The song for this chapter is Call Me Devil - Friends in Tokyo.

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*TRIGGER WARNING: this chapter contains heavy themes of violence, death, drug & alcohol use. If any of this upsets or triggers you then please don't read on & stay safe.*

Harry

I couldn't comprehend, nor could I fathom, the fact there was absolutely no complexities surrounding what happened in that fucking lot; I was the reason that he fired the bullet.

I was the reason that you were laid there in that hospital bed.

I was the reason that you could have died.

I couldn't look at you in that state and just sit there and pretend that everything was fine, I knew that my boys would have stayed loyal to the cause and make sure nothing further could have gone wrong.

My mind was spiralling, my body was failing me as I sat in the same dimly lit red club where it all began.

I thought that we were bulletproof, Celeste.

I thought it would all play out as planned.

It all went too far.

I would apologise but it's futile.

I've already condemned myself, angel.

I'm so much more than a sinner.

I'm the Devil, himself.

You?

A combination of God and the Devil swirls and mixes inside of you to the point where you're bursting with heaven and leaking out hellfire.

You're deadly.

You're everything I need to repent.

"For fuck sake, Harry. Are you even listening to a word that I'm fucking saying?"

Niall's shrill voice pierced through my ears as I sat swirling the whiskey around in my glass; my gaze was fixed on anything apart from him. The intoxication was overpowering my senses, it was doing everything I fucking needed it to in order to remove any traces of the last several hours from my mind. I refused to move my gaze from the bustling bodies that were intoxicatingly moving their bodies to the beat of the rock song that was booming through the speakers. I raised the glass to my lips and took a long swig before slamming the glass on the table.

"I can hear exactly what you're fucking saying, Niall. I've heard everything that you've fucking thrown at me in the last thirty minutes that you've been sat on this fucking leather couch. I fucking heard you."

The words came out laced with anger, distress and pure pain; my hands were trembling with pure rage as I let out a shaky exhale and ran my fingers through my sweaty curls. The cocaine that was spreading through my veins from my trip to the bathroom stalls prior to Niall arriving was a pathetic reminder that I wasn't strong enough to tackle this whole situation head-on and without drugs. Whenever it came to Celeste, my heart claimed the power over my brain and sent me deep into a dark spiral of intoxication and drug binges. Niall knew all of this, of course, hence why he was being so fucking persistent over trying to get me to get out of whatever the fuck I'd found myself in.

"If you can hear me then listen to this you fucking prick. This whole scenario right here isn't fucking about you, or the mission, or your fucking ego. Celeste is in a fucking hospital bed with a fatal bullet wound to the fucking chest whilst you're sat here drowning your fucking regrets with whiskey, cocaine, and distractions. You can't distract yourself from this, Harry. This is so much more than whatever you fucking think you're going through. Sort your fucking shit out, mate. Or otherwise, it'll get sorted without you."

The rage consumed every section of my body at the truthfulness that left his lips; I picked up the glass and smashed it directly off the table so the shards of glass fell on the surface. Before I got a second to process what was occurring, I picked up a shard of the glass and stood up. In one swift motion, I hovered over Niall and held the shard to his neck, my eyes turning the darkest shade I imagine to be humanly possible. Niall didn't even flinch at the threat that I instantly posed on his life; he stayed leaned back on the couch with his irises boring into mine as he let out a dark chuckle.

"Hurt me, Harry. Go on, big man. Hurt me because you can't handle the fucking truth," he spoke calmly, his gaze never leaving mine as I held the shard of glass against his skin with my trembling hand.

"You're walking a very fucking fine line with me, Niall. Stop if you know what's fucking good for you."

The words left my lips in a growl, my hand pressing the shard against his skin forcefully in an attempt to break the skin. I knew that I was being irrational the second I smashed the glass; the commotion wasn't enough for the people surrounding us to stop their dancing to the music that was blasting. I kept my gaze fixed on Niall's irises as I debated my next move.

"A line that I don't give a fuck about walking when you're sat here sniffing and drinking your life away whilst she's laid unconscious in that fucking hospital bed because between you, Zayn, and André you couldn't contain the situation. If she loses her life at the hands of you fucking idiots then how does that reflect on us? Go on, Harry. Fucking slice my throat if it makes you feel better."

