𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕋𝕠 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕙 | 𝕋𝕖𝕟𝕫𝕒𝕚 𝕩 𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕤

[Twilight Genesis]

Leona seemed to giggle and she shook her head, "Yep, born and raised in Cali my whole life, least you can sleep through the smaller ones. So that's a plus!" She would laugh and looked away from the person sized hole in the wall... Yep... He would be out for a while, that was for sure. She chuckled and rolled her eyes as he tried to get out of her request, but she figured he's come around eventually.

"Well I hope I get to see you after your shift then~ Maybe a different bar?" She laughed and headed inside already getting well acquainted with the neon lights and the shitty yet loud music. Women slithering on poles, drinks served and the words from slurred men, and a few eager women with predatory glints in their eyes. Then again they were all the same to Leona, a bunch of lonely fucks looking to kick back with a pretty girl for a pretty penny. Of course she had work to do and she went at it, buying drinks, using some of said drinks to get information to slip from the lips of those too intoxicated to comprehend what they had just said, they would be plastered by morning, and she knew damn well they were a shot away from being kicked out, she had to take what she could get.

She would leave drinks around, drinking what she could handle and doing her best to not fall under intoxication herself, and a few trips to the bathroom too. That stuff always ran straight through the system. Damn.

She couldn't help but think of the boy in the red letterman outside the club, her eyes were focused on a dancer who smiled back at her as she worked the pole, her body looked like it was practically floating on air as she spun slowly, putting on an especially good show.

Leona knew better, she saw the dread in the eyes of the woman before her and threw a few ones her way, it was something. She knew how these places worked, at least the more sinister ones. The less money a gal made, the more she would likely suffer horrible fate, she couldn't do much for them now, but she would try her best. And as her thoughts continued to drift she thought about that night, a drink in hand. She would definitely need a few more before the night was over.

All those years ago. . .

---

I wouldn't blame him if he hated me, I still hate my self.

ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴀɢᴏ. . .​

It was the perfect date, she knew Ace had been saving up money for weeks from odd jobs here and there to take her on this date, her secret? She was saving money too. Stealing cash from her parents week by week just so they could have more fun. She was wearing that same matching bracelet, Iris was such a sweetheart, getting them for her, Ace, Senna, and herself... It was a memento she would cherish for eternity.

Their night was spent with laughter and joy, but Kaia knew it wouldn't last long. Ace would never know it, but she was going to leave it all behind. She was going to save her family... and then?

She would find him, she would find them and live their happily ever after. Forever, her, him, Iris, and Senna. They were going to live their lives and make it out of this hell hole together, fuck the big man, fuck the people that forced these kids into playing the shitty cards they were forcibly dealt in this life. Fuck them all.

She was going to enjoy this day, the endless rollercoasters and bumper cars, the corn dogs, funnel cakes, and cookie buckets with ungodly mixes of soda all in one cup... It was perfect. Kaia could have not asked for a better day, she even bought him a new cellphone and had given it to him at the beginning of their date. So that he could at the least take pictures. Said pictures were blurry and grainy in the present day, but they were perfect for them. Then a new metal baseball bat, she knew he rarely played the sport, but it was something he loved to have on him, and the old carved wooden one wasn't the best anymore... so she had gotten him a new one and this...? This was the life...

And then he asked her that question... "Will you be mine?" Oh how her heart sunk, oh how she wanted to tell him everything, but she couldn't. For his sake, she knew damn well this boy had not a single bit of self preservation in his body, he would go in there bat swinging and Kaia knew she couldn't risk him getting hurt or worse, not for what she had planned anyway.

It was far too dangerous...

"Ace... I... I love you. I love you so damn much, but I... I can't say yes... Not now. I have something big I have to do tonight, and I'll have to run... but I'll come back to you and I'll say yes. I promise."

It was the best response she could give. She absolutely loved him, he was her confidante, her companion, her best friend, and the one person she would always want to come back to... but... not now... not until her siblings were saved. Not until the people that called themselves her parents were turned to smoke and ashes. This had to end, she was almost an adult, and soon she would be shipped off to gods know where, so this was it. She knew her parents would be wasted by the time she was home. The drugs were in place, and she had been plotting this for so long.

She was walking after him when they got off, crying and telling him to come back. Even as his gift hit her chest and she caught it, she cried out to him. "Ace please! You have to understand! I'll come back to you! Please! I'm sorry... I just... I have to do this, if I lose my chance I'll... Ace? ACE!" She wailed out through tears as she gripped the box in her hands and watched him leave.
She cried for hours until it was finally time.

