This is a story about a gang. Cursing and violence is almost necessary. While I do try to keep it a minimum in order to keep my PG-13 rating, if it will offend you then I suggest not reading it.

PS: Update as of 5/8/22 - I'm probably going to lose that PG-13 rating by the end of this lolol

If you're here from TikTok, leave a comment and let me know so I can say hi! ♥️

Also, dedicated to nyctphiliac_ for the cover she did when this was still "Bad Meets Worse" :)

"You're a damn idiot, Juliette," I muttered to myself as I pulled my leather jacket tighter around my shoulders. Everybody knew that being outside in the city at night was a bad idea, an even worse one if you lived on the bad side like I did. Walking home was practically suicide.

So of course that's exactly what I was doing.

Cursing under my breath, I made sure to watch where I was going as I navigated the dark streets. Growing up where I had I was used to the violence that happened around my home, but that didn't mean I wanted to be a part of it. Three near rapes in the past year were enough to teach me to keep a switchblade in my purse along with a can of mace. Getting my hands on a gun was my next task when I earned the money.

Glancing up at a street sign when I passed under a light, I grumbled as I realized I was still half an hour's walk from my apartment. Having your mother die just as you graduate takes a toll on a girl, which is what led me to take up residence in one of the shadiest neighborhoods in my city. My heels clicked along as I walked, practically announcing my presence to anyone within twenty yards. This was the last time I allowed Dante to work me this late. He had other bartenders.

Who was I kidding? I would never tell him no when he needed me.

Sighing heavily, I cast my eyes skyward. The moon was bright, but the stars were nearly blocked out by the lights of the city. Though out here where almost every streetlamp was busted, they were slightly visible. You have a death wish, I thought as I hopped over a wide crack in the sidewalk. After taking only a few more steps I was positioned at the mouth of an alley. Out of instinct I clutched my bag even tighter against me before glancing inside it.

I should've just kept walking.

The sounds of a scuffle reached my ears causing me to freeze in my tracks. Straining my eyes against the darkness I could make out the shapes of what looked like four men. One was lying down with the three others surrounding him. As one of the ones standing kicked the one on the ground, my heart burst into overdrive.

A mugging. That's what I was witnessing.

Run!

It took me a minute to register the order my brain had screamed at me, but once one of the men's head raised and our eyes met I regained control of my body. A small squeak escaped me before I spun on my heel and took off in the direction of my home. When the sounds of pursuit broke through the panicked haze that had settled over my mind I only pushed myself to go faster. However, the heels that were required with my uniform were not helping my speed any. I knew that if I stopped to take them off my assailant would only catch me, so I just pushed my legs to move faster.

My street was in sight when I was roughly thrown against the brick wall of a building. "Okay, ow," I hissed, shoving my fringe out of my eyes as a man glared down at me.

"Going somewhere, sugar?" he breathed, cracking a smile at me as he raised a knife to my collarbone.

Letting out a huff, I shrugged. "Just home," I answered, trying to control my breathing as well as my heart rate. You've been in situations like this before, I reminded myself. Just take it easy.

"And what did you see?" he questioned, running the cool blade up the curve of my throat.

A shiver wracked my body against my will as what I was assuming the other two muggers slowed to a stop around us. "Three shadows attacking another shadow," I responded, a wry grin curving my lip as I tried to work my hand into my purse.

Another of the men noticed my actions and ripped my bag away from me. "What're you searching for?" he asked, a teasing edge in his voice as he upended the contents of my bag onto the pavement.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, struggling against the hold of the one in front of me. "Let me go."

"Don't think I can do that, sugar," he told me, glancing back at the one that still had my bag in his hands. "What's she got in it?"

A car came rolling down the street. The headlights washed over the three men in front of me, giving me a clear view of each of them. The one that held me was blonde and the other two had darker hair. "Nothing of importance," I snapped, drawing their attention back to me as the car continued on past us. No one stopped attacks around here. It was everyone for themselves. Or maybe they just didn't see me. That excuse let me keep a little faith in humanity.

"I beg to differ," the man said from the ground, brushing his fingers over my makeup bag until they rested on my billfold wallet. He flipped it open and my earnings for the night tumbled out. In the dim light from the moon I could see his eyes widen as he took in the twenties and few fifties along with the multitude of ones. "Stripper?" he questioned, raising his gaze to mine before it trailed over my body.

"Bartender," I spat, glaring at him as he pocketed it all. "Don't even think about it," I growled, once again struggling against the blonde's hold.

"Easy now," he chided, pressing the knife harder against my neck.

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I was positive he could feel it against the forearm he had holding me to the wall. "I worked hard for that money," I stated, feeling my anger spark. "Rent is due in a few days and I'd really rather not get kicked out of my apartment."

