. The way he touched me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s save the hugging for when this is done, alright Love?¡± I said casually which made him pause, slightly confused but respected it anyway which I was thankful for. Instead, he stood next to me and I took that chance to slowly put my hand in his, enjoying the warmth that came from it. He squeezed my hand back in reply.


    Suddenly, Nick and ke both put a hand on their ear-pieces, listening in to the radio from who I assumed was the other members. ¡°Most of the opposing members are down. We had some surrender. It won¡¯t be long until this is finally over.¡± Nick announces which makes me sigh in relief.


    ¡°By the way sis,¡± Nick starts,


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°How the hell did you get London and Sydney here?¡± He asked, truly bewildered which amused me all the more, but apart of me was concerned.


    I tilted my head to the side to emphasise my worry. ¡°Have you forgotten that I live in a mansion, Nick? I¡¯m rich!¡± I startughing when I see the look of realisation hit his face. ¡°When you first said that London and Syndey wouldn¡¯t be able to make it with the costs and distance, it was in my house! Maybe it was the stress, I don¡¯t know, but I knew right away that getting a private jet and having them arrive wasn¡¯t a big deal and since you werepletely out of it, I decided to surprise you!¡±


    This time all three of us burst outughing, I caught Liam chuckling along too.


    ¡ª


    It was safe to say that after hours of fighting, our side finally won. Everyone who opposed us was knocked out safely and fortunately we had some peoplee with us willingly.


    It was 7 pm when we got back to the meetup sight where we set up camp and waited for everyone to wake up. As soon as they did, this was going to turn into a huge stepping stone for Nick. He talked to me before about what he was nning but whether he¡¯ll y it out or not, I¡¯m not sure.


    I sat down in a private little area, away from everyone for a bit, drinking some water and clearing my thoughts when someone took a seat next to me.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°You okay?¡± ke asked calmly. I wanted to tell him I was fine but¡­ I couldn¡¯t. I knew the guilt would eat me up inside if I didn¡¯t tell him about how Tyler had touched me, even if it meant it would change things between us.


    I shook my head negatively in reply, sighing slightly, before telling him. I told him the truth about what happened, how it happened, what I had to do as a result of what happened and although, for the most part, I didn¡¯t care, after I told him my hands were shaking.


    I didn¡¯t want to look up at him because if he was disgusted or angry, I didn¡¯t want to see those emotions in his eyes but he made me look up anyway. I shut my eyes tightly but,


    ¡°Look at me,¡± he says which makes me open them and I see nothing but love.


    ¡°What he did to you was disgusting and cruel, he deserved everything he got back and that doesn¡¯t make you any less strong and beautiful. You don¡¯t need to worry, you will always be mine, okay?¡± He whispers before kissing my forehead.


    It took everything in me not to cry as I smiled and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°BOO!¡±


    I almost jumped out of my skin, letting my reflexes act and swinging a punch at whoever had tried to scare us. To no surprise, it was Jake who was now holding a bloody nose, moaning in pain.


    ¡°Sweeetheaarrrrtttt, it was just a joke. This hurts you know! I hurt all over!¡± Heined his whole body swinging towards us again. I chuckled a little,


    ¡°Should have thought about that before you decided to scare us, but I¡¯m sorry J,¡± He grinned back at me after that.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! Also, I was meaning to tell you that the gang is awake and Nick is going to talk to us all now.¡±


    I nodded and together all three of us made our way to the giant campfire where Nick was now standing in the middle. Nick turned back and looked at me for confirmation. I nodded back at him, giving him my full support. He then turned and looked at all of his members, all of who whether they liked him or not, was listening intently, waiting for what he was going to say.


    ¡°As of today, I am disbanding The Skulls and Bones Gang!¡±

 Chapter 88 Disbanded

    -ke-


    ¡°As of today, I am disbanding The Skulls and Bones Gang!¡±


    For a second I stopped breathing.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡± I couldn¡¯t pinpoint who was the one who shouted, or more urately how many people shouted out because there was definitely more than one.


    I ripped my gaze away from Nick and turned to Dominic, she had started walking towards Nick. She seemed to be the only one who wasn¡¯t fazed by what Nick had said, her face was calm and¡­ satisfied?


    When she got to Nick¡¯s side, she put a hand on his shoulder which seemed really tense and squeezed it gently. This made him sigh and smile at her, it was as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders but it¡¯s not like he could just leave it like that. No one else was satisfied.


    ¡°What the fuck do you mean?!¡± Liam eximed, standing angrily, Nick¡¯s knife in his hand. He marched towards Nick, ¡°This whole war!¡± He grabbed onto Nick¡¯s cor which made me step forward instinctively but I knew Zack and Jason were right next to him and avable if he tried anything.


    ¡°You fought this whole thing just to break us up?! What kind of fucked up logic is that?!¡± He shoved Nick and continued shouting in anger. ¡°Are we that much of a bother to you?! Why can¡¯t you just be the leader we want you to be?! You selfish prick!¡± Liam then stepped forward to try and punch Nick but Zack stepped in front of him and kept him back. Liam continued trying and struggling but seemed weak in Zack¡¯s hold.


    However, even though Zack was keeping Liam back, he himself looked at Nick with saddened eyes. ¡°What¡¯s going on Nick?¡± He asked softly, hurt in his voice. Zack was the first friend Nick had, the person to start the gang with him, of course, this was going to hurt him.


    Nick gave them a wider smile which confused both of them so much so that Liam stopped struggling just to try and understand.


    ¡°The reason I¡¯m disbanding the gang is that this isn¡¯t a gang. You¡¯re all my family.¡± He grinned at their shocked faces, looking around at every single one of us before carrying on. ¡°I can¡¯t let you guys risk getting injured and hurt and punished because of me! We¡¯re so much older than when we started and yet we haven¡¯t even begun to start living!¡±


    Nick stepped forward and put a hand each on Liam and Zack¡¯s heads, ¡°Let¡¯s start living from now on.¡±


    ¡°If living means being in a gang, then make your own. If it means getting your dream job, do it. If it¡¯s finding love and having kids, some of us are already almost 30! What the fuck are you waiting for? Lets fucking live! Together and safe!¡± Nick breathed out. ¡°Let¡¯s live.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure what the rest of the guys felt but I smiled at the end of his speech. I definitely understood where he wasing from. I walked forward towards him and Dominic, nodding at him when he turned to me. Jake came up to us too also grinning from ear to ear.


    Zack sighed in relief and also seemed happy with what Nick said, so was Jason. Now it was the rest of them left.


    ¡°We¡¯re still family right?¡± Nate stood up and asked out loud.


    ¡°Always!¡± Nick replied which made Nate smirk.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem? The rest of you, get off of your asses, for the first time in 13 years we¡¯re all going to spend this night together!¡± He eximed.


    Zack took that opportunity to grab his ss that was left where he was sitting before and raised it, ¡°To the disbanding of The Skulls and Bones, and to the creation of a stronger family! Cheers mother fuckers!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¨C


    The rest of the night was spent in a way that a few years ago I wouldn¡¯t have been able to imagine. To have so many people all together in one ce, to know them all and spend so much time with them all, was amazing.


    A lot of the guys had drinks out, passing them around and after getting tipsy or full out drunk started singing messed up camping songs and kumbaya. I was passed a drink as well and got to catch up with a lot of the guys that I hadn¡¯t seen in person since the first time we met.


    Jake had grabbed Dominic away from me and excitedly wanted to introduce her to the rest of the women that were present and it seemed like she was reallyfortable with them straight away,ughing along and listening to their stories, sharing her own. It wasn¡¯t as if I was surprised to see her socialising but seeing her do so for so longfortably made me really happy.


    One of the guys seemed to notice that my focus had drifted off because he nudged my shoulder which made me turn back to them. ¡°Fancy someone Mr Lucifer?¡± Kade teased which made me smirk.


    I nced at the other guys who were amused by Kade¡¯sck of knowledge and how the situation was ying out and decided to y with the guy a bit. ¡°Not sure but I do feel something for the girl with the grey eyes,¡± I say and he looks a little confused. He leans back to take a look at which one I could be referring to. When he spots Dominic, his eyebrows raise a bit.


    ¡°That¡¯s the girl that was with Nick right? She new?¡±Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I answer


    ¡°What¡¯s her name? She¡¯s hot.¡± Oh, I know.


    I look back at him before I answer, ¡°She¡¯s Dominic, my girlfriend.¡± The way his head whipped back to me after he checked Dominic out made the rest of the guys that were listening in to our conversation burst outughing.


    ¡°She¡¯s the girl ke imed as his ¡®future wife¡¯, didn¡¯t you?¡± One of them says, apart of Texas and was probably there when they took Dominic. I nodded back which made Kade¡¯s face whiten.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry dude, I didn¡¯t know,¡± He apologises which makes meugh, I reassured him that it was fine when Jason walks up from behind us.


    He probably heard the conversation because he says, ¡°You introduced her as your girlfriend before you did Nick¡¯s twin sister,¡± whilst chuckling to himself.


    Kade spits out the drink he had just started drinking when Jason said this, ¡°SHE¡¯S WHAT?!¡± Which then makes us allugh unanimously.


    After that, I got up and headed towards Dominic. When the group of girls and Jake saw meing they turned and greeted me. I sat on Dominic¡¯s left side, Jake was on her right and the girls sitting in a broken circle in front of us.


    ¡°Wee ke,¡± Jane greets and I nod, ¡°Dominic, I actually have ke to thank fo still being here to meet you, he saved me from andmine earlier,¡± I tensed a little, hoping that didn¡¯te off a little weird to Dominic but instead she chuckles.


    ¡°I¡¯d be worried if he didn¡¯t save you from andmine. I heard they were scattered everywhere!¡± Dominic then turned to me, bringing my forehead against hers before saying, ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, you did great,¡± quiet enough for only me to hear it. It made me grin back at her.


    It was the first time someone had said they were proud of me, it was something I didn¡¯t get to hear from my parents and thought I¡¯d never hear ever but she proved me wrong making the evening a thousand times better than it was already.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 89 Peace

    -Dominic-


    ¡°I assure you, Arthur, everything¡¯s fine and I¡¯ll see you as soon as I can,¡± I try to reassure Arthur who was on the other side of my phone call. He had been blowing my phone up this past week but because of everything that¡¯s happened, I hadn¡¯t been able to get in contact with him until now when I was less than five minutes away from my house.


    He had told me that he needed me to exin everything to him, that he needed to hear the truth and that he needed to talk to Nick properly as well. I jokingly asked if he wouldn¡¯tsh out like he did before but he gave me an unsure, ¡°I can¡¯t promise you¡± before carrying on. It was worrying sure, but there had been so much going on that this now seemed almost insignificant. Almost.


    ¡°Is he still mad?¡± Nick asks from behind me, the rest of the guys following pursuit too.


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± I answer.


    In terms of Nick¡¯s now former gang, they all separated to go home after that night but it wasn¡¯t a goodbye. Everyone left thinking that this was a new beginning, a new chapter to their lives. Some werefortable in the environment they were in and wanted to continue in drugs and crime, no one stopped them. Other¡¯s thought they¡¯d take the opportunity to start somethingpletely different. In general, no one left angry or dissatisfied. The group even agreed that they would all meet annually and do some kind of event. This year was camping, maybe next year it¡¯ll be a dance. Regardless, we agreed we¡¯d do it together and it would be crazy.


    We also all agreed to stay in touch more, visit around and see each other more individually.


    Agreeing to all of these things felt off to me as if we were making new year resolutions but inte March. It seemed so weird to be so happy and¡­ peaceful?


    My body wouldn¡¯t rx and I wasn¡¯t sure why. It wasn¡¯t that I felt that anyone there was a bad person, a lot of them were really friendly and didn¡¯t present themselves to have any hidden agendas. I would know since I¡¯ve been around a lot of people who have. And yet my body felt it was ready to fight. That something would go wrong.


    In any case, I stopped outside of the door to my house which made the rest of the guys pause too but although they probably thought I stopped because of keys, I actually stopped because even while I was here, I didn¡¯t feelfortable. Granted, I never had.


    I had only started paying for this house before losing to King. I built this off of reducing money, myst winnings, until I had picked up the business and afforded the ce that way, but the feeling never left me, I¡¯d go as far as to say it haunted me.


    It was why I never liked being at home and left everything almost looking minimalistic. My room was supposed to bring me peace by being simple but instead, it emphasised my feeling of loneliness, leaving me trapped in my thoughts.