​

Ovens were set, she had made the improvised bombs and set them in place... the lock finally broken on the cellar door. And then? The match was lit and dropped, Kaia ushered her family into the woods. Backpacks full of any and all goods they could find. Before long the entire neighborhood had been set ablaze, explosions left and right, it was crazy what some over heated electrical parts and a running gas oven could cause... Not to mention the other nefarious things Kaia had planted house to house that would set things off in a blaze of glory. She was the one that had been groomed the longest, the one who was most trusted, and she waited... she waited and waited all for the right moment. The girl had led the charge as she ordered her younger brothers and sisters to run and not stop running, she knew that it was possible for some of those vile people to still survive even after everything, so she had them run, and they ran even when muscles ripped and bones popped.

They ran despite the rambles and thorns of spiky plants and vines flayed their flesh and exposed wounds to the chilling night air, but they couldn't stop. Getting caught was certain death. And Kaia had risked far too much to let it go to shit now. It was morning by the time the small group had found their way to the next small town. Many of them parted after that, Kaia buying them bus tickets on the roads to no where, stealing bikes, and the like to get her and the kids farther and farther. Days would pass as the news of the wildfire spread. Of course a lot of it was covered up, all pointed to some arsonist that had already been in jail for a prior offense, even if it didn't make sense they still pinned it on him and he was sent off gods know where.

After many had parted ways some found their place in the system or an orphanage, some continued to roam the streets, and Kaia... Kaia just found a place, bought a tent, some blankets, stole some clothes, and just found a place in the woods to just rest. She wasn't scared of what lurked in the dark at this point. Nothing scared her anymore.

She eventually went back, trying to find the small camp that Iris and Ace had stayed in. They were homeless... but happy, but she could no longer find them... Even the van that she and Ace had shared their first night of love and passion in... it was gone. Likely moved or scrapped.

Her anguish hadn't quelled since. Oh she missed him, she missed him so much, and she counted day by day for when she would find him again. With him and his sisters gone she had nothing left for her in this wretched place, and so she left, she did a few odd jobs, some hitch hiking, and a bunch of long winded treks, and eventually she bought a bus ticket and she was off. Off to explore what the world had left for her, off to take down any more who inflicted fate as cruel as what she had suffered through. Never again... Never. Again.

---

​

Leona smiled as she stepped out, her work was well past done, but she stayed... she was a night owl anyway, so she'd be just fine... a few more drinks definitely wouldn't hurt. Leona did all she had to do, got leads, tapped cellphones, tapped outlets, light fixtures... ok the bathroom light fixtures... Hell, she even snuck into the VIP section for a few taps and came out successful, it was easy to blend in...

"Hm~? Oh hey Ace~! Decided to stick around for that free drink after all~? I'm flattered." She giggled and let out a please purring type sound. Leona was a bit cautious given her line of work, but she knew how to get out of sticky situations too. She ordered a couple of drinks to start with, a nice frozen Margarita, a slushy if you will, flavored with blue stuff and limes. Huh. Fancy. Well... Not that fancy. Just shit in a blender. But good stuff none the less.

​

She giggled innocently at his questions, he was interrogating her now? She found that adorable. "Huh? Well... I mean girl supporting girls you know? I like throwing ones as much as the next person... but it's more or less the atmosphere in a weird way. I'm used to more high end things you could say, but sometimes you just gotta craving for a shitty club with shitty music and cheap shots of bourbon and what not. It's like... growing up and going to like... a really really mediocre chinese buffet, It's not the best, not the worst, and the food is edible... it's kinda nostalgic you know?" She asked and sipped her slushy.

It was something her, Ace, Iris, and Senna used to do... it was once every few months... Senna would get a bonus from work and she would take them to this half decent buffet that honestly should have been closed down due to the food regulation laws they were breaking, but the food... it was... bad.

Like. Really. Really bad. Everything was overcooked, the rice was over cooked, chicken over cooked, shrimp over cooked, salads? Over cooked. How the fuck does one over cook a salad? But it was still a treat they all enjoyed, some ok noodles, bread rolls that Kaia remembered shoving in her purse when no one was looking, all the soda and tea they could drink. So much fucking soft serve, and not to mention Ace's stink face when Iris tried to force him to eat some vegetables. Now that was pure comedy.

