Chapter 1

Maximum Fox stared out of the car widow her sharp, angular face, scrunched in concentration. Her ocean, blue eyes stared back a her, the summer sunshine reflecting golden streaks of her hair at the window. Max had just gotten home from her friend's house, Jackie. Her Uncle Morgan, should have been coming home from his last business trip. Instead, a police car was waiting at her house, ready to take her to the station. He wouldn't say why.

Uncle Morgan was a great uncle. Stern, and unyielding, he wasn't the kind of guy a child would reconize as a father figure, but still, it was all Max had left. Max's parents had died in a home fire when she was two, leaving her with Morgan after there passing in their will.

Max had a great live with Morgan, not as loving as some, but a good life. Morgan worked a lot, but saved time for Max, and always brought her to his work and the gang. Morgan worked at a famous gun shop, called Aim and Destroy. When Morgan came back from a trip, he made it up by taking Max to the shooting range, snowboarding, horseback riding, and even cliff diving. Morgan even sign her, and the gang up for karate. Morgan enjoyed boasting to everyone that Max was a finished black belt.

The gang was special. It was Max's sorta family. Morgan had met them in his gun, training caree in SAS, when he was in his early twenties. They were all stern, and unyielding, like Morgan.

First, there was Rida. No one knew his real name, and no one could ask. Rida was a six foot giant. Muscles bulging as big as King Kong. Dark skinned, and grained hair, Rida looked terrifying. No one would cross him, no one but Max. Max found out early that Rida had a soft spot for her, and being the devil that Morgan said she was, Max made use of it.

Second, was the double trouble twins. Blond and blue eyed, Demon and Devil looked angelic until they pulled a prank on you. Hence their names, you didn't want to cross either of them.

Last, but not least, was Fang. As an older brother figure, Fang was feriously protective. Only 18, with dark dark, tan skin, jade green eyes, and three years older then Max, both made heads turn on streets, though Max thought it was Fang more then her. Since they rest of the guys were in there late 20's and early 30's, Fang and Max got in lost of trouble. Max could almost visualise the day when- a rap on the window, made Max realize she had closed her eyes. Jolting up, Max glared at the amused cop, and flung the door open. The cop's lips pulled up in a smile, but Max ignored him, focusing on swallowing her nerves.

The cop jerked his head towards the police station, and Max followed behind. As Max looked around, she noticed that this wasn't the normal place she went when she was brought for questioning. Fang and Max sometimes didn't do things legal, it was more fun that way. The building was older, more run down then the normal one. It was also isolated from the other shops and houses in town. It was far enough down the street for it to be considered the last house on the block.

A chill ran down Max's back, and she instictievly felt cautions. Lightening her steps to nothing, Max's eyes gazed the other houses. Broken windows, fallen roofs, this didn't look good. Max stopped.

"Were are you taking me? This isn't the police station." Max said coldly, accusion in her voice.

The cop turned, looking confused."What are you talking about? I think your mistaken on were the police station was." The cop smiled, but something was off about it. Frowning, Max lowered her voice.

'I said, were are you taking me?" Max finished her cold repeat with a raised eye brow. The cop stared at her with pursed lips, before the sound of a screen door hitting the frame broke the stare.

"Well, don't let our favorite teenager stand out in the cold Jeffery! Bring her in!" Max relaxed as she heard the familar, soft voice of her uncle's business partner, James. Max looked behind this, Jeffery, and saw the short and stocky form of James. James looked the same as always, brown hair spiked up to perfection, skull earring on the left ear, and a tatoo of the Aim and Destroy logo, a target, pierced into the right forearm, and black leather jacket and pants covering his white skin. James smiled at Max, and opened his arms in a warm greeting.

"Come Max, something terrible has happened." James looked troubled as he ushered Max into the run down house. A musky smell hit Max's nose, and she wrinkled her nose as she saw dust covering the whole living room area. James gently pushed Max faster out of the living room, his cold hands delivering goosebumps to Max's warm arm.

"Hurry Max! Everyone is waiting!" James whispered in his eery voice. Max gritted her teeth. If Morgan taught her one thing, it was to never let someone blindly lead you somewhere you don't know. As if sensing Max's thoughts, James gripped Max harder.

"I'm sorry I can't explain, but you will need to be comfortable to hear this Max. Just please be paicent." James said quietly, soothingly. Max followed the pushing hands direction, but at a slower pace. James directed Max into a dark hallway, were spider webs hung in the air. Max's skin crawled at the thought of a spider in her shirt, and she hurried to the end of the hall.

James white hand reached in front of Max, and grabbed the handle to a door on the right hand side. The door, surprisingly, made no sound as it was opened. Max looked into the dark room, to see only steep stairs leading down. Taking a deep breath of dust, Max headed down the dark stairs, one at a time.

