Shadow Of Betrayal / YokRay

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Meanwhile, two months had passed since Ray had gone to a fight for the first time. Two months. Eight fights. Eight times he had seen Yok win. Sometimes he bet on the fighters, sometimes he didn't, sometimes Zero had forced his company on him, and on other days the kitty leader could take a breath. It had become like a ritual that was now firmly planted in his life, something to look forward to. Of course, he had not forgotten the real reason why he was there, but on the other hand, the fights helped him escape from his everyday life for once. They helped to run away from his own thoughts and his past once again.

And today once again he sat on his motorcycle and rode in the direction of the old factory. He could probably even ride the route with his eyes closed by now. No fight was like the other, and that made it even more interesting for Ray. Slowly he approached the old factory site and parked his motorcycle. He had his favorite jacket on, the one with rhinestone that formed wings and at the bottom hem of the jacket was Ray embroidered in pink letters. He wore the jacket with pride, it was a sign that he was the leader, the undisputed king and that he wanted to reclaim that title at any cost. With a cigarette in his mouth, he walked up to the two securities guarding the open spot in the construction fence.

"Hey Ray," grinning, one of the two guards took Ray's ticket and scanned it. "Welcome to the games."

"Thank you." Ray ran a hand through his hair and entered the compound, which was beginning to feel like a second home to him. Everything here was familiar to him, from the steel walls of the factory, to the smell, which was a mixture of sweat, alcohol and cigarettes.

"Hey Ray, there you are finally, want to join me?" Greeted Zero the Yolo gang leader.

"No, thanks Zero, today I just need some me-time." Tried Ray to brush the other off.

"Come on, kid, am I not good enough for you?" Zero took a step towards Ray and took his hand.

"Yo, cut the shit Zero, honestly not today." Ray hissed, leaving his ticket supplier standing in the crowd.

Ray looked for his favorite place, the iron staircase, on which steps he already sat during the first fight he watched. He had bet 100 bucks on Yok, another of his weekly rituals. He followed each of the fights with enthusiasm, it fascinated him that these men seemed to be bashing each other's heads in just for fun, and of course he had his favorites by now. Soon the fight he'd come for was announced, Shadow against Crypto, also one of the younger fighters in the ring. The atmosphere in the abandoned factory had reached its peak and the noise level was almost too much for the young gang leader, but there was no way he was going to miss this fight.

It was a good fight, both young men were determined to get the victory. A few bruises would decorate each of them after this evening. A few times it looked bad for Yok, but he fought his way back into the ring again and again. The crowd roared and screamed, it was one of the most exciting and longest fights in a long time, but in the end, as you expected, Shadow won over his competitor and won himself the prize money of 400 bucks. Ray on the other hand had made a plus of 500 today and wanted to get home with it as soon as possible before anyone, or rather a certain person, could see him here.

Just as he was about to get on his bike, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and before he knew it, he felt a throbbing pain on his cheek.

"What the fuck?" Ray cursed as he turned around, one hand on his cheek. When he realized who was standing in front of him, his heart skipped a beat. "Tiger." He growled and really had to pull himself together not to punch the other in the face as well.

"What are you doing here, Kitty?" Was that panic Ray could see on his enemies face?

"What do you think? I bet on fights, and what are you doing here?" Of course, he knew, but he wanted to hear it from Yok himself and if he was lying, then he could still make him realize that he knew the truth.

"Nothing, and why should it concern you anyway?" Yok hissed, crossing his arms in front of his chest, still wearing his clothes from the fight and a fire burning in his eyes that made even Ray respect him.

"Are you sure? Are you really sure about that Tiger?" Ray looked at the other with a cocky grin on his lips. "Or should I say shadow?" He could literally see all color disappear from Yok's face, and his confidence gave way to fear.

"You know it." Whispered Yok, who felt his heart beating faster, panic spreading throughout his body. "You can't tell anyone; do you understand?" The Tiger grabbed his enemy by the collar and pushed him one rudely against a tree. "Do you understand? You can't tell anyone." Ray could hear how much Yok's voice was shaking.

Ray's eyes twitched back and forth between those of Yok, who seemed really serious about the whole situation. "Woah Yok, what are you afraid of? That your little friends will find out that you're making extra money?" Ray laughed out.

"Shut the fuck up, I'm serious." Growled the Tiger. "If anyone finds out about this, you're dead. And this is not an empty promise, this time you've gone too far, do you understand?" The tone in Yok's voice made the Yolo Gang leader's blood run cold, never in his life he had felt something comparable.

"Take it easy, Yok. I really don't feel like getting killed by you right here on the spot." Ray raised his hands slowly and defensively. "I promise I won't tell anyone, but only if you don't tell anyone that I gave in to you."

"Okay deal, and Kitty? I never want to see you at any of the fights ever again, not you, not your bike or your stupid pink jacket. Did I make myself clear?" Yok let go of the other's collar. "Now fuck off, I really can't stand your face any longer." Yok turned his back on Ray and headed for his motorcycle, while Ray swallowed hard. He never thought he would feel such respect for the other, never would've thought that he would be willing to make a deal with him. But there was one point in this whole deal to which he would not adhere, he would continue to attend the fights, whether the Tiger wanted him to or not.

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"Damn." Yok paced back and forth in his room, ruffling his hair frantically. "Damn it." He shouted and flopped down on his bed, staring at the white ceiling and running his hand over his face. Why did that damn Park Ray, of all people, have to find out about his secret? Why did it have to be him? Yok would've even preferred Boston to Ray. A secret is always a weakness, and the fact that Ray Pakorn knew his secret was bothering the ROL leader immensely.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No one could know about the fights, especially not his ROL gang, he did not want to appear weak in their eyes. Damn it, what was he supposed to do now? Yok stood up and started pacing around the room again. It pissed him off that he was on his own in this situation, he would have loved to call Nick and ask for advice, but that was impossible.

How long had Ray known about the fights anyway? And would he really not reveal anything? Yok took out his backpack from under the bed and rummaged around in it. Finally, he found the brown envelope, took it out and opened it. Concentrated he began to count the money inside the envelope, 400 bucks, it wasn't much money, but it was better than nothing.

With a sigh, he opened his closet, in which there was a small safe. Yok typed a combination of numbers into the number field to open it up. The contents of the safe contained a gun, a few bags of weed and a lot of money. Yok took out all the money and now carefully began to count all his savings.

"Thirty thousand, damn it, it's still not enough, not nearly enough." Cursed the leader of the ROL gang as he ruffled his hair and felt a tightness in his chest, which slowly closed around his heart. It almost took his breath away, and he felt tears running down his cheek.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, sobbing. "I'm so fucking sorry." He curled up next to his sprawled out money and cried. All the emotion and despair of the last while spilling out of him in countless rivers of tears. For too long, he had kept his feelings bottled up and sealed deep inside. But desperate times break even the strongest man in the end.