Her final statement was honest. Sure this was a job for her, but part of her truly felt that there was just something that drew her in even if it sucked. She'd never know what either, and that's what made her perfect for the job even if she looked a little out of place here and there.

"I dunno how to really put it, but sometimes it just... feels good. And strangely enough? I feel that way at the same shitty clubs too." ​

 

[Tenzai]

"A margarita, huh? Not my first guess for you but, to each their own."

"Cheers."

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʜᴏᴍᴇꜱɪᴄᴋ | 1ɴᴏɴʟʏ (ꜰᴛ. ᴍɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ ᴍᴏᴛᴏʀᴄʏᴄʟᴇ)
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

I bleed, heaven knows
Or maybe I'll die 'cause I overdosed on you
On you​

The clinking of their glasses had signaled the beginning of another passing acquaintanceship. Ace didn't think much of her at first, finding Leona as another pretty face that looked similar to her. However, he wasn't going to deny himself a drink after a long night. He worked too long for bosses he cared too little about to be concerned over his own health and wellbeing. If he had another excuse to drink or get high, he was going to make the most of it. He took a drink of his glass, listening carefully to the responses for each of his questions.

"Huh? Well... I mean girl supporting girls you know? I like throwing ones as much as the next person... but it's more or less the atmosphere in a weird way. I'm used to more high end things you could say, but sometimes you just gotta craving for a shitty club with shitty music and cheap shots of bourbon and what not. It's like... growing up and going to like... a really really mediocre chinese buffet, It's not the best, not the worst, and the food is edible... it's kinda nostalgic you know?"

'So she came here because the shittyness made her nostalgic?' Ace's lips contorted upward as he found the thought quaint. To see someone as pretty and influential as her seek the same proclivities had brought the gang member's tension to ease. He felt the same way about the places he grew to frequent often, finding fondness in the mundanity of what he's grown up to expect. His hometown was never known for its good food or above average recreational facilities.

Everything he was raised up with was subpar at best and pleasantly terrible at worst. The best places to eat back home were known to serve the best trash. Their steaks were drier than the Sahara if they weren't raw in the first place, their fries were more salt than potato, and their burgers would have more than one pickle only if you were lucky. The bars around his old home were just as bad as the fast food. The syrups of their different drinks were never consistent, making it a gamble whenever one ordered to see if their drink tasted the same; The ice on the other hand had made their drinks taste like cold pond water; And the people who visited the bars were void of all life. On their best days, those same people looked like threes. His hometown was by all means, ordinary.

"I dunno how to really put it, but sometimes it just... feels good. And strangely enough? I feel that way at the same shitty clubs too." For a moment, he offered his drinking partner a glimpse at his genuine smile before masking it with another sip of his drink. She appeared to speak the truth, voicing her answers as comfortably as she breathed. It made Ace realize that it was likely the two of them came from similar circumstances and held a shared past: Raised in a mediocre town before moving out to become something greater than what was expected with someone of their origins.

Being with someone that understood that side had made him...

...Nostalgic.
​

However, that understanding did little to take away from his curiosities over Leona being casual about a strip club that held public notoriety. "I get it. Shitty food and drinks could bring you back... But why there? Why that club specifically? If you're so used to the atmosphere of high class living, why subject yourself to a place where people like you are known to disappear. It just doesn't make sense to me." Ace didn't hide his thoughts from her, displaying his true suspicions.

"Something's not adding up here. You're way too kind for someone who'd actively choose to be in a place like that... Too smart to be that stupid too... And you're not scared of me, even after watching me send that dumbass through the wall." The other members of his cohort had turned their attention to their table, antsy at Ace's reaction to her words.

"I'm not going to judge you if you were there for the women. Its not like its the first time I've seen a pretty girl come there for a good time. But feigning ignorance about everything else isn't going to cut it for me." Ace leaned over the table, whispering to Leona to avoid riling up his own people any more than he did already. "Either you're a narc or you're lying to me. I can't imagine someone like you finding a place like that as nostalgic. Not the good kind of nostalgic, that is." His voice had grown blisteringly cold in an instant, before returning back to normal. "But... I could guess you had your reasons either way and its not like I care what happens to the owner of that club."

