This is a double update as per usual- Chapter 15 was uploaded before this so please make sure you read them in the correct order :)

♛Cameron Dawson ♛

The twelve hours that had followed Harley's initiation was probably one of the longest twelve hours of my life. Even after Ramiro had told us where she was, I still had to wait for her. Needless to say, it was painful.

Katalina had stayed the night, crashing on the couch so as to help me get Harley as soon as the twelve hours were up. I couldn't sleep though and instead stayed up drinking tea and boxing in the room. Katalina had offered me company- a presence of assurance and comfort as I poured my anger into boxing.

We spoke a lot too and I learnt more about her. Like how her and Ramiro are actually twins and have never being to Oregon before. She told me about how she had never planned anything for her future except joining the gang. Turns out that she loves baking- especially brownies- and enjoys collecting sneakers. Katalina also mentioned how she wanted to start a family one day- be a mother that could provide everything for her child.

I didn't talk much during the time but she didn't seem to expect me to or be upset that I didn't. And I appreciate that. My ability to trust people has being severed immensely but even I cannot deny that I enjoy Katalina's presence. There's something about it that's... maternal almost.

Now that Harley is in bed, not yet cleaned up due to her unconscious state, I drag myself back to the living room where Katalina is seated on the couch. She looks up as I enter, eyebrows scrunched together in concern.

"Is she okay?"

I drop down onto the space beside her, letting out a breath as I do so. "I think so. Her wounds still need to be tended to but I'll do that when she's awake."

The Mexican girl beside me nods, leaning further into the couch. A moment of silence passes between us before I break it.

"Thank you for helping me. Both you and Ramiro."

A warm smile makes its way onto her face. "You don't need to thank me for that." She says. "I told Harley that she'd need someone to rely on in the gang the first day I met her. I hope I can be that person."

Her words are compassionate and- for the millionth time- I'm baffled at how a woman with such a soft heart can be part of a gang. I wish more than anything that I could be that way despite doing what I am.

"How do you do it?" I blurt suddenly. Her smile morphs into a confused expression and I go on to clarify. "How do you manage to be a good person even though you're in a gang?"

A short laugh escapes her and she shakes her head. "The gang is my circumstance Cameron, not who I am. I'm not just a Slither Member, I'm still Katalina. Being part of a gang doesn't have to change that."

My gaze drops to my hands and I dwell on her words. I've had to kill numerous people throughout my life- how could I do that with a kind heart? My father said that emotions are a weakness and I understand that to a certain point; if I had killed those people with mercy, the guilt would have being worse. You have to get rid of your emotions to protect yourself from what you got to do. I can't afford to feel empathy, not when I have dirty work that I need to do.

"Everyone copes differently Cameron. There's nothing to be ashamed about if yours is different too."

My gaze meets hers and there's a reassuring gleam in her eyes but its the gentleness that she offers that comforts me.

"Thank you Katalina."

She smiles widely at me, slipping her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Where are you from?"

Her question takes me off guard and I raise an eyebrow. She rolls her eyes.

"What? I told you some stuff about me, it's only fair that you return the favor."

I cross my arms over my chest as I sigh, trying to find a way to be honest but not reveal too much.

"Well I lived in Colombia before I came over here by myself."

"By yourself?" She frowns. "Where were your parents?"

"Prison."

Katalina nods in understanding and she gives me a sideways glance. "Were you drug dealing that side?"

I narrow my eyes slightly at her blunt question, "You really have no shame in asking me about anything and everything huh?"

This seems to amuse her because she offers me a smug smile. "What am I going to do? Judge you?" She laughs, "I'm not any better."

No, but maybe she'd use the information about my past to hurt Harley and I and the last time someone knew the full story, Harley was forced to lodge a bullet in his brain.

"Yes, I was dealing." I say with an eye roll and she nods, the two of us lapsing back into silence before Katalina stands up and stretches. Turning to me, she offers me a wide smile and I find myself returning the gesture.

"I'm going to head home. Let me know how she is when she's up and if you need any help."

"I will."

With one last smile, she's walking to the door and disappearing into the hallway with it closing shut behind her. It's not long after Katalina's left that Harley wakes up and I'm by her side.

"Danté," she croaks out when I'm standing in the doorway and I immediately walk over to her and embrace her in a hug. I lay a few kisses on her forehead and she clutches me closely. After I pull away, I glance down at her bruised and bloody face. The gash on her forehead and bust lip have left blood along her skin and the mark underneath her jaw has left a long trail of the red liquid down her neck so that it disappears under her shirt line. 

"Is it bad?" She asks, lifting a hand to her lip before wincing from touching it and I offer no response. Instead, I stand up.

