Chapter 1

“You’ll pay for that you bitch,” the fuckface spits, pouncing forwards and almost hitting Kat in the face. But she’s fast; far faster than this shithead. My best friend laughs as she kicks the man in the balls, shoving him away from her in the process.

High-fiving her, I smile at the big grin on her face. “Let’s go before his friends decide to pay us a visit,” I warn, grabbing Kat’s hand and dragging her away. 

“Aww no I don’t want to leave! That guy still had some fight left in him!” She complains, squeezing my hand before ripping hers from my grasp and grinning. “I never run away from a fight,” she reminds me and I frown, my lips settling into a thin line.

“Perhaps you don’t, but that doesn’t mean I have to do the same. And what, are you going to force your best friend to get beaten up?” I whip out my best puppy dog eyes, which somehow always seem to work on my friend but literally no one else.

Kat lets out a groan before grabbing my hand again and pulling me along in the direction we were originally going. “Ugh, don’t lie to me - you’d kick their asses before I’d even be able to. But like you always remind me, Aria would be pissed if she knew I got into a fight again anyway, so I’ll let you have this one,” she reasons.

Smiling at my victory, I let her continue to pull me along for a while until we make it back to where we originally left our motorbikes. Kat turns to me, grinning again. “Well, please tell daddy dearest that I won’t be back until late tonight.”

Scoffing, I fasten the helmet on my head. “It’s hardly my job to deal with the Boss’s anger every time you go out and get laid.”

Kat smacks my shoulder, glaring at me. “Oi oi, I’m going on a date with my girlfriend, and you’d better not tell him what we may or may not get up to at night. Just tell him I’m having dinner with Aria, ok?”

Groaning, I subject myself to being yelled at by a very scary man. Gritting my teeth, I let out a long sigh. “Fine. It’s my job to protect you, and that includes your emotional health, so I’m going to argue that letting you stay out late and risking being attacked by a rival gang is worth it because you’ll get to go see your girlfriend. That had better convince the Boss,” I mumble, knowing full-well that it won’t.

Kat shouts her thanks as she speeds away, off to see Aria again. Starting the engine of my own motorbike, I groan again, not looking forward to explaining this to Kat’s father. Sure enough, once I’m through the gates to the Boss’s estate, anxiety pours over me in waves.

Clenching my fists in my pockets, I stroll up to the doors, pretending that I’m not about to piss myself in fear. Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door to the Boss’s study. A moment later I enter, fiddling with my rings in my pockets.

“Where is Ekaterina?” 

Hello to you too.

“Hello, Boss. She is having dinner with Miss Aria tonight.” 

The Boss nods slowly, like he understands. Does he? Probably not, he’s most likely just playing with me. He tends to do this. Make it seem like I’ll get away easily, and then snatching my freedom from me at the last second.

“I see. So my daughter is risking her life for a meal. Understandable. And even better than that - her bodyguard just let her waltz out. How many times does this make it, boy?” The Boss taps his fingers against his desk, the desk which I know has multiple guns and knives in its drawers.

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Sir,” I say slowly, not wanting to fuck up more than I already have. The Boss’s expression darkens and he stands from his seat, taking a step towards me. 

“How many times have you failed?”

Oh right. This again.

Bowing my head, I stare at the floor. “Too many times, Sir.”

The Boss hums, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. “I see. So, tell me, boy. Is this how you express your gratitude? I took you in, saved your life, and yet you continue to fail me. I think it’s time I taught you how to express your gratitude,” he says quietly, his voice cold.

Biting back any kind of retort, I let the Boss open the door to his office, throwing me to the sharks.  The sharks being his other men, who know what to do. Lock me up, that is. This isn’t the first time the Boss has been pissed off at me.

Curling up on the cold floor, I let out a sigh. Kat may be my best friend, but there’s only so bloody long that I can cover for her. She never thinks about how her decisions impact me, or how she gets a verbal slap on the wrist for misbehaving meanwhile I get locked up in a cold cellar in the dark with no food and water for a day. 

