The song for this chapter is Devils - Say Hi.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

*TRIGGER WARNING: this chapter contains themes of extreme violence and mentioning of drugs. If any of these themes trigger you then please don't read on & stay safe.*

Celeste

The concept of playing a game of life and death with my own life wasn't something that was new territory for me. I knew the rules of the games inside and out; death was a gamble that I took every single time I made an impulsive or irrational decision.

This time was no different other than the fact that the decision wasn't irrational, even though it could be considered impulsive.

Heisting the drugs was an impulsive decision; we didn't plan to go out and do a drug heist and shoot up an entire gang headquarters, however, we didn't seize the contraband from people who didn't deserve it. Our targets were thought out and executed with the principles set solidly in stone.

I can't speak on behalf of Harry and Zayn when discussing principles and morale when it came to selecting our targets, but I can sleep soundly at night knowing that I took from people who attempted to take directly out of my pocket in a sleazy and serpent-like manner.

Honesty is the value that I hold very close to my heart. If you can't be honest then what can you be? If you can't look me directly in the eye and tell me the honest truth then why should I dish you out my respect?

None of those people in the tattoo parlour that night were honest people.

They were vermin.

I wouldn't feel a slither of guilt from putting a bullet through their skulls.

Staring down the barrel of a gun for what I did that night felt like an honest way to die to me.

"What would that be?"

Harry's voice rang through the air and broke me out of my dazed state enough to focus my eyes on the figure that was stood directly in my line of vision. I wasn't shocked that they were trying to deliver us consequences, and what they believed was the ultimate punishment, for the damage that we did to The Young Knives. I was shocked that the chosen time and place was where we were.

The figure clicked their tongue in a condescending manner; a manner that made my blood instantly boil and curdle in my skin. I didn't dare drop my gaze and indicate a sign of weakness to the scum that was attempting to mock us, I kept my eyes focused directly on them and let them know that I wasn't there to fuck around. They leaned against the container that I read as 26C, twirling the keys that we needed between their fingers as they altered their gaze between the three of us.

"I'm not talking to you, boy. I'm talking to her."

I felt Harry instantly step forward in a protective manner; I held my hand up to signal him to stop as I stared intently into the figure's irises, my eyes narrowing in anger as I tried to maintain my calm composure.

"Speak," I commanded, folding my arms across my chest as I awaited the response.

A low, patronizing chuckle left their lips as they continued to twirl the keys between their fingers. Another tongue click left their lips as they shook their head from side to side, the result being me gradually losing my shit as the vermin continued to believe that I would tolerate such disrespect.

"Now, now, Celeste. Where are your manners?"

"Up your ass with your fucking pride if you keep talking to me like I'm a piece of shit on your cheap and battered shoes. Don't fucking play with me. What do you want?" I seethed out, my patience wearing thin as each second passed that I wasn't unloading our drugs in the container.

I heard Zayn chuckle under his breath at my retort, causing a slight smirk to creep up onto my features that I quickly removed. I sensed the figure in front of me clench their jaw in what I could only imagine was absolute fury over being spoken to in a tone that didn't even slightly register fear at their presence. I can't speak as if I knew what was going through their mind at that moment but I can make a solid guess that it was vivid imagery regarding inflicting violence upon the three of us.

The figure leaned up from their position against the container and stopped twirling the keys between their fingers before taking a few strides towards us. I managed to scope out the surroundings in the distance and noticed two stationed black SUVs facing our direction. I cleared my throat to attract Harry and Zayn's attention before I moved my hands at each side of me, pointing my fingers in the direction of the SUVs in front of us. I sensed the two of them shift slightly on their feet from their positions behind me, adjusting their stances so that they were on guard.

It wasn't a reach to make the assumption that there was going to be no easy way for us to get out of this one.

The figure made its way over to us, stopping directly in front of me with their hands behind their back as they locked eye contact with me. They tilted their head to the side as they proceeded to spit on the floor at the side of them, locking our gazes once more before clearing their throat as if they were going to make a revolutionary statement.

"Filthy mouth for a woman of your status, Delgado."

