No One’s Point of View:
Of all the times things had gone wrong for the group, this had to have been the worst. The silence almost excruciatingly painful as they waited for the night to take over and morning to follow.
There had only been a select amount of times where the house had fallen into such a state it was in now—quiet, eerie and agonizing but it hasn’t been this bad since the death of Jazmyn Bieber—and that in itself was enough to make the guys wither in defeat that things would ever turn out okay.
All hope was thrown out the window shortly after the first hour had passed.
When John had made his way into the living room after spending quite a selected amount of time with Justin, everyone held their breath, awaiting what it was that he had to say to them in regards to what was going on.
Looking at each of them, his eyes lingering on Kelsey’s a bit more than the rest, John shook his head before letting it drop as he stared at the toes of his shoes, confirming all their thoughts combined—something was definitely wrong. “It’s bad,” was all he said, refusing to acknowledge anyone head on. Reaching his hand in Carly’s direction, he gestured for her to take it, “c’mon,” he murmured, “let’s go.”
“What did he say?” Bruce questioned quietly as though he were afraid to know the answer himself.
“Tomorrow,” John said, keeping it vague but open enough for Bruce to figure out what he meant. Nodding in understanding, they watched as Carly obliged, hesitantly slipping her hand into his as he pulled her up, the two of them making their way to the stairs that led them up to their bedroom.
“Can I…” Kelsey trailed off, biting the corner of her bottom lip as she shied away a bit, knowing now wasn’t the time to say much.
“Be careful,” He said, crossing a look between the two that she recognized fairly well. She was crossing into dangerous waters—it was still a bit early for her to dive in head first but safe enough for her to dip her feet in.
Standing, she quietly abed her goodbyes before trailing behind both John and Carly whom disappeared behind their own bedroom door before making it behind her own.
Shutting the door, Kelsey noticed the room didn’t change from the last time she’d seen it. It didn’t look like anyone even tried to move anything—it was a disaster. Spotting Justin sitting on the corner of the bed, his head in his hands, Kelsey rolled on the balls of her feet, unsure of what to do.
Sighing, Justin dropped his hands down to his lap, fingers clasped together as he stared long and hard at the ground before him.
Cursing silently to herself, Kelsey willed herself to speak knowing they would remain this way for a lifetime if neither of them broke the uncomfortable silence that hung over, suffocating them.
But, before she had the chance to speak, Justin let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding in as he slightly craned his neck in the direction of his fiancé, a pang of guilt traveling from his chest down to the tips of toes as he involuntarily shook from the anger he felt deep down inside.
He shouldn’t have let it get this far, was the only thought running through his head at the moment as his eyes finally managed to lock on hers and almost instantly he regretted it. Seeing the fear and worry behind them made the sting inside of him multiply knowing she was only acting this way because of him and what he had done earlier that day.
“Fuck,” he rasped quietly, his head falling once more as he dug his fingers into his scalp, feverishly pulling at the ends of his hair before angling one of his hands in her direction, his other cradled around his mouth as he wiped at his lips, tugging at his bottom after he released. “Come here,” Justin murmured gently as if, if he spoke any louder she would crumble.
Gasping lightly, she was taken back a bit by his sudden decision to speak to her in a way that wasn’t defensive or angry. He was being sincere, he was back to being himself but that, in a situation like this, was almost equally as bad. Taking a step forward, wanting to make sure this was what he wanted, Kelsey pulled her lips into her mouth the moment Justin let out an aggravated sigh, wiggling his fingers around, “I said come here, damn it,” he hissed lowly, his darks watching her every move as she hurriedly slipped her small hand into his, letting him tug her so that she stood in between his legs.
Staring wide eyed at him, afraid to say anything that might upset him, Kelsey held tightly onto his hand as her other hung loosely beside her, itching to reach out cup his face, something she did often in situations like this.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered and she could tell it was for reasons more than just his little loss of patience just a few seconds ago and immediately Kelsey’s muscles untightened as she relaxed in his presence.
“It’s okay,” she whispered gently, a ghost of a knowing smile tugged at her lips before it fell, her thumb gently running over the dried blood on his knuckles as she winced upon the feel of the cuts beneath her skin.
“No, it’s not,” Justin countered sharply, his eyes narrowed making Kelsey’s stomach summersault at how easily his emotions changed. “None of this is okay.”
