No One's Point of View:
Waking up in the middle of the night, Kelsey didn't expect to find the other side of the bed vacant of the body that kept her warm. Frowning slightly, the crevices of her forehead wrinkled matching the downwards pull of her lips. Turning onto her back, she blinked up at the ceiling remembering the last few hours of their time together, keeping in mind that things were finally starting to get better for them.
It was almost as if they were the rainbow at the end of the storm; a storm that always kept coming back.
He didn't want to push his luck, she knew that, but her body craved his touch. She wanted to feel the strength of his arms wrapped around her small frame, protecting her from the outside world that seemed to find its way to her time and time again.
He was the magnet that kept pulling her to him, a force so strong no one could break it. It didn't matter what obstacles they had to go through, as long as they had each other, that was all they needed to survive.
Reaching over to her bedside table, Kelsey grabbed her phone off the top to see she had received a message from Justin.
Smiling lightly, she swiped her finger across the screen, waiting for it to open up. When it did, her heart fluttered like it had so many other times before.
From: Justin
Sorry I left like that without saying goodbye, but I didn't want to wake you. You looked so peaceful and I missed that about you. Love you, and I'll see you later.
Biting her lip, she giggled lightly before typing back a response and putting her phone away just as her bedroom door opened.
Peeking up under the covers, she saw Carly standing timidly in the doorway. "Morning," she said.
"Morning," stretching, Kelsey sat up, keeping the sheets tucked under her arms as she yawned, blinking over at her best friend.
"Did you have fun last night?"
Pressing her lips together, Kelsey looked down at her fingers, refusing to meet her eyes. "I'm not going to fight you on this again."
"I don't want to fight with you," she sighed before walking inside and closing the door behind her. "I just want you happy--"
"I am happy," Kelsey argued.
"Kelsey."
Sighing, Kelsey looked away for a split second before glancing down at her nails, trying her hardest to focus on the chip of her nail polish.
"We all make mistakes," she murmured quietly. "I told you already, I'm not just going to forget everything, but I can't keep pushing him away when he's the only thing in my life I know I have right in my life." Looking up at her, Kelsey shrugged, "I love him."
Blinking over at her best friend, a small smile graced the curves of her lips as she nodded, "I know."
Walking over to her, Carly sat at the edge of her bed before pulling Kelsey into a strong embrace, a sigh of content escaping through her parted layers as she swiped her tongue across them and held on tighter. "I'm sorry for everything," she whispered.
"It's okay," Kelsey squeezed tighter before letting her go, "I'm not mad at you. I mean--I was, but not anymore."
Laughing lightly, she nodded, tucking a strand of her short blonde hair behind her ear ,"okay good because I can't stand you being mad at me. It's weird and I don't like it. I had no one to fan girl with last night when Channing Tatum came on TV."
Throwing her head back in between fits of giggles, Kelsey shook her head, "you're crazy."
"Tell me something I don't know," patting her knee, she gestured back towards the door, "come on, let's go get us some frozen yogurt. I've been craving it all week."
Raising her eyebrows, Kelsey laughed as she stood up, "are you sure you aren't pregnant?"
Widening her eyes, Carly's mouth fell in shock, "Kelsey!"
"What?" she put her hands up as a sign of defense, "I'm just saying. I mean, you've been craving the weirdest things."
"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," With her cheeks as red as tomatoes, she stood while sticking her nose up in the air and walking out.
"You better name it after me if it's a girl!" she called out after her.
"Kelsey Anne Jones!" Carly shrieked only making Kelsey laugh louder.
"I'll take that as a yes," she snickered.
Roaming the tarnished floors of the old warehouse, Justin tipped his head back towards the cold night sky.
He had shut off his phone to stop it from ringing every five seconds when the guys called or texted either wanting to know about where something was or to fill him in on things.
If he wanted a complete play by play he would have asked and that's exactly what he told them before leaving.
It's been hard for him the last couple of days having to deal with everything from Kelsey leaving him to nearly losing his mind. He was drowning in his own thoughts, and sometimes he didn't know if he was going to make it above the surface.
