The Rise of Mackin Jones

Chapter 80

Luis has united the city’s fractured underworld, taking down Angelo and bringing a fragile peace to the streets. But the city is restless, and the fire that once consumed it still burns beneath the surface.

As Luis navigates the delicate balance of power, he must confront the reality that the peace he has broken may not last. The city is always hungry for more, and in the underworld, nothing stays quiet for long.

The storm is coming, and Luis is the only thing standing between the city and chaos.

The city that Luis now ruled was not the same one Nico had reigned over. It was quieter, but it wasn’t peaceful. The chaos had been suppressed, not eliminated.

The streets were still dangerous, but the open warfare that had consumed the underworld in the wake of Nico’s death had subsided—for now. Luis had done what he set out to do, but the victory felt fragile, like a glass castle waiting to shatter.

Luis sat in his office in the penthouse, staring at the map spread across the table. Each neighbourhood and each street was marked with the names of the crews who controlled them.

It was a patchwork of alliances, truces, and unspoken agreements, all stitched together by Luis’s leadership. But the stitches were thin, and Luis knew it wouldn’t take much to tear them apart.

The city wasn’t calm because it had found peace—it was calm because it was holding its breath.

Maria entered the room quietly, her presence a steadying force in the shifting currents of the underworld. She had been instrumental in helping Luis broker the uneasy alliances that now held the city together, and though she wasn’t officially part of the ruling structure, her influence was undeniable. She moved like a shadow through the underworld, gathering information and keeping tabs on potential threats.

“They’re starting to question you,” Maria said without preamble, leaning against the desk. She crossed her arms, watching Luis carefully.

Luis looked up, his expression unreadable. “Who?”

“Some of the smaller crews,” she replied. “Marco’s been making noise on the Southside. Leo, too. They’re not happy with how the territory lines were drawn.”

Luis exhaled slowly, his eyes darkening. “I gave them what they wanted—power, stability. What more do they expect?”

Maria shrugged, though there was no humour in her expression. “Power’s never enough in this city. You know that.”

Luis stood, moving to the window to look out over the city he had fought so hard to control. The skyline glittered in the distance, but it felt like a cold, distant thing—detached from the reality on the streets. The city was alive, always shifting, always hungry. And now that the dust had settled from Angelo’s fall, the hunger was growing again.

“They think they can do better,” Luis muttered, more to himself than to Maria. “That they can run this city better than me.”

Maria moved beside him, her gaze following his to the city below. “Some of them do. Some just see an opportunity to take more for themselves. You gave them peace, but peace doesn’t satisfy the ones who crave more.”

Luis clenched his fists, the frustration building inside him. He had tried to do things differently—to give the city something more than just another blood-soaked reign of terror. But in the end, maybe Maria was right. Maybe peace was never enough.

“What do you suggest?” Luis asked, his voice low.

Maria was silent for a moment, her eyes sharp as she considered the question. “You need to remind them why they follow you. Right now, they’re testing the limits. They need to know that you’re still in control.”

Luis’s jaw tightened. He had tried to rule without using the same tactics Nico had—without relying solely on fear and violence. But the truth of the city was inescapable. Fear was the currency that kept power in check. And if he didn’t remind the smaller crews of that, they’d tear each other—and him—apart.

“I’ve spent months trying to pull this city back together,” Luis said, his voice filled with quiet resolve. “But if they think I’m weak, then maybe it’s time they remember who they’re dealing with.”

The following week, Luis moved swiftly.

He had given the smaller crews too much room to breathe, too much freedom to think they could challenge his leadership. That was a mistake he couldn’t afford to make again. The fragile peace he had established needed to be reinforced with more than just promises—it needed to be backed by force.

The first move was against Marco.

The Southside crew had always been ambitious, and Marco had been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the way the territories had been divided after Angelo’s fall. He had kept his complaints mostly quiet, but Luis knew better than to ignore the whispers. Whispers turned into rebellions in a city like this.

Luis didn’t send a message. He sent a strike team.

Under the cover of night, his men descended on one of Marco’s key operations—an illegal gambling den on the edge of the Southside. It was one of Marco’s main revenue streams, and taking it out would send a clear message: Luis wasn’t to be tested.

The attack was swift and brutal. Luis’s men stormed the building, taking out Marco’s guards with cold precision. The gamblers inside scattered in panic, but Luis’s men were focused—they knew who their targets were. Within minutes, the operation was in ruins, and Marco’s crew had been decimated.

Luis didn’t participate in the raid, but he was there afterwards, standing in the wreckage of Marco’s empire as his men reported the results. Marco hadn’t been there, but the message was clear: Luis was still in control, and anyone who thought otherwise would pay the price.