“Justin—”
“Kelsey,” he shook his head, cutting her off but Kelsey wasn’t about to let this go. She knew he was resorting to blaming himself for everything like he’s done so many times before.
With her brows pulled into a frown, lips pursed, Kelsey nibbled on the inside of her cheek as she tried to think of how to phrase her words correctly but nothing rang comfortably in her ears. Resorting to keeping quiet, she grabbed his hand instead, inspecting the gashes a bit more clearly this time.
Seeing the concern building behind her irises, Justin snatched his hand from her hold, “I’m okay,” It was his turn to use her words in a way he seemed fit causing her to roll her eyes in annoyance to his determination to hide his true emotions, “it was my fault anyways.”
“Don’t do this,” Kelsey quietly spoke, shaking her head, “it won’t do you any good. It’ll just fuel your anger—”
“You can’t seriously baby me for the rest of your life sweetheart,” Justin growled lowly, “I didn’t have to lash out, I didn’t have to punch the walls but I did. I chose to fucking hurt myself and nothing you say or do will justify that.”
“You were mad—”
“For fucks sake!” Justin roared as he stood to his full height, towering over Kelsey who was gaping up at him, surprised by his sudden burst, “You can’t keep making up excuses for me! I’m a monster, do you not understand that or are you just stupid enough to believe there’s some good in me?”
“There is good in you!” She argued in his defense, “and I would know because I’ve seen it before!”
Justin scoffed, shaking his head, “you’re delusional.”
“I’m right and you know it,” Kelsey fought back, desperate to get through to him. “You didn’t have to go on a tirade and start punching the walls but you were mad and that’s understandable, That’s all I’m saying.” She put her hands up in a defensive manner as if to let him know she wasn’t done speaking, “You definitely could’ve handled it differently but we all have our own ways of dealing with things.”
Sighing, Kelsey gently laid her hands against his chest as she peered up at him through her lashes when she saw he had calmed down a bit, “Just… don’t be so hard on yourself…”
“Fucking hell,” Justin threw his head back, groaning as he rubbed his face with the palm of his hand before looking away, “Why are you so difficult?” he questioned out loud, more to himself than anything.
“I’m sorry?” Kelsey took a step back, letting her hands fall, not knowing exactly how to go about handling this right now. She’s never seen him so on edge before, both snippy and impatient.
“No, it’s not you—I mean—damn it,” he hissed, his hands balling into fists at his sides, “you didn’t do anything—it’s just that,” Flying upwards towards the disheveled hairs on the back of his neck that stuck out in all sorts of directions from all his tugging, Kelsey immediately grabbed his hands before he could tear them any further.
“Hey,” she softly muttered, her hands closing in around his own, her body falling into his as she looked up at him, the stubble growing on his chin catching her attention as she lifted her fingers, brushing her tips against it, “you’re going to end up bald if you continue that.”
Silence followed soon after the words fell from her lips and Kelsey wondered if she possibly said something wrong when a grin broke out between Justin’s lips as his chest began shaking, a deep chuckle rumbling out from inside as he threw his head back in laughter.
Furrowing her brows together in confusion, Kelsey couldn’t help the smile that began to spread across her face as she watched the light that she hadn’t seen in a while spread through him like wildfire.
Hooking an arm around her waist, it suddenly grew hot as the once happy atmosphere turned down to a less than cheerful one. Gulping as Justin’s eyes caught her in a smoldering gaze, Kelsey held back from breathing while he slowly licked his lips, his tongue nearly touching hers from their close proximity, “You know I love you, right?” He questioned as if trying to convince not only her but himself.
Kelsey didn’t waste time, quickly nodding her head, a hand fitting up the base of his neck as she slowly thumbed his jaw, “I know,” She whispered sadly, her mind falling back to the time where his lips spat venomously in her directions, spitting things she will never forget no matter how hard she tried.
You’re the devil in disguise baby, his voice rang endlessly in her ears causing her to wince inwardly.
Noticing the change in her appearance, Justin’s hands fell down to the small of her back, pressing her into him as he tugged at the ends of her hairs, a permanent frown on his face as he tried to figure out what was wrong with her.
Hiding her face in his chest, taking a whiff of his cologne and the natural scent he carried that smelled like both smoke and cinnamon sent a wave of security through her as Kelsey wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as if he would disappear from her at any moment. “You scared me,” she admitted quietly, her voice muffled due to the material of his t-shirt pushed against her mouth.