    I¡¯d often wake up, curling myself in as tight as I could to get away from the walls or I¡¯d go to sleep tugging at my hair to try and stop my head from spinning. It never worked.


    I didn¡¯t want our moment of victory and peace to be ruined in this way though so I pushed the feeling back quickly, knowing none of the guys would have noticed anyway.


    I had forgotten that Arthur was on the phone because he hadn¡¯t said anything at that moment too, ¡°Arthur?¡± I asked through the phone, looking down at it as I opened the door and let us inside, thinking I may have hung up by ident.


    However, just as I looked up from the phone, I and Nick from what I felt, had been engulfed in a hug. It left us both pretty confused, especially since it was Arthur that we had received it from. He was still pretty tall inparison to me and only a little taller than Nick so it wasn¡¯t hard to tell.


    I had thought that meeting him again would mean another argument, a fight, a need to have him understand but this¡­ this was unexpectedly pretty nice.


    I nced at Nick who had done the same to me and after conversing mentally a little, we both went to hug Arthur back with the one arm that we each had avable, the other being too squished.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re both safe,¡± We hear him say which brings a warm feeling into my chest. Up until now, I was hearing nice things from people I hardly knew so the feelings didn¡¯t quite hit, not the way that these current ones did. Hearing my brother say something so caring to both Nick and me, was a calmer feeling on its own.


    We pulled apart a little after, smiles evident on all of our faces, Nick¡¯s was a little more nervous though until Arthur¡¯s hand rubbed behind his neck and he says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being as angry as I was before instead of confronting you properly,¡±


    Nick straight away shakes his head negatively, ¡°No, you had every right to be angry, I¡¯m sorry,¡± he turned his head to me, ¡°To the both of you,¡± he continues, ¡°I¡¯m a dick,¡±


    ¡°Was a dick,¡±  Zack came in, swinging an arm around Nick¡¯s shoulders, ¡°Now I think he the balls,¡±


    Jake tutted though as he walked forward too, ¡°Maybe just one ball, still needs to grow the second,¡± he turns to ke, ¡°Right bro?¡±


    ke then makes a face as if pretending to think about it, the act was quite cute, ¡°Sorry Jake, the way he disbanded the gang definitely took multiple balls,¡±


    ¡°Do they do this often?¡± Arthur whispers to me, I was relieved to think I wasn¡¯t the only one who thought this conversation was weird but Iughed anyway.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°But he did do it whilst almost shaking so I don¡¯t know ke,¡± Jason too? I started genuinelyughing at this point, Arthur and the other guysughing in the background too until,


    ¡°Wait, The Skulls and Bones are disbanded?¡± The voice was a mildly familiar one but it wasn¡¯t familiar enough to be considered safe. I grabbed the gun out of Nick¡¯s backpack pocket and swiftly pointed it in the direction that the voice came from. However, I was left shocked when seeing who was there.


    It was Jordan.


    The rest of the guys were as shocked as I were. Despite not being in a gang anymore, it didn¡¯t instantly take away their reflexes, they were armed and they were ready to shoot as I was. I just hoped it could be avoided or if it were to start anything, the house went down with it.


    What ended up breaking us away from our trance surprisingly was Arthur, ¡°Do you guys know each other?¡± I looked at Arthur with a confused look on my face.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± I asked and Arthure looked back at me as if confused as to why I was confused.


    ¡°The Men of Mayhem were allied with the Scorpians. A lot of our information was gathered from them and Jordan became one of my closest friends,¡± What a small world. ¡°I thought you knew since Jordan was also how Xavier got some of his information too, in terms of gangs and what The Men of Mayhem were doing anyway.¡± It was this piece of information that had me fully turn my attention away from Jordan andpletely onto Arthur but before I could question him further, ke took a step in front of me and questioned Jordan first.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± His voice was low and threatening, something I didn¡¯t hear often but it sent a shiver down my spine, I enjoyed it.


    ¡°I thought I could talk to Dominic but since you¡¯re all here, I might as well tell you all,¡± Jordan starts, looking around and getting a nod of approval from Arthur. ¡°I left the Scorpians and we need to be protected.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± I asked whilst also noting what he said. It wasn¡¯t surprising that he left, when I knew him from before the whole gang business, Jordan was a good guy, but to ask for protection from people he tried to kill?


    After I asked my question, a woman emerged from the other side of the wall. She had a round face and her defining feature was her short curly ginger hair that shone under the sun but it was thebination of both which made me specte.


    Jordan seemed to know what I was thinking or trying to figure out because he introduces her, ¡°This is Anna,¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s..?¡± I start, in my head finished the sentence, ¡®-the girl you used to tell me about?¡¯ Jordan reads the question perfectly and nods with a smile, confirming it. It¡¯s that which makes me lower my gun. If I were to guess the reason why Jordan joined the gang, it was to protect Anna. Her family being tied with people that also had strong links to the Scorpians was dangerous and he¡¯d often tell me he wished there was a way to break her out of it.


    This must be it.


    I spent quite a while getting Nick and the guys to ease up to Jordan. I didn¡¯t me them for being so hostile considering the gang¡¯s biggest enemy was the Scorpians in the first ce but by using what Jordan did for me while I was in prison, I at least got them to listen.


    I spent a lot of time with Anna as well. For some reason, I was able to feel at ease with her a little. Our upbringing was nothing alike but being with her was a lot of fun. I could tell I was helping her ease into the situation as well. It made sense she was ufortable around so many people she only knew for being violent and criminals, myself included, but after a bit, I got her to open up a bit and genuinely enjoyed herpany.


    It was midnight when we were able to settle things with some kind of agreement. There wasn¡¯tplete trust but Jordan and Anna both thanked me for listening to them and helping them with Nick and the rest before they went towards a hotel they¡¯d be staying. This truce we had would ensure that we protected them but as individuals rather than a gang so if they did get involved in something troublesome at night, we couldn¡¯t say we¡¯d be there for them and couldn¡¯t risk getting caught up in it but we would be watching.


    I couldn¡¯t fully trust them either.


    Regardless, after they left so did everyone else until my house was almost empty. ke was going to go home too but before he could leave, I got anxious and held him back by holding a little of his shirt from behind. ¡°Don¡¯t leave,¡± I say in a quiet voice and he doesn¡¯t question me any further, he keeps mepany. We get to my room and on my bed, he holds me close. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d befortable with it considering what happened with Tyler but with ke all of my muscles were rxed and I felt like I couldn¡¯t be morefortable and trusting with anyone else.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had you all to myself in a while,¡± he says softly and he ys with the ends of my hair. ¡°I missed you,¡±


    I look up so that our faces are only a couple of centimetres apart, breaths dancing together as I say,


    ¡°I missed you more.¡±


    (Authors note: The next chapter will be NSFW so please take that into consideration before reading. Let¡¯s just say, it¡¯ll get pretty hot.


    Talking about getting hot, I¡¯d greatly appreciate it if you guys followed me on my growing Instagram y_siddiqui_ where I post about my stories as well as my recently added self-published book, Sumb To Beauty, which is now avable on Amazon worldwide and it¡¯d mean the world if you could check them out!


    Thank you so much for your support and patience. From, Your loving Author)

 Chapter 90 Love Me

    -Dominic-


    As the words left my lips, ke¡¯s hand took a hold of my neck and brought himself lower, pushing his lips against mine. We kissed, it was passionate but also longing. Both of us longing more but I knew ke wouldn¡¯t push me past my boundary, I had to tell him it was okay.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    So, between the dance of our lips, I gently bit his lip, tugging it, which was enough. His tongue fought against mine, mapping out my mouth as my hands start travelling up the sides of his bare chest but he pulls away.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask, trying to hold back my need that was growing for him, showing worry instead, but he smiles down at me, his eyes bright and hungry.


    He shifts so that he¡¯s on top of me now but doesn¡¯t move to carry on just yet. I watch as he traces a finger from my jawline down the side of my body before fiddling with the ends of my shirt. It was as if he was inspecting me, or teasing me, I wasn¡¯t sure. He looks back up into my eyes before saying, ¡°I want to try something.¡±


    I smirk, this would be the first time, ¡°Go for it.¡± I say which makes him grin back down at me, quickly giving me another kiss before standing up. I sit up, watching as he goes towards my drawers and pulls something out. From what I could see it was one of my ck shirt ribbons.


    He walks back to me, I can¡¯t help but have my eyes wander down his chest, his muscles, his v-line. There were marks and some bruises but I found them all the more attractive. I look back up now that he was sat in front of me. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± He orders, voice low, so I did. When my eyes were closed I felt the silk of my ribbon being put over them, tied at the back. My other senses seemed to go on overdrive now that I couldn¡¯t see. ke¡¯s cologne hitting my nose, the hairs on my arms and neck standing at how close he was but how little he was touching me. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± He then murmurs into my ear, I could feel his throat rumble against me, his lips on my skin, his teeth brushing against me as if he was going to bite but he resists and leaves the room.


    I sit there for a bit, wondering what he went to get. With the darkness, an image of Tyler springs into my mind which makes me hold my breath. However, I reminded myself that I was with ke, the man I love, the man that I trust.


    I suddenly then hear something being ced on my nightstand before I feel a hand gliding me down so I wasying on my back. ¡°ke?¡± I asked, making sure.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, don¡¯t worry,¡± He says, this time by my neck. Hearing his voice makes me rx again.


    He seemed to understand that I was ready now, seeing my muscles rx because he starts kissing along my neck, nipping at my skin with both his lips and teeth from time-to-time. He travelled around before finding the perfect spot before targeting on and sucking on the skin in the area slightly. At the same time, his hand that was stationed by my waist made itself way under my shirt, rubbing at my bare skin, tracing my abs.


    I was starting to get hot.


    I ran my own hands through ke¡¯s hair, the soft feelingfortable under my fingers. When he was done with the spot on my neck he came back up and almost attacked my lips with his own. He was getting as excited as me now. The force in the kiss proved that to me.


    As we kissed, I felt his hand suddenly go to my lower waist which caught my attention instantly. I could feel him smirk against my lips, knowing that he¡¯s getting a reaction from me. He doesn¡¯t undo my jean¡¯s buttons but instead pushes his hand down, keeping close to my core. I hold my breath, squirming slightly.


    I then feel two of his fingers rub me from over the fabric of my underwear, instantly making me arch against him. I hear ke chuckle at me, ¡°Enjoying it are we?¡± He asks, rubbing more consistently, in circr motions but really slowly. I knew I was going to get wet fast this way.


    ¡°You tease,¡± I breathed which makes him let out a satisfied sound before pulling his hand out. I almost groaned at the loss of heat but he doesn¡¯t go far. Instead, he starts pulling my jeans off of me, underwear with it before I feel him spread my legs apart. He also takes the time to lift my shirt over my head but before I could pull my arms out, he used a hand to hold them above me.


    It was silent for a second, the only thing I could hear was the shuffle of whatever ke had put on my nightstand before he says, ¡°You¡¯re gorgeous,¡± but before I could reply I suddenly feel something ice-cold rub at my core.


    I let out a moan, the feeling was new but it was so good. A shiver travelled up my spine, exciting me even more as ke rubbed what I assumed was his fingers and an ice-cube against me. He rubs faster after hearing my moan which makes me let out more. The cold hitting my hot wetness, was amazing.


    He only paused when the ice melted a bit before slowly, inserting the rest of it in me. I bit my lip, arching my back again. His own three fingers followed the ice-cube, inserting them in me, ¡°ke- ah!¡± I moan out as he goes in and out.


    I then feel ke close to my ear again. ¡°I love it when you moan my name,¡± He enters again when make me open my mouth and he took that opportunity to explore with his own once more.


    After that, he travels down my body until his head is at my opening. I could feel his warmer breath against me but he doesn¡¯t touch me yet. Instead, he stops which confuses me. ¡°ke?¡± His hand goes onto the scars on my legs which makes me understand. I could imagine it, him looking at them softly, worriedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through so much pain,¡± he says, kissing the scars and the stitches on my legs one by one. ¡°You won¡¯t go through that again,¡± he promises, voice dark and almost angry? As if he was talking to the one who did it.