The words circled around my intoxicated brain before I dropped the glass shard from my grasp and proceeded to run my fingers through my hair. I took several steps backward, the backs of my legs hitting the table before I sat down on the surface and placed my head in my hands. I dragged my fingers down my face, the breaths that were leaving my body coming out short and rugged as I tried to recollect my thoughts. I sensed Niall lean forward so he was on my level, my head snapping up to meet his gaze as I clenched my jaw in frustration.

"What the fuck do you want me to do, Niall?"

Niall rubbed the pad of his thumb over his lower lip as he placed his hand on my knee in some form of twisted reassurance. He kept his voice low as he responded, "We need to resolve this. People need to pay."

"Who? Who needs to pay? It's my fucking fault she's in the condition she's in, Niall," I shot back, the pain and distress lacing in my words as I felt myself get more high-rate about the situation.

Niall let out an exasperated sigh as he shook his head from side to side whilst responding, "You need to get out of this fucking regretful state of mind. Yes, you fucked up. You all fucked up. Letting these emotions consume you and send you into a spiral isn't going to change what fucking happened, Harry. I'm bored of this; I'm bored of you feeling sorry for yourself. You know, and I know, that you're a cold, callous, sick, motherfucker. Where's that energy now that we need it? Why are you letting this shake you up like this? She got injured. She knew the game that she was getting into the minute she stepped up to Dwayne. It happened. Now we have to make the people who orchestrated it play our game."

I knew that Niall didn't have a single inclination of the feelings that I felt towards Celeste but that didn't stop the fury rise to the surface at his dismissiveness towards my feelings. I was never one for emotions, I would rather have died than let anyone get a glimpse of me spiraling, but I knew Niall knew me all too well. He was one hundred percent accurate about us having to get the source of the setup and lure them into our playground, so I agreed with his proposition.

"How are we going to infiltrate and source the master-mind? We know it's not Dwayne, so it must be someone who knows Dwayne. Someone on the inside," I questioned, cracking my knuckles between my legs as I waited for his response.

Niall went silent for a few seconds as he allowed my question to circulate his brain; his gaze fixated on the illuminated red floor whilst he thought. His head shot up almost instantly, a dead serious look overtaking his features as he stared at me.

"We need to pay someone a visit."

I furrowed my eyebrows as I tilted my head to the side slightly and responded, "Who?"

"Cora."

I could practically feel my gaze pierce through Niall's as my jaw clenched and my whole body stiffened. I ran my fingers over my lips as I contemplated his solution, wondering to myself if stooping to that level was even worth it at that moment. Logically I knew that Cora was our best bet at getting to the bottom of this whole ambush but I couldn't fathom seeing her, or hearing her arrogance leak from her in abundance.

The thought made my stomach churn.

"Cora won't work with me, Niall. Not after last time. Not a fucking chance."

A low groan left Niall's lips as he threw his head back against the couch before shooting back a rage-filled, "There we go again. For the fucking last time, Harry, this isn't about you. I'd rather fall into my own grave right now than let the fucking Bellarí's one-up me. Get your cock between your legs and get up, now. We need to go see Zayn."

I could assure every single fucking sweaty, intoxicated, body in Sinners that night that had any one of them said what Niall had said to me, they'd be dead before the last word left their lips.

I swung myself up off of the table, and grabbed my suit jacket, before beginning my exit out of the club. I pushed all the intoxicated bodies out of my path without any form of sincerities; the mood that was coursing through my body was one of absolute hatred and anger. Had a single person dared to try and cause a scene, my gun would have fired a bullet straight through their skull before they got a chance to process it. Pushing the doors of the club open, I felt the cold Los Angeles breeze bathe my skin as I allowed my eyes to close briefly and savor the moment. The moment was short-lived by Niall taking my arm and dragging me in the direction of his Range Rover jeep that was stationary in the middle of the parking lot. Once he'd unlocked the vehicle, I didn't hesitate to climb in and rest my head against the headrest of the passenger seat. Niall followed suit shortly after, switching on the engine and speeding away without taking a second to settle himself in his seat.

"I'm not going into that hospital. I'll wait in the car," I informed him, keeping my gaze fixed directly out of my window as I watched the scenery zoom by us in a blur.

"You don't have to. I'll go and grab Zayn and bring him out. André and Seth will be more than capable to hold the fort down whilst he's gone."