Parting his lips, at a loss for words, Justin listened intently to what she had to say, the pull at his heart strings growing more prominent.
“I never saw you so… so livid with me or in general for that matter, it was like I couldn’t get through to you and somebody else took over your body completely…” Choking back a sob that she kept hidden beneath her ambition to be strong, Kelsey cowered into his warmth, not wanting to look him in the eye, afraid he’d lash out at her again.
Hesitant at first to touch her, Justin bit the tip of his tongue as he coaxed her gently into relaxing against him, his fingers running down the length of her hair, shushing her, “It’s… complicated,” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand at the lack of words he was pursing but, he knew, deep down, he couldn’t let her all the way in—not when it came to this.
“What did he say to you Justin?” Kelsey pulled away from the comfort of his cordiality as she sniffled slightly though the tears weren’t present on her face, “I know they did or said something to upset you, what was it?”
Without much of another word, a hardness came over Justin that rendered Kelsey speechless of any other words to muster the courage to say. Grasping the back of her head, Justin pulled her in so that her forehead latched to the moisture of his lips, “Don’t worry baby,” He mumbled, skimming over the skin with a light, whisper of a peck, “We’re going to handle it.”
“We?” Kelsey stared curiously up at him, her teeth dug deep into the plump of her lower lip, catching his attention slightly as he absentmindedly pulled at her chin, releasing the hold on it.
“The boys and I,” Justin nodded in confirmation, “don’t worry your pretty little head about anything. It’ll soon be over.”
“What will be over Justin?” Kelsey deemed anxious, wanting to find out information. She had been left in the dark for far too long and each ended in diastase. This time it didn’t seem any different from the others.
“Let’s go to bed,” Justin said, catching Kelsey by surprise. She expected him to cave, to let her know at least a little about what he had planned but this was Justin Bieber we were talking about and he didn’t like talking about business especially when it involved her.
“Justin…” She nervously began, not quite sure if she could let this go. He tore their room apart for heaven’s sake, something was clearly erroneous and it wasn’t just any situation. She knew in her gut that something was bound to go wrong and something or rather someone was lurking around the corner, ready to strike—to turn this town upside down far more than they already had.
“Is this about Lyndon?” The name brought an abrupt halt to Justin’s stance causing the hairs on Kelsey’s arms to stand on end, giving her the confirmation she needed without him even speaking.
His eyes blazed drastically, an emotion she couldn’t quite decipher passing through as Justin clenched his jaw, “Get in bed, Kelsey,” he growled lowly but it wasn’t a thought in mind. No. It was an order and she didn’t once dare to go against it, her hands falling to the hem of her shirt as she quickly lifted it from her body. Discarding it on the already messy floor as she looked around to find something to sport her body, Kelsey snatched one she found in the left corner of the bedroom, clumsily sliding her arms through the holes, her head popping through the material of one of many of Justin’s t-shirts.
Putting the mattress into place, Justin fixed the comforter on top before gesturing stiffly for Kelsey to climb in. Once she had, he tucked the blanket over her shoulders and underneath her chin, giving a light peck to the temple before turning his back to him.
“You’re not going to sleep with me?” Her voice came out small as if she were a child asking her mother the same question, afraid the monsters would come out from underneath the bed. Though in their world, the monsters weren’t too far from reach and that brought an automatic shiver to creep throughout her entire body.
Sighing through his nose, Justin’s posture soon relaxed at the innocence behind those seven simple words bound together in question. Fisting the back of his shirt, Justin pulled it off in one sharp tug, unbuckling his belt and pulling on the zipper as his pants fell to a puddle around his ankles. Kicking them aside, Justin made his way to the other side of the bed before climbing in beside Kelsey, his arms instinctively finding her and pulling her into an embrace so tight, it almost cuts off her circulation.
“Goodnight Kelsey,” His lips brushed against her ear, nose nuzzling into the hair sprawled out behind her as her hands wound on top of his.
Turning her head a fraction, Kelsey felt her heart flutter in a way she wasn’t used to, “Goodnight Justin.”
The morning came by fairly quickly and Kelsey didn’t waste time unraveling herself from Justin’s iron grip as she began scrambling to gather her things for class that morning that ran until well into the afternoon.
