John's Point of View:

The moment the phone kept ringing I knew something was wrong. Maybe it was because it was nearly three in the morning or maybe it was the fact that when we visited the hospital, Kelsey was hysterical about the fact Justin had left—and not the hospital, but her life.

Which wasn't a part of the plan at all. It made no sense to me, but as the minutes carried on and silence took over, the excruciating pain of what was happening in the wake of it was down near frightful because I knew the silence that overcame Justin and it never, under any circumstances, ended good.

They say the devil always has a way of coming back and I worried that maybe, just maybe, his demons were probably coming back again. And God only knows if he can fight them off this time.

Slamming my palm against the steering wheel after the tenth time of trying to get in contact with him and only hearing his voicemail pick up, I threw my phone inside the cup holder of the car before pulling out of the parking spot in the hospital and driving down the street.

"He still didn't pick up?" Bruce questioned, adding onto the thickness in the air. He knew just as much as I did that none of this is good.

"No."

Tension suffocated us in the tight space causing us all to shift uncomfortably. None of this made sense. Why would Justin walk away from the one thing that kept him together? Why would he let go of the girl he loved?

I knew part of it was because of the pain she endured on behalf of all of us and the mere thought made me want to punch my fist through a wall. She was the innocent party in all of this and because she was associated with us, she took the hit.

It was an ugly revelation that no matter how hard we tried to protect those around us, someone found a way to hurt them.

He loved her though and his love for her was stronger than anything else in the world. The reason he'd end his own life in order to ensure hers is enough to prove that all in its own, but something must have happened and it made me wonder, who could have possibly convinced him to throw her away again?

"I'll try him again," he reached for his pocket.

I didn't say anything. Instead, I focused on the road ahead of me, never knowing what lied ahead. Life was like a game of pool, one wrong hit, and you lost the game forever.

Glancing over at Bruce, he shook his head before ending the call and hiding his phone away in the tight space of his back pocket.

Nodding, I clenched my jaw before stepping harder on the gas knowing fully well that he was contemplating the idea of something and that never ended well for either one of us, especially him.

Not when pain was his only way out of a tough situation.

And I was afraid that if I was too late, I could walk in on the job finished.

Turning the corner, it wasn't long before I drove up the driveway and killed the engine. It was raining by the time I arrived only adding onto the feeling that what I was about to witness was a reflection on the darkness that overwhelmed us.

Thunder cracks was heard over the harsh winds, nearly knocking me over as I stepped out. The more time ticked on by, the crazier it got.

"Do you think he's here?" Marcus screamed over the noise of God yelling at us.

Drifting over the parking lot, I spotted Justin's car, "yeah," I nodded towards it, "he's here."

Running towards the front door that was hanging open, I made a beeline towards the living room. "Justin?"

The amount of glass on the floor was almost enough to cover every inch which only meant one thing, he had gone through a rampage. "Fuck," scanning over the premises, all the couches were tipped over, and the coffee table turned upside down with a few cracks along the edges.

Several holes lined the wall with streaks of blood and the alcohol cabinet torn apart with almost every beverage inside gone. "Justin!"

Looking through the entire first floor, I instructed Bruce and Marco to check the backyard while I and Marcus went upstairs. Slamming into every room, it wasn't until I stepped into his and Kelsey's did I see the rest of the damage done to the place. Every frame was broken with the mattress torn apart looking as if a tornado had hit.

"JUSTIN!"

"John," Marcus nudged my side before turning and pointing towards the set of stairs that led into the attic.

Cautiously walking over to it, I made my way up the stairs before peering over the edge to see that the window leading to the roof was open and out in the distance a shadow loomed over the side of it.

"Shit," scrambling on my feet, I rushed across before nearly tripping on the window frame as I walked back out into the rain and the sight alone was chilling.

Standing there with a bottle of jack in one hand and a gun in his other was Justin.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Whirling around to face me, I could see the pain in his eyes. His cheeks were practically sunk in and his eyes were wide making me wonder how much he drank.

"Putting an end to all of this," he took a swing from the bottle as he swayed, fumbling on his feet and almost falling forwards.

