"Nick if this is a trap I swear to God I will kill you myself."

We were sitting at one of the ports that was based just outside the City. Due to the fact it wasn't within the City's limits my dad normally left it alone and turned a blind eye to what happened here.

He always told me that sometimes you just had to give your rivals an inch so they thought they had control of something.

When in reality they just got what you were willing to let them to have.

Mom had also told me, if you give someone an inch of power they were often not willing to risk what they had for more.

My parents didn't teach just average lessons that's for sure.

"Shut up a second."

Nick was sitting in the back of my car looking out the window. He was searching for something but I wasn't sure what he was trying to spot.

The cold air was starting to seep into my car. Nick had made me turn the engine off and the lights. I was surprised he was able to see anything out there through the darkness. Then again he knew what he was looking for, it was always easier to spot something in the dark when you knew what it was you wanted to see.

"I'm reaching the end of my patience Nick."

Turning my head to River I wasn't surprised at the sight of him. He was sitting in the passenger seat with his eyes closed. He looked peaceful, the only sense of annoyance coming from him was his tensed jaw.

He was tired. River only got this snappy when he was tired.

He had told me he was up all night doing something for my brother and then he had school. Not that he needed to go in the first place but it was my dad who had asked Ezra and River to stay in school.

My dad needed eyes on the kids of the other powerful families in the City. There was also no one better to remind them which family was in charge than his own children and the Kennedy brothers.

"There." Pointed Nick out the window, his voice had risen as he pointed at what was going on down at the port.

Squinting my eyes it took me a few seconds to see what Nick was pointing out. Finally I was able to see it. There was a group of men standing down on one of the peers talking amongst each other. At first I didn't think there was anything wrong but the words quickly caught in my throat at what I seen next.

Some of the men started to unload something from a small boat. They looked like packages but I had been surrounded by this world since I was born. Straight away I knew they were drugs and I was to guess they would be heading straight towards the City.

They weren't my father's men and there was no way my dad would stand for someone else bringing in stuff like this to the City.

"Shit." River swore under his breath and opened the car door, his eyes never taken off the situation in front of us. Following his actions I did the same but Nick's panicked voice stopped me for a moment.

"What are you two doing." Nick yelled at us under his breath. He grabbed my arm through the gap in the seats to stop me from getting out. "Are you trying to get us killed."

Looking at the panic in his eyes almost made me stay but when I turned to look at River he was outside the car already ringing someone. No doubt it was my older brother but River didn't stop there.

No he was making his way down to those men and at a fast pass too.

As much as Nick wanted me to stay there was no way I was letting River go down there without someone. Knowing what I needed to do I turned back around to Nick and gave him a stern look. His eyes were dark in the night but I could see the confliction on his face.

"You can stay here or you can come with us and get back into my brothers good books because if I'm to guess that's something to do with your family isn't it?"

He looked surprised that I had worked it out. The only reason Nick would come back to the City would be to warn us about something and after everything that went down there was only one source of information Nick would have.

Confliction ran through his eyes, clearly this had gotten a lot deeper than he had planned. He had probably just wanted to give my brother a heads up about what was about to go down. I don't think he ever planned on actually getting in the middle of it.

He once choice his family over loyalty but even I could tell he regretted it.

"You don't understand Layla." Nick's eyes kept flicking between the men down at the peer and me. "They're my family."

"No there not." My voice was firm as I spoke. "They never treated you like family. Your dad uses you and your siblings to raise his own ambitions. When was the last time you actually heard from him when he didn't want something? Does he even know you're back in the City?"

"Lay-"

"No you listen." Snapping at him I was running out of patience for him and this shit. "My brother was the one that treated you like family and brought you into our home even when he knew who your family was. He never used your friendship and he never used it to his advantage it was your family who did that. So don't show loyalty to someone just because they're family. Loyalty is earned and your family doesn't deserve that from you or anyone."

Getting out of my car I wanted to slam my car door closed but I knew I couldn't. So I settled for sending a glare Nick's way through the window and then turning my back on him. The conflict was still there in his eyes but it wasn't the same as before.

The cold air was harsh against my skin but at the sight of the men in front of us my body buzzed at the thought of a fight. It had been a while since me and River had gotten into the middle of something like this together. I could already hear my mom scolding me about just charging in their without a plan.

This wasn't her world though, this was dad's.

Hearing a car door close I looked over my shoulder as I walked down the slop. Nick was following us with a look of determination on his face and I knew that I had won him over. River though stopped in his tracks a few meters in front of me making me frown. His back was stiff and slowly I could see his arms raise.