Grumbling incoherently to himself, Justin reached out beside him, sitting up in an upright position the second his fingers closed in on nothing but the wrinkled sheets that were once placed over Kelsey’s body as she slept beside him throughout the night.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Justin stood from the bed, “What are you doing?” He spoke, his voice thick with exhaustion.
“Getting ready for school, what does it look like I’m doing?” She huffed, blowing a piece of hair that fell in front of her face out of the way as she stood after retrieving her bag from under the chair poised next to where the drawer once was. “I have to be ready in twenty minutes in order to make it on time.”
“I’ll take you, you don’t have to worry about being late.” Justin suggested easily as if it were any other day.
“Oh, uhm, Carly was going to take us…” Kelsey paused in the middle of picking out her outfit from the luggage she had managed to make up the stairs with the help of Marco earlier on—he couldn’t get any sleep either that night.
Something overshadowed his face as he shook his head, “No—” He gruffly objected, “you two are not going anywhere alone. Not after—”
“We’ll be fine. Besides, you have things to… discuss with the guys…” She awkwardly trailed off, her fingers playing with the hem of the shirt she had had to change out of.
A look crossed over and Justin quickly came to terms with himself that this wasn’t just any other day. This was the beginning of the end—the end he had yet to decide the fate of. “Oh,” was all that managed to come from his lips as he rocked back on his heels, purposely avoiding her gaze as he found interest on the holes his knuckles buried in deep not even twenty four hours ago.
Taking that as her cue to go, Kelsey disappeared behind the bathroom, taking a quick shower before dressing in a pair of jeans and a crop top, one that she covered easily with a cardigan. Tying her hair up in a ponytail, Kelsey made her way out after completing the rest of her morning routine.
Spotting the room empty, Kelsey didn’t bother to question Justin’s departure, instead, grabbing her bag and making a beeline towards the stairs, not once bothering to look back in case she had forgotten something.
Grasping Carly’s wrist, Kelsey tugged the both of them outside and over to the car after saying their quick goodbyes.
“Call if you need anything!” John yelled from the entrance, “I mean it—one thing out of place, even if it’s nothing—you call, got it?”
Sticking out a thumbs up in reply, Carly blew him a kiss, one he gladly took with a sheepish grin and shake of his head before the car roared to life as they darted out the driveway and down the street with only eight minutes to spare before they were late to class.
“He called me the devil,” Kelsey broke the silence in the car, her eyes set on the road before her as Carly drove.
“What?” Carly did a double take, her face set in surprise as she looked over at her best friend wondering what she meant.
Biting her lip, Kelsey gazed down at her hands, the tears stinging the corners of her eyes as they threatened to fall, “last night,” she swallowed hard, “when I went to try and calm him down… he lashed out on me and said I was the devil in disguise.”
“Kelsey…” Carly’s lips parted in mere shock that he would say something like that. He’s said a lot of things and called her a series of names when he wasn’t himself but this had to have been by far, the worst out of all of them.
“I know what you’re going to say…” She quietly spoke, her voice no higher than a murmur, almost a whisper even, “But you didn’t see him…”
“Kelsey, that boy loves you more than life and he’s proven that time and time again…” Shaking her head, she paused to recollect her thoughts. “Justin… says things and does things that he doesn’t mean…”
“I know that but—”
“But, nothing,” Carly said. “He didn’t mean it therefore you shouldn’t stress over it. He clearly has a lot on his plate and that much stress can do wonders to a person.”
“The look in his eyes Carly… they were so… dark, you know?” She looked at her before shaking her head, “It was like looking into a pool of blood instead of him…” Kelsey closed her eyes, wanting to forget the way he looked at her but no matter what she did, it was still there, haunting her every thought.
“Kelsey—”
“I don’t know what’s going on but something’s happening to him Carly… I can feel it…”
“What do you mean?”
“I feel like I’m losing him all over again…” Trailing off, she toyed with her fingers, playing with the band around her wedding finger, “but this time, I don’t think there’s any saving him.”
With nothing but a pair of loose basketball shorts and a tank-top on, Justin strolled into the living room where all four of the guys sat waiting for him to make an appearance. The bags were evident under their eyes and after what was about to happen, Justin was almost positive it would multiply heavily.
