𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.

( @cynosurems )

𝖽𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗀𝖾 𝗀𝖺𝗋𝖽𝖾𝗇 she had spent her childhood playing in , memories of her and aiden still dancing across the manicured grass like ghosts as she brought her cigarette to her lips . nicotine for her somewhat dulled the effects of the hallucinogens and weed but it was a habit she struggled to kick . she turned at the sound of someone's throat clearing and there stood a boy , vaguely familiar but hard to properly place when you were aiden lancaster's sister , and she couldn't help but smile slightly at his words . thank god , he didn't know her . ❛ it's not really my thing . came here with a friend and lost her . you need a lighter ? ❜ she motioned to his matching cigarette with her own , lit one . ❛ i've stolen like , seven . you'd be doing me a favour . ❜

SABRINA WAS HAPPY TO JUST SORT OF BLEND IN as her sister seemed to be stopped by every other person , a smile played on her face . a she heard that familiar little chime of her phone and was already constructing a text in her head on how she was going to respond already . looking over the text her heart sank into her stomach , her eyes darting up towards bambi before going back to the screen . when her sister started walking again she followed suit turning the screen off , trying to keep some sort of check in what exactlt her face might give away . " holy shit . " was all that managed to leave her lips as she took her own look around the space , a laugh leaving her lips as bambi declared how she would have to break the news to their parents how she was moving out . " maybe you can find one of the lancaster's and ask about a rental agreement or something . " she took another sip of her drink but it seemed to just work into souring her stomach , " can i move with you ? " she opted to place the cup down and shove her hands into her pockets , a ghost of a smile still lingering on her lips as the words of the text bounced in her head .

❛ 𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗅 𝖺𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 ? ❜ bambi put on her best confused face and tilted her head to the side slightly , as if she was genuinely perplexed . ❛ i was just going to take my shirt off the next time i saw tatum and hope an engagement ring would show up eventually . ❜ mere seconds later , her composure crumpled and she started to laugh . ❛ my dear sabby wab ... ❜ she began again once she'd settled more , her arm now linked with her sister's , ❛ you are coming everywhere with me , forever . you don't have any other choice i'm afraid . ❜ it was all framed as a joke , because of course everything was with bambi , but this had been the stark reality since she came home . sabrina made her want to be better , it was easier to pretend when she was around , and in a way bambi was dependent on the safety that brought . ❛ we should go and pick out our bedrooms for when we move in – i bet one has a jacuzzi . ❜

" YOU CAN'T BE THE BIGGER PERSON , i'm like an inch taller than you . right , following . " grabbing his beer he fell to walking behind the other , their quest was to find jasmine . they could bench the iron man v batman debate for the time being . first to enter he looked around , no jas and no abs from what he was able to see . grabbing a handful of chips from one of the bowls set out he tried to juggle putting a few in his mouth and holding his beer . he offered up a shrug of his shoulders to holden , " i don't know , holds . it's kind of nice , in the excessive who would ever need five bathrooms kind of way . " he ended the internal debate by setting down the beer down on the counter to eat his chips , " see any sign of her ? "

𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖽𝖾𝗇 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗎𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝖺𝗅𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗄𝗂𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖽𝗈𝗈𝗋 as reggy spoke . he peered out into the fairly busy and occupied space it opened out into , and turned back to reggy with a shrug . ❛ can't see her . no sabrina , either . let me shoot them both a text . ❜ he pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and fired off a few short messages to them both , not expecting anything back for a couple of minutes , so he was visibly surprised when his phone buzzed before he'd even been able to put it away . ❛ sabrina says her and bambi are in the theatre room . fucking theatre room , are you kidding ? ❜ he sent another text to let her know they were on their way and finally put the phone away ; even if he couldn't find jas , he could at least get sabrina and bambi to give him a hand now . ❛ when you've finished stuffing your face , we'll head off . you wanna' take some snacks for the road , champ ? ❜

EVERY . LITTLE . THING about the other seemed to rub him the wrong way ; the way she talked , the way she smiled , and the way she seemed to always have a look of ' i know more than you ' written on her face most if not all the time . she was the only person in town that seemed to be able to really crawl under his skin in the worst way possible . " fuck you . " his retort was quick and a less than pleased look found a way on to his face . he kept his eyes locked on to her as she approached the fridge , " i hate you so much . " lazy eye ? what ? he tilted the beer can up taking another swig of it when it happened with a loud crash . " what the fuck . " his attention turned as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand , he knew that sound everyone with a garage knew that sound . he continued to curse under his breath as he then went to the door leading back into the house , trying the knob just to find it was locked , " FUCK . " dexter exclaimed slamming a single fist into the door , his attention turned back to laurel . " better get comfortable , princess . " being trapped in a garage with laurel was at the bottom of the list of things he wanted to do .

