Nico’s final plan to turn Santoro’s lieutenants against him reaches its critical point. Betrayal and desperation fuel the battle for control of the city. The final confrontation between Santoro and Nico is imminent, and the war for the throne will end in blood.
Only one man will walk away from the ruins of this city.
The streets of the city simmered with unease. Word of Lorenzo’s brutal execution spread quickly, his bloodied corpse dumped in an alley as a grim warning to anyone who dared to cross Santoro. But instead of quieting the unrest, it only added fuel to the fire.
The lieutenants who had once stood beside Santoro were now looking over their shoulders, wondering if they’d be next. Fear had always been Santoro’s weapon, but now it was turning on him, eroding the loyalty he had built brick by brick.
Inside his penthouse, Santos felt it. The creeping, insidious doubt. He had always been in control, always one step ahead, but now it felt like the city was slipping through his fingers. Vito had done his best to keep the men in line, but even Vito seemed to be wavering.
The pressure was mounting, and Santoro knew he was running out of time. Nico was still out there, still plotting, and every day that passed without Nico’s head on a spike made Santoro’s grip on power a little more tenuous.
Santoro stared at the whisky swirling in his glass, the amber liquid catching the light as his thoughts raced. The silence of the room was oppressive, thick with the weight of decisions not yet made. He had been ruthless when he needed to be—more than ruthless.
But it wasn’t enough. The city didn’t fear him the way it used to. And his men? They were starting to question him. He could see it in their eyes and hear it in their voices, no matter how much they tried to hide it.
Vito entered the room, his expression tense. He was always careful around Santoro these days, walking a thin line between loyalty and caution. “We’ve got a problem,” Vito said, his voice clipped. “Two of our guys were found dead in the warehouse district. Looks like another hit by Nico’s people.”
Santoro’s grip tightened around his glass, the muscles in his jaw tensing. “Nico,” he spat, the name like venom in his mouth. “How does he keep slipping through?”
Vito shook his head. “He’s got help, boss. We’ve been hearing rumours that some of the smaller crews are starting to rally behind him. They think he’s the one who can take you down.”
Santoro slammed the glass down on the desk, shattering it. Whisky and shards of glass scattered across the wood, but he didn’t care.
His patience was gone, burned away by weeks of unrest, betrayal, and bloodshed. “I want him found,” Santoro snarled, his voice low and dangerous. “I don’t care what it takes. I don’t care who we have to burn. We find him.”
Vito nodded, though there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something Santoro couldn’t quite place. “We’re already searching. But the city’s changing, Carmine. People are starting to believe Nico’s got a real shot.”
Santoro stepped towards Vito, his eyes dark with fury. “I don’t care what people believe. I run this city. Not Nico. Not anyone else. Me.”
But even as the words left his mouth, Santoro could feel the doubt creeping in. He had built his empire on fear and violence, but now those same tools were turning against him. His lieutenants were scared, but scared men weren’t always loyal. And if Nico was rallying the smaller crews if the city was truly starting to turn...
He had to act now. Fast. Ruthless. Before it was too late.
“Get the word out,” Santoro said, his voice cold and precise. “Double the bounty on Nico’s head. Offer them whatever they want. Money, power, anything. We flush him out.”
Vito hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “It’ll be done.”
As Vito left, Santoro paced the room, his mind racing. Nico had become more than just a rival—he was a spectre, haunting every corner of Santoro’s empire. And the longer Nico stayed alive, the more that spectre grew. Santoro had crushed Mateo and wiped out the remnants of Mackin Jones’ crew, but Nico was different. Nico didn’t need an army. He was turning Santoro’s fear against him.
And Santoro knew it.
Nico stood on the rooftop of a derelict building, looking out over the city that had been his home for so long. The skyline glittered in the distance, the pulse of the city still beating despite the chaos that had consumed it. But beneath the surface, Nico could feel the shift. Santoro was losing control, and the city knew it.
