“Can I come in?” I hear someone ask, though I don’t recognise the voice. I lift my head up from where I’m sitting on the floor, my back resting on the edge of the bed, my blood splattered all around the white tiles under me. This is the fifth time I’ve been visited in this hellhole by Arthur’s men, and I really hoped they would kill me this time. Things are broken, my head is fucked up to the point I can’t focus on anything, and it’s a struggle to get up.

“Do I look like I could stop you?” I sarcastically reply, staring through my one eye that isn’t swollen shut at the prisoner. He has dark skin, a shaved head with a long scar down the one cheek, and he’s wearing the same orange jumpsuits we all wear. I don’t think I’ve seen him in the two weeks I’ve been in here. Though I haven’t exactly left my room thanks to Arthur’s fucking friends. Every day they are around, watching me, teasing me. They take my food, piss in my bed, rip my clothes and then every so often group up to beat the living hell out of me. If Arthur wants to destroy me, he’s going the right way about it.

“No, mate, you don’t look like you could hurt a fly,” the guy points out.

“I’m not your mate,” I growl, before coughing and tasting blood in my mouth. The prisoner closes the door slightly, and comes over to me, crouching down to my level.

“I’m a friend, one you don't want to kick out. I want to offer you a deal,” he tells me. “The name’s John.”

“Arthur’s friend too, are you?” I ask and laugh. “The answer is still hell fucking no.”

“I’m not his friend,” John says in disgust, tilting his head to the side and lowering his voice. “I’m undercover for the police. I have been working for Arthur for five years, but no one can get close enough to do what is needed to end him. Then there is you.”

“The police put me in here. I am not making any kind of deal with them,” I reply.

“We have an offer. One that will make sure you and your family are safe. Forever,” he says, and it’s the first interesting thing I’ve heard him say. My brothers and sister have been trying to come and see me, but I’ve rejected them all. They can’t see me like this. They’ll do something stupid. Each one of them has a family, people that need them around. And then there’s me. The only woman that needs me will hate me by now, yet I can’t get her out of my head.

“What is the deal?” I ask, coughing once again.

“Accept Arthur’s offer and work with us to take him down. We need you to help us get spies into every one of Arthur’s fighting rings, drug dens, and anywhere else he takes you. It will take years, and you have to pretend you hate your family for it to work. Arthur needs to believe you are so angry that your brothers let you rot in here. That you would choose to be on his side instead,” he says. I know I could do it, and it would be far better than the life I have right now. It would be helping my family- saving them.

“Could you tell my brothers what I’m doing? They would hate me,” I ask.

“No. They can't know. No one can,” he replies. "If you did this, all charges, including the ones your brothers will face when this is all over, will disappear. You get to walk away from all of this, from a life we know you were born into."

"If I do what he wants, it will destroy me," I mutter my only fear. “I won’t be a good man.”

"Yeah, it will. I know that," he says. "But my family got out free, and that's why I’m here. I did some messed up shit, and I pay for it, but my family won’t. You get me? It comes down to one thing; will you pay the price for your family, Luke?" His question runs around in my mind until I can think of nothing else. It feels like this is the only way to escape the life my brothers and I have been born into. There isn't another answer. I pull myself up off the floor, groaning in pain from multiple bruises and broken ribs. I offer my hand out to John, and he shakes my hand.

"I want one more thing, and you have a spy. You’ll have me on your side," I say, knowing one more thing is so important.

"What is it?" he asks, looking interested.

"There’s a girl."

"Isn't there always?" he chuckles. "We’ll work it out. Welcome to your new job, Luke King. Let's hope you are as strong and smart as the rumours said you Kings are."

I smirk. "We are so much more than the rumours, but you’ll see. We will do anything for family."