fight fire with fire

ALIAS:  Devrim Çakir AGE & SEXUALITY: Thirty-One & Bisexual BIRTHPLACE: Reno, NV  AFFILIATION: Scarlet Dahlias OCCUPATION: Enforcer FACE CLAIM:  Çağlar Ertuğrul

THE STORY ;

Devrim knew from the time he was a child that he was different. He never fit in with other kids and he found it hard to control his anger over even the smallest things. His rage was something that simply could not be quelled no matter how hard he tried to keep himself in line. As he got older his anger issues meant he was often suspended from school for fighting and would pay the price when he got home. His father was a harsh man who expected that his son would bring no shame to the family by acting as if he were out of control. But the problem with all of that, was that Devrim was out of control. When his anger would flare up, it was like Dev couldn’t take control of his own actions, he even had periods of time where he’d blacked out during a fight, and only remembered the rush of adrenaline he got from it. 

He needed to find something to keep him from losing himself before he ended up in jail. He needed something the help release the tension he felt in his soul and the only things that seemed to help him were drugs and sex. The sex part was easy, he wasn’t ashamed to make a hookup out of anyone he found attractive enough, but the drugs were what initially drew him to the Scarlet Dahlia’s. He’d been buying from one of their dealers for a while when there was an incident one night at the club where they met. Dev saved the man’s life that day by beating a member of a rival gang to a pulp and getting them both out of there before the police arrived. The lead enforcer of the Dahlia’s happened to be there that night as well and because of that, he found his way into the gang easily, those in positions of power giving him a job as an enforcer after his initiation.

For five years now Devrim has been working with the Dahlia’s and over time his job has both helped and hurt his anger control. On the one hand it gives him an outlet for violence. While his job is to keep the peace, his pretense is still to rely on physical violence and threats to do it. On the other, it’s taught him some control, and helped him learn to channel his rage into something bigger than himself. On a good day he can be found with a smile on his face and a new play thing on his arm, but on a bad day it’s as if he is almost unrecognizable.

        “Oh my god, oh my god,” Letting the three words run circles in her mind, Lilian was understandably shaken up by the explosion. Hugging herself underneath the gazebo while wrapped in her dirt-covered white gown, her eyes took in the reactions of a few others around her. They were panicked and scared, just like her. Barely seeing nobody with serious injuries made her breathe more, but that changed when an unfamiliar man appeared beside her. Taking in his view, another “oh my god,” escaped her lips when she realized he was burnt on his arms. Not knowing what to do, she pulled up her big girl pants, calmed her horrified expression covering her face, and tended to him. “We need to find something cool to wrap around you and stat.” She told him. “I’m no doctor, but I know how to fix something temporarily. How long have you been injured, and have you seen any water around?”

—

When she’d been ushered out into the night for the fireworks, Isla had been filled with excitement. This night had been better than she ever could’ve imagined, even with the few hiccups along the way. She’d been gazing up at the night as she waited for the sky to be filled with colour, hoping that Toby would be able to see it from his sleepover, though she had her phone set up to video tape it for him as well. What happened instead was worse than a nightmare. An explosion followed by screaming and clouds of smoke filling the maze.

She’d managed to get into the gazebo without much more that a few scrapes from the bushes, but it seemed other weren’t as lucky. As a man ducked into the covered area she could feel her heart pounding, looking down at the burns that covered his arm. “Stop moving.” She said quickly, while she didn’t have much skill, she did always carry a first aid kit with her. Just in case.

“I’m fine.” Devrim growled at the woman trying to help him. He recognized her but his mind was struggling to place her among the chaos. It took him a moment but he eventually realized he knew her as a dancer at the Red Room and he softened slightly. “It’s not that bad.” His shirt was burned against his skin and would have to be removed carefully but he didn’t want to think about that yet. His mind was racing as he tried to figure out what happened and how a peaceful night had gone so terribly wrong. He was sure the Medina’s were behind this, their form of retribution for taking one of their own but he’d get to that later. For now his eyes moved up to focus on the brunette who was crouched in front of him. “Sorry.”

There was something about tonight that hadn’t felt right to Devrim. The whole time he’d been inside he had felt a nagging sense that something was wrong but he’d blamed it on the tension in the room between the Scarlet Dahlia’s and the Golden Syndicates. He’d spent the better part of the evening scowling about it with friends and associates but as they were ushered outside to watch the fireworks, he let it slip to the back of his mind as he found himself stepping into the maze where he was assured the best view of the show. If nothing else it would get him away from some of the small talk that was burdening him inside. 

And then without warning everything changed. The explosion made Devrim spin around, watching as smoke started to follow him into the maze, and then he saw the flames. Screams and cries for help caught him up in the moment and he hesitated just long enough for his jacket to catch fire, falling to the ground as his arm started to burn. Yanking it off with a loud shout of pain and scrambling to his feet, he took off at a sprint into the heart of the maze where he and several others found themselves trapped and panicked. He ducked under the gazebo and looked around, his eyes searching for the few people he hoped desperately were not inside the maze with him. “Jesus, fuck.” He winced in pain as he rubbed the back of his head and looked down at his shirt, fabric burned away from his dark red skin underneath.

