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They traveled through blocks before Vicious stopped the car. The insides of Nova turned. Another wave of sickness and fear hit her, but she tried to breathe through her nose and mouth. There were more than five cars around, and Vicious' men jumped out from a white van. They were all armed.

As soon as Vicious opened her door, he pulled her out from it and took her arm. He held her back when his men started to approach him, guns in hand.

"Is it secured?" he asked, drifting his head toward the incompleted building in front of them. The street wasn't only quiet, but it was abandoned. There were no other buildings in the area beside the incompleted building and another construction beside it.

"It's almost contained, boss," one of the men replied. "But we got Screw. Mario has him. He is not hurt." Nova didn't realize she had let out a sigh of relief, which Vicious glanced at her for through the corner of his eyes.

"Where are they now?" He turned to the building, staring at it.

"Top floor. Some men are hiding. It's hard to say we've cleared them all. Mario and Screw are still inside."

"Okay, and the man?"

The men shared a look but didn't say anything on that. Nova's heart punched through her chest. Did they kill Keenan? Could they have killed him and were struggling to reveal that? If there was anything she didn't underestimate was Mario's anger or his need for revenge.

"Vicious..." she tugged his arm, desperate to get inside the building so she could confirm whether Keenan was alive or not. Her eyes were already shedding tears.

He didn't say anything, just accepted the gun handed to him before he tugged her along, ordering three of his men to follow them into the building. The entire time he dragged her inside, Nova's heart kept rising to her fear. Her legs wobbled when they started walking upstairs. Her heart jumped at every shot fired. Two of Vicious' men left their positions to scour the rest of the floors for anyone left alive. Only one remained, tagging along behind.

As they reached the last step, Nova looked up at him after she felt his hand tightening around her arm before he let her go.

"Do you hope he's going to make it out alive?" He stepped closer, his gaze boring down into hers. His eyes were heated, smoldering with a promise. "Appropriate justice would be served to both of you." His hand held her elbow, pressing her against him. He was rock solid, every inch of him tense. "I almost feel bad, but then I remember you're the bitch who brought this on yourself. Don't assume just because Screw is unhurt that I would forgive you for what you did. There is no mercy in my gang."

Nova swallowed a lump.

"We're here because of you," he continued, "I'm warning you now. Any attempt of running or doing something stupid, you will get hurt. It's not just Mario and my men you would have to deal with. You'd also have to take me down." She could feel his breath on her, warming her. A few inches separated their lips, but then he stepped back.

The blood and dead bodies left behind them told Nova that this was all real. She was fucked. She and Keenan were both fucked. There were no chances of escaping. It was impossible to, not when Keenan's men were dead, not when the building was infiltrated by Vicious' men. It was over. There was no calculative move. There were no cards left on the table. No piece to move.

Vicious pulled her again. They walked for a short few seconds until they started hearing voices. Arguments. They were so far high up that it made her sick.

They followed the voices.

"Hey, boss."

Nova wasn't the only one who had a shortness of breath. Vicious halted when Screw stood in front of them with the largest grin. There wasn't any scratch on his face or body. He still looked the same, as if he hadn't been the one held hostage for weeks. She was glad Keenan had kept to his word and didn't hurt her friend. Her friend? Did she even dare to call him that?

"Screw," Vicious said as he let go of her and closed the distance between him and his second-in-command. Nova took a step back, only to feel a gun against her back. She didn't forget about the guard. The gun pressed to her back in a warning, she didn't attempt to run anymore.

Vicious and Screw pressed their foreheads together in happiness as they slapped each other's backs. When they pulled away, he kept his hands on Screw's shoulders to survey him from head to toe.

"You good?"

Screw shrugged. "I'm alright. Though, I could really use a shower. I know you're just trying to hold your breath," he said with a chuckle. His gaze, unfortunately, swept to where Nova stood, and the grin on his face stilled. "Mama," he called softly. It didn't feel like a greeting. It felt more like an 'I'm so disappointed in you' tone.

Nova looked away, not brave enough to look into the eyes of the friend she had betrayed. She never meant to put Screw in that situation. It had not been her fault, but then again, he still would have felt betrayed if he found out her intentions. Screw didn't ask her why, and he didn't demand her for the truth. His brush-off was cold, but what did she expect? She was nothing but a—

"Traitor," Vicious called, beckoning his guard to bring her to him. Yes, that was what she was. A traitor. Vicious gripped her upper arm again. "Let's go meet your partner, shall we?"

Screw looked serious when he stared at him. "You'd never believe who that fucker is, but your wait is over, Vic. I would have prepared him on a silver platter if I knew you were coming to bust my ass out of here."

