When I got to the East side gang's warehouse there was a lot of commotion. No one could understand why the West side attacked Liam and rumours were already flying.

We were all waiting for Liam to show up but once he did everyone was quiet because he wasn't alone.

"Why is Emma here?" I demanded when they walked over to me.

Liam shrugged nonchalantly, "Her friend was in trouble and Emma couldn't get her, so I helped out."

I narrowed my eyes at him, I couldn't understand why he'd help her when they weren't even friends. He told me she didn't want anything to do with him.

"Go sit over there, I need to talk to Garrett." Liam told Emma, pointing to a chair in the corner of the room but she stayed rooted in place beside him, looking scared out of her mind.

Guilt washed over me when I realized that I was the reason she was in this mess. If I knew Liam was bringing her with him I wouldn't have called Darren.

I saw Liam's expression soften as he looked at Emma and I couldn't believe my eyes. The guy cared about her, a lot, and it had never been more obvious than right now. I thought he was just hanging around her to see how her three kisses game would go but he was actually falling for her.

"You're safe here. Please go sit." He said, his voice reassuring, and this time Emma listened.

The two of us walked into a spare office connected to the room we were in and I turned my attention to him.

"This isn't good man." I muttered, distracted by the guilt eating me alive.

"What if they think she-" Liam started but I cut him off before he could finish, knowing what he was worrying about.

"That's not going to happen. It was dark, they wouldn't be able to tell." I reassured him. Surely the West side hadn't even noticed Emma in the car with Liam, and if they had they wouldn't be able to tell what she looked like anyway.

Liam shook his head, clearly still worried, "If anything happens to her I'll never forgive myself."

"It's not your fault." It was mine. This was all my fault and I needed to find a way to keep everyone safe while still giving the West side what they wanted.

A door slammed against a wall, cutting our conversation short, and we rushed out of the office expecting to see some West side members storming the place. Thankfully we were met with familiar faces instead, although they looked angry so we weren't completely in the clear.

"What happened?" Ty, our gang leader, demanded as he walked into the room with two other members.

I nodded my head in Emma's direction so they knew not to say too much in front of an outsider and they turned their angry eyes to her.

"Who's that? Is she with them?" He bellowed, storming towards her without waiting for a reply.

Liam stepped in front of Ty before he could get too close to Emma, "No, she's with me."

"How much does she know?" Ty asked, glaring at Liam for bringing an outsider to our safe place. It was breaking one of our biggest rules but Ty would get over it when he found out Liam's reasoning.

"Absolutely nothing." Liam replied, shaking his head.

"And that's how it's going to stay." Ty mumbled, giving everyone a stern look before leaving with the two members he came in with, and I followed after them.

"I don't trust her." Ty told me when the door was shut behind us.

"She's not a problem, trust me." I reassured him, but he still didn't look any less worried. I knew he took every attack on a gang member personally and he just wanted to protect us all. Even though he was running an illegal drug business he was still a good guy deep down. He was just doing what he had to do to support his family, like the rest of us.

After that everyone either went home or set up in the main room for the night, and I went to sleep knowing all hell was going to break loose tomorrow. But hopefully I could put a stop to it before anyone got hurt.

Bang

Bang

Bang

Gunfire startled me awake and a sharp pain in my right side caught my attention as everyone around me began to panic. I was met by the sight of blood soaking through my shirt when I looked down, and the severity of the situation began to set in.

The West side gang was attacking just like I told them to, but instead of targeting Liam they were just blindly shooting into the building.

I scanned the area for anyone else that was hurt but thankfully no one seemed seriously injured or worse.

I groaned in pain as I stood up, and clutched my side as I rushed to the room Liam and Emma had stayed in, hoping to find them alive and well.

"They found us." I whispered when I walked into the room and saw that they were fine.

"Get in that room now Emma, we're right behind you." Liam ordered, pointing to the spare office.

She immediately ran for the room while Liam came over to me so he could help me walk. The pain in my side was excruciating and I could barely feel my feet under me.

"You're gonna be alright." He reassured me before we entered the office, but his voice shook. He was scared.

Liam set me down in the chair behind the desk before making a plan with Emma to get out through the window, and before I knew what was happening I was laying in the backseat of Liam's car while Emma drove.