I didn't bother to give him an audible response, I just nodded my head once and kept my gaze fixed out of my window. Now that the cocaine and alcohol had been shaken out of my system, courtesy of Niall, I couldn't prevent the events replaying in my brain on a constant loop. The sound of the bullet leaving Bellarí's gun as I gripped him from behind was playing sinister tricks on my rationality as I kept my gaze fixed on the blurs that were passing. The sight of Celeste's body hitting the floor as soon as the bullet penetrated her chest was something that I knew would haunt my dreams, no matter whether she made a full recovery or not. I knew that Niall was completely justified in his anger towards Zayn, André, and I, but that didn't prevent a fit of pure anger course through my veins at the way he spoke to me. I didn't expect him to know the extent of my feelings towards Celeste, but I did expect him to have a slight bit of empathy considering he was as upset over the events as we all were. I suppose that's the effect of the world we had dedicated ourselves to; completely stripping and diminishing any traces of empathy or emotion. Niall would never allow himself to be perceived as weak by anyone outside of our circle, a lot like myself, Zayn, André, and Seth. For us to do so displays an easy target on each and every single one of our heads.

Even Celeste understood the implications and consequences that surround weakness and vulnerability.

That's why she pressed her head directly on the end of the shotgun.

She knew that she was playing in the Devil's playground.

She knew she was playing a sinister and twisted game of life or death with her own life on the line.

She knew that there was a 50/50 chance that she was going to die.

I hoped, for the sake of my own life as well as hers, that she lived.

Within minutes Niall had sped into the parking lot of the hospital that held Celeste; my stomach instantly began to churn and sink at the thought of her body lying on one of the beds unconscious. Niall didn't even tell me to wait in the jeep, he knew there was no chance of my feet stepping inside of that hospital, before he jumped out the driver's side and began to run towards the entrance. I let out an instant exhale as soon as he was out of earshot, my head hitting against the headrest as I closed my eyes. I allowed myself to revel in the silence of the vehicle for a few moments before I stepped outside of it myself, pulling a packet of cigarettes out of my pocket and resting against the hood of the jeep. I plucked a cigarette out of the packet and placed it between my lips, ensuring that my eyes were still scoping out the parking lot for any suspicious activity that had the potential to arise. I lit the cigarette, closing my eyes as soon as the nicotine filled my lungs and basking in the feeling of release that was taking over my body.

Just as I was about to take another drag of the cigarette, I was shaken by the feeling of a fist connecting directly with my nose.

The cigarette fell out of my grasp as the blood leaked from my nostrils. Before I got a chance to comprehend what was happening, I felt another sharp blow to my jaw that completely knocked me off my feet. My skull connected directly to the concrete ground, my eyes shooting open to see Zayn mounted on top of me with pure rage in his eyes. A low groan left my lips as I grabbed him by the back of his jacket and flung him onto the ground beside me, before peeling myself off of the ground and sitting upright.

"What the fuck is your problem, Zayn?"

The words left my lips in a low and broken tone, my hands coming up to my face to wipe the blood that was leaking from my nostrils. One quick sweep of the surrounding area revealed to me that Niall had been stood at the hood of his jeep watching the whole time, with absolutely no desire to do anything to stop our fight. I narrowed my eyes in his direction as I rubbed the back of my head to try and diffuse the pain that was coursing through my skull.

"What's my problem? Where the fuck have you been, you fucking dick? We needed you here. She fucking needs you here," Zayn yelled out, resuming himself back to a standing position as he kept his glaring gaze fixed on me.

I rose to my feet with a low groan of pain, extending my arms and legs out in front of me to try and shake the feeling of numbness from my body. I connected our gazes together before responding, "What's it to you? I'm fucking here now, aren't I?"

An unamused laugh left Zayn's lips as he wiped the pad of his thumb across his lower lip, shaking his head from side to side as if he couldn't comprehend what had left my mouth. He reconnected our gazes whilst replying, "You're an absolute fucking joke, Harry. A fucking joke."

I didn't bother responding. I couldn't. I knew he was right.

Niall finally decided it was time to intervene, taking a few steps forward to stand in the middle of us.

"Fucking cut it out, the pair of you. This can wait. We need to ask you to accompany us somewhere, Zayn."

