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28: caught in the crossfire
last update2025-02-23 14:05:54

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
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  • 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

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  • 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

  • The Hustler’s Gamble    34: No safe havens

    Jamal sat on the hood of Malik’s car, parked in a dimly lit warehouse lot on the outskirts of Lagos. The night air was thick with the scent of burning rubber and gasoline. In the distance, the remnants of the Rosewood Casino still smoldered. Malik leaned against the car, arms crossed. “You know Hassan isn’t gonna let this slide.” Jamal flicked the bullet Hassan had sent him into the dirt. “I’m counting on that.” Nadine, standing nearby, checked her phone. “We should lay low for a while. That fire didn’t just take Hassan’s money—it pissed off a lot of people.” Khalil scoffed. “Lay low? You think Hassan’s just gonna forget?” He turned to Jamal. “He’ll retaliate. Hard.” Jamal nodded. “I know.” Just then, Nadine’s phone buzzed. Her expression darkened as she read the message. “What?” Malik asked. She hesitated. “It’s my shop.” Jamal tensed. “What about it?” Nadine exhaled sharply. “It’s gone.” Hassan’s First Move The drive to Nadine’s shop was tense. By the time they arrived,

  • The Hustler’s Gamble    35: Picking up the pieces

    Jamal groaned as he pushed himself off the ground, dust and smoke filling his lungs. His ears still rang from the explosion, and the world around him blurred in chaos. Hassan was gone. The bastard had set them up, knowing they’d come for him. And now, Jamal and his team were left in the wreckage, bruised, battered, and hunted. Malik coughed, shaking his head. “Damn... that was a setup if I’ve ever seen one.” Khalil was already checking Nadine, who had taken the worst hit from the blast. She was bleeding from a gash on her forehead, but she was conscious. “We need to move,” Khalil said urgently. “More of Hassan’s men will be coming.” Jamal forced himself to his feet, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs. They had lost this round, but they were still breathing. That meant they still had a chance. “Let’s get out of here,” he said. Escape Under Fire The courtyard was still swarming with Hassan’s men. Gunfire rattled in the distance, and sirens blared from nearby streets.

  • The Hustler’s Gamble    36: Retaliation

    The morning air in Lagos was thick with tension. Word of Razaq’s death spread fast—too fast. By the time Jamal and his team made it back to the safe house, Hassan’s men were already on the hunt. Jamal sat at the wooden table, reloading his gun with steady hands. His mind was clear. No more running. No more hiding. This was war. Malik paced near the window, peeking through the blinds. “We stirred the hornet’s nest, bro. Hassan’s got his men checking every corner of the city.” Khalil nodded. “He won’t let this slide. We need to move.” Nadine, her arms crossed, spoke up. “No. We make him come to us.” Jamal looked at her. She stepped forward. “We’ve been playing on the defensive. It’s time to pull Hassan out of his comfort zone.” Jamal smirked. “You got something in mind?” She nodded. “I know where he launders his money. If we hit that, we don’t just piss him off—we cripple him.” Cutting the Lifeline Hassan’s money moved through a high-end nightclub in Victoria Island—The Mirage

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  • 75: a new throne

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  • 74: the gathering storm

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  • 73: The broker’s den

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  • 72: the broker’s move

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  • 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

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  • 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

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