𝗅𝖺𝗎𝗋𝖾𝗅 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝗈𝗈𝗋 and watched dex as he moved swiftly towards it , pushing her pride down deep into the pits of her soul to be able to act as stupid as him . ❛ did you even fucking try ? ❜ she hissed , on the door like a flash , making sure to bash him with her shoulder ' by accident ' in her rushed attempt to get to the door . if she had to look like an idiot , she was at least going to enjoy it . if she had to endure being trapped in here with him , she was doing to enjoy it . of course , the handle didn't give , and it was clear whoever had blocked the door had done a good job . she turned to him as fury knitted her brows together , acting like he might as well have been the one to lock it himself . ironic . ❛ did you have to punch it like an ape ? i'm sure that really helped the situation , though congratulations for being more of a man than i thought you were . ❜

" HOLDEN'S LITTLE PET . " isla echoed the other scrunching up her face laughter bubbling up . her eyes darted around as if the people they were talking about would materlize somewhere in the pairs vicinity , she didn't think dexter would take too kindly to being referred to as passenger princess . " she must feel some kind of special having a body guard like that . i'd honestly pay money to see rafa body the snake . no offense to dex . " they were all waiting for paz , he was the spark while the anarachy members already mingling were the fuse . she nodded her head in agreement as she drank the last bit of her juice , " true true . " she pursed her lips as she thought for a moment , she wasn't much use in hand to hand but she wasn't going to pass up throwing a punch or two . " i've kind of been looking for their eyes , abigail , i think her name is . she seems like a good person to start with at least . THEN see how i can get in on the free for all . how about you ? " the way the conversation was shifting one would think they were talking about who they were going to ask out to a dance . she knew collette would probably be hurting to get a hold of erin , but erin was more for paz , nazar , and dexter to deal with as they saw fit .

❛ 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒'𝗋𝖾 𝖺 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝗈𝗋 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 . romeo and juliet against all odds , makes me sick – all i know is i'd sell a kidney if it meant seeing his slimy little face smashed to BITS . ❜ collette grinned as she placed the emphasis on bits ; if she couldn't quench the unending thirst she had for physical violence , she could still will it into existence and revel in the thought . ❛ yeah you could take her easy . have to catch her on her own , though . that's the hard part . ❜ she took a moment to consider her own answer , flipping through the rolodex of rose faces paz had made all of them memorise . her eyes scanned the crowd as she did so , and another familiar face that struck a chord of irritation unfortunately caught her eye – she sighed . ❛ tj , probably . ❜ she had been fairly tight-lipped about her growing closeness to daisy but keeping things a secret didn't mean they ceased to exist , which meant logically collette would pick the one person who could help her find daisy if things went to shit . ❛ he seems surprisingly easy to manipulate . all brawn , zero brain , i could convince him to walk off the third floor balcony . ❜ her dislike of him certainly helped to sell the charade , though .

undercover work was the specialty and now that he'd been official & partnered up with juliet, he wanted to make an impression. finally be taken serious in her eyes and he tights the jacket around him, while doing a quick once over of himself to make sure everything had been in place to make sure that they could still get visual surveillance. bringing his weapon up to ensure it had been properly loaded and making sure it was holstered properly so no one had suspected it on him, grant gives a slow nod. ''i won't. i'll try to be under the radar, get a whole view of the party if i can. ''

𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗍 , 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗎𝗋𝖿𝗎𝗅 𝗌𝗁𝖺𝗉𝖾𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝗀𝖺𝗇 to take form and swirl around his head , blaringly loud in both size and presence as they reminded her of her ever-decreasing sleep pattern . get it under control , jules . she squinted her eyes closed for a moment , acting like she was deep in thought . ❛ let me think ... you've got quite a few entrance points , front door if you want to just blend in , but if you think you'll know a lot of people in there , might be best to go in through the back or side gate . you could buy yourself some free time before someone recognises you . ❜ she wearingly opened her eyes once more , thankful the shapes were gone , though worried about when they might return . jules , if nothing else , was an expert when it came to discipline though , so she reached into the back seat to grab the surveillance laptop . ❛ when you trip over a beer bottle and fall on your ass , don't expect back up , but we still need a signal word . just in case . ❜

''you sure about that? think that was what i was initially brought on 'ere for, wasn't it? i still gotta see dominique and those twins.'' taking a seat, jackson lets out a breath of air he didn't know he'd been holding in-- head lolling back before it settles properly on her. ''i thought you trusted me to do my job, why are you questioning it just after a drink?'' a genuine question, head tilting in thought as he rises from the seat with a raised brow. ''you.. you also know i wouldn't lie to you, right?''

