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The Hustler’s Gamble 26: the hunt for the kingpin
Jamal knew that if they want to reduce the blood shed, they had to take down the Syndicate’s leader. But first, they had to find out who he was. The problem? No one knew his name. The Syndicate wasn’t like The Dominion. They didn’t parade their power or flaunt their wealth. They moved in the shadows, leaving no loose ends. Jamal, Malik, and Khalil sat in one of Khalil’s apartment, going over every piece of information they had. “We know they own politicians,” Malik said, sipping his beer. “They control businesses, smuggling, and money laundering. But no one has ever seen their boss.” Jamal drummed his fingers on the table. “Every organization has a weak link. We just have to find it.” Khalil leaned back. “And I might know where to start.” Jamal and Malik turned to him. “There’s a man named Pascal,” Khalil continued. “He’s high up in the Syndicate’s money operations. If anyone knows who’s pulling the strings, it’s him.” Jamal nodded. “Where do we find him?” Khalil smir
The Hustler’s Gamble 27 : walking into the lion’s den
Pascal’s confession had given them their first real lead—The Broker’s second-in-command was attending a Syndicate meeting tomorrow night. This was their chance to get closer to the man pulling the strings. But it was also the most dangerous move yet. Khalil leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “You realize what this means, right? We’re walking straight into their den.” Jamal nodded. “I know. But if we don’t take the risk, we’ll always be playing defense. We need to make a move before they do.” Malik sighed, tapping away at his laptop. “I managed to track some online chatter. The meeting’s happening at a private club in Victoria Island. High security, invitation-only.” Jamal smirked. “Good thing we’re not the type to wait for an invite.” The Plan They spent the next few hours crafting their strategy. Step one: They needed an entry. Malik hacked into the club’s security system, accessing their guest list and surveillance. Step two: They needed disguises. Rico, who had
The Hustler’s Gamble 28: caught in the crossfire
Jamal sat in Rico’s backroom, staring at the map laid out before him. The Syndicate had pushed him into a corner, stripping away his resources, his allies, his money. But he wasn’t finished. Not yet. He traced his fingers over a marked location—one of their warehouses in Ajah. A potential target. Malik leaned back against the wall. “We need more intel before making a move. Rushing in blind is how we got burned last time.” Khalil nodded in agreement. “They already know we’re coming. We have to outthink them.” Jamal sighed. They were right. The Syndicate wasn’t The Dominion. These guys were precise, brutal. They didn’t make careless mistakes. If they were watching him, that meant everyone connected to him was at risk. His mind flashed to Nadine. She had already noticed someone following her before. That wasn’t a coincidence. If the Syndicate was tracking him, it made sense they’d keep tabs on anyone close to him. He had assumed she’d be safe, that laying low would keep her out of t
The Hustler’s Gamble 29: no more running
Jamal stared at the message on Khalil’s phone, his jaw tightening. The Syndicate wasn’t just threatening anymore. This was a declaration of war. They wanted him gone. Good. Because now, he wanted the same for them. He set the phone down and looked at Malik. “What do we know about the Broker?” Malik ran a hand over his beard. “Not much. No one knows what he looks like, where he operates from, or even his real name. He moves through layers of middlemen. But from what I’ve dug up, he’s been in this game for years—long before The Dominion came into existence.” Khalil leaned against the table. “He’s careful. That’s why he’s still alive.” Jamal exhaled slowly. “Then we make him come to us.” Nadine, who had been sitting quietly on the couch, finally spoke. “How?” Jamal turned to her. “We hit them where it hurts.” She frowned. “You mean their money?” Jamal nodded. “Every criminal organization runs on money. The Syndicate’s power isn’t just in their men—it’s in their cash flow,
The Hustler’s Gamble 30: into the fire
