How was it already December? Kazimir crossed through the slush on the ground with Emmett close behind him. The dampness seeped down into his fuzzy socks to his cold toes. Tugging on the drawstrings of his hoodie, the wind tried to blow him away.

Unbothered by the wintry hell, Emmett pushed through the abrasive gusts like a determined soldier. Kazimir caught up to the gang leader when he opened the door for them. They dusted the snow flurries from their clothes and stomped their feet against the mat. The snow fell so fast that it was like seeing through a white filter, right after they left the Lazy Bear motel.

"Chilly out there, ain't it?" Rylee greeted them.

"Not shit." Emmett bristled. "Get everyone in the rec room for a meeting. I plan on infiltrating the art gallery, where the Black Vipers have been dealing frequently. We need to strategize together. I'll be there in a few minutes. I have some business to tend to in my office real quick."

"Alrighty, boss!" Rylee dramatically saluted him.

Rylee wore a baggy purple hoodie that was two sizes too big on her. Kazimir saw the bulge of her gun in her pocket, where her hands rested. Kazimir brushed his fingers over his own gun in his hoodie pocket, hoping he wouldn't need to use it.

Following Rylee through their hideout as she gathered everyone together, Kazimir couldn't shake the nerves from his body. He clenched his sweaty hands at his sides, struggling to calm his frantic heartbeat. Had he made a horrible mistake? Rylee had a jittery pep in her step, unlike Kazimir. His steps were weighed down like heavy bricks.

Going undercover at the art gallery posed a lot of risks and it frightened him. The initial high of excitement he had faded away, leaving behind nothing but dread. Kazimir didn't want to get himself killed, but he had to go through with the plan he'd come up with. What would Jordy say if he knew how deep he'd dug himself into their underworld? Accepting their protection and coke was one thing, but planning to take their rival's largest drug distributor was insane.

Sinking down onto the couch, Kazimir waited with the rest of the gang members for Emmett's instructions. Hushed whispers floated around him from the gang members, who tried to figure out what was going on.

When Emmett walked into the room, everyone fell silent. Emmett's words were the only law they abided by. He was their powerful leader. They admired him, respected him, but most of all, they feared disobeying him. Just his stern glare made Kazimir shiver. It was nothing like the passionate man who kissed him and made love to his body. How could someone be so ruthless yet have a gentler side they hid?

"Here's the plan," Emmett said. "Kazimir and I will be infiltrating the art gallery downtown first, since he knows the manager there and has worked with him before. He'll be the one to get us in. He'll act like he's just there to sell his paintings, with me as his plus one. Charlie, Mal, and Everly will be across the street, ready to bust in if anything goes wrong and alert us."

"Hold up." Alfie leaned up on the couch. "The Black Vipers will recognize you as their enemy right away. The plan will blow up in your face."

"So what if they recognize my face? It's not like they know I'm your leader," Emmett replied.

Alfie shook his head. "I dunno, boss. This plan of yours sounds risky and stupid."

"Oh yeah? You got a better one?" Emmett asked.

"Why not sneak in at night, with all of us having your back?" Alfie questioned. "We won't have to worry about any innocent people getting hurt either."

"How would we get in though?" Kazimir asked Alfie. "You do know the art gallery has top-notch security, right? Their system would go off right away and the police would arrest us all."

Alfie narrowed his glare at Kazimir. "I didn't realize Emmett put someone else in charge."

"I didn't," Emmett replied sharply. "But Kaz makes a good point. We don't want to break in and get the fucking po-po on our asses. I have a great plan here, if you'd let me finish."

"Fine. Finish then." Alfie popped his knuckles.

"While Kaz and I are inside the art gallery, Alfie and Rylee will be too. As clients for the art," Emmett replied. "Mal will stay in the getaway car with Everly while Charlie will sit on the bench outside."

"Why the fuck do I have to sit outside?" Charlie asked. "I'll freeze to death."

"Bring some hot food and coffee with you then," Emmett replied. "I'll pay for whatever you want."