❛ 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 of the most powerful protectors this town has . it's not personal , jackson . you know how important you are to a . ❜ laurel took a few steps towards him and reached out with a comforting hand , placed lightly on his upper arm . she had programmed him , shaped him , she knew exactly what to say . ❛ how important you are to all of us . ❜ she allowed a very small smile to appear , though in reality she was more concerned with keeping everyone on track and hoped austin would be in place by the time she went back downstairs . ❛ i know you wouldn't . ❜ that part , strangely , she meant .

" NO NO NO . i've committed myself to drinking it and i'll drink it , without a chaser . " wes answered taking another smaller sip from the cup , the more he drank the less aggressive it seemed to be . " just keep laughing and giggling at my expense , 'trid . " wes jested a smile briefly lifting the corners of his lips before he continued on , " the fact you can actually drink LEGALLY is still something that's going to take time to get used to , so i will not be apologizing for taking your drink . " it was a rather pointed statement , as he took another sip . " are you enjoying the party ? "

❛ 𝗌𝗈 𝗂 𝖼𝖺𝗇'𝗍 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗂𝗍 𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 get to drink it straight ? wow , i see how things are . make sure you remember this moment the next time want a nice , refreshing smoothie delivered to you on your lunch break . remember what you lost in this fire . ❜ astrid had adopted a particularly dramatic voice for that final line , not too far removed from the many wizened characters she'd impersonated from film and tv before . ❛ yeah , it was really nice of dove and daisy to invite us . plus we never get the chance to be at the same parties ! what about you ? ❜

" I THINK YOU CAN WORK IN ONE MORE jab at my life choices in our conversation before it has to come to an end . " a smile played on his lips , he was missed this he missed her . he'd give anything to know what was going through that brilliant head of hers . " ela ... " the sentence started and died on his tongue in the same breath , she needed a kind of peace he couldn't offer her no matter how he tried to get to that point . his mouth shut as there was a sharp intake of air as he tried to straighten up . a smaller smile pulled at the corners of his lips one that made his eyes crinkle at their corners , " i have to admit it's nice that you still worry about me . " anthony mused , it may have worked into a way of saying ' i still love you ' without out right admitting / saying it . " okay . okay . i'll hide with pia if things start going south -- especially if it means you'll hide . i cross my heart on it , " he said making the gesture over his heart . his features soften when rafaela spoke about how they should stop making promises they couldn't keep , " i'll find one i can keep , one day . starting with the hiding one i just said . " there was a buzz from his pocket with it was the fleeting thought that it was devlin , " hold on . " taking the phone from his pocket there was no id on it and just a feeling that sank to the bottom of his stomach , turning the screen off anthony tried to keep his expression unreadable but he was far from alright about the whole thing . he glanced up and down the hallway looking for someone tucked away and watching . he didn't want to say goodbye but he knew what was coming as his eyes fell back on her . ' i'll be seeing you soon . real soon , ANT . ' what would it mean to spill his guts to her right now ? tell her every single bit of bad he's done ? " i love you , rafaela . and i need you to know and understand that i always will . but maybe you can find a promise to keep in promising me you'll stay as far away from me as you possibly can . "

𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗂𝗋 𝗌𝗁𝗂𝖿𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗂𝗆𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗂𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗋𝖺𝖿𝖺𝖾𝗅𝖺 𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗐 . she just knew . her face contorted between a million different emotions at those three words , the three words she'd been waiting for him to say again ... but now it sounded wrong . something was wrong . ❛ what the fuck are you talking about ? no ... no ! you can't keep doing this to me . ❜ rafaela didn't cry . not out of a desire not to , or a forced strong man bullshit mentality , it just was never something that came particularly easy to her . so when tears welled in the corners of her eyes , it was a sensation that was almost alien to her . it felt like desperation from her body , begging , pleading . because she physically couldn't speak the words that equated to begging . it always came out sharp . ❛ you either love me or want me to stay away from you . you can't have both . i'm not letting you have both anymore . ❜ her voice faltered , terrified to her core of what was going to happen next . she'd come here to warn him and for once , just once , she had hoped he would pick them over her . wasn't that a bizarre notion ? wasn't it so impossibly strange that she had fallen for someone who was so hell bent on protecting her , the person , he was willing to let their relationship fall to pieces . she pointed at the phone , ❛ doing this won't change whatever those words are on that screen . if you want me to leave you alone for good , then tell me , but don't you dare make yourself the sacrifical lamb on my behalf . i can protect myself . ❜

BOTTLE BROUGHT to his lips as he finishes off what was left of the drink, kicking the face of a fallen ROSE member that had been at his feet. ''you didn't need to check up on me, laurel. i promise.. i'm okay. i'm having the time of my life being home again.'' the deadpan expression taking its place as he looks around them again, tossing the empty bottle down at the motionless body at his feet. ''besides, i'm behaving.. for now.''