Luis lit a cigarette as he stood outside the destroyed gambling den, the cold night air biting at his skin. His mind was already moving to the next step. Marco would respond—he had to. And when he did, Luis would be ready.

“You think this will be enough?” Maria’s voice came from behind him, soft but serious.

Luis exhaled a plume of smoke, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the distant lights of the Southside. “It’s a start. But Marco’s just the beginning.”

Maria nodded, though her expression remained thoughtful. “And Leo?”

Luis clenched his jaw. Leo had always been a wildcard. He had been one of Nico’s lieutenants before breaking away, and though he had sided with Luis after Angelo’s fall, there was no loyalty in their alliance. Leo was a survivor—he would do whatever it took to stay in power, even if that meant betraying Luis.

“We deal with Marco first,” Luis said, his voice cold. “Then we remind Leo who’s in charge.”

The retaliation came quicker than expected.

Marco hadn’t waited long to strike back. Less than two days after Luis’s men took down his gambling operation, Marco’s crew hit one of Luis’s key supply lines on the Southside. It was a bold move—one that sent a clear message. Marco wasn’t backing down. He was coming for Luis’s empire.

Luis stood in the middle of the wreckage, his face unreadable as his men cleared the scene. The attack had been devastating. Marco’s crew had hit hard, taking out several of Luis’s men and crippling one of the most important operations in the Southside.

Maria arrived not long after, her expression grim as she took in the scene. “He’s escalating.”

Luis nodded, his eyes dark with frustration. He had expected Marco to retaliate, but not like this. Not with such precision. Marco wasn’t just angry—he was trying to prove a point.

“He’s testing us,” Luis muttered, his voice low. “He wants to see how far he can push before we break.”

Maria crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. “So what’s the move?”

Luis didn’t hesitate. “We hit him. Hard. This ends now.”

The next night, Luis’s forces moved in on Marco’s main base of operations—a warehouse deep in the heart of the Southside. It was a high-risk move, but Luis didn’t have time for subtlety. Marco had to be taken down before he could do any more damage.

Luis led the assault personally this time. He wasn’t Nico, but he knew that in a city like this, sometimes the only way to maintain control was to remind people that you weren’t afraid to get your hands dirty.

The attack was quick and brutal. Luis’s men stormed the warehouse, cutting down Marco’s guards with ruthless efficiency. The sounds of gunfire echoed through the night, the flash of muzzle fire lighting up the dark streets as the battle raged on.

Luis moved through the chaos, his gun steady in his hand as he pushed towards the heart of the warehouse. Marco was inside—he had to be. Luis could feel it. This was the endgame. Marco had overplayed his hand, and now he would pay the price.

As Luis reached the centre of the warehouse, he found Marco surrounded by his remaining men. The look on Marco’s face was a mix of anger and fear, but there was something else there too—defiance.

“So this is how it ends, huh?” Marco sneered, raising his gun as Luis approached. “You think you can take my territory? My crew?”

Luis didn’t respond. He moved like a predator, cutting through Marco’s men with deadly precision. Marco fired his gun, but the shot went wide, and before he could react, Luis was on him.

The fight was over in seconds.

Marco crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from the gunshot wound in his chest. He gasped for breath, his eyes wide with shock as he stared up at Luis.

“You... you don’t get it,” Marco whispered, his voice weak. “This city... it’ll never be yours. It’s bigger than you... bigger than all of us.”

Luis stood over him, his face unreadable. “I don’t need it to be mine. I just need it to know who’s in charge.”

With that, Luis raised his gun and fired the final shot.

The news of Marco’s death spread quickly through the city. Luis had made his move, and the message was clear: he wasn’t to be tested. The smaller crews that had once whispered about rebellion fell silent, and for a brief moment, the city held its breath again.

But Luis knew better than to celebrate. He had dealt with Marco, but Leo was still out there, and the Dockyard crew had always been unpredictable. Peace, if it came, would be short-lived. The city was always hungry for more, always waiting for the next king to rise—or fall.

Luis returned to the penthouse late that night, exhausted but still alert. Maria was waiting for him, her face calm but thoughtful.

“It’s done,” Luis said, sitting heavily in the chair across from her. “Marco’s finished.”

Maria nodded, though there was no sense of triumph in her expression. “And Leo?”

Luis sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Leo’s next.”

Maria leaned forward, her eyes locking onto his. “This isn’t going to end, you know that, right? Every time you take one of them down, another will rise. That’s how it works in this city.”

Luis met her gaze, his expression hard. “I know. But if I don’t do this, everything we’ve built will fall apart.”

Maria was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. So we keep going.”

Luis exhaled, his mind already moving to the next battle, the next threat. The city wasn’t his. It had never been. But as long as he could hold it together, he would. Because if he didn’t, no one else would.