    After that he drives his tongue into me, catching me off guard. ¡°Ah!¡± I moan out and try to move my hands to his head but the shirt restricts me. ke notices my struggle and I could feel his grin by my entrance. The way he stops makes me whimper.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to move your hands or I¡¯ll stop,¡± he says and continues, his tongue working wonders, circling, going in and taking my juices. ¡°You taste good so I¡¯d rather you don¡¯t move as well.¡± He hums. I let out more moans than I ever had before, tightening my legs around him to try and pull him in closer to me without my hands but that makes him chuckle as well. ¡°You¡¯re going to choke me, love,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be sorry but your restrictions have me desperate,¡± I say back, grinning.


    ¡°Is that right?¡± he starts at it again but this time a lot slower. His tongue traced my clit, only half touching my g-spot before softly pushing against my entrance.


    I could feel iting, my hands gripping at my sheets. ¡°ke!¡±


    ¡°Yes, my love?¡± he continues to kiss at me slowly


    I bite my lips again, I hated doing this and he knew it too but I had to swallow my pride, I knew what he wanted. ¡°Please,¡± I say and try bringing my hands down but he gets up and doesn¡¯t let me.


    ¡°Please what?¡±


    His voice held such a strong teasing tone. He knew what he was doing to me. ¡°Please¡­ set me free¡± I finally say and that seems to satisfy him.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± he says before untying my blindfold, letting me see his beautiful face, his eyes glowing with lust. I also take notice of the bulge he has in his trousers as he lets my hands go.


    I decided to use that to my own advantage.


    -ke-


    As soon as I let Dominic¡¯s hands go, she flips us around, pushing me against the bed with her body climbed over me. I wasn¡¯t expecting her to make that move but regardless, her strength made it easy.


    The way her hair hung down towards my face, her eyes taking in my body as I did hers, her jaw and her abs were the sexiest to me, they made her irresistible. I noticed my mark on her neck too, glowing in colour, letting the whole world know she was mine.


    I looked at her, questioning what she was doing, as her sweet taste lingered on my mouth. She saw my look and a sh of mischief went through her eyes but it was that which had distracted me and suddenly I¡¯m forced into letting out a pleasureful groan.


    Her hand was rubbing against my already hard dick. I tried to contain my needs for as long as possible because I wanted her to feel really good tonight but now that she was touching me, it was bing hard to hold onto my urge.


    She saw the look on my face and carried on rubbing with her hand whilst kissing at my chest, leaving marks of her own as she trailed lower and lower. My trousers were bing really constricting now but as I reached to take them off she stopped me and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± against my skin turning me on a thousand times more.


    I watched as she unbuttoned my trousers and pulled them down before kissing down my v-line. She was so close, her mouth was so close. I could feel her tongue on the line of my underwear but she had yet to take that off.


    I took a hand and pushed her head gently closer to me, her hair tangled in my fingers.


    She kept rubbing my dick with her hand over my underwear, circling the head which made me groan again as she continued kissing my stomach and waist.


    That was when I realised she was teasing me back. ¡°Fuck,¡± I let out when she rubs faster. She seems happy with my reaction and goes faster. ¡°Dominic,¡± I breathe out and she gets the idea, releasing me from my underwear and allowing me to be free which has me let out a relieved sigh.


    She then continues kissing down which I wasn¡¯t expecting. I watched as her fingers circled with the head, moisturising it with my pre-cum as sheys soft kisses up my shaft. I push her head against me a little more, tightening my grip on her hair on reflex which then causes her to lick down it. ¡°Arg- Dominic,¡± I moan out when her tongue reaches my tip which has me pushing back a climax.


    ¡°I want you in me,¡± she says against me and I didn¡¯t waste any more time. I pulled her up and made hery on the bottom again. We were both impatient but I had to make sure,


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a condom,¡± I tell her but she doesn¡¯t seem fazed.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    I smile to myself and line up with her entrance before pushing myself in. She was already close to her limit because of all of the teasing and so was I. I pushed against her, rocking in and out, going faster, both of us breathing hard. ¡°Harder, ke!¡± I hear her shout which makes me grin and I go in harder and faster, her hips grinding against mine making this feel so good.


    ¡°I¡¯ming,¡± I let out, despite enjoying the rhythm.


    She moans out, ¡°so am I¡± so I wait under I feel her be even tighter before finally reaching our climax.


    I stay inside her, cuddling her as we catch our breath, nuzzling my head in the crook of her neck. This makes her run her fingers through my hair which I loved the feeling of. But it wasn¡¯t the only thing,


    ¡°I love you,¡± I told her and I feel her smile against my forehead.


    ¡°I love you too.¡±

 Chapter 91 Hopeful

    -Zack-


    I had imagined that if I were to ever write something it¡¯d be a st.


    It would probably start with a sex scene, with a hot chick that I would have brought home after an awesome night out, partying as if the world was going to end, dancing and cheering like nothing else mattered.


    It would have. If I was still 17 years old and had no aims, no dreams and just wanted to have fun.


    Other days would be spent training, shooting at my targets from all angles, knowing that I would never miss. I was the protector of our division, of our leader. I was supposed to be the backbone, the partner, the guy who didn¡¯t have to think about shit but was ready to act whenever and I was reliable.


    But now, I stand looking down at a rejection email. The fifth one this week, thirtieth this month. There¡¯s nothing exciting about this which in itself is a letdown. I thought getting a job would be easy, I thought getting a life would be easy. Except now I just sound like an old man.


    Dominic would have given me a job if I asked but she¡¯s helped me so much as it is, tutoring me with business, letting me use her books, supporting me mentally when I couldn¡¯t go to anyone else, but at this point, I just feel like a burden.


    We¡¯re not a gang anymore either so my shooting skills are useless and no one really needed protecting. When Jordan and Anna came around asking for us to guard them almost, that was probably the only option I had left and even that I wasn¡¯t happy about. At least this way I got to walk outside of their hotel for a few minutes each day, make sure they¡¯re okay before heading home. I didn¡¯t expect anything drastic to happen though and I¡¯m not sure how involved I want to be for them either.


    I sighed, deleting the email and getting up from my bed to go into the kitchen of Nick, Jason and I¡¯s apartment. I wasn¡¯t sure who was home and who was out since I had stayed in my room all day and now it was 4 pm and it felt like the whole house was empty. I guess that was the perfect opportunity for a drink.


    I took out a shot ss and some vodka before sitting at the dining table. It suddenly felt ufortable though. Not just the fact that I was sat alone when I¡¯m used to the room beaming with people but drinking as a whole. When I was younger, I wouldn¡¯t have hesitated, never liked the taste but whoever drank for that? The buzz is what I loved about it.


    But now, looking down at my ss that I had yet to fill, I almost didn¡¯t want it anymore. Something repelled me, but thinking it was just the fact that I wasn¡¯t used to it since it¡¯s been 10 years, I screwed off the lid and was about to pour.


    But my hand was stopped.


    I looked up and Jason had been the one who had stopped me. ¡°You know,¡± He begins, taking the bottle from me, setting it aside and sitting down at the table as well. ¡°I was confident you had gone sober after your ten-year hiatus.¡±


    I scoffed a little, covering my tired state with a grin, ¡°You say that as if I was addicted!¡± Iughed but he didn¡¯t join me in it.


    ¡°You were.¡± His tone doesn¡¯t really change but it made my mouth twitch nheless, almost having my grin fall in surprise. He nced my way, catching my reaction before leaning back on the chair and looking up. ¡°We were all aware of it you know? How much you tried to distract yourself with alcohol when you were in pain. None of us was ignoring it, it¡¯s just that none of us knew a better solution at the time.¡±


    This time my grin shattered, I didn¡¯t think anyone had noticed, didn¡¯t think anyone had cared.


    ¡°But now, it¡¯s not really the same thing,¡± He continues, standing up, grabbing the bottle before patting my shoulder motioning for me to stand as well so I did. We walked up to the sink where he then passed me the bottle. I looked at it confused, hesitantly taking it in my hands and waiting to hear what he wanted me to do with it. Except, when he said, ¡°Empty it,¡± I suddenly froze.


    I looked down at the sink, the bottle before looking back at Jason, I couldn¡¯t- ¡°You can do it, you¡¯re stronger than this Zack, we all know you are. Besides, you don¡¯t need to rely on drinks to get you by, you have us. So please, rely on us a bit more.


    I looked down at the bottle again. This time a wave of motivation hit me. He was right. I had friends and people I could call my family, people I could trust. They¡­ are here for me.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    And so I emptied it. Watching the liquid go down the drain and possibly, gone from my life forever. It was a freeing feeling and once it was all gone, my shoulders felt lighter, I felt a lot happier.


    This time I was about to turn to Jason with a real grin but when I did, I was engulfed in a hug that I wasn¡¯t expecting but, it felt nice and warm. Yet, before I could hug him back he pulled back with a proud smile and told me to follow him into the living room this time. He let me walk in first so I opened the door but only to have my breath taken at the decorated room and the cheers of those there.


    It seems I wasn¡¯t home alone after all.


    I turned back at Jason, disbelief and excitement on my face, not knowing why everyone was at our house but happy nheless and he mouthed, ¡°We¡¯re all here for you,¡± Which made my eyes tear up in happiness. I looked back at everyone realising that they were caring for me this whole time, they did notice, and they believed that I would be able to let go of my fears.


    Nick then came around and put an arm around my shoulders before happily pulling me further into the room and the group. ¡°We¡¯re always looking out for you bro,¡± he whispers in my ear before saying out loud, ¡°And as much as this was a reason for celebration as it is, I don¡¯t think we can forget that today Zack will finally be joining us at 28!¡±


    Iughed along with everyone else, being sat down in between, Nick and Jake as Dominic put a cake in front of me. It was such a cliche thing for them to do but, I needed this. Not a huge party with the whole house filled with people who wouldn¡¯t give a shit but these people. This one room, this one group, this one cake, it was all I needed. All I¡¯ll ever need.


    ¡°Man you made me give up alcohol on my birthday?¡±


    ¡°Zack!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding!¡±

 Chapter 92 Best Friend

    -ke-


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I remember thest time we were been able to hang out together like this, ke,¡±


    I grinned at Jake as he put his next card down during our round of ckjack. ¡°I know, seeing your ugly face for this long is quite something,¡± I reply which makes him scoff.


    ¡°Hey! We have almost identical faces! I¡¯m surprised Dominic can stand yours.¡± He retorts which makes me chuckle. I put my card down.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Yeah well at least I¡¯ve got someone who can, where¡¯s yours?¡± I ask and he pouts a little, trying to distract himself by looking through the cards in his hands.


    He ends up deciding and changes his pouted expression to a more mischievous one, ¡°I¡¯ll find her one day, in the meantime, I think we should test how well Dominic can tell us apart. Wouldn¡¯t want you getting married to someone who could mistake you for another man now, would we?¡±


    ¡°You do that and you¡¯re dead,¡± I say casually which makes him grin.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing it!¡±


    I roll my eyes but smile at his childish behaviour. I would have found myself getting angry at this a few years ago but now, I had the utmost trust in Dominic; I knew that even if he did do this, it wouldn¡¯t make a difference. She loved me as I did her.


    ¡°Where is she anyway?¡± Jake asked.


    Dominic was with Anna right now. It¡¯s been a few weeks since she and Jordan have been around and in that time Anna and Dominic have started to be really close to one another. They weren¡¯t simr in any sense but there was something that connected them and now they behaved like sisters almost.


    It was the first time I had seen Dominic act so friendly with another person, that too a woman. Ever since high school I¡¯ve known her to be independent or surrounded by men who either want to kill her or want something from her. We had been some of the only friends she had but now that she¡¯s found Anna, I¡¯m happy that she gets to live somewhat normally and¡­ happily.


    I heard from Dominic that Anna had had her do things she had never done before whether that was going to the cinema, going to the arcade, dancing at home, doing karaoke. And although she admitted to being ufortable about them at first, she ended up enjoying doing them with her. She also made Anna do things too like going shooting which Anna was surprisingly good at and going to fights which Dominic said wasn¡¯t something Anna was super into but they ended up having a great time anyway.


    This morning they had gone for a walk around one of the bigger parks in the city, probably going to do other things too and should be back soon.


    I told Jake this and he nodded excitedly before going on about his ¡®grand n¡¯ which involved us switching clothes and some kind of training that he said we¡¯d go overter. First, we needed to change.


    Jake was wearing a casual white shirt, a grey zip-up hoodie and light denim trousers at the time. I was wearing a ck button-up shirt, ck trousers and a burgundy leather jacket. I think it was safe to say we definitely had different styles and I would find it weird that we were swapping clothes but we used to do it a lot as kids so I didn¡¯t really mind. Jake didin about doing so many buttons though and that burgundy was a weird colour.