"River what-"

"Drop the gun now." The woman's voice was low almost like she didn't want to make to much noise. She had her own gun pointed in River's direction and with the sight of that alone I reached around to grab my own. Quickly I pointed it directly at her and narrowed my eyes dangerously.

Nobody threatened the Knight brothers under my watch and got away with it.

Her eyes flicked over to me and the sight of the gun. For a moment her stance wavered and she looked unsure but then something seemed to cross her mind and she stood taller than before.

"Both of you drop the guns now." Her voice was still low, she didn't want to make to much noise. Looking down at the peers the men were quickly loading up their vans, not taking one notice of what was happening in the background.

"Who are you?" Not making a move to drop my gun my cloud grey eyes snapped back to her from what was going on down below.

Taking in the women properly for the first time her tanned skin and dark brown eyes didn't look familiar to me. The way she held the gun and how she stood told me a story. She wasn't one of us she wasn't born into the world of blood, crime and survival. Her posture was to proper and her confidence wavered every now and again. The way she held the gun was also what you would call perfect, she was trained.

She wasn't from my world.

"I said drop your guns." She snapped louder this time but my eyes looked down at the peer where the men where now getting ready to leave and I sighed in defeat. There was no chance of us getting them now and River must have noticed the same thing.

"Shit." Sighing River turned his attention back to the woman but put his gun away. He clearly didn't see her as a threat and I didn't believe she would actually shot us either. "Do you know what you just done?"

River's voice was no longer a whisper it was loud and clear. In fact it was nearly dominating and I could see the woman flinch but it was what Nick said that really caught my attention.

"Daniella?" Both me and River looked at Nick as he took a step closer to the woman. There was a frown but it was quickly replaced by the biggest smile I had ever seen. "Danny is that really you?"

The woman looked caught off guard for a moment I noticed how her and Nick looked to be around the same age. Which meant she was the same age as my older brother too.

I didn't know where this was going but I didn't know if I liked it.

"Martinez, what's the hold up?"

A man who looked to be in his fifty's had called out from the top of the slop and for the first time I took in the three cars that were parked further up the mountain side. Annoyance past through my veins at the fact I hadn't completely taking in my surroundings when I had parked the car.

A mistake that I should never have made.

The man walked down towards us and for a man who looked to be in his late fifty's, early sixty's it was clear he kept himself in shape. He was well toned and carried himself well. Wearing a suit and tie he looked ready for business but there was something about him that made me think that I had seen him before.

Daniella as Nick had called her froze as the man walked towards us. This man was clearly in charge who ever he was and I didn't know what type of situation I was involved in but I knew for a fact I didn't like it.

The man took in Nick as he walked past him but he stopped dead in front of me making me tense up. This man was in a completely different league of what I was used to dealing with. My gun tightened in my grip and I could see his eyes slip down and spot it but he didn't seem that bothered at the sight of it.

He studied me carefully. Focusing mostly on my face as he took in every detail and I could see his lips tip in a small grin like there was some sort of joke happening between us. All he was doing was pissing me off and I could feel my temper rise.

"Layla Kennedy I'm guessing?"

The sound of my name coming from his lips shocked me and their was nothing I could do to hide it. Even River and Nick looked surprised and it wasn't often River was shocked he was normally ready for anything.

The man then walked over to River and stood directly in front of him staring at him like their was answers in the air between them. He knew who we were there was no doubt about that and I didn't know how uncomfortable about the situation I should be.

For a moment I thought about making a break for it but when I glanced up to the three cars at the top of the mountain side there was men standing there with guns. I didn't like my odds of escaping in one piece and there was no way I was leaving River and Nick behind.

"You're one of the Knight brother's aren't you? Ezra? No not Ezra, word on the street is that he is the most laid back of the Kennedy brothers and taking you in that's not you." The man looked at River like he was trying to work out who he was. River's eyes caught mine but the man noticed this and then let out a laugh under his breath like something just clicked. "You're River Knight, I can see it now."

"Who the hell are you." River's voice was no longer friendly has he sized up the man. River was taller and bigger but the man just looked at him like he was a child and he had dealt with worse.

Maybe he had.

The man looked between the two of us with amusement and I could see the calculations in his head. He knew who we were far better than we knew him and I didn't like this situation one bit.

"All you need to know is that in your world they call me Davis and I think I would like to talk to the both of you."