The Rise of Mackin Jones

Chapter 106

Luis was back on the move, his thoughts racing like the city lights streaking past the car window.

Varela—a name that meant nothing to him yesterday but now loomed large as the shadow of a potential rival. Whoever they were, they had made the fatal mistake of thinking they could move in on Luis and Maria’s territory, on their city, without repercussions. They were wrong.

Maria sat beside him, her eyes focused, unflinching. She had the same fire in her, the same relentless hunger to ensure no one questioned their power. They had worked too hard, lost too much, to let some upstart push them off the throne they had bled to take.

“We need to get ahead of them,” Maria said, breaking the silence. “Varela made a move tonight, but we don’t know their next step. We can’t afford to wait.”

Luis nodded, his expression grim. “We won’t. But we need information first. We don’t move blind.”

Bones, seated in the front of the car, glanced back at them, his face as hard as always. “I’ve already got men tracking down leads. It won’t take long before we find out where Varela’s hiding.”

Maria’s gaze darkened. She wasn’t interested in waiting long. Varela had made their play, and Maria wanted to retaliate. Swiftly.

“Good,” she said quietly. “Because when we find them, we make an example out of them.”

Luis turned to look at her, reading the cold intensity in her eyes. They had always been aligned, their instincts perfectly in tune when it came to protecting what was theirs. And right now, what was theirs was under threat.

“They’ll regret ever coming here,” Luis said, his voice low and dangerous.

Two days later, the first real break came. Bones had tracked down one of Varela’s middlemen, a low-level player from the Eastside who had been seen moving in and out of meetings with some of the smaller crews. He wasn’t a major player, but he had information—and that was all Luis and Maria needed.

The meeting was set in a warehouse on the edge of the Southside. Neutral ground, for now, but that would change the moment Luis walked in. The warehouse was dimly lit, shadows pooling in every corner, and the sound of dripping water echoed in the vast space. The middleman—Rodriguez—stood in the centre of the room, flanked by two nervous-looking men, both shifting uncomfortably as they waited for what they knew was coming.

Luis entered first, his presence commanding the space before he even spoke. This was how power worked—it wasn’t just about muscle or resources; it was about presence, the kind that made everyone in the room second-guess their chances of survival. Behind him, Maria followed, her gaze cold and calculating, while Bones took up position by the door, ensuring no one was foolish enough to leave.

Rodriguez glanced nervously at Luis, clearly aware of the stakes but trying to maintain a facade of calm. It wasn’t working.

“You know who I am,” Luis said, his voice steady, almost conversational. “So you know how this works.”

Rodriguez swallowed hard, nodding. “Yeah, I know.”

Luis stepped closer, his eyes locking onto Rodriguez. There was no rush here—just the inevitability of what was about to happen. “You’ve been meeting with Varela.”

Rodriguez hesitated for a second too long, his eyes flicking to his men. They were scared, unsure of what would come next. Luis didn’t like hesitation.

Maria stepped forward, her voice sharp. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Tell us everything you know about Varela, and maybe you’ll walk out of here.”

Rodriguez’s bravado crumbled instantly under the weight of her gaze. He glanced around, realising there was no way out. He was cornered.

“I don’t know much,” he said quickly, his voice shaky. “Varela’s new in town, but they’re smart. Real smart. They’ve been building connections with some of the smaller crews, trying to get a foothold on the Eastside. They’re keeping a low profile, but they’ve got money—serious money.”

Luis raised an eyebrow. “Money?”

Rodriguez nodded quickly, eager to offer more. “Yeah. They’ve been throwing it around, getting people to fall in line, promising better deals than anyone else can offer. No one knows exactly where it’s coming from, but it’s enough to make people listen.”

Maria exchanged a glance with Luis. Money alone wasn’t a threat—not in a city like this, where power was built on reputation, control, and fear. But money could buy alliances, and alliances could become dangerous.

“And what do they want?” Luis asked, his voice growing colder.

Rodriguez hesitated again. “Territory. Varela wants control of the Eastside, but they’re not stopping there. They’ve got eyes on the Southside too.”

Luis’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening. That was the mistake—coming after what Luis and Maria had already taken. This wasn’t just about the Eastside anymore. Varela had set their sights on the Southside, on their empire, and that meant only one thing.

“We’re done here,” Luis said, stepping back. He didn’t need to hear anything else. They had the information they needed. Varela was making dangerous moves—but now they knew where to strike.

Maria’s eyes gleamed with cold satisfaction. “Looks like we’ve found our target.”

Rodriguez sagged with relief, thinking he had given them what they wanted and that he would be spared. But Luis’s voice cut through the brief silence with finality. “Bones.”

Before Rodriguez could react, Bones stepped forward, quickly and efficiently. Rodriguez’s eyes widened in shock, but he didn’t even have time to scream before Bones ended it, his body crumpling to the floor, lifeless.

Maria stepped over the body without a second glance, her focus already on the next move. This was how they operated—no loose ends, no hesitation.

“We need to move fast,” Maria said as they left the warehouse. “Varela’s getting too close.”

Luis nodded, his mind already calculating the next steps. “We’ll hit them where it hurts. Find out where they’re hiding, and take them out before they make their next move.”

Maria’s smile was cold, ruthless. “And when we’re done, no one will even remember they were here.”

The hunt for Varela intensified, with Luis and Maria moving swiftly to dismantle the network that had begun to form around their new enemy. They weren’t just attacking directly—they were cutting off resources, sabotaging alliances, and spreading fear among anyone who dared to work with Varela. It was a methodical destruction, one that left no room for recovery.

Within days, Varela’s influence had started to crumble. Crews that had once been eager to align themselves with the new player began to pull back, realising that the Borsens were not a force to be challenged. The fear was spreading, and Luis could see the cracks beginning to form in Varela’s operation.

But Varela wasn’t done yet.

One night, as Luis and Maria sat in their penthouse, going over the latest reports, Bones came in, his face uncharacteristically tense.

“They’ve made a move,” Bones said, his voice low.

Luis looked up, his eyes narrowing. “What kind of move?”

Bones hesitated—something rare for him. “They’ve hit one of our supply lines on the Southside. It was coordinated and precise. Varela’s not just sitting back—they’re coming at us head-on.”

Maria’s expression darkened. This wasn’t a defensive move—it was an attack, one meant to send a message. Varela was striking back, and they had chosen to hit where it hurt.

“Then it’s time we pay them a visit,” Maria said, her voice cold.

Luis’s jaw tightened. The gloves were off. Varela had made their move, but now it was time for Luis and Maria to end it.

“We’re going to find Varela,” Luis said, his voice steady but filled with a dangerous calm. “And when we do, we’ll make sure no one else even thinks about challenging us again.”

Maria smiled, her eyes gleaming with cold determination. The hunt had begun, and now it was only a matter of time before Varela realised they had made the worst mistake of their lives.