CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

[plan b]

"it could be the difference between life and death"

Saya, Andi, and Marcus crawled through the vents after Chico.

The blonde was initially apprehensive about leaving Petra and Viktor alone with their life-threatening injuries, but when the goth girl insisted she go, making the blonde see that she needed to go fight the Kurokis, Andi listened.

Eventually, the vents let out into stone hallways that made up the bowels of King's Dominion. Saya led the way. The Kuroki girl seemed to know where she was going but Andi did not know if she was just acting confident. Andi did not argue though, letting the dark-haired girl navigate.

Marcus trailed behind the two girls, glancing around nervously every once in a while.

"I'm gonna flay that bastard," Saya seethed, referring to Chico.

Andi scoffed, "Not if I get to him first." The leader of Soto Vatos had one job, to just sit there and let the blonde come up with a plan. He lasted all of three seconds before jumping ship. Some big, scary badass he was. No, Chico was a coward and he always would be. One lapse of judgment on both of their behalves could not change that.

The blonde did not understand what exactly made him help her while Saya's cousins were trying to eviscerate them, but she had chalked it up to instincts in the face of fear. They may not be anything close to friends, but they were still peers. Up until recently, there was a certain level of respect they each had toward each other. Andi may have hated him and hated what he did to her best friend, but she respected his power and influence.

Now, though, any respect she had toward him was long gone. Any inkling of understanding had been thrown out the window and lost in the wind. Chico was a coward. Plain and simple. He took the easy way out and left the rest of them behind. Sure, the baby gang leader did not owe them anything. But, how were you supposed to breed loyalty amongst your people when you were not loyal to them either.

Andi sure hoped that for his sake, El Alma del Diablo had another in mind to lead Soto Vatos when he was done because the cartel would fall under Chico's rule.

Chico was a mad dog, and mad dogs needed to be put down.

Marcus let out a short, sarcastic laugh. "Here I thought you guys were close. Aren't you like best friends now?" he directed toward Andi.

The blonde quickly spun toward Marcus, her hair whipping out, the ends stinging his cheek as the strands hit him at such speed. "Excuse me?" she hissed at him, slowing down briefly so that they were now walking next to each other.

Marcus gulped nervously at the ire in her eyes. The words had slipped out before he even realized what he was saying, but it was too late now. "You and Chico? Hell, back there you were like two peas in a pod."

"Why? Because we agreed on something? Jesus Christ, Marcus. Get over yourself," the blonde teen snapped. "Maybe Chico should've just left me to die in that hallway instead. It's obvious that you're really torn up about your butt buddy Jaden. Sorry to be an inconvenience."

"That's not what I meant," he tried to backtrack, his blood pressure rising. As frustrated as he was getting with her, a small voice in the back of his mind kept telling him how he loved the fire in her eyes. Only he could get turned on by the girl he liked arguing with him.

"We don't have time for this right now," Andi continued. "Chico had a point and I agreed with him. I'm just sensible enough to acknowledge that just because I hate someone, doesn't mean that they're brain dead. Well, not yet, because when I get my hands on him—."

"Will you shut up?" Saya cut her off. "Both of you."

"If my cousins don't already know where we are, they will soon if you don't stop talking," the dark-haired girl continued.

The arguing pair grew quiet as they turned the corner only to see Chico standing on the other side of a gate. The three took off for the gate.

"Chico!" Marcus yelled, only for the taller teen to shut the gate in their faces. The three collided with the iron, banging on it but it would not budge.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Andi snapped.

"God damn it! Don't do this!" Marcus tried.

Chico ignored them both, looking to Saya instead. "Enjoy the family reunion." He lifted his fist in victory before backing out and leaving the other teens to find another way out.

Marcus pushed away from the gate, Saya and Andi following shortly after. Andi wrung at her hands anxiously. She needed to come up with a plan B and fast.

Five Years Ago—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Most parents would find it inappropriate to drop their twelve-year-old in an unknown city to fend for themselves in the early morning hours. But, Lorraine Broughton was no ordinary parent and Andi was no ordinary twelve-year-old.

The task was simple. Simply said, that is... not so much simply executed.

Andi had to get from Point A to Point B without any unnecessary damage or delay. That is why the blonde tween was wandering the trolley tracks long after the trolley stopped running for the night.

Breaking into the trolley station was easy. There was no security, no policing. All she needed was a basic lockpick. Of course, she did not have a lock pick, her mother taking all her equipment before they started their nightly task. But, she supposed she could make do with her bobby pins, and she did.

Andi was thankful for a minute that the trolley tracks were even an option. If this had been New York, the rails would be lined with electrical wiring, making the trek through the tunnels more troublesome. However, with the wiring along the ceiling, the blonde girl was free to roam.

It worked out great, the rails acting as underground roads, relatively easy to navigate as she came across the next station. She remained vigilant as she continued her long journey. Another thing she was thankful for: the comfortable soles of her sneakers.

