"That would be the logical course."

"Basically, we were in the guild after our parents died, leaving me to take care of you. We'd been on the streets for a while and we didn't really feel like we had another choice. I wasn't going to send you to foster care after hearing some of the stories my friends told me about it. Luka, Chris, Mason and myself were the beginning. You were supposed to stay out of it. Since I had to take care of you, we all took a vote on who would be in charge. We decided Luka. As I'm sure you know, he has a certain charm that makes people want to do things for him. He can also be formidable when he needs to be. None of that mattered at first. We were all just happy to be off of the streets so we didn't think of the dangers."

"I already know all of this. I was there for it." Olivia interjected.

"Not all of it Livvie. Not all of it." Mark said in a sad voice.

Olivia folded her arms across her chest.

"When we started making a name for ourselves, we ended up in a few conflicts. None of us were prepared to kill another person but all of us had to. We were all just kids. We didn't know what we were getting into and it changed all of us. It changed Luka the most. He turned cold and hard. He was unforgiving. I guess he figured he'd already risked his life for the guild and anyone else who wasn't willing to do the same didn't belong."

"So how did you change?"

"I wanted out. I never wanted you to go through that. I applied for aid, got into a good college program, and ended up setting us up with an apartment. I even managed to get a job set up."

"Well that never happened." Olivia said flatly.

"Because of Luka. I told him my plans. I let him know that I wanted something different for you, a better life. He told me I could go to school while with the guild, but we'd have to stay with them. He told me it was for our safety since our rivals would go after you to get information from me. Luka couldn't risk that. I agreed. I went to school, got my law degree and even started working in a firm. In the mean time, the guild had grown. The Daggers had made their name. Money was being made, people were joining, our rivals were quieting down since we were a force to reckon with. We were going to be free."

"When was this?"

"Two weeks before Luka had decided that I died."

"What!?"

"While I was working and building up a life for us, Luka had gotten you involved. You've always been a fast learner. You took to thievery like a baby takes to a bottle. You became the most skilled thief in the entire guild. Luka wasn't going to let you go without a fight. So I offered to use my experience with the law in order to help the guild in exchange for you getting out. He refused. Within two weeks of this I was drugged, dragged to a back ally, and my throat was cut."

Mark pointed to the scar on his neck.

"I woke up to find Chris. He delivered a message from Luka. I was out of the guild and he would let me know if you chose to join me. I waited for weeks. Hoping against all hope that you would join me. You never did. I assumed you had made your choice and then went my own way. Luka had taken the liberty of quitting my job for me and making it look as if I was dead. So I had to start over. I ended up joining a rival guild since I had nowhere else to go. They were obviously skeptical and it took me years to build their trust. It's taken me eleven years, but I'm finally the right hand man."

"Jesus Christ."

"Technically, I told my boss that I was here to proposition you. To try to get you on our side."

"Is that the truth?"

"No. I came here to see my baby sister."

"I'm not a baby anymore and I can handle myself just fine."

"So I can see. I've really missed you, Livvie. I didn't want to abandon you."

"Show me your left shoulder."

Mark looked at Olivia with a puzzled expression.

"Show me your left shoulder."