Luis stood beside him, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, his face drawn with exhaustion. “Word’s spreading,” Luis said. “People are starting to believe we’ve got a shot at taking Santoro down. But it’s risky, Nico. Santoro’s getting desperate. He’s throwing money and threats at anyone who’ll listen.”
Nico nodded, his eyes still fixed on the horizon. He had expected this. Santoro was cornered, and like any cornered animal, he was lashing out. But desperation wasn’t strength. It was a weakness. And Nico knew that if they pushed just a little harder, Santoro’s empire would collapse under its weight.
“We need to hit him where it hurts,” Nico said quietly. “We’ve rattled him, but it’s not enough. He still thinks he’s in control.”
Luis frowned. “What are you thinking?”
Nico turned to face him, his expression hard. “We go after his money. His real money. Santoro’s got stash houses all over the city, but there’s one—one that’s bigger than the rest. That’s where he’s keeping the bulk of his cash.”
Luis raised an eyebrow. “You think we can pull that off?”
Nico’s lip curled into a grim smile. “We don’t have to. We just have to make Santoro think we’re going to.”
Luis crossed his arms, his brow furrowed. “A setup?”
Nico nodded. “We hit the smaller stash houses first; make it look like we’re closing in on the big one. Santoro will panic. He’ll pull his men from everywhere else to protect his money. And when he does, we hit him where he’s weakest.”
Luis was silent for a moment, considering the plan. It was risky, but it made sense. Santoro’s empire was already fraying at the edges, and if they could push him just a little further, the whole thing might come crashing down. “Alright,” Luis said finally. “Let’s do it.”
The first hit came quickly. Nico’s crew moved fast, hitting one of Santoro’s smaller cash operations on the outskirts of the city. They didn’t take everything—just enough to send a message. The next hit came two nights later, this time closer to the heart of Santoro’s territory. Each strike was precise, calculated, and designed to make Santoro believe that Nico was systematically dismantling his financial base.
And it worked.
Santoro’s men were scrambling, pulling resources from other parts of the city to protect the remaining stash houses. The tension in Santos’s organisation was palpable. His lieutenants were stretched thin, their loyalty hanging by a thread. And all the while, Nico stayed one step ahead, playing the game with ruthless precision.
Santoro was furious. He had sent his men out in force, hunting for Nico, but every time they got close, Nico slipped through their fingers. The hits on his cash houses were bleeding him dry, and worse, they were making him look weak.
The city could smell weakness, and Santoro knew that if he didn’t stop Nico soon, it would be the end of his reign.
“Where is he?” Santoro demanded, his voice raw with anger as he slammed his fist onto the table. His lieutenants stood around him, nervous, unsure of what to say.
“We’re looking, boss,” one of them said. “But Nico’s smart. He’s not staying in one place for long.”
Santoro’s eyes blazed with fury. “Then find him. I don’t care how many men it takes. We stop this now, or we’re all dead.”
The room fell into an uneasy silence, the weight of Santoro’s words hanging heavy in the air. His men knew the truth, even if they didn’t say it. The empire they had built, the power they had fought for, was slipping away. And Santoro’s fear was becoming their fear.
On the night of the final hit, Nico’s crew moved with precision. They knew Santoro’s men were watching, waiting for them to strike. But that was the point. The stash house they were hitting was heavily guarded, a clear signal to Santoro that Nico was closing in on the big prize.
But Nico had no intention of taking the money. Not yet.
The hit was fast, a quick in-and-out that left Santoro’s men scrambling. But Nico’s real target was Santoro himself. As the stash house burnt, Nico’s crew slipped away, moving towards the real goal: Santoro’s safehouse, the place where he thought he was untouchable.
The plan was simple. While Santoro’s men were distracted, Nico would slip through the cracks and confront Santoro on his turf. It was bold, dangerous, and exactly what Santoro wouldn’t expect.
As they approached the safehouse, Luis turned to Nico, his face tense. “You sure about this?”
