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BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 131 SMOKE AND THORNS
The rain hadn’t stopped in days. It clung to the city like a curse, blurring the neon signs and turning the streets into slick veins of black water. Carrick Gale stood alone beneath the overhang of a crumbling church in the East End, his coat soaked, his breath fogging in the cold. Across the street, a silent motorcade passed. Dark windows. Heavy armor. Alessia De Luca was moving.Victor approached quietly from the alley behind him, shaking water from his sleeves. “She’s consolidating fast. That warehouse we hit last week? She rebuilt it. Twice the security.”Carrick didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed on the motorcade as it disappeared into the fog.“And the docks,” Victor continued. “Gone. She cut a deal with the Koreans. They’re running her cargo now. We’re bleeding ports, Carrick.”“I know.”Victor looked at him, frustration creeping into his voice. “Then why are we standing here like ghosts? You told me you wouldn’t let her gain ground.”Carrick turned slowly, eyes hollow. “Becaus
BANG BANG BANG Chapter 132. Veins of Smoke
The storm rolled in quietly over the city, a thick fog curling around buildings like a serpent claiming its prey. By nightfall, the streets shimmered in a haze of lamp-lit mist, concealing shapes that moved with purpose and malice. Something had shifted in the war...an intangible undercurrent that made even seasoned killers hesitate at the corners.In the Gale estate's war room, Carrick stood over a new map. His eyes were bloodshot, jaw clenched. He hadn’t slept in thirty-six hours. Pins marked fresh hits on their network...two safehouses raided, three convoys intercepted, one informant gutted and dumped outside a nightclub.Victor leaned over the table. “Alessia’s not just retaliating. She’s dismantling us. Bit by bit.”“She’s bleeding us,” Carrick muttered. “Not for the kill. For the message.”“It’s working.”Carrick looked up. His stare was ice. “Then it’s time we send a message back.”Victor hesitated. “How far do you want to go?”“Farther than she thinks I will.”Meanwhile, in a
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 133. THE BLOOD LEDGER
The Gale Estate stood like a sleeping beast under the velvet night. Rain had begun to fall again, soft at first, then heavier, pounding against the slate roof tiles and washing the blood from earlier battles into the gutters. Inside the war room, Carrick Gale sat alone with only the soft ticking of the grandfather clock and the crackle of the fireplace for company. The city was at war. And he, its king, was losing pieces every day.The door creaked open."You're early," Carrick murmured without looking.Victor stepped in, soaked from the downpour. He shook the rain from his coat and tossed a folder onto the table. "That was the last of them. Lucien's enforcers wiped out the East End warehouse. We lost three men."Carrick opened the folder. Inside were photos...gruesome images of his men laid out in a pool of their own lifeblood, bodies twisted, eyes wide. He closed the folder slowly. "He moves like a ghost."Victor sat down. "And the city's turning against us. More of our allies are g
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 134. SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE
The city was tense, drawn taut like a bowstring just waiting to snap. Streets once alive with restless commerce and whispered deals now thrummed with uneasy silence. Word of the explosion at the Midway safehouse had spread faster than fire in a paper mill.Carrick Gale stood at the edge of the crater where the building had once stood. The smoke had settled, but the scent of burnt wood, metal, and flesh still lingered. He wore no coat, despite the cold. The wind tugged at his shirt, but he barely noticed. His eyes were on the blackened ruin.Behind him, Victor approached slowly. "We've got five confirmed dead. Two of ours, three runners who worked with Lucien's people. No sign of Alessia."Carrick didn’t respond immediately. He knelt beside a charred section of floorboard, fingers brushing ash. "She wants me off balance."Victor nodded. "And she’s succeeding. Every move we make, she’s already two steps ahead. We lost half our east-side connections this morning."Carrick stood, finally
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 135: GATE
The rain fell like needles, sharp and relentless, as if the sky itself was trying to wash the city clean. But no amount of water could scrub the blood from its bones.Inside the old stone chapel Carrick had converted into a temporary command center, the air was thick with smoke and tension. Maps were pinned to the walls, marked with circles and Xs. Weapons lay stacked in corners. Men moved like ghosts, speaking in hushed tones. They all knew something was coming.Carrick stood near the altar, staring at a photo of Elena De Luca. Not out of remorse...he had none left...but because even dead, she was haunting him.Victor entered, shaking the rain from his coat. “We’ve confirmed it. Alessia’s forces have taken Pier Forty-Six. That cuts off our southside route.”Carrick’s jaw tightened. “Who led the hit?”“Lucien. With about two dozen men. They didn’t leave survivors.”Carrick turned from the photo, eyes burning. “She’s not playing politics anymore. She’s coming for my throat.”Victor nod
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 136: THE BLADE BENEATH
The night air shimmered with an uneasy silence.Inside an abandoned cathedral in the South End...once a sanctuary, now a hushed war room...Alessia De Luca sat beneath a shattered stained-glass window, the fractured image of a saint casting kaleidoscopic shadows over her face. She looked serene. But anyone who had been watching closely would have seen the tremble in her fingertips as she lit her cigarette.Lucien stood across from her, arms folded, coat still dusted with ash from the fire they set earlier that evening."Twenty-five men dead," he said. "Carrick's warehouse is nothing but molten steel and bone."Alessia exhaled smoke slowly. "And yet he's still breathing.""You want him gone?" Lucien’s voice was soft. "We can strike the estate. Now."She shook her head. "No. Not yet. I want him to feel it. Feel everything he built rot from the inside."A door creaked open behind them. Matteo stepped in, dragging a bruised man by the collar...one of Carrick’s minor lieutenants. Blood drip
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 137: THE BARGAIN OF SHADOWS
The rain came down like needles on glass, sharp and relentless, painting the city in a sheen of steel and sorrow. Atop a rooftop overlooking the Eastway Bridge, Alessia De Luca stood beneath a dark umbrella, flanked by Lucien and two of her most trusted enforcers. Her coat flared behind her in the wind, and her eyes were locked on the approaching black SUV that cut through the mist like a blade."He's early," Lucien murmured, his hand resting inside his coat."Good," Alessia replied. "Let him wait on me for once."The SUV stopped ten feet from them. The driver's door opened first—a gesture of deference—and then Arturo Salvi emerged, his silhouette bulky beneath a tailored raincoat. A man followed behind, younger, unfamiliar. A messenger? A backup?Arturo raised a hand. "I assume you're not going to shoot me on arrival.""Depends on what you have to say," Alessia answered flatly. Her voice cut through the rain like broken glass.Arturo moved closer, his steps slow but deliberate. Lucie
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 138: THE DEVIL AT THE DOOR
The rain had returned to the city like a slow, creeping rot. It fell in sheets against the windows of Arturo Salvi's mansion, veiling the outside world in a gauzy curtain of gray. Inside the grand study, the old wolf sat in a leather armchair, swirling a glass of brandy as the fire crackled low in the hearth.Alessia De Luca stood at the center of the room, her coat dripping onto the floor, her eyes locked on Arturo."He's taken the south piers," she said. "We lost Gallo and Mirren. Lucien's still missing."Arturo's grip tightened around his glass. "Carrick moves faster than I expected.""You underestimated him."He looked up sharply. "No. I knew what he was. I just thought he’d bleed more before showing his teeth again."Alessia approached the fireplace, the flames casting her shadow tall against the walls. "He's not just bleeding us, Arturo. He's gutting us. Piece by piece. And if we wait any longer, there won't be anything left.""Then strike.""We tried. We hit his depot last week
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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