Chapter 2

James and Max reached the bottom after what seemed like forever to Max. The stairs , and hall that they had reached, made no noise as they reached the bottom, making Max even more nervous as they walked down the hall. As they got towards what Max thought was the end, noise could be heard, a whisper of voices. Max slowed even more, curious as to what was going on.

James, seeming to get impaincnt, pushed more urgently then ever before. Gritting her teeth, Max glared into the darkness, wishing she could turn and slap James. Max strained her eyes instead for a ghost of a light that she hoped came. She was greeted with non, and slowed even more as james seemed to push his way towards the voices. When they reached the now loud voices, James quickly opened the door, making the voices stop all together.

Max walked slowly into the room, blinking as a dim light shone through the room. When Max's eyes adjusted, she blinked once, twice, and then a third. Four people stood together in a circle, a table in the middle, and chairs for them to sit, yet non were.

Rida, the twins, and Fang, stared straight back at Max, there eyes never leaving her, even as James walked towards a desk in the corner of the room. Out of the corner of her eyes, Max could see that the room was small, with no widows, and only one door. The silence lasted more then five minutes, before Rida seemed to swallow, and open his mouth.

"Maxie, we need to talk." Rida's voice was soft, quiet. Max stiffen, her heart starting to beat furisouly. Rida only called Max, Maxie when he had bad news, and never in the soft voice he had used just now, unless it was just the two of them. Seeing Max's stiff posture, Fang glared at Rida and walked swiftly towards Max. Fang gently grabbed Max's wrist, and pulled her slowly toward the table and chairs. As Max sat down, so did everyone else. For a minute, no one spoke. Neves and fear made Max speak up.

"Well, whats going on? Where is Morgan at?" Max asked sharply, staring at Rida. Everyone seemed to flinch but Rida as Max's voice pierced the room. Rida's cold, black eyes stared at Max endlessly, no emotion as he answered her question.

"Max, Morgan was killed this morning."

Chapter 3

Silence filled the room as Rida spoke the words that broke Max's heart. Tears filled in Max's eyes, but thankfully, they never dropped. Rida and Max stared challenging at each other, waiting for one to break the silences. Max was the first to look away and speak.

Eyes focused on the center of the table, Max felt eyes follow her movement. Shacking inside, Max was grateful her voice was firm when she spoke.

"Your sure of this? How did it happen?" Max asked, her hands clenching together as she felt a chill run down her back.

"We are sure Max, Morgan's car was found crashed in a pond outside of one of the main gun storages in Wisconsin. Sources say Morgan was coming home, after delivering our products, and was returning with a trade when a drunk car hit his, and drove him into a pond." Rida said, his lips thin as he finished his sentence. Max narrowed her eyes as Rida.

"A drunk hit him, and he crash? We all know Morgan was a stunt driver, he could control a car going two-hundred miles an hour! Max yelled furisouly, standing up in outrage and confusion. Fang sighed, and out of the corner of her eye, Max saw his jaw clench. Something in Max felt hurt about this, but she pushed it away as Rida stood up too. Rida's eyes flashed dangerously, before he hissed at Max, "Don't you think we know that? Do you think we are so heartless as to give you false pain and loss? When have we ever told you a lie as difficult as this?" Rida whispered, his voice sounding far more bone chilling when quite then loud. Max's heart hurt as she realized Rida was both telling the truth, and hurt.

"I'm sorry da, I'm just...upset.' Max said, hoping her nickname would ease so of Rida's growing emotions. Its seemed to work, as Rida's black eyes stopped flashing, and he sat back down. Leaning back on his chair, Rida breathed through his nose.

"I know you are Max, we all are, but right know, we need to focus more on what is going to happen to us, and more importantly you, before we question how Morgan died." Rida said, sounding for once in his life, defeated and tired.

Max looked up at Rida, growing concerned. Now that she thought about it, Morgan was just as important to the gang and he was Max. Morgan, being the oldest, and owning the shop, was usually the leader. Rida, no matter how in control he was of everything, never had to take full responsibility. Everyone depended on Morgan to always be there.

Swallowing her growing sorrow, Max looked over her should at James, who was watching them with a darkness in her eyes that made Max shift on her feet.

"What are you doing here then?" Max asked abruptly, startling the twins, who had taken to staring at the table. Everyone's eyes but Rida and James zoned in on James. James took his time answering, leaning back on the chair like he was in control. Max's blood boiled.

"Well, being your uncle's business partner, I've had to look over what will happen to the shop, and more importantly, who will get money, and who won't." James said, sounding eerie calm as he stared at Max, sounding in his element. Max narrowed her eyes at James, wondering how she could have liked this guy.

