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.

"I want to grow up" Did you say it when you were a kid? I know I did. Have you regretted growing up at some point in your life? Have you wished you could be a careless child once again? I know you have. Everyone has. The more you grow the bigger the challenges, the obstacles, the pain. Life gets serious. You get serious. You forget to smile at the morning sun shining down your face. You are too absorved by your problems to notice the beautiful world surrounding you. And when life gets hard, you wish more than anything to turn back in time and be that small child who did not know anything when he said "I want to grow up"

Everything happens for a reason. It’s what Ioney Mercer tells herself whenever she pauses to think about the circumstances of her life. Why did her older brother die? Why did her mother leave her with five brothers and sisters to raise? Why did the only person she’d ever fallen in love with have to go? Because everything happens for a reason. Saying it was one thing. Believing it was another. And recently, the mantra had started sounding more like an annoying show tune that could easily be tuned out rather than the unfailing piece of truth she needed it to be. But then, one silly little saying could only get you so far when your life was on the line yet again. More importantly, it meant absolutely nothing when your family was being targeted as well. Things are starting to shake up in Chicago. Callahan Cordero has been released from prison. His first order of business: Revenge on the person responsible for putting him there. With nowhere to run or hide, Ioney has no choice but to engage the enemy head on. The only question left to ask is whether she will stand alone, or if help will come from the most unlikely of places.