    After that Jake tried mimicking me which was honestly pretty funny.


    ¡°You¡¯re always really angry so I guess I shouldn¡¯t smile a lot?¡± He then put on an exaggerated angry face which made wrinkles form between his eyebrows, making meugh before I pped the back of his head.


    ¡°I am not angry all the time,¡±


    ¡°Sure dude, also, you gotta start pretending to be like me, call her sweetheart and be a lot livelier¡± I¡¯m pretty sure he was just insulting me now.  ¡°What do you call her by the way? What¡¯s her pet name?¡±


    I scratched the back of my neck while thinking of an answer, it wasn¡¯t really something I had thought about, anything we call each other would just be out of instinct, ¡°D, I guess?¡±


    Jake looked at me as if asking ¡®am I serious?¡¯ Which made me shrug. ¡°D? Not ¡®love¡¯ or ¡®hun¡¯ or ¡®babe¡¯? You¡¯re a terrible boyfriend. I bet she¡¯d love me.¡± I sighed, almost regretting agreeing to this.


    ¡°Yeah, and that¡¯s definitely why I¡¯m her boyfriend,¡± I reply and he smirks at me while doing his hair, getting pretty into his role.


    It wasn¡¯t long after when I heard Dominic and Anna¡¯sugh outside the door and I started getting a little nervous but pushed it back. It¡¯s not like anything would happen.


    The door opened and the two women walked in, ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Dominic calls out, she¡¯s been doing that recently which gave the house a more warm feeling than before. Before it used to feel like a ce that didn¡¯t belong to her but ever since our night, she¡¯s made it feel more homely.


    I was about to reply but Jake beat me to it, reminding me that I was supposed to be him and him me, ¡°Wee home love,¡± he says, walking towards her. His voice was perfect somehow, the way he walked towards her, arms outstretched casually too, he was really good. They hugged which made me hold my breath a bit. I knew Jake wouldn¡¯t do anything, I trust my brother, but still.


    He got significantly closer to her face now and it looked like he was going to kiss her. I got up to stop them but before I could step forward Dominded a hard punch to Jake¡¯s stomach, making me flinch slightly as he groaned out inint towards Dominic but then I slowly smile as Dominic walks up to me after giving Jake a weird look.


    I hold the back of her neck and give her a short weing kiss before holding her waist, rubbing the tips of my fingers on the sides of her stomach when we break away and she turns back at Jake, ¡°What was that about?¡± She asks me and I shake my head,


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡±


    Dominic chuckled then guided Anna into the living room after that, waiting for me to follow which I did after helping Jake up. ¡°She¡¯s a keeper,¡± Jake says in between his groans which makes meugh.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me twice.¡±


    We both sat on the sofas in front of Anna and Dominic after. I watched as Dominic excitedly told us about what they had been doing today, as sheughed along with Anna, eyes gleaming, smile wide. I loved seeing her so happy, knowing she deserved this in every way and if I could preserve it at all, I would.


    There was something though, something that felt very off about the room. I felt it when Dominic and Anna first came into the house and I had started feeling it now too. The room was filled with chatter, it wasn¡¯t awkward or abnormal but there seemed to be a void that felt weird to me. I looked in Anna¡¯s direction to see her looking down at herp intently for a second before looking up again and joining in the conversation again, all as normal.


    I was going to push this feeling away, thinking it was just me being paranoid when suddenly the whole house went pitch ck.


    It was more than just the electricity being cut off, the windows were blocked from the outside as if caped by something. ¡°Dominic!¡± I called, reaching forward to where she wasst and being able to find a shoulder that I was sure was hers. I could feel Jake behind me too, probably looking around for the weapons we had stored around the house but,


    ¡°Dont bother,¡±


    A low toned voice said which made us tense, looking around to try and find the source which didn¡¯t take long.


    A wind blew outside which lifted whatever was blocking one of the windows allowing a little bit of light to enter between us and her.


    Anna stood there, looking almost like apletely different person which her innocent expression no longer on. I grit my teeth and then suddenly remembered.


    I whip my head towards Dominic who held a pained expression on her face. So much so that it hurt me to see it. ¡°Anna,¡± The name left her lips slowly, her eyes then shut tight a second before opening and the expression of Dominic¡¯s face changedpletely as well. She looked at Anna as if she had done any one of her other opponents, no ties whatsoever.


    ¡°My father¡¯s gang couldn¡¯t just ept a defeat from people like you,¡± Anna said before slowly raising a gun and pointing it in our direction. Both Jake and I stood in front of Dominic in an attempt to protect her but all Dominic did at seeing the gun was chuckle.


    ¡°Finally showing your true intentions are you?¡± Her voice masking what must be painful with pride.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so smug, you were fooled so easily. Letting people into your home.¡±


    I heard a safety lock of a gun being released from behind me which made me shut my eyes. It seemed that even though she finally found her first best friend, she was still prepared for something like this. To take it all away, even if it meant so much more pain.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Dominic says and raises the gun to aim which makes Anna visibly tense but she doesn¡¯t waver in her own threat. ¡°But I don¡¯t regret it. After all,¡±


    ¡°I enjoyed every second.¡±


    Two gunshots were fired.


    And silence followed.

 Chapter 93 Loss

    -Dominic-


    ¡°Hold on Dominic!¡±


    Like a sister. That¡¯s what she was to me. She understood the feelings I didn¡¯t have to exin. She made me experience what I had always wanted as a child. Away from the bullying, away from the people who thought I was too boyish to be a girl but too girly to be a boy. That my eyes were too ghoulish. My strength a w.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be okay!¡±


    Of course, I was. Although she had made me think I could finally be normal that I could finally fit in and be epted- who would want that anyway? Hah, I was crazy to be sofortable around something¡­ something so peaceful.


    ¡°Breathe! They¡¯re going to help you!¡±


    Arthur had always raised me to be cautious about everyone. I never had friends, I had enemies so that instruction became an instinct to me and although weughed, although we did our make up together, although we watched movies together, although we walked and danced together, I carried a gun on my waistband.


    And when I saw her draw her gun, pointing it right at me despite hugging me only moments before, I knew. I watched her shoot before, she was urate, she was precise. She was better than me at shooting it despite her telling me through a smiling face that she hadn¡¯t done it before. It was a lie of course but sometimes you like to hope.


    Regardless, I knew that I had to protect the people I loved and if it was her that they had to be protected from then I wouldn¡¯t hesitate. For their sake, I was prepared to shoot the one person who felt like the first female friend I had ever had. For their sake, I shot her first.


    I saw it, when I pulled the trigger, the fear that ran through her eyes, the tremble in her hands, the nce she took at ke and how she was about to redirect her aim but I stepped forward and caught her attention again. She shot less than a second after me but it was out of fear.


    She wasn¡¯t a liar.


    She had told me that her father forced her to join his gang, that she was forced to see people killed and that she hated it. I watched her breakdown whilst describing how she had to sit through people being burned, being stabbed, being shot. She was tortured by watching others. It was a punishment her father gave her for wanting to escape and that punishment continues every time she remembers their faces of pain and agony.


    She was the exact opposite of me. An Angel she was, wanting to escape the hell she was trapped in while I was a Demonfortable in my ring. She healed those imprisoned by her father when he wasn¡¯t around while I beat those who stood against me.


    ¡®My father¡¯s gang couldn¡¯t just ept a defeat from people like you,¡¯ she had said. If I were to guess he probably wanted her and Jordan toe to us on purpose. He probably told her that destroying us would finally set her free.


    And I told her I would help her.


    That fearful look that stained her face as my bullet hit her chest, will forever be engraved in my head, in my heart.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Her bullet had hit my stomach at that time. I guess it was only fair. A life for a life.


    When she copsed I stumbled towards her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I had said and she shook her head, her eyes slowly closing.


    ¡°Thank you..¡± her voice delicate and almost at a whisper, ¡°Thank you for giving me the freedom my father never did,¡±


    And like that, my sister was gone.


    I leaned against ke, having a hard time standing, as he kept reassuring me that people were on their way and that I¡¯d be helped soon. His voice was desperate and panicked though. We were at a loss as well and we both knew it. Both of our hands on top of the bullet wound that wouldn¡¯t stop bleeding.


    ¡°JAKE PLEASE HELP US!¡± The pain in his voice was unbearable.


    I had only just found out that I could be pregnant. Missing my periods was normal because of my fights but because I hadn¡¯t fought in a while, my periods were stable again until this month. I had all of the symptoms and the timing would have been perfect for it.


    When I told ke, he was ecstatic, shouting out in joy as if he had wanted it forever. I joked that I¡¯d rather have my abs than the baby but now when we were losing it, I would do anything to be able to save it.


    I couldn¡¯t hold it in. I let out a scream of pain.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Dominic?¡±


    I looked up from my stomach to the door where Jordan stood. He wasn¡¯t on his own, I noticed. Nick and Arthur had both been standing by my door this whole time and now stood just behind Jordan that if he tried anything he was in arms reach.


    When we caught eyes he immediately started tearing up, the flowers in his hands were dropped and he went to cover his face. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know I swear-! And your b-¡±


    I clenched the bedsheets on top of me and stopped him from continuing. ¡°Jordan,¡± I say, voice stern but there was weakness in it. When I caught his attention he stared at me, his eyes also in pain. ¡°We¡¯ve both lost people dear to us today,¡± I gave him the best smile I could conjure. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He shook his head but didn¡¯t say anything further, picking up the dropped flowers and putting them at the end of my bed before slowly taking his leave.


    When he was gone both of my brothers let out a sigh before letting silence consume us for a bit.


    ¡°Where¡¯s ke?¡± Nick finally asks.


    I turn to the window which had a view of a nice canal where some parents and children yed by, feeding the ducks and having pics. ¡°He¡¯s grieving.¡±


    When I got to the hospital he had been at my side, he didn¡¯t leave until he made sure I was okay and that everything was taken care of. I had drifted off to sleep due to theck of blood and thest I remember was him kissing my forehead before leaving the room.


    Considering how happy the news of my pregnancy made ke, I knew that this event made it that much harder for him. ¡°Want me to get him?¡± Arthur asked but I shook my head negatively. He would need time. I would need some time too.


    Later that evening, after I convinced my brothers to go home for the night, I started getting dressed and walked out of the hospital. I had started to get ustrophobic and needed some air. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t have experience getting shot, the healing process wasn¡¯t an issue.


    I then walked out to the canal that I had seen by my window and kept walking under the stars which reflected so beautifully against the water. I listened to the water swaying and the silence of the streets. This would have been the perfect night for a fight.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous out here on your own.¡± A familiar voice called from behind me which made me smile.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were still around.¡± I could hear him let out a breath before walking towards me, wrapping his arms around me from behind, immediately engulfing me in the warmth I had been missing all day.


    I breathed in his scent which rxed me instantly. ¡°I couldn¡¯t just let you be alone. Not at a time like this.¡± I closed my eyes and let him support me, ¡°Besides if I wasn¡¯t here I¡¯m pretty sure you would have gone and gotten yourself involved in something violent.¡±


    I chuckled at his words, ¡°You know me well, ke,¡±


    After that we stayed under the night sky for a bit longer, thinking about what could have been but thankful that we still had each other.

 Chapter 94 For Her

    -ke-


    ¡°Again.¡±


    Hit.


    ¡°Again.¡±


    Hit.


    ¡°Last one.¡±


    A huge crash echoed the training room as I finished boxing practice with Xavier. I let out a breath and finally got to rx my stance, taking off the gloves on my hands. I was finally getting used to the regime that Xavier had created for me. My breath was more stable at the end and my stamina had built up a lot now.


    ¡°Want some water?¡± Xavier offered, going into the mini-fridge.


    I nodded and thanked him once I caught the bottle he threw at me.


    I had been spending a lot more time here training ever since the incident with Dominic urred. I was determined to be able to protect her better but not only that, if we were to have a family in the future then I¡¯d want to protect them as well. Although, at the moment, I don¡¯t think Dominic wants to go through that anymore.


    ¡°You have to stop fighting with anger.¡± Xavier suddenly says, leaning against his desk. I looked back at him a little confused which made him carry on exining. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been through rough patchestely but don¡¯t fight with anger. You have to let that go.¡± My shoulders dropped when he said that. I hadn¡¯t realised I made it so obvious.