Zayn turned to face Niall, running his fingers through his hair as he leaned against the passenger door of the jeep. His face read a mixture of emotions, some that I couldn't comprehend. He looked absolutely fucked; his irises read nothing at all.

He was numb.

"Accompany you where?"

"We need to see Cora."

Zayn's irises quickly change from displaying nothing to displaying pure rage at the mere mentioning of his sister's name. I knew that Zayn and Cora's relationship wasn't strained at all; they were incredibly close and worked amazingly as a team. Cora's brains mixed with Zayn's assassin-like skills were absolutely deadly. I knew that Zayn's rage, and anger, was down to him not wanting her to be dragged into this absolute fucking mess that we'd created.

"Not a fucking chance. She's staying out of this. There's no place for her here that I could even remotely fucking justify. I'm not risking her life for a suicide mission that won't resolve anything," the words left his mouth with an undertone of absolute seriousness.

There was no way Zayn was ever going to agree to Niall's request.

"I understand what you're saying, Zayn, but there's a bigger picture here. Celeste is in critical condition and there's no fucking way we as a collective can let that slide. We need to figure out who the fuck set up the ambush. We need to know who tipped off Dwayne Bellarí and the only way we can do that is with Cora's help. She won't get hurt, Zayn. We won't take her with us."

I could see Zayn contemplate what Niall had said. If I knew Zayn as well as I thought I did then I knew that he knew the severity of the situation that we'd found ourselves in. Celeste had a bigger target on her back than we could have ever imagined; most definitely due to her father and her last name. After a few minutes of silence that had fallen between us, Zayn let out an exasperated sigh and a nod.

"Okay, I'll take us to Cora. If she so much as gets a scratch on her body though, I'll fucking kill each and every single one of you with my bare hands."

Niall and I nodded in unison before making our way to the front of the jeep and climbing in, Zayn following suit behind us and climbing into the back of the vehicle. Niall wasted no time, again, in speeding out of the hospital parking lot and onto the freeway. His hands gripped the wheel so tightly that they turned white, his eyes focused on nothing other than the road ahead of him.

"Where is Cora?" Niall questioned, his tone sharp and abrupt as he flickered his gaze to Zayn briefly through the central mirror.

"Warehouse 21 downtown. Do you know the ones?" Zayn replied, his tone equally as sharp and abrupt.

Niall nodded once, hitting down harder on the accelerator as he sped us down the freeway and in the direction of downtown Los Angeles. The atmosphere in the jeep was nothing shy of tense; there were no futile attempts of small-talk or light conversation. We knew and understood the extent and level that we were going to have to reach in order to get to the bottom of the ambush. I knew that I was going to have to push away the history that Cora and I shared in order to get the information that we needed. Our history, at that moment in time, was nothing other than that.

History.

The past would have to remain in the past in order for us to be able to work together; any snotty remarks or digs would have to be buried. Like Niall had said previously, this was so much bigger than any of us. Bigger than the three of us in the jeep, bigger than Cora, and bigger than anything that would attempt to stand in our way. I would keep my word to Zayn that nothing would happen to Cora but that would be the extent of my loyalties to her. Getting justice for Celeste was all that was on my mind as I sat in the passenger seat of the Range Rover, speeding down the streets of downtown Los Angeles to our next mission.

Within no time at all, we screeched to a halt outside of Warehouse 21. The only thing that I could see occupying the outside area was a sleek black BMW that I knew all too well.

It was Cora's.

I took a deep inhalation of breath before climbing out of the comfort of the Range Rover and slamming the door shut. I heard Niall and Zayn do the same thing as I shrugged on my black jacket and made my way over to the shutters. There was a slight gap between the shutter and the ground, a gap big enough for us to climb under to gain entrance to the inside of the warehouse. I stepped out of the way to allow Zayn access first, proceeding to climb under once he was through. Niall followed instantly after, the three of us halting in our steps as we heard a shrieking wail ricochet off the walls.

"How many times do I have to fucking tell you, you pathetic piece of shit, that I can quite easily do this all fucking day long?"

The voice that spoke the words belonged to no other than Cora Malik; equipped with a sharp blade in her left hand. She looked exactly the same as she did before; a pair of black latex pants hugged her slender frame, a black turtle neck dressing her upper half, a pair of black stiletto boots tapping on the ground as she circled the man who was bound to the chair in front of her. Her cat-like features were a perfect indication of her; feline, savage, dangerous. She revelled in making her victims suffer and watching them deteriorate before her as each minute passes. She was wired differently, to say the least. She'd learnt everything that she knew from Zayn; a man who was known for his shameless ability to tear away life in seconds.

