A/N: Trigger warning. Read this chapter carefully. It's a gang book after all. 

I can literally feel how everybody turns to stare at Xavier and me. I can hear the whispers rise up. Embarrassment. I should feel embarrassment for running around - pretending to be Sterling's heir and playing a game I have no real part in. I was never even Sterling's heir.

But I don't feel embarrassment. All I feel is loss at the painful reality that my Dad truly is dead. There's no surprise awakening from the dead. He's not coming back. He'll never know the end of Harry Potter. I'll never have someone make smileys on my eggs and toast. I'll never smell his minty kind of cologne or see his bright smile.

I'm an orphan.

"How can anyone take you for your word? Do you have proof of being Sterling's leader?" Xavier suddenly asks Uncle Taminn - snapping me out of my thoughts.

I look back at my Uncle with his clean-cut beard and receding hairline. He's the reason my parents are dead... If he didn't make his false name Trebor, nobody would've thought my dad was the leader and thus nobody would've broken into our home and killed my parents.

"Proof?" Uncle Taminn laughs. "How about my birth certificate for starters? I'm the older brother. Why would the gang go to Robert? If that's not enough my phone, the one I use to communicate, has a thumb-recognising lock. Only the true leader of Sterling can open it," he says and as further proof takes out his phone to text something.

Nearly everyone's phone in the whole ballroom goes off. I look over to Xavier's phone and watch the message he reads.

"I've come back for my gang," I read to myself.

Xavier puts away his phone. The evidence is undeniable...

Right on que, Blake and Owen rush to my side. "Get out of here, Amber," Blake urges in a whisper.

"Jane can order us to-" Owen tries saying, but the speaker interrupts him.

"Come, Fiance, join me," Jane says over the microphone.

Xavier turns to me with an impossibly pale expression. He looks sick. Looks about as bad as I feel. My stomach turns at what's happening. If Xavier leaves me...

"Congrats, Marigold. You're finally getting what you want," Xavier says with a sad smile.

No, I want to tell him. I didn't ask for this!

You're finally getting rid of me, Xavier sighs.

No...

With one last look, Xavier walks to the stairs and goes up to meet Jane on the balcony. The crowd is too stunned to react. I don't blame them. Nobody saw this coming.

"Rejoice," Jane smiles over the microphone, "You all have the pleasure of witnessing the biggest gang to ever form. Not only is Sterling merging with the North, but the West and Eastern gang of Tygerwell have pledged their lives to Sterling's heir. To me. You may appload."

The crowd takes a moment to register what Jane is saying before everyone starts apploading. No gang has managed to grow in such a large number. Respect. That's what these people have for Jane. Respect. The first female gang leader to really get it.

That was supposed to be me...

"Darling, get out," Blake urges again.

I look over to my guys. The seriousness on their expression. "You're not actually going to join Jane, are you?" I ask astonished.

"We pledged our lives," Owen whispers.

"Blake, Owen, join us up here," Jane calls from the microphone. I can't see too much from this distance, but I know she looks absolutely stunning in that black dress. She's not Plain Jane anymore. As if Jane knows what I'm thinking, she smirks and twirls her necklace in her fingers. Oh, now I remember my cousin from all those years back. This is Vain Jane.

Blake and Owen hand me a painful look before they start to walk away.

The further they go, the less I can breathe.

I don't feel like a queen in this dress anymore. I feel like Cinderella when the clock strikes twelve. Only, I'm still at the ball and everyone can see me for what I really am. Nothing.

I look up at the balcony and Jane seems much taller. Her head reaches Xavier's chin. Xavier... I don't understand why it hurts to see Xavier stand next to Jane. To see them as this power couple.

Angry, I pluck the ring Blake gave me off of my finger and chuck it at his head.

"Fuck!" Blake cries out and turns around while rubbing the back of his head.

"What happened to 'everything is yours'. You're the same jerk I met that first day of school," I spit. At the sudden outburst, even Owen turns around to watch. Instead of coming to my side, Owen only ducks his head and walks on. He joins Jane on the balcony.

I glare at Blake.

There's so much conflict in the guy that once was my fiance. The guy that would do anything to get me back - including to throw himself back in the darkness. It's like I can literally see the light and dark dance in his silver-grey eyes before he sucks in a breath and says: "Fuck this."