    I tried looking back at Xavier¡¯s expression to see him looking at me with understanding but he was as stern as always. ¡°Fighting angry will distract you and blind you from being able to read people¡¯s movements properly.¡±


    ¡°You speak as if it¡¯s from experience,¡± I say and he scoffs.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for me to be angry about, I¡¯m one of the most feared fighters in history!¡± I rolled my eyes at his pride but his eyes then stopped gleaming and he looked away with a straight face for a moment. ¡°But,¡± he continues, ¡°The only time I did let my anger out on the ring was when Dominic was defeated.¡±


    His face held a look of annoyance now and even I felt tense. ¡°That prick. Theck of respect he had and the way he treated Dominic was infuriating. I gave him a good punch to the face but he was looking for a fight.¡± I watched him hold his fist, possibly trying to calm down.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give him one? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s not around.¡±


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t look at his face without boiling with rage and if we were to fight, I¡¯d be more focused on trying to smash his head in rather than looking at what he¡¯s going to hit me with.¡± He suddenly started walking up to me and then put a hand on my shoulder, grip hard enough to threaten to break it. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re going to do it instead.¡±


    My eyes widened at his words. ¡°What?¡± I asked, almost breathless.


    ¡°I¡¯ve watched the guy fight for years now and taught you in confidence that you can be the one to fuck him up.¡±


    For some reason when he said that, I felt motivated. I could feel my blood pumping around that little bit faster. I was excited.


    ¡°So, Beast, are you in?¡±


    His eyes were gleaming again, a smirk stered on his face and I couldn¡¯t help but reflect that.


    ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±


    We fist-bumped each other and he walked towards his desk again, taking out a clip-bored and sliding it against the table for me to see. I walked towards it and looked at a list of names, all of which were street fighters.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s time to sign up for a fight.¡±


    ¡ª


    -Dominic-


    I¡¯ve been away from home for a while. The face-offs were in a month and that¡¯s usually the busiest time for us so I¡¯ve been all around the state at each of my locations making sure everything was going as nned and we were still striving. It had been difficult for a while but we were starting to boom again, meaning that I could rest assured for a little while longer.


    When I did get back home and to Xavier¡¯s branch though, I stood by the entrance in surprise. This branch was usually the slowest in terms of business at night, mostly because of the King, so seeing a whole line to the entrance was quite surprising.


    The only reason I was here was that I knew ke had been spending more time here recently and so I wanted to go home with him tonight. Plus, I needed to check on updates with Xavier, now more than ever.


    I walked towards the back entrance, the guard ncing at me and letting me inside without hesitance and inside it seemed more packed than it was outside and for the first time in a long time, the room was filled with noise.


    My ears perked in excitement at the cheers that would be enough to deafen you. My heart starts racing. As I walk around a grin settles on my face, seeing so many fighters and spectators, here again, brought me back to my past and the days I loved so much.


    ¡°BEAST! BEAST! BEAST! BEAST!¡±


    People chanted repeatedly, and although this wasn¡¯t a street fighter name I knew, something about it felt familiar. It was then when I finally turned to the ring and saw him.


    His stance was strong and determined, fists colliding with his opponents face, breaking their jaw but he doesn¡¯t stop. Instead, he wastes no time in swinging around and kicking his foot against the guy¡¯s rib, giving him no time to recover or hit him back.


    ¡°ke,¡±


    His name softly left my lips. He had left me in awe.


    I then suddenly felt an arm wrap around my shoulders. I knew who it was already, ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xavier asked and I nodded positively, unable to rip my eyes away from the fight in front of me. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure about him at first, but Demon, I think I¡¯ve learnt to trust in your judgement. ke is a really good guy, but also,¡± He leaned in close to my ear and finished, ¡°A really good fighter.¡±


    When he said that I turned to face him but he pulled away from me and started walking towards the ring where ke had made his finishing blow. It made my attention focus on him again as well as Xavier¡¯s voice announcing,


    ¡°AND THE WINNER IS THE BEAST!¡±


    ke put a fist in the air in celebration, taking in the cheers of the crowd and as his eyes scanned around, they finally met my own and I was struck. His grin faltered for a moment but then I raised my own arm to match his own, grinning from ear to ear myself through the tears that threatened to fall. When he saw this, his happy expression was ced back onto his face and he continued to celebrate.


    I walked towards Xavier¡¯s office/training room after that, still able to hear the cheering going on outside but that didn¡¯t bother me. Not long passed when Xavier and ke both walked into the room as well, both of themughing and happy. It pulled the strings of my heart a bit because it reminded me exactly of how Xavier and I would end our night of fighting, how we¡¯de in exhausted but all the more proud. I missed it.


    When ke saw me he ran towards me for a hug which I indulged in with open arms. As much as I missed it, this was ke¡¯s moment now and I couldn¡¯t be any prouder for him. ¡°You¡¯re going to get blood on me, let go,¡± Iughed when he wouldn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± he says, and I could feel his smirk against my skin. He thenes in for a strong kiss, an electric feeling surging within me when he does until I begin to taste something warm and metallic in my mouth.


    I pull away from him, chuckling but pretend to be in disgust, ¡°Now I¡¯ve got your blood in my mouth!¡± I exim but the taste was one I was all too familiar with. It shes in my head, the number of times I¡¯ve had holes in my cheeks, bleeding gums, ripped lips.


    ke spins me around and holds me from behind whilst saying, ¡°And you love it.¡± To which I roll my eyes but don¡¯tin and instead hold a smile.


    I expect Xavier to make a sarcasticment towards us like he usually does, tell us to ¡®calm down¡¯ or ¡®save it for when we get our own room¡¯ but he doesn¡¯t and when I look at him, he¡¯s holding a smile of his own, warmth in his expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s his training schedule?¡± I ask and Xavier takes out a sheet of paper, passing it to me.


    ¡°You might recognise it,¡± he says as I read over it to see it was pretty simr to mine a long time ago but it wasn¡¯t as intense. Plus ke didn¡¯t have to be educated in between the training so I assumed it would be a bit easier. Regardless, looking at it, it made sense as to how ke was able to be so strong in such a short amount of time.


    From behind me, I feel ke let out a sigh before saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to enter the face-offs, D,¡± I look up at him, unsure for a moment but decided that it wasn¡¯t my ce to take something like this away from him. I know the feeling of wanting to fight, to win, topete. I nodded positively at him with a small smile. ¡°That means I¡¯ll be going against King,¡± he continues.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    The name made me freeze. I start to remember how I was beaten, sliced at, how my identity was ripped from me. For a second I feared for ke. I didn¡¯t want to see him go through the same thing I did. I didn¡¯t want him to be in pain like I was or want to give all this up after just finding it.


    But when I looked into his eyes, I saw dedication. It was as if he was begging me to let him do this¡­ and I couldn¡¯t say no. ¡°Okay,¡± I say which makes him grin down at me, kissing my cheek before pulling away from me.


    I looked back down at his schedule in my hands and couldn¡¯t help but furrow my eyebrows, especially after learning that ke will bepeting. ¡°Something is missing isn¡¯t there?¡± Xavier seemed to notice my expression so I sighed and exined.


    ¡°You¡¯ve put a heavy focus on boxing which is usually the right way to go, but against King, I¡¯d rmend kick-boxing to be your priority. The techniques he uses are centred around the krav maga martial arts which emphasise the use of your arms. It was developed for the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli security forces so it was no wonder it caught me off guard. Aside from kickboxing, taekwondo would be your best bet.¡±


    As I say this I look up to find Xavier giving me a half proud half mischievous look. I raised an eyebrow at him which prompted him to say what he was thinking. ¡°Then you better start training him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    He walks closer to until his face was close to mine. He must have realised by now that intimidating me with height was going to work but by closing in on distance, especially with how close he was now, I started to tense and he could see that. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who has experience fighting King and I know you¡¯ve been analysing every second of you guys¡¯ fight because you regret letting such a sick fuck get the best of you like that.¡± I sucked in a breath, knowing he was right.


    For days and weeks after our fight, I used recordings to go over our movements, to look into his techniques, to figure out how he was fighting, how I could have avoided it, how I could have won. Despite that though, it just emphasised how much I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Train ke to be the fighter you couldn¡¯t be that night.¡±


    I looked back at ke, he was watching us intently. I didn¡¯t know how much of this they had nned or for how long but he seemed just as shocked about me training him as I was. Yet, I knew that only I could have ke win the fight in a month.


    With that decision, I nod back at Xavier,


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±

 Chapter 95 Fight

    (A/N: Dear Readers, thank you all for your patience, I know I haven¡¯t updated in a while but you¡¯ve caught me in the middle of my final exam period, Ramadan and Eid but topensate, I¡¯ll be making this chapter longer than usual. Enjoy!)


    -ke-


    An rm woke me up that morning, making me get up instantly.


    I¡¯ve been training with Dominic for 3 weeks now and these weeks have been some of the hardest I¡¯ve had to go through physically. I thought having Dominic as my trainer would have been easy, we¡¯d have fun all the time -and sometimes we do, but there¡¯s fear in her eyes, fear for me.


    As I brushed my teeth and changed into my workout gear, I¡¯m reminded why. Just as much as it hurts me to think that she was beaten up and humiliated in the worst way possible, she probably felt that same way thinking about me and what would happen if I were to go against the King. I¡¯ve acted confident for her, told her I could do it, trained my ass off to get stronger and stronger eaching day, trying to put her fears to the side but in truth,


    I doubted.


    As strong as I was getting, there was still a part of me that thought that if Dominic couldn¡¯t do it, then how could I? And if I were able to defeat him, to gain the title of strongest street fighter, then how would that make Dominic feel? I didn¡¯t want to put her through something like that but whenever I¡¯ve tried to talk to her about it she¡¯d tell me that things like that weren¡¯t a problem, that thoughts like that would just drag me down, have me hesitate.


    ¡®Think of me as your challenge, not your setback. Just like how I thought of Xavier,¡¯ she had told me so I shook the thought out of my head. I was doing this for her and would win whether I liked it or not because he needed to be taught a lesson.


    I walked down to the training room where Dominic was waiting for me. I caught her testing out one of the punching bags, her swings sharp, the contact loud and in the end, she did a quick turn and kicked at the height of someone¡¯s head which made the bag swing off of its hook. I stood impressed before going in to help her pick the bag up again but before I could, I noticed that her face which was semi-hidden by her hair held a smile.


    ¡°Morning,¡± I greeted and she turned to me with a grin,


    ¡°Good morning!¡± We shared a quick kiss, the gentlest part of the day, before getting ready, ¡°This is yourst session before the face-offs, you ready?¡± Myst day of intense workouts, myst day of 6-hour sessions from 9 am-3 pm, myst day of independent workouts from 9 pm-11 pm, myst day before the fight.


    I grinned,


    ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡±


    ¨C


    We were at the 5-hour mark for today¡¯s training session, Dominic was teaching me a new hold which involved me being locked under her and as much as this position would have been desirable any other time, right now it was painful as fuck. Thankfully, she unlocked it when her phone went off, leaving meying on the floor like a starfish because of my exhaustion.


    ¡°Alia will be here soon,¡± she lets me know after her phone call. Alia was one of Dominic¡¯s trainees and she¡¯de for her lesson once a week for an hour as well. During this time Xavier woulde and train me. In that sense, Alia is my saving grace. I love Dominic, but her workout sessions are far from easy. Even now when I should be used to the intensity, my legs shake, hardly able to carry me and even though we aren¡¯t focussed on ab work,ughing, sneezing, makes my core ache.


    I look up to see Dominic leaning down to look at me while I was still on the floor. Her face held a soft expression, her beautiful smile ying on her lips, her eyes gleaming.


    I wanted to ask her a question but nerves got the best of me and it ended up getting stuck in my throat, so instead, she lightly taps my cheek twice and says, ¡°Come on hun, you had your break already, carry on going until Xavier gets here¡±


    ¡®hun¡¯, that was new but it gave me a warming feeling so I wasn¡¯tisant when getting up, even though it hurt like hell but before I could fully stand, ¡°Why¡¯s your ass on the floor ke? Don¡¯t tell me Demon can still beat you this close to thepetition!¡±


    I rolled my eyes at Xavier¡¯s exmation as he walked into the room, jacket swung around his shoulders as if he ruled the world. ¡°Don¡¯t be mean,¡± Dominic says but just as I was starting to think that she was defending me, ¡°beating me isn¡¯t that easy of a feat.¡± Their chuckles filled the room, and a sudden realisation that these street fighters were going to be the death of me made its way into my head. They were the actual demons.