"You're not worthy of having my family name in between them disgusting lips of yours. A woman of my status yet I haven't the faintest fucking clue who you even are," I responded in a calm manner, tilting my head to the side as enjoyed my front-row seat to watching the blood boil underneath their skin.

I knew that our time was getting increasingly more limited and sparse the longer that this altercation was playing out; I knew that I was pressing the figure's patience with my sharp-tongued remarks so it was only a matter of time before they snapped. If the three of us didn't plan our moves correctly there was almost certainly going to be a blood-bath. I shifted my weight to my left side as I cocked my head to the side further, my gaze never shifting from the figure's irises as I watched them seethe out venom at the derogatory words that left my lips, tearing down their pride and integrity. I sensed the figure position their hand on the right side of the waistband of their tightly fitted tailored pants, my gaze shifting for a minuscule second before returning to lock our gazes. Zayn observed the movement, making a clear point of clearing his throat and repeating the same action the figure did to alert them that he too was armed with a gun; a factor that I was unaware of as I was unarmed. I was unsure at that moment whether Harry was armed but I prayed to whatever fucking God there was that he was, or otherwise we were done for.

"Now, now. No need for violence. We're just having a little chat, aren't we?" I stated, a slight smirk playing at the corners of my lips.

The figure removed their hand from the side of their tailored pants, placing their hands behind their back as they let out a sinister chuckle. They flickered their gaze to the men behind me before returning our locked gaze and replying, "Oh, most definitely. Just a friendly chat."

"Cut the bullshit. Give us the keys."

Harry's abrupt and harsh tone circulated the air around us, his evident impatience and tolerance for the games deteriorating as the pettiness continued between myself and the figure. I managed to prevent myself from turning around and punching him directly in the face for his foolishness; he should have known by now to leave the negotiating to me.

His patience and anger issues always got the fucking better of him.

Instead of inflicting a heavy use of violence on the idiotic man behind me, I decided to use the outburst to my advantage. I took a step closer to the figure in front of me, the boys taking another step to match mine for protection, before spitting on the floor at the side of me in a declaration of disgust.

"As you can see, my partner here has no desire to stand around and play foolish games with the vermin of the streets like yourself. You see, he has a terrible temper. All it takes is one little flick of that switch inside his head and he's like a rabid dog who shows no mercy. My other partner accompanying me, the one with the gun positioned perfectly in his waistband just like yours, has the best aim in the whole of Los Angeles. He never misses a target. All it takes is for me to set one off of his leash and give the other the nod to draw his gun before this whole lot is filled with absolute carnage. I don't even have to bat an eyelid before yourself and your disciples in that parked SUV are decimated just like that night in the tattoo parlour. We wouldn't want that now, would we?"

I watched as the eyes of the figure began to fill with a combination of rage and fear. It didn't take much for their stance to instantly shift from confident to apprehensive. Both men behind me took a slight step towards me to assert their dominance as I kept my gaze fixed on the figure in front of me. I held my hand up to halt them from moving any further as I closed the gap between myself and the figure, my gaze never leaving theirs as I levelled with them.

"Wise choice. Would you do me the pleasure of informing me what we have that you're claiming is yours?"

I observed a slight glimmer form in the figure's irises at my question, their head cocking to the side as a slow smirk spread across their features. It was taking a large amount of strength that I didn't know I possessed to not kill the piece of shit on the spot. I could sense both Harry and Zayn growing increasingly impatient with all of the stalling that was occurring by the low exasperated exhales that were periodically leaving their lips in frustration.

"I think you know exactly what belongs to me, Delgado."

"Did I not warn you that my family name doesn't ever want to cross your lips again? You're lucky I'm not in the fighting mood today or otherwise, I'd have to remove your tongue out of principle. Now, back to the question. If I knew what you were referring to I clearly wouldn't have asked the question. Enlighten us," the words that left my lips leaked nothing but pure venom and malice at the audacity of the figure in front of me.

The figure's jaw clenched instantly at the implication of graphic violence that left my lips in response to their blatant disregard of my orders. I sensed a quiet chuckle leave Zayn's lips behind me at the tongue removal idea; it took everything in my power to not smirk at Zayn's response but I managed to refrain from breaking my character. The figure clicked their tongue at my statement, cocking their head to the side as they kept our gazes in an intense lock.