Nico nodded, his expression cold. “It’s time.”
They moved through the shadows, slipping past the guards who had been pulled from their posts to protect Santoro’s money. Inside the safe house, the air was thick with tension, the quiet hum of the night broken only by the sound of their footsteps.
Nico’s heart pounded in his chest but his mind was clear. This was it. The endgame.
They found Santoro in his office, the once-confident king now pacing, his face drawn with anger and fear. When he saw Nico, his eyes widened, but he didn’t back down.
“So,” Santoro said, his voice cold. “You finally came out of the shadows.”
Nico stepped forward, his eyes locked on Santoro. “It’s over, Carmine. You’ve lost.”
Santoro’s jaw clenched, his hands twitching towards the gun on his desk. “You think you can take me down? You don’t have the men. You don’t have the power.”
Nico’s lip curled into a grim smile. “I don’t need men. All I needed was to make you afraid.”
Santoro’s eyes flickered with uncertainty, the weight of Nico’s words sinking in. “I’m not afraid of you.”
Nico took another step forward, his voice low and steady. “Yes, you are. You’ve been afraid of me since the day I survived the docks. You’ve been running scared ever since.”
Santoro’s hand shot towards the gun, but Nico was faster. In a split second, he had his weapon drawn, pointing it directly at Santoro’s chest.
“Don’t,” Nico warned, his voice deadly calm.
For a moment, neither man moved the tension in the room thick enough to choke on. Santoro’s face twisted with rage, but beneath that rage was something else—fear. The fear that Nico had seen in every man Santoro had killed, in every man who had dared to defy him.
“You’re done, Carmine,” Nico said, his voice cold. “This city doesn’t belong to you anymore.”
Santoro’s hand trembled, but he didn’t lower the gun. “You think you can take my throne? You think you’re any different than me?”
Nico’s eyes hardened. “I’m nothing like you.”
And with that, the silence was broken by the crack of a gunshot.
Santoro staggered back, his body hitting the wall with a sickening thud. Blood spread across his chest, his eyes wide with shock as he collapsed to the floor.
Nico stood over him, his heart pounding, his breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps. Santoro’s eyes flickered with disbelief as the life drained out of him. The king was dead.
And the throne was empty.
With Santoro dead, Nico steps into the power vacuum left behind, but the fight for control of the city is far from over. New challenges emerge as old enemies resurface and alliances shift in the wake of Santoro’s fall.As Nico navigates the treacherous world of the underworld’s new order, he must decide what kind of ruler he will become. Will he build a new empire, or will the city’s ghosts come back to haunt him?The war may be over, but the battle for the city has just begun.The city was eerily silent after Carmine Santoro’s fall. The power vacuum left in his wake was palpable, hanging in the air like the smoke from the gunshot that had ended his reign. Word spread quickly: the king was dead, and Nico, the phantom who had haunted Santoro’s every step, had taken his throne.But the city wasn’t celebrating—not yet. There was no time to mourn or rejoice. There was only uncertainty.Nico stood in the centre of Santoro’s former office, the luxurious penthouse now feeling strangely empty
Nico struggles to maintain control of the city in the wake of Santoro’s death; old enemies resurface and new alliances are formed. The power vacuum left by Santoro’s fall throws the city into chaos, and Nico must fight to hold his place at the top.But with Mackin’s ghost still haunting the streets and rival factions moving against him, Nico’s reign is threatened from all sides. The battle for control has only just begun, and in a city built on blood and betrayal, no one is safe.The war for the throne isn’t over yet.Nico stood on the balcony of his newly claimed penthouse, the cold night air brushing against his skin. The view from up here was a perfect snapshot of the city that now teetered on the edge of war. Below, the streets were alive with tension, the pulse of the underworld shifting and grinding like tectonic plates.The city had never been quiet—under Santoro, it had thrummed with a different kind of energy, a brutal, oppressive force that kept everyone in line. But now, wit