But he did, and he knew he would continue to do so because living meant spending another moment with the girl he loved, and that's all that mattered.
Letting out a breath of air he seemed to be holding in for quite some time, Justin let his fingers rest in the mess of his hair. He had been tugging on them, the pressure on for the young man as he began to come to terms with what his life was and what it was going to become.
He was excited, but nervous. His life was the gang and he didn't know anything else. He grew up surrounded by violence, drugs, and death. It's all he's ever been a part of and knowing he was going to start fresh--as if the last several years never even existed--was nerve-wracking.
How was he supposed to act? Did he throw out all of his weapons now that he wouldn't need protection anymore? Did he finally get to relax and sleep all day because he didn't have to worry about a job gone wrong or making sure their shipments were set right on time?
Dropping his hands down to his sides, Justin bit the corner of his lip as he overlooked the view painted in front of him reminding him of a certain time in his life when he brought a special girl along. He didn't even know why at the time, but as he stood here, he knew it was because he needed someone with him; to share the beauty he never got to see often with a new found beauty he just met.
"Why did you bring me here?" Kelsey's small voice carried across the soft winds that whistled past them, catching him completely off guard.
"What?" he questioned as he snapped his head over to look at her. She was breathtaking in the light, the sun casting over her like a halo as if she were an angel.
Biting her lip, she shook her head before looking away, "never mind."
"No," he countered sharply, "tell me."
Sighing, she looked down at her feet, "you’re not going to let this go are you?" she muttered.
"No."
Looking up at him once more, she swallowed, trying not to let her nerves show. "I asked you why you brought me here."
Sucking his teeth, he bobbed his head slightly in understanding, "oh."
"Yeah..." fiddling with her fingers, Kelsey bit her tongue, trying to act casual but she'd be lying if she said this wasn't eating away at her insides.
"I… well, I don’t know to be honest," he shrugged. "I wanted to get away for a bit and I thought I’d make it up to you for what I said earlier."
She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"You know," he awkwardly rocked on the heels of his shoes, "when I implied you were a slut…" fake coughing afterwards to cover himself, he knew she heard him and it pained him a bit to know he had gone as far as to insult her like that when he didn't know much about her at all.
Cocking a brow up in surprise, Kelsey smirked as realization hit her. "Is Justin Bieber apologizing?"
He scoffed as if that were the most absurd thing he has ever heard though he knew she was right, "no, never that."
"Isn’t that what you just said?" Shifting her weight onto her left hip while crossing her arms against her chest, she waited for him to justify himself.
"No, I said I’d make it up to you. I never actually apologized," he corrected her though he knew in his head, it wasn't exactly good enough but he left it at that.
Laughing, she scrunched her nose up, "you act as if apologizing is a crime." Shaking her head, she leaned over pushing him playfully, "you've done it before you know."
"Yeah, don't get used to it."
"Don't worry, I won't," she faked a smile his way before pulling her hues to look at the colorful sky beside him though he couldn't help but stare at her. She was like a painting herself, unique and beautiful; with absolutely no flaws to point out.
It's been a long time since he's ever felt even remotely attracted to a girl in this way and it was scaring him because Justin Bieber didn't do love and he never would.
It was hard then to give up his heart to someone he knew could break it if they wanted to. He had experienced it before and though he could care less about her now, Jen had meant a lot to him at the time and to see her break his trust the way she did caused him to have trouble believing in anyone.
It wasn't until the small girl came stumbling unexpectedly into his life did he realize what love really was.
He didn't know one person could mean so much to him in such a short period of time. It was like one second he didn't even have a care in the world. He only had himself to worry about and nothing else, no one else to watch over and then just like that, she became his everything. His value, his love, his reason to keep fighting a battle he could have lost a long time ago.
She was the prize at the end of the day and he would do anything to take her home with him.
As the sun settled, uncovering the darkness of the night that would soon blanket over them entirely, Justin knew it was time to go back home with the big event just a few hours away.
