The Rise of Mackin Jones

Chapter 90

Luis has taken control of the entire city, but the victory feels hollow. The fires that have consumed the Southside and the Dockyard have left Luis questioning the price of power and the cost of survival. As he grapples with the emptiness that follows his final victory, Luis must confront the reality that no matter how many battles he wins, the city will always take more.

The reign of kings is over, and in the end, the city always wins.

The city smouldered under a dark sky, the distant glow of fire flickering across the skyline like dying embers. Luis stood alone on the rooftop of the penthouse, the wind carrying the smell of smoke and ash as it swept through the air. Below him, the streets were quiet, but not in the way they had been before. This wasn’t the calm before a storm—it was the eerie silence that followed one.

He had done it. The Southside, the Dockyard, the Eastside—it was all his. There was no one left to challenge him, no enemies waiting in the shadows. He had crushed every faction that dared to stand against him, taking the city with ruthless efficiency. But as Luis stood there, staring out over the empire he had fought so hard to control, he felt nothing but emptiness.

The city was his, but at what cost?

Inside the penthouse, Maria waited, watching him from the shadows. She hadn’t said much since the final assault, her usual sharpness dulled by the weight of everything they had done. Luis could sense the distance growing between them, not because of distrust or disagreement, but because the city had changed them both. The fire they had stoked in the streets had burned through more than just their enemies. It had burnt through them too.

Luis turned from the rooftop, walking back inside the penthouse. Maria was standing by the window, her arms crossed, her face as unreadable as ever. But there was a heaviness in her posture, a subtle slouch that betrayed her exhaustion.

“It’s over,” Luis said quietly, though the words felt hollow even as he spoke them.

Maria nodded, her gaze drifting over the city below. “For now.”

Luis let out a slow breath, the weight of her words pressing down on him. He had always known that the city never stayed quiet for long. There was always another threat, always someone else waiting to rise. But this time, it felt different. The enemies he had crushed were gone, and the crews that remained had been beaten into submission. The city was quiet, but not because it was biding its time. It was quiet because there was nothing left to fight for.

Maria turned to face him, her eyes sharp but tired. “You don’t think it’s over, do you?”

Luis didn’t answer right away. He walked to the bar and poured himself a drink, the amber liquid swirling in the glass as he stared at it. “What else is there?”

Maria crossed the room, standing just a few feet from him, her arms still crossed. “There’s always something. The city doesn’t stop. You know that.”

Luis stared down at the glass in his hand, his reflection distorted by the whisky. “I’ve done everything I could to hold it together. I’ve fought, I’ve bled, and I’ve killed more people than I can count. And for what? The city’s still standing, but it feels like I’ve lost everything.”

Maria was silent for a moment, her eyes locked on him. She had been with him through it all, seen the rise, the fall, and the rise again. She knew better than anyone the cost of survival in a city like this. And yet, even she seemed unsure of what came next.

“You survived,” Maria said quietly, her voice carrying a note of finality. “That’s more than most people can say.”

Luis shook his head, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Surviving isn’t living.”

Maria didn’t respond, and the silence between them stretched on, heavy with unspoken truths. Luis had built an empire, but it had come at the expense of everything else. The people he had trusted, the alliances he had forged, even the sense of purpose that had once driven him—it was all gone, consumed by the fires he had stoked.

He took a long drink, the burn of the whisky doing little to numb the hollow ache inside him.

“There’s nothing left,” Luis said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve won, but there’s nothing left.”

Maria stepped closer, her voice soft but firm. “Then rebuild it. You’ve torn down the old order, but that doesn’t mean you have to leave it in ruins. You have control now, Luis. You can shape the city into something better.”

Luis let out a humourless laugh, shaking his head. “Better? There’s no better place in a place like this. The city doesn’t want better. It wants power. It wants blood.”

Maria’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—something close to pity. “Maybe. But you still have a choice.”

Luis stared at her, his chest tightening. A choice. It felt like a cruel joke. For so long, everything had been about survival, about maintaining control. But now that he had won, now that the city was his, the idea of choice felt meaningless. What was left to choose?

“You think I can change this place?” Luis asked, his voice low, almost disbelieving.

Maria didn’t hesitate. “If anyone can, it’s you.”

