Paige slowly exhaled and closed her eyes. It was a mere second, if even that long, in which time seemed to stand still. She could feel the air gently moving in tendrils around her cheeks, playfully pawing at the loose strands of hair falling into her face. Gravity was steady and there was no inkling of doubt in her mind that the shot would be perfect. Her strong muscles trembled slightly while every sinew and tendon quivered with the taught string of her bow. She finally released her grip and felt the velvet brush of the feathers at the back end of her arrow glided past her cheek and through the fingers gripping the bow. Perfect.

The small crowd gathered around the archer erupted with delight as the arrow skewered a juicy red apple and hit the board above the head of a shaking boy that seemed like he was about a second away from wetting himself. By the time he developed second thoughts about volunteering it had been too late, and he could not afford to lose face in front of his buddies and the girl he was trying to impress. Paige respected such an impulsive show of bravado. Though more calculated, she found herself doing much the same a lot of the time. Of course, who could resist showing off to a pretty girl?

"Don't you ever get bored of doing tricks for coins?" Caleb stepped up to Paige and gave her a solid pat on the shoulder as she finished taking a bow and grinning at her audience. They were nothing more than a small splash of nameless faces on a street corner between nothing and nowhere. The sun was lazily dragging its weight behind the tall and dilapidated factories and warehouses of downtown Rosewood and broken windows all around them illuminated the wet streets in fiery colours.

"A girl's gotta make a living." Paige shrugged and turned to face her old friend. The crowd would not disperse yet, their restlessness an indication that they wanted to see more.

"This is not what I'd call making a living, Culler. We could use your skills over at Shark base. You could make a killing working for Maya." Caleb's dark eyes had a hint of concern etched into their glossy surface. He didn't enjoy the thought of his oldest friend sauntering around the rough side of town alone. He knew she could handle herself, just like she always had, but he wanted a better life for her – the life he had found when he joined the Sharks.

"See, that's the whole point, Cay. I'm not interested in the killing part." She placed a bitter emphasis on the word denoting death and turned around to face the crowd, her hand reaching above her head and behind her shoulder to pull another sleek black arrow from the leather quiver strapped to her back. Focusing her charm back on her admirers, Paige gave a Cheshire grin and asked, "So, who has a gun?"

Caleb's jaw clenched in irritation, but he stepped back to join the crowd none the less, shaking his head as Paige pulled an older – and meaner – looking fellow from across the way, a 9 mil glinting in his hand.

"Five paces, then turn, draw and shoot." Paige explained to the man what she wanted him to do, but the scepticism on his face was as hard as the silence was suddenly loud. The expectation that this would end badly vibrated in a low murmur through the crowd. Yet Caleb sighed and watched. He was nervous, but he knew better than to doubt Paige.

The scene unfolded like a post-apocalyptic western as Paige and the fellow turned to stand back to back and started pacing in opposite directions. Every step was a painfully loud beat to every spectator's heart – another second closer to what seemed like certain death. What made it even worse was that Paige had both her bow and arrow hanging limply by her sides in either hand. Another step, another beat, another drop of sweat. The crowd seemed to collectively hold their breath…

BANG!

Paige dropped to the floor as a shrieking gasp ran through the crowd, but it took only one second and Paige was back on her feet, the realisation dawning that the bullet had been flung up into the air as Paige's arrow had pinned the fabric around the man's wrist to the wall behind him, the gun pointing upwards. He tried his best to free himself, but struggled for quite a while as Paige took another bow at the small crowd cheering like their team had just won the Superbowl.

"How do you do that?" The man with the hardened expression finally faltered as he looked at Paige with pleading eyes once she stepped up to help him break free from the snare of her arrow. "A lot of practise…" Paige shrugged as she placed the arrow back into her quiver, but the man was not satisfied with her answer. "You could have died." His brows hung heavily over his eyes as he placed one hand gently on Paige's shoulder. The small smile that settled on her lips was no smile at all. In fact, it was a rather poignant visual manifestation of her aching emotions. "That's the thing. I wouldn't have cared if I did." With a solemn nod she finally took her leave of the small group and skipped across the road.