Pulling out of the driveway and onto the streets, it didn't take long before he arrived. Parking the car, he made sure to lock it before entering the house and dropping the keys on the coffee table once he entered the living room.
Glancing up as soon as he heard someone else walk in, Justin saw Bruce and it didn't take long before he realized he knew.
It wasn't hard to tell where he was, especially now that things were changing. Ordinarily, he would be out making sure business was running smoothly, but with nothing to check up on, he was left with the mess that was both him and Kelsey.
Pressing his lips together, Justin swiped his tongue across the dryness, "sup?" he nodded while rolling up the sleeves of his flannel t-shirt to give himself a distraction from the intensity of Bruce's gaze.
"How is she?" he questioned while stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
Nodding, he rubbed his palms against the roughness of his pants, shrugging, "she's good."
Shaking away the tension in the room, he laid his hands on the soft cushion of the chair in front of him while leaning against it. "Look, I can't say I agree with you seeing her after she begged you to leave her alone, but I'm glad you got to at least see how she's doing even if it was for a a couple hours."
"Thanks man," he smiled small, "I appreciate it."
Leaning over, he laid a comforting hand on Justin's shoulder, giving it a gentle shake, "I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do the same if the roles were reversed and it was Steph in Kelsey's position," he shrugged.
"Lucky you, it isn't," pushing past him to walk away, Bruce stood tall, grabbing his arm before he had the chance to disappear.
"Hey now wait a minute," he said, his brows pulling into a frown, "I know this is hard for you, okay? It's not easy for any of us to see you like this, but you're going to work it out."
"Thanks dad, but I really didn't ask for your opinion," he countered sharply.
Pausing for several seconds, Bruce let the silence sink in before parting his lips, "she doesn't know yet, does she?"
Looking over at him, Justin swallowed before shaking his head, "no," he said, pulling his arm away from his grasp, "and I'd like to keep it that way."
Folding the last few articles of clothing before putting them away, Carly let herself fall back against the soft padding of Kelsey's mattress. Dressed in their flannel pajamas with their hair in a bun at the top of their head and no make up on whatsoever, the two couldn't have felt more at ease.
It was almost like everything was slowly coming together, and they couldn't ask for a better evening to kick back and relax after doing the last of their chores.
Closing her drawer, Kelsey plopped herself down on the computer chair she had placed in front of her desk. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she stifled a yawn, "God, why am I so tired? It's only nine thirty."
"Probably because you're so used to being in the company of someone else, you're not used to being with just boring ol' me," Carly teased though a part of her remained serious on the matter. Kelsey was always surrounded by people at every corner in the Kings' house, and here it was just them and no one else.
Laughing, Kelsey shook her head, "me and you both know, you're not boring. There just wasn't much to do today especially since it rained not even an hour ago. It's disgusting out."
It was true. If the weather would have been better, she knew Carly would have found a way to get the two of them out so they could make the most of their freedom even though they both knew they had eyes watching them at every corner.
Sighing dramatically, she waved a hand dismissively, "yeah, yeah. I guess you're right." Groaning as she was about to sit up on the bed, her phone went off in that exact moment taking her by surprise. Furrowing her eyebrows, she picked up the call, wondering who it could be. "Hello?"
After a few minutes of exchanging words from a conversation Kelsey had no clue in what was going on, Carly slapped a hand to her forehead as she cursed under her breath.
"Shit, I almost forgot," she stood urgently, looking around for her sweater as she held her phone between her shoulder once she found it. Easily slipping her arms inside the sleeves, she took her phone back into her possession while nodding.
"I'll be there soon," hanging up the phone, she stuffed it into her pocket before turning to face Kelsey who looked just as confused as ever. "It's Jason," she sighed as she kicked her slippers off, "I forgot we had a project due tomorrow and we didn't even finish it yet."
"How much of it did you get done?"
"Only the first couple of slides. I got so caught up with everything else, it slipped my mind to call him to schedule another time to get together and work on it."
"Does John know?"