Jamal sat at a small, dimly lit apartment in the South Side, his fingers drumming against the table. The night’s ambush was still fresh in his mind. Across from him, Malik studied a blueprint of an upscale club in Victoria Island—Echelon. It wasn’t just a nightclub. It was Julius’s stronghold. The place where he conducted business, where Syndicate money moved in and out under the disguise of luxury. Jamal’s plan was simple. Take out Julius. But the execution? That was a different story. Khalil leaned against the window, checking his phone. “Julius will tighten security after last night. He won’t be easy to reach.” Jamal exhaled. “Nothing worth doing is ever easy.” Nadine, who had been silent, finally spoke. “You’re really going after him?” Jamal turned to her. “You saw what happened last night. The Syndicate won’t stop until I’m dead. Taking out Julius sends a message.” Nadine’s jaw tightened. “Then I’m in.” Malik chuckled. “You don’t have to do this, you know.” She folded h
The Hustler’s Gamble 31: The hunt begins
Jamal sat at the worn-out wooden table in their safe house, his eyes locked on the laptop screen. The name The Broker glowed back at him, a ghost in the digital world—one that pulled the strings of the city’s underworld from the shadows. Julius was dangerous, but this man? He was the Syndicate’s true mastermind. The one who controlled the money, the politics, and the streets. Jamal knew taking him down would be the real battle. Malik whistled low. “This guy... He’s a ghost, man. No photos, no public records. Just whispers and offshore accounts.” Khalil leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “So how do we find him?” Jamal exhaled. “We start with Julius. He’s our only lead.” Nadine, still catching her breath from the last fight, looked up. “You think he’ll talk?” Jamal’s smirk was cold. “He won’t have a choice.” Setting the Trap Tracking Julius wasn’t easy. The man had vanished after their last encounter, likely nursing his wounds and plotting his next move. But the
The Hustler’s Gamble 32: A game of power
Jamal walked deeper into Elysium, his gaze calm but calculating. Every conversation, every glance, every movement in this club carried weight. This was where Lagos’ real power brokers gathered—not in government offices or corporate boardrooms, but here, behind velvet curtains and whispered deals. Nadine moved beside him, her confidence unwavering. She had been in places like this before, though never this deep into the system. Khalil and Malik stayed close, playing their roles as silent bodyguards, scanning the room for threats. Jamal spotted Obinna near the bar, already drinking. Their “friend” had gotten them inside, but that was the easy part. The real challenge was finding The Broker’s people—the men who whispered orders that made politicians tremble. Julius had said this was their meeting ground. That meant someone in this room was the key to their next move. Jamal leaned closer to Nadine. “Watch their movements. The real players don’t socialize for fun— they do business.” S
The Hustler’s Gamble 33 : Lines in the sand
The warehouse was silent except for the low hum of Hassan’s voice through the phone speaker. Jamal wiped the blood off his face, his mind racing. He had a gun in his hand, men surrounding him, and a decision to make. Deliver the shipment and become a part of Hassan’s empire... Or burn it all down and make an enemy he couldn’t afford. The captives in the crates stared at him, their eyes pleading. Nadine’s voice was low but firm. “We can’t hand them over.” Jamal’s fingers tightened around his gun. “I know.” Hassan’s enforcer, a cold-eyed man with a perfectly tailored suit, stepped forward. “You have your orders, Jamal.” Jamal glanced at Malik and Khalil. They were ready. He turned back to the enforcer. “Tell Hassan he’s going to have to come get them himself.” The enforcer smirked. “Wrong answer.” Chaos Unleashed Gunfire exploded. Jamal dove behind a crate as bullets ripped through the warehouse. Malik returned fire, taking down one of Hassan’s men with a clean shot to the chest
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77: Ghosts in the dark
