"Please, come in," Elliot says from the sofa, sarcasm thick in his tone. "What took you so long to come over?
"Three minutes earlier, and you'd have caught us naked," Jade, their girlfriend, laughs, sitting between the two brothers.
Jade is the girl who chose the Kings over going back to the man from the Wolves who used to pay her to keep her. She chose us. She didn't want to go back, and in exchange for protecting her and keeping her, we lost our deal with the Bratva.
She's wearing her nasal cannula, which means that sex session was pretty intense because she barely ever needs to use her small oxygen bag anymore. Girl got shot in the chest by NSC a few months ago. She's yet another reminder of my failures to protect my crew.
"What's up?" Ethan asks. The quieter of the two brothers who live in this house nods at Ivan and stands up, grabbing two chairs for us and putting them next to the coffee table.
But I'm unable to sit.
"I have news."
If there's one thing I hate in life, it's disappointing my crew.
"What's wrong now?" Elliot sits straighter, forcing Jade's head off his chest where it was resting.
I look at my feet. "You guys know I'd do anything to protect you. But things are getting out of hand. The Kings' grip on the North Shore is…pretty much non-existent." I lick my lips and look up. "I agreed to a fight in the Death m Cage."
"What?" Jade gasps. "When?"
"Tonight."
"When I said find a solution…that is not what I meant," Elliot says mockingly. He's never liked taking anything too seriously.
But I do, and I have no response.
There's a stretched silence that makes me shift on my feet before I get my shit together. "I need help choosing our fighter."
Elliot designates himself without a second thought. "I'll do it. Whoever they send, I can assure you I'm bigger than the—"
"No," Jade cuts him off.
"I'm crazier," Ethan adds. "I'll rip their fucking heart out. Send me."
"No!" she insists with a rapid shake of her head. "Are you two crazy? I'm not losing either of you."
"You won't lose us. Whoever goes will win," Elliot explains, like it's so simple.
"You're not going," I interject. "You guys are like my brothers. I can't send you to your death." Elliot and Ethan have been with me for long enough that I consider them family.
"You have to send someone, Kay," Ethan says softly.
"Caden would destroy anyone," Jade murmurs. The mention of my younger brother kicks my brain back into gear.
Jade isn't wrong. Caden is as unhinged as they come. But he also had dreams of leaving this place behind, and he did. It's not my place to drag him back and even less to the Death Cage. I'm not taking that kind of risk.
"No. No, no, no. If I'm not sending you two, I'm not sending my brother by blood."
"I'll go." We all turn to Ivan.
"I'm a Wolf," he says with pride. "The kind of training we get isn't found anywhere else." He shrugs. "I'll kill him, and then it's done."
My mouth twists. "Emma said she'd give us the money back if we win. We keep our hold on the town, we get the money. All our problems will be gone."
I did have strong feelings for Ivan once, but they've left with time, and I don't know if they'll ever come back. Our relationship started because of what I needed from him, and while my heart knows this is wrong, my scheming brain understands what I need to do. That man is our best option for the fight.
"I'll do it, Kay. I have no doubt I'll come out of there alive."
Something pinches my heart. Maybe I do have remnants of love for him.
"Promise?" I whisper.
He smiles at me, cupping my jaw. "I promise."
***
My phone keeps ringing as I walk into the warehouse. This abandoned area of the North Shore has two of them. One for our casual fights. One for the Death Cage.
I walk in through the south entrance, reserved for the Kings. The same way I know Emma will be coming in through the north entrance for NSC. We all keep separated in here. Rules are rules, and each crew gets their side.
That's until someone dies, and one half of the crowd goes hunting for the night. All is fair after a fight in the Death Cage.
The night is bloody. Enemies die, vendettas are settled. Then the winning crew takes over officially the next day.
My phone has been going off all day. Kings' members, unknown numbers. The only one I picked up was when my girls called. Everyone else, I was too anxious to talk to.
I walk through the crowd, heat hitting me in the face as I ignore everyone who tries to stop me.
No time. The fate of my fucking crew is on the line. I can't talk.
I'm texting Ivan as I stand at the front, right by the cage. I've got a front-row spot for the show, ready to face death, like I have many times before. I wish him good luck, asking him if he knows who he's fighting against, but he has no idea.
I'm typing quickly on my phone as it rings again, and I answer by accident.
"Fuck," I mutter to myself.
I might as well fucking listen now.
"Hello?"
"Miss King?"
"Yeah?"
"Miss King, hi. This is Pamela Phillip, I was the prosecutor in the case of The State of Maryland vs. White. I've been trying to call you for months. The case had been reopened after some new evidence was found."
My heart drops to my stomach.
"You were a major witness to the trial, and I wanted to get you to testify again."
Oh. Fuck. For a second, I thought she was going to tell me the guy got out. I take deep breaths, calming myself.
"Of course," I tell her. The crowd becomes rowdy, people getting louder as the fight is about to start. "Look, I'll testify again, if needed. Honestly, anything you need."
I'll lie in court a hundred times if it means he stays locked up.
"Well, actually, I was calling to tell you—"
Someone shouts next to me, and I miss everything she says. I snap at them to shut the fuck up and press my index finger against my ear as I turn away from the cage.
"Sorry, I'm in a busy place. Could you say that again?"
"The defendant," she repeats. "I wanted to let you know he was released from prison five months ago. I've been trying to tell you by all means, but you're very hard to reach. I called and sent letters too. I've been trying to get you to testify again since January. When you didn't show up, I at least wanted to tell you he was released. I'm glad I finally got through to you."
My heart doesn't drop to my stomach this time. It completely stops.
My hand falls to my side, numb, my phone slipping and crashing on the floor.
Five months?
I don't need to wonder anymore who was feeding information to Emma. Who gave her the brand-new car, who tipped her off about the bank robbery, who gave her fucking courage. I know exactly who helped her take back power over this town.
"Kayla," someone calls from behind me in a way that practically sing-songs my name.
I don't want to turn around. I want to run away. But the crowd is right there, and the presence behind me has a threatening edge.
My lower lip trembles as I shift on my feet, slowly moving until I face the cage again.
I'm Kayla, the ruthless King.
I rule the Kings. I rule the North Shore.
I'm not scared of anything.
I'm not scared of anyone.
My eyes fall on him. He's inside the cage, his fingers hooked through the fence. He's topless, with his hundreds of tattoos on display. Dirty blond hair, eyes a blue so deep the ocean doesn't compare.
And just like that, I know Ivan will be dead in a few minutes. I know I'm going to lose my town tonight.
I can't move, captivated by a dangerous smile only the devil knows how to wield. Terrifying and tempting at the same time.
I'm Kayla King.
I'm not scared of anyone except one person.
"Hello, little sunflower. Did you miss me?"
Nathan White.