This is a double update as per usual- Chapter 27 was uploaded before this so please make sure you read them in the correct order :)

♛Cameron Dawson♛

Katalina's car is filled with silence, none of us talking although the unspoken words hang in the air. Katalina takes us into the Kings territory- deep into it- and none of it is familiar to me and it's hard to make sense of our surroundings with it being dark. The Mexican girl drives comfortably, it clear that she knows these roads like the back of her hand. 

Harley sits in the backseat in a bubble of her own, bouncing her leg up and down nervously. Despite her been the one to approach Katalina and tell her that she wanted to move gangs, the unsure look on her face lets me know that she isn't one hundred percent sure of her decision. After Harley had told me how she felt about the situation in the parking lot of the bank, she had immediately approached Katalina back at the gang and I had supported her wholeheartedly, deciding that the brutalities of the Slither gang are a sign that they are the more evil of the two.

It seems that Katalina was surprised and yet relieved that we had made this decision. She had then agreed to pick us up from the apartment tonight and take us to the meet Enrique Hernández- the leader of the Kings. That alone scares me because I'm not too sure what to expect. And yet hope sticks to me anyway that this is the best decision to make.

"Are you two sure about this?" Katalina's voice brings me away from my thoughts and I glance at her to see her eyes already on me, watching in concern. "Because if you aren't, I'll take you back before you've seen too much."

I glance at Harley over my shoulder to see her nodding and I let out a breath.

"We're sure." I respond, gripping the car handle harder. Katalina purses her lips, drumming the steering wheel with her manicured fingers.

"Once we get there, you're in. You know that right? You can't change your mind." Her voice is terse, almost like she doesn't want to give us any more opportunities to back down.

"Why are you making it sound like you feel the need to remind us? Do you not want us to join?" I say and Katalina rolls her eyes, leaning back in her seat before briefly glancing at me.

"It's not about me not wanting you guys to join Cameron." She shakes her head. "It's about me wanting to make sure that you're sure about your decision. I see the way you guys are with Jack's gang. I guess I just don't want you guys to view being part of the Kings as a chore."

My heart aches a little and I'm not too sure why. Maybe it's because even though Katalina doesn't want us to resent the gang the same way we resent the Slither gang, a part of us probably always will because even though we're not getting forced into the Kings, we've still being forced into this lifestyle. And that alone will always make it a chore, even if it will just be one less dreaded because of the Kings.

"Well that's not for you to worry about. Either way we're stuck here." Is my response as I shrug before looking out of the window. "We just have to choose whose side we're on for that time."

Silence ensues, nobody having anything to say and I appreciate it because my mind is fogged with thoughts and my stomach is churning with doubt which only feels worse when I'm forced to try and formulate a response.

We drive for another fifteen minutes before Katalina is pulling up onto a pebbled driveway before stopping in front of a large, black gate with two guards on either side of it on both the inside and outside. However, the house behind it distracts me from paying attention to whatever it is that Katalina says to them to open the gate.

In front of us, illuminated by soft glowing lights is a brown double story house. Although it could probably fall under the title 'mansion' due to its size. In the centre of the driveway that turns into a circle is a little island where roses of all sorts seem to be growing. Katalina parks the car right in front of the grand staircase leading to the double doors of the house but before she climbs out, she turns to look at both Harley and me.

"I hope you guys love it." She says with a soft smile before pushing her door open. Offering Harley a reassuring smile while she seems to be in awe, I climb out. The pebbles crunch under my feet and I look up at the grand house. Another two guards stand on either side of the double doors, leaning against the marble columns as they talk lazily. Despite the house being brown with a black roof, half of the walls are stylishly designed to look likes vines, allowing the house to seem like one with the lush and green garden that surrounds it. The lights hanging outside the house and around the garden make it seem almost ethereal and even though I can't see very far because of the dark, I do see guards at various points in the garden.