"The bags of drugs that were seized from the parlour. They belong to me."

I folded my arms across my chest as I took in the statement that the figure delivered to me, my head tilting in a mirrored motion to theirs before I shook my head from side to side and clicked my tongue in response. I kept my eyes leveled with theirs before I turned around slightly so I was half facing Zayn and Harry behind me.

"Bags of drugs? Doesn't ring a bell to me. Does it ring a bell to you, boys?" I questioned in a slightly condescending tone, my eyes fixing back on the figure's once I'd done a quick once-over of Harry and Zayn.

Harry shook his head in response; Zayn, however, decided that his arrogant personality was going to have a bit of fun with the situation that we'd found ourselves in. He tilted his head to the side and placed his fingers under his chin as he pretended to think hard about the question that I'd asked. I refrained from rolling my eyes at his prolonged actions and evident desire to make the figure seethe venom once more. A long few seconds later, Zayn finally shook his head in response and tutted.

"Afraid not. I do, however, have a vivid recollection of every single person in that parlour being nothing but obedient puppies."

The statement that left Zayn's mouth evidently made the figure's blood boil over in rage at the discrediting of their affiliates. I sensed the figure's hand reflex to the fire-arm that was stationed in their waistband; a low tut left my lips as I shook my head in response, signaling my head to Zayn behind me who had mirrored the figures actions almost instantly. Harry had shifted his position closer to mine in a protective manner, my stance in front of him changing back so I was fully facing the figure in front of me.

"Easy, easy. Remember what I said about these two? You don't want to go and make them mad."

"I couldn't give a fucking shit if I make them mad, you're collective, as a three, making me fucking mad," the figure seethed in response to my caution, causing Harry's head to snap into their direction.

"Watch your fucking tone with her," Harry snapped, pure venom and anger lacing his words as he spat out his response.

Zayn edged closer towards my frame in response to Harry's venomous tone, as if he could sense that the figure was going to retaliate with violence. The figure, however, didn't edge towards violence; they simply took a step back and let out an exasperated exhale as if they couldn't quite process what the next move was going to be. I knew, in the single rational part of my brain, that the three of us needed to plan what our route was going to be; there was no indication of how many other people there were stationed around this lot. Even with our skill-set, the chances of us getting out of this unscathed were slim.

"Can the precious Celeste not speak for herself?"

The figure's voice snapped me out of my plotting and turned my attention back to the situation we were in. I cocked my head to the side and placed both of my hands behind my back. I signalled my fingers to either side of me to instruct the boys to spread out behind me. I sensed them adjust their positions as I kept my gaze fixed solidly on the figure in front of me, allowing the rage and venom to spread through my veins and fill me up with the urgent necessity of irrationality and impulsiveness that would be required to get us out of this one. I took several steps forward before stopping directly in front of the figure. I felt my thigh burn and itch where my knife should have been; I tried to shake off the uneasiness I felt in my stomach over the fact I was the head of this operation and currently unarmed by taking a deep inhalation and focusing myself.

"Celeste can speak for herself. Can you speak for yourself? Or are you just here to play some games and try and fuck around with people that you really don't want to fuck with?" I questioned, keeping my hands behind my back for the next instruction to the boys.

"I'm here to reclaim what was taken from me. A personal vendetta if you will."

I shook my head from side to side in response to the figure's statement, my fists clenching several times behind my back as I felt the rage course through my body.

How could one person be so unknowing of their blatant stupidity?

"I'm afraid to say that you are deserving, and owed, absolutely nothing. The cargo that you are referring to was stolen from Delgado warehouses, infiltrated by your own people. The cargo was never yours, nor would it even be yours now if we handed it to you. The Delgado warehouses have been under surveillance for some time now by myself and by people who work for me. Explain to me, if you would be so kind, on what grounds you believe that we should hand over the cargo that should have never been in your possession to start with?"