Charlie's eyes lit up and he salivated just a bit. "Can I get a rotisserie chicken?"

"Sure, I don't care."

Mal raised his hand like an eager Kindergartner. "Oh, can I get one too? A rotisserie chicken sounds delicious."

Emmett groaned. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

Mal reclined back, grinning. He rested his arm around Everly, who sat beside him. She swatted his shoulder and scooted away. Mal frowned but gave her the space she wanted.

"Boss?" Rylee spoke up.

Emmett rubbed his temples. "What? You want a damn rotisserie chicken too?"

"Huh? No. I wanted to know what we should wear," Rylee said. "Should we dress up? I've still got some wigs from past Halloweens we could use too. Maybe we could both use them? I know the Black Vipers have seen my face countless times before too.

"You could do that?" Emmett asked Rylee. "Maybe even some makeup? Just to make us look a little different?"

Rylee grinned. "Absolutely. Just leave it to me, boss."

"Great. I'll leave that to you then. You can help Kaz find something nice to wear too," Emmett told her.

"What's wrong with my regular clothes?" Kazimir looked down at his gray hoodie, black jeans with a ripped knee, and tattered converse. "I think they're nice."

"You need a serious wardrobe fix," Rylee told him. "Don't worry though. I'll help you out."

"Don't argue with her, Kaz. You won't win," Emmett told him. "Just go with it."

Kazimir nodded. "Alright."

"So, everyone's good with the plan, right?" Emmett asked. "Everyone understands their position?"

"I think it's a terrible plan," Alfie told him. "But I'm in. I won't let you get yourself killed over your new boy toy."

Emmett rolled his eyes at that. "Kaz is a member of our gang. Not my whore."

Alfie shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss."

"We'll do this tomorrow evening since Kaz has community service in the morning," Emmett said. "I want everyone here by four o-clock ready to go."

After Emmett adjourned the meeting, everyone went back to whatever they'd been doing before. Kazimir spent his time choosing the paintings he planned to show at the gallery. He needed the perfect ones to leave a good impression. Considering how New Syracuse tarnished his name and called him a killer, he knew he had to brace himself for the protesters and haters that could show up.

Nightmares of everything that could go wrong would haunt him tonight. Not even the dream-catcher above his bed would be able to chase away the evil.

Phantom pounced on the artist's chest, where he lay sprawled out on Emmett's bed in his room. The cat pawed at his shirt before curling up, purring in contentment. Kazimir stroked him behind the ears. If only his life could be as simple as the cat's.

The artist wondered how much the police really knew about the Black Vipers as he got a hold of the art gallery manager. He'd been meaning to contact him again, but after Hank's murder, everything got too hectic.

Moments later, Fraser Gallagher sent him a text with the details of where he could enter without being hounded by protesters and bombarded with questions by the media. It was like the manager already anticipated news would be leaked about him attending the art gallery tomorrow. It left Kazimir concerned about what he'd gotten himself into. Another thing crossed his mind too. Why would Fraser let him showcase his works there if it brought awful press to the gallery? Perhaps he just wanted the attention, regardless of whether it was good or bad.

He knew Emmett would be thrilled to hear how Kazimir got into the art gallery with ease. Kazimir was so lost in thought, he almost didn't hear the bedroom door open. Phantom leaped off his chest, meowing in excitement as Emmett scooped the black cat up in his arms.

"Everyone's about to eat supper," Emmett told him. "Fatlard ordered pizza and wings again. If you haven't noticed by now, it's his favorite."

"I thought all greasy, unhealthy foods were you guys favorite," Kazimir joked.

"Good point." Emmett put Phantom down in his fluffy cat bed Everly bought him.

"Anyway, I got a hold of Fraser a few minutes ago. Said he'd be glad to let me show my art there again," Kazimir said.

"Really? That's great." Emmett stepped closer to the bed. "If there's anything else you need, don't hesitate to ask me, okay?"

Kazimir nodded. "I will."