"Yeah, I told him. He just doesn't know that I'm leaving now to meet up with him, but I'll give him a call soon."
"I think you should do it now just in case."
Sighing, she nodded quickly, dialing the number and putting it on speaker while walking across the hall to get her bag from her room and coming back.
Picking at the lint on her pajama pants, she began losing patience when all she heard was the continuous ringing before finally the voicemail picked up, letting her know John wasn't available.
"Hey baby, it's me. I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be at Jason's to finish the project, but I'll call you as soon as I'm done. I love you." Making a kissing sound, she put everything away, "I promise I'll be fast so you're not here by yourself for too long."
"Don't worry, I'll handle it. Besides, if Justin's not busy, maybe he'll come by and pay us--well, me--a visit," she giggled lightly while Carly shook her head.
"Yeah, yeah, just make sure to use protection."
"Caroline Risi!"
"Karma," she sing-sang on her way out the door.
Once the coast was clear, Kelsey bit her lip as she maneuvered her way out of the chair and across to her bed where she slid her phone out from underneath her pillow. Going through her contacts, she made sure to press on Justin's ID as she waited for him to pick up.
However, when she heard nothing but the dial tone, a sudden frown tugged on her lips. It was unusual of him to keep his phone off especially at this time, but she refused to think bad of it, knowing it was probably from loss of battery.
Walking out of her room and downstairs, Kelsey knew it was bets to keep her mind off of things, and what better way then to pig out on junk food while watching late-night comedies?
Making some popcorn, she put it in a bowl before walking out and jumping down onto the couch. Kicking her bare feet up on the coffee table, she grabbed the remote from beside her and turning on the television.
Settling on the program Nick at Nite, already finding herself smiling at the screen of talented actors and actresses who had her laughing hysterically, Kelsey sighed in content as she stuffed her mouth with the buttery goodness.
After about an hour and a half of watching reruns, Kelsey found herself drifting off to sleep half way through the tenth episode and immediately knew she had to go to bed now or else she would lose it completely and end up pulling an all-nighter with no one but herself to keep her company.
Yawning, she shut everything off before putting away the now empty bowl after throwing away the remaining kernels and grabbing herself a glass of water.
Slipping her bare feet across the wooden floors, she grabbed the banister about to make way to her room when the door bell chimed throughout the entire apartment.
Curious to who it could be, Kelsey slowly made her way to the door when she realized it was probably Carly. Knowing she always forgot her spare key in the house, she tiredly giggled to herself while turning the knob and attempting to pull the door open. "I told you--"
Slam.
Pulling the last of his things out of his office, Bruce locked the door behind him before entering the main room where the rest were standing side by side waiting for further instructions.
After calling their girls and telling them they loved them, they knew it was up to fate for the rest and they weren't about to mess it up. Not now when they were so close.
Though positive thoughts were tried amongst the rest, it was hard to ignore the truth.
The air was thick with tension, the inevitable waiting for them on the other side of town and there was nothing either one of them could do about it. It was either they all forfeit, or Justin has to face death head on, and neither one of them had the heart to put him through something like that.
Licking his lips, Bruce smacked them together before sighing, trying to piece together the speech he had prepared in his head, but standing here in front of the men he had fought beside for so many years, he couldn't bring himself to remember.
Deciding on the words his heart wanted to unleash, he cleared his throat, locking eyes from one man to the other, "tonight is going to be the end of a lot of things..." he laughed lightly.
"I'm going to sound like a complete fucking pussy, but all of this," he gestured around him, "doesn't mean our family stops here. Call me weak, I don't give a shit, but our legacy started here and it's going to end here. We grew up together, we die together, no matter what."
Hearing his words, it was like a knife to Justin's chest as he bowed his head, listening to everything else he had to say. It was hard for him of all people to admit defeat, but he had to do it. They all did and they were going to, side by side, like always.
Looking up at him, Justin didn't see a leader or a vile man as everyone viewed him to be. He saw someone who was more of a father to him than his own was, a figure he turned to for insight on all things going on in his life, both business and personal.