"What are you talking about? The shop will be run as it always was. Rida, Devil, Demon and Fang will still be running the shop, Rida will most likely take over." Max said, though there wasn't the firm certainty in her voice then she wanted. James smiled crookedly, and Rida shifted in his seat slightly.

"Here's the thing Max, I was the partner your uncle hired, I need my fair share of what is left, Rida was a worker, higher then the others, but still just a worker." James said quietly, his eyes seeming to sparkle with calm delight. Max felt her self being to get angry. If any one more deserved Morgan's place, it was Rida, not James.

"I don't think so, you may have been Morgan's partner, but you never anything but someone to get customers from." Max said coldly, staring at James with anger. James eyes narrowed, and Max felt a sudden urge to run from him. Rida cleared his throat, and stood up, and out of his chair.

"Enough! Nothing needs to be finished today, once the..funeral is over, we can worry about who is getting what." Rida said, gradually loosing his voice to almost a whisper. Max swallowed, and pushed her thoughts away from a funeral. Max needed to think any thing but that. James seemed to agree with Max.

"No! We need to start worrying now, the funeral with have to come out of Aim and Destroy's profit, because no one else can pay." James said angrily, seeming to have lost his cool demeanor. Max say red as James careless comment hit home.

"If you think we weren't going to pay my uncle's funeral out of our own pay, then you might have to rethink how we run our business James Monrow, because I know for a fact that I know have some leverage over who gets fired, and your at the top of the list this moment Mr. Monrow." Max said will ice in her voice, James seemed to cower slightly under her threat, but held Max's stare with determination.

"All I was saying -"

"Yes, all you were saying was money is more important then anything else." Max hissed, offend. Morgan had built the shop not for money, but for a place for people with no seemingly future ahead of them to grow up with something in mind. The insult of Morgan's work rolled over Max's brain, and she shook with suppressed anger.

James jaw clenched, and his eyes flashed with some emotion so fast, Max couldn't tell what it was. James opened his mouth again, but Fang cut him off with an ice cold certainty.

"It seems you have outstayed your welcome James, but seeing as you haven't got a brain large enough to see this, I will escort Max out before she decides to shut you up her self."

Fang's green eyes pierced into James, and the whole room grew silent as the two men stared at each other. James with fire in his eyes, and Fang with under tones of amusement. Max watched as James refused to back down, and as the seconds ticked by James lost more of his composer, but still refused to back down.

Finally Rida stood, walking past Fang and slapping him lightly on his way towards Max. The twins snickered together quietly as they passed Fang's now murderous glare at James. Rida wrapped his huge arm around Max's tiny frame, and pulled her towards the door.

Resisting until she heard the scraping of a chair, Max was relieved when Fang appeared at her side. Max tried for a weak smile, but it turned to more of a wince. Fang's murderous glare softened, and he secretly reached for Max's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Chapter 4

The silence was so tense you could have cut it with a knife as Rida drove his black mustang out of town. Devil had taken the passenger seat, while Demon was left to sulk in the back with Fang and Max. Now that James wasn't around, Max was finding it hard to think of a reason not to cry. Every second, Max almost choked on her sobs, trying desperately to do anything, but cry.

Apparently, she didn't succeed, because Fang comfortably bumped into Max's shoulder. Swallowing hard, Max looked up at Fang. Fang's piercing green eyes stared at Max in drowning concern. With an effort greater then Max thought, she glared at Fang weakly, making Fang retreat, chuckling.

Max looked back out the window, trying to think of how her life could go on from now on. No more weekend adventures, or midnight spy watch, Morgan and Max's favorite TV show.

Nothing is going to be the same. Max thought as she looked at the twins disturbing silent behavior. If Max hadn't been looking at Devil quiet demeanor, she probably would have seen the fast approaching car behind them. Max would have warn Rida, and maybe have saved everyone from what was about to happen, but then again, grief is a bumpy ride.

A sudden jolt of their truck, made everyone lurch in their seats, Rida feriously trying to control the wheel. Max tried to turn around in her seat to see who, or what had hit them, but Fang pushed her down as a whiz rushed over her head. With a sudden chill, Max realized it was the sound of a bullet at high speed.

"Stay down Max! They want you!" Fang shouted out, unbuckling himself, then Max, pushing them both to the bottom of the car. Max's breath wished out of her as Fang covered her body with his. Max heard Demon shout something and then a ring of fire had Max covering her ears.

With a wild desire to look at who was shooting, Max turned her head to see Demon holding a machine gun, firing with a cold stare out of the window. Shouting was mixing in with guns, and Max was unable to understand what was happening from the bottom of seat.

