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2024-10-29 19:42:56The night was cool, but the tension was sucking.
Luis and Maria moved with precision, their steps silent as they approached the glass doors of the sleek office building. This was Avernus Holdings’ heart—their new stronghold on the Westside—and tonight, the Borsens were going to cut it out.
Luis paused at the entrance, his hand resting lightly on the handle. “Let’s make this quick,” he muttered.
Maria, standing beside him, smiled faintly. This was the part she lived for. “Quick. But not too easy.”
Luis nodded, his pulse steady despite the danger looming ahead. They weren’t here to negotiate. They weren’t here to talk. They were here to send a message.
He pushed the door open. The quiet hum of the building swallowed them as they slipped inside. No alarms. No guards in sight. Too quiet.
Maria’s eyes scanned the lobby, her hand hovering over her gun. “Where is everyone?”
Luis didn’t answer, but his jaw tightened. It felt wrong. His instincts screaming at him. Something was off.
A faint sound from above—a soft creak. Someone was watching.
“They know we’re here,” Luis whispered, his voice barely audible.
“Then we make them regret it,” Maria replied.
The elevator ride felt endless, though it was only a few floors. The tension in the air was thick. Every moment, every breath felt like a countdown to violence. Luis’s grip tightened around his weapon. He had faced down enemies before, but this felt different. This wasn’t just another rival trying to rise. Avernus Holdings was something else. Organized. Ruthless. Calculated.
The elevator doors slid open, revealing a long hallway. At the end, a set of large, double doors loomed—the office of whoever was pulling the strings.
“Let’s finish this,” Maria said, her voice cold.
Luis nodded. Together, they stepped into the hallway, every step measured, deliberate.
The doors to the office opened without resistance. Inside, a man sat behind a desk, his back turned to them, staring out at the city lights.
“Luis. Maria,” the man said, his voice smooth, too calm. “I’ve been expecting you.”
Luis’s eyes narrowed. “Then you know why we’re here.”
The man slowly turned in his chair. His face was sharp, his eyes gleaming with intelligence and arrogance. He wasn’t scared.
“You’re here because you think I’m a threat,” he said, smiling faintly. “But that’s where you’re wrong. I’m not a threat. I’m the future.”
Maria’s jaw tightened, her finger twitching towards her gun. “You’re delusional.”
The man stood, unruffled by her words. “No. I’m inevitable. You’ve been kings of the Southside and Eastside for a while now. But the Westside? It’s mine. And you’ve just walked into a war you can’t win.”
Luis’s eyes darkened. “We’ll see.”
Without warning, Maria raised her gun. But before she could fire, the man snapped his fingers, and the lights cut out.
Darkness swallowed the room, leaving Luis and Maria momentarily blinded. Luis cursed under his breath, his eyes struggling to adjust. They were prepared for a fight, but this—this was a trap.
The sound of movement echoed through the darkness. Footsteps. Voices. The building wasn’t empty after all.
“Get ready,” Luis hissed to Maria. His voice was tight, controlled. This wasn’t how they had planned it.
Suddenly, the room exploded with gunfire. Bullets ricocheted off the walls and Luis dove for cover behind the large desk. He heard Maria’s gunfire ring out, each shot precise and deadly.
“Cover me!” Maria yelled, firing back into the darkness.
Luis rose slightly, returning fire, his eyes searching for their attackers. But the darkness made it impossible to see more than shadows moving in the corners of the room. This was chaos—exactly how their enemies had planned it.
The fight was brutal. A blur of shadows, gunfire, and instinct. Luis and Maria fought back, their training keeping them alive, but the numbers were overwhelming. It wasn’t just a few hired guns—this was an army. Avernus had prepared for them.
Luis ducked as a bullet shattered the glass window behind him. He could hear Maria nearby, still firing, holding her ground. But they couldn’t keep this up. Not like this.
“We need to get out of here!” Luis shouted.
Maria’s voice was steady even in the chaos. “Not until they’re all dead.”
Luis cursed under his breath. She was relentless, but they both knew they couldn’t win this fight. Not in these conditions.
Another bullet whizzed past, narrowly missing his head. They had to move. Now.
“Maria!” Luis called out. “Let’s go!”
There was a moment of hesitation, and then, finally, he heard her footsteps retreat towards him. Together, they moved back towards the exit, firing as they went. They needed to regroup and rethink their strategy.
The night air hit them like a punch as they burst through the doors and back into the alley behind the building. Luis’s heart was pounding, adrenaline coursing through his veins. They had barely made it out. And Avernus Holdings had just shown their hand.
“They were ready for us,” Maria said, her voice tight with frustration.
Luis nodded, his jaw clenched. “They’re stronger than we thought.”
Maria’s eyes flashed with anger. “Then we hit them harder.”
Luis turned to her, his expression serious. “Not yet. We need to know more. This wasn’t just about the Westside. They’ve got connections we don’t know about. We need to figure out who’s backing them.”
Maria’s jaw tightened, but she nodded. “Fine. But we need to move fast. Before they come at us again.”
“We will,” Luis said, his voice low. This wasn’t over. Avernus Holdings had made their move, but Luis and Maria weren’t done yet. Not by a long shot.
Back at the penthouse, Luis paced the floor, his mind racing. The battle had been a close call, too close for comfort. Avernus wasn’t just another upstart gang. They were organised, methodical, and dangerous. And now, Luis knew they were dealing with something far bigger than just a local power grab.
Maria sat at the edge of the couch, her phone in hand, typing furiously. “Bones is digging into their financials. He’s tracing every lead, every contact. We’ll find out who’s backing them.”
Luis stopped pacing; his eyes focused on the city outside. They had come so far and built so much, and now it felt like the ground was shifting beneath them. But he wasn’t going to let that happen. Not without a fight.
“We’ll find them,” Luis said quietly. “And when we do, we’ll burn them to the ground.”
Maria looked up, her eyes gleaming with the same fire that had carried them through every battle. “We always do.”
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