The Rise of Mackin Jones

Chapter 96

The plane waited in the shadows, sleek and silent, its engines humming faintly under the moonlit sky.

Luis and Maria moved through the dark. The final remnants of the empire they had built crumbled behind them. The city was still burning, its lights flickering like dying embers, but they were already gone. They had walked away from the life they had fought so hard to control, leaving it behind without a second glance.

Maria’s heels clicked softly on the pavement as they approached the car that would take them to the airport. Their escape was meticulous; every step was planned to perfection. No traces, no signs of hesitation.

But despite the precision of their departure, Luis felt something inside him shifting. There was a weight that clung to him, even as they prepared to leave everything behind.

“We’re doing this,” Maria said quietly, more to herself than to him. Her tone was cool, and measured, but there was something beneath it—a hint of disbelief. Even she, as sharp and pragmatic as she was, hadn’t expected the moment to feel so... final.

Luis didn’t respond right away. The air around them felt thick and heavy with the last gasps of their empire. He could still feel the pull of the city, the hum of power that had once run through his veins, now fading with each step they took away from it.

The beast they had spent years trying to tame would no longer belong to them but to whoever was foolish enough to try and take control next.

“We’ve got everything in place,” Maria continued, glancing at Luis as they slid into the car. “Bones is handling the last transfers. By morning, every trace of us will be gone.”

Luis leaned back in the seat, the low rumble of the car’s engine a distant sound as his thoughts spiralled. He should have felt relief, but instead, there was only a hollow ache. The city had consumed him for so long, its hunger shaping his every move, its demands dictating his life. And now, as they prepared to walk away from it all, Luis wondered if he was even capable of living without it.

“Are you ready for this?” Maria asked, breaking the silence. She watched him carefully, her eyes searching his face for any sign of doubt. She had always known him better than anyone—knew his weaknesses, his fears, his relentless need for control.

Luis’s jaw tightened, his gaze drifting out the window as the car sped towards the airport. “I don’t know,” he admitted. The words were quiet, but they carried a weight he couldn’t shake.

Maria studied him for a long moment before she spoke again. “We made the right choice.”

Luis turned to her, his eyes dark with something close to regret. “Did we?”

Maria’s lips pressed into a thin line, her confidence unshaken. “You know we did. The city would have taken us down eventually. This was the only way out.”

Luis nodded slowly, though the doubt still lingered. They had won, hadn’t they? They had outplayed everyone, survived every attack, and built an empire out of nothing. But as they left it behind, Luis couldn’t help but wonder what it had all been for. What was the point of surviving if it meant losing yourself?

The car pulled to a stop at the edge of the airstrip, the plane waiting like a shadow in the distance. Luis and Maria stepped out, the cool night air wrapping around them as they made their way towards the jet. Bones was already there, standing by the steps, his face impassive as ever.

“It’s done,” Bones said simply. “Everything’s in place.”

Luis gave a short nod, but he could feel the finality of it settling over him. There were no more moves left to make, no more pieces on the board. The game was over, and for the first time, Luis wasn’t sure if he had won or lost.

“Good,” Maria said, her voice crisp. She glanced at Luis, waiting for his signal.

Luis stood at the base of the stairs, his hand resting on the metal railing as he looked back towards the city one last time. The skyline was still visible, a sea of lights that flickered faintly in the distance. It was all ashes now, the empire they had built reduced to rubble and chaos. But even as it burnt, it still called to him.

Maria watched him carefully, her patience steady but wearing thin. “Luis.”

He turned, his expression unreadable as he met her gaze. “Let’s go.”

The plane took off smoothly, the world below shrinking into nothing as they ascended into the night sky. Maria sat across from Luis, her legs crossed, her eyes focused on the files in front of her. She was already planning their next move, their next step. The details of their new life, far from the city, were coming together in her mind.

But Luis couldn’t stop thinking about the city. The fire they had left behind.

For years, the city had been everything—his purpose, his motivation, his prison. Now, as they flew further from it, he felt... lost. He had spent so much of his life fighting, clawing his way to the top, only to discover that the top was just as hollow as the bottom.

“What comes next?” Luis asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Maria looked up from her files, her eyes narrowing slightly. “We start again. Somewhere new. Somewhere far from all of this.”

Luis nodded absently, though the words didn’t comfort him the way they should have. Starting again. It sounded simple, but Luis knew better. There was no real starting again, not after what they had done, what they had become.

He leaned back in his seat, his eyes closing as the hum of the plane filled the silence. His thoughts drifted back to the city, to the streets that still pulsed with life and danger, even as their empire crumbled into dust. The people they had left behind—the ones who had fought for them, died for them—what would become of them?

“Do you ever think about it?” Luis asked suddenly, his eyes still closed. “What we’ve left behind?”

