The final part of Letters to Inmate 29901.

Pure, unadulterated anger.

It poisoned my blood as it ran through my rigid body, burning my skin.

My sights were on Big Ben. The bastard that took everything away from me. It felt like a lifetime ago since I lost Lillie, the woman I loved, yet only two hours went by since I left her in her driveway.

That's all I felt surging through my veins, her pain-stricken eyes. Rage spread through me like a disease as I walked up to the Velvet Room club, the pistol in my right hand loaded and ready.

This had to end, one way or another. Violence is the only language Big Ben and his goons understood, then violence what he will get.

I walked up, seething to the club. The two big bouncers saw me approach. The bearded one stomped out his cigarette with his foot and the other bouncer stood up from leaning against the wall.

The bearded bouncer narrowed his eyes at me. "Where do you think you going-"

A punch to his face from my balled-up fist stopped his sentence midway, knocking him right back on his ass. The other bouncer was taken off guard as he witnessed the lethal punch. He came lunging towards me. I blocked his grip and gave him a jab straight in the gut... twice. He fell to the ground, moaning in pain.

I hurled through the black heavy doors, closing it shut behind me.

There was light music that filtered through from above, as I inspected the so-called 'trendy club'. The Velvet Room was huge, with two dance floors, booths on both sides and a large bar in front. It had grey and purple exterior, with dance poles scattered on high tables. I knew Big Ben was probably in his office near the VIP section.

I made my way slowly up the steel stairs to the VIP booths that dripped with expensive purple velvet couches and silver tables. I heard voices and laughter spilling out of Big Ben's office to the right. My anger was at boiling point and couldn't wait to get the fuck in there. I barged into the office roughly, spreading the wooden doors to its sides, taking everyone inside by surprise except for the bastard himself. The gun in my hand, itching to be used.

My eyes glared at Big Ben, my chest heaving hard, in and out. He sat on a leather chair behind his huge mahogany desk. A few of his goons that were seated on the black leather couches stood up once they saw the pistol. Big Ben stared at me, with a smoking cigar in his mouth and a drink in his left hand.

His gaze dropped to my hand, holding the gun that tapped against my thigh. His narrowed eyes snapped up to me. Neither of us looked away from each other for moments.

A deathly silence hung in the air.

Gunner wanted to approach me, cursing under his breath. Two other men crept up slowly but were stopped by Big Ben, lifting his huge hand lazily up for them to back down.

"What do you think you're doing, boy?" Big Ben said cautiously.

My left eye twitched, so did my hand clutching the pistol. The nerve of this asshole. Did he conveniently forget what he just did to Lillie?

I hoisted my gun up, aiming for the fucker. Earning concerned looks from his men. My eyes were glued to the big bastard.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK BIG BEN?!" I yelled. "You mess with Lillie; you mess with me. I told you to stay the fuck away from her!"

Big Ben didn't even blink at the gun aimed at him. I could shoot him at any moment, and the bastard didn't even flinch. Like he was fucking used to this shit.

"What makes this one woman so special, huh, that you have forgotten we have business together?" Big Ben said, looking at the brown liquor that was drunk halfway in his glass.

I narrowed my eyes at him, my jaw clenched tight.

He drank a gulp, unnerved.

"Come sit down with me Bleeder and let's talk about this like men." He said, waving a seat in front of him.

He could still see my conviction, anger brewing in my eyes. The gun still raised high, aimed for him in my hand.

"Put the gun away... you don't want to use that after the proposition I have for you." He stared at me. "And besides, you wouldn't make it out of here alive if you did use it." he said nodding towards his men.

All I wanted to do was end this bastard.

"Do I have anything to live for?" I said through gritted teeth.

Big Ben sat back in his leather seat and regarded me. "Yes..." he said simply. "Yes, you do Dimitri."

Two people entered the office, distracting me, and I briefly turned my head sideways. A woman sauntered by me and dragged her hand gently across my back. I saw Roxanne walking towards Big Ben, sitting crossed leg on his wooden table. She flinched at first when she saw the gun in my hand, but quickly it turned into a smirk.

Kyle strolled up and stood beside me.

"What the hell are you doing, bro? Why do you have a gun in your hand?" he asked, shocked.

I should've fucking known Kyle would work for Big Ben again. Everything felt too familiar, Kyle, Big Ben and me all in the same damn room. I could feel myself slipping through the same rabbit hole from years and years ago.

I narrowed my eyes and couldn't care less why the fuck Roxanne was here. My eyes snapped to Big Ben once more, my hand still gripped to the pistol, which felt suddenly weaker in my hand.

