Chapter 8

We parked the cars before the bridge near the city exit, and I left the car, listening to the sound of the river running and the strong wind shaking the branches of the thick trees.

Artemis walked beside me as we made our way toward the bridge, and no one seemed to care, but it was uncomfortable to feel her scrutinizing gaze burning into my skin. I hid my hands inside the jacket, spotting the small group waiting at the start of the deserted bridge. The motorcycles were parked, and by the weak light of the street lamps, I counted five members of the Lily family.

"What's his name?" I asked Shin without taking my eyes off the only Lily member with his back to us.

"Matias Sánchez," Artemis answered.

The group kept getting closer, and I noticed his height, his brown hair, and the dark jeans.

Matias Sánchez.

Matias.

I stopped walking, feeling each beat of my heart, my blood running hot, and my mind throbbing painfully.

Mat.

He turned around as the other members spread out around him, and his eyes quickly met mine. Surprise and shock caught him off guard just like me, but unlike me, Mat... Matias clenched his jaw, making his expression more controlled.

"Ryuuji," Kenji murmured behind me, noticing my long silence.

My rigid body moved toward him, and Matias did the same, still keeping his gaze locked on mine. My attention dropped to his gray shirt under the black leather jacket, to his clenched fists, before returning to his lips twisted in disgust.

"You’re Matias," I said, the words sliding out like acid, and the shock was quickly replaced by fury and agony.

Matias is a Lily.

Mat is my enemy.

"Ryu," Matias started, making every cell in my body burn. "Ryuuji Hataki," he finished, casting a careful look at his colleagues before forcing a smile and returning to my face.

I clenched my fists inside the jacket, feeling the frantic beats of my heart making me restless. The image of him smiling as he noticed the book I gave him hit me like a sharp knife. That smile died, and all that remained was disdain.

"How about a game?" I suggested, breaking the tense silence and making everyone exchange glances. "Shall we play, Matias?" I smiled, tilting my head.

He kept staring at me, ignoring the looks of the other members.

"Just you and me, until only one of us is left standing," I revealed, feeling the wind bring the scent of Matias. "If you win, you get the money and the phone, and vice versa," I proposed, ignoring the memory of my mouth tasting his skin, memorizing his flavor.

"Ryuuji," Artemis chided, stepping toward us.

"Shut up," I snapped, turning my face toward her. She stopped abruptly, forcing herself to be silent.

"Matias," a familiar voice called my attention.

I looked at Anton. He was the leader of the young Lily members and did all sorts of dirty work for Gabriela. He was violent and almost unstoppable, but the scar marking his face from our last encounter showed that he wasn’t untouchable.

But Anton was no longer the leader. Gabriela brought her precious son to the forefront; now he was the new face of the Lily family.

"Just you and me," Matias accepted, his voice low and hoarse.

I smiled, feeling my body stir with excitement. I began to take off the jacket, hearing the murmurs behind me.

"Ryuu..." Kenji approached, holding my jacket, but I interrupted him.

"Don’t let anyone interfere," I ordered, meeting his gaze.

Kenji hesitated but nodded firmly. My attention returned to Matias, who was whispering to Anton. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, and I hated getting excited by the increased exposure of skin.

Son of a bitch.

Matias walked toward me with firm steps while Anton ordered everyone to move back. I took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of wet earth. It was just Matias and me in the middle of the paved street, under the starry sky with the cold wind blowing through us. I studied his face and smiled as I noticed his attention on my hair.

"You just wanted to do something radical, didn’t you?" he criticized in a low voice, making sure the others couldn’t hear us.

"And you weren’t scared because I’m one of them," I commented, realizing I had misinterpreted his reaction.

Matias gritted his teeth and looked at me with so much hatred it was almost amusing. The last time a guy looked at me like that, I made sure he’d never stand again. I started moving, making him follow me like a shadow.

"What would your friends say if they knew a Hebi fucked their leader last night?" I teased in a murmur, hoping his rage would intensify, but if it affected him, Matias didn’t show it.

"You’ll regret lying to me," he said before attacking.

I ran toward him, so blinded by anger that I didn’t care about plans. I just wanted to hurt him in the most brutal and horrible way possible, and I didn’t care at all if he did the same to me. Physical pain was far better than that strange feeling crawling under my skin and lodging in my chest, and I wondered if Matias felt the same. Maybe, yes. Why did our fight seem so unbalanced? Like me, Matias wasn’t thinking about anything—just the pain we’d cause each other.

