Cruel Romance [ VegasPete AU ]

Chapter 27 - Stay or Leave

A/N. Hope you enjoy this update ❤️

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- 27 -
Stay or Leave

PETE'S POV

"Why does it have to be him, Pete?!" P'Zee raised his voice at me and suddenly I felt scared.

I had never seen P'Zee like this, even back then when he warned me about Vegas, he wasn't frustrated enough to throw a lamp across the room.

I watched as the right hand he used to punch Vegas, lined with red marks and blood on his knuckles. His eyes were wide in anger and dismay while he let out his frustrations on yet another item in his room.

"Let him go, Phi," I begged, on my knees as I prayed for Vegas's life.

At that point, I knew that I was willing to do anything to keep him alive in the enemy's lair.

But I felt horrible.

Horrible to know that the virtues and side that P'Zee stood on...

Should be where I stood instead.

After I left Vegas with P'Zee, he did not blindfold me when we walked across the complex. The warehouse was huge, filled with not only trained young men and women but also elders and children. It was like everyone that supported the cause had been living here their whole life, sheltering themselves and their family from the dangerous claws of the rich and powerful that exploited us and used us to their liking as slaves.

Everyone we passed by would show much respect to Zee, referring to him as a leader and it further confirmed my assumptions that he was indeed in high position in the secret society.

Laughter filled the floor where the children and their families stayed while the lower floors are where the people trained, regardless of gender and age, as long as they were able and willing, they were given a chance to pick up a weapon.

For the first time, I felt like I was at a place that provided people like me, no, people like us, freedom.

But it was hard for me to savor the moment. Not with Vegas's life in danger and P'Zee speed-walking as fast as he could with his hand gripping on my wrist harder and harder that I was sure it was gonna leave a mark.

He didn't seem too much in the mood to nod at everyone that greeted him while he passed by and as we passed by all the lower floors up to the highest floor in the multi-storey warehouse, the people that roamed free became lesser and lesser.

And there we were, in his room alone.

I couldn't let the silence settle in any longer and I breathed in a deep breath, "Does it make you any different if you all are also killing innocent lives of the Emeralds?"

P'Zee broke out laughing, throwing his head back as if what I said was the most pathetic thing, "You don't get it do you? War is inevitable. The amount of lives that we have taken from them is nothing compared the amount that they've taken from us."

I watched as he walked towards me and I tried to not feel intimidated when he crouched down, his voice suddenly gentle and sincere, "You belong here with your people, Pete. We are all the same here. We are working towards a better future... where people could all live as equals, without being labeled and discriminated just because they're born from a family of a different status."

Was it really possible?

Living as equals?

For people like... me?