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BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 72: THE EYE OF THE STORM
Carrick sat in his office, staring at the city skyline. The sun had begun to set, casting long shadows over Zenith Tower. The death of Lucas Kane had sent shockwaves through the underworld, and Carrick knew it was only a matter of time before Domino retaliated.The air was thick with tension. He could feel it.Victor leaned against the wall, arms crossed, while Jason poured himself a drink from the bar in the corner. Damian sat on the couch, scrolling through messages on his phone.Jason took a sip of whiskey and let out a satisfied sigh. “Well, that was fun. When’s the next job?”Victor shot him a look. “This isn’t a game.”Jason shrugged. “I didn’t say it was. But I won’t pretend I didn’t enjoy watching Carrick put a bullet in Kane.”Carrick remained silent, lost in thought.Victor spoke again. “Domino won’t take this lying down.”Carrick smirked. “I’m counting on it.”Damian looked up from his phone. “Word on the street is that Domino’s already moving. His men are pissed. They want
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 73: NO ROOM FOR TRAITORS
The night air was thick with tension. The streets below Zenith Tower buzzed with movement, Carrick’s men were preparing for the inevitable showdown. Every alley, every rooftop, every entry point was being reinforced. Jason loaded his pistol, giving Victor a sideways glance. “So what’s the plan? We taking Morello’s deal, or are we putting a bullet in him first?” Victor rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “Morello is a snake. But sometimes, snakes are useful.” Carrick stood near the window, arms crossed, watching the city with unreadable eyes. Finally, he spoke. “We’ll use him. But we don’t trust him.” Jason grinned. “That’s what I like to hear.” Damian checked his phone, his expression darkening. “Domino’s already making moves. He’s got his men scouring the city, looking for weak spots in our defenses.” Carrick turned from the window, his voice calm but sharp. “Let him look. He won’t find any.” A knock at the door made everyone tense. One of the men entered, his expression grim. “Bo
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 74: NO REST FOR THE WICKED
The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder and blood. The gunfire had ceased, leaving only the distant wails of sirens in the city.Carrick lowered his gun, staring at the lifeless body of his older brother.Domino Gale was dead.Yet, there was no sense of victory in his chest. No rush of satisfaction.Only emptiness.Jason whistled, nudging Domino’s corpse with his boot. “Well, that was dramatic.”Victor wiped blood from his sleeve. “It’s done. The bastard’s dead. That means..”“No,” Carrick interrupted, voice sharp. His eyes swept over the battlefield, his men stood victorious, but they weren’t celebrating. They knew the truth.This wasn’t the end.It was just the beginning.Zachary Gale was still alive.And the real war had yet to start.Carrick exhaled, rolling his shoulders. “Clean this up. Take what we can from the bodies, weapons, money, anything useful. Burn the rest.”Jason grinned. “Music to my ears.”Victor nodded, but there was something unreadable in his expression. “A
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 75: SHADOWS IN THE DARK
The city was restless. A storm loomed on the horizon, not of rain, but of blood.Inside Zenith Tower, Carrick stood by the massive glass window, staring at the city below. His mind was a battlefield of strategies and calculations.Zachary Gale would come. That was certain.The only question was when.A knock at the door broke his thoughts.“Come in,” he called.Victor Alistair entered, his expression grim. “We need to talk.”Carrick turned, raising an eyebrow. “Go on.”Victor shut the door behind him, lowering his voice. “There’s movement in the city. Zachary’s men are regrouping. Word is, he’s calling in favors from old allies.”Carrick’s jaw tightened. “Who?”“Salvatore Moretti.”Carrick exhaled sharply. “That bastard.”Salvatore Moretti was one of the deadliest enforcers in the underworld. A man who never failed to carry out an order.And if he was working with Zachary, it meant only one thing, war was closer than they thought.Victor leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “We have
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 76. THE STORM BREAKS
The air inside Zenith Tower was suffocating. A deadly silence hung over the conference room as Carrick’s inner circle absorbed the gravity of the situation.His mother had been taken.Jason clenched his fists, veins bulging against his skin. “Tell me where that bastard is keeping her. I’ll butcher every last one of them.”Victor shot him a warning look. “We can’t just charge in blindly. Zachary knows we’ll come for her. This is a trap.”Carrick stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. But his fingers tapped against the polished wood in a slow, controlled rhythm.Tap. Tap. Tap.It was the only sign of the storm brewing inside him.Finally, he spoke, voice calm. Too calm. “We’re not walking into this like amateurs. We plan. We counter. And when we strike, we leave nothing standing.”Ethan shifted uncomfortably. “But… if she’s already in his hands, we might not have time for strategy.”Carrick’s gaze snapped to him, sharp as a blade. “I am not losing her.”
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 77. BLOOD AND BETRAYAL
The heavy doors slammed shut behind Carrick, cutting him off from the chaos outside.Zachary stood across the grand hall, a smirk tugging at his lips as he set his whiskey glass down. The dim chandeliers above cast long shadows across the room, making the moment feel even more suffocating.Carrick’s grip on his gun tightened. “No more games, old man.”Zachary chuckled, his voice rich with amusement. “And here I thought you’d want to talk, son.”Carrick’s eyes darkened. “Don’t call me that.”Zachary sighed, adjusting the cuffs of his suit. “It’s funny, really. All this time, you’ve been trying to carve out your own empire. Trying so hard to erase the Gale name. But no matter what you do, you’ll always be my blood.”Carrick’s jaw clenched. He raised his gun, aiming straight at Zachary’s head.“Then I’ll spill that blood.”Zachary didn’t flinch. He simply smiled.Then...Click.The sound of multiple safeties being released echoed through the hall.Carrick barely had time to move before a
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 78: A STORM BREWING
Carrick stepped out of the grand hall, his breathing heavy, his side aching where Domino’s bullet had grazed him. The hallway was eerily silent, the scent of blood thick in the air. Bodies of Zachary’s men were strewn across the floor, testaments to the war that had just unfolded inside.Victor’s voice crackled in his earpiece again. “Carrick, are you clear?”Carrick wiped the blood off his lip with the back of his hand. “Yeah. Where is she?”“Safehouse. Northside. She’s shaken up, but she’s okay.”A weight lifted off his shoulders. He had worried that Zachary would use his mother as leverage. They had taken everything from him, but they wouldn’t take her.Not again.“Stay there,” he ordered. “I’ll be there soon.”Before Victor could respond, a new voice interrupted..Erebus.[You have completed the Family Reckoning Quest.][Rewards: 10,000 System Points, Increased Physical Endurance, Tactical Precision Upgrade.]Carrick barely reacted. The system had been his greatest asset, but now?
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 79. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
The road stretched endlessly before them, bathed in the eerie glow of streetlights. Inside the SUV, the silence was thick, broken only by the occasional hum of the tires against the asphalt. Carrick sat in the passenger seat, his fingers tapping against his thigh as he turned the flash drive over in his hand. The weight of it felt heavier than it should have.Victor stole a glance at him. “Are you going to tell me what’s on that thing, or are we just going to pretend like it doesn’t exist?”Carrick didn’t look away from the drive. “I don’t know what’s on it yet.”Victor scoffed. “Then why the hell did you take it?”“Because Zachary doesn’t play empty hands,” Carrick muttered. “If he went through the trouble of handing this over instead of dying with it, it means something.”Victor clenched his jaw. “You had him, Carrick. You could’ve ended him.”Carrick’s fingers stopped moving. “And what if this changes everything?”Victor exhaled sharply, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Or it
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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