❛ 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 ... ❜ 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗅𝗍 𝖽𝗈𝗐𝗇 to press two fingers to the rose's throat – dead – ❛ is not what we're here for . ❜ she moved to pick up the bottle instead and tipped it upside down nonchalantly , a few sad drops escaped from the neck to let her know it was decidedly empty . ❛ neither is this . you're making a mess . ❜ she stood back up slowly , bottle still in hand as she made a mental note to dispose of it in a less conspicious place , and looked at him . ❛ a wants you sharp . if you can't do this , you need to let me know . ❜

" I DON'T THINK THEY DO . at least he didn't , it was the kind of goofy one . " the brunette answered taking a brief look around herself , the roses had to have known by now something was going to happen they'd been filing in ready to pop for a good minute now . " know if her guard dog is here .. ? " it was a passing question one she wasn't expecting an answer for really , but she knew if erin was meant to pay for what she'd done there would be some fight if veter were here as well not that she would be expected to be the one to come face to face with him . taking out her phone to glance at the screen , she nodded her head as an answer taking another sip of her cranberry juice . " drove him here . he's a horrible passenger princess . " isla said bumping her shoulder lightly into the others a smile flicking the corners of her lips upwards briefly as she pocketed her phone , " he's probably off getting things ready on his end , awful night to be a rose . "

❛ 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖿𝗒 𝗈𝗇𝖾 ? ❜ 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 , though it was more for her own thought process than it was for clarification from isla . ❛ oh , holden's little pet . ❜ she shrugged at the mention of tommy , ❛ 'm not sure to be honest , doubt she'd be here on her own . he won't matter if our precious passenger princess gets a hold of him anyway . ❜ collette grinned and bumped isla's shoulder back , thoroughly entertained with dex's new nickname . ❛ or rafa . she made me spar with her last week and i thought she broke my back . ❜ her concerns about missing dex's appearance quickly dissipated – to be honest , there wasn't much choice . if he and isla were here , they probably weren't far off of paz's grand entrance , which meant she needed to get that still simmering rage in check . ❛ when is it not an awful time to be a rose ? you got a target in mind or just planning on joining the free for all ? ❜

❛ 𝗈𝗁 ? ❜ 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝗈𝗌𝖾 , ❛ think they know what's going on ? ❜ she scanned the room , curious as to whether or not their enemies knew they were coming , curious as to what could've appeared on that rose's phone that caused them to run and not immediately fight . ❛ yeah , she's clearly dumber than we thought . ❜ her eyes travelled back to isla , thankful to be mostly done with the minor mention of erin , though now she had something else on her mind . ❛ is dex here already ? i haven't seen him . ❜

" OH WOW . OKAY . " a dry laugh left his lips as something resembling frustration bubbled beneath the surface he tried faking a smile to try and mirror the one she wore on her face , " i just remembered how much i in all actuality loathe you . thanks for never changing . " his smile slipped from his features as he pressed his back into the fridge door his arms still crossed as he stared the other down . " i'm not your servant OR your friend . " they had been friends once but it all went down hill rather quickly hadn't it ? and devolved into the pair hurling insults every chance they got . he moved and opened the fridge eyes still fixated on her he opened the beer and took a swig from it , " you can get it yourself . " dexter said with a motion of his head towards the still partly opened fridge .

❛ 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 . ❜ for a moment , laurel thought she might've pushed the wrong button , pulled the wrong cord , when dex backed into the fridge . she needed him to be the one to invite her further into the garage , she needed to act like she was perfectly happy stood in the doorway so that when she had to move , it was oh so much of an inconvenience . and then he spoke again . perfect . she resisted the urge to smile wider and instead rolled her eyes as the smile dropped from her own features . ❛ god you need to get laid , you're stiffer than a corpse . ❜ she begrudingly pushed herself off of the wall and moved forward , gaze fixated on him even as she reached the fridge , a defiant glare reflected in both of their eyes as they stared the other down . ❛ do you have a lazy eye ? ❜ she jabbed petulantly as she pulled a beer from the fridge , just ... in ... time – BANG ! SMASH . she'd allowed the beer to slip from her fingers and land between them as the garage door slammed , the unmistakeable sound of the lock being the final piece of the puzzle .