As I delivered my response to the figure, I moved my hands in a downwards motion behind my back to alert the boys to be on guard. I said a silent manifestation in my head that the boys would have the intellectual capacity between them to understand the motion that I delivered to them. I was also hoping that one of them had given André a signal to alert him to disband with the cargo if it came to it. I kept my gaze fixed directly on the figure as they processed the words that had left my mouth. They looked perplexed and confused by the question, even though the answer was simple enough.

They had no right.

Not one single fucking slither of a right.

They cocked their head to the side as they too moved their hands behind their back; something they clearly didn't realise I was highly trained to catch. I held one finger on each hand up behind my back to alert the boys to stay on guard and get prepared.

"You see, Celeste. I don't like being declined; you could say it taints my ego. It would be within your best interest to return the goods to me now and nobody gets hurt."

A sinister chuckle left my lips as I stepped a few steps forward so I was face-to-face with the figure in front of me. I kept my hands behind my back and kept my fingers held up to tell the boys to halt their positions.

"Ah, wouldn't it be awful if your ego fell lower than it did that night that we shot up your shitty parlour, Mr. Dwayne Bellarí? Then again, is it even possible for your ego to fall lower than it did when you saw the decimation of your son's ego after we were done with him? You know, you should really ensure that the person you assign as the leader of your gang has an impeccable fighting ability. It didn't take much to get him to scream out where the drugs were."

I watched the colour drain from Dwayne Bellarí's face at the mention of Kit's tragic demise at the hands of Harry. Accompanied by the draining colour of his features was the rage that was slowly spreading through every fibre of his body as he kept his deadly glare fixed on mine. I slowly signalled my fingers in an upwards motion behind my back to signal the boys to start to draw their weapons and prepare for what was going to happen.

"You shouldn't make a lion angry, Celeste. It doesn't end up working well in your favour."

Before I could get a chance to signal the boys to shoot, Dwayne had drawn his shotgun from the waistband of his jeans and pressed it against my forehead. I signalled the boys behind me to keep their cool and to not do anything until I commanded them to do so. I pressed my forehead against the shotgun more as I allowed a slow smirk to spread over my features.

At that moment I'd come to terms with the fact that I was stood face-to-face with death in its most deadliest form. I wasn't afraid of losing my physical vessel at the hands of the shotgun that was aiming directly at me; it was losing my mental clarity and power at the hands of a being that believed that they were above me. I stared down the barrel of the shotgun and took a deep inhalation of breath as I prepared to dance with the Devil.

"Shoot."

I kept my gaze fixed solidly on the irises of Dwayne; I observed the perplexity rise to the surface of his irises as he tried to process the command that came from my lips. I watched his fingers tremble on the gun as he understood that I wasn't afraid of dying. I had a plan, one that I planned to execute to absolute perfection, and there was no way I was going to let him stand in the way of me getting what I fucking wanted. His grip continued to slip on the gun as the rage that was once coursing through his veins was replaced with nerves. As I watched the beads of sweat trickle down his face I let a slow sinister laugh leave my lips as the next phase of my plan. I observed him become increasingly more confused and nervous; just as I suspected.

"What are you laughing at?"

The words left his lips in a stuttered manner, his gaze flickering from my face to the gun that he was holding in his hands. His grip trembled more under the pressure of this situation, which only caused my laugh to become more manic at the absurdity of his presence.

Once I'd managed to contain my laugher a little I responded with the same smirk on my lips as I had when he drew his gun, "You're a man who claims to be the most dangerous in downtown Los Angeles, yet the power of a woman in your presence who shows no fear makes your fingers tremble on the trigger of your gun. A man who can't hold himself in a confrontation shouldn't feel the power of a gun between the palms of his hands."

Before Dwayne got a chance to process the words that had leaked from my lips, I took the gun from his palms and disarmed him. Holding the gun between the palms of my hands I aimed it directly at his chest, taking a step backwards as I placed my finger on the trigger. It took several seconds too many for him to process what had just happened in the time it had taken me to disarm him and point the shotgun back at him. The colour drained from his face as he flickered his gaze from me to Harry and Zayn behind me. I had no way to be able to signal to them to draw their weapons and prepare for a fight, so I prayed to whatever higher power would listen that they would use their brains.

