Descendants of Darkness

Prologue

Nine years ago...

"Matiez, I warned you to stay away from her." He glared menacingly at the burly, bladed headed man with sleeves of tattoos up his muscles arms and neck.

"I didn't touch her." He spat out blood.

"How do you explain this?" He demanded, his number two man, Sweet Pea showed a photo of Matiez in a black hood showing a little girl with unmistakable black hair something in his hand.

"That's not me." Matiez denied.

"We warned you, if we catch you Ghoulies around here again, especially fraternizing with my daughter you'll get more than just terf war." Jughead Jones hissed, his voice firm and authoritative. He may not be as young as he used to be, but he was still the same fearless and devoted leader to his gang as he'd always been.

"She came to me." Matiez's eyes glinted with mischief.

Jughead socked him in the nose. "You made her come to you, my men were watching her like they always do."

"I'll admit, you and your little wife taught her well. She wasn't an easy target. How are things with you and your little north side girl? She getting a little too boring for you Jones? You could always send her my way." He taunted.

Jughead punched him again, breaking his nose even more now. He would never let anyone say things about his children, but he'd reached his tolerance when his wife was mentioned. "Watch your mouth." He warned.

Matiez cackled, "such a hot head, Jones."

"My patience with you is wearing thin. Who was the girl that you used to bring Juliet to you?"

"That," Matiez answered proudly, "was my daughter."

"If I ever see your daughter around here; speaking to Juliet or within ten feet of her, ever again, you might want to rethink our peace deal."

"Don't you dare mention my daughter." Matiez felt that same fire Jones had inside when a threat was geared towards the only thing he cared about in his life.

"Don't mention mine or else I can take your daughter away from you with a snap of my fingers. I know damn well that you don't provide a suitable home for her."

Matiez leaped up and Sweet Pea and another man held him back from thwarting Jughead. "If you do that, you can kiss your family goodbye. I can take away everyone you love and make you watch."

"Then we've reached a deal." Jughead folded his arms across his chest, "you keep your Ghoulies out of my town and within the boundaries of Greendale and stay away from my Serpents and my family and I'll leave your daughter alone."

"You think that because you busted my guys for drug dealing, that I'm going to leave you alone? Oh no, we are far from reaching an agreement, Jones." Matiez snarled, baring his teeth like an animal in a cage.

"You're messing with the most powerful gang leader in the state, I'd love to see you come up with a deal half as good as mine."

"Oh yeah?" Matiez pulled out his phone and showed Jughead a live stream of his wife feeding his son in the kitchen and his daughters chasing each other around the living room. "One command, and they're all dead."

Jughead's poker face fell, Matiez had him cornered and he would not lose his family. Not when he could've prevented it. Jughead wouldn't be able to live with himself if they weren't with him.

"How the tables have turned. Here are my terms. You get my guys out of jail and we'll leave you alone, but only if we get some of the cut of the trade operation you're running here. Only then, will I get my men away from your house and you won't hear a thing from us. But, if you fail to follow instructions and send a monthly check with our pay, your family is as good as dead."