Reaching out to grab him, he took a hold of himself before standing up as straight as he could on his own. "I don't need your help," he spar angrily, taking a step back from me.

"Yes," I strained, my eyes wide in fear that he'd fall over, "yes you do."

"Why?" he threw his hands in the air causing a bit of the alcohol to spill over, not that he noticed. "It's not like you need me anyway."

"That's not true," I argued. "You're like my brother, the closest thing I have to one. Of course I need you. We all do."

"Now I know you're bullshitting," he laughed cynically, "because no one needs me." Looking out into the striking sky, the boom that followed soon after eliminated his face, almost mimicking the way he was feeling inside.

Twirling the gun around surprisingly enough not to drop it, he held the base of it strongly, debating the act. "All I do is cause everyone pain. I'm surprised I'm even still alive." Looking at me, he shrugged helplessly, "you know with everything that's happened, it's practically impossible that I'm still here."

"It's not your time to go," I whispered in a hush, the resolution of what was going on seeping through my veins and ripping me apart.

In all the years that I've known him, I have never seen him so distraught. Only once in his life was he ever this bad and the memory still haunts me to this day, because if I would have come home just a couple minutes later, I probably would have walked in on him in a pool of his own blood.

"How do you know?" he whispered against the harsh winds that carried his voice across to me, "maybe all this is happening for a reason. Maybe I should do it myself."

"Stop talking like that,"

"Like what?"

"Like what you're saying is true."

"That's because it is!" he shouted, his veins now thick as they pulsed underneath his skin, "all of this turned to shit. Everything we did was for nothing. She nearly died and that son of a bitch is laughing! HE'S LAUGHING! Do you understand how humiliating that is - to know that you lost by default? I gave up just so I can get out and despite it all, we're back here where it all fucking started!" Taking a sip from the bottle in his hand, he chuckled sarcastically, "funny how that shit works, eh?" he tipped glass towards me.

"So that's it? You're going to waste your life away?"

"There's nothing left to do."

"You can go back and make things right with her again."

His eyes flashed dangerously at the mention of Kelsey, "no."

"We all do it; it's part of making mistakes—"

"The only mistake was falling in love with her," his jaw clenched and the anger was back in his eyes again.

"That was the best thing that happened to you and you know it."

"If that were the case then why can't we be happy? Why do I always end up causing her pain? That's not what love is about John, love is about protecting the other and I failed her more than once."

"What happened to Kelsey fucked us all up but you don't see us blaming ourselves. We all had a job, we were all supposed to protect her, but how when we had no clue about what was going on?"

"She's better off without me," he held his chin up in defiance as if going against what I said would bring him justice. Falling in step behind me were the rest of the guys after Marcus had run off to go get them. "Life would be better without me," he pressed the tip of the trigger to the side of his head.

"No!" I held my hands out as if that would stop him and it did for a second before he stumbled forwards and shook his head as tears blurred his vision once more but he didn't dare blink them away.

"You'll survive without me,"

"You can't do this! Not when you've come a long way." Taking a cautious step forwards, I held my hands out in front of me as a sign that I wasn't going to touch him, "you've fought the voices and you've won the battle inside your head."

"I almost lost her,"

"She came back to you, didn't she? That's something to be happy about. Your love can overcome anything even the idea of death. What do you think she would think if you took your life right now?"

"She'd be happy, she'd be able to live her life."

"You're her life," I took another step, knowing I was slowly breaking down his walls, "you're everything to her just like she is to you. Don't throw her away Justin, don't throw your life away either."

Standing there, he looked at me for what felt like ages before he turned towards the night sky, letting the rain drench him further.

"They want me to jump," he said out of the blue.

My stomach churned. "Who?"

"Them," he emphasized and I knew almost immediately what he was talking about.

"No," I spoke loud and clear, refusing to back down even for a second knowing at this rate and point in time, anything could happen within a blink of an eye. "Listen to me, you did it once before, you can do it again. This life is shit we've known that since the beginning nut we still agreed to it because it's the only source of family we've got. It taught us a lot and it made us a family. We fight together, we die together, and I don't know about you but I'd rather keep fighting before throwing in the towel. We almost gave up once and look where that got us," I gestured openly with my arms around us, "those bastards deserve to pay for what they did and I refuse to give in. I know you love her and I know you want to rip them all a new asshole. She deserves it—she deserves justice for everything that's happened." I stopped, "you can do this, and I know you can."