    Aliaes in not too long after that, we nod at each other in formal greeting but we don¡¯t usually talk. I do catch a bit of their training while I¡¯m having my break with Xavier though and something about it tempts me to ask, ¡°Why is she so much nicer to girls?¡±


    While Dominic would raise her voice when giving me quick instructions, was rough, would tell me to go faster or that I was too weak, her voice was still stern but more gentle with her, she was formal, she was caring, and she made sure Alia wasfortable all the time.


    Xavier was confused at my question until he turned to them and realised what I meant. ¡°Because boys are assholes.¡±


    I looked back at him with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged. ¡°If she were to show any ¡®nice-ness¡¯ during her training sessions with guys they¡¯d walk all over her, call her weak, or wouldn¡¯t take her seriously. Boys are assholes. Girls, on the other hand, respect her no matter how she speaks to them so she doesn¡¯t bother being rough. It strains the throat you know.¡±


    ¡°You say, ¡®boys are assholes¡¯ as if you aren¡¯t one of them.¡±


    Xavierughs at me wholeheartedly before eximing, ¡°Because I¡¯m a man!¡±


    ¡ª


    -Dominic- Two Dayster-


    ¡°It feels weird, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Xavier was standing next to me in my office in the bar. There were 15 minutes left until the Face-Offs started and the whole ce was packed. Xavier was thementator for the fights tonight, I was the supervisor, but all we could think about was how we used to stand in the street fighter¡¯s section in the midst of the screaming and cheering and wait for our names to be called out.


    ¡°It does,¡± I answer.


    I feel him nudge me after that so I turn to him to see his hand outstretched. ¡°For old times sake,¡± he says which makes me grin before locking my hand with his,


    ¡°Through this, we, the first and second strongest, promise to stay true, stay fair and stay bloody no matter who we¡¯re fighting or what we¡¯re fighting, even if it¡¯s each other.¡±


    He pulls me in and hugs me after that before going on and telling me to ¡®wish him luck¡¯ as he exited the room. The next thing that could be heard is his voice booming through the speakers,


    ¡°LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ARE YOU READY?!¡±


    And as the cheers grew, my goosebumps started to form so I took in a deep breath and walked out of my room. The fights were starting.


    ¨C


    After a few hours, the tournament rounds were ending quickly, fights being 2-5 minutes on average. There were a lot of new fighters this year but unfortunately, a lot of them were inexperienced and would quickly be defeated by those who were year-long fighters. Even then, almost none of the fighters I used to go against were here anymore. The only person I did recognise tonight apart from Nick and the rest of the guys was Destroyer but he wasn¡¯t here to fight, he came up to me to say hi, telling me he only came to see me since the fights were held in my bar this year. When I asked him why he didn¡¯t sign up he told me it wasn¡¯t fun if I wasn¡¯t going to be a part of thepetition.


    ¡°You could have had a shot at beating King,¡± I tell him and he scoffs.


    ¡°That trash of a human being who calls himself ¡®King¡¯,¡± we pause to look at the ring where he was currently fighting and although Xavier told him to stop already, he continued beating the unconscious fighter until Xavier pulled them apart forcefully, ¡°deserves to be ripped apart by you, M. D¡±


    I can¡¯t help but smile, ¡°Still calling me M. D when the whole world knows my real name?¡±


    He shakes his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to find out like that. I wanted maybe a handshake, a formal greeting-¡± I stopped him by extending a hand which he looks down at with shock.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°My name is Dominic,¡±


    He shakes my hand excitedly which makes meugh, ¡°Wait I wanna take a picture too!¡± And after our selfie, I start paying attention to the ring again. ke was up for his semi-final match.


    ke had been doing really well in the fights so far. I wasn¡¯t worried about his stamina because we had been training in long hours for weeks so he had built that up, I also made sure that these past two days he was resting so that he¡¯d have the energy to go all out tonight. The only thing to worry about now was his technique and how well he¡¯s able to adapt to his opponents. During our spars, I made sure to change my fighting style often so he wouldn¡¯t get used to the same thing. He had also been fighting at the bar on his own which would have helped that too.


    I was still worried though. Every time he¡¯d get hit, I¡¯d flinch, hoping he wouldn¡¯t get hurt too bad but that was unavoidable tonight, especially if he were to go against the King. But I was confident. I taught him as much as I could in the short amount of time we had. I had him work hard and it¡¯ll be worth it.


    It¡¯ll be worth it.


    I made sure whilst ke was fighting, I was near the ring, showing my support and giving him pointers whenever I could. This time was no different. After this semi-final match, he¡¯d be going against King who, judging from the match that just took ce, was still bloodthirsty.


    When ke saw me he grins, showing the blood pooling in his mouth which makes me chuckle, ¡°Win.¡± I tell him and he nods at me, determined.


    Their match starts and ke doesn¡¯t hesitate to go right in, dodging the other guy¡¯s punch before responding with his own, one at the jaw, another on the side but afterwords, he got kicked which separated them again. This went back and forth for a while until he was finally able to hold the guy in the hold that I had taught him which not only trapped the other guy from moving but also the angle at which his arm was held was probably causing a tremendous amount of pain. The guy was being persistent though if only ke was to make it tighter he¡¯d dislocate the shoulder.


    ¡°Tighter ke!¡± I shouted after a few more seconds you could see the shouldere undone, making the guy scream out in pain and finally give in.


    ¡°THE WINNER IS THE BEAST!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I eximed as ke got up and made his way towards me. I gave him a kiss which he returned excitedly.


    ¡°Only one more left,¡± He whispers in my ear and we both turn to look at King who was walking up to the ring.


    I made ke look at me before Xavier could announce the start of the fight. ¡°Remember, if he¡¯s using the des they¡¯ll most likely be at his joints, his elbows, his knees. If you see himing in with those then you need to avoid it at all costs. Use your legs. Stay strong.¡± I tell him and he nods at me. With that I let him go.


    ¡°You can do this!¡± I cheered but it gets lost in between those of the crowds¡¯.


    ¡°Having both of the street fighters train you? I can hardly call this fair!¡± King eximed at ke but his smirk is still stered on his face. He didn¡¯t care about fairness, never did. ¡°You put in a good effort to get this far boy but you¡¯ll lose to me, the King!¡±


    I hoped ke was ignoring him as he nodded to Xavier who announced the beginning of their fight.


    ¡°START!¡±


    Kinges in quickly, quicker than ke could register and he was punched roughly on the jaw. However, ke regained his focus and moved in with a few punches of his own which were easily blocked. He tried kicking too but King took a hold of his leg before swinging him over and crashing him onto the floor. ke didn¡¯t day down though, he knew better than to do so. He got up and was able to kick at King¡¯s legs, making him fall which allowed ke to throw punches at his face a few times, blood dripping onto the ring but what he failed to see was,


    ¡°ke his elbow!¡± I shouted but by the time he noticed it was toote, King brought his elbow down where I could clearly see a de stick out slightly from the shirt and jam into ke¡¯s leg. ¡°Fuck,¡±


    The pain in ke¡¯s leg was distraction enough for King to be able to free himself and go in to swing his leg around and hook ke¡¯s neck before dragging it down and locking him into ce. e tried struggling but all of King¡¯s weight was on top of him, he couldn¡¯t move which made Kingugh out loud, theugh that haunted me. He continued beating ke and at this point I just wanted ke to give in. It hurt.


    But he didn¡¯t, he continued fighting and I could see King was getting impatient too because he raised his elbow again, the same one as before, and pungled it into ke¡¯s ck by his right shoulder de. ¡°ke!¡±


    However, he didn¡¯t stop the fight just yet and although I was looking at Xavier with desperation to stop the fight, he was looking for something which made me stop and look too. ke was holding onto the elbow which held the de in his back, keeping King from removing it, before sharply pulling it to the side. This made the device attaching it to him break. The knife was still stuck in ke¡¯s back but King was thrown to the side.


    The cheers became quiet at this. King was exposed.


    That was Xavier¡¯s queue, ¡°IT SEEMS KING HAS BEEN BREAKING THE FIRST RULE OF THE RING. THERE ARE NO WEAPONS ALLOWED! AND FOR THIS, HE IS DISQUALIFIED!¡±


    I quickly jump onto the ring when Xavier announces this and I rush to ke who was struggling to get up. He tried smiling at me when I got to him but the pain stopped him and he let out a groan. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t beat him,¡± he told me but I shook my head.


    ¡°You did more than enough, you need help now,¡±


    ¡°Fuck off! I could have won without the knives! This is bullshit!¡± King shouts from behind me but Xavier wasn¡¯t having any of it,


    ¡°Shut the fuck up you sick bastard, and get off of our ring!¡±


    ¡°Like hell!¡±


    Since he was behind me, I couldn¡¯t see what was going on but judging from the gasps from the crowd and ke trying to say, ¡°Behind you-!¡± I knew he was nning on attacking me while my back was turned.


    I quickly got up as he was trying to bring another knife down at me and caught his wrist. This seemed to shock him but his anger was still present. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if anyone¡¯s told you but those who break the rules will then have to go against me.¡±


    When I said this I could see a hint of fear run through his eyes while the crowd started cheering again, this time, for me.


    I turned to Xavier and told him to take care of ke which made him hurriedly get ke out of the ring before I started. I looked back at ke one more time to see him mouth the words ¡°Kill him¡± as he went which made me smile.


    After he was gone, I turned back to King with a murderous look. He had been trying to get his wrist out of my grip but was failing because I wasn¡¯t nning on letting him go.


    Without giving him the pleasure of a warning, I lifted a leg and kicked him back while I was still holding his wrist which I could feel break before I let go of it. While he was distracted by it, I went in again with another kick to his side which he caught but I didn¡¯t stop and used his hold of my leg as support to my jump and I went in with my other leg which allowed me to crash him down with me.


    As he groaned in pain I walked up to him, grabbing his cor and lifting him before going in for a punch, he tried blocking it but his broken wrist was too weak and he ended up hitting himself and falling onto the floor again.


    The more I hit him, the calmer I would get, the more I felt like the weight on my soul was being lifted. I breathed in and out before letting a smirk grow on my lips as the crowd screamed at me to carry on beating him.


    I watched as he tried punching me but at this point, his attempts looked sluggish to me. His swings easily avoidable until I grabbed one of his arms, pulling him into a kimura which strengthened my position and allowed me to rip the muscles in his shoulder. I took joy in the yells of pain he was letting out, continuing to beat him while he couldn¡¯t fight back until his face was unrecognisable, his arms loose at his sides. He was on his knees, incapable of moving but I was past mercy.


    ¡°When you¡¯re up against me, You. Will. Die.¡± I threatened as I walked up to him for thest time, ending it with a round kick to his skull and watching him fall to the floor.


    There was a moment of silence before Xavier¡¯s voice ran through the hall,


    ¡°AND THE WINNER IS OUR QUEEN, DEMONNN!¡±


    The crowd confirmed my win with their cheers and I looked up at the ceiling, the lights shining down on me but this time not as a failure, in victory.


    ¡°DEMON! DEMON! DEMON! DEMON! DEMON!¡±


    I put a fist in the air,


    ¡°I AM DOMINIC AND I WILL FOREVER BE THE DEMON OF THE RING!¡±

 Chapter 96 Stitched Together

    -ke-


    We did it.


    I had been helped into a medical room after watching Dominic¡¯s victory. Watching her on that stage once again was an amazing feeling. To see her triumph, to see her finally defeat the nightmare that¡¯s been haunting her. I already admired her and respected her but this made those feelings a thousand times stronger.


    While I was up there during the face-offs, I knew that winning the finale was going to be almost impossible once I was at my limit during the quarter and semi-finals but I couldn¡¯t go down without a fight. Not after everything Xavier and Dominic had done for me. So, I set the stage up as best as I possibly could, forced ¡®King¡¯ to use the weapons that Dominic warned me about. It hurt like a mother fucker when he stabbed me in the leg and I wanted to conduct what I had nned then but he was fast, as fast as Dominic even which was a feat I didn¡¯t think anyone could imitate. When he stabbed my back though, I knew that I had to take that opportunity because the next one would kill me. So I took it. I made sure the whole hall saw his device, saw the knife, saw that he cheated. And it worked.