Sitting down on the chair that faced the couches, he laid his elbows against his knees, not knowing how to go about this. Should he just let it out? Explain everything detail by detail or drop the entire bomb on them and hope for the best?
Taking a sharp between his teeth frustratingly, Justin wiped the palm of his hand down his face before locking it behind his neck, rubbing against the skin, trying to relieve the strain in his muscles that had been there for years.
Finding Bruce’s gaze, he knew it was now or never—he had to get it over with, “You were right,” He spoke slowly, consuming full eye contact with each and every one of them. “We never should’ve gotten involved in this. All of this,” he gestured around the room, to certify he got his point across.
Confusion illuminated Bruce’s facial expression before it eased into recognition, “Is that what’s gotten you all riled up about?” He shook his head, “we can get rid of the problem Justin.”
“That’s the thing,” Justin emphasized, “We can’t get rid of it.”
“What are you talking about? We already discussed this, we have it all figured out now all we have to do is follow through with the plan—”
“No,” Justin shook his head, “you’re not getting what I’m saying. What we thought at the time, the things we’ve spoken about, it can’t be done anymore.”
“And why the hell not?” Bruce pressed his lips together tightly, his eyes narrowed, “What the fuck is it that you’re not telling me?”
“Because that was then and this is now. We shouldn’t have started a war that we knew we wouldn’t finish,” Justin exasperated, feeling as though his chest was about to cave in. Once the news set, he knew, things in this house would never be the same again.
“What the fuck did those assholes do to you? What did he say to you?” Bruce growled, blackness flashing across his face, a sudden shrill of anger pulsing through his veins as he slammed his hands down on the table, advancing forwards, “Justin—”
“This is a choice between sending my ass back to prison or letting it all go… and I’m choosing to let it go.” Justin calmly spoke, his stomach churning in all sorts of directions.
“What do you mean letting it go?” Bruce sat up farther on the couch, his eyes partially burning into Justin’s very own.
“This, the gang, it has to stop…” Justin trailed off, “We give Lyndon what he wants and he’ll back off. We won’t have to kill anybody. We’ll play it safe, we’ll give him out contacts, our shipment deals, the warehouses—all of it.”
“And why in the world would we do that?” Bruce barked from where he sat, “we worked hard for all of this!”
“And I worked hard to keep myself out of prison and there’s no way in hell I’m going to get sent back over some low life piece of scum!” Justin yelled.
“So this is about you?” Bruce spat heavily, teeth baring. He looked about ready to kill and Justin was the target.
“No, this goes for all of us! It never ends well. We bury them six feet under the ground and they still manage to come back to haunt our asses!”
“You’ve done it before, we all have! We can just go in and get them when they least expect it!”
“You’re always the one telling us we need to be careful and for once in my life, I’m trying to listen!” Justin tried to reason but it only riled Bruce up further.
“Are you kidding me? Now, when everything is falling apart you chose to listen to me?! Where were you MONTHS ago when I told you to back off?” Bruce shouted, the veins in his arms and neck bulging slightly.
“The cops know now!” Justin spat angrily, the pressure on his shoulders only tripling now that he can see that Bruce wasn’t going to back down, “they know about the Snipers and their ties to us. They know about the gang war and they know no one else but we are involved. If he dies, they’re going to pin it against me and they have all the proof they need to lock me up again.” With his chest moving at a rapid speed, Justin shook his head, “I fucked up once, I know that but I’m not about to sit back and let it happen again.”
“So we’re just going to let them win? We’re going to let them walk away with our earnings even after they’ve almost destroyed us all?” Bruce strained through his words, trying to make sure he was hearing Justin clearly. “He took your mother and he took Kelsey—”
“I know,” Justin snarled, venom dripping from his words. “I know that, but—”
“He should pay for what he’s done! We’ve already handled Spencer, we can take them all out!”
“I don’t know about you but I’d rather spend the rest of my life with my girl rather than behind bars.”
A sudden hush fell over them as Bruce licked his lips, peering closer at Justin, “So this is about her?”
“It’s always been about her,” Justin snapped, looking at him, “Always, behind every decision I’ve made, it involved her and whether or not she would be okay in the end. She’s been through enough, we all have.”
“Why is it that she’s always the one behind every God forsaken problem that comes our way?” Bruce scoffed, a sarcastic laugh breaking through his chapped lips, “She’s ruining us and she’s ruining everything we built for—”
“Shut up,” Justin seethed, his jaw clenched tightly, “shut the fuck up Bruce! None of this is her fault!”
