Nicole POV:

"Ouch." I hissed.
"Nicole, if you don't sit still, I will just let you bleed out. I'm not in the mood." Evan hissed.
"Evan, chill." Z said from behind me, tying up an unconscious Aiden.
"She's right Evan, she almost lost her daughter." Delilah said, rocking Riley.
"And I almost lost my fucking mind." Evan sighed, looking over to Delirious.
"Where's Skylar?" he asked.
"I knocked her out with some ketamine as well and put her in Daithi's room." Z nodded, finishing up her knot.
"Why did you tranquilize her?" Jonathan asked, his voice shaky.
"She wasn't letting go of the baby." Z shrugged.
"Plus we don't know exactly what her and Aiden were up to, why they were even here."
"I think they talked to Justin." Delilah murmered.
"What? That little cunt that you ran away with with Aiden? The one that blamed you for murder?" Z asked.
I was completely clueless.
Who is Justin?

Delilah POV:

"Yeah. Him." I growled.
"Z, language. Please." Lui said, looking at her, covering Kayle's ears.
"I ought to kill that motherfucker Justin." Z said under her breath.
"Ugh. Nevermind." Lui growled and walked to a bedroom with Kayle, Nogla following behind.
"Why is he so pissy?" Z asked me.
I looked at her.
"His wife died, remember?"
She sighed and nodded.
"God, I miss Macie." Nicole sighed.
"We all do, darling." Lonnah nodded.
Z shrugged.

Z POV:

"I could've stopped it. But I was too distracted looking into her eyes. She said something that surprised me, she mentioned a certain person. " I said, looking at where Lui was sitting moments ago.
Then I snapped uncontrollably.
I walked to the door and punched the wall before I ran out.
I raced down the street, hearing Delilah calling my name, but I didn't care.
I ran all the way through town.
I raced for hours and hours until I got to where I wanted to go.
The base.

That's when I fell down in the alleyway, slicing my knees on the remaining jagged rocks.
I put my head into my hands and sobbed, a loud, choking sob.
Then I got up and headed closer to the remaining ashes.
The ground was black, the weapon shed was ravaged and also burnt down.
I walked into the ashes and looked up to the dark blue sky and screamed her name.
Tanner, Tanner, Tanner.
Her beautiful name ran a million times through my head, her scent still lingered. She'd never be completely gone.
Everywhere I looked, painful memories would stab me in the heart.
Tyler, Mini.
Mini, Tyler.
Evan.
Lui.
Delirious.
Daithi.

Tanner.

I couldn't control my anger.
"YOU TOLD ME I WAS STRONG, TANNER!" I sobbed, screaming.
"YOU SAID I WAS STRONG!"
I grabbed a rock and through it at the dark alleyway, hearing a piece of metal being hit.
"BUT YOU'RE GONE! YOU SAID YOU'D STAY TANNER! WHERE ARE YOU!!!?" I screamed, scooping up rock by rock, tossing it in anger.
"Is this Tanner?"
A girl appeared from the darkness, holding a photograph.
I looked at her and wearily took it away from her.
Sure enough, it was a picture of me and Tanner, me as a little girl.
She was holding me and had a flower tucked behind her ear and she was tucking one behind mine.
I remembered the conversation.
I remembered what she said.
"A pretty flower for a pretty little girl." She smiled.
I laughed and hugged her.
How stupid I was back then, thinking everything was going to be okay.
"Oh, how wrong I was." I said, crying, looking at the picture.
"What's wrong? Who's Tanner?" The girl asked.
Her hair possessed blonde curls, just like the ones Tanner used to have.
She was dirty.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"My name is Eve." She whispered.
"How old are you?" I asked, looking her up and down. She looked like a kid.
"I'm only 13." She said, nervous.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
"Why do you ask so many questions?" She laughed.
"Because I need to know who you are." I said to her, grabbing my gun.
"My name is Eve, I am 13 years old, I was here with my brother. But he hasn't come back in a few days." She whispered, tears coming to her eyes, her cowering due to the fact I was now holding a gun.
"What do you mean he hasn't come back?"I asked.
"Well, you see, he and I were thinking about finding a bunch of people and teaming up and fighting in order to get food and shelter. Like, a gang. He left a few days ago to go find some recruits. But he hasn't returned." She said.
I put my hand to my mouth.
That was the man who killed Macie.
We were in their territory.
That's why she was killed.
That's why I killed him.
"Eve, I need you to follow me." I said.
She looked at me.
"Benjamin told me to stay here. I can't leave."
"Darling. Benjamin is gone." I said, tears in my eyes.
"What the hell are you talking about?" She asked.
"I killed him." I said, tears running down my face.
She looked at me.
"You... Killed... My brother?" She asked.
I nodded.
"He killed my best friend. She shot her days ago. I turned around and shot him back. And he died. I'm so sorry." I said, crying.
"Where am I supposed to go!!!? " She asked, screaming at me.
"Come with me!" I yelled back.
"I DON'T KNOW YOU, I WANT MY BROTHER!"
"YOU CAN'T FUCKING HAVE HIM BACK YOU LITTLE BRAT, HE'S GONE, OKAY!? HE'S GONE!! MOVE ON!" I screamed, then I froze.
Move on.
She was crying on the ground her head in her hands. She was screaming.
She had nowhere to go.
Her best friend had just been killed.

She is just like me.

"Listen. Eve." I said, calmly.
"What??!" She snapped.
"I need you to follow me. Just trust me." I said.
She looked at me.
"Why should I follow you??!" She growled.
"Because I know how you feel." I said.
She stopped crying and stood up.
"Let's go." She sighed.
I led her to Tanner's grave.

I dug up a few pictures.

"See how beautiful she was?" I asked, my tears dripping onto the photos.
She nodded.
"Who is that?"
"It's Tanner. My mother." I said, tears running down my face.
I was looking at a picture of me, Tanner and Calibre all celebrating my birthday.
"And who's that?" She asked.
"My ex fiancé." I whispered.
"What happened to them?" She looked around at all the graves.
"Tanner is buried right here." I said, kneeling down next to the tombstone.
A small tear dripped down her cheek.
"I'm so sorry."
"She was shot and killed, you know." I whispered.
"She never hurt anybody, you know. She was the nicest woman you'd ever meet, she kept all my secrets. She gave me anything I ever asked for. She saved my life when I was a little girl, you know. And you know those gangs you were thinking about starting?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Never do that. That's how she died. We were in a War, right here. Right in this opening. That's why all the dirt is hard. That's why the grass is dead." I said.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know what they would cause. I didn't think it was that big of a deal." She mumbled.
"That was her last wish. To end them all. To let all the members live a happy life. And that's why Calibre left. My ex fiancé." I sighed.
"Well, what do either of us do now?" She asked.
I shrugged. "Do you have a family?"
She shook her head.
"My parents died and me and my brother ran from the foster home. We were homeless."
"Well, I could adopt you. I need to get a job. Learn how to move on. Get out of this hellhole." I said, looking at the picture.
She nodded.
"So we'll start a life together? You and me?"
I nodded.
Then we stood up and headed back to Nicole's.

"By the way, my name is Samantha Z Valle." I said.
She nodded.
"Can I call you Madre? You know, for mom?" She asked.
I smiled, grabbing her hand.
"You sure can."

And Tanner was not forgotten.

She lived on with me.