THERE WAS MOMENTARY CONCERN WRITTEN ON HER FACE as her sister grabbed her arm only to be replaced by a smile . " good ! hopefully never . no i haven't , i've spent most of my time looking for one of you guys . it certainly would , they already opened up the rest of the house to everyone . " cup still held firmly in one hand there wasn't a second thought in her head as sabrina took bambi's hand with her free one , she knew full well what the other was doing and she was never going to be able to put into words just how thankfully she was for it . she could just not think for a moment , she needed to just not think for a moment . she only hoped sammy and connor really could keep themselves out of trouble .

𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗐𝖺𝗅𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗐𝖽 , bambi was stopped by more people than she could count on both hands . her reputation as rosewick's social butterfly certainly lived up to its name , but she was disinterested in any of that tonight , instead she wanted to spend time with her sister , who so very clearly needed a distraction . ❛ i think it's just through this door ... ❜ and as they walked through , bambi's words sprung to life , green eyes wide as she took in the scene before them . as a lover of the arts , it was hard for her to not feel a rare sort of envy as she admired how well the space had been purpose built . ❛ i'm moving in . you can break the news to mama and mom . ❜

" AND YOU ARE SO FULL OF SHIT . everyone knows he'd have to fight him once to get a feel for them . " reggy laughed and clapped his hands together when holden seemed to shove off abby's opinion , reaching for his drink , " you're just mad i'm right . " he said raising the bottle to his lips . it was one of the rare times that saw reggy go completely quiet as the other talked about jasmine , he lowered the bottle without taking a drink from it and started picking at the label . " yeah . " was all he could manage to get out , his gaze shifted up when holden mentioned not seeing her for a while he was nodding his head before words even came out , " of course , it's jasmine . she's probably inside . the place is HUGE . "

❛ 𝗂'𝗆 𝗀𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖺' 𝖻𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗂𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗈𝖿𝖿 , because i know how deeply it cuts you to be both wrong and stupid . ❜ he would've never typically acquiesced to reggy like this , but holden knew if he didn't , they would be stuck out here all night debating the ins and outs of a fight that was never going to logically happen anyway . ❛ c'mon . ❜ he motioned inside and allowed reggy to step in before he did , brown hues already beginning to scan and take note of who was in the kitchen . ❛ fucking rich people ... ❜ he muttered under his breath , having always had a distinct disdain for the lancaster home and its lavish wealth .

" I WAS ONLY DOING A JOB . " the words left her mouth harshly as she struggled to keep her voice down and avoid bringing more attention to them than they already seemed to have , she wanted nothing more to sink back into the crowd and find tommy to drag him out of this party whether he had found either domi or abby or not . she understood the girls rage well enough and she couldn't argue with it being justified but she just couldn't leave it be , " i know it probably won't change anything . i know it doesn't grant me forgiveness . and i certainly know it doesn't explain a damn thing , but that word is all i have and i just wanted to make sure you heard it . " because collette was important to her , " i still think you're too good for anarchy , collette . you need to get away before you just become a causality . i care about you , whether you wanna believe me or not is entirely up to you . " not knowing what to do with her arms she crossed them and tried not to show just how uncomfortable she was talking to the other in the middle of the party .

𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽 , 𝗎𝗇𝖺𝖿𝗋𝖺𝗂𝖽 of the fact erin was both bigger and stronger than her . things like that hadn't mattered for a long time , they didn't when you were barely living . ❛ and your job was to be a rat . was fucking that stupid waste of breath part of it ? because somewhere along the line you decided he mattered more than your job , more than us , so i'm just trying to get some facts straight here SPENCE . it was a job when it came to what you did to me , but it was real with him ? ❜ her heart pounded against her bones , every atom in her body suddenly flooded with white hot adrenaline and rage as her minor slip up in wording showed how she truly felt . she balled her fists at the mention of her gang , nails dug so deep into her palms she began to bleed . ❛ you speak a bad word about them again and i cut you open in front of this nice crowd . ❜ she watched erin for a moment , the red mist having fully descended . collette didn't completely understand it , but somewhere beneath the anger , she felt embarassment . that was probably why she said something she shouldn't have . ❛ say hi to paz for me . guess you'll be seeing each other sooner than you thought . ❜ without another thought she turned to walk away , uninterested in getting herself into more trouble with their formidable leader .