"It takes a lot of guts to do what you just did, boy... I can respect that," he said as he puffed up a cloud of white smoke in the air above him. "But instead of channeling your anger towards me, why don't you use it destroying your opponent in the ring, when you fight for me, where you belong?"

He stood up and, placed his hands on the table and inched forward across the desk, a glint in his eye.

I scoffed.

"Fight for me, honor your contract and pay my money, and be who you meant to be Bleeder, this changed man business... is not you." he continued, waving his hand in disgust. "This girl Lillie... is not for you."

Lillie's name rolling off this bastard's lips made my skin crawl. I heard Roxanne sneer at the mention of her name, but my eyes were glued to Big Ben.

I don't even know why the hell I was listening to this man talk, let alone allow him to open his damn mouth to begin with. But that was Big Ben for you, a smooth talker, a real businessman, if you ever saw one.

"You're clinging to a dream, that's just not realistic for a man like you." Big Ben said, trying to sound sympathetic. He opened his drawer and took out a pale-yellow folder with papers sticking out of it.

I cocked my head to the side. "It was realistic for me. Until you got involved."

Big Ben laughed. "If it's not realistic for me, it's not realistic for you."

"I'm nothing like you," I snapped.

"Are you sure about that?" I flinched at his words. "You and I are cut from the same cloth, Dimitri. We grew up on the streets, we were taught by it, we know nothing else... this is inevitable boy." He said with a dark grin.

I glanced at Roxanne; she concealed a smile and Gunner scoffed in annoyance. But Big Ben gave him a pointed look.

I was silent for a moment.

My resolve slowly slipping. I wanted to kill the man, but I knew it probably wouldn't even make a difference. The man was so hard, negotiating with me till the end.

Who knows, maybe this life was all I was good for!

I looked at Kyle, who was standing with his arms folded, shaking his head at me, his eyes wide and focused. The sign of 'don't do anything stupid' reflected in them.

I blew out a deep breath.

"Will you leave Lillie alone?" I breathed out.

Big Ben hesitated.

"Yes. There would be no reason to bother her again." he finally said.

I sighed, my internal battle failing me. "No harm will come to her or the people she knows?"

"Yes... of course not." Big Ben said unflinching.

"I have your word?" I finally asked.

Big Ben nodded.

"You have my word." he said, sending another puff of smoke into the air.

I lowered my gun. Big Ben smiled approvingly.

"Good boy Bleeder. I'll forgive you this time, but don't think you'll be so lucky if you pull this stunt again." His last few words seethed dangerously as I glared at him.

He moved around the table and eyed Roxanne, still seated lazily at the edge of his desk, from her tight low-cut dress to her black stilettos.

"And anyway, why want Lillie when there is other woman your type around boy?" he said with a grin looking between Roxanne and me.

Roxanne blinked slowly at me, and I grimaced. What was she even doing here to be allowed so freely in Big Ben's office?

I sighed, feeling defeated. What the hell, maybe she was all I was good for.

"You probably wondering why I'm here," Roxanne cooed, as if reading my mind.

I tucked the pistol inside my back jeans. "No, not really." I said deadpanned, not looking at her.

"Seemed like Big Ben needed a couple of bar waitresses, and I was happy to oblige with my vast experience in clubs and all," she said with a wink.

I held back from rolling my eyes.

"This reminds me of old times," Big Ben chuckled, slapping Kyle's back. "Fight for me bleeder, pay your debt owed to me and we'll make money together."

"What do you need me to do?" I said evenly.

"The same as before. Sign the contract that you'll work for me until your debt is paid." Big Ben said, pouring himself another drink from his table and took out a printed paper from the folder. "And who knows... you might like the taste of your old life before prison again."

Big Ben gave me the paper. I glanced at it, knowing full well this was the contract I signed so many years ago, the amount of money I still owed Big Ben in bold coming back to haunt me. I looked down at the ground, taking in Big Ben's words. My heart fucking plummeted as a sudden thought of realization dawned on me.

This was the man I was.

A fighter.

A criminal.

Being with Lillie wasn't in the cards anymore, no matter how I wanted it to be. My heart sunk. But I had to keep her safe, the only way I knew how, and that was for me not to be with her, for her to stay away from me before I brought more trouble into her life.

I scoffed. She was better off without me; I was trying to convince myself.

A bitter feeling sank in my chest. I was sucked into my old life yet again I was trying so hard to outrun, but it finally caught up with me, winning in the end.

I finally looked up at Big Ben, who was waiting for my response.

I solemnly nodded my head.

"I'll fight." I said and re-signed the contract.