Contemplating my words as if it were a riddle to solve, his brows furrowed together in question with himself whether or not to listen. It wasn't until I held my hand out for the gun did he finally settle on a decision.

Without another word, he set the gun into the palm of my hand.

Grabbing onto it before he had the chance to take it back, I stuffed it into the waistband of my jeans. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," he mumbled bitterly, the exhaustion weighing in on him as he stuffed his hands into the wet pockets of his jeans with force, "let's just bring those sonsofabitches down."

He had fallen asleep on the couch holding a picture of Kelsey to his chest later that night.

It was sad seeing him so torn and afraid that the next step he might make but end up in destruction.

Of all the people in this group, he had taken the most hits out of all of us which was why we were protective of him. He was the youngest, but also the smartest. He had a way of doing things, things we had no insight in, and though it didn't always work out, he managed to teach us things every day.

We were all torn in our own way with our stories varying from the next person, but we all had one thing in common—we would do anything for each other even if that meant one of us would die.

It was because of him that we knew what a family really felt like.

"I called Prince," Bruce informed us while ending the phone call as he stepped back into the dark room, "he said he'd come by in a few."

"Lyndon contacted him?" Marco questioned curiously though we all already knew the answer.

"Yeah, but he didn't pick up. He refuses to be a part of any of his bull." Plopping down on the cushion of the couch, he leaned back, letting out a much needed breath he didn't know he had been holding in for so long.

"This is a bunch of bullshit," he shook his head as he looked out into the distance, zoning out with his own thoughts as his knee bobbed with the anticipation of what's to come.

"It is what it is," he murmured quietly while glancing over at Justin who laid there with nothing but a pair of sweats on and a t-shirt. He had changed out of his drenched clothes and into some dry ones when we began discussing a few things until he fell asleep.

"Rise and shine, fuckers!" A voice called out into the silence as he slammed the door shut behind him and walked into the living area.

Jolting awake, Justin groaned as he held his head in the palm of his hands, "fucks sake, what was that?"

"What the fuck?" Marco and Marcus questioned at the exact same time as I did. Bruce on the other hand wasn't too surprised to see him.

"Bet you thought you've seen the last of me, huh?" The grin on his face made every hair on my arms stand on end. "Sorry, I had to American Horror Story this bitch."

"This wasn't a part of the plan," I countered sharply as my eyes found Bruce's but he refused to meet mine.

"Yeah, well, someone's gotta blow shit up around here, and you all know I'm the one to do it." Jason tipped his cap towards me before twisting it backwards on his head. "Sorry sleeping beauty, did I disturb your beauty rest?" he teased jokingly at Justin while settling himself in the arm chair and turning his computer on.

"Here," Bruce handed him some Advil and a glass of water, "it'll kill the hangover a bit."

Mumbling incoherently under his breath, he glanced down at the picture still held in his hand before quickly stuffing it away as if he didn't want any of us to see it. Drinking the water given to him, he gulped down the pills. "What the fuck are you doin' here?" he mumbled with a bit of a slur to his words though the alcohol was pretty much drained from his system.

"Heard you lads needed my help, and who was I to turn down the oh-so-kind offer?" he smirked deviously knowing just how much we hated him.

Growling impatient, Justin's eyes tore into his, "cut the bull crap and start talking."

"You guys called me in, remember? I'm just here on business."

"What the fuck—"

"It was our only option," Bruce broke through as we all wondered the same thing—why in the world was Jason McCann in our living room. "At this point, there isn't many people we can go to after we split. Prince suggested we make amends so that we start pulling in some weight."

"I didn't know trash counted," Justin grumbled as he eyed the blonde a foot away from him. I could see the hatred in his eyes burning like a fire and the way his hands balled into fists confirmed the idea that he was not comfortable with this at all. And who was to blame him?

