Suga gripped your hand as you walked back into the safe house. He hadn't left your side since your kiss inside Alistair's base and you were more than happy to let him hold you against his side protectively as you and the seven boys made your quick getaway from the house.

The seven boys walked into the conference room for another meeting. It was still pitch black outside, but Suga had insisted that the gang have a meeting before anyone went to sleep. The events that had occurred were still fresh and even though you were all tired, it was best to get this out of the way now. Suga sat you down at the head of the table and stood behind your chair, resting his hands on your shoulders. You resisted the urge to close your eyes and sigh at his touch.

"What did we get?" Suga asked. RM and Jin both placed two large duffle bags on the table. They opened them to reveals rolls and rolls of money, all large bills. You stared open mouthed at the money. You had never seen so much up close.

"Looks to me like Alistair was going to a big payday." Jin said, lifting one of the rolls. Jimin pulled out his laptop and opened it on the table.

"Yeah, he was paying the Crimson Suits for their help in the war against us." Jimin said, gesturing to the screen.

"Okay, well the Suits and the Underground are all scattered without their leaders, so they're ripe for the picking. We could easily take control of all the assets from both gangs and double our size." J-Hope said, planting the palms of his hands on the table. You looked over at him and wondered if he had gotten your phone call. You still didn't know how they were able to find you.

"Is that what we want, though?" RM said, drawing the attention to him. "We have spent the last few months scrambling to pick up pieces of where something went wrong. We have had traitors in our midst since the very beginning. Do we really want to get into bed with more?"

"We'd have double the territory and be twice as powerful." V pointed out.

"But that would also leave us ripe for mutiny. We all know the Suits and the Underground weren't our biggest fans." Jin argued.

"They'll show their loyalties to the highest bidder. And right now, that's us." Jungkook piped up and you glanced at him. He was still giving you distrustful glares and you would have to be blind not to notice that he blamed you for everything.

"But for how long? We all know that people can get ideas in their heads about injustice and being 'fair'. What if they decide they don't want us in control of them?" Jimin waved his hands animatedly.

"So what do you propose we do?"

"I think we should leave." You gasped when Suga finally spoke. All eyes were drawn to him as a tense silence engulfed the room. Suga's hands squeezed on your shoulders and you gulped as Jungkook, who was sitting directly across from you, glared at you. He stood up as a fire danced in his eyes.

"You're ready to give up just like that? Suga after everything we've been through and have fought for, are you really about to give all of it up? For her?" Jungkook snarled, scowling hard at you. You swallowed and made yourself smaller in your chair.

"I didn't say I was giving up." Suga's hands still hadn't left your shoulders and you kind of wished he would let you go so Jungkook would stop shooting dagger at you.

"What the hell did you mean then? We can't leave all this behind. We have been gang members our entire lives." Jungkook spread his hands out and gestured to everyone around him. "It's who we are, you can't expect us to leave just because you decided to grow a conscience." Jungkook shouted, pointing an accusing finger at his leader.

"Jungkook, enough."

Jungkook's face paled at Suga's dark tone. He realized his outburst may have been too much. He bared his teeth and slowly lowered himself back down to his seat. His murderous gaze found you and you chilled at the sight. He directed his condemning finger at you, and you gulped.

"This is your fault." He snarled. You felt your heart sink as Jungkook bared his teeth at you. You felt tears well up in your eyes and you had to look away to try and blink the tears down.

"Jungkook, enough."

Suga's grip tightened on your shoulders and Jungkook slunk back in his chair. He looked away and crossed his arms, glaring at the wall. You felt a wave of sadness pass over you. He really hates me.

"I didn't say that we should leave this life behind." Suga continued to explain, relieving the tightness in his grip slightly. "Being part of a gang is all I know as well. I didn't mean that we would disband the gang."

Jungkook turned his head back slowly as some of the tension relaxed from his shoulders.

"I think we should leave this city. We have lived here our entire life and ruled it for half that time. But after these past few months, there isn't much left for us here. I think we should move to a new city and build our gang back from the ground up."

He released your shoulders and stepped around your chair, so he was now next to you. You looked up at him to see a sinister smile on his face. "We've done it once before. We can do it again. And this time, we can do it right."

The room was silent for a few beats as the boys contemplated Suga's words.

"Do it right? What do you mean by that?" RM asked.

"When we started this gang, we hadn't yet decided who we were. Drugs, money, power and sex were the things that drove everyone in the underworld. We were willing to take it to any lengths. But I think we lost ourselves in that pursuit."

"So how would you change the way we do things?" RM pushed himself off the wall and crossed his arms in front of him. He looked curious, but not threatened.

"Well for one, we can make sure we don't put a price on human life."

Your eyes widened when the words left Suga's mouth. He looked down at you and his mouth lifted into a smirk.

"I think we all learned a lesson that putting a price on women to force them to have sex with the highest bidder is a fate worse than death."

Your cheeks heated under his intense stare and you were the first to look away.