"Let me get the first aid kit." I gather it from the bathroom before collecting a bowl from the kitchen and filling it with warm water. I place it on the floor of the bedroom, in front of the bed before I begin cleaning up Harley's wounds. I work silently, slowly and gently, Harley often wincing and flinching. She doesn't say anything as I work, silently watching me and the water which gets increasingly red. I place a bandaid over the gash on her forehead and leave the cut under her jaw to heal openly.
I set the cloth and water aside, reaching for her shirt and pulling it over her head.

The minute I see the colour of her torso, I feel the air leave my lungs. She's blue and purple all over, only a few spaces her usual skintone. Sure she has a few on her face, but her torso... her torso looks completely broken.

She looks down at her skin and when I finally manage to tear my eyes away from it and meet her gaze, I realise that she must be in so much pain.

"Please take my bra off." She mutters and I nod, leaning over her to unclip it and pull it off. Even then her breasts are discolored and I can only imagine the pain of having been hit there. I can't seem to pull my gaze away from the condition that Harley is in. The anger that someone did this to her is almost making me want to do something stupid- and reckless- so I busy myself by collecting ice from the freezer and wrapping it in a cloth.

When I return, I help Harley out of her pants. Her legs have a few bruises but not nearly as many has her torso and back. I place the cloth over some of her bruises, Harley hissing out from the cold contact. Her nipples harden from the change in temperature and she is soon shivering before I put the ice away and gather ointment for her bruises.

"This is going to hurt." I warn her and she nods, placing her hands on my shoulder to steady herself. My hands begin rubbing the ointment into her skin and she tenses, sitting up straighter and gripping my shoulders harder. I don't rub it in too much but when I go to rub it on her breasts, she cries out in pain. So much so that I have to pause what I'm doing to compose myself. She takes a few calming breaths before I move along, rubbing it over her whole body so that the process of the bruising can be over with sooner. By the time I'm done, finishing off on her back, Harley is collapsing against me, her head resting on my shoulder. My hand finds hers and I place a kiss on her bare shoulder before I get one of my hoodies and pull it over her. I help her get comfortable in bed and before I can leave, she reaches for my hand. Her eyes tell me more than enough and I climb in beside her, holding her gently to my chest as she slowly dwells off to sleep.

****

There is one thing that I've learnt over the years and that is that anger is a very prominent fuel for humans. Anger can make you do reckless things that you often regret and yet other times it's also useful because it makes you do things you have to do but are just afraid to.

I'm not sure which one this case is but all I do know is that it's the anger that runs through my veins that forced me to climb into my car and drive to the gang in search of Cyrus. I don't find him at first and I don't want to ask anyone about it simply because I have no strength to look at all these people.

However, when I exit the building after waiting fifteen minutes for the bastard, I find him standing by his car and speaking to someone over the phone. I narrow my eyes at them and clench my fists. I begin my walk to him when he ends the call and Cyrus frowns at me when I appear in front of him.

"Camer-"

He has no time to complete his greeting when I connect my fist with his jaw. He immediately falls to the ground from the impact, his phone clattering to the floor as his hand flies up to clutch his jaw before he looks up at me with wide and angry eyes. I pick him up by the shirt and slam him against the car, staring down at this fucking pathetic excuse of a brother.

"What the fuck man!?" He yells at me.

"You are a fucking sad excuse of a brother you know that?" I hiss and he frowns, skin above his eyebrows wrinkling.

"What-"

"You let them beat her!" I yell at him, slamming him into the car again. "After everything she's been through, you let them beat her! You fucked up bastard!" I punch him in the stomach, taking a step back so that he hunches over in pain. "You're disgusting," I growl softly before Cyrus stumbles up to his feet, wiping at his lip before looking down at his fingers that are stained with blood.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Cyrus yells at me and I frown for a second before I realize he doesn't know. He doesn't know that his beloved gang leader basically beat his sister.

I let out a humorless chuckle. "I can't believe you don't know."

"Know what?" He snaps harshly.

I glance between his two eyes before shaking my head with a breath of a humorless laugh. "They beat her for initiation yesterday evening."

The look that overcomes Cyrus's face is completely awestruck before it turns into something much more solemn.

"Is she okay?"

"Oh fuck off Cyrus. As If I would tell you shit." I snap before looking him up and down. "If I was Harley I would never forgive you." I mutter before shaking my head. "You're a pathetic man."

I turn my back on him before walking to my car. I glance over my bruised hand when I am seated in the interior and shake off the slight sting. Cyrus deserved it.

No. He deserves worse.

•••
I'm genuinely curious- do you guys prefer Cameron's or Harley's POV?
Thank you for 31k btw! I'm so grateful for the support :( <3

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