The conversation with Yuki weighed heavily on Jonas' mind, and he furrowed his brow while mindlessly watching his companions spar. What would happen to their relationship after they escaped? She had made it clear that she had her dreams, which Jonas respected; he had made it clear that he was going after his brother, which she appreciated.

He had never felt so strongly about a woman before, and not only was she a great friend, but she was someone who knew things about him that not even his boys knew. Could they have a long-distance relationship? Jonas doubted the possibility. It might be years before he found Drake, and he might die in the process. It wasn't fair to Yuki to keep her waiting, especially if she was trying to accomplish her dreams. A few weeks had passed since his conversation with her, and yet it still wasn't enough time for him to think of a solution.

Today was a bit different from the other days because as Jonas sat on the edge of a sandy fight pit, he expected news of his next fight. Sure enough, after a few minutes of brooding, Brow came from the direction of the barracks, and Jonas noticed a pep in his step.

“I got your next fight all set,” said Brow, who stretched his fingers to show off all the expensive rings.

"Who is it?" Jonas stopped brooding and looked toward his manager with mild excitement.

“Bannji Balewa, an African martial artist from the Von Trip gang.”

“Von Trip?” Jonas felt like the name rang a bell. “They charge passage into Little Wrath City, don’t they? I paid to enter their headquarters: the abandoned sewage plant on Exodus Street.”

“Just one passage. The other gangs own plenty of other entrances,” said Brow. “They’re not a very big gang, but their leader got lucky and managed to procure Bannji from the Dark Fly auction a few years ago. That auction was a bit strange because of some beef between gangs, so only a few low levels showed up, and Bannji got purchased by Billy Von Trip. It's not often that men of his caliber show up in a regular auction."

"What's Bannji like?" Jonas found it strange that a small-time gang had captured and contained a top-five fighter; Billy Von Trip must have skills as a Sinner.

"Bannji? He's big, talented, mean, and beat Xiao Lin.

“Seriously?” Jonas found it hard to believe. “The number one fighter of a small-time gang beat the number two of the Hurts gang?”

“Don’t be so surprised,” Brow said. “There’s talent hiding everywhere in Hell. Anyway, your fight is next Saturday, so make sure you’re ready.”

“Got it,” Jonas watched Brow walk away. “Did you hear that, Ahmed?”

“I did,” Ahmed nodded. “I never fought Bannji, but you can beat him.”

“Win or lose,” Jonas turned his head and stared straight into Ahmed’s dark eyes. “That’s the day we make our break.”

“That soon?” Ahmed took a deep breath, “I thought you might wait a bit.”

“I’m done waiting,” Jonas furrowed his brow and stared around at the mossy stone architecture. “I’m tired of being here, and I’m tired of being a slave. We have all five top-five fighters, men ready to cause a riot, and most importantly, we’ve got the element of surprise.”

“Everything is in place then,” Ahmed nodded, “I’m a bit worried about one aspect of our plan.”

“Which part?”

“I don’t trust Xiao Lin or Garth."

"You don't need to trust them. Xiao Lin wants out of here because he thinks he'll turn into a Sinning genius overnight from my ex-master. As long as Xiao is in, Garth will see our escape as his chance. I think that deep down, that big psycho wants out of here, so he can cause mayhem in the Overworld."

"I hope you're right," Ahmed took a deep breath. "You should be right."

"I am right, and you're just nervous," Jonas grinned and clapped Ahmed on the shoulder. "Deep down, everyone wants freedom. If Xiao Lin and Garth think the odds are in our favor, they'll kill anyone in their way. It's a good plan, Ahmed."

"I'll leave well alone," Ahmed's dark eyes stared at Jonas with some annoyance. "Just be careful."

"Hell, we might not even have to fight. If Howard and Thomas see all five of us and a riot coming at them, they'll probably just cut their losses and let us walk out the door."

"You don't honestly believe that, do you?" Ahmed made a face full of skepticism.

"No, but a guy can dream. However, they'll try to talk us out of the escape, which means that Thomas will try Yuki, and Howard will try Xiao Lin and Garth. Hopefully, they'll remain firm and not cave into whatever bullshit the leaders try to offer."

“We are their source of income,” Ahmed nodded in agreement. “So, one more time."

"Ahmed," Jonas rolled his eyes.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Let's go over it one more time, please."

"During my fight with Bannji, everyone will team up to take out the guards. Then, you'll get the keys to the slave's cages and release them."

"Who is everyone?" Ahmed ignored the annoyed expression on Jonas' face.

"You, Yuki, Ralph, Pete, Simon, Johnson, and Jaden. Garth will probably wait til the riot is over to make a move, and the same goes for Xiao Lin. That's why they aren't part of the initial riot."

"You forgot a step."

"Oh, shit," Jonas chuckled. "We need to destroy any Hellphone belonging to the guards, so they can't call Howard and warn him."

"Good. What happens after we've freed the slaves?"

"I should be back by then. I'll knock out Brow and grab the key to his room. Then, I'll grab my Hellphone and meet everyone in the entrance hall of the gang. If everything goes to plan, Howard and Thomas will enter through the main doors, and a riot will greet them."

