Buried Deep ✔️

Chapter Ten [No Return]

The silence was unbearable as Cayden continued to stare at me with his piercing brown eyes. He was deep in his own thoughts. The wind whipped by the thin window outside. The floor creaked as I shifted my weight. The anxiety was like over- caffeination, but without the option to not drink a cup. So, I was all hyped up with no escape. My stomach tightened as Cayden stepped toward the door.

I watched as he left the room and turned to follow him. We entered the empty living room, and I sat down on the old couch, resting my elbows on my knees. I ran my hands through my hair as Cayden paced back and forth in front of the T.V.

My eyes watched his dark boots as he walked across the wooden floor with heavy steps. As the silence drug on, my mind started to drift, and the past couple of days with Adrienne invaded my thoughts.

She knew more about me than any of my so-called "brothers" did. I trusted her, but I was waiting for her to trust me. I wanted to break down her stone walls completely. My relationship with her was unlike any of my previous ones. It was real.

My thought was interrupted when Cayden cleared his throat. My eyes flashed open and landed on him. He stopped pacing and stood with his hands behind his back. He hung his head, but a twisted smile sat on his face. Holiday and Damen had also entered without disturbing the stillness in the room. Damen sat on the arm of the couch to my left, and Holiday fell in the open space next to me. After the long silence, Cayden spoke.

"Alright. This is a simple, yet important task. I'm hoping you guys can accomplish it. Holiday and Damen, I want you to escort Spencer into Eastside territory. Your task is to get the pigs to discover Chris's body. I want the Eastside to be blamed for the crime. Carve Eastside into his arm or write a message in his blood. It will get the police off our backs and out of our territory. Plus, it'll be nice to get back at the Eastside." His eyes scanned us.

"Since you've been so efficient at getting jobs done, it should be easy to cause commotion. Holiday has experience from Tick and Eddie in terrorizing the police, so you should be able to get them to show up without any issues," he added.

I tilted my head as my eyes narrowed on him. "Why have you been on the laws so hard, Cayden?" I wanted him to tell the truth.

His dark eyes landed on me. "I want Chief Jackson to know that gang violence in this city will never end. There is no escape."

Holiday tensed beside me. The anxiety radiated from him as his hands clenched into fists. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and then turned my head to look at Damen, who had a smile on his face as he played with his switchblade. He ran his chubby fingers along the edge of it, testing its sharpness. My attention returned to Cayden as I rose from my seat.

"Yes, sir. We'll get the job done." My eyes met his dark ones. I took a couple of steps over toward the door. "Is there anything else we need to know?"

Cayden shrugged his shoulders. "Get your emotions in check. There's no room for weakness in the Southside. You are heading into enemy territory. You show fear, and they will eat you alive. They're out for blood after I killed J-Man during our last attack."

J-Man was the Eastside's leader. He ordered the attack on James. Cayden took care of him. I thought the turf war had been a failure, but he accomplished the task. I bowed my head to him at the mention of my emotions. I was a wreck on the inside, but it couldn't show.

"You'll also have the police on you. They will shoot on sight if they have reason."

My body stiffened as his words sank in. He hinted at something dark. There was a chance I might not return tonight. This could be my last night. My last few hours of life. The first thing that crossed my mind was I might never get to see Adrienne again.