Ace took another long drink, emptying his glass. "Fucker was an asshole anyways. Greedy son of a bitch that bit more a little more than what he can chew. Took one of my girls while she was out scouting the locals." He gripped his bottle's neck tightly as he poured more into his cup. "I'm not leaving until I get her back." The trauma of his past had still haunted him, holding on to his soul without ever letting go. Ever since the day he left Kaia behind, he had regretted it ever since. He still remembered his reaction to seeing her house of fire on the news for the first time. He wondered whether things would have ended differently if he simply chose to stay and keep her there. Would she have been still alive? His eyes had faded as he revisited his past. 'I'd rather her hate me than be dead.'

Guilt possessed his mind, uncaring of their time spent apart.

.... He wasn't going to leave another behind. Ever.​

"Do yourself a favor, Leona. Once you finish your drink. Leave." Her drinking partner pointed his hand towards the door. "Leave and never come back, you'd live longer that way." Ace's tone had become serious. He didn't believe his job was finished until he saw the corpse of the man who took his family away. "There's nothing but regret waiting for you here... And I don't want you getting hurt in the fallout." As he lifted his eyes, he noticed that Leona's eyes had the same shade of color as the girl who left him too soon. Her eyes saw him the same way too, looking at him with empathy, taunting him within his memory.

Ace might not have been enough then to save the only woman he wished to call his own; But he was more than enough now to make the people that reminded him of those that took her away suffer for it. Those that kidnapped people against their will to subject them to their disturbed fantasies were less than human; They were scum. They were demons that wore human flesh. Living nightmares that needed to be excised from this plane of reality. It didn't matter what good they did on the surface, once Ace had seen them treat another person like they were an object, he grew angry with righteous fury. Abuse was a sin that can only be forgiven through a fate worse than death. Ace was a monster to the monsters; He was a demon to all else that weren't his family.

He turned back to Leona, tilting his head to gesture her attention to the girls nearby. "You see all these people here?" The more she looked at them, the more she realized that they all bore scars of their physical abuse. "They're all reasons why I asked you to leave earlier. I don't want you to end up like one of them. Not with your face that looks as good as yours." Ace gritted his teeth, finding similarities in Leona's face with his past love. Talking with her had felt as though he was speaking with Kaia himself. The mere thought of them sharing a moment like this had made his heart ache in his chest.

"You reminded me of an old friend. Someone dear to me that I lost to those people that run that shitty strip club you call nostalgic. Be smart and don't end up like her. I don't think I could forgive myself if you end up being used against me... I won't hold myself back from doing what I have to either."

Ace revealed the grip of a pistol on his jacket, showing her just how committed he was to bringing that nightclub to ruin. "So are you gonna leave? Or are you gonna be a problem that I'd have to deal with too. Come on, Leona. Don't be so hard on this." He drew his weapon out, pulling the slide to clear the ejection port for stray rounds. The others at the bar appeared unphased by the sudden pull of his gun. It was a common sight for their leader to use it as a way to sober his drinking partners up to the nature of his violent convictions.

"There's only one good option."

"Choose right."​

 

[Twilight Genesis]

"Hey~ You have your tastes, I have mine. Try it sometime~"

"Cheers~♡"


Leona wasted no time drinking down her margarita, the cool flavors had both refreshed her and warmed her up if such a thing made sense.
Like him she didn't really care about it being 'too early' to drink. A cocktail was a cocktail and happy hour brunch time mimosas were a thing for a reason. A good reason.
Leona went on about the joys of mediocre entertainment and recreation, shitty movies with weird uncanny special effects, a half melted milk shake from a diner that likely breaks every food safety law in the country, or maybe a music festival with indie bands that really should leave music to people that didn't sound like a racoon screeching into a metal trash bin.
Leona was proving to already be a bit too eccentric compared to the girls he would normally talk to and meet with. And she definitely had loads more to show for it.

When he questioned her further she just chuckled, "Doll, let's get one thing straight. A girl could be in a high end shopping mall, a grocery store, home, or even a damn Church, and still disappear into thin air just because a man feels entitled to her existence. I understand some places are more dangerous than others, but over the years it's all been the same to me, besides. Most men in sleazy strip clubs go for pretty girls, but most men also go for girls that are especially vulnerable or just not on guard." Leona shrugged and sighed as she leaned back and finished off her drink, ordering another right away.

"Hmph... If a little violence is supposed to send me running home with my tail between my legs that's where you're wrong. You can never afford to be afraid of places like this anymore. I've all around the good and bad of Roselake, it's my home. I'll be damned if some fucker with a hard on for underage girls and dirty money stops me." Leona scoffed and shook her head, she was a brave one, or stupid depending on how one looked at it, but she also had the skills to back it up.

