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BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 103. THE DARKEST CORNER
The cold wind whipped through the narrow alleys of the Gale estate, the moonlight casting long shadows on the cobblestone streets. Carrick stood by the edge of the balcony again, the same spot where he had stood earlier that day. But now, there was a gnawing emptiness in the air, as if the city itself was holding its breath. The power he had seized was not a comfort. It was a weight. A burden that pressed down on him every moment.Inside the estate, the atmosphere was thick with tension. The council room, usually filled with casual chatter and scheming, was eerily quiet. Carrick had been spending less time in the boardrooms lately and more time on the streets, dealing with the remnants of the old order. Each deal, each confrontation, had taken its toll. He had started to feel the cracks in his control, as if the power he had so ruthlessly claimed was slipping through his fingers like sand.“Carrick,” Marco’s voice broke through the silence. “We’ve got a problem.”Carrick didn’t turn a
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 104. THE PRICE OF POWER
The following morning, the estate was quieter than usual, but there was an unease that hung in the air. It wasn’t just the silence...it was the tension. Carrick’s actions the previous night had rippled through the underworld like a stone dropped into a still pond. Every family, every loyalist, every rival had felt it, and now they were waiting. Waiting for the next move.Carrick stood at the balcony again, his eyes scanning the city. The streets were still, the tension palpable. People were walking on eggshells, and Carrick could feel it. The empire he was building was delicate. One wrong move, and it could crumble beneath him. But he wasn’t about to let that happen.Marco entered the room, his expression tight. The years of brotherhood between them hadn’t dulled the sharpness of their arguments, but today, there was something more in Marco’s eyes. Worry. Concern. A desperation Carrick hadn’t seen before.“Carrick,” Marco said, his voice steady but strained. “We need to talk. About la
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 105. INTO THE ABYSS
The estate hummed with a quiet, eerie intensity. Each step Carrick took on the cold marble floors seemed to reverberate through the halls, carrying the weight of the decisions he had made. It was clear now...Carrick Gale was no longer just a rising power. He was the storm, the unyielding force that shaped the city. But with that power came a growing unease, a creeping doubt that gnawed at the edges of his thoughts.Carrick sat at the long table in the council room, his fingers steepled in front of him. The weight of his leadership pressed heavily on his shoulders, but it wasn’t the pressure of the city or his enemies that troubled him most. It was the growing rift between him and his men...his brother, in particular. Marco’s words from the night before echoed in his mind like a warning bell, a constant reminder that the road he was walking was narrowing.The room had filled quickly after Carrick’s arrival. Victor, Darius, and Enzo stood by the walls, their usual confidence tempered by
BANG BANG BANG Chapter 106. A City in Ashes
The scent of blood and gunpowder clung to the air long after the last gunshot had been fired. The docks, once a bustling artery of trade, were now a graveyard of broken men and shattered alliances. Carrick Gale stood amid the wreckage, the barrel of his gun still warm from the violence he had unleashed. His men moved with calculated efficiency, gathering bodies, silencing the wounded, ensuring that no one who had defied him lived to tell the tale.Victor approached, wiping blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. "It's done," he said. "Silvio's loyalists are finished. The families that wavered will see this and fall in line."Carrick nodded, his gaze sweeping the carnage. "Good. Then let’s send the final message. Burn it all."Marco, who had remained silent throughout the battle, stepped forward now, his voice edged with restrained fury. "Are you serious? There are still workers in those buildings, people who had nothing to do with this. Burning the docks? That’s not strategy,
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 107 SMOKE AND BLOOD