My jaw nearly drops as Blake walks over to me and stands by my side while facing Jane and everyone on the balcony.

"Amber is the leader I choose. Not you cowards who've been hiding away while she did all the work. While she restored your gang" Blake snarls.

Of all people... Blake is the one to be by my side.

"Same," someone says behind me.

I look over my shoulder and watch Lynch walk up to stand squarely by my side. I can't describe the pride I feel with this curly haired boy staying by me - even with it being so dangerous. I'm not alone. I have people who still care for me.

The three of us face Uncle Taminn and Jane and everybody who's on the other side. I have no idea where the rest of the gang is - probably somewhere in the crowd.

The sound of Uncle Taminn suddenly doing a slow clap is unnerving, I try calling onto Rebma for some support, but she's nowhere to be found. It's just me this time. Uncle Taminn takes the mic from his daughter and has a feral smile when he says: "Your devotion to my niece is wonderful, but see you are all bound by life to Sterling.

I don't look away and stare at my uncle directly in the eyes. We will not budge.

"I warned you," Uncle Taminn sighs.

Before anyone knows what's even happening, the sound of guns cocking can be heard. I look around and there are men in identical masks all around. At Least two dozen of them pop up from behind pillars and above and even in the crowd.

Of course Sterling smuggled their own guns in here.

Even from here, over the sudden gasp and disturbance of the crowd I can hear Clarence call out in protest at the balcony. "No weapons are allowed. You've broken the treaty," Trojan's leader snarls. He takes out his own gun and aims it at Taminn. Within a split second, two men from the two dozen aim their guns at Clarence.

Uncle Taminn smiles. "Go ahead. Shoot me. You'll be dead within the second and I have an heir to take over," he says. Jane has a satisfied smirk she hands Clarence.

Defeated, the Trojan leader drops his gun.

"That's what I thought," Taminn says before bringing his attention back to the three of us staring them down.

As one, everyone from the balcony comes down to the ballroom. Everyone from the crowd makes sure to stay a distance away. Even Xavier follows. I don't miss the maroon handkerchief he has wrapped around his knuckles. And Owen... Owen stands there completely helpless as Uncle Taminn and Jane approach me like they have all the time in the world.

"See, this is what's going to happen," Uncle Taminn starts, "You two will stop this foolishness and uphold your pledge. Amber, my niece, you'll walk away and forget about this life."

"Let her walk away? Have you seen the self-righteous bitch? As long as my cousin lives, loyalty will be questionable," Jane says and then looks at me, "I say we kill her."

I will not be afraid.

"There, there, Jane. Amber is family we won't be killing her," Uncle Taminn says. I don't recognise the look in his dark blue eyes as he frowns at me.

"Well, someone has to die. They've insulted us. Everyone in here knows a gang leader should be feared. Not loved. It's the only way they'll learn," Jane says. It's like I don't even recognise her. Of course I, more than anyone, should've recognised she was acting. Playing her part. Binding her time.

"It's your decision," Taminn sighs - handing some responsibility to his daughter. Testing her.

I don't even blink while Jane smirks at me.

"Take her," Jane says.

Within a breath, two men grab at my arms. Blake and Lynch punch and push at them, but more men come to hold them back. Not giving up, I thrash and pull. I take a moment to call onto my training. What was it Jason taught me that last week while my parents was alive? Relax and then flip. Muscle memory allows me to lose some tension and then pull down with everything I have. One of the men are sent over my shoulder and fly to the floor. The other tries grabbing my freed arm and I use his hold to backflip in his arms and send a kick to his head.

When I'm back on my feet, ready for the next man, a powerful fist suddenly connects with my jaw. I fall back and look up.

Jane smirks even more. "You weren't the only one that had training, Cousin," she says.

Before I can attempt to jump back up, four men grab me - they send a few blows to my stomach and I lose all the air inside of me.

"Enough," Uncle Taminn says.

The men stop punching me and instead bring me to my knees and pull my head back. I watch as Jane puts a gun on the floor between Blake and Lynch - that are still being held back.

"One of you must kill the other," Jane says.

Blake and Lynch looks at each other in horror before they go back to glaring at Jane. "Never!" they both yell.

