EIGHT
Aliya
PRESENT
I spent the whole day in the parking lot of the venue again. Even though I directly saw Milan torn it so cruelly, there was still a tiny hope in me that it hadn’t been my bracelet.
I had the hope that maybe I’d dropped it in Midtown after all.
But in vain.
It’s ridiculous.
I should stop clinging to something that’s obviously broken.
By the time I get back to Belmont, it’s already 10:33 p.m.
A normal mother would have contacted her daughter and asked where she was at this hour, but my mother doesn’t care. As long as I don’t ruin her reputation, I could spend every night out.
I pull the hood of my black hoodie over my head as I get off the bus and walk home.
Even though Belmont isn’t a safe neighborhood at this hour, I feel safer outside than inside my four walls.
With my headphones in my ears, I take a detour through an old industrial area with old factories and overgrown trees. Without other people and the noise of the highways, this path is a quiet place that usually makes me feel better.
But today something feels strange.
Hoping to shake off the eerie feeling, I look behind me and take off my headphones.
I quicken my steps, past a row of abandoned buildings and dimly lit alleyways where only delinquents hang out.
“I don’t know. Here?” A familiar voice catches my attention and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
A shiver runs down my spine as I see Raelyn laughing and leaning against a man, a cigarette between her lips.
His massive build and the ink covering his face make him look frightening. He murmurs something in her ear before she giggles, her voice dripping with sweetness. “You know, you could take me somewhere a little more private.”
“I can’t just leave right now. My brothers told me to watch the stuff.”
“Come on, Sami. Don’t you want to?” She literally throws herself at him as he seems to struggle with his patience.
I avert my eyes from the couple and scold myself for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.
I couldn’t care less what a classmate does with criminals late at night, could I?
As I turn the corner into another quiet street, I pause for a moment to catch my breath.
The image of Raelyn and the tattooed man remains etched in my memory and leaves me with a lingering feeling of unease.
Why do I always have to witness such strange things? First it was Damian being beaten, and now this.
I pull the hood of my hoodie further over my face and try to blend in with the shadows.
The silence around me is suddenly interrupted by a faint, muffled sound. Strange and wet, as if something heavy is being dropped and then dragged across the concrete.
“Are you crazy? We need to hurry while Raelyn distracts him.”
“Calm down, Shinichiro.”
No. Fucking. Way.
I press myself against the wall, my pulse racing as the voices of my classmates ring out from a nearby alley.
“Just hurry up,” Shin replies gruffly.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m working on it. You don’t have to be a pain in my ass … What should we do with this, Shane?”
“Take it with you.”
I hold my breath as his dark voice now reaches my ears.
What the hell are the three of them doing here in Belmont? And what does Raelyn have to do with it?
Curious, I peek around the corner and catch a glimpse of the three figures moving deeper into the alley. Their motorcycles are parked on the side, next to two full garbage containers.
I should disappear.
Turn around and forget about the whole thing.
But something stops me. The anger and frustration I’ve been suppressing rise to the surface.
They’re probably doing something forbidden here. Illegal. Everyone knows the Legions aren’t good boys, but there’s never any proof of all the things they do.
And I’m tired of them running the city. Sick of everything going their way and them getting away with it all.
If I have the slightest chance to make a difference … I might as well take it.
I must be out of my mind.
Apparently, the fact that they left me on a street in the middle of the night has taught me nothing.
As I walk carefully down the alley, which is shrouded in darkness, the muffled voices become clearer again. My feet move with quiet determination, each step bringing me closer to a situation that I know is dangerous.
The end leads me to the place where I saw Raelyn standing earlier. But she’s no longer there.
I hide in the shadows and watch as Damian, Shin and Milan walk together toward a white van.
All three of them are wearing hoodies just like me, their faces hidden under their hoods.
My hands are shaking slightly as I hold my phone to record the scene.
Damian swings the crowbar to break open the rear doors of the van. Milan and he jump in with two backpacks while Shin stands guard outside.