The estate was alive with movement. Men armed to the teeth prepared for the war that was coming. Weapons were checked, ammunition counted, and alliances solidified. The air was thick with the scent of gun oil and cigarette smoke, a quiet hum of tension running through the halls like an electric current. Every man present knew what was at stake. If they lost, there would be no second chances.Carrick sat at the head of the table in the council room, his closest advisors gathered before him. His fingers tapped a slow, rhythmic beat on the polished wood as he studied the faces around him. Loyalty and fear mingled in their expressions, a silent acknowledgment of the battle to come."Moretti is making his move," Victor said, setting a map down on the table. Red markings indicated enemy movements, their areas of control expanding like a disease. "He’s pulled in every favor he’s ever had. Elena De Luca is backing him, and they’ve got the support of three smaller families that have turned aga
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 108. EMBERS OF VENGEANCE
The stench of blood still clung to Carrick’s coat as he walked into the estate. The halls were quieter now, but not with peace...only with aftermath. Word of Moretti and Elena's deaths had spread faster than fire, and with it came both reverence and rage.He barely had time to remove his gloves when Victor approached, his face pale under the low lighting.“We have a problem,” he said without preamble.Carrick raised an eyebrow, his voice rough. “Only one?”Victor didn't smile. “Giovanni Serrano.”Carrick’s brow furrowed. The Serrano patriarch had kept to the sidelines, maintaining a thin veil of neutrality in the war. “What about him?”“He’s calling a meeting. Tonight. Neutral ground. Says he wants to broker peace before the city drowns in blood.”Carrick scoffed. “He’s late to the sermon.”Victor hesitated. “There’s more. He blames you. Says the massacre was dishonorable. Elena was his goddaughter.”That made Carrick pause. He turned away, staring out the window at the dark horizon.
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 109. ASHES AND ECHOES
The city awoke to the scent of blood and smoke. By morning, news of the massacre at the docks had spread like wildfire through the underworld. Whispers crawled through the alleys and bars, into the cigar lounges and the brothels. Moretti and Elena De Luca were dead. Executed in a blaze of violence that had left no room for doubt...Carrick Gale had drawn the line in blood, and dared anyone to cross it. But not all lines could be erased with bullets. In a shadowed office deep in the West District, Arturo Salvi stood with his back to the window, cigarette in hand, watching the city with narrowed eyes. He was one of the old blood...the kind who had ruled before Carrick, before Moretti, before the streets became a chessboard of death. Beside him, Alessia De Luca, Elena’s younger sister, sat in silence, her fingers clenched tight around a crystal tumbler of scotch. “They butchered her,” Alessia said, her voice hollow. “Left her in the dirt like some street dog.” Arturo didn’t turn
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 110. THE COST OF SILENCE
The early morning light filtered through a gray sky, casting the city in a muted, colorless haze. It was the kind of dawn that felt like it hadn’t earned the right to rise...like it was mourning something lost in the night.Carrick stood in the chapel at the far end of the estate, where the dust hung thick in the air and the stained glass no longer caught the sun the way it used to. No one came here anymore. Not since his mother died. The wooden pews were warped with time and weather, but the silence was clean.He lit a candle.Not for Elena. Not for Moretti. Maybe not for anyone.He just needed to light something that didn’t burn with hatred.Behind him, the heavy creak of the door gave away Marco’s approach.“I didn’t think you’d be here,” Marco said softly.Carrick didn’t turn. “Didn’t think I still believed in anything?”Marco didn’t answer. He stepped beside him and stared at the flickering flame.“You’re not the only one who lost something that night,” he said. “You keep acting
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CHAPTER 149: SMOKE AND MIRRORS