Suddenly daring and angry, Max rammed her head back, hearing a satisfying crunch to Fang's nose. A grunt of pain made Max feel sorry, but she quickly wiggled out of Fang's huge bulk. He was surprisingly heavy for such a tall, lanky guy.

"Max!" Fang snarled, grabbing desperately at her t-shirt. Max shook him off, climbing on the seat. Demon stopped firing, and sent Max a stare that made her stop short.

Demon's blue eyes were blazing with anger and such a furious look that order Max to get back down. Max didn't listen.

"Max if you don't get down, I will murder you!" Devil shouted over the sounds of squealing tires. Max ignored them, focusing on getting up to help. Suddenly, Max lost her balances as the truck began running over bumpy ground. Max tasted blood, and figured she had bit her tongue.

"Max! Grab on to something!"

Someone screamed at Max before the crash of vehicles hitting each other rang through her ears. Max was thrown forward, her head hitting the seat, before another crash had Max thrown into Fang. Dazed, Max focused trying to get in her seat, she was distantly aware that the truck had come to a stand still. Max looked over the seat, to see Rida holding his head, blood seeping through his hand, and an unconscious Devil.

With a sudden moment of silence, Max breath in a deep breath.

"Rida, get us out!" Fang hissed with blood dripping from his mouth. The silence remained, before the gunning of a vehicle made Max jump, and tense.

A final crash had the truck rolling, and Max was screaming along with the ruckus of the truck. Max could no longer see anything but the distance blurs, her stomach was rolling until she was such she was going to puck, her body was jared around until she was sure everything was bleeding.

The clashing of glass, and the distance sounds of the other vehicle were tuned out of Max's mind. Max couldn't remember anything but the feeling of being whipped around like a doll.

A sudden as it began, it stopped, and Max was flung back on her seat, darkness seeping into her eyes, and she heard the distance sound of someone yelling, before she could no longer hold her eyes open.

Chapter 5

A blinding light shot pain through Max's eyes as she slowly woke. The death silence disoriented Max, along with the bed seeming uncomfortable. She always woke to the sound of morning birds. Were was she?

Slowing, Max rotated her head, wincing when she hurt from the small movement. Max's eye brows formed a frown, why was she hurt? Jogging her memory, her body seemed to tense.

Swallowing thickly, Max slowly got up. Achey muscles and a lingering pain in her head had tears threatening to come down her face. Gritting her teeth, Max looked around. White walls greeted Max's eyes, and she closed them, trying to fight the growing head ache. Why do people insist on white walls? They were so boring!

Max groaned lightly, and shifted slowly, hoping she was in her house, surrounded by Rida, Fang, and the twins. She wasn't. The room was small, barely big enough for a room, and the only thing in the room was the uncomfortable bed that she was laying on.

When Max was sitting strait up, she looked towards the door, such and innocent door, she bet it was locked. Getting up slowly, Max almost dropped back down. What a head ache! Gritting her teeth, Max blindly walked towards the door.

It seemed like forever before Max reached the door, and when she did it was locked. Cursing in her head, Max reached in her hair. Smirking, Max thanked God and Morgan. She had a hair pin, it was time to get out!

A few clicks later, Max was free. Max took a minute, trying to clear her head. Unsuccessful, Max began walking down a bare hall. Max then noticed she wasn't wearing shoes, soft carpet brushed her feet wit each step, and a sudden chill down her back, made Max realize she was not wearing her normal clothes.

Disgust, along with a shiver made Max walk faster away from her "room." Max was turning the corner of the hall, before she heard voices.

"Do you think she is awake?"

A male voice asked, sounding curious. Another voice answered, sounding uninterested.

"No, she was out like a light when we reached her, I bet she's drooling now."

Max glared at the wall. Ass holes. Judging by the footsteps, there were only two of them. Both male, and full grown. Thinking quickly, Max decided she didn't want to stick around and chat, but there was only one way she could go. Taking a deep breath, Max gathered her energy.

Crouching almost as low as the ground, Max waited. The first man rounded the corner, staring at his feet. With a lunge, Max jumped on him, using him as a boost to tackle the one right behind him.

Max collided with guy number two, and he grunted as Max landed on him. His brown eyes widened in shock, and with a sudden revenge plan, Max spat on him, then sent a powerful hit to the side of his head, making his eyes roll back wards.

A hand reached out and grabbed Max's throat, choking her slightly. With a jab backwards, the number one guy groaned as she hit his stomach flesh, and loosened his grip on her throat. Max grabbed his hand, and twisted both herself, and his arm, until she faced him. With his face twisted in pain, Max felt sorry for him, and instead just sent another punch to the stomach, making him hit the wall hard, but not enough to go unconscious.