"It's or that, or my cousin dies," Jane says and grabs a gun from one of the men before aiming it at me. Her mousy hair has gone loose from her low bun and she pushes it away from her face. With one swift movement, Jane takes off her black mask and walks over to me. With a bit more effort, she removes my mask as well. "You thought you were so smart with all your comments. Do you know what it was like to sit back and watch you fuck up my gang?" she asks.

I want to spit on her smug expression, but I'm not confident enough that I'll not end up drooling.

When Jane has my mask removed, she walks over to Blake and removes his mask as well. The men holding Blake let go and Jane doesn't even worry as she has her back to him. The sheer nerve... She walks over to Lynch and removes his mask before walking back to me and aiming that H&K P7 handgun at me.

She turns to face Blake and Lynch again. "Go ahead," Jane says.

Neither Lynch or Blake moves to get the gun. Jane's anger only flares. "I said kill each other!" she yells. When they still don't move, Jane turns to her father and says: "Make them do it."

More panicked than ever at the idea of even one of these boys getting hurt, I turn to my uncle and catch his gaze. "Don't do this. I'll go away. I'm sorry. I'll leave," I beg. Beg and hope there's some good in him.

I remember there being this one moment while he taught me how to drive. This one moment where my uncle wasn't unbearable to be around. And in that moment, he told me I have fighting blood. He told me that people with fighting blood, has it the hardest in life. But at the end, they're the ones that come out on top.

So, while I look into my uncle's eyes, I hope and pray a bit of the man I saw that day shines through.

"Give the gun to the kid," Taminn sighs and turns his back on me.

Jane practically jumps up and down as she gets the gun from the floor and hands it to Lynch. "I heard you're such and eager beaver to be a proper gang member. I've seen how you are at school. Always wishing and praying everyone will treat you like a man. Here. Now's your chance to prove it," she says.

Lynch takes the gun with shaky hands. He looks so frightened. His big brown eyes getting watery while he looks at Blake.

"Do it," Blake says. "I've lived my life. I've got nobody left if you were to go."

The heart in my chest breaks a thousand times and tears fill my eyes. This can't be happening! This can't! "Somebody stop this!" I yell out - my voice breaking. "Somebody do something! You're gangs, for crying out loud! Don't just stand there!" I cry while pulling and pushing at the men holding me to my knees.

I feel my heart beat turn slower.

Medication... I need my medication.

I look at the crowd - meeting everyone's eyes. I let out a shaky breath when I spot Jaaco through the crowd - slowly walking away with his finger to his lips.

The South... The South wants to kill Sterling's leader... They smuggled in guns! Maybe there's a chance of them killing Jane before anything can happen!

"Shoot him or I'll kill all three of you," Jane snarls. I spot Uncle Taminn tensing up in the corner of my eye.

Shaking violently and with tears streaming down Lynch's eyes, he raises the gun at Blake. His finger itches closer to the trigger and painful sounds leave his chest. Nobody in the crowd moves. Nobody even dares breathing.

I sort of expect Lynch to drop the gun and bring out shampoo to squirt into Jane's eyes while we all escape. This can't be how it ends. Something will happen. Someone will stop this.

Closer and closer Lynch's finger gets to the trigger. Until he has it. Until he starts slowly squeezing...

"I can't do it," Lynch cries out and then falls to the floor. The gun drops and clatters away while Lynch is on his knees. Panting.

"I understand," Jane sighs.

My cousin looks sorry and bored at the same time - like she expected it. She walks over to Lynch and takes the gun he dropped.

"It's okay," Jane sighs. She turns to her father and says: "Tonight's a test. Isn't it? To see if I can really be a good leader for Sterling."

Uncle Taminn nods slowly.

Jane sighs again and looks at me. "What would you have done?" she asks.

"Mercy," I cry out, "I would've shown mercy."

Jane has a sad smile. "And that's why you could never have been a gang leader," she says before in a blink of an eye, shoots Lynch in the head.

Hi Goldies...

You'll hate me for this, I know. But the stakes have to get higher. This is a GANG book. People die. But I promise you, this series, this sequel has a happy ending. Getting there is what's going to be hard. Please don't leave me. Trust me.

Did anyone expect Jane to shoot Lynch in the head?

Who's planning my death?

What do y'all want Amber to do next.

Again, sorry for this, but death is necessary in a gang book to make it real. I hope y'all can see that. Lynch wouldn't have survived in the gang world in anyway. It was his time.

Love y'all...

~ Holly Shmit