You looked around and realized that everyone was looking at you. You blushed hard and looked down at your hands on your lap. You couldn't deny you were ecstatic that Suga had finally admitted that trafficking camps were the lowest form of a cash grab. No matter how much money they earned, none of it was worth the trauma that those girls had gone through.

"Either way, we don't have to decide now." Suga's voice pulled the attention away from you and you looked back up at Suga. "We should take a couple of days to lay low. The cops will be trying to round up all the stragglers. It'll be easier for them to crack down on the gang activities since two major gangs are now leaderless. We should take a few days to keep our heads down and recover."

The others gave various nods and hums of agreements. Jimin stood up and stretched his arms over his head.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I call first dibs on one of the showers. I need to clean up and I'm probably going to take a year-long nap. See you guys later." He announced, smirking slightly as he turned from the room. He gave your shoulder and fond squeeze as he passed you. One by one, the others followed Jimin's lead and left the room.

Your gaze was focused on one person as he stood up from his seat directly across from you. His eyes met yours and they darkened, suspicion and distrust apparent. You swallowed as he started to walk by you, his back taut and his jaw clenched. You took a deep breath.

"Jungkook." You said, breaking the icy silence. Jungkook paused at the door. Suga, who was waiting outside for you, poked his head in the doorway at your voice. You stood up and turned around, so you were facing them.

"Can I talk to you, Jungkook?" You asked, trying to sound more confident than you felt. Jungkook's back straightened and his hands fisted at his side. Suga's gaze found yours and he gave you a cautioning look. You shook your head and gave him a reassuring smile.

"You can talk, but that doesn't mean I'll listen." Jungkook replied, his back still to you. Suga's eyes darkened and he looked away from you to glare at Jungkook.

"That's fine. You can shut the door." You replied, stepped forward slightly, with your hand reached out. You gave Suga a warning look, telling him not to pounce on Jungkook. Suga's jaw tightened, but he eventually relented and stepped back, allowing Jungkook to shut the door to the conference room, leaving you two alone.

You took a deep breath and Jungkook turned around to face you, leaning back on the door with his arms crossed. You took a deep breath.

"I think we should clear the air." You said timidly. Jungkook cracked a humorless smile and rolled his eyes. You swallowed at his less than friendly response and clenched your fists at your side, feigning confidence.

"I know you still don't trust me. I don't know why you are insisting on not trusting me, but everyone else seems to be alright with me. Why aren't you?"

"If you don't know, then you're dumber than I thought." He snapped, causing you to flinch. You took a breath, feeling suddenly very depleted of oxygen. He was definitely not making this easy.

"Listen, I get it, okay? I know that there have been times where I have given you reason not to trust or like me. I know how some of the things I've done came seem... questionable, but I think I have redeemed myself for a lot of them at this point."

"That's debatable." Jungkook muttered sardonically. You clenched your jaw and narrowed your eyes.

"Jungkook, if you're still upset that I kicked you in the groin that time..." You trailed off as Jungkook rolled his eyes. You pursed your lips. "Then what, Jungkook? Everything I have done has been for self-preservation."

"You're dangerous." He said simply, shrugging as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. You huffed in exasperation, now more annoyed than you were afraid.

"You do realize that I have had ample times to actually betray you. I could have escaped to the police on several occasions. Do you really think if I wanted to hurt you, that I could? I would be stupid if I was still trying to hurt you. I am not stupid."

"I know you're not stupid."

"Then for the love of God, can you tell me why you hate me so much?" You cried out. Jungkook shrugged and looked away.

"Like I said, you're dangerous. You make Suga do irrational things. He loses his judgement when it comes to you. You can't be here, putting ideas in his head that will drive us down to hell."

Your mouth parted as you stared at him in shock. Jungkook's hands fisted and he was glaring hard at you. Your bottom lip started to tremble as he stood up from the door and walked closer so he could lean over you. He was using his height to intimidate you and it both worked and made you angry.

"Every decision he has made since you came into the picture drove us closer to being caught." He took a step closer and you moved backwards until your back collided with the table. You gulped and looked up into his burning eyes.

"Taking you was the first mistake. It gave our enemies a way to track us. Sparing your life was another because it gave him a weakness. Then you escaped and he still spared you. And then you get taken by the police and he decides to free you. Not only that, but he orders RM and Jin to start disbanding the trafficking camps, leaving us vulnerable to attack. And then, after all that you conveniently get kidnapped by our mortal enemy and almost get him killed. You have caused more harm than I think you're worth."

You clenched your jaw and stood to your full height, not to be intimidated by him. He shoved him backwards, stepping away from the table. Jungkook raised an eyebrow, probably surprised you had the audacity to lay a hand on him.

"I didn't ask for this, Jungkook! I didn't ask to be kidnapped and blackmailed into becoming your hostage. I never asked for any of this. You can't blame me for everything that happened." You shouted, throwing your hands up. Jungkook scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"I don't see anyone else to blame." He snapped harshly. You closed your eyes and felt the fight in your lessen slightly as you rubbed the bridge of your nose.

