29

After dinner, we gathered in the game room and discussed the new job. It was no surprise that everyone was excited—half of them had their own personal grudges against the Lily, so having free rein to do whatever they wanted sent them into a frenzy.

"Are you sure you’re feeling well enough to do this tonight?" Shin asked as we entered my room.

"I'm fine," I replied, swapping my blue shirt for a short-sleeved black one. Shin and Kenji watched me from the open closet door.

"You threw up and had a fever when we arrived," Kenji reminded me, making me roll my eyes.

"That was two hours ago. I'm already fine," I shot back, putting on my white jacket. "You’re being dramatic—it's exhausting." I walked past them.

"I'm just saying, it won’t be great if you pass out in the middle of the show," Shin pointed out, following me across the room. "What happened? Was it something you ate?" he asked, concerned.

I changed my sneakers for my boots while recalling my night with Matias, my conversation with Artemis, and the dark thoughts I had sworn never to revisit.

"Maybe," I said dismissively.

"That sounds like a lie," Kenji accused, locking eyes with me. "Why are you lying to us? We're your best friends—we don’t do that, Ryuuji," he reminded me, visibly irritated.

I sighed, looking at their identical faces staring back at me. Kenji was right—I could avoid talking about many things, but I never lied to them. Not since I got out of the reformatory.

"It's nothing about Hebi," I finally admitted.

"It’s not?" they asked in unison.

"I'm just having some problems with a guy," I confessed, a half-truth. Kenji immediately relaxed, giving me a relieved smile, but Shin furrowed his brows and quickly looked away.

"A guy? That’s not so bad," Kenji cheered, grinning wider. "I’m gonna go change—I’ll meet you downstairs." He left me alone with Shin.

Silence stretched between us as I finished lacing up my boots. I felt Shin’s intense gaze on me.

"Don't look at me like that."

"So… is this serious?" he asked without hesitation.

"We’re not dating," I replied, amused, but he didn’t smile.

"And since when do you get into fights with guys you only use for sex?" he shot back, studying me carefully.

"Just ask already," I sighed, impatient.

Shin stepped closer, and I saw jealousy burning in his eyes.

"You promised to tell me when you started liking someone."

"Okay," I agreed, knowing I couldn’t escape this promise. "He found out what we did and destroyed me when he fucked someone else to get back at me," I admitted, forcing a tense smile.

"Oh," he whispered in surprise, putting some distance between us. I watched his mind work.

"No," I answered, pulling him back.

"I didn’t say anything."

"I don’t love him, Shin," I said, reading his doubt. "You know I only feel that way about you," I assured him, watching his jaw unclench.

"I wouldn’t be upset if you loved him too," he countered, but his lie was obvious. "It’s not like you can control that." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

I studied his face, resisting the urge to take his hand and pull him into a warm hug.

"It’s different, Shin."

"You say that, but he still managed to break your heart," he shot back, stealing my words. "And only I used to be able to do that," he reminded me, avoiding my gaze.

"Shin…"

"You don’t have to lie to me, Ryuuji," he cut me off, looking at me again. "More than anyone, you know that I’ll always love you, and no other guy in your life will change that. So stop lying to me, okay?" he asked before leaving the room, not giving me a chance to respond.

I fell onto my back on the bed, running my fingers through my hair, still exhausted from the long, sleepless night and the uncomfortable afternoon. I sat up when my phone started vibrating, pulled it from my pocket, and answered without checking the screen.

"Hey," I said, glancing at the still-closed door.

"It’s getting late, and I want you to come to my place," he said in a husky voice, making my heart race.

"Aren’t you working tonight?" I asked, moving toward the window.

"I already did what I had to do," he replied calmly. "Are you coming?" he insisted, and I smiled at his tempting request.

"I still have work to do, and I don’t know what time I’ll finish," I admitted, listening to the soft sound of his breathing.

"What kind of work?" he asked, his voice low.

"You know—the bad boy kind," I teased, making him fall silent. "Better if I see you tomorrow," I added, knowing that if he said he wanted me, I’d do everything to see him tonight.

"Okay, fine," he finally agreed after a long pause.

"See you tomorrow," I said.

Matias didn’t reply before ending the call. I slipped my phone back into my pocket before leaving the room to meet the other Hebi. As planned, we split into two groups—Kenji’s group, made up of five Hebi, would go to the neutral zone to visit one of Gabriela’s distribution points. My group, with eight members, including Shin and Artemis, would head west—invading Lily territory would drive them crazy. I smirked, imagining Matias’s pissed-off expression when he found out what we had done.

"We’ll need to be quick," Shin warned from the back seat. "As soon as they notice, they’ll call the cops and the other Lily members." He leaned between the front seats.

"That’s why Kenji and the others need to hurry. While they’re distracted with what’s happening in the neutral zone, we’ll have some fun in their house," Artemis replied, turning off her phone screen.

I checked the rearview mirror to make sure the other car was still following us. We were almost at the west side when Kenji sent the alert. They had started.

I stepped on the gas, speeding into enemy territory. Artemis guided me through the empty streets toward the nearby distribution point. It was a small taco restaurant. As we got closer, I noticed it was a narrow, two-story building. The lights were still on, and two tables were set outside for a group of customers.

"Let’s get started," I announced. Without hesitation, I drove the car straight into the restaurant.

The people outside screamed in shock. Through the shattered windshield and flying debris, I spotted two tall men pinned against the wall—both in uniforms, their olive skin resembling Matias’s.