The tunnel grew dark as she wandered away from the lighting of the station. It was quiet aside from the light tap of her shoes hitting the ground.

Suddenly, she caught movement out of the corner of her eyes. A dark figure moving among the darkness. If she had been anyone else, she probably would have missed it, but she did not.

Andi needed to think quickly. She was between two stations and her quick and efficient means to get to her Point B was gone. She could fight or she could run. But, where would she run?

She stopped and took a half-step back, preparing to turn and run the way she had come. If she could make it back to the station before the assailant got to her, at least she could fight under the florescent lighting.

She took off into a full sprint before being stopped a few yards from the edge of the tunnel.

A hand grabbed onto her braid and yanked her backward. Andi stumbled but did not fall. She grabbed onto the wrist of her assailant and turned to them.

Distract them.

She spat in the masked figures exposed eyes, attempting to blind them momentarily. The grip on her braid relaxed and the young girl was able to break free. Assessing her attacker quickly, she determined that they were too tall for her to take on in her present condition. Visibility was low and Andi did not have anything to pack a punch. She needed to get back to the station and figure out another way to her Point B.

Andi kicked out, making contact with her attacker's knee and sending them to the ground. Once the attacker was at her level, she grabbed their head and kneed them before darting away. At full speed, she ran at the wall to climb out of the tracks. As she used all her might to pull herself up onto the platform, her assailant was up again.

Hands grabbed her legs and yanked her to the ground.

Air escaped the young girl's lungs as she hit the hard ground. The masked figure's hand wrapped around her neck but the girl did not give in. She kicked at their legs and clawed at their hands. When neither was working and her vision grew spotty, she moved her hands to claw at her attacker's face. Andi shoved her thumbs into the eyes of the unknown person, who pulled away from her reach.

When the assailant pulled back, Andi got enough leverage to strike at their throat. They backed up with a choking cough and Andi gasped for breath. The attacker recovered before she did, still incapacitated from her lack of air.

The figure loomed over her and removed the mask.

Looking down at her was none other than Lorraine Broughton. Andi was not surprised. Of course, it was her mother, who else would it be?

Andi breathed deeply, her neck already growing sore from the trauma. There were sure to be bruises there in the morning when she woke up.

Lorraine shook her head at her daughter. "It's good to have a plan, but when the situation goes south, you need to have a back-up in mind. You need to be able to think on your feet and adapt quickly. It could mean the difference between life and death."

The Arguello boy rounded a corner, backtracking until they came across a nook with some cabinets and barrels stacked around.

"There's got to be a way out," Marcus started, frantically looking around. "Like a hidden door or something." He walked to the wall and flipped the breaker, all the lights around them turning off.

"Well, that's helpful," Saya sassed as Marcus turned the lights back on. "Just keep searching. Petra and Viktor don't have long."

Andi scoffed. "That sounds a lot like you're gonna sacrifice yourself to Thing 1 and Thing 2."

"They have my katana," the Kuroki girl answered as if her words made everything make sense.

Andi groaned. "You don't know that! Lin could have your katana! Going in there without a plan and without backup... you'll die before you ever see that damn sword again!"

"Exactly! You're unarmed," Marcus said, backing up the blonde.

"Look, if I die trying to get it back, I'm good with that," Saya said. "At least it's an honorable death."

"Do you hear how insane you sound? All this 'honor' bullshit? It's a goddamn sword."

Saya steadied herself. "It was my father's. It's the only thing I have left."

"You're acting like going after your cousins and dying while trying to get your sword back is the only option. Your father wouldn't want you to be impulsive about this," Andi tried to reason. Sure, she did not know the former head of the Kuroki Syndicate, but if he was worth anything as a leader, then he had to be smart. Right now, Saya was not being smart. She was being rash.

"We're not leaving you," Marcus said, speaking for the Broughton girl.

"They will slaughter you to get to me," Saya tried to argue, the hint of tears in her eyes. "I'm better off on my own."

"Ye of little faith," Andi said with a slight smile. Although, she was not very prepared for a fight with her present injuries. She would make do though because she needed to. "No one is better off on their own." Andi wondered for a moment if she was referring to Saya or herself.

Before they could continue, one of Saya's cousins harshly shoved Marcus to the side. He grunted as he hit the wall, leaving Saya and Andi standing to face the Kuroki assassins.

Andi flipped her knife, holding it up at the ready. The small space was not ideal, but she had to make it work. The assassins stepped forward and Andi made her move.

She went low, slicing at the masked man's knee, as he swung high. Both attacks missed their marks. Andi was quick to her feet despite the agony from her leg wound. It was not quick enough for the Kuroki assassin though who slammed the girl against the wall.

Andi's head whipped against the wall, her vision going fuzzy as she dropped to the floor beside Marcus. The last thing she saw before her eyes fluttered shut was Saya getting knocked out and carried away. "Saya," she whispered, but it was too late.