“She’s gotten you brainwashed! Years ago, you wouldn’t hesitate twice to take the problem out but ever since she waltzed into your life, you’ve been neglecting your job, you’ve been fucking up constantly! It’s like when she’s around or involved in any way, you lose all sense of critical thinking and all you focus on is her!”
“She’s my fiancé!”
“SHE’S A DAMN CURSE, THAT’S WHAT SHE IS!” Bruce screamed so loud, the chandelier above them shook slightly from the force behind his words.
“Don’t fucking say that,” Justin made a move to stand, ready to attack if Bruce stepped out of line once more, “I will rip out your throat right where you stand, do you understand me?”
“Look at you,” Bruce gestured towards him, “it’s almost pathetic how attached you are to this girl.”
“She’s not just some girl—”
“Yeah, yeah, she’s your fiancé,” Bruce bitterly mocked, “I know. You remind us all the time but a part of me can’t even help but think even you know that it won’t last long.”
“What’re you talking about?” Justin hissed.
“Oh, please, don’t be naïve.” Bruce laughed humorlessly, “My uncle was right…”
“Don’t,” Justin warned, knowing exactly what he was going to say but that didn’t stop Bruce from saying it anyways.
Leaning forwards, he whispered menacingly, bringing a chill down everyone’s spine. “She’s going to get you killed,” He declared sharply, “and you know it.”
If looks could kill, the entire place would’ve been burnt to a crisp by now, the tension nearly unbearable as the boys surrounding both Justin and Bruce watched as the scene unraveled, shifting awkwardly not knowing what to say.
Though the both of them weren’t as close as Justin and John were, there was an unbreakable bond there. Bruce was like a father figure, always making sure Justin was okay and that they were all under his protection. He watched over him as if he were his own son and when his family wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, Bruce gladly accepted with open arms.
Seeing them like this was almost surreal. They’ve fought before and on more than one occasion but this was far more than an argument over what shipment should’ve came in versus the one that did. This wasn’t just the beginning of the end for their gang but the bond they’ve created.
A few seconds passed before Justin gripped Bruce by his shirt, pulling him across the coffee table and over to him before slamming him against the chair he once sat on, “this has nothing to do with her, do you fucking understand me?!”
“It has every bit to do with her that it does us,” He shot back.
Justin roughly shook him, face turning red, “no it doesn’t! This has to do with me, us, Lyndon and this fucking feud! It’s a never ending shit fest and if we don’t stop it now and give him what he wants—we’re going to be the ones who end up dead instead!”
“Like hell we will!” Bruce shouted, “I’ll handle him myself if I have to!”
“You’re going to risk life in prison over that piece of shit?” Justin bellowed, “Have you lost your mind?”
“It’s never stopped us before!” Bruce shoved him off, standing to his full length as he stood toe to toe with Justin.
“We didn’t have anything to live for back then!” Justin screamed, his chest heaving dangerously, eyes blazing hot with fury, “We didn’t care if we lived or died. We came home to nothing, to no one but each other! When we lost someone within our territory, we gave our condolences and then continued on with our lives! It’s different now!”
“How is it different?” Bruce challenged.
“We have our girls!” He shot back, quieting Bruce immediately, “You can think of Kelsey however you want but at the end of the day, we all have someone we care about. You tend to forget you have a girl too.” Justin took a step closer so that their chests were touching, “They’re our family now, that’s what’s different. When we come home, we don’t come home to an empty house anymore—we come home to them. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life seeing Steph from behind a glass barrier or do you want to be able to hold, kiss and make love to her whenever you want?”
When Bruce didn’t say anything, his shoulders slumping in defeat instead knowing he was right, Justin took that as his chance to continue. “No matter what we choose, someone gets hurt in the end,” Justin spoke quietly now, his eyes hooded, “This is the safest way…”
“He’s right, you know…” Marco nodded, having heard the entire thing without wanting to interrupt amidst the argument, “We could end this the easy way without having to worry about the cops hounding us.”
Justin hung his head low, ashamed that he had let it get this far when he could’ve handled the situation a long time ago. They spent too much time playing games, wanting to show Lyndon who really ran things in Stratford when they should’ve gotten rid of him from the second he stepped foot onto their land.
