The Gangsta's Salute

Chapter 8

" We're never going to be a family Tyler." I admitted. " I can't forgive you."

He stepped away from me. " I know that. You were a mistake. You made a mistake of letting me go." He spat. " I suggest you start running before my men get here and kill you. They already know where we are."

I smiled at him, and held up the tracker that I'd taken out of his pocket. " You mean this? I found it half way through the fight."

His eyes widened in shock. " Then why are you still here? Why haven't you run yet?"

I bit my lip. " Because I wanted to give you a parting gift. " I pulled out my gun and shot him in the leg twice. He cried out in pain and I shook my head. " I haven't got the strength to kill you. Not yet anyway. But I will be seeing you soon. Only one of us will come out of this alive Tyler. And your team seems to be dropping like flies. " I put my gun back in my waistband and ran.

I ran and ran until I couldn't breathe any longer. I rested my hands on my knees and checked behind me. I turned back around and stepped back in panic. An eerie sense of confusion overwhelmed me as I stared into the face of one of my fallen brothers.

Everyone was f*cking coming back from the dead I swear.

" Jayce?! Oh my god, Jayce." I covered my mouth with my hands as he smiled. " They took you too? Oh God, how many people have they hurt?"

There was a distinct sadness in his eyes, almost mirroring regret.

Why would he be regretful?

Unless...

No. Jayce wouldn't do that.

You don't betray your family.

That's the number one rule.

His eyes widened suddenly yet he didn't make a sound. I froze.

" He's right behind me isn't he?"

" Actually he's right in front of you." Jayce's thick voice ends the silence.

I guess I was wrong.

Family doesn't mean sh*t anymore.

I examined him, making the feeling of betrayal linger like blood in my eyes.

"You're one of them now, aren't you?" I whispered softly. I begged internally for it not to be true but I knew that it was.

His eyes wondered away from me but he nodded his head hesitantly. "No. Not you. Anybody but you. Jayce? How? " I choked. " How could you do that?! To me? To your family?"

" I'm sorry." He let out. Anger fuelled in my veins and I let out a scoff.

" You're sorry? Sorry?! You betrayed us! You betrayed your family!" I cried, my fists unclenching and clenching again.

" You killed my father."

" Your father killed a child. A child. It was only fair. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. It's how it works, he knew that." I tried to reason with him but the ache in my heart grew bigger and bigger each second.

I didn't understand.

" Was it you?" I looked him in the eye. " Are you the traitor Jayce?"

" Yes." He admits quietly, moving his eyes to the ground. I step back as though I'd been slapped.

" How could you do it? How can you betray your own family? We cared about you! We loved you! You were one of us! We were a family Jayce. How could you just sit back and watch them kill your brothers and sisters?! Did you help them?! This is f*cked up. " I exclaimed, my body shook.

" I had to. For my dad." The tone of his voice leaked with regret but it was too late.

He was the traitor.

He was the reason I lost my family.

" Why are you here Jayce? Are you with them now?" I request, unsure of whether I wanted to hear the answer or not.

" I've been sent to kill you."

I laugh mockingly at him. He knew he wasn't a match for me. Yes, he was good. But I was always better. " Really? Then we have a problem."

" Why?" His eyebrows contort in confusion. I had the sudden urge to rip his eyebrows off and cut out his tongue for betraying us, for leaking out the information that killed us.

For killing my family.

" Because I didn't come to die." I promise. " You're no match for me Jayce. So why are you really here?"

His tone was suddenly etched with confidence. " Rumours sparked that Alexi Clarke was back in with the gangs. I wanted to know whether they were true. "

I held my arms out as if displaying myself. " Well here I am, flesh and blood. You're a coward Jayce Snow. A coward. " I spat.

" He's one of us." A small smirk made it's way onto my face.

" Ah someone new. Mikey Bain, if I remember correctly?"

" Aye." He twirled the knife in his hand. The gold on its handle glimmered in the morose night sky.

" Quite a beauty you've got there." I remarked, gesturing my head to the position of his knife.

He smirked. " Ah yes, she is one of my favourites. I must admit."

" She?" I inquired, amused. " I wasn't aware that knives had genders?"

He chuckled, the dark laugh dancing it's way into the night. " Neither was I. It was a common mistake I made as a child when referring to the beauties on my father's bedside table. I guess it stuck. After all, the female of the species is more deadly than the male."

" Oh I must agree." I stuck my hand out. " May I?" I asked, referring to the knife. His eyes zeroed in on me but he held out the knife reluctantly. I took it out of his hands and examined it carefully.

" Sharp. Light. Almost as light as a feather. And powerful." I added, turning the knife over in my hand.

" I heard that you're almost a specialist in knives? Would you like to try it out?" He acknowledged, suspiciously. I nodded my head but refused to give a verbal answer. I turned around so I was fully facing Bain and had my back to Jayce.

Without warning, I threw the knife in the direction behind me. Chest shot. 2cm away from the heart.

Oops.

He'll recover.

Unfortunately for him, my family didn't.

Bain narrowed his eyes at me. I shrugged my shoulders apologetically.

" Sorry, you might have to wash that now. I also suggest you get him to a hospital. It may be 2cm away from the heart but he won't die until the blood loss becomes too much. It'll leave a nasty scar though." I shook my head. " I'll be seeing you all very soon. Vincit qui se vincit."

He conquers who conquers himself.

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Thank you for reading!!

Salute will be updated every Monday now and See My Tears will be every Tuesday, with no specific time.

Once I've finished all of 'See My Tears', I will publish Fantasy (Descriptions on my profile) and begin to work more on the next book in the Broken Angels series.