Lloyd stood in the dimly lit alleyway, gripping the edge of his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The call had ended minutes ago, yet Logan’s final words echoed in his mind like a haunting melody."Three days, Simon. If you don’t find us by then… Jacob dies"A chill settled over him.Lloyd had always known that violence was a currency in their world, but even as the Dragon Duke, he had a reputation of never leaving his men behind, much less his childhood friend, whom he had sworn to protect.So he wasn’t about to let Logan make a spectacle of him.Beside him, Ivan leaned against a brick wall, arms crossed. He had been watching his boss carefully ever since the call ended. His boss had gone completely silent, something Ivan had rarely seen before.“You’re actually worried,” Ivan noted, his voice low, almost cautious.Lloyd’s jaw tensed."Of course, I’m worried" he muttered."I've never... The entire sequence of events since last night has been wrong, I have to make it

Morty swirled the amber liquid in his glass, staring at the way the light from the dingy bar flickered against the alcoholIt was almost hypnotic.Or maybe it was just the exhaustion settling into his bones.He had been drinking since yesterday...Or was it the day before...?It didn’t matter.Nothing mattered anymore.He took another sip, wincing as the whiskey burned down his throat.For the first time in his life, he felt truly empty.Not angry, not frustrated.Just… hollowHe reached up to touch the bandage on his forehead, feeling the sting from where the glass had cut him.His father’s parting gift.The memory played out in his mind, clearer than anything else he could focus on.---“Do you even understand what you've done?!”Larry Flanagan’s voice had thundered through his office, rattling the very walls.Causing the entire station to fall silent.The moment Morty stepped inside, he could tell this wouldn’t be like his father’s usual reprimands.This was something much, much wo

The black sedan tore through the darkened streets of Hilburg, its tires screeching as Ivan pushed the engine harder than usual.In the back seat, Jacob lay slumped, barely conscious, his breath shallow and ragged. Blood soaked through his shirt, pooling against the leather seats.Lloyd sat beside him, his gaze locked on Jacob’s pale face, watching each agonizing breath.For the first time in a long time, uncertainty gnawed at him.Not about himself...Not about the fight...But about whether he had already lost too much.Jacob had been loyal to him... despite everything.And now, Jacob was dying because of him.Lloyd clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.Jacob was his childhood friend, and he wasn't about to let him die.The silence in the car was suffocating...Finally, Ivan spoke, his tone unusually cautious“We need to talk, Boss”Lloyd didn’t look away from Jacob “Then talk.”Ivan exhaled sharply“We went in blind... Logan played us, we can’t make that mistake aga

The Francis house was just as Lloyd had left it... grand monument to growing wealth and statusJohn had made sure the house had been expanded by quite a bit since the western steel contract, and now stood shoulder to shoulder with some of the larger buildings in the estate.Yet, as he stepped through the doors, he felt like a stranger in the house.It had been almost a week since he last set foot here, and in that time, so much had changed.The fight with Logan... Jacob nearly dying... The Draguns’ collapse... The police ambush... Morty’s capture...And now, he didn't know how bad Edgar's conversation with Lisa had gone.Lloyd inhaled deeply, shaking off the exhaustion weighing down his body, he couldn’t afford to relax... not yet.He barely made it a few steps into the living room before he heard an all-too-familiar, irritating voice."Well, well, well" Roy drawled, sprawled out lazily on the expensive leather couch, remote in hand. "Look who finally decided to show up"Lloyd didn’

The air inside the secure facility was heavy, it had an invisible pressure that neither Lloyd nor Morty could ignore.Morty’s stare was hard, his fists clenched tightly behind his restraints as he processed the words that had just come from Lloyd’s mouth.It was impossible...It had to be...“That’s not funny” Morty finally muttered, his voice low but sharp “The entire Bishop family was wiped out over a decade ago, gangsters stormed their home and killed every last one of them... I saw the news, Lloyd Bishop died that day”Lloyd’s expression remained still “Did I?”Morty scoffed “You expect me to believe you’re Lloyd Bishop? That after all these years, my childhood friend just happens to be the same man who ruined my life?”Lloyd exhaled through his nose, studying Morty carefully “You always liked to challenge me to races, said you were faster than me, even though you always lost”Morty froze.Lloyd continued. “The last race we had, you swore on your father’s badge that you’d win..mY