~I never thought I'd feel this kind of hesitation tonight, my hand on another girl. I wish I didn't have to lie, I wish I could let you know. Cause I love you and I need you. I only want you and nobody's going to know if it's true~ The Weeknd.

Chapter Theme Song: "Valerie" by The Weeknd.

°°

Ansel

I lean against the doorframe of Alaric's room while he counts the money in his hand, his cigarette trapped between his lips.

"Have you called Sam?"

My question halts his movements, and he stares at the notes for a while. He puts it aside, taking the joint between his fingers. A sigh leaves his lips as he leans his head against his headboard.

"Yeah, but she's not picking my calls. Have you heard from her?"

I trudge over to him, flumping down on his bed. I gaze at the Tupac poster pasted on his wall, shrugging my shoulders. "I texted her...but she left me on read."

"Damn..." Alaric sighs. "She must be really pissed to have ignored you. You know how much she loves you."

I turn my face to look at him. "Why did you do that to her? Sam's a good girl and you know it. I thought you loved her."

"I do. I really do. You know Sam's my queen, An. But I just have some shit dealing with and that's just the way it has to be right now." He takes a hit of his cigarette, the smoke emitting through his nose and mouth.

My brows furrow as I shift my torso to him. "What do you mean?"

He drags a hand through his hair. "Do you really think I like that 'Bee' girl? She is nowhere near my type. Her titties are fake as hell and her voice is annoying as fuck. But I just have to deal with her until I get what I want."

I narrow my eyes. "And what do you want?"

He hesitates for a second, sitting upright on his bed. "I can't really tell you that right now, for your own safety. But just know that I know exactly what I'm doing, and I have my reasons. Just trust me, alright?"

I exhale heavily, nodding my head. "Okay, I trust you. But you need to at least reassure Sam or something. Or you'll lose a good one."

Alaric nods. "I know." Then he smiles suddenly, a cheeky expression on his face. "So...what about you and Rain?" he takes another smoke, squinting an eye.

At the mention of her name, I resist the urge to smile. The thought of Rainey always tends to put my mood in a contented place. She crosses my mind a lot, and I often wonder if she is okay. The people around her do not genuinely care about her and that breaks my heart.

"What about us?" I ask him.

"Have you guys...you know...done it yet?" He raises his brows smuttily, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

Knowing exactly what he is hinting at, I shake my head. "No, Alaric. You do know we are just friends, right?"

"Hmm. A boy and a girl can never be just friends, An. That never works out." He dusts his joint onto the platter by his bedside and his cell vibrates from his bed. My eyes catch the screen.

"Bee?"

"Yep." He sighs. I can tell he genuinely does not like this girl. Whatever he is doing must be for an incredibly good cause.

He taps on his cell before he grabs a shirt thrown down carelessly somewhere.

"Are you going to her?" I ask.

"Yeah...I'm going by her apartment." He jumps off the bed and grabs his leather jacket from the chair. "If you get through to Sam tell her to pick my calls up, alright?"

I nod my head as he scurries out of the room.

°°

Alaric

"You're late." Bethany Finn stands by the doorframe, her eyes bloodshot from whatever it is she has been smoking. Her red curly hair cascades down her shoulders, the burgundy lingerie she sports barely covering her slender body. I imagine what Sam would look like wearing that. Without a doubt, she would look a lot better.

"Traffic," I reply flatly as I stroll in past her. I pull my cell from my pocket, checking to see if there are any missed calls. I hiss when I realize Sam has not even read my Whatsapp message despite being actively online.

I bite down my lower lip, my brows furrowing in displeasure. I feel Bethany's skinny hands trailing along my arms and I shut my eyes, resisting the urge to shrug them off. This job gets harder by the day, but it is the only way I can take care of my family.

"Sit, baby, you look so tense." She massages my shoulders. "Long day at work?"

I sigh and flump down onto the bed, attempting to wipe the annoyance from my face. Bee wastes no time to straddle my waists, her bare thighs pressing against me, pinning me into the sheets.

She wraps her arms around my neck, trailing slow, soft kisses along the area. I cannot seem to focus; Sam is ignoring my messages and it is driving me crazy. While Bee is preoccupied with my neckline, I use the opportunity to stealthily tap on my phone.

I realize Sam has changed her display picture on Whatsapp to her and a group of friends. At the looks of it, they seem to be at a club or something. Whenever we would have an argument, she would hang out with her female friends to ease her mind a little. However, the painful thought of other men gazing at her, at such places, has my blood boiling red hot.

I hiss audibly. "Fuck."

Bee snaps her head up, her face scrunching in confusion. "Babe? Did I do something?"

I shake my head, flipping the cell onto its face on the bed. "No..."

"But you just cursed out loud." She flips her hair, straightening her spine. "Am I that good?"