This man was a man of loyalty and respect, and he showed it to each and every person he encountered. He showed him how to treat others as he knew he would like to be treated, and those who looked down on him, well, he fought right back.
It wasn't easy for Justin to watch as he gave orders, the last he ever would with his shoulders pulled back and chin held up. Bruce was giving up something just so he didn't have to himself, and that meant more to him than anything else in the world.
"Before we go," he put a hand up to stop the others from walking out while taking a deep breath, looking Bruce straight in the eye. "I just wanted to say thank you... for everything. I know you've given up a lot for me, it's not easy for you to do this, and a part of you doesn't want to, but the fact that you're all doing it anyways means a lot even if I don't show it often."
Cracking a small smile, Bruce nodded giving him the answer he needed. "Brothers help brothers, right?" Clapping him on the back, he walked past as they all followed out to the waiting SUV.
Glancing down at his phone, Justin took a quick glimpse of Kelsey's face before shutting it off and putting his phone away. He couldn't have any distractions tonight especially when he knew he would receive a call from her.
She was his source of calm however; an angel sent to rescue him from the depths of hell, and just a simple look at her and all his problems went away.
Taking their seats, the car took off down the street, their house now a blur as they all took a quick look back at it before sitting forwards and facing everything head on.
This was the night it was all going to fall into place, and the nerves were just beginning to fully settle in especially with it being the first time they were going to go in unarmed with nothing but their dignity.
Lyndon was going to get what he always wanted, but they--they were going to get what they always dreamt of, and that meant more to them then any stupid mark left on the town.
They had their legacy holding them up, they didn't need to prove their worth anymore. They did their deed and they were finally done.
Stepping out onto the damp grounds of the Sniper territory, Justin took a look around the dark and dreary place. The atmosphere matching the mood they were in, almost mimicking what was to come of the night.
It felt different from the last time they were here, and maybe it was because they knew this was the end, or maybe it was because this had been their fate all along. Either way, this was the last time any one of them was going to step foot on the very same pavement before everything they owned was no longer theirs.
"You ready?" Bruce looked over his shoulder at the men behind him, and for a split second he couldn't believe his eyes. It was like Deja vu; their faces flashing before him like a timeframe going back several years to the way they looked at their very first job together as a group. Fresh, and young, their lives void of the sin they would commit, and now here they were about to commit the biggest sin of all.
It wasn't until they nodded did Bruce finally snap out of it, licking his lips and turning to face forwards once more before leading them through the double doors and into the main surface of the Sniper household.
Stopped by a guard, they stood back as they were checked, arms and legs spread while the unknown male patted them down, making sure they were clean of any weapons before bringing them down the hall and through another set of doors, "Mr. Mathews, they're here."
"Thanks Richard, I'll take it from here," Lyndon said, his back to everyone as he sat in the comfort of his leather chair facing the other direction before he turned to look them directly in the eye. "And what brings you five to grace my presence with your undeniably irritable faces?"
"We have what you want," Bruce spoke, harsh and to the point.
Silence.
"I knew you'd come to me eventually," Lyndon drawled with a smirk painted across his lips that made everyone's skin crawl. He was the Satan at the throne and they were practically his slaves for the night. He held the playing cards, and there was no telling which one will be the joker.
Biting back a remark, Justin stood with his hands in front of him, one clutching at the wrist as he pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth. All he wanted was to reach over and strangle him to death, to watch him die right in front of him, but kept himself from doing so with the reminder that this had to be done in order to get his life back to normal.
"Is it everything?" Lyndon cocked his head to the side while gesturing over towards the closed compartment in his hand.
"Names, contacts, pair-ups, shipments, you name it, we have it; everything you thought you had but didn't is right here." He tapped the black surface with a dominant smirk on his lips, knowing he had to put his two cents in for old times sake.
"Now, now, let's not get too ahead of ourselves here. I had a fair amount of what you all had--"
"But you didn't have everything, and that's what killed you knowing that no matter how hard you tried, we were always one step ahead of you in the game." Justin interrupted, not being able to just stand there as he ran his mouth like a broken lawnmower.
