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, with Santoro dead and his empire fractured, chaos was seeping into every corner.
Luis joined him, his face lined with exhaustion. “It’s not getting any easier, is it?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Nico didn’t answer immediately. He had expected the fight for the city to be bloody, but he hadn’t expected the complexity of it. The power vacuum left by Santoro’s death was deeper than he realised, and every move felt like a test, a gamble where the stakes were too high to lose. “No,” Nico said finally, his eyes scanning the skyline. “It’s not.”
Luis exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair. “Carlo’s making his move. He’s already taken back two territories. The smaller crews are backing him, seeing him as the next power player.”
Nico’s jaw clenched. Carlo had been one of Santoro’s key lieutenants, but now that Santoro was dead, Carlo was trying to carve out his empire. Nico had warned him to stand down, but Carlo, like many in this city, couldn’t resist the pull of power. “He thinks he can challenge me,” Nico muttered, more to himself than to Luis.
“He’s not the only one,” Luis added, his voice tense. “I’ve been hearing rumblings from Mackin’s old men. They’re talking about reclaiming their piece of the city, taking back what was theirs before Santoro and before you.”
Nico turned, his gaze hard. “Mackin’s dead. His empire is gone.”
Luis shrugged. “Maybe. But his legacy isn’t. His men still have power, and they’re using the instability to rally support. They think this is their moment to rise again.”
Nico’s eyes narrowed. He had killed Mateo and crushed the remnants of Mackin’s empire, but the shadow of Mackin still loomed over the city, a spectre that refused to die. “Then we show them that their time is over. Carlo, Mackin’s men, anyone who thinks they can take this city from me—they’re wrong.”
Luis looked sceptical. “It’s not just about them, Nico. It’s the city. The power vacuum is pulling everyone in. People are hungry for control, and they don’t trust you yet. They’re waiting for you to fall.”
Nico’s expression didn’t change, but inside, he knew Luis was right. The city didn’t trust him. They didn’t know him, not the way they had known Santoro or Mackin. To them, he was just another man trying to take the throne. Another warlord in a city built on warlords.
“What do we do, then?” Luis asked.
Nico’s mind raced, piecing together a strategy. “We take Carlo out first. He’s a known quantity. We hit him hard, and we send a message to the rest of the city that I’m not here to play games.”
“And Mackin’s men?”
“They’ll fall in line once Carlo’s gone,” Nico said, though he wasn’t entirely sure of that. Mackin’s legacy was strong, but without a leader, his old lieutenants would be too fragmented to mount a real challenge. Still, Nico couldn’t afford to underestimate them.
Luis nodded, though there was a hint of hesitation in his voice. “Alright. But you need to be careful. If we go too hard, we risk making more enemies.”
Nico’s eyes darkened. “We’re already at war, Luis. No point pretending otherwise.”
The plan was set in motion quickly. Nico wasn’t one to wait around when an opportunity presented itself. Carlo’s movements had been tracked, and it wasn’t hard to figure out where he’d make his stand.
He had gathered his men in a rundown nightclub in the industrial district, a place that had once been one of Santoro’s favourite spots for backroom deals. Now, it served as Carlo’s makeshift headquarters, and Nico saw it for what it was: a fortress built on arrogance.
Nico’s crew was ready. They moved silently through the streets, slipping into the shadows as they closed in on the nightclub. Luis was by Nico’s side, his face set in grim determination. “You think he knows we’re coming?” Luis asked.
Nico shook his head. “He’s too confident. He thinks he’s already won.”
The approach was swift. Nico had no intention of giving Carlo a chance to negotiate. This wasn’t a business meeting. This was a message, and Nico knew that the only language Carlo understood was violence.
As they reached the entrance, Nico signalled for his men to move. The doors burst open, and the quiet night was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Carlo’s men were caught off guard, scrambling for cover as bullets ripped through the club’s walls. It was chaos, the kind of chaos Nico had orchestrated so many times before.
Inside, Carlo stood behind a bar, his face twisted in shock and rage. “Nico!” he shouted, his voice cutting through the noise. “You think you can take me out like this?”
Nico stepped into the room, his gun drawn, his eyes locked on Carlo. “I don’t think,” Nico said coldly. “I know.”
Carlo sneered, raising his weapon, but before he could fire, a bullet tore through his shoulder, sending him crashing to the floor. Nico moved quickly, closing the distance between them. He kicked Carlo’s gun away, standing over him as Carlo clutched his bleeding shoulder.
“You should have stayed out of this,” Nico said, his voice cold as steel.
Carlo glared up at him, his face pale with pain but still defiant. “You think killing me will solve your problems? This city doesn’t belong to you. It never will.”
Nico’s gaze hardened. “This city belongs to whoever is strong enough to hold it.”
Carlo’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “You’re just like him, you know that? Just like Santoro.”
Nico’s eyes flashed with anger, but he kept his voice steady. “I’m nothing like Santoro.”
Without another word, Nico pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the club, and Carlo’s body went still.
For a moment, there was only silence. The sound of the battle had faded, the last of Carlo’s men either dead or fleeing. Nico stood over Carlo’s body, the weight of the moment settling in. Carlo had been a threat, a rival. Now he was gone. But Nico knew that this was only the beginning.
Luis stepped forward, his face grim. “It’s done.”
Nico nodded, though there was no satisfaction in his expression. He had won this battle, but the war for the city was far from over. Carlo’s death would send a message, but it would also draw more enemies out of the shadows. Mackin’s men would see this as a sign of weakness or an opportunity to reclaim what was theirs.
