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BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 50: CALCULATED STRIKES
The air inside Zenith Headquarters was thick with the scent of gunpowder and blood. Spent bullet casings littered the marble floors, and faint traces of smoke curled toward the ceiling. The once-imposing entrance hall, now a warzone, was eerily silent as Zenith Family members moved through the wreckage, checking bodies, tending to the wounded, and reinforcing their positions.Carrick Gale stood in the center of it all, his sharp eyes scanning the battlefield with a detached precision. Despite the chaos, he appeared completely composed, his mind already working ahead.Jason approached him, wiping dirt from his face. “That was close,” he muttered.Carrick didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he turned toward Anthony, who was barking orders at the men. “Status report.”Anthony wiped a streak of blood from his forehead.. none of it his own. “We lost ten men. Fifteen more are injured, but nothing fatal.” He exhaled sharply. “Could’ve been worse.”Jason scoffed. “Yeah, if Carrick hadn’t wip
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 51: THE COST OF WAR
The tension inside Zenith Headquarters was thick. Though the operation had been a success, everyone knew the Gale Family wouldn't take the loss lying down. The silence before the storm was unsettling.Carrick sat at the head of the long conference table, his fingers interlaced as he listened to the updates. The room was dimly lit, the only sources of light coming from the monitors displaying financial charts and security feeds.Jason leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “So, what’s next? The Gale Family isn’t just going to sit on their losses.”Anthony nodded. “Yeah, Zachary’s too prideful. He’ll strike back, and hard.”Victor smirked slightly. “That’s what we want, isn’t it?” He turned to Carrick. “We forced their hand. Now we see how they play their next move.”Carrick remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the screen in front of him. Then, he exhaled through his nose. “They’ll retaliate in two ways.”Jason raised an eyebrow. “Two ways?”Carrick nodded. “First, they’ll g
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 52: THE SHIFTING BOARD
Carrick sat alone in his office, the city lights casting a faint glow through the floor-to-ceiling windows. His mind was sharp, processing every move that had been played so far. His conversation with Dante Romano had been a success, but he knew the old man wouldn't risk everything for free.A soft knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.“Come in.”Jason stepped inside, followed by Victor and Anthony. The weight in their expressions told Carrick they weren’t here for casual conversation.“We’ve got movement,” Jason said, tossing a file onto Carrick’s desk. “Zachary’s making his play.”Carrick picked up the file and flipped through the pages. It contained reports, intercepted communications, and lists of suspected turncoats.Victor folded his arms. “He’s trying to turn your own people against you.”Carrick let out a quiet breath. He had anticipated this, but seeing the names in black and white made it real.Anthony leaned against the wall. “We’ve already questioned a few of the
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 53: THE ART OF WAR
The Zenith Headquarters was unusually silent, a stark contrast to the storm brewing outside its walls. The article had spread like wildfire, painting Carrick as nothing more than a power-hungry criminal, someone no better than the enemies he had sworn to eliminate. It was a well-crafted attack.. not just on his empire but on his reputation.Carrick sat at the head of the long conference table, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the polished wood. Jason, Victor, Anthony, and a few of his most trusted men were gathered around him, their faces tense.Jason was the first to speak. “We traced the article back to a journalist named David Leclair. But he’s just a pawn. The real power behind this smear campaign is Zachary’s PR firm.. Blackwell Strategies.”Victor let out a low whistle. “They don’t come cheap. Someone’s throwing a lot of money into making sure the city turns against you.”Carrick’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It’s not just about money. Zachary isn’t trying to kill me
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 54: A MOTHER'S WORTH
The streets of the old district were eerily quiet, the only sound coming from the low hum of the engines as Carrick’s convoy moved swiftly through the narrow roads. Street Lights flickered intermittently, casting long shadows against the crumbling brick buildings.Carrick sat in the lead SUV, his fingers drumming against the leather seat. His mind was running through every possible scenario. Why would his mother leave the estate without protection? She was no fool. She knew the dangers of being seen alone, especially now that Zachary had gone on the offensive.Jason’s voice crackled through the comms. “We’ve got eyes on her car. It’s parked outside an abandoned textile factory. No sign of her yet.”Carrick tightened his jaw. A setup. It had to be.He grabbed his gun from the seat beside him and checked the magazine before sliding it back into place. “Nobody moves until I say so.”Victor, sitting beside him, let out a slow breath. “You think Zachary would actually hurt her?”Carrick’s
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 55: A TOLL ON POWER
The drive back to the Zenith headquarters was silent.Carrick sat in the backseat with his mother beside him, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Despite the night’s events, she looked as composed as ever, though he could see the subtle tension in her fingers.Victor drove, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror every few minutes, checking for tails. Jason and Anthony followed closely behind in the second vehicle, their convoy moving through the city’s quiet streets like shadows.Finally, Elena broke the silence.“You shouldn’t have come for me.”Carrick turned his head slightly, studying her. “And why’s that?”Elena sighed, her gaze fixed outside the window. “Because I’m not your weakness, Carrick. I don’t want to be.”Carrick frowned. “You think I see you as a weakness?”She gave him a pointed look. “You risked your position, your men, and your advantage just to get me back. Zachary wanted you to make a move, and you did.”Carrick leaned back against the seat, his expression unrea
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 56: SHADOW MOVES
The air inside the Zenith headquarters was thick with anticipation. The latest strike against Domino had been a success, but no one in the room believed he would take it lying down.Carrick sat at the head of the table in the war room, fingers tapping lightly against the polished surface. The light from the overhead fixture cast sharp shadows across his face, making his expression unreadable.Jason leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, his sharp gaze bouncing between the faces gathered at the table. Victor sat at Carrick’s right, quietly scanning a report, while Anthony was checking his phone, his usual smirk absent.Elena stood behind Carrick’s chair, silent but observant. She knew better than anyone that the hardest part wasn’t winning a battle—it was anticipating the counterattack.The silence stretched before Jason finally broke it."Domino’s too smart to retaliate immediately. He’ll let us think we’re in control before he strikes back."Carrick nodded slowly. "That’s what I’
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 57: STRIKING BACK
The air inside the Zenith headquarters was thick with tension. Jason, Anthony, and Victor sat around the conference table, their expressions hardened by the news of their missing men. The abductions had been a bold move, a message from Domino Gale that he wasn’t going to go down quietly.Carrick stood at the head of the room, his fingers drumming against the polished wood of the table. His mind was already working, analyzing every angle, every possible move.Jason broke the silence. "We have two options, go in fast and reckless to get our people back, or play this smart and make sure Domino regrets ever trying this."Victor exhaled, crossing his arms. "Fast and reckless is exactly what he wants. He’s baiting us, trying to draw us into a trap."LAnthony leaned back, a smirk playing at his lips. "So what do we do? Sit back and let him think we’re scared?"Carrick finally spoke, his voice calm but filled with underlying steel. "No. We let him believe he’s in control. Then we rip it away
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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
