Love, loathe, betrayal - a gang story

Chapter 39

"What are you going to do?" She asks me anxiously "I don't know, try go to sleep keep as much energy as possible I'll keep watch and knock on the wall or shout if you need to wake up" I reply. I need to think of a plan, what would my brother do? "Are you sure? What about you?" "I'll be fine you have a blanket right?" "Nope, just a dingy mattress, do you?" She asks "yeah, take mine" I pass her the blanket through the bars "no you need it" "take it Layla I'll be fine" she's shocked so takes my offer "thank you for everything." I smile "go to sleep."

After what I can only assume is about 4 hours later a woman who looks like a maid enters the dungeons with two plates of food. One has a lettuce sandwich with a cup of water and an apple which is placed in front of Layla's cell. The other has has sliced chicken, potatoes, broccoli and carrots with ketchup and orange juice placed in front of mine, as happy as I am to see food for the first time today this isn't fair. "Why are they different?" I ask the maid, she shrugs "your worth something, she's collateral" she states nodding over to Layla likes she's an object "well that's not fair, swap the meals" I demand "I - I don't think I can do that" "Flo I'm fine at-least I'm getting fed" I ignore Layla and keep pushing to the maid "well I don't want anything then" I saw awkwardly "come on, bosses orders, just eat" she pleads. I know she's just doing her job but I'm trying to prove a point "well tell your boss to get down here and tell me herself then, I could do with a chat actually." The lady is taken a back by my sudden arrogance. She puts the plate of food down and scuttles off.

"Florence what are you playing at? Eat the damn food!" "That was my plan see she left the food and it sent a message but we're sharing okay" I can't see her face but she sounds content as we share through the bars.

Not even 20 minutes later Maeve appears as dolled up as ever. "I know I said I wasn't going to kill you but that doesn't give you the right to boss my people around and act like it's a hotel!" She yells and opens the the cell door to grab me by my collar and give me a good shake. "Do all hotel guests sleep in dungeons?" I spit her grip tightening on my neck and her face is nearly as red as her lipstick with anger. "I won't kill you, you know that but keep this shit up and your friend will loose her fingers, then her toes, then maybe her eyeballs. And eventually her head!" Maeve slams me against the wall and I get a shooting pain down the back of my head where it connected with the wall. "Layla has nothing to do with this, I don't even know what I have to do with this. How can I help you?" I push back on her but she is also stronger than she looks. All the self defence lessons Jordan has given me hasn't prepared me for this. She ignores me and I say "your so different to Demi, this behaviour wont get you anywhere, any issue you have talk it out" I am aware I sound like a mother telling off her two children. "Sorry you have been part of the gang for how long? You sound like a school councillor" she laughs then starts again. "You can't solve this by just talking, while we have you the Soutas is wrapped around our little finger and while we have control over them we can get to the Luxes. I won't bore you with the details, but you know what they say there is always a good twin and an evil twin and let's just say when I can be evil, I can be really evil." She is inch's from my face, she licks her lips covered in red lipstick, she punches me in the stomach then leaves me on the floor and looked in the cell one last time before slamming the door shut. "Have a think about changing your attitude and we'll talk again soon" Maeve winks at me then turns on her heels and leaves the dungeons her high heels clicking echo through the halls.

I hear Layla sob "what is going on with you? That attitude is going to get me or both of us killed!" "I'm sorry okay, I'm just sick of being pushed around I need to get you out of here, I promise I won't put your life in jeopardy." I confirm "we'll stop being over confident then!" "I don't know what they want with me they have something against the Luxes and they need to get through to the Soutas to finish it - I can't let my friends and family get hurt" I explain "Florence listen to yourself, your a lot better to then alive you can get me out and help your gang. Your on a suicide mission!" Then it clicks "that's it! Layla your a genius." "What?" I go to the cell door and get the knife off the plate "you're right, I'm only useful to then alive..." I begin "Florence what are you thinking of doing with that?" She asks shaking the bars worriedly "just trust me." "I don't like this Flo." "I love you Layla" "Florence I swear to god" she cries "don't do anything stupid."

I swipe some ketchup from the plate and smear it all over my stomach, it looks nothing like blood but in the dark and dingy cell no one will know until they're close enough. I wait until a guard walks past and shout to them, I won't until they're in view and plunge the knife down next to my side from where he is stood I could pull it off looking like it went into my stomach, I fall to the floor dramatically. "Florence no!" Layla shouts she doesn't know it's a trick so it makes it more real I hear her cry's from next door I feel terrible but I need to get out of here! I hear my cell door open, "hey lady get up - oh no" he leans down next to me before he can realise it's ketchup I lift the knife into his side and he falls to the floor yelling, I quickly retrieve the knife and the keys from his pocket, I lock him in the cell. "Florence!" Layla gives a massive sigh of relief "are you okay? why didn't you tell me it wasn't real?" She says hugging me as I unlock her cell door. "I needed it to be as real as possible I'm sorry" I giggle "come on it's escape time!"

We make our way out of the dungeons and onto the ground floor without coming across anyone, thankfully. Our luck soon runs out when we get to the room opposite the only other room I was held in with the painting and heads on the wall. "What now?" Layla asks and I put my finger to to my lips to shush her. I hear Maeve talking to Oscar about why we're here so I stay to listen.