Vicious looked intrigued. Nova looked worried. Screw sounded as if they knew Keenan, as if it was a surprise for Vicious to unwrap.

Mario was the first one they saw. He was holding a gun pointed at someone in front of him. Their footsteps alerted both parties of their presence.

"Oi, Vic," Mario called for his cousin, sounding excited and happy. "Guess who landed on your feet. Motherfucker has been here all along and we didn't know, but I guess time always runs out when you keep running. You always gotta come back home, right Keenan?"

There, across from Mario, was Keenan. He was standing almost close to the edge of the building, holding one of Vicious' boys in captivity as he pressed a gun to the man's temple. Instantly, at first glance, Nova felt the intensity rolling off Vicious' body.

Then, he doubled over and laughed. The sound of his laughter resonated in the opened room. Mario and Screw chuckled, and Nova stared at him as if he was crazy. But that was her opening. She ran for Keenan's side. There was nothing she could do. He was her safety against the threats around them. She looked back when she stopped by his side, her heart beating fast.

Vicious' expression changed when he faced her. It was almost like he had never laughed before. His face was black with fury. Mario was staring at her as if he could take away her last breath. He had always looked at her with hatred. She was used to it.

"Are you okay?" Keenan asked her in a whisper.

Nova nodded. "I'm fine," she whispered back, keeping her gaze pinned on Vicious.

"What a delightful sight to behold," Vicious drawled sarcastically. "The traitor and her partner reunited, at last, side by side. Isn't that touching?" He glanced at Mario for backup, looking away before he could get a response. His gaze was now focused on Keenan and ice flickered his eyes.

"Keenan, long time no see. You've been busy."

"Vicious," Keenan acknowledged, sounding as distasteful as Vicious. "I wish it had been longer."

Vicious pressed his palm to his chest. "Oh, you hurt my feelings." His hand fall to his side and amusement was erased from his face, locked in by an old resentment. "I thought I'd find you in a remote island by now, but I do wonder what has always pushed you to be brave. Stupid, but brave. And now see where your stupidity landed you at. After all this time, you still think you can get away?"

Nova looked between them, confused. Rattled. What the hell was going on?

"I'm not trying to run. As a matter of fact, I never tried to run. Your boys were just too dumb to realize where I have been hiding, but I guess I can't blame them for that. They were following orders."

Vicious chuckled. "So, picked up a new hobby? I never pegged you as a man who could pull this alone. A woman behind you, huh? A partner that you so foolishly—" He slid his gaze to Nova as he finished, "pulled into your lies."

Lies?

Keenan tensed up beside her. Nova noticed the sudden change in him.

"Keenan?" She let the question drift into the air, wrapping itself around them.

"Yeah, Keenan," Vicious mocked. "but I doubt he dares to admit it," he told her. "He's never really dared to do anything, this one. Might want to speak up, Keenan! You can't leave the poor girl hanging. Look at her, she's confused as fuck. Don't be a dick and tell her."

"Tell me what?" she demanded, but she was looking at Keenan. Her hands shook beside her.

Keenan refused to take his eyes off Vicious to look at her, which made her tense. It sent her heart jolting. She was confused and scared, but hella confused. Something was stirring up that she didn't like. That made her heart hammer in her chest.

"One more word," Keenan finally said, pressing his gun into the temple of Vicious' guy. "and I will kill him. You know damn well I can do that."

Mario stepped forward, his steps angry, but Vicious held a hand up to stop him from taking any steps further. Instead, he was the one who took it—two steps and halted, shoving his hands into his front pockets.

"Don't take another step," Keenan warned. "Everything I did, I did it because of you. Because of an asshole like you." He raised his voice.

Nova swallowed a lump, looking over at Keenan. He was ignoring her, his gaze focused solely on Vicious. She didn't understand it. Something was wrong. Something had shifted between them. Something had changed.

"Keenan, don't." She gave him a warning glare. If he killed their man, they would kill him too. He couldn't be thinking straight right now. They were outnumbered. Hope had shut the door on their faces. The only thing that mattered right now was getting out of here alive. "Keenan." She pressed herself to his side, tugging on his sleeve. Now was not the time to act stupid.

Vicious glanced at her and studied their pressed sides, her fingers on Keenan's sleeve, and he glared at her from across the room. Ice ran through her body at his heated gaze, and she let her hand fall to her side, giving some space between her and Keenan.

"This is fucking annoying. Are we going to kill them or not?" Mario called out exasperatedly, his cold gaze fixed on her. It was her he wanted to kill.