Nope.

"Just don't nip my neck so hard. I don't want my girl seeing a hickey on me."

"Relax, Alaric. I know the rules by now. Don't want Ron seeing hickeys on me either." She smirks, resuming her attention to my neck while she attempts to tear my jacket off my shoulders.

I make a face and gently grip her arm, pulling her away. She frowns. "Alaric."

"Where will the truck be this weekend?"

She sighs. "Crossview Mall, after the stores are all closed."

I nod my head. The drug truck owned by Ron Moretto drops off drug supplies at a different location every weekend. Bee tells me where the drop off will be and my men normally raid the truck, steal some of the drugs and I sell them. It is the only way I can sufficiently take care of my family.

Ron Moretto is a famous drug lord and gang leader from Freetown, a city a few miles away from here. However, his brother runs his drug business in the district while Ron keeps the business going in Freetown. Bethany Finn is Ron's woman, but the frequent acts of domestic violence by him has caused her to become disloyal.

"You know, Ron will be coming in town soon," she continues, reaching over to the bedside table and retrieving a bottle of vodka.

My brows furrow. "For what?"

She pours the liquor in two glasses, her body still crumped against my groin. "Says he wants to find the girl who hurt his niece. Don't ask me what he plans on doing to a poor little schoolgirl."

"Schoolgirl?"

"Yeah, his niece is 17, and I am guessing the girl he's looking for is the same age."

I recline onto my palms, my brows knitting together. "What does he plan on doing to a kid?"

"You don't know Ron, Alaric." She takes a sip of her liquor. "He has no mercy or sympathy for anyone. Which is why you should be careful. He is also coming in town to investigate who could be raiding the drug truck. He is already suspecting your family, but I keep convincing him that the Kings don't sell drugs anymore. He ordered me to keep tabs on you, so just be careful."

"Yeah, I got it under control. Max and the guys are a lot more skilled than you may think."

She smirks, her pupils dilating as she moves in to kiss me. However, Sam flashes across my mind and I leer my face away. She narrows her eyes in confusion and I sigh, dropping my gaze to her bare legs.

"Do you have anything sexier than this?"

Her red lips pull back in a grin. "What's your preference?"

"Less covering." I meet her eyes, biting my lower lip. "I want to see more of you."

Her cheeks redden at the words, her eyes glistening with lust. "Your wish is my command, babe." She gets off me and sashays away, glancing over her shoulders with a flirtatious smirk as she disappears inside a room.

I blow my cheeks out, dipping inside my pocket for the packet of Lunesta sleeping pills. I reach for her glass of vodka and dusts the drug inside it, swiveling the glass until it is non-existent. I hear footsteps and place the glass back onto the table, turning my head just in time to see her appearing at the doorframe, almost naked.

I blink my eyes, trying to keep them on her face since the only things covering her body are two black tapes at her nipples and black lace underwear.

Sam, forgive me.

She minces her way over to me, exaggeratingly swaying her hips as she seductively pushes her hair back. She straddles my waists, a girly chuckle leaving her mouth.

"Why are you still dressed, Alaric? Let me help you take this off."

She begins to pull my jacket off me, and I stare at the glass of vodka on the table, nibbling on my lower lip. Her hands run down my tattooed arms, a smile on her face.

"You are so sexy...and your arms are so strong." She rotates her hips and my hands settle on them, keeping them steady.

"Why don't we drink some liquor first? Sex is a lot better when you're tipsy, isn't it?" I raise a brow, my lips lifting in a sly smirk.

She scowls but grins at the idea. "Sure, why not?"

I reach over for both glasses of vodka, handing one to her and keeping the other. We clink them together and my eyes watch her as she raises hers to her lips, gulping the alcohol down in one swift go. She puts the glass down and I do the same just before being fiercely shoved onto the bed as she hovers above me. She launches her onslaughts along my neck, and I begin my mental countdown to freedom.

One.

"I will take care of you tonight baby." She coos, kissing along my jawline while she spins her waists against my groin. "I'll make you feel so good..."

Two.

Her hands trail under my T-shirt, running along my torso, her breathing heavy and raspy. "You're so hot Alaric...a lot more attractive than Ron..."

Three.

"I'll be making love to you tonight...I promise you won't forget it..." She flicks her tongue along my earlobe.

Four.

Her movements abruptly halt, her body weight becoming heavy. I turn my face and pull her head back, discovering that finally, she is knocked out cold.

A smile stretches my lips as I slip from under her, her body flumping against the bed like a ragdoll.

"You can't forget what never happened," I mutter, grabbing my cell off the bed and quickly leaving her apartment.

^A/N: The chapter theme song is exactly how Alaric's feeling :-) have a listen if you can guys!❤