Ivy

I ignored the aching in my head, as I fought furiously to untie my hand, and free myself. Looking at my surroundings, I wasn't sure the security here was all that tight. The room I was kept was empty, but small, and the distant smell of cigarette smoke was in the air.

I could hear some voices from outside of the room, but I didn't dwell on what they were saying, all that mattered was my escape from this place.

It felt like a tape, what they used in tying my hands to my back and my legs to either side of the chair, so it seemed quite easy to wiggle my way out of this one.

Footsteps approached, making me go stiff on the chair.

The door suddenly pushed open, revealing the guy I recognized as Rider, from the time I had followed Ethan to Renegades.

A smirk spread across his lips. "The Rat is finally awake. How are you fairing Outsider?"

I pinned him with a glare. "I don't know how many times I have to repeat this to you Insiders. I have a name, and it's Ivy fucking Fisher!"

He nodded thoughtfully. "And the Rat has a sharp mouth. I like that."

"Why am I here? What do you want?"

He shrugged. "Nothing to do with you, Rat. I mean, this is the best way to get the boss's attention, since he's been ghosting his people for some days now."

I scoffed. "Ethan had clearly told you he didn't want to continue with this, you're just so pathetic and don't know what to do with your life if the Lithians fall apart--"

"Oh shut up, Outsider. What do you know? Just cause you created a name for yourself, doesn't mean you know everything. You call me pathetic? Well yes I admit to that, and the Lithians are the only reason why I'm sane." He said, coming closer to place both his hands on either arm of the chair, bending so his eyes directly met mine. "Lithian is home to so many people, a means to escape the reality that no one is getting out of here, unharmed. Your boyfriend, our boss, wants to ruin something so precious, wants to destroy an empire. I would never let him do that."

The determination and craving in his eyes told a different story, one that I saw myself slowly sinking into, a familiar feeling overwhelming me, as I got zapped into myself.

Opening my eyes, I could feel myself pacing back and forth in what looked like a room that had never seen clean days.

I was furious, my whole body seething with rage and hunger, hunger for something I was addicted to, but wasn't getting, deep within me, I knew that craving couldn't be satisfied until I made a dangerous move, one that scared me, and at the same time, one that seemed like the only solution to my cravings, and that of the others around me.

I felt myself gripping my phone hard. But it didn't feel like my phone.

My hand raised again, calling a number with the name Boss on the screen, it rang continuously, with no response. This made me even more furious, as I threw my phone to the door with such force that it shattered to the ground.

I gripped my hair. "Fucking bastard! So he's just gonna bail on us! After everything?" My voice wasn't my own, it was a man's voice, one that I was sure resembled Rider's.

The door to the filthy room pushed open, as Michelle walked in, a hard look on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You know you're broke to buy a new phone right?"

"That bastard is abandoning us. We've got to do something!" I said, ignoring her question, although, seeing the truth in it.

She scoffed. "What do you want to do to him? He's gonna fucking kill you before you even lift a finger, Rider."

"Lit is out of stock, we don't have enough money, people are going crazy here, they're on my fucking neck, and I'm going bonkers without a dose of Lit. And there he is, enjoying life like we mean nothing to him."

"He did tell you he wanted out--"

My eyes snapped to hers, rage tearing through my senses. "Out? Out? Do you fucking hear yourself, Michelle? How can he want out? What are we gonna do if he's out of the gang? How do we get funds? How do we get people off our backs without his name? Don't you see that they fear him? He's the one with the power, the silver coins, we're nothing without that boy!"

"Well, no one asked you to squander every fund we had! We wouldn't be in this much mess or debt, if you hadn't been so irresponsible with the power given to you!" Michelle yelled back at him.

"I fucked up, and I know, you don't have to tell me! We just have to get him back, one way or another."

Michelle sighed. "What do you have in mind?"

I could feel myself thinking of possible ways to hook the boss, and then it felt like something had clicked. "The human kid... The Outsider! Yes yes! That's it. We gotta get his girlfriend."

"He's gonna kill you-"

"Not when her life lies in my hand."

"Can you hear yourself? Ethan will squash you like a fucking bug. He told you she was off limits Rider."

"Do you have a better suggestion?"

Michelle went quiet.

"That's what I thought. Go get her, Now."

I zapped back out, my breathing harsh, as my eyes found Rider's confused ones. "So the Lithians are out of funds... That's why you need him."

His eyes widened. "How the fuck do you know that?"

"It was written all over your face, you pig." I spat out. "So that's why I'm bait? To get him to come here and settle all your debts?"

"It's his responsibility!"

"He wanted out! He created the gang, and he wanted to put a stop to it, but you didn't let him. So whatever debt you owe, it's not his business anymore! So just leave-"

I was cut off by the pain of his back hand connecting with my cheek.

The pain had my eyes stinging, my heart rate increasing as I tried to get my hands free.

His hand came to grip my face. "Listen here, bitch! It is his business. If you don't know how to finish something, never fucking start it. You're gonna be here for a very long time, until I've gotten everything I want from him, and maybe even have a little fun myself." He gave a very disgusting smirk.

"If you think Ethan's gonna fall at your feet, think again."