“Basically we start from scratch, is that what you’re telling me?” Bruce licked his lips, his eyes pained, knowing the answer to his question without anyone even saying a word. “We have to fight for our territory back, we’re going to have to go back to our old ways in achieving it—you know what that means right?”
“A couple of drug rings won’t do any harm,” Marco waved his hand dismissively, “We know how to set it up, the ties that have to be made, we’ll make enough to get by in buying from Wilson again and from there we can sink our teeth into Benny’s club.”
“You don’t think I’ve thought about that already?” Justin spat irritably, “Stop hanging onto false hope. If we were to start all over again that would mean we would have to start from the bottom and work our way to the top and the only one who would be there is Lyndon.”
“So basically it’ll all be for nothing,” Marcus spoke out loud after thinking it all through, taking Justin’s words into consideration. “There’s no point in starting all over if that means fighting Lyndon to gain half of it back. It makes no sense—we’re doing this to get rid of him. If we want back in, it’ll just bring him back to Stratford.”
“Exactly,” Justin confirmed.
“There’s no win in any of this,” John advanced, “If we give it up—that’s it. It’ll be the end.” Biting the inside of his cheek, he felt his stomach drop at the use of Justin’s words as he thought back to part of their conversation.
“The end?” John shook his head, “what do you mean?”
“Lyndon wants what we have, he wants it all and he’s proven time and time again that he will go through all lengths to get what he wants…”
“Yeah, and?” John furrowed his eyebrows together, “what does that have to do with anything?”
Lacing his fingers together behind his neck, Justin blew out a frustrated breath, wishing in that moment that he could just disappear. “The cops made it clear to me that if we do anything, if I kill Lyndon, they’re going to put me behind bars.”
“That’s a bunch of bull and you know it,” John shook his head, “they’re just trying to psych you out. Don’t let them get inside your head.”
“No, they have enough proof. They figured it out, they know there’s a gang war going on and that we’re the only ones involved. They’re not as dumb as we tend to think they are sometimes.”
They fell quiet, neither one of them saying anything before eventually after a good five minutes, John shuffled on his feet, “So, what do we do?”
“We give it all up.”
“The end—” Bruce shook his head, trying to make sense of all this, “The end of what? What are you talking about?”
“The end of us. There won’t be a Kings here anymore. Our land will be his to keep, he’ll have everything we’ve ever worked for at the palm of his hands and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
A dark cloud eliminated over Justin as he stood there, shoulders hunched like a lion ready to attack its prey. The responsibility was eating him alive and he knew, if he would’ve just pushed aside his ego for just a second, none of this would be happening right now.
Nothing was said when a low howl came from the back of Bruce’s throat before he chucked the glass of water he had previously been drinking out of across the room, his foot knocking back the coffee table with all the strength he could muster. “Everything I worked for, all the years I spent building this fucking gang… it all burns to ashes!”
“I’m sorry,” Justin spoke through gritted teeth.
“You better be!” Bruce howled crossly, “I brought you in, I treated you more like a son then your own father has and this is how you repay me? You plummet my business down to the ground?” Bruce wailed his arms around, disbelief crossing over his face, “How could you do this to me? How could you do this to us?”
“Bruce,” John strained, laying a hand on his shoulder to stop him before it got too far but it was already too late. Justin absorbed all of Bruce’s words like a sponge and there was no going back.
“He’s right,” Justin glared, his hands clutched at his sides in reminder of his mistakes, “There’s no need to deny it. I ruined everything,” He looked around at all four of them with glassed eyes, no emotions present, “I got out of jail just to throw myself back into the same situation I had prior to my release. I was selfish and only thought about myself.”
“Justin—” John turned towards him now, wanting to get through to somebody but nobody was listening.
“We’re losing it all because I was too caught up in keeping my name on the line that I was blinded by the fact that there could be someone out there that’s willing enough and strong enough to take me down.” He nodded as if accepting his words for the first time, finally coming to terms with them.
“We can fix this,” John pressed, he could see that everyone was turning against each other and that was the last thing they needed.
“We can’t.”
“We always have a way—there has to be a way.” John tried to negotiate despite already knowing the answer.
“Not this time.” Justin said, all seriousness present as he then strung together a declaration that shook them all to their core—
“By this time next week, the Kings will no longer exist.”