Luis exhaled slowly, his mind racing. The city had always been a beast, something wild and untamable. But for the first time in years, he found himself wondering if it was possible to tame it. To rebuild it into something less destructive, less hungry.

But even as the thought crossed his mind, Luis knew the truth. The city didn’t want to be tamed. It thrived on chaos, power struggles, on bloodshed. And if Luis tried to change that, it would chew him up and spit him out just like it had done to everyone before him.

Still, the idea lingered.

“Maybe you’re right,” Luis said after a long pause, his voice softer now. “Maybe there’s a chance.”

Maria watched him closely, her eyes searching his face for something. “Then take it.”

Luis drained the rest of his drink, setting the glass down on the bar. The room felt suffocating, the weight of everything pressing down on him, but for the first time in what felt like forever, he could see a way forward. It wasn’t clear, and it wasn’t easy, but it was something.

“I’ll think about it,” Luis said quietly, though the words felt like a promise to himself more than anyone else.

Maria nodded, though her expression remained serious. “Don’t wait too long. The city doesn’t give second chances.”

Luis nodded, though the truth of her words hung in the air like a noose. He had fought so hard to keep everything together, to build an empire out of the ashes of the one that had come before. But now that he was standing on top, he realised that the city wasn’t something that could be controlled. It was something that had to survive.

“Where do we start?” Luis asked, his voice steady but laced with uncertainty.

Maria’s eyes sharpened, her mind already moving to the next step. “We start by consolidating what we have. We lock down the south side, the dockyard, and the east side. We make sure there are no more power vacuums. And then we build.”

Luis nodded, though the idea of building something new felt foreign to him. He had spent so long tearing things down, fighting to hold onto control, that the thought of creating something different seemed almost impossible.

But Maria was right. He had a choice now, and for the first time in years, he wasn’t just fighting to survive. He had won. And maybe, just maybe, he could do something with that victory.

“We build,” Luis repeated, though the words felt heavy on his tongue.

The weeks that followed were a blur of movement, strategy, and consolidation. Luis and Maria worked tirelessly to shore up their control over the city, stamping out the last remnants of resistance and bringing the smaller crews in line. Miguel, despite his earlier struggles, proved to be an effective leader in the Southside, and with Luis’s support, he managed to stabilise the district.

The Dockyard, too, fell under Luis’s complete control. The factions that had once vied for power there had been crushed, their leaders either dead or forced into hiding. For the first time in years, the dockyard was quiet, its smuggling operations running smoothly under Luis’s watchful eye.

But even as the city settled into a fragile peace, Luis couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. He had won, yes, but the victory felt hollow. The city was his, but it didn’t feel like enough. The fires that had once burnt inside him, driving him to take control, had dimmed, leaving him with nothing but the cold, hard reality of what he had built.

One night, as Luis sat alone in his penthouse, staring out at the city that stretched endlessly before him, he realised what it was.

Purpose.

He had fought so hard and bled so much, but in the end, it had all been for survival. He had never stopped to think about what came after. And now that he had won, now that he had control, he didn’t know what to do with it.

Maria entered the room, her footsteps quiet but deliberate. She had been keeping a close eye on him, watching as he grappled with the weight of his victory. She knew him better than anyone, and she could see the toll it was taking on him.

“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” Maria asked, her voice soft but direct.

Luis didn’t look at her. He kept his eyes on the skyline, the distant lights flickering like stars. “Yeah.”

Maria stepped closer, her presence steadying. “You don’t have to do this alone, you know.”

Luis glanced at her, his expression tired but grateful. “I know.”

They stood in silence for a moment, the weight of everything they had been through hanging between them. The city had taken so much from them both, but it had also given them something in return—each other. Luis had never trusted anyone as much as he trusted Maria, and in a city where loyalty was a rare commodity, that meant everything.

“What now?” Luis asked quietly, his voice filled with uncertainty.

Maria’s eyes softened, and for the first time in a long time, there was something close to hope in her expression. “Now, we rebuild. On our terms.”

Luis nodded, though the path ahead still felt uncertain. But for the first time, he didn’t feel like he was alone in it. He had survived the city’s hunger, and now, with Maria by his side, maybe—just maybe—they could build something new.

Something better.