It’s just like the rumors say.
Shin is the strategist. The thinker.
With his calculating mind, he plans all possible scenarios, always one step ahead and on the lookout for potential threats.
Damian is the fixer. The manipulator.
He has no scruples about getting his hands dirty, throwing the values and morals of others overboard and setting his own rules.
My gaze falls on Milan, who is just leaving the van with his hands in the inside pocket of his hoodie.
He is the head of the group. The leader.
He controls their actions, gives direction and makes ruthless decisions. His calm presence is menacing, his orders relentless. He radiates an authority and mercilessness that demands respect or perhaps even fear.
“I’m ready!” Damian jumps out of the car. “Damn, that went like clockwork.”
“We shouldn’t waste any time,” Shin replies.
“Good,” Milan answers before nodding at Damian.
His laughter rings through the air as he rummages in his pocket and pulls out a small object. From this distance, it’s hard to tell exactly what it is. Still, the sight fills me with unease.
“Time to take care of business.”
I gasp as Damian ignites the thing in his hand and a small flame lights up the night.
With a simple motion, he tosses the lighted thing into the van.
I continue filming, my hands shaking slightly, adrenaline coursing through my veins.
The van quickly bursts into flames, the fire consuming the interior with intense heat. The torches dance and cast an ominous glow on the surroundings.
The trio watch as it burns, their faces expressionless. The air is thick with the smell of burning plastic and metal, an acrid stench that fills my nostrils.
“Let’s go.” Milan turns away and moves in the other direction.
They probably want to leave the alley on the other side, where they’ve parked their bikes.
I can feel sweat forming on my forehead.
If I don’t want to explode here along with the van, I have to leave immediately before they reach the entrance to the alley. I quickly put my phone in my back pocket and run back the way I came.
I can’t believe I’ve just filmed them setting fire to a van.
A fucking van.
Tomorrow I’ll go to the police station and give them the evidence. Even their rich fathers won’t be able to protect them now.
I quicken my pace as I realize I’m nearing the main road but stop abruptly when their voices ring out.
“Did you inform Raelyn?”
“Yeah, I texted her that we’re done. She lured Sami Tyrrell far away from here,” Milan responds.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Fear grips me as I hear their footsteps coming closer and closer. One wrong move and I’m gone.
Just as I consider hiding behind a dumpster, an arm wraps around my body. My heart almost leaps out of my chest as my hood is ripped off my head, I’m pulled back and slam into something – or rather, someone.
I feel the cold, hard metal of a knife pressed against my throat.
“ Bad servant . Why are you sneaking around here, huh?” Damian’s deep voice rings in my ear.
I’m dead.
This can’t be true.
Why is he behind me?
Panic rises in me as I realize I’m in big trouble.
My mind races and I try to think of an excuse, a believable reason why I’m here.
Milan and Shin step into the alley, their expressions dark and menacing. Damian’s arm still holds me captive, the knife pressed tightly against my throat.
“Looks like we have a pursuer,” Milan remarks, his eyes fixing me with a predatory stare.
“Indeed.” Shin just shakes his head.
“Do you have any idea what we should do to her, guys?” Damian asks behind me. “Or do I get to have my fun with her this time?”
The fear in my stomach turns to icy dread.
Something lecherous sparkles in Milan’s eyes as he looks at me. Then his gaze drifts to Damian and he clicks his tongue. “Not yet.”
He takes a few steps toward me, stopping right in front of me as I tremble under Damian’s grip. “You can leave. I’ll catch up with you after I’m done here.”
Damian grumbles disappointedly, obviously unhappy that he’s not getting his fun . When he steps back and loosens his grip on me, I let out a relieved noise.
“You’re boring, Shane. Saving the best for yourself, as usual.” Damian walks past me.
Shin and he put on their helmets and disappear with the roar of their bikes.
Milans reaches out and strokes my cheek, a mocking sneer. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? Scared?”
Waking from my stupor, I push his hand away and take a step back. I try to hide my fear, but the shaking of my body betrays me.