"Patience, cousin, patience."

"We just want to leave," Nova commented, looking between them uneasily. "Keenan won't hurt your guy if you let us go. Step aside and let us walk. Vic, please." She pleadingly let her gaze lingered on him.

A wall came over Vicious' face. He wasn't letting anything show, but she had been around him long enough to know it was something. "Sure." He nodded. Mario whipped his head around to stare at his cousin in disbelief. Even Screw was surprised. But he wasn't done yet. "Who am I stop you from leaving, Nova? After all, none of this is your fault. You're just a victim of a cowardly man." His eyes swept to Keenan.

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

"How could you? Your partner ain't got the guts to tell you the truth. I mean, he couldn't even tell you he worked for me before. Now I understand why he's here. I know why he's hellbent on ruining me."

"What?" She staggered back, jaw clenched. "You're lying." Nova pressed her lips together and looked back at Keenan. A glimpse of fear flashed through his eyes.

Vicious chuckled. "Our pasts are all one giant dirty laundry, isn't that right, Keenan?" The corners of his mouth quirked up. "You didn't tell Nova you were in my gang or that you worked for me for three years? You were one of my boys right up to the moment you decided to totally fuck up. Did you think I wouldn't find you?"

Keenan suddenly laughed. "You didn't find me."

"Oh, yeah!" Vicious clapped his hands together and joined them, resting his chin on the tip of his fingers. "You're right, I didn't find you." His head cocked to the side, studying her. "Nova led me to you. This ain't what you thought would happen, yeah? Sorry your plan to ruin me got all fucked up, but you know what's more fucked up, Keenan? What you did. Remember?"

"Shut up."

Hearing the panic in Keenan's voice kicked her in the stomach. The guy in his arms twisted and struggled. He went limp when Keenan pressed the gun more into his temple, a final sign of warning.

"Nah," Mario picked up, lowering his gun. Like Vicious, he chuckled, but his laughter was more sinister. "You ain't got no right to shut him up. We should have done that to you a long time ago. Tape your mouth and put you in a fucking body bag and throw you into the sea. Yeah..." He looked behind him to his cousin and Screw. "but the plan's not ruined yet." He looked back at Keenan. "We can still do that." He pointed his gun. "You and your little bitch."

"I don't think so," Vicious suddenly said, his eyes finding her again.

He still cares for me.

He smiled. "About being his little bitch," he clarified with a chuckle. "I don't think there's going to be a 'your' between them anymore when she learns that her boyfriend fucking lied to her. I mean, the lying part ain't that much of a big deal, but what about taking responsibility for her brother. Eh, Keenan?"

Nova could barely swallow a lump. "What do you mean responsibility for my brother? Keenan did nothing! You did everything. It's because of you that my brother is in the hospital! Stop blaming others for what you fucking did."

"Are you stupid?" Mario asked her, his voice vibrating with anger. "What would he gain by lying to you? After all you did to him, you're lucky he's giving you the answers that your fucking partner failed to mention to you. Keenan, I truly admire your dedication to finding justice." He stepped up to them and paused, waving his gun. "What do you say we make some justice today? Where do I shoot you?" He pointed it straight to his forehead. "Your head? No, your chest? Just so I haven't made it clear, you ain't walking out of here alive."

Keenan was angry. She saw the steam rising, but what Nova could see was the fear that had transformed his entire face. Could what they were saying be true? No. She shook her head. Keenan would not lie to her. She knew him. He was her brother's friend. He had helped her. She wouldn't have come this far without him.

"Enough!" Vicious's voice thundered, silencing all voices and thoughts. Could he read her? Did he know what she was thinking? Why was he suddenly pissed as if he wanted to kill her? He raised his gun and pulled the trigger. The shot rang loud and she screamed out, startled.

Her eyes were shut. Her ears were covered, but she didn't feel the bullet's impact on her body. She wasn't feeling any pain. She couldn't feel any blood spilling out of her, so Nova carefully lowered her hands and opened her eyes. A body sprawled on the ground, dead. Standing above the dead body, shocked as she was, was Keenan.

What the fuck? He just killed his guy. Even Mario and Screw were surprised.

Vicious scratched his temple with the barrel of his gun before lowering his hand. He acknowledged Keenan's stunned face. "That was really annoying," he remarked. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done that the moment I saw you. Now, look at what you made me do." He stared at the dead body in a pool of blood. "He was one of the best." He sighed. "Fuck. Now I gotta make his sacrifice worth it." Cocking his head, he shifted his gaze to Nova. "You." There was no anger. There was almost nothing on his face.