“Get rid of the body,” Nico said quietly. “Make sure everyone knows what happened here.”
Luis nodded, signalling to the others. As Nico watched them move, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the city was still slipping through his fingers. Carlo had been an obstacle, but there were others—others who were waiting, watching, ready to make their move.
Nico turned and walked out of the nightclub, the night air cool against his skin. He had taken Carlo down, but the battle for the city wasn’t over. Not yet.
The news of Carlo’s death spread quickly, and the response was immediate. Some of the smaller crews fell in line, recognising Nico’s strength, while others began to retreat into the shadows, biding their time. But it wasn’t the smaller crews that worried Nico—it was Mackin’s old lieutenants.
They had stayed quiet after Santoro’s fall, but now, with Carlo dead, they were beginning to make their presence known.
Luis joined Nico in the safehouse, the tension in the air thick as they discussed their next moves. “We’re hearing more chatter from Mackin’s men,” Luis said, his voice low. “They’re starting to make moves. Nothing big yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
Nico’s expression was unreadable, his mind working through the possibilities. Mackin’s men had been lying low for years, waiting for the right moment to strike. Now, with Santoro gone and the city in chaos, they saw their chance.
“We need to shut them down before they get any stronger,” Nico said. “If they rally the old guard, we’ll have a full-blown war on our hands.”
Luis nodded, though there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. “What’s the play? We can’t take them all out at once.”
Nico leaned back, his eyes narrowing. “We don’t need to. We just need to take out their leader. Without someone to rally around, they’ll fall apart.”
Luis raised an eyebrow. “You think they’ve got someone in charge?”
Nico’s gaze hardened. “They always do. We find him, and we end it.”
The next few days were a blur of action. Nico’s men moved quickly, gathering intel and tracking the movements of Mackin’s old lieutenants. It wasn’t long before they found their target: Angelo Ricci, one of Mackin’s most trusted men, had been quietly gathering support, pulling the old guard together in the hopes of reclaiming the city.
Nico wasn’t surprised. Angelo had always been a survivor, a man who knew how to play the long game. But Nico had no intention of letting Angelo rise to power. This was Nico’s city now, and anyone who thought otherwise was living on borrowed time.
The confrontation came in the dead of night, in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Angelo had been expecting a quiet meeting with some of his remaining allies, but when he arrived, he found Nico waiting for him instead.
Angelo’s face twisted into a sneer. “So, you’re the new king of the city now, huh?”
Nico’s expression didn’t change. “Your time is over, Angelo. This city belongs to me now.”
Angelo laughed, though there was no humour in it. “You think you can just take what was Mackin’s? Do you think you can kill a few men and call yourself the boss? This city’s not yours, Nico. It never will be.”
Nico stepped forward, his voice cold and steady. “It already is.”
Angelo’s hand moved towards his gun, but before he could draw it, Nico’s men were on him. The fight was quick and brutal. Angelo was no match for Nico’s crew, and within minutes, he was on his knees, blood trickling from a wound in his side.
“You made a mistake,” Nico said, standing over him. “You should have stayed in the shadows.”
Angelo glared up at him, defiant even in defeat. “You think you’re different, Nico? Do you think you’re better than Mackin, better than Santoro? You’re just another killer. The city will chew you up, just like it did them.”
Nico’s eyes darkened. “Maybe. But not today.”
With a swift motion, Nico pulled the trigger. Angelo fell, his body hitting the floor with a dull thud.
The city was his now, but as Nico stood over Angelo’s body, the weight of his victory pressed down on him. This was only the beginning.
The city was still at war, and even though the old guard was gone, new threats would rise. They always did.
Nico remembered what happened between Mateo and Santoro before they fell...
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
With the deaths of Sal and Ricky, Nico’s control over the city becomes more tenuous than ever. The smaller crews, once cowed by fear, are starting to fracture, and even Nico’s most trusted allies are beginning to question whether his reign can survive.As the underworld teeters on the brink of collapse, Nico must confront the reality that fear alone is no longer enough to hold his empire together. New enemies are rising from the shadows, and the city is ready to burn.The final reckoning is coming, and Nico is running out of time.The city was unravelling.The cracks in Nico’s empire, once small and hidden beneath layers of blood and fear, had grown into deep chasms. The deaths of Sal and Ricky had sent shockwaves through the underworld, and the fragile alliances Nico had built were beginning to fracture.The smaller crews that had once feared him were now quietly forming new allegiances, drawn to the whispers of rebellion that lingered in the dark corners of the city.Nico sat in the
With the defeat at the hands of the Dockyard crew, Nico’s empire is more fragile than ever. The city, once cowed by his ruthless tactics, is beginning to turn against him, and even his most trusted allies are questioning whether he can still hold control.As rival factions grow bolder and the underworld descends further into chaos, Nico must face the possibility that his reign is coming to an end. But as the flames of rebellion rise, so too does the fire within Nico—a burning determination to hold on to power, no matter the cost.The final battle for the city is about to begin, and not everyone will survive.The city had become a pressure cooker, with tensions rising, power shifting, and chaos boiling just beneath the surface. After the defeat at the hands of the Dockyard crew, Nico felt his once-unbreakable control slipping faster than he could grasp.His empire, which he had built with blood and fear, now seemed as fragile as glass. One wrong move and everything would shatter.In th
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