It sucks, but there’s not really much I can do about this. After all, if Kat wanted to go under the radar and fuck off to hang out with Aria, I wouldn’t be able to do much about it. I’m basically just a babysitter that spies on her for her dad. 

Not the best job, but like the Boss likes to remind me every chance he gets…I owe everything to him. So I’m pretty much stuck like this. Cleaning up Kat’s messes and dealing with the repercussions all alone.

Just like I’ve always done everything, I have to soldier through this too, completely on my own.

—————

-Wesley-

“What the fuck happened to your face?”

My best friend shrugs, grabbing some plasters and bringing them to the counter. “Oh you know. Got in another fight. But it’s fine, I totally won,” Kat beams, paying for the plasters and then holding one out to me.

“Put it on for me? Pretty please?” She asks, batting her eyelashes at me. Snorting, I roll my eyes. “So demanding. And you should really stop getting into fights, if not for my sake then Aria’s. You know it upsets her to see you like this.”

Kat groans, patting her cheek once I’ve finished putting the plaster on. “God you sound like Kirrill.”

Raising an eyebrow, I lean against the counter. “Who’s that? Another of your dad’s guys?”

Kat nods, tying her hair up in a ponytail. “Yep, you know the one who’s basically my brother. My dad’s probably giving him a hard time right about now because I’m staying out late. Sucks to be him I guess.”

Frowning again, I poke Kat’s forehead. “What’d I tell you about being compassionate? And doesn’t that make it your fault that he’s getting in trouble? Kind of a dick move on your part.”

Kat shrugs, picking at her nails. “It’s literally his job, he basically gets paid to be yelled at by my dad. It’s not like he’d ever actually hurt Kirrill, he treats him like a son.”

Chewing on my lips, I shake my head. Maybe my dad is a saint or something, but he would never even dream of yelling at me. But I know that that isn’t the same for all sons.

“Anyway aren’t you supposed to be at Aria’s? Shoo,” I stand up straighter as some people enter the convenience store, chatting and grabbing some things before making their way over to us. Kat nods quickly, waving goodbye to me as she leaves in a rush.

I love that girl, I really do. But she can be a real dick sometimes, and from what I’ve heard about her bodyguard…he takes the fall for her a lot. And Kat hardly seems to care, yet she calls him her brother.

Well that’s not the kind of way a sister behaves. Or at least, not a nice sister. I would know; my younger sister may be a literal gremlin but she’d never act like that, and we love each other a lot.

When my shift comes to a close, I wait half an hour for my coworker to finally show up and take over from me, before making my way home. My mum opens the door for me, giving me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek before speeding out of the house; her immaculate makeup and pretty dress imply that she’s meeting dad on his way home from work. 

My parents often do that; go out for a date after work. It’s pretty cute and gives me time to hang out with my siblings.

“Wesley! Get over here, we’re watching a film and the pizza’s being delivered soon!”

Smiling, I snuggle up on the sofa with my sisters, a blanket thrown over our legs. My brother kicks me out of the way, squeezing in next to us. “Oi I can’t see the TV properly, move your legs!” He complains, kicking me again. Glaring at the little twat, I tickle his knees until he’s basically screaming with laughter.

“Shut up Toby!” My sister yells, punching him in the stomach lightly. Toby lets out an oof as the hit connects before sticking his feet in her face. Hettie yelps, moving away from him quickly. Hearing the doorbell ring, I shove them both out of the way as I run to open the door for the pizza. My older sister beats me to it, paying the delivery man and turning back to me with a smirk.

“I got there first so I get first dibs on the slices.”

Glaring at her, I reluctantly join my two younger siblings on the sofa again, trying to ignore them as they fight. They’re both bloody teenagers for fuck’s sake, yet they act like ten year olds.

Although my family is far from perfect, we love each other a lot. And they may annoy the shit out of me, but I know that we’ll always have each other. And that’s really special. 

I know that Kat’s family is the same; her father may be the leader of a Russian gang but he loves her dearly, I know that much.

He’s a terrifying guy, but his daughter means a lot to him. In some ways, he and I are the same. Maybe that’s why he took a liking to me, that one time we met. Because family is the most important thing to us both, and we would do anything to protect them.