"Come on, Celeste. There's no need for violence," Dwayne said, raising his hands in self-defence as I kept the gun pointed in his direction.

I tutted as I shook my head from side to side in response to his absurd comment, keeping my gun aimed at him whilst I responded, "You see the power that the gun can possess when it's in the right hands? Take your arrogant, hypermasculine ass back to that parked SUV and go back to cleaning up that parlour of yours."

Dwayne took several steps backwards with his arms still raised as I stayed planted in place, not wavering my grip on the gun as I kept my gaze fixed directly on him. His gaze never broke from mine as he continued his descent back to the SUV, I signalled my head to the side to indicate to the boys to ease their stance and be ready to flee back to André and the car.

Just as I was about to lead the journey back to André, I noticed a slow smirk creep onto Dwayne's features. Without a second to process the transformation on his face, Dwayne clicked his fingers and multiple black SUV's sped into the lot and began to open fire on the three of us. I began to open fire onto no target in particular as Zayn whistled some form of coded warning to André whilst Harry flew in front of me to fire at the numerous faceless targets that swarmed the lot. I darted out from behind Harry and took long strides as I expertly gunned down one of the targets driving a vehicle, causing the vehicle to screech to a halt as I gunned down the remaining targets in the vehicle. I took off at a fast speed towards Dwayne who was opening fire at Harry and Zayn who were darting between vehicles and ducking for cover.

"Celeste! Stop!" Harry shouted out, but the words were muted and went over my head as I saw nothing but red as I approached Dwayne from behind.

Just as I was about to sneak up from behind him and take the pleasure of firing a bullet through his brain, he sharply turned around and struck me over the head with the handle of his gun. I hit the floor with such ferocity that I felt the air be completely knocked out of my body as my eyes glossed over to distort my vision. The gun that I had held in my palms flew out of my grasp as my body hit the floor; Dwayne's foot extended out as he kicked the gun away from my body so it was far away from my grasp. In the few seconds that I laid on the floor trying to get to grips with reality, I made out the figures of Harry and Zayn darting between gunshots and be completely preoccupied with preserving their life.

At that moment I knew I was fucked beyond comprehension.

I felt the harsh grip of Dwayne's hands push me over so I was laid on my back; the pain coursing through my skull and my body causing a loud groan to leave my lips in protest. Dwayne's knee positioned itself on my chest as he twirled his own gun between his fingers.

"What was it that you were saying earlier about the power of a gun in the hands of someone that can appreciate its power, Delgado?"

His words oozed out of his unworthy lips like pure venom as he kept his knee pressed firmly against my chest. I felt my breathing begin to slowly shallow as I kept my gaze locked on his in pure hatred. I had noticed that Dwayne had perfectly managed to position our interaction behind a stationary vehicle so that we would be unseen to Harry and Zayn. I overestimated his stupidity previously; he knew exactly what he was doing.

"You can pretend that you possess all of the power in the world, Dwayne. The fact still remains that we fucked you over. We won. Where are your precious stolen drugs?"

The words left my lips in choked breaths but I knew he understood and picked up on every single word by the fury that presented itself in the form of his narrowed eyes. I knew that Dwayne believed that if he took my life he would have delivered Kit some justice for what happened to him at the hands of Harry. I also knew that Dwayne killing Harry wouldn't have shown any form of leadership; Harry was nobody to Dwayne. I, however, was the daughter of my Papa, someone that Dwayne had a long-standing hatred and competition with. By taking me out, Dwayne would rise up in the underbelly of Los Angeles crime, even if it would be only short-lived.

Surely he must have known that he would be taken out as soon as the news spread to my Papa and his men?

Upon closer observation of Dwayne, though, it was inherently obvious that Dwayne was only concerned with the feeling of power and control; slightly like me in that sense. Dwayne's downfall was the fact that he didn't fight for what he believed was right. He planned everything that he was going to do on the instant power he would feel once he'd followed through with his desire. He didn't desire wealth or a martyr figure - he desired to feel powerful. He didn't care who he lied to, who he deceived, or who he wrongly did by. He only cared about how people would think about him for a short while after.