"Jungkook, you taught me to fight. You taught me how to use my body to assert myself. If I wanted to, I could walk away from all of this right now." You said softly.

"Then why don't you?" Jungkook growled.

"Because I can't, Jungkook!" You burst out, raising your hands. "You're right, Suga almost died tonight. If he had died... I don't know what I would have done." You pushed your hand through your hair helplessly.

"I would have killed you." Jungkook responded easily. He glared hard at you and you met his gaze, letting your eyes fall dead.

"And I would have let you."

Jungkook paused, pursing his lips at your quick response. You stared hard at him, hoping to convey all your raw emotion to him.

"I would have let you kill me, Jungkook. Because if you didn't, I would have done it myself." Your voice cracked and you looked away, unable to hold his gaze. You felt Jungkook step back and peered over at him timidly. He was staring at your face with a scrutinizing contemplation. You swallowed and faced him again. There was no point in lying now. You had to prove that your feelings were genuine.

"I love him, Jungkook. I couldn't betray him even if I wanted to." You whispered, feeling your eyes well up. Jungkook's jaw tightened and he looked away.

"I know you hate me, but I can't be here when you can't stand me. It's not fair to you or Suga to stay here when you hate me." You continued, wrapping your arms around yourself sadly.

"I don't hate you, Y/N. That's what's so frustrating." You turned to him in surprise. You hadn't expected him to say that. "I should hate you, but I don't. I know you never asked for this. I know that I can't blame you for decisions that Suga made." Jungkook took a breath and pushed his fingers through his hair. "I'm angry at everything else. I'm angry at our situation and at people who are dead. I think... I think I've been taking it out on you."

You gaped at him, not knowing how to react. One minute he was accusing you of everything wrong with his life and now... now he was apologizing? What kind of mood swing was this?

"You... you just flipped the switch like that?"

Jungkook shrugged.

"You said you loved him. You're the first girl that loves him that he has ever loved in return. I didn't even think he was capable of it. I thought you might be messing with his head but... you're sincere. You do love him."

You gulped and pursed your lips.

"I really do." You confirmed. Jungkook sighed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I can't fault you for that. I can't fault him either." Jungkook trailed off and looked off into space. He looked deep in thought and you suddenly wondered if there was more here than he was saying.

"Jungkook, do you love someone?" You asked quietly. Jungkook's mouth lifted into a wry smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Let's just say it's a subject I'm familiar with." He said vaguely. He turned to leave, walking back to the door.

"So... where does that leave us?" You asked timidly, as he placed his hand on the doorknob. He paused and he looked back at you over his shoulder. He gave you a small shrug.

"I think Suga would be devastated if you left us now." He said casually. With that, he left you alone in the conference room, still leaning on the table. You exhaled hard, leaning your head back.

Your relationship with Jungkook was still rocky to say the least. But at least now, you knew where you stood with him. It could definitely improve now. He was angry at the world, that much you were certain of. He was angry at everyone and everything, and once he calmed down, then maybe his attitude towards you would as well.

With that mildly optimistic thought in mind, you left the conference room and made your way to Suga's bedroom. You knocked on the door softly and had barely removed your hand when it swung open. Suga stood there in all his glory, looking down at you in concern.

"Are you okay? How did it go?" He asked. He reached out and grabbed your arm, pulling you inside the room. He shut the door and then moved you to go sit on the bed. You sighed and ran your hand through your matted hair.

"Better than I expected." You said honestly, looking down at your hands as flakes of dried blood fell from your head. You stood from the bed and looked over at the mirror. You cringed when you saw that you were still covered in blood, some your own, and some belonging to Luke and Suga. You looked back at Suga to see him clean as a button, with freshly damp hair and new clothes. You pointed to the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower." You announced, walking over to it.

"Without me?" Suga called after you. You paused and felt your ears flame red as you turned back to face him. He was giving you a cheeky smirk. You shook your head.

"I don't think you want to help me scrub off the blood of my ex-boyfriend." You replied easily, laughing when Suga's nose scrunched in disgust.

After your shower, you changed into some of your old leggings and a t-shirt that Suga had left for you. You reentered the room, now finally clean and fresh and felt exhaustion pull at your eyes. Suga was lying on the bed, holding his phone over his face. You made your way over to the bed and crawled in next to him. Suga switched his phone off and rolled over, pulling you against his chest. He placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

"Should we... talk, maybe?" You asked quietly. Suga let out a small shhh, and curled his arms around your body, slipping his arms under your head so you could use his bicep as a pillow.

"Sleep now. You're exhausted." He replied, softly, caressing your cheek with the other hand. You didn't need much convincing as you easily feel into a deep slumber. He had been right, you were absolutely exhausted from not getting a full night's rest in almost four days.

Tomorrow was a new day. And even though there was so much to worry about, it could all wait. Right now, you slept soundly in the arms of the cruel gang leader who had stolen your heart.