The smoke hadn’t even cleared from the ambush site when Marco slammed his fist onto the table back at the safehouse."Goddamn it!" he roared, sending a stack of blueprints flying.Victor stood nearby, a fresh gash bleeding across his brow, jaw set tight with anger.Silas limped in, clutching his side. "It was a setup," he rasped. "He knew every move we made."Marco’s face was carved from stone."He’s inside our circle," he said. "Somebody’s talking."Victor cursed low. "I’ll start running checks. Every man, every comm line.""No," Marco said, voice colder than steel. "I'll do it myself."He turned to Silas."Get patched up. You're no good to me bleeding out."Silas opened his mouth, thought better of it, and nodded, leaving the room.Only Victor stayed."You really think one of ours flipped?"Marco didn't answer right away. He poured himself a glass of whiskey, hands steady even though his gut boiled."Not just flipped," he said finally. "They sold their soul."Victor’s mouth tightene
CHAPTER 148: BLOOD IN THE SHADOWS
The first sign that something was wrong came with the silence.The war room was usually a hive ... phones ringing, men shouting, maps shifting. But tonight, there was nothing. Just an eerie, unnatural stillness.Marco paced the edge of the table, feeling the weight of it press down on his chest."Where’s Jax?" he snapped, glancing at Victor.Victor, frowning, checked his watch. "He should’ve reported in an hour ago."Silas lit a cigarette with trembling fingers. "Maybe he ran into heat. Cops, Carrick’s leftovers..."Marco shook his head. "Jax doesn’t miss check-ins. Not unless he’s dead."The word hung heavy in the air.A phone rang ... sharp and shrill.Everyone jolted.Victor grabbed it."Yeah?" His face paled almost instantly. "Boss... you need to hear this."Marco snatched the phone from him."Marco," a voice rasped. Jax’s voice ... barely recognizable, slurred and broken."It’s... a trap... he knew... he knew we were coming..."Gunshots crackled in the background. Screaming. Then
CHAPTER 147: FIRST STRIKE
Marco didn’t sleep that night.He sat in the war room ... a makeshift headquarters carved out of an abandoned speakeasy beneath the old theatre ... staring at the maps spread across the table. Each red pin marked a loyalty, each black pin a threat. And there were more black pins now than ever before.Victor entered, a mug of coffee in one hand, a pistol tucked into the back of his belt."You should rest," Victor said, setting the coffee down. "You look like hell."Marco didn’t move. "Carrick didn’t threaten me," he said, voice low. "He challenged me."Victor pulled a chair around and dropped into it, studying Marco."There's a difference?""Yeah," Marco said grimly. "One's a warning. The other’s a death sentence."Victor nodded slowly. "So what’s the play?"Marco leaned back, eyes burning. "We strike first."Victor's eyebrows lifted. "Now you’re speaking my language."But Marco wasn’t smiling."No messy fireworks. No grandstanding," he said. "We cut out Carrick’s heart while it’s stil
CHAPTER 146: SMOKE BEFORE THE FIRE
The night air was thick with mist and the sour stench of gasoline.Carrick Gale stood atop the rooftop of an abandoned textile mill, his coat whipping in the wind, a cigarette burning low between his fingers.Below him, the city lights flickered like dying embers."You were right," muttered Donovan, stepping up beside him. His breath steamed in the cold. "Marco’s moving against you."Carrick didn’t flinch. He didn’t even look at him."I know."Donovan hesitated. "It’s not just Marco. Salvatore met with him tonight. They're rallying others. Quiet-like, but... it's happening."Carrick took a slow drag from his cigarette, the tip flaring."So the rats finally show their teeth," he said softly.Donovan shifted uneasily. "What do you want to do?"Carrick turned, finally facing him. His eyes were pale blue and cold as glacial ice."Set a meet," Carrick said. "Invite Marco. Make it seem like I want to talk peace."Donovan frowned. "You think he’ll buy it?"Carrick smiled ... a thin, dead thi
CHAPTER 145: A KINGDOM OF ASH
The warehouse stank of oil, dust, and desperation.A single bare bulb swung from the ceiling, casting long, jittering shadows over the gathered men. Marco stood near the center, his fists shoved deep into the pockets of his coat, while Silas leaned casually against a rusted support beam, arms folded, eyes glittering like a serpent waiting for its moment to strike."So what’s the play?" Marco asked, his voice low.Silas smiled ... that same unsettling, knowing smile. "Simple. We bleed Carrick dry from the inside. Cut his supply lines. Peel away his allies one by one."Marco’s jaw tightened. "You make it sound easy."Silas shrugged lazily. "It's not easy. It's inevitable. Carrick's empire is rotting. All we have to do is give it a little... push.""Push too hard," Marco muttered, "and he'll lash out."Silas stepped closer, voice dropping. "That's the idea. Let him lash out. Let him make mistakes. Then we move in for the kill."Marco stared at him, heart pounding in his chest. The though