He was weak.

He craved to feel the illusion of power.

Just like all men.

"Do you have a dying declaration, Delgado?"

I let out a breathy chuckle as I kept my gaze fixated on his irises that leaked through a red undertone. I took a deep inhalation as I seethed out, "It's a woman's world, Bellarí. Remember that it was a woman who pushed you to this level of weakness."

Just as he was about to point the gun directly at my head, Harry swooped behind him and wrapped his arms around him in an attempt to restrain him. As I was about to let out a relieved exhale and lift myself up off the ground of the lot, I heard a gunshot go off and a sharp pain course through my chest.

"Celeste!"

Zayn's scream pierced the air that surrounded me as I felt my back hit the ground once again. The breath was completely knocked out of me as my eyes began to glaze over in complete disorientation. The pain that was coursing through my body was one that I couldn't even begin to articulate; it was like a burning hot fire was coursing through every crevice of my upper body and there was no way to cool off the organs that it was penetrating. I could vaguely make out Zayn's distressed face peering over me in anguish, his hand dropping his gun at the side of my body as he lifted me up to cradle me in his arms. Another vague gunshot noise racketed off in the distance as Zayn kept me cradled in his arms. Harry was nowhere to be vaguely made out; the only thing I could make out was Zayn's pained voice echoing in my ears.

"Stay with me, Celeste. Come on, stay with me. I need you to tell me you can hear me."

I took in a painful inhalation of breath as I choked out, "I can hear you."

I felt Zayn let out a relieved exhale as he continued to cradle me in his arms. I could feel myself slip in and out of consciousness as I tried my hardest to keep myself awake. There was no way I was allowing myself to slip away at the hands of a worthless man with the delusion that he was powerful.

"Where's Harry?" I choked out as I felt my head tilt to the side slightly under the lack of grip I had on my consciousness.

Zayn pressed the palm of his hand against the area of my chest that was leaking blood; a breathless groan left my lips as I winced my eyes shut in pain. I could feel myself slipping further and further into the realm of the unconscious no matter how hard I tried to keep my fingertips gripping onto reality.

"Harry's here, Celeste. He's here."

I couldn't tell whether or not Zayn was fabricating the truth in order to appease me at that moment but I didn't care. I had accepted that this may have been my end and if I had to go under the illusion that Harry was there at that moment then that's what I had to do. I feebly took Zayn's hand in my own, feeling Zayn's grasp on it tighten almost instantly as he kept his other hand pressed on my chest. I kept up my best efforts to keep my eyes open enough to lock them with Zayn's, but the overwhelming feeling of disintegration took over my body and made my vision hazy and blurred. Zayn's grasp tightened even more on my palm as he let out a steady exhale.

"Stay with me, Celeste."

His words faded into nothingness as I let a slight smile take over my lips. I was slipping away and I knew that this was the moment that I had met my demise. I kept my gaze focused on Zayn until my eyelids fell heavy and with my last breath I said, "Tell Harry that I'll see him in hell."

*******************************

It was at that moment Harry, that I truly did believe that there was no way out. I was surrounded by a black casting of light that was clouding my vision and leaving me breathless. I believed that I'd only ever felt breathless and hazy when I had a multitude of drugs coursing around my system.

That wasn't the truth.

I'd felt breathless and hazy at the touch of your fingertips outlining every inch of my body whilst you whispered sinful nothings into the crook of my neck; you had me feeling that way long before this tragic turn of events.

I was holding on in a hope of feeling that way again.

If I lost the feeling of succumbing completely to your arrogance and your foolish tendencies then at least I knew that I could die happy knowing that I'd felt and experienced your touch.

Every single day we bargained with the Devil and we had become experts at dodging the repercussions.

Where we came from we knew that there were no saviours.

We were so foolish in believing that we could be each others saviour, weren't we?

We danced with the Devil that day and the outcome was one that we could have never have anticipated.

I felt the breath leave my body as I said my truthful dying declaration.

We were Sinners, Harry.

And sin, we did.