Maria’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes. She knew what he was asking but didn’t want to entertain the thought.

“No,” she said simply. “We did what we had to do.”

Luis opened his eyes, watching her carefully. “And that’s enough for you?”

Maria’s gaze hardened. “It has to be.”

Luis didn’t respond. He leaned back, staring at the ceiling of the plane as the weight of everything settled over him. They had done what they needed to survive—to win. But somewhere along the way, Luis had lost sight of what he was fighting for.

As the plane flew further from the city, the fire they had left behind still burnt, a distant glow on the horizon. And as much as Luis tried to convince himself that it was over, that they were free, he knew the truth.

You never really escape the city.

Hours later, when they touched down in the small, private airfield far from the city, the dawn light just starting to break over the horizon, the weight hadn’t lifted. Luis stepped out of the plane, the fresh air biting against his skin, but it didn’t feel like freedom.

Maria stepped out beside him, her sharp gaze scanning the surroundings, always alert, always calculating. Bones followed behind, carrying the few belongings they had taken with them.

“We’re safe here,” Maria said, her voice steady. “We can disappear.”

Luis stared out at the horizon, the distant light stretching out over unfamiliar land. Disappear. That was what they wanted, wasn’t it? To leave the city behind, to leave the endless power struggles and bloodshed in the past.

But as they walked away from the plane, away from everything they had known, Luis felt a gnawing emptiness in his chest. The city was gone, but the hunger wasn’t.

“I hope you’re right,” Luis said quietly, his voice barely audible.

Maria glanced at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. “We’re free, Luis.”

Luis didn’t answer, but as they walked away into the unknown, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the city was still watching, waiting for the day they would return. Because no matter how far they ran, no matter how deep they disappeared, the fire was always waiting.

And it never stopped burning.

The jet touched down smoothly on the small private airfield, the world around them still and quiet in the early hours of the morning. The city was far behind them, but Luis could still feel it. The fire they had set would continue to burn long after they were gone, consuming everything and everyone who had thought they could control it.

Stepping out of the plane, Luis felt the cool air hit his skin, a stark contrast to the suffocating heat of the city they had left behind. Freedom. That’s what this was supposed to feel like. But as he stood there, the vast, open land stretching out before him, the weight of everything they had done lingered in his chest.

Maria stepped out beside him, her sharp eyes scanning their surroundings, always alert. She didn’t speak, but Luis could feel the same tension in her that he felt in himself. This wasn’t over, not yet.

Bones followed them down the steps, carrying the small bags they had brought with them. Everything else had been left behind. There was no need to hold on to anything from the past.

“We’re safe here,” Maria said after a moment, her voice calm and measured. “There’s no way for them to trace us.”

Luis nodded absently, though the words did little to ease the gnawing emptiness in his chest. Safe. That’s what they had wanted. That’s what they had fought for. But even now, after everything had burnt, Luis wasn’t sure if they could ever truly be free.

“We disappear,” Maria continued, her eyes still on him. “Start fresh. No one knows us here. We can build something new.”

Luis exhaled slowly, his gaze drifting towards the horizon. The dawn light was starting to break, casting long shadows across the airfield. A new beginning. That’s what Maria saw, but Luis couldn’t help but feel like they had left too much behind. The city was still there, still burning, and no matter how far they ran, he knew it would always be with them.

“You’re quiet,” Maria observed, her voice soft but pointed.

Luis turned to her, his expression unreadable. “Just thinking.”

“About what?”

Luis hesitated, his thoughts swirling. What were they running from? The city, the power, the endless cycle of violence and betrayal—yes, they had escaped that. But what if the real problem wasn’t the city? What if the real problem was him?

“I wonder if this will ever really be over,” Luis said quietly, his voice filled with something close to regret.

Maria’s eyes narrowed slightly. “It’s over. We walked away. We won.”

Luis shook his head, his gaze distant. “The city doesn’t let go, Maria. You know that. We can run, but it’ll find us eventually.”

Maria’s lips pressed into a thin line, her patience wearing thin. “That’s just the fear talking, Luis. We’ve done everything right. No one knows where we are. No one can touch us.”

Luis didn’t respond. He knew Maria was right—on the surface, at least. They had covered their tracks, severed every tie, and eliminated every threat. But deep down, Luis knew the truth. The city never lets you go. No matter how far you ran, no matter how much you tried to leave behind, it always found a way to pull you back in.

As they walked away from the airport, the plane already preparing for departure behind them, Luis couldn’t shake the feeling that the fire was still burning, somewhere deep inside him. And no matter how far they went, it would always be there.

“You’re wrong, Maria,” Luis said quietly, his voice barely audible as they disappeared into the shadows. “It’s never over.”