When Mateo’s rebellion is crushed, Santoro consolidates his hold on the city, but the war has left deep scars. The rebellion may be over, but the cost of victory weighs heavily on Santoro’s empire. As new threats emerge and old enemies resurface, Santoro must face the reality that holding the throne is far more difficult than taking it. The city may be his, but at what cost?In the ashes of the empire, the game of power continues.Carmine Santoro stood alone at the city's edge, the glow of burning embers from the factory still visible on the horizon. The war was over. Mateo’s rebellion had been crushed, and his men were reduced to ash and blood. The remnants of Mackin Jones’ legacy had been swept away in the final, brutal act of violence. Santoro should have felt victorious—relieved, even—but instead, there was only a gnawing emptiness.The cost of victory hung in the air, thick and suffocating.He had won, but at what price? His empire was intact, but the scars left behind by the reb
With Carlo and Angelo dead, Nico solidifies his control over the city, but the battle for power is far from over. New enemies begin to emerge from the shadows, and Nico must navigate a world where trust is a luxury he can’t afford.As rival factions regroup and old alliances shift, Nico’s reign is tested like never before. Power is fleeting in the city's dark underworld, and Nico will discover that ruling from the shadows is more dangerous than he ever imagined.The war for the throne continues.The city had always been a beast with a mind of its own, alive and breathing in the dark corners where power-shifted hands and blood soaked the streets. Nico stood at the centre of it now, his grip on the throne tightening with every move he made, every rival he buried.Carlo was gone. Angelo was gone. But in their absence, the vacuum was still pulling, still hungry for more.Nico stared out from the balcony of Santoro’s old penthouse, now his. The skyline was a familiar sight, but it didn’t b
With Rocco dead, Nico’s reign grows even more precarious as rival factions rise from the shadows and the threat of betrayal looms large.The city begins to spiral further into chaos, and Nico is forced to confront the reality that ruling through fear and violence may not be enough to hold the empire together.As Mackin’s old allies regroup and new enemies emerge, the battle for control of the city reaches its boiling point.The cost of power has never been higher.The echo of the gunshot faded, but the impact of Rocco’s death reverberated far beyond the bloodstained floor of the penthouse. Nico stood over the body, his heart still racing, his pulse thrumming in his ears. Rocco had been a warning. A message to anyone who thought they could challenge his authority. But deep down, Nico knew it wasn’t enough. Not in this city. Not in the world he had inherited.Luis arrived shortly after the execution, his expression grim but unsurprising. He had seen the signs—Rocco’s growing restlessne
With Franco dead, Nico’s control over the city tightens, but the threat of rebellion grows as Mackin’s remaining allies rally against him.The smaller crews begin to turn on each other, and the city spirals further into chaos. Nico’s ruthless tactics have kept him in power, but the cracks in his empire are widening, and new enemies are emerging from the shadows.As the fires of rebellion begin to spread, Nico faces his greatest challenge yet: holding onto a city that’s ready to tear itself apart.The war for control is reaching its breaking point.The city was alive with tension. Franco’s death, meant to be the final blow that would solidify Nico’s control, had instead sparked something more dangerous.The underworld was restless, like a hornet’s nest that had been struck too hard. The smaller crews, once content to bide their time, were now scrambling to either pledge allegiance to Nico or carve out a piece of the crumbling empire for themselves.But beneath it all, a darker force wa
With Mackin’s old lieutenants dead and the rebellion crushed, Nico’s control over the city remains tenuous. The fires of rebellion may have been extinguished, but the cracks in Nico’s empire are still growing, and new threats are emerging from the shadows.As the underworld descends into chaos, Nico must decide how far he’s willing to go to hold onto his throne. The city is on the brink of collapse, and the war for control is far from over.The longest night is yet to come.The city was cloaked in a thick, oppressive silence, as if it too was bracing for the next inevitable wave of bloodshed. The rebellion had been crushed—Mackin’s old lieutenants lay dead, and their bids for power ended as swiftly as they had begun—but the city was far from calm.In the aftermath of Enzo’s death, Nico could feel the tension in the air, the weight of unseen forces conspiring in the shadows. There were no cheers, no signs of relief in the streets, only the unspoken understanding that the battle for con
