Liam pushed open the door to his apartnt, exhaustion settling into his bones.
The eting with Mr. L had drained him more than he wanted to admit.
Tasha was sitting on the couch, her legs tucked under her, scrolling through her phone.
She looked up when he walked in, her expression softening slightly.
"Hey," she said. "You’re back."
"Yeah." Liam dropped his keys on the counter and walked over, sitting down beside her with a heavy sigh.
Tasha set her phone down, studying his face. "You don’t seem happy."
Liam let out a short laugh. "I’m not."
"What happened?"
Liam rubbed his face with both hands, leaning back against the couch. "I t soone I hated. Had to sit across from him and make a deal."
Tasha frowned. "A deal? What kind of deal?"
"The kind where we pretend to work together even though we both want to kill each other," Liam said, his tone flat.
Tasha’s frown deepened. "Liam, that doesn’t sound reassuring at all."
"I know."
"Then why did you do it?"
Liam was quiet for a mont, staring at the ceiling. "Because I didn’t have a choice. There’s sothing bigger happening, and if I don’t deal with it, people are going to get hurt. People I’m responsible for now."
Tasha looked at him, her expression a mix of worry and frustration. "You keep saying things like that. ’People you’re responsible for.’ ’Things you have to deal with.’ But you never tell what’s actually going on."
Liam turned his head to look at her. "You know about the crew. You were there when I fought Shay. You know I’m involved in this now."
"I know you won," Tasha said. "I know you’re the leader now. But I don’t know what that actually ans. I don’t know what you’re doing. What you’re dealing with."
"Because the less you know about the details, the safer you are," Liam said.
"That’s not fair."
"Maybe not," Liam said. "But it’s the truth."
They sat in silence for a mont. It wasn’t comfortable this ti.
There was tension between them, unspoken words hanging in the air.
Tasha finally sighed and reached over, squeezing his hand. "Just... be careful, okay? Whatever you’re doing, it sounds dangerous. And I don’t want you getting hurt."
Liam squeezed her hand back. "I’ll do my best."
Tasha’s face turned flushed as she got closer to Liam, placing her hands at her back, making her chest rise up in front of Liam. "Sooooo, I was thinking. It’s been long—"
Before Tasha could finish, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out and looked at the screen. A text from Shay.
*Shay~ I told them like you said. They want to see you. Address below.*
Liam sighed and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Tasha noticed imdiately. "What’s wrong?"
"Sothing ca up."
Tasha’s expression shifted, frustration flickering across her face. "Again? You just got here."
"I know." Liam stood, grabbing his keys off the counter. "But I have to go."
"You always say that."
"Because it’s always true."
Tasha crossed her arms, her eyes searching his face. "Where are you going?"
"Just out. I’ll be back."
"Liam."
"I’ll be back," he repeated, his tone firr now.
Tasha stared at him for a long mont, then let out a breath and looked away. "Stupid."
He walked to the door, paused, then looked back at her. She was still sitting on the couch, her arms crossed, her expression closed off.
Liam wanted to say sothing, but he didn’t know what. So he just left, the door closing behind him with a soft click.
***
The address Shay sent led Liam to a small warehouse on the east side of the city.
It wasn’t anything fancy, just a converted storage building with peeling paint and a chain-link fence around it.
Liam parked Tasha’s Civic outside and walked toward the entrance.
The door was slightly ajar, light spilling out from inside.
He pushed it open and stepped in.
The interior was cleaner than he expected. The floor was swept, the walls were bare but not crumbling.
A few old couches and chairs were scattered around the space, clearly salvaged from sowhere but still functional.
A single bulb hung from the ceiling, casting harsh shadows.
There was a card table in one corner with a few folding chairs around it, and a mini fridge humming quietly against the wall.
Four people were inside.
Shay stood near the back, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
Sitting on one of the couches was a guy Liam didn’t recognize.
He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with a stocky build and a permanent scowl etched into his face. His arms were thick, his posture tense, and he was staring at Liam like he’d just walked into the wrong room.
In one of the folding chairs near the card table sat a woman around Liam’s age.
With brown skin and long braids pulled back into a ponytail.
She wore a black tank top and jeans, and even from here, Liam could see she was curvy, her chest filling out the tank top in a way that was hard to ignore.
She was watching him with open curiosity, a faint smirk on her lips.
Above her head, faint and glowing, was a number.
[60/100]
And perched on the arm of the other couch was another woman, older, probably in her late twenties or early thirties.
She had lighter brown skin, her hair cut short in a stylish bob.
She wore a fitted blazer over a low-cut top that showed off her cleavage, and her body was built like soone who took care of themselves but wasn’t shy about their curves.
