“You know, you could have gone in too” Jason says after he shuts the door to Valerie’s room.
“Something tells me i wouldn’t be welcomed” I reply, leaning against the hallway wall next to the door.
“Even though you were the one who ripped the door open to get in?”
“Even then.”
Jason shakes his head as he makes his way to his own room. 

We’d both been on our way up when we’d heard Valerie’s screaming and my instincts had just taken over, hurling me towards and then into the door. I’d pushed Jason past me when I saw her writhing on the bed, obviously having a terrible nightmare.
He comforts people, not me. 

“She’ll be ok. The pain is still raw. Plus, you guys are absolutely certain the Lion’s killed both her friend and her mum?” Jason says, stopping outside his own door, a couple down from Valerie’s. He leans against his door, cracking his knuckles absentmindedly.
“They both had a lion outline carved into them. Lion’s M.O.”
“But Brandon would’ve only been twenty-one when Valerie’s mother was murdered.”
“You know the type of person Brandon is. Age is irrelevant when murders are involved, you know that” I reply coldly.
“Are you sure they did it?” Jason argues.
“The M.O. was clear,” I say, walking towards the bottom of the staircase stopping on the bottom step. “Valerie’s being hunted by our former gang and I am going to find out why. Hurting Brandon along the way will just be a bonus.”  

The next morning I yawn as I stretch my arms above my head, leaning back in my dining chair.
Croc is cleaning his gun like always, his way of staying calm, he claims. I know it’s the only thing he has control over in this unpredictable world. Guns can’t betray you, only people. His scar is proof of that. 

Fiona and MJ mingle on the other side of the table, talking about if MJ should change her hair colour again. Marco scoffs at the stupidity of the conversation, looking at the newspaper over his coffee mug. I swear he has the soul of an old man, despite being two years younger than me. Fiona throws an insult at Marco while tossing her blonde hair back, teasing him and he chuckles back.
We’ll never tell them but Jason and I have a bet going of whether they’ll get together within the next two years. I bet Marco will be too chicken shit to make a move. Jason bets Marco will muster the courage to make a move first. I smile as I think about it. When I first met Fiona she was outright hostile and aggressive towards any man who came in her peripheral vision. She didn’t talk much about her troubled past, but you knew whatever had happened had left a scar on her soul. 

“Boss?” Benny voices from beside me, leaning in the doorway, Joel beside him. “We found Henry.”

The room goes quiet. It’s unsurprising that it gets uncomfortable when we have to deal with people from our previous gang. Especially since we left because of their growing brutality. I think we always feel a slight guilt whenever the Lion’s are involved. They took us in when we were young and traumatised, giving us a home and family when we had none. But as we grew older the gang became more corrupt and vile, even more so when Brandon became second-in-command to Hawkins, the leader. Not to mention we are outmatched in number, with us only over thirty and the Lion’s over a hundred. 

“He was in a sleazy motel room with a woman who is way out of his league” Joel comments.
“Is he still there?” I ask, my brain beginning to formulate possible plans and ideas. 

“Clerk says he’s paid for the room till morning,” Benny confirms.
“Go to Tiger’s Den and grab Peter, Croc, Tim and Becker. Capture Henry and take him to our warehouse” I order, standing up and putting my gun in my waistband. “Text me when you’ve got him.”
“Understood,” Joel says, “maybe I can get a drink from the Den before we go?” They raise a brow at me. I don’t move a muscle, “I’m kidding.”
“MJ.”
“Yeah, boss?” MJ instantly snaps her razor focus to me.
“Go as back-up for them, make sure they’re not followed.”
“Sure thing” MJ replies, getting up from her seat with a smile on her face, “glad to get out.”
“You’re the only one i know who gets excited at the idea of violence” Marco voices, distaste apparent.
“Doesn’t it get your blood pumping?” MJ says, leaning over on the table.
“No, and you are seriously unhinged” Marco replies.
“Be grateful she’s on our side” I say, smirking slightly. Honestly I'd be a little terrified if she wasn’t.
“Marco, you come with me. Fiona, you keep an eye on Valerie with Jason. Walt and some of the others are on guard duty so it’ll be fine, plus it’s daylight so I doubt there will be any trouble.”
“Happy to, but I don't think she’ll want to talk to me. She’s got Jason” Fiona replies, wringing her hands.
“Just try for me, ok?” I ask. Maybe Jason’s suggestion to Valerie was a good one. It’s worth a try, at least.
“No problem” Fiona answers with a smile, “I’ll try to get her out of her room when you leave. You know, since she doesn’t particularly like you and all.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, “was the last part really necessary?”
I shouldn’t care anyway but it still pisses me off for some reason, not that I'll admit it to these guys.
“She’s only telling the truth. I mean you two don’t exactly get along” Benny says, giving a sideways look at Joel, who’s absentmindedly picking at their nails. 
“Might have something to do with the fact that the boss is keeping her hostage? Just a thought?” MJ states sarcastically. “Now, let’s go, I’m getting jumpy.”
“We need to go too Marco, we have a meeting with Mr Freed” I say, moving towards Benny and Joel.

Mr Freed, one of our main business partners, brings in quite a bit of income. He hires us out to scare his competitors for a lump sum. Not glamorous work but it does the trick and we get a portion of his profits. We don’t kill unless necessary, despite MJ’s threats when she's high on adrenaline.