30

Without needing orders, Artemis and Shin swiftly exited the wrecked car. The employees would be on high alert as soon as they noticed our white jackets and hair. With excitement building in my chest, I felt my heart pounding hard and adrenaline kicking in, my eyes widening.

Shin charged at the employees with the other Hebi, immobilizing and knocking them out. Artemis followed me upstairs. The first-floor hallway was narrow, with faded orange paint. When a boy our age appeared, Artemis dashed past me and struck like a snake. I heard the Lily's groans as I entered the first room, only to be met with a punch. I grabbed the boy’s hand and threw myself against his body, taking us both to the ground.

Behind me, I could hear the other Hebi running in search of more targets.

"Son of a—" the boy tried to say.

"Shut up," I ordered, punching his throat and cutting off his words. "We're just getting started, idiot," I declared, yanking him by the hair before slamming his head against the floor. The Lily passed out, and I stood up, finding myself in a small room filled with stacked boxes.

"Let's go," Artemis said, appearing in the doorway.

"This place doesn’t seem important," I commented, following her down the hall.

"It's just one of the storage sites. Gabriela likes to split up the merchandise," she replied with a shrug.

We moved toward the chaos on the second floor. In a wider hallway, we found two Lily members lying on the bloodstained floor. Without hesitation, Artemis jumped into the first fight she saw—a tall woman was standing over an unconscious Hebi while others struggled to restrain two younger Lily members. I smirked as my half-sister launched herself at the woman, full of rage. Artemis was strong and had incredible control over her body. It didn’t take long for the older Lily to go down, and Artemis shouted for the others to hurry.

"Just going to stand there and watch?" she criticized, passing me, disheveled and breathless.

"It’s entertaining too," I replied, still grinning.

We only found three more Lily members after the woman. The place was too small and uninteresting. I wanted more—I wanted to fight until my fingers went numb and my muscles ached from the intense exercise.

"They called the police," Shin informed us, entering what looked like an office. There was a computer, a metal cabinet full of drugs, and a locked safe.

"Han," I called for the girl. She entered with another boy, both carrying gasoline canisters. "Be quick," I ordered, watching them pour the liquid across the room before heading down the hallway.

Artemis and Shin followed me out of the building. My car was already parked across the street. The other Hebi were waiting, some with clean and spotless clothes as if nothing had happened, while others were covered in blood and had bruised faces. I looked away as Han and the boy ran out of the building, and flames ignited.

"Do you know where the other sales point is?" I asked Artemis.

"Are you sure? Gabriela must already know what’s happening," she reminded me, watching the fire.

"Are you scared?" I teased, catching her attention.

Artemis took a deep breath and sent me a mocking smile.

"Looks like it's going to be a long night," she remarked, making me even more excited.

"Are we just going to leave them here?" Shin questioned, pointing at the Lily members sprawled near the alley.

"Someone will find them," I said indifferently. I called the others, and we left as fast as we could.

We moved away from the approaching sirens, and I focused on the next destination. Artemis led us to an abandoned warehouse at the edge of the West territory. I could smell the forest nearby and hear the distant sound of the river.

"Ayumi reported more security. It looks like Gabriela stores some of her weapons here," she explained as I observed the yellowish lights behind the closed windows. "Are you sure?" she asked without criticism.

"This seems more interesting," I replied, hearing Shin chuckle quietly in the back seat.

"We need to take them by surprise," Shin joined the conversation.

"They already know what happened. Surprise is something we won't have," Artemis countered.

"He’s not talking about that kind of surprise," I commented, pulling my phone from my pocket. Artemis stayed silent, but I noticed her giving a questioning look to the boy in the back seat. I called Han in the other car.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Remember last summer?"

Han laughed, catching onto my thoughts.

"Leave it to us," she agreed and hung up.

"What happened last summer?" Artemis demanded, confused.

"We were pretty reckless," Shin replied, smiling along with me. "I think you would have liked it," he said, studying the quiet girl.

"Let’s—" My words died when headlights appeared at the end of the street.

Shin and Artemis followed my gaze, watching as several motorcycles came to a stop in the middle of the deserted road. I had to hold back a smile as I noticed Matias getting off his bike and removing his helmet.

"Looks like the party's over," Shin grumbled.

"For me, the party just got better," I declared, stepping out into the cold night. I heard the others do the same, and soon, all the Hebi were around me.

From a distance, I saw Matias giving orders, making the Lily members spread out across the deserted street. They wore similar clothes, all carrying leather jackets.

"You’re pretty far from home, Ryuuji," Matias called out, raising his voice.

"What can I say? I really missed you," I shouted, feeling my heart race.

The Hebi laughed, but my Matias didn’t show any emotion. My gaze traveled down his dark green shirt, the leather jacket tied around his waist, and his black cargo pants. He looked so attractive it made me angry—it was hard to hurt such a pretty face.

"Ryuu..." Artemis started, but I quickly cut her off.

"Go," I ordered, and from the smooth movement of Matias’s lips, I saw that he had given the same command.

In less than a minute, the Hebi and Lily clashed, and the fight began.

"He’s mine," I warned, shooting Artemis a sharp look as she remained by my side. "Take Anton—I heard you two have a special connection," I added with a smirk.

"Don’t humiliate yourself again," she retorted with disgust before diving into the fight in search of Anton.

"We’re in his territory—don’t let your guard down," Shin ordered, grabbing my shoulder. "I’ll keep an eye on you in case you need help."

"You should keep an eye on your girlfriend," I shot back, but Shin just ignored my jealousy.

"She knows how to be responsible, unlike you," he teased before walking away.

Shin entered the fight with enthusiasm. I smiled as I watched him take down a Lily, freeing an injured Hebi.

"You shouldn’t have come here."

The familiar voice sent a chill down my spine, but before I could turn around, Matias grabbed my jacket and slammed me to the ground.

"Shit, that hurts," I complained, watching him tower over me. "But I was serious—I missed you," I admitted, trapped in his intense gaze.

"Don’t do this here," he ordered, leaning in.