Expecting him to lash out, he stayed surprisingly calm. Licking his lips, Lyndon grinned from ear to ear, a quiet chuckle chilling the air as if they were in the middle of a blizzard, "I think you're getting yourselves confused with someone else."
"No I think we have it right on the money, you're just too shameful to admit it. I mean I would be too if the only way I was able to win was if the other gave it up."
"Which just shows how weak you truly are."
"Weak?" Justin laughed, "there's a difference between giving up, and letting go. If you want to turn your life to shit in this fucked place you think is yours then by all means, but I'm not going to."
Staring at him, Lyndon blinked a couple of times while dabbing at the corners of his eyes, "that was so touching, I almost shed a tear. Too bad I don't give a damn."
Standing, he nodded his head in Bruce's direction where his men came towards them, taking the briefcase from him and handing it over to Lyndon.
"Your mistake Bieber was thinking love was going to give some light to your pathetic excuse for a life. You're all a bunch of amateurs and it took for my crew to come here and show you what a real gang is like."
"Now let's get one thing here straight," Bruce took charge now as he stood tall, his intimidating demeanor now overshadowing everyone in the room. "You practically had to pull out all stunts in the book to have us end up here. When we ran things in Stratford--"
"Exactly," Lyndon sharply cut him off, "when you ran things. You don't run things here anymore."
"You'd be surprised what I can still do. I don't need a fucking gang to rip your throat out right where you stand. I could do that all on my own so how about you watch that mouth of yours before I take this all back and your left with shit?"
"It's a little too late for that Santos, don't you think? Considering I have all your information right here in this briefcase, and if I really wanted to, I can have my boys Walter and Sims over there take you all out with a single bullet each."
"Fuck you."
"Sorry, but I don't like dick up the ass unlike you fellas," snickering, he popped the briefcase open, "now why don't we get right down to business." Looking through every piece of paper inside, he nodded to himself upon seeing that everything was there.
"Looks good so far," he nodded to himself before closing the case and handing it over to his men who left the premises with it, locking it away in the private safe that only Lyndon had the numbers to open it.
"Surprised you didn't try something, usually Bieber over there would have something to say because we all know how much he loves spitting unnecessary bullshit that we don't give a rats ass about, and then the usual fist throwing," he shook his head while staring over in his direction, a permanent grin mastered across his face, "which I would have timed to be precisely now that it would happen," he glanced down at his watch, "but it looks like you guys are learning to behave yourselves."
Clapping obnoxiously loud, he leaned back against his chair, "I'm impressed, it's about time you guys learned your place."
"Are we done here?"
"Yeah," Lyndon linked his fingers together while propping his feet up on his desk, watching as they stared at him before slowly turning around to walk away when Lyndon's men stepped in front of them.
"What the fuck?"
"Oh," he faked a laugh, "I almost forgot to tell you. In order to drop yourselves out of the race, you have to initiate yourselves out of the group."
"We know that," Marco barked, "but what does that have to do with you?" He was slowly beginning to lose all patience, not that there was much left, and it was only a matter of time before everything went spiraling out of control.
"You'll see."
"Fuck this shit, I'm out." Throwing up his hands, he made way for the door once more when he was blocked from making it all the way.
"Jesus fucking Christ."
"No job goes unfinished," Lyndon tisked from his spot.
"And how the fuck do you suppose we do this?" he whirled around to face him now.
"I have my ways," Lyndon licked his lips before the top layer of his teeth dug into the flesh, his eyes shimmering with devious intentions, the evil he held now radiating off of him like a magnet, and the guys were the attraction. "You know the rules. Leader of the group does the calling which means he's the first to beat out his fellow members, but seeing as you're leaving too I figured I might as well help you out too so Sims over there is going to be the first to knock you on your ass. The catch however, you can't fight back."
"That wasn't a part of the plan."
"That's what makes it all the more fun."
"This is all just a fucking game to you, isn't it?"