"Culler, hold up!" Caleb jogged after her just in time to follow her as she slipped around one dark corner before sneaking around another, her outfit of black leather and denim allowing her to move through the shadows as if she was one herself. "You know we're not like that! The Sharks are trying to clean up the streets and keep them safe for folks like your admirers back there." He reluctantly climbed after Paige as she jumped onto a rickety metal ladder leading up to a security stairwell on the side of a facebrick building, making her way upwards for about four floors before disappearing through an open window. "We're the good guys, Paige." He breathed heavily, finally settling on the windowsill as he watched her put away her weapons and kick off her boots.

"With Devil blood on your hands." She shook her head as she pulled two beers from her fridge and passed one to her friend before collapsing onto her barely still standing couch.

"The Devils are pushing boundaries. Just last week they displaced twenty-eight people by burning down their homes and all they had down in Old River Road. You know why they did it? Refused to push product. They were just trying to keep their street clean and their kids out of jail!" Caleb became more impassioned as he continued speaking, his plight heavy on his brow and on his lips.

"That doesn't make them free range targets, Cay!" Paige was visibly upset, quickly swallowing down half her beer and some of her frustration along with it.

"We only ever shoot in defence. And only if there's no other way. That's why we could use you on our side, Culler. You're lethal, but with the safety clip on." He grinned and pointed the neck of his beer bottle at her as if to cheers her. He had always admired her unbelievable skills with a bow and arrow and he knew that those were not the only weapons she was proficient in.

Paige snorted and shook her head. "No one calls me Culler anymore." The expression on her face was one of bitterness, the faraway look in her eye an indication of a dark memory she'd rather forget.

"Well listen, just think about it. It would be good to have you by my side again." He nodded almost sadly and finished the last bit of liquid from the bottle grasped in his hand, before placing the empty container on the floor next to his feet. "I'm meeting some of the guys over at McLaren's, we've got business to attend to later. If you feel like coming along for the ride, you know where to find me."

Paige watched solemnly as Caleb climbed back out the window and disappeared down the steel stairs, leaving her to the maelstrom of thoughts storming through her mind.

"The only good Devil, is a dead one…"

The club was pulsating like the blood in an adrenaline junkie's veins, each beat in the music accompanied by flashing lights, while the low baseline vibrated right through the hot and sweaty bodies grinding together on the dance floor. Against the one wall sat a stage that housed the DJ box, flanked by a cage on either side where deliciously sexy ladies were giving it all they had for the entertainment of the patrons. Neon laser lights flashed across the glossy black floor and travelled to where the bar was lit up by black lights off to one side. Private booths dipped in wine and velvet sat across the room, gentlemen in immaculate suits, discussing business, relaxing in this luxurious spot, often with a pretty thing serving hard liquor on one knee.

The crowd parted slightly as a tall woman drifted past, her sensational olive skin swathed in soft layers of cream silk, flowing around her elegant curves and lean legs, while her dark chocolate locks fell softly over her bare shoulders and tickled at her beautifully chiselled collarbone. She finally reached the person she had been seeking in the form of a classical blonde beauty with mischievous blue eyes, leaning against a banister as she allowed a young lawyer to try his luck in flirting with her. The goddess whispered something in her friend's ear and they both walked off, solemn expressions settling on their lovely faces.

"We've got a problem." Spencer said from her perch on the edge of her desk, Emily and Hannah having just walked into the back office while the door slowly swung closed behind them, effectively blocking out most of the music. On the couch sat Aria, comforting a clearly very distressed Mona. Hannah rushed to the other side of her, trying to soothe the small girl. "What happened?"

"Th..the Devils!" Mona broke down and sobbed into Hannah's neck, visibly still shaken up by what had happened just earlier that evening at the establishment she managed.

Spencer filled the rest in as she explained, "They took The Basement Lounge tonight. Killed the muscle, tried to threaten some of the girls and convince them into joining their cause. They have effectively seized the joint as their own. We don't have the resources to take it back." She ran a frustrated hand through her long hair and idly chewed on her lower lip. It was obvious that she was desperately grasping at a plan that continued to elude her.

"That's the second of our businesses in the past month! They'll have us bankrupt before the year is out!" Aria raised her usually timid voice, hands flailing for emphasis. "Not to mention that they're dropping bodies like flies; our bodies – our patrons, our customers, our employees. Spence, how long before it's us?"