I vaguely heard someone mention a hospital and I mustered up the energy to say "No hospital" before passing out from the pain.

• • • • • • •

Darren wanted to see me, he wanted an explanation for why the attack on the East side warehouse went wrong. I told him I needed time to heal from his own gang shooting me, and then I'd meet with him.

So that was what I was doing now, days after being shot, but I was ready with a plan that wouldn't get anyone killed.

The door to their building opened before I even had a chance to knock and the same guy that searched me the first time, Russ, searched me again and ushered me inside without a word. I barely had a chance to get through the door before he was walking off in the direction of Darren's office so I quickly followed.

"Good luck." He muttered when we were stood in front of the door that could quite possibly lead to my death.

He knocked once and Darren told us to come in so Russ opened the door but I was the only one to walk through. He turned around and left.

"Take a seat." Darren gestured to the chair I sat in last time.

Once I was seated he continued, "My men don't trust you after the stunt you pulled at the warehouse. This would all be over if you didn't help Liam escape."

"You didn't tell me you were gonna blindly shoot up the place. Tons of people could've died. I could've died. The reason I got Liam out was because I got shot and needed someone to keep me alive." I tried to explain myself. Why would he ever think that plan would work? He could've made such a mess for his gang.

"That's how we deal with rivals Garrett, we take them out." Darren told me, so casually it sent a chill down my spine. He was talking about killing people as if it was nothing.

"You don't want your people to go down for murder. There are better ways to do things." I tried to reason with him. I was begging for Liam's life without being obvious about it. I put him in this situation and I was going to get him out of it. Alive.

Darren sat back in his seat, "What do you suggest we do about Liam then?"

I was glad he asked that question because I already had an answer.

"We abduct the people he cares about most and hold them for ransom. We tell him he can have his loved ones back if he hands over his clients and stops dealing." I recited the plan I'd made before coming to the meeting.

Darren's eyebrows raised and he actually looked impressed with the plan.

"That could work." He muttered distractedly as he wrote something down in the black book on his desk.

"Maybe you are worth keeping around after all." He added, putting down the pen he was writing with and shooting me an approving smile.

My shoulders sagged in relief, I was actually going to leave this place alive tonight. I really didn't think I would make it out this time.

"You know what kid? I'm so impressed with your plan that I want you to be the one to go through with it. Take your time to get everything and everyone ready, and then execute your plan. And in the meantime you can start dealing for me." Darren offered.

Dread washed over me and wiped away all of my previous relief. Liam would know I betrayed him if I was the one to go through with the plan. I was hoping I could keep all of this a secret from everyone and pretend it wasn't happening, but that could never happen now.

"Thank you, I'd love to deal for you." I replied. I truly was happy about the extra money I could make, and that made betraying Liam a little easier. At the end of the day my mom and brother came before everyone else.

"I'm feeling extra generous today, so I'm gonna give you some money for your plan." Darren continued, handing me a wad of cash.

I had a feeling giving out money was easy for him, like second nature, so he probably had too much of it. I had no idea why he wanted the East side's clients but I had a feeling it was more about ego than anything else.

"Thank you." I muttered, looking down at the money and counting out ten fifty dollar bills.

He gave me a nod, "I have big plans for you if you pull this off. So don't mess it up."

For the first time in a long time I felt hopeful. If I did whatever I could to make this guy happy, I could take care of my family comfortably. The big plans he had for me probably included big money, and I could get my mom and brother away from dad if I made enough cash.

The only other thing to do was cut ties with my friends. I didn't want to put them in any more danger, but I had to make it convincing otherwise they'd see right through me.

I had to be the worst possible person when I executed my plan to get Liam out of dealing. I had to do whatever it took to make sure he never wanted to see me again.

"I might need a couple guys to help me with my plan." I told Darren, realizing I wouldn't be able to do it alone.

He shrugged like it was no big deal, "You can have Westley and Russ, they'll do anything you ask them to."

With everything figured out, I left, and on my way home I felt lighter than air. Soon my family would have a better life and I wouldn't have to worry about the monster that made our life a living hell.

But I had no idea that escaping that monster would make me one in the process.