"When'd you realize that? Just now or before I got here?" Standing, Lyndon made his way around to the front of his desk before leaning against it. "Come on now, Bruce. You can't act surprised. You knew I was coming from the very start and I'm sure your uncle warned you about me too. He knew who I was, too bad your auntie's not alive to confirm it."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"The photos I sent you had to be a bit painful to look at, I'm sure so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
"What pictures?"
Rolling his eyes, he let out a dramatic sigh, "do I have to explain everything to you dipshits?" When no one said a word, not that he gave them much of an option to speak anyways, he shook his head, "oh, who am I kidding."
"Bieber had his release a week later, I sent a reminder to let you know I was coming. In my own special way of course. The bomb meant for your uncle did a lot of damage to her body, her remains were yours to keep."
Thinking back to that moment in time, it was like several bricks had just fallen from the cieling and hit him right on the head, "you're sick."
"I'm creative," he countered almost immediately. "All these guys that come here trying to make a name for themselves do the typical to get your attention. I like to think outside of the box."
"A little more than outside, you sick fuck. You're psychotic," Justin spat, disgusted. He had come face to face with many men who had no shame, but Lyndon, by far, was the worst.
"Now, now Justin, let's not get into name calling. You're really treading on thin ice, and if I were you, I'd watch what you say."
"Go to hell,"
"Aren't we already there?"
Bruce could feel the anger pulsing through his veins, seeing black as he blinked, trying to make sense of what was going on. How he could be the one behind his aunt's death made no sense. There was no way, it just couldn't be possible, but as he began to piece everything together, the more it started to come to him. "Why?"
"I always wanted to take over, and what better way then to start with the originals? Your uncle just happened to be one of them. I got him out of the way, though he does like to make secret deals down in Barbados, he stays out of my hair and I stay out of his. One down and one more to go. My father took your grandfather down, and it would only make sense that I take you down as well. The Santos tradition stood out in our world, and I wanted to destroy it along with everyone else in it,"
"Justin made for a good show because as much as you ran things, he was most spoken about. It wasn't just you and your boys people were afraid of, they feared what Danger brought to the table. I was curious to see what he was all about, but when I figured out he was locked away after a messy kill, I knew he wasn't what people made him out to be. It was all luck. I don't run on luck, I run on knowledge. I know how to play the game better than anyone else, which is why you guys refused to give in to my demands. You wanted to fight back, take the King and make an illegal move on the table immediately disqualifying you of any chances for victory. It's not my fault you guys are quick to jump to conclusions without planning what the consequences may be. Your mother and fiancé Bieber were just a pawn in what I had initially planned for you all. That was just a glimpse of what I'm capable of. I wasn't going to kill anyone, I knew they were going to be saved one way or another, and if you couldn't get to one, I was going to have my men do it for you. I was curious to see who you'd choose, and a wise choice you made. I don't like playing dirty, I like seeing where your head's at, what devices you'd use to get to the answer. What mental notes you'd take in order to find control of the matter, but no matter what I did, you guys went for the other side. It's like playing with a bunch of naive children who only see the tray of cookies and nothing else around them. They want a piece, they want to have it and will stop at nothing to get it, but do they think it through? No. They make a move without realizing their mother is just a foot away resulting in the punishment of receiving nothing in the end. Which is what you got. Don't you see?" he paused, letting it all sink in, "I had won all along."
"You son of a bitch!" Justin growled as he advanced forwards before he was held back by one of Lyndon's men just as Bruce tried to take place of him. Fighting to get out of his grasp, wanting to ram his fist through his face, it was no use when two other men intervened, pulling Bruce back as well.
Laughing, he stood watching the scene unfold before him, "you can get mad all you want, it doesn't change the facts."
"I can still rearrange your fucking face!" he growled before shoving the guys off him. "Let's just get this over with," Justin slid his leather jacket off before throwing it to the corner and rolling the sleeves of his t-shirt up.