Jamal sat on the edge of the battered couch in the safe house, his head bowed, hands clasped together. His chest still burned from the heat of the explosion. His ears rang from the sound of the blast, the ghost of it still echoing in his mind. His fingers brushed over a fresh cut on his brow, the sting pulling him back into the present.Khalil paced the room, the tension rolling off him in waves. Nadine sat at the table, nursing a cut on her arm. A bottle of whiskey sat in front of her, untouched.“We had him,” Khalil muttered. His fists were clenched. “We had him in our sights.” Jamal’s jaw tightened. “And he slipped away.”“He won’t stay hidden forever,” Nadine said, her voice sharp. “A man like that can’t resist control for long.”Jamal’s eyes darkened. “That’s what I’m counting on.”The room fell into silence. Rain tapped against the thin windows, a steady rhythm against the sound of their heavy breaths. Jamal’s mind ran through every step of the night. They had gotten close — too
76: the final play and final move
Jamal stood in the darkened hallway of the elite private club in Ikoyi. The black card Amara had given him earlier sat between his fingers, its glossy surface catching the dim light from the crystal chandeliers above. He could feel the weight of the room before he even walked in—the hum of whispered conversations, the tension behind guarded eyes, and the underlying current of danger that ran through the walls like electricity.Malik and Nadine stood behind him, both dressed sharply. Malik wore a dark suit with no tie, his posture relaxed but his eyes cold. Nadine, dressed in a sleek black dress, had her hair pulled back in a tight bun. Her hand hovered close to the concealed blade strapped to her thigh.“You sure about this?” Malik asked.Jamal’s jaw tightened. “If they want to play, let’s play.”Nadine’s eyes narrowed. “This isn’t a game, Jamal.”Jamal’s smile was cold. “It’s always a game.”The heavy oak doors at the end of the hallway creaked open. A tall man in a tailored black su
75: a new throne
Jamal stood on the balcony of his penthouse in Ikoyi, overlooking the restless lights of Lagos. The air was thick with humidity, the distant hum of the city’s nightlife vibrating beneath his feet. A glass of whiskey sat untouched on the table next to him. He didn’t need the burn of alcohol to feel the weight of what he had done.It was over.The Syndicate was dead.The Broker was gone, taken out in a coordinated strike that left the underworld without a leader for the first time in years. Jamal’s rise to power was no longer a secret whispered in dark corners —it was a fact written in blood.Malik stepped onto the balcony, his expression as sharp as ever. He held a cigarette between his fingers, the ember glowing in the dark. “The last of the Broker’s men are scattering,” he said. “Some tried to regroup. Khalil handled it.”Jamal’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon. “And the money?”“Cleaned and secured,” Malik replied. He took a long drag. “The businesses under the Broker’s control—c
74: the gathering storm
Jamal stood at the edge of the waterfront in Victoria Island, the moonlight reflecting off the black waters of the Atlantic. The salty breeze tugged at his jacket, but his mind was far from the restless waves. His focus was on the phone in his hand and the message that had come through barely an hour ago.“Tomorrow night. The Syndicate meets. Be ready.”From The Broker.He had rattled the foundation of Lagos’ underworld. Now The Broker was forcing his hand. A meeting like this wasn’t just a threat—it was a declaration of war.Malik approached, hands in his pockets. “We sure about this?” Jamal’s gaze remained fixed on the water. “He wants to negotiate.” Malik scoffed. “That’s not what this is. It’s a setup.”“I know,” Jamal replied.Malik stepped closer. “Then why are we walking into it?”“Because he wants me to believe I don’t have a choice.”Malik’s eyes darkened. “And do you?”Jamal slipped his phone into his jacket. “We’ll see.”Behind them, Khalil and Nadine stood at the edge of t
73: The broker’s den
Jamal sat in the back seat of the black SUV, his eyes focused on the dark Lagos skyline as they approached the edge of the city. The Broker had finally responded. After months of chasing shadows, breaking down Syndicate operations, and dismantling the power structure beneath him, Jamal had forced The Broker’s hand.Malik drove, his hands tight on the wheel, eyes sharp as they passed through the dimly lit streets. Khalil sat in the passenger seat, his pistol resting on his lap, eyes scanning the road for any signs of a tail. Nadine was seated next to Jamal, her body tense, a compact submachine gun strapped across her chest. Julius sat beside her, hands cuffed, his mouth curled into an amused smile.“You nervous?” Julius asked, his tone mocking. Jamal didn’t look at him. “No.”Julius chuckled. “You should be.”The meeting location was in a private estate deep in Ikoyi—a secluded, high-security compound surrounded by electric fences and private security. Julius had arranged the meeting u