CHAPTER 144: A SERPENT AMONG WOLVES
The city was breaking apart at its seams, a rotting corpse wearing a golden crown.Marco walked through the crumbling alleys of the south side, the rain soaking through his jacket. He didn’t care. The world could drown for all it mattered.Carrick was slipping. And Marco ... once Carrick's sword arm, once his shield ... felt it deep in his bones: the time to choose sides had come.He wasn’t sure if he could betray the man who had once saved him.But as the blood pooled deeper around Carrick's throne, loyalty began to feel more like a noose.A sharp whistle echoed down the alley.Marco turned instantly, hand going to the gun beneath his jacket.Out of the shadows stepped a man ... tall, wiry, with an unsettling stillness to him. His long black coat clung to him like a second skin. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but his eyes were dead."You must be Marco," the stranger said smoothly, voice like silk pulled across a blade."Depends who's asking," Marco replied, voice t
CHAPTER 143: KNIVES BENEATH SMILES
The storm rolled in over the city as dusk fell, shrouding the skyline in grim clouds. Thunder grumbled low in the distance, a warning growl before the lightning’s inevitable strike.Inside the upper floors of the old Salvi manor, Arturo stood at the head of a long table. Around him were faces ... some familiar, some recently turned ... all carrying the same grim set to their jaws. They were the last of the De Luca loyalists, the bitter remnants of broken families, and the wolves who had long waited for Carrick Gale to falter.Alessia De Luca sat to Arturo’s right, her hands neatly folded, a mask of calm that barely concealed the rage boiling underneath."Carrick’s bleeding," Arturo said, voice low but carrying. "The shipment hit hurt him worse than he’s letting on. His allies are whispering. Some are jumping ship."A younger man, Gaetano, leaned forward, his knuckles white against the table. "Then we press now. While he's weak. Burn the rest of his operations to the ground!"Arturo sh
CHAPTER 142: SERPENTS IN SILK
The scent of danger was like perfume in the air...sweet, alluring, and sharp enough to slit a man’s throat.Carrick Gale stood in the center of an abandoned cathedral on the South Side, his coat dripping rain onto the cracked marble floor. The place had once echoed with hymns and confessions. Now it was silent but for the distant thunder and the click of heels.Alessia De Luca appeared from the shadows, flanked by Lucien and two of her trusted lieutenants. Her expression was unreadable, carved in ice."So this is where you want to die?" she asked coolly.Carrick tilted his head. "If I wanted to die, I wouldn’t have come armed."Victor stepped from the darkness behind Carrick, his gun already in hand. Marco wasn’t far behind, his face drawn, hollow-eyed, the weight of too many bodies pressing on his soul.Alessia stopped a few feet away. Lucien didn’t blink, but his fingers twitched slightly by his belt."I didn’t come to kill you today," she said. "Not yet."Carrick raised an eyebrow.
CHAPTER 141: THE HUNTER IN THE GARDEN
The sun was setting behind the skyline when Carrick Gale stepped into the conservatory of the old Cassaro estate...an overgrown garden trapped in glass and silence. The air was thick with the scent of jasmine and rot. Vines had climbed over stone statues and crumbling benches, but the path remained clear. It had once been a place of peace for the Cassaro family, before they were bled out by the De Lucas in a long-forgotten feud. Now it served Carrick as a meeting ground. Neutral. Isolated. Forgotten.Marco trailed behind him, eyes scanning the shifting shadows between the hedgerows."Why here?" he asked.Carrick didn’t stop walking. "Because it’s a graveyard with flowers. Suits the tone."They arrived at the broken fountain at the heart of the garden. The sound of trickling water had long ceased, but Carrick could still hear ghosts in the silence.Victor was already waiting. He stepped out from beneath the trellis, face unreadable."She sent a message," he said.Carrick raised an eyeb