I staggered back after receiving a punch to the stomach, gasping for air, but Matias grabbed my hair, and before his fist could break my nose, I threw myself against his body, taking us both to the ground.

"This brings back memories," I joked, tasting blood in my mouth, analyzing his face, as bruised as mine. Matias had a deep cut at the corner of his mouth and a large wound that started on his cheek and went up to his temple.

Even wounded, he was still beautiful.

"Go fuck yourself," he spat with irritation, trying to free himself from my hands. I tightened my grip on his wrists.

"I thought you were interesting," I commented, ignoring the annoying pain in my teeth and abdomen. I hated admitting it—Matias was strong and agile, and he knew exactly where to hit to make me falter. "But you’re just a spoiled rich kid, just like any other Lily. What happened? You were so bored with your luxurious life that you decided to play bad guy?" I mocked, smiling.

"You’re so pathetic," he retorted, suddenly thrusting his hips up and flipping his body, pinning me to the asphalt. "There’s a difference between my mom being in power and your dad living in the shadows," he declared, grabbing my dirty shirt and punching my face.

I felt my lip split open, and my head throbbed intensely. I held his wrist, but Matias punched me again, leaving me dizzy.

"Your daddy plays with drugs and gambling for bored rich people while my mom has the trust of every resident of this place. She controls the cops and everything that comes in and out of this city. My mom built an empire—what did your dad do?" He punched me harder, making my vision blur. "You’re just bad blood," he shot, throwing gasoline on my rage.

Bad blood.

Bad blood.

Matias screamed when I twisted his wrist, and with my other hand, I punched his throat, knocking him off of me.

"You’re going to regret this," I warned, ignoring every pain that ran through my body. His battered face turned toward me as I grabbed the collar of his shirt and punched his diaphragm, making him groan and his nails sink into my shoulder.

I ignored the pleasant vibration that ran over my skin, just like his scent mixed with blood and sweat. I grabbed his damp hair and pulled him against my knee.

Matias fell to the ground disoriented, and I bent over, holding my stomach. However, my legs wobbled, and I dropped to my knees, feeling shaky. I took a sharp breath, my damp hair sticking to my forehead, and the blood dripping down my chin had a strong metallic taste.

In the distance, I heard footsteps approaching. I lifted my head, looking at Matias. Even with his broken nose, he struggled to get up. I laughed when he collapsed sideways, disoriented and out of breath.

"That’s enough."

Artemis said, standing beside me. I didn’t protest when arms pulled me up, allowing the air to painfully fill my chest.

"The phone!" she ordered, throwing the bag of money to Anton, who was also helping his friend to stand.

With difficulty, I observed his battered face and his gray shirt dirty with dirt and blood. His brown eyes stared at me so intensely that they seemed to pierce my wounded soul.

"We’re done here," Artemis declared, and Anton agreed, holding Matias against his strong body.

Satisfied, I watched Anton drag his friend, but his brown eyes remained locked on mine. Smiling, I showed him the middle finger before spitting on the ground.

"Ryuuji," Shin called, but I dodged his grip.

"I can walk on my own," I said, ignoring the help.

I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth. My fingers were badly bruised and swollen, but my attention was on the girl walking toward the cars. I forced my body to move, and with unsteady steps, I approached Artemis.

"Hey," I called, making her stop before getting in the car.

"What..." Artemis turned with irritation, but her words died when I grabbed her hair and shoved her face roughly against the hood of the car.

"Ryuuji," Shin reprimanded, grabbing my arm.

"You shouldn’t have interfered," I warned, seeing the anger burning in her eyes. "Know your place," I ordered, releasing her.

"That’s enough," Shin positioned himself in front of me, creating space between us. "That was going too far. If Artemis hadn’t stopped you, I would have," he declared, holding my gaze.

"We’ve got the phone, let’s go," Kenji said, hugging my waist, giving me more stability. "You did great, the guys loved the show," he whispered, pulling me and letting me lean on him as he helped me into the white car.

I sank into the seat, ignoring the burning on my face and the throbbing pain in my ribs. My friends thought I did it to entertain them, to remind them what it was like to be with me before the reform school, and I wondered what they would think if they knew the truth.