Spencer sighed and shook her head. She felt lost, like a child – a feeling very foreign to the strong young woman. "Em…What are you thinking?" She cast her eyes over to where Emily was leaning against the wall by the window, idly watching the city lights flash in an ocean of darkness.

"We have a way out." Emily gave a small smile over her shoulder at the girls, but Hannah was quick to protest as she leapt to her feet and raised her voice to an unusual level of panic. "Em, no! We've discussed this and we've all decided that there's no way we would allow you to make that sacrifice!"

"Hannah, it's not a sacrifice!" Emily spun around and stepped towards her friends, her smile growing bigger and more genuine in that almost sad, self-sacrificing way that Emily has mastered. "You make it sound like you guys are about to sell me to the slave market. Maya is gentle and kind and has always been good to me. Standing by her side would hardly qualify as punishment."

"Yeah, but Em, it's not exactly the great romance that you've dreamt about. You shouldn't have to push your own happiness aside for our sake." Spencer stepped towards Emily and placed a hand gently on her shoulder as she spoke with concern lacing her voice.

"I love Maya. I have loved her all my life, ever since we were children. I could be happy with her." Emily tried to sound confident, but as she pushed past Spencer she seemed to falter, her tongue slipping on the last few words she uttered, causing them to sound clumsy and unconvincing.

"There's a big difference between having love for someone… and being in love." Aria breathed out, a look of pity crossing her features as she eyed Emily. "Look, I'm sure if we just asked Maya for her help she would give it to us. Why do we have to trade you for protection?"

"It's not like that, Aria. It just wouldn't be fair to her. You know how she feels about me. It wouldn't be right to just take advantage of her like that. I owe her my dedication." Emily shook her head fervently, trying to convince herself more than anyone else in the room. However, soon determination set in as she walked over to the desk and picked up the phone.

"How have you been, Em? I miss our chats." Toby placed his hand gently on top of Emily's as they sat side by side in the backseat of a moving vehicle bound for Shark Base. It was about 3 am the same night still and Emily was on her way to see Maya.

"Holding in there, my friend. Eager to see your boss lady." She smiled at him and bumped his shoulder with hers. "Spencer says hi, by the way."

Toby blushed but clenched his jaw, the thought of Spencer clearly bringing up mixed emotions for the strapping young bodyguard. "If she wants to say hi, she should just pick up the phone and call. I'm too old for pass-the-message." Emily snickered at his discomfort and rested her head on his shoulder, her arm swinging around his torso to give him a hug.

There was a history permeating Emily and her friends when it came to their relationships with the Sharks. There was a time long ago when they were all just kids playing cops and robbers and damsels in distress. It was hard to believe that they had grown up to live a very similar reality. Most of them had attended the same high school, while some of them suffered through that time from their own side of the tracks. However, even though the class divide was palpable back when they were all teenagers, it now did not matter much anymore as they had integrated and found joy and reassurance in each other's company and relationships.

Emily had met Toby in her junior year as she was starting to come to terms with her sexuality. Toby, on the other hand, was an outcast that many kids had feared. He was sullen and broody and had a knack for always being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many regarded him with disdain, but he had found a friend in the sweet Emily. He doted on her for giving him the chance to show himself, while she adored him for the same reason as he was the first to reassure her that the only difference between her and most girls was the fact that her heart was pure, and not the issue of her attraction to women instead.

"How is she doing, Toby?" Emily's smile faltered briefly, but she placed a greater deal of effort into making it seem more sincere as she turned her head to regard him curiously.

"She's well. She's amazing. Strong as ever, an inspiration to her gang. She's really trying hard to make a difference, you know?" He smiled with reassurance and nodded towards her. "She'll be beside herself to see you finally. She doesn't let on, but sometimes the loneliness shines through."