Nova inhaled sharply. She could barely comprehend the last few seconds.

"What? You're going to kill me next?" Her voice was dull, bleak. She held a gun, but she could not raise it or point it at him. "That's who you are. A cold-hearted murderer. You care for no life or loyalty." She drifted her gaze to the dead body on the ground. "You just killed your man for absolutely nothing. Is that what you did to my brother? Gave the order to have him killed? Are you upset he's not dead?"

His jaw clenched. His eyes grew fierce, pinning her down. It grew tense; the air thick and suffocating.

"Are you serious?" Screw said to her in a tone of disbelief. "Can you listen to what he's telling you? Yes, Vic ordered the attack, but he didn't know it was going to be your brother," he told her in frustration, eyeing Keenan. "Keenan fucked us up and almost had Mario murdered when he was working for us. He was a rat, Nova, and he betrayed our gang. He was messing things up, so we had to send him a warning. The guys Vic sent? They were new. They didn't know what Keenan looked like." He paused, balling his fists as his eyes flared at Keenan. "This bastard beside you? He told them your brother was him. He sent them to beat up your brother to death."

She was momentarily paralyzed. She couldn't even suck in a breath. It clogged her throat, preventing her from taking a breath. She was suffocating.

Nova turned her back to them as she tried to breathe. Ice ran down her spine. Everything felt hazy and dizzy. The lump in her throat was large and painful, so taking a deep breath hurt more. Taking a deep breath was like a slice to her heart. She clutched her heavy chest, willing herself to breathe.

No. No.

"He used you, Nova," Screw continued to say from behind her. "not because he wanted to get your brother justice, but he has some fucking vendetta against Vic. The heartless bastard didn't even take your brother to the hospital. He left him there in a pool of blood to die."

The more she heard, the harder it was becoming to breathe.

"But Vic, as soon as he heard what had happened, he had us take your brother to the hospital and paid the medical bills. If it wasn't for him, your brother would have died on the cold ground alone."

She had always thought Keenan had been the one to take Grayson to the hospital and pay for the bills. She didn't mention it, and he didn't mention it either. She should have pushed herself to find out more, especially when she remembered seeing the frightening look on his face when the doctors told them Grayson had survived. Did he not want him to survive? For fear of what? The truth to come out?

Nova crouched down and grabbed her pounding head with both hands. She should have dug deeper. She should have opened her eyes. The night at the hospital, Keenan couldn't even tell her what had happened. He had nothing to say, but as soon as Grayson fell into a coma, he had a lot of things to say after that. She should have seen the lies.

She had trusted him. Confided in him. She had thought him family. Her brother. Keenan had filled the hole in her heart where Grayson had left. He had been her family while her brother lay on the hospital bed, fighting for his life. Unbeknownst to her, she had been trusting the real culprit.

"You fucking bastard," she gritted out. Suddenly, she was on her feet, launching her first attack on him. "How could you!" She was screaming while her fists were flying all around him. He was blocking her attacks, but she was in hysterics, so she continued to follow him when he kept backing up.

"Nova, I'm sorry. Let me explain," was what he kept repeating. She had expected him to deny it and hoped he did, but his words and his guilty look told her the truth.

"You almost got my brother killed," she shouted, pushing his chest and he staggered back. "You held me when I cried, Keenan! You fed lies to my ears and you lived with those lies!" She pushed him again. He staggered backward, almost to the edge. Her eyes were red and dry. Her heart was twisting with pain. "How could you?!" she screamed, halting in her steps.

Her heat was pounding. "I considered you my brother," Nova continued, her voice low, cracking with the pain of his betrayal. "I was there for you! But what did you do? You played me like a fool! You didn't do all of this for Grayson." She scoffed. "You did it for you. Did you consider me and my brother when you sent him to his death or when you played with my feelings for your selfish needs?"

His eyes lowered regretfully. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? You think a mere apology is going to solve everything, you asshole?" Her lungs screamed out. The tears choked her.

"Nova."

She heard Vicious calling her name softly and she stiffened. She couldn't turn around. Her entire body had frozen. Guilt wracked through her body. After all she had done, he could still sound gentle towards her? He may have done the damage, but he hadn't known her brother was innocent. He was the one who took him to the hospital and paid the bills.

How was she supposed to look him in the eyes now? He had saved Grayson. Without his help, her brother would have been six feet under now.

Why couldn't she have been honest? When she fell for him, she could have come clean and told him about it. She shouldn't have let Keenan drag her into this mess. If she had approached him and cornered him, then she would have known it hadn't been his fault. She wouldn't have let Keenan continue to lie and manipulate her or let her kill someone. He let her murder someone. He forced her to live with what she did.