Cora and Celeste together are two women that I would not fuck with.

"Now, now, now, Cora. What have I told you about playing with shit?" Zayn tutted, taking a few steps forward towards Cora who had stopped circling the man to see where the voice came from.

A slow, sinister, smirk etched onto her features as she twirled the blade in between her fingers. She let out a high-pitched laugh before taking a few steps towards him and embracing him in a tight hug.

"Shit indeed, brother. Nothing more than a wasted excuse of a man. I'll take great pleasure in tearing him apart limb from limb but for now, I'm enjoying our little game of cat and mouse."

A chuckle left Zayn's lips as he stepped back from their embrace and placed his hands on Cora's shoulders. Cora's gaze flickered behind Zayn, the smirk that had once etched onto her lips soon being replaced with a look of pure disgust.

"I see you've brought company. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Cora observed, beginning to walk back over to the chair that occupied her victim.

"We need your help, Cora. We need you to locate the phone records of Dwayne Bellarí," Niall chimed in, proceeding to take a few steps forwards so he was stood next to Zayn.

Cora cocked her head to the side, twirling the blade between her fingers as she flickered her gaze between both Zayn and Niall. She proceeded to jam the blade into her victim's shoulder, causing a loud scream to leave his lips. She left the blade inside of his shoulder as she took a few steps forwards once again, her arms folded across her chest as she kept her gazes on them.

"Dwayne Bellarí? Why?"

"He was the head of an ambush that took place on me, Harry and Celeste Delgado. He fired a shot that's left Celeste unconscious in hospital but Harry fired the shot that ultimately killed Dwayne. We need access to his phone records to see what calls he made and received before the ambush took place," Zayn explained to her, keeping his gaze fixed directly on hers as she took in what he said.

Her eyebrows instantly raised as she reiterated, "Celeste Delgado? Why the fuck would I do anything to help a Delgado?"

I could almost taste the venom that was leaking out of Cora's lips at the mention of a Delgado in her presence. Her full demeanor instantly changed to a more hostile stance as she clenched her jaw in an aggressive manner.

"Easy, Cora. She's not like Antoni. She's a victim of his as much as everyone else is," Zayn attempted to soothe her, his hand placing itself back on her shoulder as he took a step towards her to close their distance.

"I couldn't give a single fuck if she's not like him, the fact that you're all even associating yourselves with their webs of deceit is making me sick. I'll do absolutely nothing to help save the life of a Delgado. Every single one of them can suffer just like the innocent people whose lives they've stripped from them."

I took a few steps forward towards the three of them and folded my arms across my chest as I prepared to feel the wrath of Cora Malik.

"Celeste Delgado is important to the three of us; she's the link that we need to get to the bottom of all of the bullshit that's taking place in the underground belly of the criminal world. You don't have to explained to any of us how the Delgado's are absolute vermin, we've experienced it first hand, but Zayn is right in saying that Celeste is one of the main victims of Antoni. She doesn't deserve to lose her life unfairly and at the hands of a Bellarí at that. She's put herself at the receiving end of a bullet for not only myself but for your brother, too. You owe her nothing, nothing at all, but you owe your brother this one favour."

Cora's eyes bored into mine with pure hatred and disgust; something that I expected. She looked as if she registered what I'd said but I knew Cora, she wanted something in return. She kept her gaze pierced into mine as she took steps forward so she was stood directly in front of me, her arms still folded across her chest as she stared intensely into my eyes.

"Anything that comes out of your mouth is as useful to me as shit on the bottom of my fucking heels. So, she sacrificed her life for my brother and I'm supposed to be eternally grateful and owe her my thank-you's? More fool her for being a Delgado. I owe my brother nothing for associating himself with the vermin of the underworld. Source the data you need yourselves as I'm not demoting myself to help aid a Delgado in need."