Emily and Maya shared a more complicated history that left a bittersweet taste in the mouths of both women. They had been close all their lives as they lived on the same block and played in the streets until the sun disappeared in the evenings. Even at such a young age, there was a special connection between them, a certain spark that could not be vocalised. It was Maya that eventually tugged at Emily's sense of self when she lit the flame of desire within the raven-haired beauty during their teenage years. Eventually love blossomed, but it was not meant to be. Maya had always been considered a troubled youth, especially with the influence of her friends, and slowly got pulled into the seedy underbelly of the town and the workings of the youth gangs. It was not long after that Maya found herself in a spot of trouble with the law, while Emily's parents outright refused that she had anything to do with her any longer. They parted ways sadly and turbulently and Emily heard or saw nothing of Maya for years. It was only once they had reached a good deal into their adult lives and Emily had settled into business in the nightlife scene with her friends that stories of Maya and her gang of Sharks started surfacing again. Eventually Maya had reached out to Emily, but Emily tried to keep her distance for the most part, not wishing to dredge up old baggage, even though she still had a strong sense of fondness for the girl. Admittedly she was scared. Scared of losing herself in Maya again. Scared of losing herself, her independence.

"Em… You're scared. It's written all over your face… You know that you don't have to devote yourself to Maya for her to help you and the girls out. The guys and I would be more than willing to offer protection." Toby's voice was nothing but sincerity laced with concern for his old friend, trying his best to offer her as much support as he could.

Emily smirked and shook her head as that same sentiment washed over her for the second time that evening. "I wish it was that easy. This is not just a case of a few break-ins. Things are spiralling out there. Our best chance at true survival is to join with Maya. We can't approach her empty handed."

"So buy her a nice bottle of wine. You're not chattel. And I'm sure she doesn't expect you to act as such. Maya is…" Toby stopped abruptly.

The sweet catch-up session was quickly cut short as their car screeched to a halt. Glancing out the windshield past their driver, they could see two black jeeps blocking the road, another one visible in the rear view mirror as it came to a halt behind them.

"Devils! Emily, get on the floor, now!" Toby finished shoving his friend down just in time to have the back window shatter as a bullet went flying through the car. He pulled two pistols from their holsters against his ribs and started shooting at the jeep behind them. "Drive! Drive! Drive!"

Their car lurched back into motion as it screeched in a semi-circle, trying to turn halfway around and shoot down a side street. The black jeeps, however, followed as they chased Toby and Emily's vehicle down the streets of the warehouse district. "Need backup, heading for Governor and Cross! Three vehicles in pursuit! Bullets flying!" Their driver shouted over his radio in an attempt to get help.

Toby shoved a tiny revolver into Emily's hands before he went back to shooting out the back window, finally hitting one of the wheels on the jeep and watching it jacknife into a wall. The other two quickly passed the crashed vehicle though, still hot on their tail. "Mike, I need you to enter the next back street and do a slide before exiting again. Em, when the vehicle slows, you need to jump. Run into the first alley you can find and hide. As soon as backup finds us I'll come find you, I promise!"

Emily was terrified, to say the least. It's not that she lacked bravery or has never been in a scrap, but this was a whole new level of crazy and she definitely was not dressed for the occasion. "Toby, I…" She stuttered, trying to move onto her knees on the floor of the car, but before she could protest any further she was flung from the car with Toby's help. She rolled a few feet on the wet cement and then skidded an extra few inches, her revolver sliding a little further than she did. She knew there was no time to cry, though, and scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could muster, grabbed the pistol and bolted into a dark alley with the sounds of heavy footsteps coming after her.

She spun, taking one dark corner after the next, sticking to the blackest shadows in an attempt to hide, but she could still hear them coming after her. Suddenly her motion was halted by a strong hand wrapping around her face, effectively covering her mouth and stifling any attempted scream. Another arm wrapped around her middle and forcefully tugged her behind a dumpster just as three Devils, guns at the ready, turned the corner. "Stay here…" The voice whispered sternly into her ear before the body moved away, leaving Emily to shiver as she curled up close to the ground.

"Guys, I don't know what you've been taught about girls, but generally when they're running in the opposite direction… you're doing it wrong." The cocky voice took shape, but stayed in the shadows as Emily watched the scene unfold from her little corner. What happened next seemed utterly unreal.

The shadowy figure sent one arrow flying towards the men pointing their guns, just in time for the projectile to pierce one of the guys through his skull, having found entry via his left eye. He dropped lifeless to the ground, but his friend on the other hand was pulling the trigger at a rapid pace. Shadows, however, are hard to hit, so the figure ran towards the side of the building, ran right up the wall before jumping from a small ledge a few feet up, flipping over backwards and coming to land on the metal stairwell running up the side of the opposite building. This manoeuvre gave the vigilante enough movement to avoid the bullets, but also enough time to ready another arrow. By the time boots could be heard hitting the metal landing of the stairs, the second gunman slumped down to his knees and keeled over, an arrow pierced right through his throat.