"He fucked us over before, what makes you think he won't do it again?"

"I never fucked you over. I did my damn job, it's not my fault Delgado pulled through like the spawn of Satan."

"I see you're all getting along just fine."

Turning to see Prince standing there, I did a double take, not even realizing he had stepped foot into the house. "McCann? Really Prince, really?"

He shrugged. "It was the best I could do on short notice."

"Fuck you."

"Pipe down, we have every reason to want your ass outed, but you make quite the addition to the team which is the only reason you're here and still breathing. I can guarantee your ass will be thrown in the dumps if you keep talking back, now behave like a good boy and shut the fuck up."

Taking the computer away from him, he began typing things before transferring files into his USB and downloading them onto his tablet. "I gotta say though, I wasn't surprised when you guys called me."

"Yeah, and why's that?"

"Because I knew you'd be back." He glanced up at us before shoving his computer away momentarily and locking his fingers in the middle so that they hung between his knees.

"A king doesn't easily get overthrown nor does he give up the thrown. It's either kill or be killed if you ever wanna make it out of here alive which you already know. Giving up like that? Too easy. Lyndon's got everything down pact around here. As soon as word got out that you guys left, people were talking wondering who could have possibly been the one to do it. Now everyone's on his case, they want to see what he's all about, what made you guys run off the way you did. If anyone's anyone around here, you gotta beat out the best, and technically, he did. Sacrificing yourselves to his dirty deeds was probably the worst thing you could have done, but also one of the best. While everyone's running to make amends with him to make sure he doesn't touch their territory, others are plotting. They want him gone. They'd rather have you guys then someone like him. He's like a hurricane; everywhere he walks, he leaves a mess in its wake. They want to ensure their buys and deals with everyone, but they can't do that with Lyndon over here trying to take everything."

"So, what? You think we should team up with them?"

"The rest can be handled separately, but Lyndon's got a lot of people under his arm. It's going to take more than just a couple of you to take him down. He has a whole army of people waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike when needed. You have to be prepared. This isn't just some silly little job. I'm talking about thousands of people are going to go in and only a few will come out alive."

Justin was the first to speak up. "We're ready."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. We've always held back because we were afraid that one of us would do the wrong thing and get sent to jail, but now there's nothing holding me back from killing each and every single one of them."

"What about that girl of yours?"

"What about her?" he said, as if challenging him to say something else about her.

Holding his hands up in surrender, he leaned back, "alright. Just tell me when and I'll get the whole group together. I'll start recruiting while we wait, but don't take too long. Lyndon's already too cocky as it is. Don't give him more of a reason to inflate his head."

Justin's Point of View:

"Are you sure about this?" Bruce asked unsure of the situation. Unsure of me.

"Yes."

We had been discussing the first part of our plan when we called Carly over. She said she would wait until Kelsey fell asleep and then come. Took her damn forever, but she made it in time.

"We could have died by the time you fucking came," I snapped, taking a seat on the edge of the couch.

"I'm not here for you," she bit, knowing what I did and not liking me because of it. She can fuck off though because none of it concerns her. What goes on between Kelsey and I, is just that—between Kelsey and I.

Narrowing her eyes over at me, she grumbled under her breath when John gently pinched her side to ease her anger after she had made her way over to him.

"Just tell us what you know."

"There was a group of them, but Cole came first. He must have been watching the house because he came shortly after I left. I don't know how, I mean, everything seemed okay. There was nothing weird going on." Looking down at her hands, she bit on her lip, "she opened the door because she thought it was me. It wasn't. She tried to run but Sammy blocked the door."

At the mention of their names, I could feel the bile rise in my throat. Each of them, all one of Lyndon's bitches and it made me sick to my stomach.

"She made a run for the stairs but Cole caught up to her before she could make it far. She fought hard, she tried to get him to get off of her, but he was too strong. They all were. Sammy held her down while they beat the crap out of her. She begged him to stop, but he wouldn't listen. None of them would. They just went along with what Cole wanted, they followed orders or at least that's what they told her before she passed out."