With a finishing flourish of her response, she proceeded to spit on the floor in front of me before turning around on her heels and making her way back over to behind the chair of her victim. She circled around him, her pointer finger trailing across his skin as she seethed absolute venom at the three of us. Neither I nor Niall had a response in us to try and argue our case. Zayn, however, didn't fear his sister or her wrath. His jaw clenched at the disrespect that leaked out of Cora's mouth, accompanied by the clenching of his fists at the sides of his body, before he dished out his truth to his sister.

"Actually, Cora, you do owe her. You owe her because she doesn't have the choice that you have. Celeste has never had a say in the life that she's been subjected to live at the hands of Antoni. You didn't have to pick the route you've picked; we had a choice. We choose to do what we do. Celeste is a victim of years and years of criminal grooming to make her who she is today; she was born to be a successor of the Delgado's when Antoni chooses. She's rebelled against what her father stands for and this is her fate? Death at the hands of an ambush that someone plotted and planned? You, however, don't live the fear of being a target because of your name and your legacy. You walk around with all the brains in the world, the malice of a scorned individual, yet you chose this," Zayn began to circle around Cora as he delivered his speech before continuing with, "You chose to be a target. You chose to be the hero of your own story, pretending like you've been so inherently mistreated by those around you when in reality, you haven't. Stop standing a pretend higher ground because you're venomous of the fact that you feel like our involvement with Celeste is some sort of backstabbing to you. You're not a victim, Cora. You have the power to bring actual justice to a woman who has suffered at the hands of male domination and toxicity for years, instead of inflicting pain on men who have scorned you in this warehouse."

Zayn didn't even give Cora a chance to process the words that left his mouth before he turned around and began to head towards the shutter of the warehouse. Niall and I followed behind him without uttering another word in the direction of Cora. My blood was running hotter than hell through my veins at the blatant ignorance and superiority complex that Cora dared to possess. It took every fibre of my being to not explode and release my wrath right there on the spot, so much so that my fists were clenched at each side of my body as I continued to follow the boys towards the shutter.

"Wait."

Zayn pivoted on the spot so he was facing his sister again, his face displaying an expressionless expression as Niall and I followed his motions in turning around to face Cora. I could tell that Cora was affected in some way by the truths that Zayn had fired at her; she looked shockingly timid in comparison to her usual fiery self.

"I'll do it. I'll track the phone records," Cora continued as she kept her gaze on her brother.

Zayn nodded simply in response as he stayed cemented in his spot, not uttering out a response. Cora turned on her heels and walked over to a desk at the back of the warehouse, not bothering to return to her victim who was still tied to the chair that she'd left him in with the blade sticking out his shoulder. I turned my attention to Niall who had noticed the victim like myself. He returned my gaze with a side-eye and a clearing of his throat.

"He needs to go," Niall spoke into the silence of the warehouse, Cora glancing up from her position behind the desk to connect irises with Niall.

"Then get the job done."

The response from Cora earned an eye-roll from Niall before he proceeded to take steps forward towards the victim in the chair. It was a logical demand that Niall had thrown into the atmosphere; whoever the bastard was had heard too much for us to just simply let him go. Zayn didn't show any form of emotion towards the sinister acts that were going to play out in front of him, he stayed cemented in his spot with his hands behind his back as he awaited the information from Cora who was tapping away on her laptop. Niall had reached Cora's victim and stood in front of him with his hands behind his back as he observed the damage that had already been done at the hands of Cora. He tutted as he removed his black jacket from his frame and discarded it at the side of him. He proceeded to fold up the sleeves of the black long-sleeve that was hugging his upper half before leaning forward and ripping the duct tape from the victim's mouth.

"She's really taken her time in making sure you suffer. What have you done, hm?"

It was as if the atmosphere shifted instantly as soon as the words left Niall's mouth; I could hear his tone darken as soon as the jacket had been removed from his body. Niall had been my longest friend, the only person who knew every element of me, and I knew that the darkest part of Niall came out when he faced the task of execution. He took the greatest pleasure in stripping guilty people of their right to life and he did it without showing any mercy or remorse. This was a sharp contrast to his hidden compassion and empathy that he had hidden inside of himself for those he cared about. I knew that Niall being assigned with the task of leading the scumbag that was in the chair was a cruel move, but one that would ensure that he was in the headspace for his plan.

"She's a fucking psychopath!"

The words escaped the victim's mouth with such malice and panic that it almost made a chuckle escape the back of my throat; he knew these were his final moments before he was ripped away from his body and his soul descended to whatever hell was waiting for him below us.