The figure dropped back down to the ground but remained tense. "That was…wow…" Emily stepped slowly from behind the dumpster, but the shadow held up one hand to silence her.

"There were three…"

"Three?"

"Three men…"

Emily held her breath, but her weariness came too late as she was suddenly grabbed from behind, the cool barrel of a gun pressing into her temple. "Don't move, or I'll kill her!"

The shadow slowly turned around and raised her hands. For the first time Emily was able to make out the features on her almost-rescuer's face. The girl was beautiful, though clearly some battles have aged her in years. Her milky brown hair hung in loose and rebellious strands down her neck, perfectly framing a set of stormy eyes and a defiant little smirk. There was a jagged scar running along the left side of her face, reaching from brow to cheekbone and only served the purpose of making her look impossibly sexier.

"What's the use in killing her? It's not half as much fun if she's not squirming and moaning!" She dropped her bow to show that she had no intention of harming him.

"What… What are you talking about?" He was clearly still nervous as there was a light tremble in his voice.

"Come on, Jack! Don't tell me you haven't thought about it. I mean…" She stopped her steps and whistled, her head canting to one side as she bit her bottom lip. "Just look at her…"

"I have orders to follow, fool! Stop talking shit!" Now he was getting restless.

"Jack, no one has to know… Look at her face, Jack… She wants it…" Emily's face looked nothing but utterly petrified, though this was still hidden from the gunman's view. She was, however, incredibly confused and completely outraged that this stranger was simply standing there, acting cocky and spurring on a gang member to...

"How do you know?" His voice went up a notch.

"Just take a look, Jack. We can make it a party, just the three of us…" She nodded over at Emily, then grinned at the gunman she has effectively named "Jack".

Spinning Emily around in his tight grip, gun still pointing at her head, he gave a wretched smile as he took in her beauty, his eyes immediately starting to brim with lust. "Oh well now, gorgeous… Let's party…"

His breath was vile as he leaned in to kiss Emily, but before his lips could even touch hers, a shot rang out the silent alley, echoing off the walls. Jack dropped to his knees, then onto his back, bleeding out from his abdomen. A still smoking pistol dropped from Emily's hand onto the ground next to the dead body.

"Well done." Emily's partner laughed as she picked up her bow and moved towards the shocked girl. "You really ruined his night."

Emily was shaking violently as the girl picked up her pistol and held it out to her. The frightened girl grabbed it and held on tightly. "Easy now, we don't need any accidents. Come on."

She reached for Emily's hand to lead her off, but Emily quickly jerked back and pointed the gun at her. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't." The smile tugging at the corners of her lips was cheeky and confident as she stepped closer to Emily, allowing the gun to press against her chest right over her heart. "But what are your options?"

"My escort is out looking for me. He said he'd come find me." Emily trembled as she lowered the gun slightly.

"Babe, in this neighbourhood, you'll be dead before he does. A pretty thing like you all by yourself – you'll draw unwanted attention very quickly." She tried to reach for Emily's hand one more time, but again Emily pulled away.

"You're insulting me!" Emily quickly turned defiant, vibrating with anger. "First you try to help me, then try to see me molested! Then…" Her words were cut off in her throat as she found an impossibly warm pair of the softest lips she had ever felt pressed firmly against hers. Her head spun in a mixture between anger and excitement. Her body was completely confused at the sensations suddenly coursing through it, but soon she was tasting nothing but cold air again.

"Now I've insulted you. Everything else was to save your pretty ass."

Emily's expression went from dazed and slightly dreamy to furious in one second flat. She pulled her hand back quickly and slapped the face before her as hard as she could. The other girl clutched her cheek and looked stunned, but only for a moment before irritation took over.

"Look, princess, we don't have time for this 50 Shades crap. We need to get out of here." She took a few steps towards the shadows but turned around as she realised Emily wasn't following her. However, all it took was a few angry voices and gunshots echoing in the distance to make her change her mind. She quickly skipped towards the girl with her arms folded tightly around herself.

"Keep your hands to yourself!" She barked.