"It's beautiful huh?" Katalina says in her mother tongue, looking down at Harley and I from where she's stood on the staircase. Harley continues to glance around, mouth slightly parted before swallowing and looking back at Katalina.

The house reminds me of the one my father had. The one that I stayed in- the beauty of it is almost identical and yet, this house still doesn't scream 'extravagance' and rather seems to blend in with it's surroundings despite its beauty.

"Come." Katalina says, her hair swaying as she gestures us inside. I reach for Harley's hand and she slips hers in mine gently, looking at me with so many emotions that I don't get to depict them all when she looks away and we follow Katalina.

"Open the doors please." She says to the guards and they both blindly nod, casting Harley and I quick glances before one of them puts his thumb onto a pad by the door and the sound of it unlocking can be heard. "Thank you." Katalina says before pushing the door open. I lead the way for Harley, looking at the guards briefly before entering the house. The smell of food is evident in the air and voices float around.

The inside is a lot more surprising than I thought it would be. One would assume that the inside of the house would be extremely modern, with marble floors polished to perfection and minimal furniture that's mainly white and black and grey. Instead, however, the interior consists of rich, brown wooden floors and high ceilings with simple lights hanging from them. The walls are cream with every odd one being strategically painted red. The furniture that's arranged in the foyer makes the fact that this gang is Latino extremely obvious. From the rich colours of red, orange, yellow, blue and green to the style of furniture and the fabrics used, it is no question that the culture of Mexico and Spain has being rolled into one in this house.

"We don't make the outside of the house seem very continental." Katalina interrupts me from my reverie of thoughts. "That way one won't assume it's where the gang is based from a quick glance. The inside is where we keep our culture rich and alive."

I glance around once more, admiring the beautiful paintings on the wall before we follow Katalina up another beautiful staircase that is based on two sides and joins in the middle at an interior balcony.

"Rio, Joe." She nods at two guards standing at top of both entrances. They're clad in black, holding guns in their hands with knives hanging from a belt around their waists. They nod at her in greeting, watching Harley and I with narrowed eyes as we follow Katalina. We walk down a hallway, another guard at the end of it, where it is much quieter. We stop in front of a door where she knocks three times, pauses, and then another two times. There's a faint response and then Katalina glances at us briefly before pushing the door open.

The first thing I notice is the lightness of the room, and then the amount of books stacked around it. All along the walls are dark wooden shelves that are filled with books arranged neatly on it. Right in the centre, behind the desk is a painting of a vineyard. Even though the shelves and desk are of a dark wood, the simple chandeliers above us illuminate the room quite drastically while the sun roof offers natural light. My eyes stop observing the office then, moving over to the man who is sitting on a blue couch pushed against one side of the wall.

I don't quite know what I was expecting Enrique to look like but definitely wasn't the average height, young looking man in front of me. He is wearing a simple blue polo shirt that is tucked into a pair of suit pants, paired with a belt and shiny black shoes. His brown hair is cut very short while he has faint stubble forming his beard and mustache. Enrique's jawline is defined as he takes a sip of his whiskey that is almost the same colour as his tan skin. His brown eyes meet mine then, a certain type of tenderness to them. From the looks of it, I wouldn't think this man is older than forty.

"Cameron, Harley." He says, his
Spanish accent stronger than even Katalina's. The leader of the Kings stands up, placing his glass of alcohol on a tall glass table that the bottle of whiskey is resting upon. Katalina closes the door behind us before walking over to Enrique and standing by his side. "Please, sit." He says, gesturing to the two seats in front of his desk.

I glance at Harley who has been awfully quiet this whole time to see her staring at Katalina intensely before she makes the first move to take a seat. Our footsteps are softened by the blue carpet on the floor and I take a seat on the leather chair while Katalina and Enrique sit on the other side. The fact that Katalina sits beside him gives me the idea that she has a high title in the gang- a sense of power. But I can not linger too long on that thought as Enrique begins.