“Shit.”

If there was anything Charlotte understood without the shadow of a doubt, it was the succumbing sense of chaos. An alluring pull that ultimately, threatened to take all who lingered near enough under. Though her own self control had been rather in place as of late, not all were as luck, and a familiar face could easily remind her of that. “Dev, now don’t you look lovely.” A teasing tone coated her words, as she smiled at her friend. “And half the fun is watching you wait, it keeps me feeling needed.” Wrinkling her nose up, she winked at the male before accepting the drink, fingers closing in around the glass. “Anyways, maybe a little fun could do you good. There are plenty of pretty faces here after all.”

“Well your pretty face is the one I’ve chosen for this dance.” Dev shook his head as he captured Charlotte’s hand and led her to the dance floor. There was no shortage of fun with she was around and she seemed to always know how to be the calm in his storm. The two danced a little and shared some laughs and drinks before going their separate ways and Devrim found himself at her side again once they were outside and awaiting the firework show. Everything felt like it happened so quickly that all he could remember was the noise and the heat coming from the fire as the building behind them exploded. The searing pain in his arm was his last concern as he ran deeper into the heart of the maze to get away but it seemed there was no escape. Eyes searched for her, the petite brunette had been next to him when the chaos broke out, or so he thought, had he been imagining that? It only took him a moment to find her, calling out her name as he pushed through the crowd to get to her. “Charlotte! Are you okay? Are you hurt?!” If he’d stopped to think for a moment he might have realized that in all the rush to get away from the fire he’d burned his arm pretty severely.

   “Right?” Rowan huffed under his breath, standing tall by the sidelines with one hand resting behind his back as he kept his watchful gaze over the crowd. For someone who had a couple others taken from them, the Medinas sure kept a tight, calm facade for the Syndicates, that they frankly looked unbothered. It was slightly irking him, to see the rest of them unfazed. Slowly sipping from his coupe glass, the Whitlock male only ever glanced at Devrim for an answer. “Christian has Esme. They can take care of each other for a while.” The night had gone on for a few hours now, and even his giddy high with being with his boyfriend and girlfriend eventually wore off, no thanks to the Syndicates in their midst. “I’m starting to get irritated and I needed a second to breathe.” That given, furrowed brows trailed on the other. “Why aren’t you out there?” he gestured with his glass-bearing hand, motioning to their setting.

“They walk around here as if nothing is wrong...I know they’re just trying to get under our skin but it’s working.” Dev admitted with a heavy sigh, taking a long drink from his glass. They should be hiding...cowering at the sight of half the people in this room, but instead, they drank and laughed and made casual conversations as if one of their own wasn’t missing. He turned his attention to Rowan as he spoke of his dates and nodded, adjusting his watch and checking the time. “Because I despise small talk and if I have to pretend to not want to strangle half the people here I might implode.” Dev answered honestly, finding no reason to lie to his friend. “I didn’t bring a date so I have no one to distract me from the current state of things.”

Drinks in hand, Kat had begun to make her way back over to where Penelope stood on the far side of the room. A rough tone stopped the brunette in her tracks. Turning on her heel to lay eyes on the voice’s owner, her face grew puzzled for a moment. He was clearly enraged and yet she had almost no recollection of who this man was. “Sorry, do I know you?” Kat asked coolly, pausing as he continued to seethe. A smile spread across her lips as their intersection dawned on her. “As I recall I did warn you you’d be getting in over your head taking me on. Not my fault you’ve got more pride than brains.”

“And it’s not my fault you’re a conniving woman that uses her good looks to charm men into thinking you aren’t a professional.” Devrim rolled his eyes as he looked past her, already regretting starting this conversation. He dealt enough with shady characters in his line of work that he didn’t need people like her trying to con him out of things. There were a lot of things that Devrim was but a liar was not one of them. She might think she was innocent but the deceitful nature she clearly possessed was distasteful. “I should have known better than to trust a pretty face I suppose.”

Olivia swept her eyes across the room in search of her date as she re-entered the room for a smoke break. She’d only been there an hour or so but the event had seemingly drained her and yet she didn’t have it in her to retire early. Maybe it was the fatigue that was messing with her because she could’ve sworn that it was Devrim standing just in her sights. The multitude of emotions fell over her in waves but she held on to the one that’d help her most; anger. She bit back the scoff at his compliment and looked him up and down. “Wish I could say the same for you.” Her gaze retreated to look at anything but him, the urge to want to kiss him but also punch him waging a war at the pit of her stomach. “Didn’t take you for the type to come to something like this.” Of course if she’d known that he would be here she would’ve steered clear. Just get this over with she thought to herself, just have this—this whatever it was and leave.