72: the broker’s move
Jamal sat in the safe house, the dim light from a single bulb casting shadows across the room. His hands were pressed together, fingers steepled under his chin. The cold steel of his gun rested on the table beside him. Khalil stood by the window, peering through the blinds, while Malik paced the room, his restless energy palpable. Nadine sat on the edge of the couch, her face tense, arms crossed.They had taken out Bako. That was supposed to weaken the Syndicate. Instead, it felt like they had stirred a hornet’s nest.“They’ll hit back,” Khalil said, his voice low. “Hard.”“They already have.” Nadine’s voice was cold. She gestured to the television mounted on the wall.Jamal’s eyes flicked toward the screen. The news anchor’s expression was grim as footage of burning buildings and police barricades filled the screen.“A wave of coordinated attacks swept through Lagos overnight. Multiple businesses and political offices have been targeted, including a car bomb outside the governor’s ma
71: Crashing the meeting
Jamal stood in the shadows outside the estate, his eyes fixed on the tall, wrought-iron gates. Beyond them, the Syndicate’s council was gathering. The estate was massive—a colonial-style mansion set back from the road, hidden behind manicured hedges and an army of security guards. Floodlights lit up the driveway, where black SUVs were lined in perfect rows.Khalil crouched beside him, adjusting the scope on his rifle. “Six guards at the entrance,” he said. “More on the perimeter.”“Cameras on the west and east walls,” Malik added, positioned on Jamal’s other side. He had a knife in one hand and a gun in the other.Nadine knelt behind them, her eyes narrowed. “We could hit them from the east side. Blind spot between the cameras.”Jamal shook his head. “They’ll expect that.” His gaze darkened. “We go in through the front.” Khalil frowned. “That’s suicide.”Jamal’s smile was cold. “No. It’s a message.”Nadine’s mouth tightened. “You sure about this?”Jamal’s eyes sharpened. “It’s the onl
70: A message in blood
Jamal stood at the edge of the rooftop, the lights of Lagos stretching out beneath him in a sea of glittering gold and white. The night air was thick and humid, clinging to his skin like a second layer. His hands rested on the cold steel of the railing as he stared out over the city.Behind him, Malik, Khalil, and Nadine were gathered around a table covered in blueprints, weapons, and burner phones. The safe house was quiet except for the hum of the ceiling fan and the low buzz of tension in the air.Malik tapped a finger on the blueprint. “The estate’s layout is tight. No obvious security, but that’s a trap in itself.”Khalil leaned over the table. “We’d need to breach the perimeter fast and quiet. If we trip an alarm, we’ll have every hired gun in Lagos coming down on us.”Jamal’s gaze was hard. “We’re not breaching anything.”Malik’s head snapped toward him. “What?”Jamal turned from the window. “We’re not sneaking in. We’re walking through the front door.”Khalil frowned. “That’s
69: loose ends
Jamal sat in the back seat of the black SUV, his eyes fixed on the dark cityscape rushing past the window. The night was quiet now, but the adrenaline still hummed in his veins. His hands were steady, but his mind was spinning.The Broker was dead.But his last words haunted Jamal.“You think this ends with me? I’m just the beginning.”Jamal rubbed his hands over his face. He should feel relief. This was the moment he’d been working toward for years—taking down the Syndicate’s shadowy puppet master. But instead of satisfaction, there was only a growing sense of unease.“We need to regroup,” Malik said from the seat beside him. His face was hard, his tone sharp. Jamal lowered his hands. “We’re not finished.”Malik’s gaze sharpened. “You don’t believe him, do you?”Jamal’s jaw tightened. “He had no reason to lie.”Khalil turned from the front seat, his expression grim. “What are you thinking?”Jamal leaned back, his fingers drumming on his knee. “If The Broker was part of something bigg