With his lieutenants cowed and his enemies in retreat, Nico tightens his grip on the city, but the cracks in his empire are widening. Fear has kept the underworld in line for now, but the cost of Nico’s ruthless tactics is becoming clearer.As new threats emerge and old alliances begin to fray, Nico must confront the possibility that his reign may be more fragile than he ever realised. In a city where power is fleeting and loyalty is bought with blood, Nico faces his greatest challenge yet: holding on to the empire he built without destroying himself in the process.The fall is coming, and no one is safe.The nights had grown longer in the city as if the darkness itself was conspiring against Nico. He stood by the penthouse window, watching the faint lights in the distance flicker, like the dying embers of a once-bright fire.The penthouse, once Santoro’s seat of power, now felt more like a cage—a throne at the top of a crumbling empire. Nico had forced his lieutenants to show their l
The city had an eerie calm, like the moment before a storm.Luis and Maria knew it well—it was the silence that came before the retaliation. Orlov hadn’t made a move yet, but they both felt it in the air. He was waiting, preparing, and biding his time to strike when they least expected it.Luis stood in front of the massive windows of the penthouse, the city sprawled beneath him like a glittering maze of power and corruption. His mind raced, going over the steps they’d taken to weaken Orlov, but something nagbed at him.They had hit him hard, taken out his warehouses, and disrupted his supply lines, but it didn’t feel like enough. Orlov was too smart, too calculated, to be brought down so easily.“We’ve got eyes on his remaining assets,” Maria said, stepping into the room, her tone clipped but focused. She held a tablet in her hand, showing a live feed from one of their surveillance teams.Luis glanced at her, his jaw tight. “Any movement?”Maria shook her head, frustration flashing i
The city was alive with whispers and murmurs of a new force rising in the shadows.Luis and Maria had thought they’d crushed Avernus, but in the days following their attack, it had become clear that their victory was only temporary. A larger force was at play, one more organised and dangerous than anything they had faced before.Luis sat at his desk in the penthouse, fingers drumming against the polished wood. The city sprawled out beneath him, a glittering beast that never slept. The calm after the storm always felt like a trap, and he could feel the tension in the air.Bones entered the room, his face grim. “We’ve got a name.”Luis looked up sharply, the tension in his jaw visible. “Who is it?”Bones tossed a file onto the desk. “Nikolai Orlov. He’s the one pulling the strings.”Maria, seated across from Luis, raised an eyebrow. The name wasn’t familiar, but the weight of it hung heavy in the air. She flipped open the file, scanning the details. “He’s Russian. Former military ties t
Luis leaned back in his chair, staring at the map laid out before him. The Westside was a web of power and influence, but Avernus was at the centre of it now.They had been patient, slowly building their empire in the shadows, but now they were emerging. And Luis knew they had to be stopped.“They’re moving fast,” Bones said, standing beside him. “Buying up properties, making connections. They’ve got political backing too. The kind that makes it hard to touch them.”Luis’s jaw tightened. Political connections meant trouble. It meant Avernus had protection, the kind that couldn’t be taken down with a bullet. Not easily.Maria entered the room, her eyes scanning the map. “We need leverage. Something that hits them where they can’t hide.”Luis nodded. “We need to make them vulnerable. Expose them for what they are.”Maria’s gaze was sharp, her mind already racing. “We hit their reputation. Politicians won’t back them if they’re too much of a liability.”Bones grunted in agreement. “And o
The 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 so