Little did he know that Niall was going to cause him more pain and commit more sins than he would ever encounter in Lucifer's den.

"Now, now, now. That's no way to speak about a woman, is it? Especially in the presence of her brother."

Niall was circling the victim as he spoke out his words, a smirk etching itself onto his lips as he proceeded to pull the blade out of his shoulder at such a force it almost made me wince. Zayn kept his gaze locked directly onto the victim as he took in every single second of the interaction that was occurring before us. The tapping of the keys on a laptop bounced off every single wall in the warehouse as Niall wiped the blade down the victim's shirt, causing a line of blood to form on the white shirt that clothed the nameless victim's upper half. An array of whimpers left the victim's lips as Niall ensured to take his time in taunting him with the blade; he pressed the blade against different areas of his body as a taunting action to make him feel like his life was going to be stripped away each time the blade touched his skin.

"Please, don't kill me."

A loud chuckle left Niall's lips at the pathetic begging for life, if anything it had the reverse effect on Niall and jeered him on further to play a game of life and death with the victim in the chair. Niall adored nothing more than knowing that he possessed powers that were infinite in this world; he had the power to choose whether someone lived or someone died.

They always died.

"Oh but you see, I don't take disrespecting women very lightly. Cora isn't a psychopath because she detests you, she's a psychopath because she chooses torture as her preferred method. She's a scorned woman and there's nothing more dangerous than a scorned woman. You ought to thank her for passing this responsibility onto me, really. I won't be quite as much fun as our lovely Cora over there. You're not worthy of playing my games. This will be quick. You just won't know when it's coming," Niall delivered his exceptional declaration whilst standing behind the victim with his lips pressed to his ear, ensuring that a word never went unheard as he trailed the blade across his neck in a taunting manner.

Cora's head snapped up from behind her laptop, her face reading an expression of confusion as she connected her gaze with Zayn's. Zayn reacted instantly, taking long strides over to Cora as he uttered to Niall, "Keep doing what you're doing."

Niall nodded in response as he continued with his demented game, my feet leading me over to the desk that Cora and Zayn occupied. Zayn's eyes were scanning across the screen of the laptop as Cora stood in an upright position with her eyebrows furrowed as she re-read what I was positive she'd read a thousand times.

"What've you found?" I questioned, standing on the opposite side of the desk to the two of them with my arms folded across my chest.

Cora lifted her gaze from the laptop before she locked her gaze with mine in a disgusted manner. I knew she was trying to maintain a civil ground between the two of us in front of Zayn and for that, I was incredibly grateful, however, it wasn't something we could air out in front of him so I just swallowed my anger and allowed her to display her malice.

She swallowed down whatever anger was bubbling inside of her before responding with a cold, "I've located the phone records of Dwayne Bellarí and there's no evidence of him receiving or making any calls to Antoni. There are calls to and from members of The Young Knives, including his son Kit, but there's nothing relating to Antoni or any of Antoni's main men. That doesn't necessarily rule out Antoni as the man behind the ambush though. He's clever. Calculated. He wouldn't have his face on something like a hit against his own daughter. If he's done it, he's got someone to do his dirty work for him."

I hung onto every word that left Cora's mouth as I allowed the information to swirl around in my brain. I could hear a scream come from behind me, shaking it off knowing that Niall had taken the bastard in the chair out of his misery. I ran the pad of my thumb across my lower lip as I considered all of the possibilities that could have taken place. My mind was swirling around with all of the possible theories and scenarios that could have taken place; then I remembered that I was attempting to get into the head of one of the most dangerous men in Los Angeles.

"What about Lana, Celeste's friend? Is there any indication of her on the phone records?"

Niall's voice shook me out of my thoughts as he made his way over to the three of us, shrugging on his black jacket again once he'd approached us.

Cora shook her head a few times whilst she folded her arms across her chest replying, "Nothing."

An air of silence fell between us as he all tried to rack our brains with the possibilities of what could have occurred in the lot at the hands of someone that was so far off our radar. Zayn's eyes hadn't torn away from the laptop screen during our whole conversation; his irises were scanning the screen continuously before he suddenly snapped his head up and straightened his posture.