"You wanna beat the shit out of me? Go right ahead. You never had the balls to do it when I could fight back, might as well take the chance now that I can't because you're a fucking pussy."
The first swing came unexpectedly before Justin had the chance to tune into his surroundings as Vick, one of Lyndon's members, dug his brass knuckles into the side of his head.
Taking the hit, Justin's face flew to the right from the harsh impact, his temple pulsing from the pain, but he didn't dare make a sound as another fist made contact with his face before someone kicked him from behind.
Instantly, Kelsey's face unlocked from the memories he held of her inside his head. She was the only thing keeping him from fighting back, knowing he had to do this if they were going to live a life that didn't involve the pain and suffering he was currently experiencing.
"Wait," Lyndon's voice interrupted the process, "you know what I think would make this even more interesting? If Bruce over there was the one to finish the rest. Don't you think boys?"
Mumbling an agreement, Vick took a step back for Bruce to take his place.
"No way in hell," he spat, "I'm not touching him."
"What? An audience isn't fun enough for you? You suck him off enough at night when you guys are alone, you might as well just do it now in the open."
Clenching his jaw, Bruce made a move towards Lyndon when Benny, another associate, held him by the arm.
"Vicious little things aren't we tonight?" Narrowing his eyes, he leaned forwards, nodding towards Justin's direction, "hit him or I kill you all. It's as simple as that."
"I'm not doing it."
"It's okay," Justin interrupted. If he was going to get the shit beat out of him, who better than the man who brought him into this life to begin with?
"Justin--"
"Just do it."
Pushing his sleeves up, Bruce stared at him long and hard, taking notice to the discoloration on his face from the hits he received just before, before taking his own swing, hitting him square in the nose which resulted in a crack, letting him know it was broken.
Several kicks and punches later, Justin was now on the ground, the intensity of everything going on around him with no way of defending himself took its toll on him as he found comfort in the cold floor beneath him.
The ringing however coming from Justin's jacket wasn't heard through the chaos going on around them, but as Lyndon glanced down at his own, he silenced everyone to make sure his plan was working out the way he planned.
Making out the slight buzzing and several bells, he grinned to himself, "enough."
"What?"
"I said enough," Lyndon looked over at them, "get his phone." He ordered Vick who took the leather from the floor, patting down the pockets before finding the one with his phone inside of it before taking it out. "Give it to Justin."
Blinking up at the ceiling, trying to make out what was going on around him, Justin could barely see the device held in Vick's grip as he hovered it over him to take. Pushing himself up, ignoring the pain all over his body, he took the phone while looking over at Lyndon, wondering what the hell was going on.
"Go on," he encouraged, "answer it."
"Hello?"
"Justin?" a panicked voice was heard from the other line causing his heart to pound furiously in his chest, nearly bursting through.
"Yeah?"
"Oh thank God you're awake, I called you several times and you didn't pick up!"
"I'm sorry, I was kinda in the middle of something. Why?" he questioned, his eyes never leaving Lyndon's cruel ones as he held his phone tighter to his ear, "what's wrong?"
"It's Kelsey," she rushed out, her breaths coming out short now that he paid closer attention to the call, "I--she was hurt."
"What are you talking about?"
"She was admitted into the ER, they just brought her in."
"Carly--"
"It's bad, Justin. It's really, really bad," she cried into the phone.
Whirling around, he looked at John with his eyebrows furrowed, "Carly," he choked out, fighting through the sharp jab in his chest, "what happened?"
"I have to go."
"Carly!"
"Get here as fast as you can," and with that she hung up the phone.
Clenching his jaw, Justin felt as if his head was about to explode. Everything hitting him all at once, it didn't take long before he got his head together enough to notice Lyndon smiling as if he won the lottery, "WHAT'D YOU DO TO HER?!" He barked as he ran forwards, wasting no time in grabbing him by the collar and holding him up against the wooden edge of his desk as he laid a solid punch just as he held a hand for his men to stay back.
"Rule number one," Lyndon whispered menacingly while spitting blood to the side as he licked the corner of his lip, "never make a deal with the devil."