"I've heard lots about you." He says in English, looking between Harley and I. He leans on the table, hands clasped together as he sits with a casual posture. Along his desk are a few books, papers and scattered pens. Although there is a photo frame with a young girl in it placed right beside him.

"All good I hope." I respond and one side of Enrique's mouth twitches up into a half smile.

"Well there hasn't been much bad for Ramiro and Katalina to tell me." Enrique shrugs, glancing at Katalina briefly before leaning back in his seat. "Tell me Cameron, do you enjoy the fighting that Jack has forced you to take part in?"

Frowning, I shake my head. "No."

Enrique nods with a thoughtful look on his face before he looks at Harley. "And do you enjoy the racing?"

This too makes me turn to Harley, curious as to what her answer will be. Perhaps the actual racing will outweigh the fact that she isn't doing it for just herself.

"Not really." She confesses and Enrique rubs a hand over his chin.

"Well you both need to start using where you are in the gang and the connections you have within it to get information that can be useful now that you will both be another set of eyes and ears in the gang." Enrique responds sternly. "Harley, I believe your brother is Cyrus?"

I risk a glance at Harley to see her swallowing hard and when my eyes meet Katalina, she's already looking at me apologetically.

"Yes."

"That's a good connection for information. Warm up to him, make him trust you and milk everything you can get out of him. He's one of the best people for this."

Harley opens her mouth to respond before Enrique holds up a hand, silencing her before she even says anything.

"That, of course, is if you are willing to. I know that you two are not... on good terms." He smiles tightly. "So I won't force it- we've being doing just fine without milking information from the members directly, but it would definitely help."

My eyebrows scrunch together and I look down at my boots. Why is Enrique being fair? Yes, he is asking Harley to manipulate her brother but he isn't forcing her to do it and that's what matters. He isn't stripping us of our freedom and choices.

"I... I don't think I can do that." Harley mutters and Enrique nods his head once.

"Either way, both of you need to be active in the Slither gang so that you can hear, see, find out anything that can be of use for us. If something happens, be there, dig. You need to tell us what's going on in Jack's gang if we want to take them down."

"So that's all we're all? Eyes and ears?" I ask with a hint of incredulity and Enrique frowns, clasping his hands again.

"Cameron." Katalina speaks up this time, watching me intently, "I don't think how important you realize that is. It's with the information that you, Ramiro, Harley and I supply this gang with that gives us the ability to always be one step ahead of Jack. We're the ones protecting this gang." She looks between both Harley and I, silence stretching between all of us.

"Both of you will be paid every month end." Enrique goes on, cutting the silence, as he slips a piece of paper across the table to us. I open it up to see the number of forty thousand written on it. My eyebrows raise in surprise and I look at Harley who glances back at me, the same surprise written on her features. We don't get paid by Jack- it was never part of the deal considering we're stuck in the gang whether we get paid or not. However, we are allowed to take five percent of whatever earnings the both of us earn for the gang in a month- mine coming from the money the gang earns from betting on my fights, Harley's coming from the money she earns from racing- so for Enrique being willing to pay us just like that is so... shocking.

"You can report to Katalina with any information you find out or come straight to me, here." The leader explains. "This house is home to the gang and so you are always welcome here. Nobody lives here but there are guards and twenty-four surveillance as well as bedrooms available."

"But usually someone is staying over so the house is never empty. Plus, Enrique is here every day." Katalina adds and the man beside her nods.

"I, too, stay here sometimes." Enrique agrees and I offer him a smile.

"Thank you."

Enrique picks up a pen, twirling it around with his fingers. "We'll give a tour of the place another time but if you have any questions, feel free to ask me or Katalina." Enrique smiles at us widely. "Would both of you like to stay for dinner? You can meet some of our members."

Harley looks at me before nodding at Enrique. "We'd love to." She offers a small smile, knowing it would be disrespectful to turn down the offer.

Enrique somehow smiles even wider before standing up and sticking out his hand to me. Standing up, I take hold of it and he gives me a firm shake.

"Welcome to the Kings."

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