    Not only was I dered the winner of the tournament, but I also gave Dominic the opportunity she needed to officially beat him the way she should have all those years back and she did. Her moves were threatening, demonic, but that¡¯s what made them so attractive to me. She didn¡¯t show mercy nor weakness despite so many people believing that these years would have worn her out. Instead, she showed the world tonight that she was still the Queen and will always continue to be the Queen.


    Tonight though, I was hoping to make that Queen officially mine.


    I talked about it with Xavier first. It was less about getting his permission but a formal blessing. I didn¡¯t think he would be the first person I¡¯d go to but after training with him, I started seeing him as my guardian too. I got close to him and look up to him greatly, even if he was a prick sometimes.


    After that, I talked to both Arthur and Nick, they were harder to convince, being overprotective and all especially with what happened only recently. But I thought it was because we went through something like that and was able toe out of the other side okay that I had to do this. She was the one and the only one.


    The nervousness started to rise in my stomach, in my chest. I wanted to ask her this before but I¡¯ve backed out. Now was the perfect opportunity and I couldn¡¯t mess it up. I looked down into my hand where the ringy, Xavier had been looking after it for me until now. It didn¡¯t even have a box, I was so unprofessional but I hoped it was enough.


    My attention was quickly diverted to the door when Dominic rushed in. She saw me and gave a sigh of relief before shing a grin at me which I couldn¡¯t help but copy. ¡°You did it!¡± I eximed, arms wide to signal in for a hug which she engulfed me in. We were both covered in blood and sweat but the moment, the hug, meant the world.


    I turned to hug her tighter but unintentionally let out a groan in pain at my wound which still needed stitching. Dominic pulled away immediately, apologising but I shook my head. ¡°The thing about the training Xavier gave you was that he didn¡¯t teach you some of the most important elements to bing a street fighter. One of which being recovery. I¡¯ll stitch your wound for you.¡± She tells me but before she gets the chance to,


    ¡°Wait,¡± I tell her which makes her look at me in slight confusion.


    My breath hitches in my throat again, the back of my neck sweating but my hands freeze. What if her answer is negative? What if this ruins everything? Fuck!


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± When I look at her eyes which seem concerned for me, it¡¯s then that I¡¯m reminded: she loves me. She loves me just as much as I love her. And that made me rx and smile back at her.


    I showed her the ring that was in my hand and a small gasp escaped her lips.


    ¡°Will you marry me?¡±


    I notice her hands tremble, something I had never seen and her mouth showing neither happiness nor sadness, instead it was just wavering until-


    ¡°Yes! Of course!¡±


    Her answer almost brought tears into my eyes and the passion I felt through her lips when she came in for a kiss sent me on overdrive. She was going to pull away slightly which I let her, only so I could put the ring on her finger before I pulled her in for a kiss again, ignoring any pain I felt as they were insignificant now. All I wanted to feel was her warm lips on mine.


    There was a lot of love that I could feel between us, something I knew would continue to be a part of us for the longest time. This was no longer just feeling, it was a choice, a decision that I knew I¡¯d never regret. Because I chose her and she chose me.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to bleed out.¡± She says in between our kiss but,


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I reply which makes her chuckle yet pull away.


    Her grin was contagious, gleaming so bright at me. ¡°I can¡¯t really have my soon to be husband bleed out before we get married.¡± She says, running her finger through my messy hair before going and getting the medical equipment. I loved hearing the worde out of her mouth. I couldn¡¯t wait to be her husband, already missing her heat but it wasn¡¯t for long.


    After she got her supplies and got ready, she quickly treated my leg first which wasn¡¯t as deep of a cut so it was done quickly, bandaged up. As soon as she did, I pulled her on top of myp, having her straddle towards me. When she looked back at me I gave her a mischievous smirk to which shook her head as she chuckled and began working from over my shoulder.


    Having her work on my shoulder de with such intense care was heartwarming but everything else about the situation gave me another type of feeling. Her body was pressed against mine tightly so she could do her best in this ufortable position I put her in but that meant her chest was up against mine. Her hip constantly shifting and moving against my own, I couldn¡¯t help but get excited.


    My hands which were holding her upper body came down at her sides before each hand took a hold of her thighs and pulled her waist even closer to me if possible, pushing her entrance against me which I knew she could feel. I was getting hard and I knew she could feel it, I wanted her to feel the effect she had on me.


    Suddenly I feel her lips against my ear which makes me freeze slightly, hairs standing up at themand of her breath. ¡°Teasing me again ke?¡±


    I smirk beforeying a couple of hungry kisses on her neck, ¡°I haven¡¯t even begun my love,¡± I whisper to her before bringing my hand closer to her entrance, running my fingers around over her clothes. This made her react bying up a second before pushing down even more on me which made me have to hold in a breath. Our clothes were heavily restricting us, heating us up quickly and we both knew it. I was getting hard and her presence on top of me what only making me crave for her more.


    I move to loosen my waist to help me out, as I do I keep kissing and sucking on her neck which she angles to give me more room, telling me she likes it. ¡°The stitches are done,¡± She breaths just as I¡¯m able to undo my tracksuit bottoms.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s time for the fun to begin.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.

 Chapter 97 Mine

    -Dominic-


    His kisses made me heat up.


    The way his hand moved against me driving me crazy.


    I could tell he was getting himself ready with his arm holding me as close to his body as possible. I wouldn¡¯t darein, I was in ecstasy.


    I pushed my lips against his. I was hungry for the passion he was showing me, gently biting his bottom lip which engaged our tongues in their own fight but one that filled with grace.


    My hand alsofortably glided down his bare chest, his muscles teasing my lust when they travelled under my fingers.


    I felt him rumble under me from my touch which I loved, but it motivated his own hand to get more yful. It climbed to my waistband before pushing into where he could feel my core, already wet and excited for him. When he put his fingers in, in an attempt to keep quiet I broke our kiss and lets out a hard breath against his neck.


    ¡°Come on now,¡± he hummed against my ear, ¡°I¡¯m sure my Queen can scream in victory can¡¯t she?¡± He asks, moving in deeper with 3 or 4 fingers. I didn¡¯t let him get to me though and instead, I bit his neck which made him chuckle. ¡°Fine,¡±


    He then takes his hand out and I¡¯m sure he was going to put himself in me-


    ¡°Congratu-FUCK!¡±


    I quickly pulled away from ke and looked around at Xavier who was now covering his eyes as if we had poisoned them.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be done by now. How long does it take for you guys to fuck each other? Good GOD.¡±


    Both ke and I started tough as I slowly got off of him, being cautious of his wounds. While I was blocking Xavier¡¯s view though ke makes sure I¡¯m watching as he licks his fingers, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll finish my desertter then.¡± The thought made me heat up again but I quickly turned to Xavier, leaving his chuckle behind me.


    Xavier rolled his eyes at us before giving me a warm smile, motioning towards the new ring on my finger before saying, ¡°Congrattions Dominic.¡± I grin at him and gave him a heartfelt hug which he returned tightly. While in his arms, I get a glips at my ring. It shone brightly at me and although I wasn¡¯t someone who¡¯d wear jewellery often, I found myself loving it and I knew I¡¯d cherish it as long as I lived.


    Xavier then turned to ke who had also stood up now and walked up to us, ¡°Am I not going to get a celebration hug?¡± He asks Xavier to which Xavier scoffs.


    ¡°Demon¡¯s the one I love, not you,¡± He replies which makes me shake my head but I hide a little smile as I do. When ke rolls his eyes and goes to turn away, Xavier winks at me before grabbing ke¡¯s arm and pulling us all in together.


    ¡°Alright, alright that¡¯s enough happiness and love for me,¡± Xavier then says, letting us both go. ke took that opportunity to pull me under his arm as we listened to Xavier carry on, ¡°People have started to leave but there are some who want to see our winners so go greet them, or kill them, I don¡¯t really care, and then let¡¯s go get some rest. I have a feeling we¡¯ll be busy from here on onwards.¡± He finished that with a smirk which I reflected to him.


    ¡°Thank you, Champ,¡± I reply and we started walking out the door.


    When getting to the main hall, I expected the whole ce to be empty but there was still a huge portion of the people there and once they saw us, the whole hall started roaring alive again which unconsciously made me grin. I look at ke excitedly only to see he was already looking at me.


    After that I had a crowd of people approach us each, either asking for pictures, for me to sign something or ept money from them. A few years ago I would have avoided this to keep my identity a secret but now that wasn¡¯t needed. The Mysterious Demon is dead. But the Demon Queen still rules her ring.


    At some point, ke and Inded by the ring and it was here where ke motioned for me to follow him up which I did and when we were both under the spotlight again he starts a little announcement.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, but this Queen,¡± he takes my ringed hand in his and lifts it in the air where the light made the diamond gleam,


    ¡°Is now officially mine!¡±


    And through the cheers, ke took my neck and pulled me in for a sweet kiss which only made everyone roar louder.


    Hand in hand, eventually we were able to leave the bar but outside I was met with my family who was waiting for us.


    ¡°Brother,¡± I say which catches their attention. It¡¯s Arthur and Nick who came to hug us first before the rest of the guyse to greet us, congratte us, too.  It seems everyone except I knew that ke was going to propose.


    It came as a shock to me though.


    Not just the proposal but the fight, the opportunity to win and defeat what had defeated me. I was free now. I had a feeling I would no longer suffer at night. I wouldn¡¯t need to hold in tears and pain because they were finally let out through my fists and actions tonight. I was lucky.


    I look at ke who had the widest smile on his face as he was surrounded by his brothers. It warmed my heart so much. His happiness. Him. He fought with me, for me, and he¡¯s helped me through so much and it was having him that made me so lucky.


    ¡°Come on a walk with me,¡± I hear Arthur from behind me so I nod and follow him. We walk through a quiet alleyway. At first, it was a peaceful silence between us but then I hear a little sigh. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you.¡±


    When hearing this my head whips towards Arthur but he just smiles at me. ¡°You¡¯ve grown so much, be so strong, and God, you¡¯re getting married soon. I¡¯m a bit shellshocked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just upset that you¡¯ll never be able to beat me in a fight.¡±


    ¡°I beat you at getting married first didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll be fine with letting me go?¡±


    He gave me a look. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere. What if ke messes up?¡±


    This time it was my turn to give him a look. ¡°You really think he¡¯d do anything to me?¡± I ask and he looks back at the group of guys where he sees what I saw before. The light that ke emitted. The joy.


    This made Arthur look a little rxed, ¡°I can¡¯t hate the guy. He loves you, truly.¡±


    I nod, ¡°And I him.¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± We face each other, ¡°I wish you the best¡­ as would our parents.¡±Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    I slowly cover my mouth with a hand out of shock from what he said. Arthur noticed my reaction and pulls me into his shoulder, his own eyes as glossy as mine but not in sadness, rather in happiness.


    ¡°D, TAKE A LOOK!¡±


    I slowly pull away and dry my eyes before looking around at where Jake called my name with a grin. They all stepped back to reveal my bike which I hadn¡¯t ridden since my loss. My signature gleaming back at me.


    ¡°LET¡¯S GO HOME AND CELEBRATE!¡± Zack shouts and I can¡¯t help butugh as we made our way home.


    A different person ready to challenge a different chapter.

 Chapter 98 I Do.

    -Dominic-


    Oh, God.


    I look at myself in the mirror, in the dress I had never imagined I¡¯d see myself wearing.


    If you had told me when I was younger that one day I would be ending my story just like a princess would at the end of hers, I would haveughed at you and told you that was disgusting¡­ and yet, here I was. I wasn¡¯tfortable, I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be the moment I stepped into the wedding dress store. I could appreciate the beauty, intricacy, tradition but I found out that I had insecurities that I wasn¡¯t even insecure about before.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    I was always proud of my figure, broad shoulders, strong arms, legs, back, but when you have someone who looks like the stereotypical man putting on a dress, it just doesn¡¯t look right. I still wasn¡¯t the princess that Disney had shown presented me, the Queen of Ennd wouldn¡¯t be forgiving either I¡¯d imagine.


    My brothers weren¡¯t a great help although Imend their attempt at motivating me. Jake and Zack were better but they kept shing with one another about what I looked better in. Zack picked out something ince but Jake was convinced tulle was more my style. Jason didn¡¯t show up. The only person I was truly grateful for being there was Jessica who already had a bunch of experience with wedding dress shopping and was really enthusiastic and helpful. I told her what I was worried about and she reassured me that I looked beautiful and that whatever I decided to wear, ke would love.