The thought of them putting their hands on her made me want to punch the wall again and again until I painted it red, their blood on my hands an image that I've wished for, for ages.

My jaw clenched as my eyes dilated, focusing on nothing as I stared off into the distance. I could feel the anger building up inside of me, all the pent up tension finally reaching its peak as I thought of it all. Everything from start to finish, all the bullshit I had to endure just to end up where I am right now.

"I'm going to kill them," I stood.

"Easy there, tiger." Jason spoke up, "you can't just hit without thinking. Relax and sit down."

Reaching over, I quickly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt before shoving him down on the broken table, making sure to have a few glass slips skim his skin enough to cut through him, "I didn't ask for your opinion."

"Get your fucking hands off of me," he growled, shoving me back.

Without flinching, I quickly grabbed onto his neck, keeping him at bay as I squeezed my fingers around the thickness, "one twist and I will break your neck. Don't fucking test me tonight."

"Alright, enough!" Prince called out just as both he and Bruce pulled me off of him. "You won't get anywhere if you end up killing each other."

"Who said anything about me?" I laughed. "That son of a bitch will end up in a grave faster than any of you can blink. I'll be the one to put him there and piss on it. It'll be like a fuckin' field day. I'll make sure to bring the booze too."

"You're fucking crazy."

"Maybe the fuck I am, but I'll make sure you pay for what you did to my baby sister. These fuckers may not give a fucking shit, but I won't ever forget it. All this fucked up crap going on right now started with you and I'll be damned if I ever let you live because of it."

All eyes were on me at this point, but I didn't give a shit. He was to blame for everything and I wasn't going to live it down. Everyone else might be able to forget it and move on, but he took a piece of me that night and I want it back in any way possible.

"Maybe it's time you go," John whispered quietly into Carly's ear as he patted her gently, kissing the side of her head.

Quietly nodding, she leaned down to kiss him on the lips before grabbing her purse. Turning to face me, she glanced down at John for a moment before her eyes met mine again, "I know this probably isn't the time—"

"Then don't fucking say anything," I warned.

She didn't listen. "You broke her, you know."

My eyes flashed dangerously. "Get the fuck out."

Shaking her head, her eyes determined as if to say this wasn't over, she left the house, slamming the door closed behind her.

"We can wait until you're ready. We don't have to go in right now, we can—"

"No, Bruce." I clipped short, not wanting to further explain myself. "The last time we waited, we fucked up—I fucked up, big time. I'm done with letting those bastards get away with everything. They're going to pay. Each and every single one of them, starting with that little bitch Sammy."

Pulling the gloves on over my hands, I grabbed the gun from my dresser, letting the cool metal melt against my skin as it heated against my palm from the contact. Memories rushed back to me from that time on the roof almost causing me to back down and drop it, but then I was reminded of why I was here and doing this in the first place and I held onto it once more.

Sliding it behind me under my jeans where I made sure it was secured in place, I walked past him and out the door where Prince was waiting for me at the door.

"You ready?"

I smiled.

Parking outside the front door leading to the apartment complexes that Sammy lived in, I killed the engine, waiting for the lights in his house to go on. "When's he coming?"

"Any minute now," Prince glanced down at his watch. "They just finished the meeting with Anthony Larosa out by Main Street."

"Isn't he a part of the Axes? The fuck is he doing meeting with Lyndon?"

"I told you. It's all about enemy ties, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. They're not like you guys. They play dirty."

Scoffing, I rolled my neck around, cracking my knuckles as a way to ease the tension in my body but no matter what I did, it only got worse.

"There he is," he pointed and I spotted him almost immediately. Walking with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, with his head bowed down from the winds of the cold air, he hid his nose underneath the collar. Turning the corner, he walked into the warmth of the building. It wasn't long before he made it to the fifth floor and turned the light on, giving us the go.

Opening the car door, we both retraced his steps. Prince had gotten a copy of his key a long time ago in case we'd ever need it for a break in if they ever stole from us.

Coming face to face with his door, he slowly turned the key before twisting the knob and easing the door open slowly. Upon entering it wasn't long before we heard the shower running. "Perfect."

