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"What the fuck did you just say?" he questioned through gritted teeth

Unafraid, I ht in the eyes and said, "I said shut up"

Axel Carillo stood there, his pu waves of pure menace, but he didn’t scare me This hat he did He intimidated He evoked fear He chased people away But deep down, he was a frightened little boy who didn’t know anything else to do in life but fight; fight to protect his faainst a society which had forgotten about him, which had brushed him aside since birth

"You need to back the fuck off, Aliyana Right now I’ly Slowly, I shookmy nerves down deep so they wouldn’t show Axel’s nostrils flared I knew I had him where I needed hiht now, no idea what do noas standing up to his typically successful bulling ways Because I knew him There was no way in hell he would hurt me… I could see it in his eyes… I could feel it with every beat of my heart

"I won’t back off I won’t let you do this," I pushed harder

His eyes narrowed, ses of his lash lines

"Let ive me an answer," I demanded Axel watched me like a hunter watches his prey, but I didn’t let hters? Not why you joined the gang, I know that, but why you started dealing coke when you were older?"

In this quiet rooether I could see his pulse throbbing on his neck I knew this is what he needed He needed to see for hi innately evil and having evil thrust upon you were cos

"Answerhis fists, he hissed, "Because I was crew, and that’s e did to protect our turf The best of us sold the coke, the rest of us looked out for cops, for threats froed Fire lit up his eyes I prodded his chest "Tell , you Why did you recruit Austin and Levi into the crew so young?"

"For money," he answered icily and a ray of hope burst intothe truth

"Money for what?" I continued

A flash of pain stabbed across his stony expression His eyes began to blaze "Don’t," he pushed This ti this I could see the pain he didn’t want to face clawing to the surface

"Why Axel?" I insisted, gripping the material of his shirt in my hands

He remained silent I was pretty sure he couldn’t speak

"Was it to get nosed with ALS? Was it to get asin so ony? Is that why you needed the ed breath as a single tear ran down his face, his lips ever so slightly quivering In sympathy, tears flooded down my cheeks too Axel didn’t know it, but I saw his mother… I was there, in the room, when she died I wanted to tell him, but I kneasn’t ready for that confession yet

But I couldn’t stop now I’d made a small crack in his impenetrable armor; it was about damn tiht

"You did," I said firhters because you couldn’t do it on your own You needed help but you were afraid to ask for it Had no one to ask, anyhow You were alone, you were ‘Axel Carillo’, the uy all the rival gangs feared above anyone else So how could you beg souy to show no emotion or remorse? Yes, a part of you wanted Austin and Levi involved because you loved that crew They were your family They had your back when no one else did They would kill for you, no questions asked They were always there when no one else was And you wanted that sense of family for Austin and Levi too Because you love the in this world They’re all you have left and it was the only way you kne to keep them close and try and save your ether as a faainst his chest as he stared over , as his hand reached up forelse but support