Her hips were wide, her thighs thick, her ass straining slightly against the fabric of her pants. She sat with one leg crossed over the other, her posture relaxed and confident.
Above her head was another number.
[70/100]
She looked Liam up and down slowly, her lips curving into a sly smile.
"So this is the new boss," she said, her voice smooth and teasing. "Not bad. I was expecting soone older."
Liam didn’t respond. His eyes moved over the group, taking in their expressions, their body language.
The younger woman stood from her chair and walked closer, her hips swaying slightly.
’She’s so hot and cute and she slls like flowers up close and those boobs on her chest are not a joke.’
"I’m Zara," she said, her tone friendly but confident. "I handle logistics. Deliveries, pickups, making sure shit gets where it needs to go without getting stopped."
She extended her hand.
Liam shook it. Her grip was firm.
"Liam," he said.
"I know," Zara said, grinning. "Heard a lot about you. You’re the guy who beat Shay in a fight. That’s pretty impressive."
Liam glanced at Shay, who just shrugged.
The older woman slid off the arm of the couch and walked over, her movents slow and deliberate. She stopped in front of Liam, looking him up and down again with a gaze that was far too appraising.
"Camille," she said, her voice low and almost purring. "I handle intel. Information. I know things. A lot of things." She smiled. "And I like strong n who can handle themselves."
Liam’s jaw tightened slightly, but he kept his expression neutral. "Good to know."
’Definitely crewing her too.’
Camille’s smile widened. "Oh, I like him already."
The grumpy guy stood from the couch then, his arms crossing over his chest, his scowl deepening.
"Damian ," he said, his voice flat and unfriendly. "I’m the one who keeps this crew alive. I handle security, make sure nobody gets jumped, make sure we don’t get caught with our pants down."
He stopped a few feet from Liam, his eyes hard.
"And I’m also the one who thinks this whole thing is bullshit."
The room went quiet.
Liam stared back at him, his expression calm. "That so?"
"Yeah, that’s so," Damian said, his tone sharp. "You walk in here, beat Shay in a fight, and suddenly you think you can run this crew? You think you can make deals with psychos like Mr. L without even asking us?"
Liam didn’t flinch. "I made a call. It needed to be made."
Damian laughed, but it was harsh. "A call? You don’t know the first thing about leading. You don’t know what this crew does. You don’t know how we operate."
"Then tell ," Liam said.
Damian stepped closer, his voice rising. "We’re not like the other gangs in this city. We don’t go around starting wars. We don’t go looking for trouble. Shay built this crew to protect each other. We keep our heads down, we watch each other’s backs, and we don’t make enemies."
He jabbed a finger toward Liam. "And then you show up and make a deal with one of the most dangerous guys in the city? You’re gonna get us all killed."
Zara shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Camille watched with interest, her eyes flicking between Liam and Damian .
Shay stayed silent, his arms still crossed.
Liam took a slow breath, his eyes never leaving Damian . "You done?"
Damian ’s jaw tightened. "I’m done when you give a reason to trust you."
Liam nodded slowly. "Alright."
He looked around the room, making eye contact with each of them.
’If I’m going to run a business, if I’m going to be the boss of anything, I need to step up here. I need to make them see I belong. Because if I can’t even do this, I don’t deserve to start my dream.’
Liam’s voice was steady when he spoke, but there was an edge to it now.
"I get it. You’re a family. You watch each other’s backs. You don’t go looking for trouble. That’s smart. That’s how you’ve survived."
He paused.
"But there’s a problem. There’s soone out there killing entire crews. Three so far. No survivors. And he’s not stopping."
The room was silent now, the weight of his words settling over them.
"So yeah, I made a deal with Mr. L," Liam continued. "Because if we don’t figure out who this killer is and stop him, sooner or later, he’s coming for us. And when he does, keeping our heads down isn’t going to save us."
Damian’s scowl didn’t fade. "And you think working with Mr. L is the answer?"
"I think it gives us a better shot than doing nothing," Liam said.
"Or it gets us killed faster," Damian shot back.
Liam’s jaw tightened. "Maybe. I don’t know. I’m new to this. I’m not going to stand here and pretend I’ve got all the answers."
That seed to catch Damian off guard. His scowl faltered slightly.
Liam continued, his voice quieter now. "I took this from Shay. That ans the responsibility is on now.
And I’m going to do my best to keep you all safe. But I can’t promise you nothing bad will happen. I can’t promise we won’t get hurt. All I can promise is that I’ll do everything I can to protect this crew."
He looked at Damian directly. "And if soone cos after us, I’ll deal with them. That’s all I’ve got."
The room was silent.
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