She let him go on with his tragic speech of sorts, raising an eyebrow and just letting out another scoff once again. Sure enough she finished her drink and placed her hands in her lap.
"I mean I would be lying if I said wasn't expecting this, I'm no narc though. Just someone with scores to settle. Just like you." She sighed and shook her head. The jig was up, and she knew she was leaving this place in once of two ways, it was likely that the people in this place were with him too, and of course were probably packing just as much heat.

But Leona wasn't just a pretty face.

Ace heard the familiar clicks of metal popping into place. Her hands that were under the table...

Leona was also packing heat, and she had her gun aimed under the table and towards his crotch. Safe to say she rolled high on her sleight of hand checks.
"One thing you should know, babe. When I go down, I have a habit of taking things with me." She laughed and leaned back. Her guard was always up, even if he looked just like him. "If anything I'd rather help you. You hate sleazy dirt bags, I hate sleazy dirt bags, you have a gun, I have a better gun."

"We can not hold back together." She smirked, her free hand holding the gun, her finger just barely on the trigger as her other hand slowly rose up to show it was empty then took a nice long drink of her cocktail before letting out an overly exaggerated yet satisfied sigh in refreshment of her drink.
"So what'll it be, Alex?"
She didn't even realize the name that left quietly from her lips. It felt so natural to call him by such.

Leona flashed another grin, something about it just looked so familiar as she gave him a wink, all she wanted was to help, whether he liked it or not she was on his side, and perhaps it wouldn't be too bad to reveal her intentions early. Perhaps he... No... There was no way it was him. It couldn't be.

But a part of her for just a moment, wanted to believe it was her Ace all over again. It had been so long, gods.... She missed him so much, even if this boy was nothing more than an uncanny lookalike. At least it gave her a bit of comfort, of course such recklessness could also be her downfall, but she was ready to shoot if things got too heated. It was all a part of her training.
​

 

[Tenzai]

"One thing you should know, babe. When I go down, I have a habit of taking things with me."

"If anything I'd rather help you. You hate sleazy dirt bags, I hate sleazy dirt bags, you have a gun, I have a better gun."​

Hearing the familiar sounds of her gun's slide had immediately brought upon a different side of Ace. It was a trick he had often used against others, though to have it used against himself was a first. "Help me? This your way of saying you're on my side, Leona? Pointing a fucking gun at my cock after offering to buy me drinks?" His hands were on the table, moving slowly as he put his weapon down. Despite his desire to maintain himself as the one in control of the situation, he didn't want to come out of it lacking his favorite limb. "And here, I thought you were having a good time. Didn't think you would be the type to move so quickly in a place where you're this outgunned."

Ace smirked, pulling down his mask to reveal his lips without the need of a drink for an excuse. "Well, I'll give it to you. You have some fucking guts for a pretty face. Narcs don't typically come to me with a death wish. Nor do they usually make it this close to me without eating lead or steel first." He clapped his hands, watching as their power dynamic shifted from him being in control to neutral ground. "I'd ask you what you're really seeking to gain out of this but I doubt you're in a talking mood if you're that keen in blowing the fun parts of me off." He chuckled, already used to staring danger in the face. His life was second priority when it came to taking care of his family. The gang and his loved ones were all he had left to value. He never put thought into his own future.

"We can not hold back together." He could hear the quiet squeeze of the trigger, showing her lack of hesitation to fire a round at him. Oddly enough, it was comforting to see her take him so seriously. If she was willing to throw down her life here, it meant that she would be trustworthy when rounds started flying. Anything to help him and his crew out, he would bring into his employ, even if it was a stranger's help. However, before she was able to muster up a response, he heard something that caught him off guard. The gang leader's personality had cracked for a moment when hearing his real name. "So what'll it be, Alex?"

"Alex? Who the fuck are you?"

"How the fuck do you know that name?"
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴅɪꜱᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀ | 1ɴᴏɴʟʏ (ꜰᴛ. ꜱʜᴀᴅʏ ᴍᴏᴏɴ & ᴊᴜɴʏᴀ ꜱʜɪɪ)
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

If I disappear from this world, would you think about me?
And I know that it's selfish, but it's so funny
That you never get the hints that I'll leave when I'm gone
What's the cost, am I helpless?
And you've always said I was the one for you
When my time comes, know I did it all for you​

The rapport that Leona built up with Ace had suddenly disappeared. His trust had shifted towards suspicion. The only ones who knew him by that name were his nuclear family... And Kaia. Ever since he found out about her truth, he vowed never to return to that helpless boy in love again. He was too weak then to convince her to take him with her. Perhaps if he were the Ace he was now, instead of making plans to shoot up strip clubs, he would be thinking of marriage. However, there was little point in thinking of a future that wasn't his. He wasn't that same Alex anymore and the girl in front of him wasn't Kaia. Just a pretty girl with the same colored hair. They weren't on some casual date in some middle-range fast food parlor either. They were brandishing guns, threatening each other over drinks. Who he had become was multitudes different from the younger self he left behind in South Carolina.