"You're sure that this Glatorius man will help you?"

"I'm sure," Jonas wore a warm smile when he thought of the Glatorius couple.

"They'll try to talk us down, but we won't budge. Howard will let us go, or a fight will break out."

"If a fight breaks out?"

"Then we fucking kill him and escape. The end."

“Then that’s that,” Ahmed nodded heavily. “We need to communicate the plan to everyone else.”

“I expect the plan won't happen exactly how we want it to go, but our greatest chance at success will be our ability to adapt to the situation as it changes.”

“You’ve grown,” Ahmed smiled. “Or at least you’ve started to mature a bit.”

“Nah,” Jonas laughed, “I’m just responsible for the well-being of people other than myself, which means I can’t be selfish.”

“You’re a lot of things,” Ahmed smiled. “I’ve never once considered you selfish.”

“Thanks, Ahmed,” Jonas had his hands in his pockets while he watched Ralph beat up Simon and Johnson. “You’ve been a great friend, and everything I’ve been able to accomplish, I owe it to you.”

“That’s not true at all,” Ahmed shook his head. “You had it in you all along. All I did was act as a stepping stone.”

“You’ve had my back more than I can count, and I wouldn’t be alive now without you. I’m grateful for that, and I’ll make sure that when we get out of here, I pay you back in full,” Ahmed looked like he might argue, but Jonas jumped into the pit for his turn to spar, which meant the conversation was over.

After the boys finished their sparring, they used their workout to discuss and finalize their escape plans. While brainstorming details, they also took turns going over unexpected scenarios that might arise and how to deal with them. Everyone knew it was very likely their plan didn't go perfectly, and they needed to be prepared to react to sudden changes.

“Once a day, we’ll spar, go over the plan, and continue to brainstorm unexpected scenarios," Jonas said to his crew just before they separated for the day.

“You'll have to talk with Yotama-san and Xiao Lin,” Simon reminded. “Perhaps Garth?”

“Fuck Garth,” Jonas scoffed. “I’ll leave it to Xiao Lin to explain it to him. They’re way closer because they share the same owner.”

“Fair,” said Simon. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you,” Jonas waved and went back to his room for a bath. Later that night, he paid a visit to Xiao Lin to discuss the final steps of the escape plan and then spent the rest of the night with Yuki, where the two of them would brainstorm any new ideas or even just things that could go wrong.

“That's so frustrating," Jonas growled. “What are the odds that Howard brings other gang leaders to visit the Hurts gang?"

“I’m not saying the odds are high,” Yuki rolled her eyes. “I still think it's a possibility."

"Fine. In that event, we'll split up our fighters once more. Once we take out the newcomers, we go back to fighting Howard."

"It's not going to go that easy," said Yuki.

“I understand that Howard is resourceful,” Jonas nodded. “He’s been running this gang successfully for almost two hundred years. I'm not going to underestimate his ability to adapt. That’s also why the plan has so much room to work because he won’t expect this to happen, nor will he have any idea on how to deal with it.”

“So, correct me if I’m wrong,” Yuki said. “You think that because Howard’s never had to deal with a prison break before, he’ll underestimate the threat level of the riot?"

"Exactly. Howard is a cocky asshole who thinks he's got everything perfectly managed."

"That's pretty rich coming from you, right?" She smirked. "I agree with you, but I still think that's like the pot calling the kettle black, right?"

"Oh, you did not just compare me to Howard Hurts, right? The slave owner, who is responsible for the misery of thousands of people?" Yuki cringed at Jonas' glare.

"No, I didn't."

"I didn't think so," Jonas shook his head and gave her an exasperated look.

"Regardless," Yuki changed the subject. "We'll catch Howard off guard, and we should have the element of surprise.

"When the main event begins, leadership usually watches from the private booth, right?"

"That's right," Yuki nodded. "They'll be watching you beat Bannji."

"Which will put him in a good mood and the other leaders in a bad mood?" Yuki nodded her head and smiled.

"Which means they won't be interested in a tour. So, Howard and Thomas will return without any assistance."

Another possibility checked off our list," Jonas kissed her, and she returned the favor. When they pulled apart, they were both smiling at each other.

"Then it's just a matter of timing. You need to knock out Brow, get your phone, and get to the main lobby before Howard and Thomas can reach the front doors. Same with the riot because they need to be sure everything is good to go by the time you arrive."

“It won’t take long for the riot to work. I’ve counted about two dozen guards on shift at any time, and we’ve got three top-five fighters, plus the others, ready to take them all down.”

“We’re going to have to wing it a bit,” Yuki sighed. “We can go back and forth all night, but it still doesn’t change the fact that nothing is going to go exactly how we envision it because there are just too many factors that we haven’t considered or could plan for.”

“Regardless,” Jonas rested his head on her shoulder, and Yuki could feel his soft hair tickle her neck as she kissed his head. “I hate that we can’t just make a break for it now.”

“There’s only one way out of this complex, Jonas. We beat Howard and Thomas and then walk out the front doors.”

“And then we can freely accomplish our dreams,” Jonas whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing, babe."