"Juliette Gracen," the one searching through my things murmured. My head snapped in his direction at the mention of my name. "Quite a feminine name for such a feisty girl," he commented as his eyes stayed trained on my ID.

"Don't even start with me," I hissed.

"What do we do with her?" the final one asked, speaking up. "Now that the car's gone by she's seen us."

"C'mon!" I whined, slumping against the wall. "I've gone through enough shit lately. Just let me go."

"Well, Lucas?" the one with my purse muttered, in turn letting me know the name of the blonde.

"Should we take her to Vincent?" Lucas questioned.

"No, we shouldn't take me anywhere," I piped up. Turning my head, I sent a lingering glance towards my street. I had been so damn close.

Lucas laughed at me. "Sugar, we don't know if you're smart enough to keep your mouth shut."

"Totally am," I informed him, offering a bright smile. "You think I live in this area without knowing a couple things?"

"Obviously. Luke she's got a knife and mace."

"Could you please quit going through my stuff?" I grumbled.

"I vote we take her to Vince," the quiet one said.

"Me too."

"That makes it unanimous, sugar," Lucas told me, hauling me away from the wall by my bicep.

"Can't a girl catch a break?" I muttered under my breath.

"This is your break," he stated. "If you weren't a girl we would've killed you already."

"Comforting," I commented, forlornly looking back towards my street again. "Can you at least make sure your friend puts all my stuff back in my bag?"

Lucas nodded. "Brandon, shove everything back in her purse and then catch up."

The one who had stolen my money rolled his eyes before stooping back down and beginning to replace everything back inside my bag. When I stumbled over my own two feet I was forced to focus on what I was doing so that I wouldn't face plant onto the concrete. "A whole night's work down the drain," I mumbled, jutting my lower lip out into a pout. Something in the back of my mind told me that it was wrong that I was practically used to this kind of circumstance.

Lucas seemed to read my mind. "You're surprisingly calm," he observed, glancing down at me as he continued to drag me along beside him.

"Calm, huh?" I scoffed.

"You're not screaming," the quiet one said, startling me by speaking from directly beside me.

Where the hell did he come from? "Used to it, I guess," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

"That's disturbing," Lucas muttered.

"Do you see where I live?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Good point." And with that said we fell into a tense silence. I wanted to ask who Vincent was, but something told me to just keep my mouth shut.

The one named Brandon didn't take long to catch up, but when he did he held my purse out for me to take. "I kept the knife and mace," he informed me.

"Just don't stab me with my own weapon and we'll be good," I said, hiking my bag up onto my shoulder. What I didn't tell him was the first chance I got I was going to punch him in the face. Jerking on my arm, I tried to rid myself of Lucas's hold. He glanced down at me. "It's cold," I grumbled, attempting to shake his grip again.

"Run and I'll just catch you," he threatened as his hand slid off.

The minute his touch left me I wanted to turn tail and run, but they had weapons. Not just knives, but I had seen a gun tucked into the quiet one's waistband. They may have been going easy on me because I was a girl, but I was willing to bet money I'd be dead if I tried to run. So, instead I just pulled my jacket tightly around my small frame as I trotted along between Lucas and Brandon.

We passed the alley where I had first seen them and it took everything in me not to look and see if the fourth man was still there or not. Somehow, I managed to keep my gaze focused forward and before long we came to a black SUV. Lucas pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and beeped it unlocked before opening the back door and all but shoving me in. "Ladies first," he teased when I spun around to glare at him.

Huffing indignantly, I scooted to the far side of the car and placed my bag in my lap. Brandon climbed in beside me as Lucas positioned himself in the driver's seat and the one whose name I didn't know fell into the passenger seat. Lucas cranked the engine over before pulling out onto the street. I internally groaned when I realized he was driving even farther away from my apartment. A familiar song floated through the air, and I sighed before leaning my forehead against the heavily tinted window.

The men began to speak amongst themselves and I didn't even bother to try and listen in. There wasn't any part of me that wanted to know what they were talking about. All I wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and then go to bed. But of course, apparently even that was too much to ask for. A couple of times I heard them refer to me, but I pointedly ignored them. Brushing my mocha hair out of my face, I reached back and removed the ponytail holder. Slightly massaging my scalp, I prayed that the headache that was forming would go away now that the pressure was relieved.

"We're here, sugar," Lucas called a few minutes later as the SUV rolled to a stop.

"Wonderful," I grumbled as he opened my door. He grinned as he held out a hand for me to take. Rolling my eyes, I placed my hand in his and allowed him to help me down from the vehicle, which I realized actually did sit pretty high up from the ground. When I looked up, I sighed. I recognized the place. The small warehouse with several apartments above it was home to one of the main gangs littered around the city.

Lovely.

________________________

Erin