The nickname she gave him during that time had been adopted into his main name as his reminder of what he should've been. Instead of running away after being rejected, he should have stayed. The gang that followed him to hell and back had only learned of the nickname he called himself, choosing to reinforce his decision by calling him after his chosen name. Other than his tattoo and jacket, it was the use of this name that kept Kaia in orbit of his mind; Her influence still lingering despite all of the time that passed since he left her on that pier.

Though now, with old, painful memories resurfacing after years spent dormant, his eyes had revealed the vulnerability hidden behind the mask. To Kaia, Ace was still that very same Alex she rejected. Other than the scars and tattoos that decorated his imperfect body, the changes in his height and hair, and the difference in fashion, he was still the same internally. His transformation had rendered his shyness and anxiety away, leaving nothing but his purest self in its wake. Her gifted jacket had chained him to her memory, showing how much he hadn't moved on. With his mind still set on her, he turned back to his barrage of questions.

"Who told you what my name was?" ​

Ace leaned towards her, uncaring about the barrel pointed at his cock. If someone knew him too much, information about that source took precedence over his own safety. "I know the friends of my family well and none of them are the type to end up in a place like that club." He inspected her closer, searching for any identifying marks that could clue him in as to who she truly was. Her skin looked amazing, though where her clothes didn't mask, he couldn't find any tattoos or scars that could reveal who she was. Either she was talented with makeup and perfect with her skin care routine or she was purer than he thought. However, her words had revealed the latter not to be true. She must have been hiding her identity.

"None of them live around here either. Not even the cops in Rose Lake know I fucking exist... But you?" He grabbed her by her collar, causing his other gang members to stare with curiosity. To see Ace acting up this much over a pretty woman was not something that happened often, if it ever did. "Here you are, talking to someone like me... Like... Like you know me and hell... Getting it right too. The agents the government sends usually have a stick up their ass, treating us like we're below them. Yet you're acting like you've known this life all along. You're too used to it here to be one of them."

Ace sighed, letting her go to relax in the cushions in front of her. Despite how it looked, she wasn't their enemy. She didn't pull out the cuffs immediately nor did she start firing the moment she had a chance to shoot him. Their goals must have been aligned somehow. Otherwise, the person she was portraying herself as didn't make sense. "Ugh... God, you give me a fucking headache trying to figure you out. Alright, look. If you wanna help out, we're planning on making a move tonight." He stood himself up, pulling out a drawn picture of the building made using pictures of the insides. "Don't think I trust you just because I let you know. But... I won't deny your help help. Anything that could prevent someone from getting hurt and give us an upper edge on those fucks, I'll do it."

He pointed out certain entrances, grabbing a marker to show where he recalled the guards patrolling. "If we hit here, we'll take out most of the security fast. Only ones we'll have to worry about on this floor are the ones in the break room and in the VIP suite. The ones in the back don't care much for their job so I won't be surprised if they run." He lifted the blueprints to show another map of the floor above. "Asshole has his own penthouse suite for his favorite "playmates." I intend on sending some of my best to handle taking him and his bodyguard out. While they're up there raising hell, I'm gonna head down to the basement level."

Pulling the next map away, he revealed the final layer of the club. This one held shipping crates that were used as cages. Images of torn clothes and blood stains splattered the floor, revealing the inhumane aspect of human trafficking Ace had gotten too familiar with. "I think they're keeping the girls down here." His hand balled into a fist, seeing the pictures. "The others are going to guard the outsides to make sure no one escapes that prison. No one is coming in or out without going through us first." His fist shook in anger. Whenever a scene reminded him of what Kaia might have gone through, he became furious. Even if he wasn't a good person, he wanted to be better than them. He wanted to be the one to deliver their end. "I don't care who you are, Leona. Or... Whatever your true name is. I'll be up front."

"I need your help. Knowing all of this now...

...Are you with me?"​