Walking down the hall towards the door in which he was hidden behind, whistling to a tune stuck in his head, I was reminded of the way Kelsey always did that and felt myself grow hotter with rage.

He was the reason my girl was hurt and it was only fair he felt the same amount of pain she did. As soon as we stepped foot into the bathroom, the misty air filled us like we were in a steaming room. Looking through the glass, I saw the perfect opportunity to catch him when he least expected it.

Grabbing the towel off the counter, I twisted it in my hands, making sure to pull fast so that a sound of a whip was heard. Nodding towards the shower door, Prince quickly swung it open just as I wrapped the towel around Sammy's neck, pulling him out and over.

He was fighting to breathe, his fingers clawing at the fabric but I only tightened the hold on him. "You know, it's funny," I began, "I expected more out of you Constentino, but I guess it's always the quiet ones who make the most trouble."

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about," he strained to talk as he twisted around, trying hard to breathe. The lack of air in his system caused his face to turn a shade of red and the sight was near breathtaking to say the least. Killing him was a euphoria that I've been craving for weeks.

Watching as Prince began filling the bath up with water instead of letting the shower run, my voice easily carried around the four corners of the room, echoing profusely due to the tight space.

"Oh yeah?" I raised an eyebrow, laughing as if what he said was the funniest thing in the world but we all knew that wasn't the reason. "You stood there and watched as that son of a bitch beat my girl and then you did the same thing he did."

Shrugging, I grinned with satisfaction of the idea, "maybe I should remind you." With the towel still around his throat, I used my hold on him to slam his face into the marble sink causing his nose to break in the process.

A strangled scream was forced between his lips as he tried to voice himself but I never gave him the chance. Not when my girl begged them to stop and they didn't. "Is that close enough?"

"Your bitch screamed louder than that," he coughed, spitting out blood. "You should have seen her face Bieber, she was hysterical, wondering why your ass wasn't there to save her."

Clenching my jaw, I made sure to put pressure on his neck once more, this time stronger than before to the point where his head looked like it was about to roll off his shoulders.

"I'm sure her pussy's tight enough, but the boys and I didn't have enough time to fuck her. It's a real shame too, we've all been wondering what it's like since you seem to be whipped. Maybe next time, eh?"

Everything inside me shattered like shards of glass to my chest and all sense of sanity was thrown out the window the second he opened his mouth again. With one hand holding the ends of the towel together, I tangled the fingers of my other into his hair before repeatedly slamming his face into the side of the cabinet attached underneath the sink.

"There won't be a next time. You're all a bunch of sick motherfuckers and I always told you karma would be a fucking bitch. Of course your mother's a better example, but don't worry, you made it high up in that rank." Turning him around to face me, I laid a couple brutal punches to his face and before I knew it, a couple turned into a lot. All the anger, everything, the images of Kelsey lying there while he hurt her made their way into my head and I blacked out.

It wasn't until Prince called out to me that he was ready did I pull back to see the damage. He looked like he didn't even have a face to him, and it made me smile to know I had brought some type of justice tonight.

Pulling him with me, I unwrapped his neck before grabbing the back of his head and forcing it down into the water.

Thrashing around as much as he could do to the pain he was currently in from the attacks he just undergone, he managed to pull his head up to the surface but I only pushed him back in, this time, harder, staining the water red.

Several seconds passed before his body began to give up. Even when he fell limp and I knew he was dead, I continued holding him down, wanting him to suffer from the lack of air like I did. They stole it all away from me and it was only fair I did the same thing in return.

"That's enough," pulling Sammy away, Prince dumped his body in the tub, staging it all to look like a break in suicide like we had initially planned.

Walking out of the room, making sure to leave the bathroom door open but the apartment door locked, we left everything as it was, making sure to take any evidence with us.

The winds whisked through me causing a sense of vanity to rip inside, like I had finally gotten some of my pride back. I knew that this was just the beginning and though I took out one, there was more. A lot more.

But I was ready.

In the distance, an explosion was heard and a smirk lifted the corner of my lips. Prince looked at me, but all I did was focus on getting to part two.

"One bastard down, two more to go."