"There's no display of Antoni's name in Dwayne's call records because Antoni doesn't deal with Dwayne directly. Everyone who knows anything about Antoni knows that he's never the face of the Delgado's; he's just the name and the main man. He has men all around him that take oath's of loyalty to him. If Antoni had anything to do with the ambush that happened at the lot then I'm one hundred fucking per cent positive that he'd have had one of his men do it for him. How can we rule out the possibility that Antoni has one, or several, of his men infiltrating rival gangs like The Young Knives to pass on information to him about their moves?"

"And what? The information gets passed on about our heist at the tattoo parlour and the hit gets put out on Celeste for messing in his affairs?" I question, standing up straight from my leaned position over the table as I contemplated Zayn's theory.

Zayn shrugs his shoulders before continuing with, "Not necessarily. It's hypothetical but I wouldn't put it past Antoni to want to take out his own daughter for taking her own stand against The Young Knives infiltrating the warehouses. Despite her despising Antoni, she's going to remain loyal to him because he's her father. Antoni's a power-hungry, cold, man with no regard for his daughter's loyalties to him. Is it that far-fetched that he has people spying on rival gangs and perhaps Celeste's own ties to the criminal underworld away from him?"

Niall leaned against the table as he ran his fingers through his hair and Cora took in every single word that left Zayn's mouth. I stood there, unsure of what route to take with this information. Fucking with Antoni Delgado at this stage of the mission was something that could have possibly jeopardized the success that I aimed to have. I knew that there was a line that was off-limits for me to cross but the thought of Celeste possibly dying because of a hit that was orchestrated by her father was something that made my blood boil and the rage course through my body.

Fuck the mission.

"So, how are we going to pin this on him? We have no legitimate evidence and we have no leads because of the blank phone records," I pointed out, locking gazes with Zayn who had placed both of his hands on the desk in front of him in exasperation with the whole ordeal.

"No fucking clue but we need to figure it out and soon. This whole situation is a ticking time-bomb and we have no clue how long we have left," he responded, his gaze dropping to the desk in front of him at the words that had left his lips.

The concept of Celeste slipping away as each second passed by was making me physically sick to my stomach. I didn't know how much longer I could hold on without releasing the darkest side of myself to seek justice and revenge for her. The emotions were bottling up inside of me as each moment went by without a single clue or lead on who the culprit was. Niall hadn't uttered a word since he approached the table and gave us the suggestion of Lana being behind the hit; he was stood with his hands in his pockets and a deep in thought look on his face as Cora began to tap away on her laptop. The three of us men were defeated at that second.

We had nothing.

We'd lost everything.

"There appears to be a formal luncheon happening tomorrow at the Delgado property for high-ranking gang leaders, businessmen, crooked police officers, and the mistresses of those attending. My guess is that if we want to get inside information then we need to get inside of that luncheon," Cora informed us, peering up from behind her laptop as she watched us all.

"There's not a chance Harry can go. Antoni already knows who he is, it'd be far too suspicious," Niall chimed in, earning a glare from me from my position at the side of him.

"Not necessarily true. Harry attending may give us leverage if Antoni already has a level of trust for him after the hit on Celeste's club. We can introduce ourselves as old business associates of Harry's from his early days. Bankers could work," Zayn responds, his pams still on the table as he flickered his gaze between the both of us.

Niall nodded in response whilst Cora slammed the lid of her laptop down before shooting at us, "You'll all need a believable story and at least one of you will need a woman on your arm or otherwise it'll look suspicious."

Zayn shook his head instantly whilst replying with, "Not a chance are you going into a field this dangerous. It's a high-risk job, Cora. You're not fucking going."

Cora took several steps towards Zayn, ensuring that her cat-like eyes were level with his as she responded with a callous, "You're not a true Malik without the brains of the operation. How're you going to plan an escape route or a backup plan without my expertise? Earpieces? Wire-tapping each of us? Can you do that, Zayn?"

Zayn let out a defeated groan before turning away from Cora and heading towards the shutter with his hands gripping the back of his own head in stress.

"Fuck this up, Cora, and I'll let Celeste kill you when she wakes up."

An evil chuckle escaped Cora's lips at the promise that left Zayn's lips as she picked up the bloody blade from the side of the victims chair that Niall had used. She proceeded to twirl the blade around in her fingers as she locked eyes with me from across the warehouse in a taunting manner.

"A Delgado kill me? Not if I kill each and every one of them first."