“I’m not scared.”
He smirks. “Is that so?”
I hate how the mere touch of his hand and the sound of his voice make me feel so powerless.
“You’re a terrible liar. Your body trembles, your voice quivers. It’s really adorable.”
He leans closer, his face inches from mine. I try to pull away, but my body refuses to join in.
“You can try to be as brave as you want,” he whispers, his breath hot on my face. “But I can see the fear in your eyes. It only makes things more entertaining for me.”
Milan’s hand reaches up to cup my chin and force me to look into his eyes. The gesture is both humiliating and demanding. “First you scratch my car, then you have the audacity to give me orders and now you’re secretly stalking and filming me? You’ve got some nerve.”
The realization that he knows about the video hits me like a punch in the gut, but I bite my lower lip and pull away from his grip.
“I’m going to report you. I witnessed everything and have evidence. You won’t get off so easily and you’ll get your punishment!”
Be quiet, Aliya. What the hell are you doing?
But I’m tired of being intimidated by him. Now that he’s destroyed my most important possession, I’ve got nothing to lose anyway.
What does he want to do? Kill me?
He laughs, cold and mocking. “Is that a threat? How sweet.”
He looks me up and down, there’s something sinister about his gaze. “Then I should probably get the video and the witnesses out of the way, shouldn’t I?”
Every fiber of my being is tense. The threat in his voice sends a shiver down my spine.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Who’s going to stop me? You’re here alone, with no one to help you.”
He’s backed me into a corner, metaphorically and literally. My heart hammers in my chest as I realize the gravity of the situation I’m in.
“I suggest you hand me the video, otherwise this situation could go in a direction you won’t like.”
“You’re not getting the video,” I say firmly, trying to keep the situation somewhat under control.
“Do you really think you’re in a position to make demands, sweetheart? Remember, I hold all the cards here. You give me the video, or I can promise you it’s going to get much, much worse.”
His scent, a mixture of cologne and something distinctly masculine, fills my nose, making it even harder for me to think clearly.
“I’m not going to give you anything,” I manage to get out through clenched teeth.
A hint of annoyance crosses his face as I resist, but a cruel smile quickly replaces it.
In one swift movement, he grabs my wrists and spins me around. I gasp in surprise as he forces me to bend down and my back curves in a sharp arc. His hand reaches into the back pocket of my pants and pulls out my phone.
In this position, with my butt stretched out toward him, I feel so humiliated.
His one hand grips my wrists on my back while he scrolls on my phone with the other. “No code? How lame.”
I curse myself for not having a secure code. But right now, the last thing I want to focus on is my lack of digital security.
“Let go of me!”
“Such a naughty girl,” he muses. “Making videos without permission is illegal. You should know better than that.”
“It’s not illegal if it serves as evidence,” I hiss.
“Evidence of what? That you’re stalking me?”
“Evidence that you and your friends should get arrested!”
“Do you really think a little video is going to put us behind bars? You’re even more naive than I thought.”
He leans over me further so I can feel his weight on my body. Then he holds the screen of my phone in front of me, his breath brushing my ear.
“That? You call that evidence?”
The video I secretly recorded plays.
“You thought you were exposing me, didn’t you? But look at you now. Bent over and exposed. It seems the tables have turned, huh?”
With a simple click, he deletes the video.
I feel a wave of despair come over me, knowing I’ve lost my only piece of evidence against him.
I forcefully yank my hand out of his grasp and reach for my phone. He pulls away laughing as I try to recover the video, but it’s gone.
He turns to his bike and puts on his helmet. While I stare helplessly at my phone, he flips up the visor. “If you don’t want to be held responsible for the van exploding, you should leave now.”
I blink in confusion as my gaze fall on his motorcycle and something in particular catches my eye.
“Oh, and … next time I catch you meddling in my affairs again, you’ll get to know me in a completely different way.”
As he drives off, his threat hangs heavy in the air, but it’s the detail on his bike that sends an icy shiver down my spine.