Chapter 354“We all know who’s responsible for the death of our beloved leader, Sasha,” Williams stood up and said, his tone solemn. “And it’s our duty to pick up where she left off, to carry out her legacy. But first, we must avenge her death—at all costs. Before we can do that, though, we need a new leader to take us forward.”As soon as the words left his mouth, a heated discussion broke out, each lieutenant quick to claim the position for himself.Vince was the first to raise his voice. “I’m the one with the best connections around here, I should be leading this gang. You all know I’m the right choice.”Finn sneered, leaning back in his chair. “You? You don’t have the brains for it, Vince. I’m twice as smart as you’ll ever be. If anyone deserves to lead, it’s me.”Marco cut in, rolling his eyes. “Brains aren’t everything, Finn. You need strength too. Besides, I’m the strategist here.”Leon, watching the others bicker, shook his head. “Strength is nothing without loyalty. My men wo
Chapter 355The lieutenants burst into laughter, their mocking voices filling the room as Williams stood at the center after saying that.“Listen to this guy,” Vince sneered, shaking his head. “You? Leading us? You don’t even know the inner workings of this gang.”“Are you out of your mind?” Marco added, his eyes narrowed, looking at Williams with sheer contempt.“You’re not one of us, bro,” Kane said with a smirk. “What are you even doing here?”“He’s probably sick in the head,” Leon said.Rick, however, didn’t join in the laughter. His face darkened as he slowly reached into his jacket, drawing out his gun and pointing it directly at Williams. The cold steel of the barrel pressed against Williams’s forehead.“You must be out of your damn mind if you think you’re going to lead us,” Rick growled, his eyes filled with fury. “I’ll put a bullet right through this pussy boy’s head right here, right now.”The room fell silent, and the tension spiked as the other lieutenants tensed. Finn ra
Chapter 356The room was heavy with silence as the lieutenants absorbed what had just happened. They exchanged glances, disbelief shadowing their expressions; none of them had anticipated seeing Rick—the feared second-strongest man in the group, after Marco—get bested by Williams so decisively.Kane, especially, was taken aback. He remembered hearing from one of his boys just days earlier about how Williams had single-handedly taken down five of them after they’d tried to extort money from him, thinking he was an easy mark.Kane had dismissed it as a tall tale, convinced they were exaggerating to cover their own embarrassment. But now, seeing Williams handle Rick with such precision, Kane knew his men hadn’t been lying. This man was far from weak.Kane raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “Alright, Williams. Since you’re so full of surprises, why do you think we should make you leader?” His voice was skeptical but tinged with curiosity.A faint smirk played on Williams’s lips as he l
Chapter 357The following day, as dawn cast its first light, Williams lay awake in his hotel room, preparing himself mentally. He knew today was critical. If all went as planned, he would solidify his influence over the lieutenants and secure his role in leading the operation against Scarface. He let out a breath, steeling himself just as his phone buzzed beside him.Kane’s name flashed on the screen. Williams picked up immediately, his voice calm and collected. “Kane, what’s the news?”Kane’s voice came through, confident and steady. “Looks like the fight isn’t happening after all. One by one, the lieutenants backed out,” he said with a chuckle. “They’re starting to see you as too strong to challenge, and since you said you don’t want the top seat…they’re willing to let you lead the operation.”Williams smirked, satisfied. “I expected as much. People like you only challenge when you’re sure of winning. But since y’all agreed, I want all the lieutenants to gather their squads for a br
Chapter 358Williams took a breath and started again, laying out his modified plan. “Alright, listen up. I just got word Jack is still in Emerald Falls. He’s one of Scarface’s top men right now and if we get to him, he could lead us straight to Scarface.”The lieutenants watched him closely, some nodding in understanding.“So here’s what we’re going to do,” Williams continued. “I’ll go with Kane and a few handpicked men to Emerald Falls tonight. We’ll find Jack, grab him quietly, and bring him back. Through him, we’ll get everything we need on Scarface’s operation. The rest of you,” he looked pointedly at the lieutenants and their squads, “should use this time to prepare and train. Because when Kane and I get back, we’re hitting them hard—no hesitation, no mercy.”Finn leaned forward, skeptical but curious. “So you’re saying we’re just sitting around here, waiting on you?”Williams’s eyes met Finn’s coldly. “Not sitting around. Training. By the time we’re back, I want every squad shar
Chapter 359Finally, Kane’s eyes landed on a wiry, lanky man standing stiffly among the others. His shoulders slouched slightly under his leather jacket, and though his frame was thin, his face had a taut, hawkish quality. His long limbs looked almost too large for his body, giving him an awkward appearance, as if he might fold in half with a strong enough gust of wind.“You,” Kane called out.The lanky man’s eyes widened, and he looked around, surprised, then pointed to himself, clearly uncertain. “Me, boss?”Kane narrowed his eyes, sizing him up again, and then shook his head with a curt chuckle. “No, not you.” His gaze shifted just over the man’s shoulder. “The one behind you. Bald head.”The lanky man exhaled in visible relief and sidestepped out of the way, revealing a mountain of a man standing quietly in the shadows, blending into the lineup.The man had a gleaming bald head that seemed to catch the dim light in the room, casting a sharp contrast against his deep-set eyes and
Chapter 360James dropped onto the worn leather sofa in Gregor’s dimly lit apartment, stretching out as though trying to shake off the weight of the day.The tension in the air was thick as he thought about the risky move they’d made. “So, they bought it?” Gregor’s voice was low and tense as he crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall.“Yeah, they did,” James replied with a nod. “The way they responded, it was clear they thought it was really Ben on the other end.” He ran a hand over his face, exhaling, before letting his head drop back against the sofa cushion. “Has he eaten today?”Gregor’s expression softened slightly. “Yeah, I got him some pasta with grilled chicken and vegetables,” he replied, nodding toward a mostly empty takeout container on the small table nearby.He moved to the door, turning the lock with a quiet click before he walked back toward the center of the room, his gaze distant. James shrugged off his jacket, tossing it over the arm of the sofa, while Gregor
Chapter 361Meanwhile, Kai was already making progress with his investigation. He had learned that the gang members who came into Emerald Falls were led by a man called Scarface, and they were rivals of Sasha, the assassin.He’d gathered this information from an informant, and now he had a plan in place: head to Red Waters, dig deeper into this gang, and uncover any clues about Sasha and who might have hired her to go after Liam. Liam was certain that Eric was behind it, but Kai had his own suspicions. He was leaning toward Williams and Mr. Sterling—after all, Eric didn’t seem capable of orchestrating something like this. Still, in Kai’s line of work, you could never be too sure of anyone.His own history with Williams made him question if he was biased, but there was only one way to know for certain. He had to get to Red Waters, preferably before the police got wind of any of this.With that thought, he finished packing his briefcase, closing it with a snap. Across from him, Liam sa