“Harsh words from such pretty lips.” He shook his head and kept a smile on his face. It seemed that Olivia was holding on to a lot more resentment than he was. It had been him that had ended their relationship five years ago, and Devrim had expected her anger and hurt then, but too much time had passed for him to continue to harbor any negativity towards her. After all, he’d only really been avoiding her so she wouldn’t have to be bothered by his presence. Devrim knew he’d hurt her back then, and he’d tried to apologize as best as he could, but he needed this life more than he needed a relationship and he hoped that she could see that now. “Well you don’t really know me anymore, Olivia. I spend most of my days in a suit and as much as I hate small talk and pretending to be civil with people I hate, I do enjoy an open bar and good looking company.”

There weren’t all that many people in Dev’s life that he allowed to see him when he fell apart. His struggle with controlling his anger was an ongoing battle and usually he would get angry, lose his temper and then disappear so that no one would see the softer aftermath. The part of him that felt guilt and needed a calming presence. But Charlotte was someone who didn’t run away from his chaos but had been there in the moment he’d needed a friend. She saw his lowest points and accepted him anyway. It was the kind of relationship he’d been seeking so desperately when he came into the scarlet dahlia’s. A smarter man would have brought her as his date tonight, and a smarter man seemed to, but Dev came alone and simply borrowed her from whoever’s attention she was currently capturing as he handed her a drink and walked her away from the conversation she’d been in. “Can’t believe I had to come drag you away from conversation. Aren’t you supposed to seek me out at these kind of events? Look how cute I am in my suit?” Devrim joked, looking down at his attire.

Devrim did not like to be taken for a fool, and the night that Katrina Scott had hustled him in a game of poker on the strip he’d just about lost his mind and had to step outside and smack his fist into the wall to avoid being kicked out of the casino. His rage had little to no exceptions and when he saw her tonight he felt that same distaste bubbling up in his stomach. “Well, if it isn’t the hustler herself. I take it you’re here to steal my money again?”

“You know, these events would be a lot better if there weren’t so many god damn syndicates walking around here looking so fuckin’ smug.” Devrim sighed as he took a long sip of his whiskey and coke, turning his attention to his friend. It was hard to keep himself out of trouble when he felt the anger bubbling up in his gut just being in the same room as some of these people. It was why he kept close to people who calmed his nerves at things like this. People who he could trust if something were to go south. “Shouldn’t you be with you dates? Why are you even over here with me anyway?”

“Grace, you tempt me in ways that a man should not have to deal with.” Dev grinned as he approached her with a champagne flute in his hand for her, offering it to the woman before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You look amazing. Which one of these undeserving idiots did you allow to be your date tonight when it clearly should have been me?” He joked, looking around the room before letting his eyes land back on her. The pair had spent plenty of nights in each others arms over the last few years but remained friends anyway. He’d chosen to come without a date tonight but if he had to pick someone on a whim, Grace would be one of his first choices.

It wasn’t as if Olivia was the last person Dev wanted to see tonight, but she was pretty high on the list of people he was hoping not to run into. It had been five years since their breakup but he was pretty sure the woman still hated him. He’d chosen this life and the dahlias over her and he knew that had been harsh but it was what he needed. More than a relationship and someone to love him, Dev had needed a family and a place where he was accepted as he was. But as fate would have it, there she was looking stunning in her dress and just two feet in front of him with her eyes trained on him. “Good evening, Liv...you look beautiful.”

In a room full of people Devrim could always spot a familiar face. His memory served him well and he never forgot someone as beautiful as that dancer from The Red Room. He’d met her a handful of times before, Isla, and she was always sweet and enjoyable to be around, something that was a little surprising to him when he considered her occupation. As the woman made her way through the crowd towards the bar, Dev stepped into her path and smiled down at her. “Care for a drink, Isla?”

Devrim had chosen to come to the event tonight without a date, and despite his strong desire to bring a gun with him, he’d chosen to respect the rules of the event and leave it in his car outside. He felt naked without a pretty face next to him and a 9 millimeter in his hand but he was trying to make the most of the evening anyway. He leaned over to Mason next to him and nodded at a couple arguing a little ways away. “That’s why I didn’t bring a date to this. You see that guy? He’s heavily regretting his choice to bring a date right now and you see me? I’m drinking whiskey and coke and relishing in the fact that I have no one but myself to worry about tonight.” He sipped his drink and shook his head as he glanced over at Mason. “Going stag is always the way to do these things. Especially when you consider how many more options you have for who to leave with at the end of the night.”

It didn’t take Devrim long to spot Alex in the crowd of people. She was radiant all the time but tonight the woman looked like something out of a dream. He’d been eyeing her for a little while as she was paraded around by her date, Nicholas. It was funny to see such a strong woman looking like a trophy tonight. He minded his drink by the bar until he saw her slip away from her date finally and Dev took his opportunity to swoop in and steal her attention. “Have you always been this much of a tease or have I been imagining you stealing glances at me all evening?” The male asked as he came up behind her, bringing a hand to the small of her back and leaning down to speak the words close to her ear.