    After a couple of hours, I was getting tired of getting in and out of dresses that built internal conflicts in me but as we were about to leave, my eyes lingered around the room of the little boutique a little longer before something caught my eye. The guys had already left and only Jessica and I were there. She noticed my pause but didn¡¯t say anything as I walked towards the dress.


    I was in love with it instantly but¡­ unsure. I looked back at Jessica and was about to ask her what she thought but fear made the question stick to my throat. It turned out I didn¡¯t have to ask it though because when she saw the way I had looked at it, a grin formed on her face and she gave me a nod,


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    Those words made my chest feel light and so I took it from the hanger in excitement and went to put it on.


    Ever since that day, whenever I was asked what dress I would be wearing by any of the guys I would joke that I¡¯d be wearing a white suit to twin with ke. They¡¯din at first, Arthur wouldn¡¯t approve at all, the rest would roll their eyes and eventually ept the idea.


    ¡°But- but the sparkly train!¡± Jake cried and Zack would try to console him while indulging in exaggerated sadness. It always made meugh.


    Xavier was the only one who called bullshit, saying that if it wasn¡¯t a dress, he wasn¡¯t going to show up.


    I would chuckle at the memory but I was too in awe at the dress that glistened on my body, emphasising everything I was proud of while also making me look unrecognisable in the best way.


    A knock on the door caught my attention and I looked round to see Jessica in her bridesmaid¡¯s dress. All of the bridesmaids, who included the girls from Ottawa and Tara from Texas, were in a deep burgundy but all of them in different styles that best suited what they wanted to wear and their body types. They all looked beautiful which they proved to me when the rest of them peaked through too, squealing orplimenting me as they came in which made me smile in glee.


    After they helped me with some finishing touches we went down to meet the guys who were waiting for the ¡°suit¡± that I was going to be wearing. Their backs were turned to me when I got there and apart from Nick and Zack shoving each other over something small I¡¯d imagine, they were quiet and waiting.


    My bridesmaids warned them that I was here and started counting down.


    ¡°Three¡­ Two¡­ Look!¡±


    And in unison, they turned around, faces going from nervous or in to showing shock and excitement.


    ¡°It has a train!¡±


    Jake eximed which started their eruption of cheers.


    Iughed along at their reactions


    Iughed along at their reactions. Nick was the first toe and hug me, holding me tight in his arms with Arthur right behind him. ¡°I wish our parents could see you right now,¡± he says quietly with my head in his chest for a moment. I pulled back to see tears rolling down his face which made me bite my lip. I stroked the tears away from his face but wasn¡¯t able to say anything, knowing it would prompt me to get emotional too.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Nick says, putting a hand on each of our shoulders, ¡°They¡¯re always here,¡± he carries on by moving his hand from our shoulders to on top of our chests.


    ¡°Always,¡± I repeat and we smile at each other, going in for another shorter hug before I turn to the rest who were eager toe closer too.


    ¡°You look stunning.¡± Zackplimented first.


    Jake jabbed him with his elbow in reply to it, ¡°Don¡¯t be having any thoughts now, she¡¯s my brother¡¯s, ¡®aight?¡±


    ¡°Pff I know that! He should be thankful to me, I bet when I showed him that drawing of hers in ss that tied their fates together!¡±


    I shook my head slightly as they continued to argue before we were told to head towards the alter where ke was waiting with everyone else.


    The wedding was held in a Castle venue in the UK where we were both born. It was very grand but I wanted something to represent the greatness of our own lives. Nothing about it was easy but it was rewarding just as this was going to be. I wasn¡¯t too fussy about the nning and some may say I didn¡¯t care enough about it, but the little things are what mattered most to me. There were red and white roses scattered around the hall and garden, the red symbolising the blood of those who were taken away from us along the way. Everything was a traditional victorian theme but with little ents of the modern because we were in our own time celebrating a ssic celebration. We didn¡¯t have a priest because we felt that would be a little too ironic and we wouldn¡¯t want to be stood up for that long anyway. We stuck to having personal vows before mentally queuing the ¡®you may now kiss the bride.¡¯ That was the n anyway.


    Everyone went in and sat down at the round tables that were in the garden. I along with Xavier were now the only two people left to go. Xavier walked up to me and offered his arm which I took hold of in silence.


    Until now he hadn¡¯t said anything to me but-


    ¡°I knew you were bullshitting.¡± He tells me, ncing down at me with a smile that used to be a serious face.


    I chuckle back at him, ¡°I couldn¡¯t have you turning away from my wedding now, could I? Not when you¡¯re walking me down the aisle.¡±


    His hand squeezes my own, ¡°I almost don¡¯t want to do it.¡± He admits which confuses me.


    ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡±


    He doesn¡¯t say anything for a bit before sighing,


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to take care of the bars while you¡¯re on maternity leave,¡± he says with such a pained face that I can¡¯t help but burst outughing. He¡¯s notughing with me at first but as I clutch my stomach he startsughing with me too, rxing us both before our show began.


    We hear the music start which was our sign. As we open the door I ask him, ¡°So, did things go ording to n?¡±


    All he does is smirk back at me before we start walking forward where ke was waiting.


    -ke-


    The music starts ying, the doors open, and my Queen walks out onto the Castle Garden.


    I don¡¯t know what I was expecting, but Dominic¡¯s entrance blew any of those expectations away. Words wouldn¡¯t be able to express the love and admiration I felt for her and God, did the dress she was wearing make her beautiful beyondpare, on a league of her own.


    I had been nervous until now, hoping everything was going to go perfectly, that the work we put in would be worth it, but after seeing her, those nervous emotions washed away because I knew as long as she was here, everything would be okay.


    My instant reaction to her walking in was clutching the shirt by my heart where it was pumping at what seemed like a thousand miles per hour. A grin spread on my face and I had to close my eyes in order to contain the excitement that made me want to jump up in exhration. When I opened my eyes again she was grinning right back at me which made butterflies form in my stomach. She was perfect. So fucking perfect.


    And with every step, she was closer to being my wife.


    -unknown-


    ¡°Keep the Helicopter steady! Once they say their ¡®I do¡¯s ¡® we¡¯ll shoot them down.¡±


    I call out to my men who were flying in the helicopter with me, ready to shoot at our enemies after years of waiting. This was perfect, they were conveniently all here. I smirked down at their innocent ceremony.


    ¡°There couldn¡¯t be a more romantic end to The Skulls and Bones Gang.¡±


    -Dominic-


    I wasn¡¯t nervous until Xavier passed my hand into ke¡¯s and suddenly my heart was racing. He looked amazing. Granted, he always did but the suit he had on made him look all the more like the King he was to me.


    I remember first seeing him. Thinking that I instantly rted to him. It turned out that although we seemed simr externally, internally, he was everything I wasn¡¯t. He was caring, he was stable, he was able to give me strength in everything that I was weak in. One of the only things we shared internally was our love for each other and I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way because that in itself was something I had never thought I¡¯d find or feel and yet now, I had it and it was so beautiful.


    That was the beginning of my vow and as I said it, ke¡¯s hands held my own tightly, and so I carried on.


    ¡°I want to continue fighting through life with you, no matter what. ke, do you take me to be your bride?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    I let out a little sigh in relief after hearing his words which seemed to ignite every electric feeling of happiness within me.


    ¡°Dominic,¡± He started, ¡°If I were to say I fell in love with you from the moment I saw you, I¡¯d be lying. I fell in love with you when I got to know who you truly were when you weren¡¯t hiding and instead when you were on your stage being the strongest person you could be. And by stage, I don¡¯t just mean in the ring, although that was also what makes you so amazing to me, when we¡¯re at home, when we¡¯re celebrating, when I get to see you smile orugh or cry, just getting to stand by you while you be yourself has been such a pleasure and¡­¡± We look into each other¡¯s eyes as he says, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to spend the rest of my life with my best friend,¡±


    I felt like my chest was going to explode.


    ¡°This was so corny,¡± Iughed which made everyone join in with me too.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± ke says even though he¡¯s chuckling along.


    I smirk a little as I remember a line from a day that was particrly special to me.


    ¡°Make me,¡± I say back to him and I can see something sh through his eyes. He knew just as I did as to what I meant. It was my own way of saying ¡®I do¡¯.


    He pulls me in after that, leaning me down into his arms before giving me a passionate kiss, marking our promise to the world.


    Cheers erupted from everyone in the crowd and just as we nned, everyone took out the guns they had stored under the tables, pointing them up to the sky and like fireworks-


    Boom.


    ke held me close into his arms and we were about to walk into the castle when suddenly we hear loud noises and we look up to see a helicopter falling out of the sky and towards some distance away. We watched as it crashed, instantly burning into mes.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t our gunfire was it?¡± I ask


    ¡°Maybe,¡± ke replies


    ¡°Should we go check?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯d much rather dance with you now,¡±


    Weughed and walked together towards the Castle hand-in-hand.


    ¡°I love you¡±

 Chapter 99 Epilogue

    The night had been a long one.


    Dominic had just finished conducting the fights that took ce at her bar after a day of management and although the thrill of watching blood be spilt on her stage enticed her greatly, her time as a fighter was only spent acting against those who broke her rules or when Xavier was bored after a long day and needed the rush.


    Tonight was peaceful though. When the stage was cleaned and the doors were locked, ke drove in toe to pick Dominic up.


    A small conversation was made before Xavier bid the couple well, closing the door of his luxurious car and drove off.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have gotten mixed into any trouble tonight,¡± ke says scanning Dominic who hadn¡¯t gotten any new scars like she sometimes would. He held one hand on the steering wheel of his car while the other was intertwined with Dominic¡¯s.


    ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Dominic finishes off which causes the two tough.


    When they made it home, everything was quiet. 5 AM was typically the calmest point in the night for them but when Dominic asks, ¡°Is Amelia asleep?¡± Referring to their 17-year-old daughter who Dominic named after her birth mother, ke motions forward where Dominic turned to see her daughter by the staircase, eyes reflecting the colour of hers but her hair was light and wavey like her father.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Dominic asks, it wasn¡¯t unusual for Amelia to be awake sote but Dominic recognised the dedicated look Amelia had in her eyes, dedicated and dangerous and that was worrying.


    It seemed that something was bothering Amelia, it had been for a while.


    Her parents were the most hard-working and loving people she knew. They were always there for her and supported her. She grew up with a huge family, even if most weren¡¯t blood-rted and she was strong. Both her mother and sometimes her uncle, Xavier, would train her in basic martial arts which earned her medals and awards inpetitions over her years in high school.


    She spent a lot of time in her mother¡¯s bar during the day, it was like her second home. She was close to a lot of the workers and it built her confidence since people were more than willing to speak to Dominic¡¯s daughter. However, it was because of her time in the bars that Amelia started to feel as if something wasn¡¯t right.


    She started to notice a lot of people were talking about them when they weren¡¯t around. She could never make out anything specific but she was always under constant watch, always having people whisper, always watching out for people who seemed a bit too eager, a bit too fake.


    Amelia realised she had to find out why she was being treated like that, why she had to constantly be protected by her mother and father so when she was able, she started to ask around.


    No one would tell her anything for a while, people holding back due to some kind of fear. That was until one person finally gave her her first clue. He said,


    ¡°Ask The Mysterious Demon.¡±


    The words meant nothing for a long time because he didn¡¯t go further into who that was or where they could be found, Dominic pulled her away from the man before he could. If she asked anyone else who The Mysterious Demon was they¡¯d tell her she¡¯s wasting her time but she couldn¡¯t help it. This hidden identity and its slow consumption of her thoughts, for some reason, gave her a feeling her parents were specifically hiding something from her.


    So she had to ask.


    ¡°Mother,¡± She starts and Dominic¡¯s hands roll into fists, worry starting to build.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the Mysterious Demon?¡±


    -THE END-


    This story has been something really really close to my heart. It¡¯s no Shakespeare piece or a literature text you¡¯ll find sses of the year 2050 reading but the sess you readers have brought onto my story, the love and attention you¡¯ve given to something that I¡¯ve poured my heart and soul into, I can¡¯t begin to exin what this has meant to me. Your support, your patience- if there was a way I could thank the thousands of you who are here in a way that would make you understand how much it¡¯s impacted me, I would. But, words can only do so much, as powerful as they are.


    Thank you.


    Truly.


    Thank you for allowing me to write this story and thank you for reading it.


    Lovingly,N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    -Your Author


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!