Ink (being edited)

Chatpter 13: The Truth Will Set You Free

ETHAN

"Where did you hear that name?"

"Why are you on the defense? I thought we talked about all of this. No more secrets, Ethan."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts. Who is he?"

God, my blood was boiling. Who had tipped her off about him?

"You look guilty... Are you cheating on me with him?"

"What? No, I just.... God I really wanted to tell you on my own terms."

"What are you hiding," Her eyes pleaded with me as she hovered over my biceps. I wanted to melt into her right then and there, but I had given her my word. No more secrets.

"Luca Dobrescu is a rival gang leader. His gang and mine have been feuding for years, and somehwo he has his eyes set on you."

"Set on me how?"

"He wants to get you to get me."

Sage pulled away from me and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Why didn't you tell me from the beginning..." She asked, just above a whisper, "You lead a gang?" Her voice seemed to hold disgust in it.

Now that was the real question. What was I afraid of? Rejection? Judgement? Trusting someone?

All of the above I guess. I had never done this before, loving someone. It was all new to me. sure I had crushes before but from the moment I met her, I knew that it wasn't the same. She was made for me.

"You're pissed at me aren't you?" I asked in a voice so small I couldn't even recognize it as my own.

"Pissed at you? Dammit Ethan I am livid! How could you just keep such a big secret from me for all this time. So that's why you're here? Because of your little gang?" Her voice rose in volume as she continued.

I nodded solemnly. I felt like a child being berated by his mother, but she was justified. i shouldn't have dragged it out for so long.

"So you've been putting yourself danger this whole time? What don't you understand? We are together now! What was I supposed to do if one day you just never came home? Accept it?"

"That would never happen."

"And on the off chance that it does? What then? You're just going to leave me? For what? Some guns and street cred?"

"We weren't together then. I didn't realize how much you mean to me then."

"Then leave. Pass leadership on to someone else. We're both in danger here. We've been in danger since the beginning."

"I'm not leaving the gang. That's my home, the only thing I've known for so long. If you cant deal with that, then I don't know what to tell you."

"You can't have both, Ethan. It's just not possible. You have to pick what means more to you. We can have a happy danger free life together. Just leave it all behind," She caressed the side of my face.

"I can't do that Sage. I'm sorry."

"So you're leaving me for a bunch of mindless criminals? All you do is shoot at eachother for fun. You're ridiculous.

"I've had the gang since before I even knew you existed. Forgive me if that's more of a priority than how my fuck buddy feels if I do my job."

Tense beats of silence follow my last remark. As soon as it came out of my mouth, I regretted saying it. Sage looked as though I had slapped her across the face, and in a way I had. But before I could even get an apology out, she took her platform shoe off and chucked it at my face.