"I know he's going to fall at my feet, unless he doesn't love you as he claims."

He let go of me roughly. "You better get comfor-"

The sound of gunshots pierced through the air, stopping his sentence midway.

Rider smirked. "Seems like he took the bait." He said. "Catch you later, Rat."

He said, rushing out.

"Fuck!" I groaned out, trying even more furiously to set myself free, seeing as I felt the tape slakening, due to the sweat staining my skin.

I have to get out.

* * *

Ethan

I pulled up in front of the Lithians corner.

The moment I tried calling Ivy and didn't reach her, Fiona was the next person I reached out to, after Roman had told me she never returned back to their base. Fiona on the other hand, told me Ivy had been with her, but left back to my base, at least not until she had realized Ivy's car was still parked at Renegades, her keys and phone on the ground.

It didn't take long before Michelle's text popped up, with Ivy's picture.

How could they be so stupid?

"If you had let me taken care of them earlier, Ivy wouldn't have been taken by that scumbag." Ralph said, sounding pissed as he loaded up his gun, looking out the window of Fiona's beetle.

Caramel smirked. "I don't really care, all I want to do is slice people." She twirled her knife in her hand, looking just about ready to jump out of the car.

"Can't remember the last time I was here." Fiona muttered, looking out the mirror to the Lithians corner. "I can't believe that bastard would even dare do something like this."

"Clearly, Ethan failed as a leader." Caramel stated, as I shot her a glare from the rareview mirror. She only shrugged.

"We spread out, find Ivy. Kill anyone that stands in our way." I heard myself say, even I knew how different I felt, my voice didn't even seem like my own.

Ever since I got that picture from Michelle, something had snapped within me, something more sinister than my anger, and even when I tried to fight for control to my feelings, I couldn't. I was blinded, and at this point, reason was the last thing I was seeing. All I wanted was to hurt the ones who dared to cross the line, even after my warnings. 

"Do we- we really have to kill anyone?" Roman asked from the back seat, where he was squished between Caramel and Fiona.

My gaze met his from the rareview mirror. "They took Ivy, Roman. Had I not fucking warned them not to go there, I would have considered, but now, I don't really care. You'll remain here, in case Ivy's injured and we have to take her to Malcolm. You're gonna drive like your life depends on it, understood?"

He nodded. "Good." I said, opening the drivers side door. "Anyone sees Rider, leave him to me. Ralph, find your sister, and get her out, cause if I see her, I make no fucking promises." With that, I was out of the car, not even looking back to see if they followed me, but the sound of the doors opening and closing, told me they were.

Everything that happened next was a blur off gunshots, grunts, yells, blood and pain. I didn't care if they were once people I led, but they did turn on me, they did stand with Rider, and didn't back out from the fight.

It felt like there was a ticking bomb within me, waiting to explode, the harsh thumping of my heart, fueled my anger even more.

This was something I should have done earlier. If I had taken some action, they wouldn't even have dared to do this.

I really have changed.

I knew where they were keeping her, after all, I built this place, and if I was correct, I knew I wasn't very far from Ivy.

"Hello boss." I halted in my footsteps, before turning slowly to Rider, who stood there, with no weapon. "I guess you didn't come crawling like I expected."

I remained silent, just watching him.

He then looked around him. "Never thought I'd see the day you'd stand against, and kill your own people."

"My people?" I asked.

"What? You wanna deny them now?" He scoffed, daring to take a step. "How could you, Ethan? How could you be so stupid? These people you're killing, would have done anything for you, and all because of some girl-"

"I warned you, Rider, didn't I? I told you she was off limits, but you," I let my weapons drop to the ground, as I took a step towards him, feeling a strong surge of anger rush through my veins. His eyes widened suddenly, almost like he had seen something that scared him, as he took a step back. "...you just had to cross the line, didn't you? You've always been so foolish Rider, driven by greed and lust, and that's exactly what's gonna end you today. And these people, they stood to fight me. My people would have never even dared. Besides, I remember handing them over to you."

He took another step back, fear shining in his eyes as I took another step further to him, my heart hitting my chest so hard, so damn hard that it was difficult for me to even think properly.

"P- please- I-- I'm sorry." He outstretched his hand, almost like he was telling me to stop moving as he kept going backwards, unable to take his eyes off me, out of fear. "W--what are you? Yo-your ey-"

I didn't let him complete the statement as my hand captured his neck. His body shook, his eyes widening in fear as he struggled to breathe. I didn't even squeeze.

But I felt him, his whole energy slipping right into my fingers, and out of shock myself, my eyes watched the blue lights sizzling from my fingers, growing brighter every second.

"What the he-"

Just as his body slumped in my grip, I let go of him immediately, my hand shaking uncontrollably, the blue lights like electrical currents dancing between my fingers, as my eyes slipped towards Rider's stiff body, his eyes wide open in death, his mouth opened like I had electrocuted the life out of him.

My gaze went back to my hand, still shaking, sparking, and sizzling with light. "What the hell?"

"Ethan?"

My head whipped back at the sound of her voice; quiet, scared and confused, as she stared wide eyed at me.

"Ivy."

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