There was the loud sound of a vehicle coming to a stop nearby that caused everyone to stand still for a second.“What is that?” The landlady tilted her head in the direction of the sound.She had an uneasy feeling that settled in the pit of her belly.“Hurry, boys, take him to the choker.” She ordered.As the boys unfroze and continued pulling Reed away, there was the thundering sound of multiple footsteps, and men dressed in tactical gear, looking like they were headed to war, ran into the building."Everyone, freeze!"The boys immediately dropped Reed like he was covered in poison ivy, then stood awkwardly, sharing similar faces of confusion and fear with everyone around.After the men who had just run in, a man who seemed to be in his thirties stepped in after them, his steps confident and sending apprehension to everyone.The landlady was shocked for all of a second, then she walked up to the last man who seemed like the leader and brazenly spoke in his face."How dare you storm i

Reed grimaced at the sight before him. No doubt the landlady had gone through his things looking for anything of value she could find.But what value could be found in a room filled with things that were so battered, even calling them secondhand almost felt like an insult.They were as good as picked up from the garbage.The table with an unsteady leg, which had needed a stone under the bad leg to make it stand straight, or sheets yellowed with age and shredding in some corners.No wonder she had insisted that he come back and pay his rent.As he stepped into the tiny room, he was hit with the stale smell of damp walls, dead cockroaches that littered the ground, and the stench of an unused room.Reed was momentarily overwhelmed by the smell and wondered how he had managed to sleep in that same room for years.He figured that he had been so used to the smell that it stopped bothering him, and wrinkled his nose at the thought that he had gone around smelling like this room.Poverty, he

Reed stared at the point of the knife, where it was directed and gulped softly.'This girl does not play, look how she did not hesitate to target my family jewels.' He thought.He should have been afraid, but instead all he felt was admiration at how she was ready to defend what she stood for even if her actions were a little bit extreme.It was unfortunate that she wanted to maim him, but he found himself understanding her actions.When he raised his head, there was no fear in his eyes.“There is no need for threats between us." He said softly."In fact, I’m on your side. I want to offer you a job with better benefits than your current one,”At the girl's unimpressed look, he tried again."I could pay you a lot of money and help you get your sister free."For a second, Lara was stunned. He did not even flinch when she had brought the knife close, once again she found herself wondering who the man she had picked up was.“A job?” She scoffed, a bitter, humorless laugh bubbling up from h

Koba and Jake exchanged glances with Mundo, who blinked as if to tell them to stand down momentarily. They could only attack Lara unawares, if she even thought that there was something suspicious underfoot, they knew exactly how she would react.They would end up as the casualties.While Lara impatiently pulled up her phone, saw the number on the screen, and glanced at Mundo with an apologetic smile before crossing to a corner of the room where she could have some semblance of privacy to answer her call.The caller was Lily, a girl she had befriended. One of the prostitutes who worked in Mundo's bar.Lara had become friends with her, secretly sending her money so that she could take care of Kim on her behalf and report on the happenings around.She had been a very great help to Lara, it was thanks to her that Kim was safe.It had been a very dangerous thing to do because if Mundo had found out, Lily and Lara would have both ended up dead."What's up?" Lara whispered."It's Kim," Lily b

About an hour later, Reed was out of his sweatpants, into a tailored charcoal suit and in his new sports car.Lara sat beside him. The only sign of the emotions hidden within her were her knuckles, which had turned white with tension.Her mind was racing with fear, and even though she understood that they had to change, there was no way they could just barge into the club looking like Ruffians.Thanks to the fact that all her clothes were inappropriate for where they were going, she was forced to wait for a new suit to be delivered to Reed's penthouse, and that had almost driven her crazy.She had given herself exactly one minute to dwell on the fact that Reed's apartment was on top of one of the city's most expensive hotels.After that, her mind kept conjuring up different scenes of what would happen to her sister if she did not get there on time or if Mundo had been lying about what he had really done with her.The energy in the car was very tense, and neither of them said a word un