The Westside had always been different from the rest of the city. It was sleek and polished, hiding power beneath wealth.Luis and Maria knew it all too well. But now there was a new force rising in the shadows, trying to take a slice of their empire. Avernus Holdings—the name had come up more than once, whispered in alleys, muttered by informants. It wasn’t just another local gang.This was something bigger. Something more dangerous.Luis leaned against the cool metal railing of the penthouse balcony, his eyes scanning the distant skyline. The city was a living beast, always moving, and shifting. And now the Westside was stirring.“We’ve got a problem,” Maria’s voice cut through the night air. She stepped onto the balcony, her gaze sharp. “Bones just confirmed it. Avernus Holdings has been buying up properties, and making moves. Quietly, but quickly.”Luis didn’t move; his eyes were still fixed on the city below. “How many properties?”“Four, so far. They’re not just snatching up rea
The city had fallen into an uneasy calm.The Borsens were at the height of their power, with the Southside, Eastside, and now even the edges of the Westside firmly under their control. But Luis and Maria knew better than to mistake calm for peace. Power in the city was always shifting—a fluid, dangerous force that could turn in an instant.Even as they celebrated their victory over Volkov, they were aware that the silence carried with it the weight of anticipation—the sense that something new was on the horizon.Luis sat in his penthouse office, the vast city sprawled out before him through the floor-to-ceiling windows. This was his kingdom, but the view came with a constant reminder: nothing in this city was permanent. He thumbed through the latest reports, detailing the state of their newly expanded empire.The remnants of Santiago’s network had been absorbed, and Volkov’s influence had been erased. For now, no one dared challenge the Borsens’ reign.But Luis knew that peace in this
The city stretched out beneath them, a sea of glittering lights and shadows.From the balcony of the penthouse, Luis could see the whole expanse—his empire. But its weight pressed down on him. Every building, every street, every deal made in dark alleys was a piece of the puzzle he and Maria had put together.And now, it felt fragile, like the wrong move could shatter everything.Maria joined him, her silhouette sharp against the backdrop of the city. She leaned on the railing, eyes scanning the skyline. There was no satisfaction in her gaze, only calculation. They had fought too hard to get here, and she knew just as well as Luis did that the fight was far from over."Volkov's people are scattered," she said. Her voice was steady, but there was an edge to it. "We've taken them down, piece by piece."Luis nodded, though his mind was elsewhere. They had crushed Volkov’s network, wiped out his loyalists, and dismantled his empire. But something about it all felt unfinished. Volkov’s dea
The air felt heavy. Tense. The city held its breath.Luis and Maria stood together in the penthouse, their eyes scanning the streets below. Everything was quiet, but they knew it wouldn’t last. Volkov’s final move was coming, and it wouldn’t be subtle. He had gathered his forces and brought in mercenaries, and now it was only a matter of time before the fight came to them.Luis checked his weapon for the third time that night. The weight of the gun in his hand felt reassuring, but there was an edge to his thoughts that couldn’t be shaken. This was the moment they had been preparing for—a final, bloody confrontation. And while they had won every battle so far, Luis knew this one would be different.“He’ll come with everything,” Maria said, standing beside him. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp. “Volkov won’t leave anything to chance. He can’t afford to.”Luis nodded. They had hit Volkov hard, taken out his resources, and crippled his network. But now, backed into a corner, Vo
The city was a battlefield, and now, with Nicholas Volkov in the mix, the stakes had grown even higher. Santiago had been a local threat, a power player on the Westside, but Volkov was something else entirely—an international force with resources and connections that extended far beyond the city’s limits. And now he had set his sights on the Borsens’ empire.Luis stood on the balcony of his penthouse, the cold night air biting at his skin as he gazed out over the city. Volkov wasn’t just here to make money—he was here to take control. Santiago had been smart to ally with him, but it wouldn’t be enough. Not with Luis and Maria ready to strike back.Maria joined him on the balcony, her eyes sharp as she stared at the skyline. “Volkov thinks he can just walk into our city and take what’s ours.”Luis nodded, his expression hardening. “We’ll show him he’s wrong.”The war for the city was about to enter its most dangerous phase. And Luis and Maria were ready.The city hummed with dangerous