Kalen Mercer's Rules of Survival Rule #1: Don't get caught. Rule #2: Always get even. Rule #3: Trust Nobody. Survival isn't just a word to Ioney Mercer; it's a way of life. Having grown up in poverty in Chicago where some of the most ruthless gangs in the country preside, Ioney knows better than anyone what it takes to stay in the game. Or so she thought. When her older brother Kalen is brutally murdered and Ioney is left to take care of her younger siblings, she doesn't think things can get any worse. That is until in a cataclysmic turn of events, Ioney is thrown into a pit of danger her brother has left behind. Sinister people have suddenly developed an interest in her, she unwittingly falls into the middle of growing gang rivalries, and unfortunately manages to land herself under the scrutiny of Chicago Blood Kings Enforcer Justice Montoya. As things escalate rapidly, Ioney finds herself at a crossroads. Can she trust notoriously ruthless gangster Justice Montoya, or is he just another enemy she has to conquer in order to survive.

"If the world can't handle the truth, give them a spectacular lie." Bitch. That's what they called me at my old school. I disagree: I'm just brutally honest, that's all. Some people don't like honesty. Exhibit A: Matthew's family. None of them want to acknowledge that their Golden Boy is gay. Exhibit B: My Mother. I only told her the truth: that she was a crappy parent who never should've gotten knocked up in the first place. But she was so offended that she shipped me off to my fabulously wealthy father and his walking-billboard-for-plastic-surgery of a wife. So I devised a brilliant plan. My new friend Matthew was sick of hiding his sexuality. I was tired of obnoxious rich boys hitting on me. So why not pretend to be dating? He wouldn't have to answer uncomfortable questions anymore, and I'd enter my new school as the girlfriend of the star quarterback. It should be easy, right? Of course, I didn't plan on falling for Matthew's brother.