Page 1 of Beautiful Fiend

PROLOGUE

BILLIE

LET GO - LIL DUSTY G

Two Years Ago…

The screams of the crowd always resonate loudly, but it’s the sound of the fallen that’s deafening.

Tonight, we are the fallen.

Silver Falls is the epitome of the American dream. A beautiful U.S. city full of happy workers and growing families on the south bank of the Silver Snake River. Green parks, bright malls, and one of the best colleges in the tri-state area.

Just like every American dream, it hides its dark, dirty side not far from reach but far enough to turn a blind eye to it.

The North of the river is also simply known as North Shore. Overpopulated, with low to no-income inhabitants, the highest crime rate in our state, and enough criminals to fill up an average-size prison.

Our side of the river is split in two by the gangs who rule it. The Kings of the North Shore, led by the King family, and the North Shore Crew, captained by my dad and older sister.

Criminal organizations have a field day coming to our town and offering deals to our petty gangs so they can grow their empires safely. This is precisely what the Bianco family did. The powerful Cosa Nostra family offered my dad a sweet agreement. They give us protection, money, and power over our rivals, and we work their riskiest crimes in exchange. The kind that would get us arrested and put in prison rather than them. The kind they can always say were never linked to them in the first place.

Thanks to them, in the last year, we took over most of the Kings’ territories. Practically all their deals, and I’m pretty sure they’re running out of options for themselves.

That’s why they contacted the Bratva for help. They want the same kind of sweet pact we have, except with the Russians. The Wolves are a ruthless organization run by invisible men who rarely show their faces. Even their men on the ground are often hard to find. They’re smart, cunning, and always make sure a wolf’s face is the last thing you see.

Which brings me to the here and now. The Bianco family backs up our crew. The Wolves back theirs, and we have been battling over crumbs of business for months now.

It was about time to organize a fight in the Death Cage. The crime families decide who they want to send to settle the fates of us small gangs. The rules are simple, the Bianco family picks someone from NSC to fight, and the Wolves choose someone from the Kings. We settle this the good old-fashioned way; whoever is still standing in the end takes over our town.

It’s archaic, violent, and deadly. But it works. It prevents all of us from killing each other. Only one person has to die to decide who of NSC or the Kings will rule the North Shore.

I wish I’d been picked. I’d have given anything to be in that ring and kill a fucker from the Kings. Not many in our crew can compare to my MMA skills. That’s why I spent a few months fighting in Bianco’s underground rings in California. But since I’ve been back, the head of the Bianco family has shown no interest in me or my fights.

No, tonight our side picked Jake White, a guy I met fighting in L.A. He’s directly linked with Bianco. He’s good, although I don’t know how good the other guy is, and that could change everything.

I tighten my ponytail at the top of my head and hook two fingers in the silver chain around my neck. I run them along it, betraying my nervosity. Jake and I have kind of been dating for the last few weeks. He did it because he wanted to hurt his ex, and I did it because it was nice to have someone by my side for once. Someone warming my bed and giving me pleasure. I’m not the girlfriend type and never really wanted a boyfriend. I would not call what we had a relationship, more like a mutual arrangement. Nonetheless, I’ve started caring for him and don’t want him to die tonight. The Death Cage, as its name points out, only spits one of its fighters back out alive.

My fingers tighten around my chain, and I bite my lower lip trying to focus on the fight. I’m not too close to the front, and I’m smaller than the average seventeen-year-old. Much smaller. I keep having to go on my toes and shift from side to side to try and make out what’s happening past people’s shoulders.

“I heard his girlfriend is here,” a voice startles me. My stepbrother, Xi, is standing next to me, his sardonic smile plastered on his face.

He’s pretending to act unbothered, but if we lose tonight, his side of the business will be the first to suffer. When his mom married my dad, he was given power over the drugs. He meets with our suppliers and spreads it all to our dealers. He gets the money back, takes his hefty cut, and gives the rest to the Bianco family.

If we lose tonight’s fight, we’ll lose Bianco. We’ll lose our suppliers and Xi, his business.

“Yeah, she’s here,” I reply. Jake’s girlfriend or ex, or whatever they have going on, tried to stop him from getting inside the cage. He did it anyway because he didn’t have a choice. None of us do.

“She’s at the front, you know.”

I ignore him, going high on my toes to look at what’s going on.

“She’s gonna have a perfect view of him dying.”

“Stop it,” I snap. “You’re being a dick just ‘cause you didn’t get to fuck her.”

“Maybe I’m being a dick ‘cause he got to fuck you.” He shrugs as if he doesn’t care, even though a second later, his face falls.

“What? What’s going on?” Vast parts of the crowd erupt in cheers, and I watch some people start to make their way out. My people.

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