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BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 85. THE TRUTH BENEATH THE LIES
Zachary’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. It never did. His gaze held the same cold amusement he always carried, the look of a man who knew he was in control...or at least, thought he was.Carrick didn’t move as his father took slow, measured steps down the stairs of the Gale estate. His men tensed behind him, their hands itching towards their weapons, but Carrick lifted a finger...a silent command to stand down.He wanted answers before blood.Zachary finally stopped a few feet away, his hands still clasped behind his back. He studied Carrick like he was a piece of artwork...something to be admired but never quite accepted.“You’ve changed,” Zachary mused, tilting his head. “There’s a sharpness in your eyes that wasn’t there before.”Carrick didn’t blink. “Almost dying tends to do that to a person.”Zachary chuckled. “Ah, yes. The unfortunate misunderstanding.”Carrick’s jaw clenched. “A misunderstanding? You ordered my death.”Zachary sighed dramatically. “Now, now. Let’s not dwell on
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 86. SECRETS DISCLOSED
Carrick stepped out of the Gale estate, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Every inch of him burned with frustration. His father had always been a master manipulator, and today had been no different. Zachary had dangled just enough information to keep Carrick on edge while keeping the most important details hidden.Victor fell into step beside him, his expression dark. "He's lying."Carrick exhaled slowly, his breath misting in the cold night air. "Of course he is."Elias, who had been silent until now, ran a hand through his hair. "So what do we do? We can't just walk away from this."Carrick's jaw tightened. "We won't. But we need to be smart. If my mother really left something behind, it's not going to be in plain sight."Victor scoffed. "And you're just going to take his word for it? That it even exists?"Carrick halted abruptly, turning to face him. "You think I have a choice?"Victor held his gaze for a moment before sighing. "No. But I don't trust him, Carrick.""Neither
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 87. SHADOWS OF THE PAST
Carrick stared at the locked box in his hands, his mother’s initials engraved on its metal surface. His pulse was steady, but the weight of what he had just heard from Domino lingered in his mind like a ghost.Victor and Elias watched him carefully, waiting for him to speak.Victor crossed his arms. “So, what’s in the damn thing?”Carrick exhaled. “We don’t know yet.”Elias knelt beside him. “And we can’t just stand here all night hoping it magically opens itself. We need a plan.”Carrick ran a thumb over the cold metal. The box felt both foreign and familiar at the same time. It was his mother’s, but she had never told him about it. Why had she hidden it? What could be inside that Domino and Zachary didn’t want him to find?Victor crouched down, resting his elbows on his knees. “We could force it open.”Carrick’s grip tightened around the box. “No. If my mother locked this, she had a reason. I won’t break it.”Elias sighed. “Then we need the key.”Victor scoffed. “Great. And where do
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 88. THE HIDDEN HEIR
Carrick stood frozen, his fingers gripping the leather-bound notebook as if it were his last lifeline. His mother’s words burned into his mind.Silas Gale is still alive.It felt impossible. Zachary had always ruled as if he were the rightful heir. He had built his empire on control, manipulation, and power. If Silas was alive… then Zachary’s entire rule was illegitimate.Victor broke the silence first. “I don’t even know where to start, man. This is...this is insane.”Elias shook his head. “If this is true, then Zachary’s whole claim to the Gale name is a fraud.”Carrick tightened his jaw. “It’s more than that. If my mother was hiding this, it means she believed Silas was a threat to Zachary’s power. And knowing my father… he wouldn’t have left loose ends.”Victor exhaled. “Which means if Silas is still breathing, he’s either in hiding or...”“Or he’s locked away somewhere,” Elias finished.Carrick flipped through the pages, scanning his mother’s notes for any clues. She had always b
BANG BANG BANG Chapter 89. The Forgotten King
Silas Gale stared at Carrick with hollow yet sharp eyes, his gaze flickering with suspicion, curiosity, and something else...something deeper.Pain.He had been here too long.His wrists were bruised where the iron shackles bit into his skin. His once-proud frame had withered, but his presence… it was undeniable. Even in the dimly lit room, Carrick could sense it.This was him.The true heir to the Gale Family.Victor shifted uncomfortably behind Carrick. “Damn. He looks like a ghost.”Elias narrowed his eyes. “No. He looks like a man who has survived hell.”Silas’s voice was raw from disuse. “You said your name is Carrick?”Carrick nodded, stepping forward cautiously. “Carrick Gale.”Something flashed in Silas’s expression, but it was gone in an instant. He gave a hollow chuckle, shaking his head weakly. “Another Gale… how fitting.”Carrick clenched his jaw. “Not like the others.”Silas’s eyes bore into him, searching, assessing. He exhaled, his voice low. “That’s what they all say.”
BANG BANG BANG Chapter 90. Wisps from the past
Chapter 90. Wisps from the pastThe car sped through the night, headlights cutting through the darkness as the city skyline loomed in the distance. Inside the vehicle, tension was thick. The weight of what had just happened settled over them like a storm cloud.Victor kept his hands tight on the wheel, his jaw clenched as he navigated the winding roads. Elias, sitting in the passenger seat, kept glancing at the side mirrors, scanning for any signs of pursuit.In the back seat, Silas Gale sat with his head tilted back against the leather. His breathing was heavy, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes...something alive.Carrick watched him carefully. The man had spent years locked away, betrayed, forgotten. Yet there was still fire in him.Silas turned his head slightly, his voice rough from disuse. “Where are we going?”Carrick leaned back. “Safe house outside the city. You’ll have time to recover.”Silas scoffed. “And then what? You expect me to just follow your lead?”Carr
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 91: STRIKING FAST
Silas leaned forward, his fingers steepled as he regarded Carrick with sharp, assessing eyes. “You want to go after his money first,” he mused. “Smart move. But Zachary doesn’t keep all his wealth in one place. He’s meticulous, paranoid even.” Carrick nodded. “I figured as much. That’s why I need you...you know how he operates.” Silas smirked slightly. “I do. But I’ve been out of the game for a while. Things might’ve changed.” Victor scoffed. “Men like Zachary don’t change. If he was greedy and power-hungry before, he’s even worse now.” Silas chuckled. “Fair enough.” He tapped his fingers against the armrest. “Back when I was still in the picture, Zachary’s main sources of revenue came from three things: high-stakes underground gambling, arms smuggling, and private investments.” Carrick frowned. “Investments?” Silas nodded. “Legitimate businesses...hotels, construction, even some tech startups. It’s how he launders his money.” Elias crossed his arms. “So, what’s the wea
BANG BANG BANG CHAPTER 92: THE NEXT STEP
Darius Kane leaned back against the bar, his sharp eyes scanning the casino floor. The chaos had begun to settle as security tried to calm the furious high rollers, but the tension was still thick in the air. He swirled the amber liquid in his glass before downing it in one go.Carrick watched him closely, reading every flicker of emotion that crossed his face. Darius was a man who had spent years working for ruthless employers, men like Zachary Gale, who valued loyalty only as long as it served their interests. Now, he had been backed into a corner, and he knew it.“Why should I trust you?” Darius finally asked, placing the empty glass on the bar. His gaze was sharp, but there was a hint of curiosity beneath it.Carrick smirked, sliding onto the stool beside him. “Because I didn’t have to offer you anything. I could’ve just left you to deal with Zachary’s wrath. But instead, I’m giving you a way out.”Darius chuckled, shaking his head. “You’ve got some nerve, kid.”Carrick’s smirk di
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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