"Let me deal with him," Vicious continued to say. "For what he did to me and your brother, for using you, let me take care of it."

She still wouldn't turn around to face him. Was he asking her permission to kill Keenan? How did she feel about that? She didn't care. She only knew that she didn't want to be here anymore—with him and with Keenan. She wanted to go to the hospital and be with her brother. She had spent too long away from him. Being consumed by revenge made it harder to sit by his side and the urge to suddenly see him overwhelmed her.

The gun clutched in her hand slipped out of her fingers and it fell to the floor. She didn't flinch.

Finally, she turned and faced him. Vicious' gaze was trained on her when their eyes connected. His eyes were bleak. A flicker of emotions passed through his face. He saw her anguished face. He saw her need to crumble. There was hesitation in his eyes. He was hesitating to go to her. She saw that and she wanted to break apart.

Vicious wasn't the ruthless murderer she had thought he had been. He didn't kill or hurt innocent people. He hurt those who hurt him. He cared about innocent lives. He felt remorse. He had conscious. It was those things that saved her brother.

How could she have thought he was any different?

"Step aside, Nova," he muttered. He stood there, his hand in his pockets, and his head fell forward, but he still stared her down.

Her hands started shaking. Her stomach turned over. She felt like she was going to throw up. Her vision blurred and spots floated around her.

Okay.

Nova complied with him. At least, she would listen to him this time around. She tried to step aside, but an arm came around her neck, and she was suddenly pulled into Keenan's chest. It was around the same time she felt his gun pressed to her temple. Arms restrained her.

"Keenan," she lets out in a whisper of disbelief.

"If you come any closer, I will kill her," he warned Vicious, his arms still caging her.

She looked up at Vicious with trembled lips. His mask had come on. His shoulders were tensed. His eyes were hard and unsettled as he stared at the gun pressed to her temple.

"Don't...hurt her." It was the first time his voice had turned ice. It grated right through them, full of hardness and intensity. Full of rage and....fear.

He stared at Keenan, looking composed. He was anything but. Being around him, Nova knew when he was truly composed or not. Right now, he was trying to look as if he had control over himself. That was how he operated. By hiding what he felt because if he showed a silver of care, Keenan would think he had the upper hand. He did have the upper hand, but he didn't need to know that.

"Yeah?" Keenan's voice came again. Vicious took a step toward them. "I said don't come any closer!" Keenan took another step back, his trembling hand still holding the gun pressed to her temple.

A knot clogged her stomach. It rolled over and over in her stomach, forcing its way up to her throat. She felt the pressure of it coming up, and she swallowed it back down. Nova peered up at Vicious with desperation and her own level of fear in her eyes. He saw it and he felt agitated by it. A muscle in his face ticked.

"Keenan, let her go. She has nothing to do with this. Think of what you're doing. Nova is your friend, isn't she? You wouldn't want to hurt her."

"She was! She was my friend until you assholes decided to tell her the truth." Keenan took another step, urging them away from Vicious. Nova felt the wind breezing through her skin.

"Keenan, please, let me go," she pleaded. She was scared.

Vicious looked back at her. His chest rose and fell. Tears slipped down her face. His eyes were sharp.

He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, Nova. Vicious cares about you. This will all be over when I get out of here safely. I'm sorry for everything. I never meant to hurt you."

"You're not getting out of here," Mario growled at him.

"Shut up!" Vicious snapped at his cousin, his jaws clenched. "Don't aggravate him to do anything stupid."

"What the hell are you doing, Vic? Kill them both." Mario stared disbelievingly at Vicious, who refused to give the kill order.

"See?" Keenan whispered into her ear. "He won't kill you. He won't take a shot if he knows you could be hurt. Vicious loves you, doesn't he?"

Nova swept her gaze back to Vicious and her lower lip trembled. Did he love her? He loved her. Tears sprang from her eyes. She wanted to open her mouth and say something to him. That she was sorry. That she loved him despite everything. She loved him.

Mario took a shot.

It surprised them both. The bullet hit Keenan's shoulder and the two of them staggered backward. Nova lifted her gaze to Vicious and she swore he stopped breathing. He went so still.

Another shot to Keenan's other shoulder had his arm releasing her. Vicious reacted then, charging towards her. She saw him running over to her and a smile slipped on her, but then, she saw his eyes widening. She saw his mouth parting with a scream of terror before she felt a hand grab her neckline, then Keenan pulled her with him.

The only thing Nova could hear was Vicious' roar of fear before she was falling back, then she felt her feet slip off the edge.