The Alliance

Chapter 10

"It's fucking gorgeous. What were you complaining about?" Uraya protested loudly as she held my hand and scrutinized the ring I wore on my finger.

I rolled my eyes at my best friend, "I didn't say it wasn't."

"Then why were you whining?"

"I was not whining." I pulled my hand away from her, "I do not whine."

"It sounded a lot like whining Ariah." Joeline commented as she entered the living room and plopped down beside me on the couch.

I rolled my eyes, "It's not the ring I have a problem with."

Uraya tutted. "Which I still don't understand. How can anyone possibly have any complaints about Imaan fucking Gani?" My eyes immediately looked at Joeline. She wore a sad smile on her face.

I hit Uraya's knee for her carelessness and could tell by the way her mouth pulled downwards that she regretted it. I questioned the control Uraya had over her mouth sometimes. Speaking about a Scorpion in front of Joeline was a risk in itself. She'd pretended that it didn't trigger her- but I knew better as her best friend. We both did.

We'd all lost a best friend to the Scorpions but in addition to that Joeline lost a lover and her sister. She lost her sister, Erin before the treaty-signing. Being from the Viper House- bad blood with the Scorpion's had been a reality for almost as long as ours.

The Viper and Scorpion House were both Arabic Mafias. They'd lived in peace once until the Scorpion tried to commit mutiny over a Viper territory. Ever since then they've been brutal towards one another.

I was beginning to notice a pattern in the Scorpion's rivalries- for as long as the mafia's history had been recorded, there was undoubtable consistency in the fact that the Scorpions always struck first.

They were always unfailingly reliable in that sense.

"You guys really don't have to worry about me. I'm fine honestly." She assured.

"Topic change?" Uraya suggested, Joeline's eyes widened.

"No, no. Come on, I want to hear about Ariah's fiancée." She dragged out the last part as she nudged me raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh my gosh." Uraya gasped, "I just realized something." Her hand was clasped over her mouth in disbelief for a few moments while Joeline and I looked at her expectantly.

"Well, come on then spit it out." I urged.

"You're going to be the first one of us to get married." She revealed and the realization hit Joe and I just as hard. We took a few minutes to let it sink in.

"I can't believe there was a time you swore you were never going to get married. Remember Joe?" Uraya nudged her. Joeline didn't even bother to glare at her for the use of the nickname as she normally would.

"She even considered nunnery," Joeline laughed, Uraya immediately joining in.

"She was so serious about it too." I bitterly mock laughed along with them before flipping them both off which only seemed to increase their volume.

"Elijah would be having a ball right now." Joeline smiled, but it was anything but sad. It was the type of smile that held memory and one that appeared when you could so vividly picture the person laughing. Knowing Elijah; tears of laughter would already be spilling out of his eyes.

"He really would. We always thought you guys would be the first to tie the knot, Jo." Uraya reminisced, "You guys were perfect for each other."

"They were, weren't they," I ruffled Joeline's short hair. Almost like Elijah would.

Almost.

The ring finger is the only finger with a vein that leads to the heart.

The band that sat around the finger, a promise that your heart belonged only to the one that had put it there.

It was true that I didn't think I'd ever be able to make that promise and hold true to it to someone for the rest of my life. I still didn't but I found unexpected comfort in the fact that I would never really have to.

This was a marriage of convenience. It was arranged. Decided for me. There were no feelings between Imaan and I- no complications.

And there would never be. I reveled in that fact, as I finally took in the beauty of the ring in my quiet room.

The diamond at the center was a good size, accompanied by numerous others around the perimeter of the band. It glinted in the light, and I couldn't help but recall the proposal party that took place a few days ago. Her family weren't as difficult a task after all. After a night filled with drinking and getting acquainted it wasn't hard to forget their dirty reputations or warm up to them.

Either they were going easy on me or maybe I was more like them than I thought.

It was a night full of revelations as I discovered that Imaan Gani had a funny, frustratingly flirtatious and unbothered side to her. Who would've guessed.

Maybe I could never promise my heart to her as her lover, but I think she'll be a good enough acquaintance for a few months.

"So sweet to find you admiring your ring." Nezrah's voice startled me. "I mean I can't blame you, that's a big ass rock." I narrowed my eyes at the seventeen-year old's choice of words. "I told her you'd like it." She let out a sigh of satisfaction.

My brow raised, "You've been spending time with Imaan?" I asked curiously. Since when? I've always kept a close eye on Nezrah and her whereabouts. And if they involved Imaan Gani I should've been informed.

"Yep." Nezrah sighed, "Imaan and I. Oh, we're like sorority sisters." I scoffed.

"Well, just don't get too attached." I warned, "considering I'm going to have to you know her very soon."

"You have got to stop making those threats." Forest green eyes glared at me.

"They're not threats, little sister."

"She's been nothing but good to you!"

"She's a Scorpion." I raised my voice to meet hers.

"So what?!"

"Whose side are you on?!" A tense silence passed over both of us. The question hanging in the air unanswered. Whose side are you on?

It was a simple question.

A question that shouldn't have even required pondering. Yet here Nezrah was sitting on my bed, pondering.

Both of heads flew to the door to room as it abruptly flew open, Callia- one of the Phoenix coders looked as though she'd ran a marathon in record time.

"We have a problem, Ariah." She heaved out, "A really big problem."

"Talk to me." I commanded as I left Nezrah in my bedroom and sauntered to the stairs. I'd deal with her later.

"It's Michigan." Callia began mentioning the name of one of our finest coders, "She's being held hostage."

"Do you have her location?"

"Yes but-" I shook my head.

"No buts. Let's go." I hurried towards the front door, but Callia's steps came to a halt.

"Ms. Rmah." She spoke assertively, "It's the Scorpion House."

They always struck first.