“I mean, letting me escape for years, letting Eric here betray him, costing him, you all, millions.It’s only downhill from here.”He sat down near Alana, should he need to protect her.He placed his legs up lazily on the table, letting them see him in Max’s place.Letting them see that the gang needed fresh leadership, new blood.
He smiled lazily.“He’s an old dog now, you can’t teach him new tricks.You know it’s only a matter of time.”He looked at them all in the eye, slowly tracing his gaze around the room.He wasn’t met with any resistance; he knew he wouldn’t be.This was how things worked.This was how Max took his position as leader back in the day.He’d heard the story so many times it was like a legend in itself.He started a mutiny and made them all watch as he took out the leader and took his so-called rightful place.
“What, and you would lead us?You’re nothing but a stray dog,” Harry spat.
Despite being Max’s second in command, there was no love lost there.Harry had endured his fair share of punishments from Max over the years.No, Harry was just loyal to whoever gave him money.And that could be him, if he played this right.
“Stray dog I may be, but I’ve found my way home, haven’t I?It doesn’t matter how it happened, it just matters that it has.And this stray dog can make you more money than you know what to do with.I’m a fucking billionaire, haven’t you heard?”He took out his gun.He saw Alana’s body stiffen.He couldn’t look at her.Not now.“I just need to know if I’ll be met with any resistance.”
He looked around the room again.
“I’ll take your silence as a no.”He smirked.
Max slammed out of the kitchen so fast that Drew didn’t know what had happened, and he flinched backwards instinctively.Max barreled toward him, eyes wild, before turning toward Alana.
No.
“Turns out someone has ratted us out to the cops.Can’t have that.I’ll fucking stamp that rat out.”
With a breath, Alana rose from her seat, breaking her bindings, and raced behind him.He could feel the cool steel at his throat.
What?What was she doing?
“Play along,” she said under her breath, so featherlight that there was no chance anyone would hear.
So, he would.He would do anything she asked.
The steel was drawing blood.He could feel the heat of it, the sting.
Max froze in his tracks like a deer in headlights.
“We can all be bought, isn’t that right, Max?It’s just about finding what that person’s weak point is and pressing on it.Turns out, I’m pressing on yours.Who knew that our weaknesses would be the same?”
The tone of her voice was like nothing he’d ever heard before.And he knew he never wanted to hear it again, for as long as he lived.It was ice, pure ice, no blood in her veins, strong and indestructible.
“You love Drew like a son.”She chuckled, the sound devoid of any joy, any life.“Well, whatever you think love means because you don’t know the true meaning of it ...and you’d go to the ends of the earth to get him back, to have him kneel to you again, but I can’t have that, and I’d sooner kill him than see him kneeling to you.”
Pure venom spread across Max’s face, and he shook, like his whole body was vibrating with hatred.“Well, well, Alana, you really are a special woman.I can see why Drew likes you.”
She ignored him.Max hated that.
“Kneel,” she commanded.“Or I’ll kill him.”
That was too far for Max.“You little—” But he didn’t get to finish his sentence.Eric buried a knife deep into his stomach, tears streaming down his face.He let it clatter to the floor.Nobody moved as Max fell, too, hands clutching at his spilling insides.
He laughed.He actually laughed.“Well done.Well done, little one.”His breath gurgled as he looked at Eric, then at Drew.
Drew blinked, like he wasn’t really sure this was happening.But he couldn’t look away, he wouldn’t, it was like he needed to see him bleed out to believe it was true.He lowered the knife from his own neck and Alana let it clatter to the ground.He pulled her close to him.
“Don’t look,” he murmured into her hair.“Don’t look.”
“What a fearless leader you’ll make,” Max spurted out, before his eyes became glassy and a smile died on his mouth.
No one moved, no one spoke.He had to,now, if he had any hope of gaining control.
“From this day on, there is no Lion Crew.You’re all loyal to me now.I’ll take care of you.Give you jobs, houses, anything you need, if you agree, if you pledge your loyalty to me right here, right now.”
The men exchanged glances, before they began to kneel.
