The Rise of Mackin Jones

Chapter 99

The meeting was set for the following night, but Luis couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out.

There were too many unknowns and too many variables at play, and while he trusted Bones to handle the logistics, Luis knew that control could slip away at any moment if they weren’t careful.

Jaxon was a wildcard, someone who had appeared out of nowhere, taking advantage of the power vacuum they had left behind. And while Luis had dealt with men like him before, something about Jaxon felt different—dangerous in a way that was hard to define.

As Luis and Maria prepared for the meeting, the weight of their decision to return hung heavily between them. They had left the city behind once, convinced that walking away was the only way to survive. But now that they were back, the stakes felt higher than ever.

Maria adjusted the cuff of her jacket, her movements sharp and precise. She was focused and methodical, the way she always was before a fight. Luis watched her from across the room, his mind racing through the possibilities of how the meeting could go.

“You ready for this?” Maria asked, her voice steady.

Luis nodded, though the tension in his chest hadn’t eased. They had come back for a reason, and now it was time to act. There was no more hesitation, no more doubt.

“It’s time to take back what’s ours,” Luis said, his voice hard.

Maria’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Then let’s remind them who we are.”

The club where the meeting had been arranged was buried deep in the Dockyard, disguised as a rundown warehouse—the kind of place no one paid attention to unless they knew what to look for. It was quiet now, the streets mostly empty, save for a few men lingering in the shadows, watching, waiting.

Luis stepped out of the car, his eyes scanning the area with the precision of someone who had spent years reading every detail, every crack in the pavement, every flicker of movement. He could feel the tension and the anticipation in the air. The city had always felt like this, like something dangerous was always just below the surface, waiting to erupt.

Beside him, Maria moved with the same sharp focus, her eyes darting to the corners where she knew threats could be hiding. They had done this dance before—meeting with men like Jaxon, men who thought they could control the streets simply by taking over territory. But Luis knew better. The city didn’t bow to anyone, not for long.

“This feels wrong,” Maria murmured, her voice low, almost too soft to hear.

Luis didn’t look at her, but he knew exactly what she meant. The Dockyard had been theirs once, but now it was different—foreign, unstable. Jaxon had taken control, but that didn’t mean he understood what it took to hold it.

“He’s trying to prove something,” Luis said as they approached the door to the club. “That’s what this meeting is about.”

Maria’s lips curled into a slight, cold smile. “Then let’s see what he’s got to prove.”

Bones was waiting just inside the door, his large frame filling the narrow hallway as he nodded to them. His eyes flicked towards the back of the club where Jaxon’s men were gathered, a mix of new faces and familiar ones, all of them watching with interest as Luis and Maria entered the room. The tension was palpable.

“He’s ready for you,” Bones said, his voice low, but there was an edge to it that Luis didn’t like. Bones didn’t get nervous easily, but tonight there was something different—something off.

Luis nodded, his expression unreadable. “Let’s get this over with.”

The room was dark, lit only by a few dim overhead lights that cast long shadows on the cracked concrete floor. Jaxon sat at the far end of the table, his posture relaxed, but Luis could see the sharpness in his eyes and the way he was calculating every move and every word. He was younger than Luis had expected, maybe late twenties, with a wiry frame and an air of arrogance that clung to him like a second skin.

Around him, his crew stood like statues, silent but ready. Luis took in the room quickly, noting the exits and the positions of the men. They were prepared for trouble, which meant Jaxon wasn’t as confident as he wanted to appear.

Maria took a seat beside Luis, her expression cool, her gaze locked on Jaxon. She didn’t speak; she didn’t need to. This was Luis’s moment. He was the one Jaxon wanted to meet, the one Jaxon needed to impress—or destroy.

“You must be Luis,” Jaxon said, his voice smooth, but there was something sharp beneath it. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Luis didn’t flinch. “I’m sure you have.”

Jaxon leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table as he studied Luis. This was a test. He wanted to see what Luis was made of if the stories about him were true.

“You left the city,” Jaxon continued, his tone casual, but Luis could hear the challenge in it. “Walked away from everything. And now you’re back. Why?”

Luis leaned forward slightly, his eyes never leaving Jaxon’s. “Because this city belongs to me.”

There was a flicker of something in Jaxon’s expression—surprise, maybe, or amusement—but it disappeared as quickly as it came. He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Does it?” Jaxon asked. “Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like the city’s doing just fine without you.”

Luis’s gaze hardened, his voice dropping a degree. “The city doesn’t belong to anyone who thinks they can take it by force. It’s not about territory or numbers. It’s about understanding the game. And from what I’ve seen, you don’t.”

Jaxon’s smile faltered for a moment, but he recovered quickly. “I’m running things here now. The Dockyard, the Southside—it’s mine. And I don’t see anyone challenging that.”

Luis glanced around the room, noting the tension in Jaxon’s crew, the way their hands rested near their weapons, their eyes flicking nervously between Luis and their boss. They were on edge, and that told him everything he needed to know. Jaxon was holding the territory, but not securely.

“You’re running it,” Luis said, his tone icy, “but that doesn’t mean you understand it. The city’s not just about muscle. It’s about control. And control is something you’ve never had.”

Maria’s eyes flicked to Luis, her lips curving into a subtle smile as she watched Jaxon’s expression tighten. Luis was pushing him, and it was working. Jaxon wanted to prove himself, but he hadn’t expected this.

“Control?” Jaxon repeated, leaning forward slightly. “That’s what you think you had before you left? You think you can just walk back in here and take it all back?”

Luis’s gaze didn’t waver. “I know I can.”

The room was silent for a moment, the air thick with tension. Jaxon’s crew shifted uncomfortably, their eyes darting between their boss and the man who had just walked back into their world as he had never left.

Jaxon stood suddenly, his chair scraping against the floor as he leaned on the table, his hands splayed out in front of him. The arrogance was gone now, replaced with something harder, something closer to desperation.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Jaxon said, his voice low and dangerous. “This city doesn’t care about you anymore. You’re old news. I’ve been building this empire while you’ve been hiding, and I’m not about to let you take it away from me.”

Luis didn’t move; he didn’t flinch. “That’s where you’re wrong. The city doesn’t care about anyone. But it remembers. And it’s about to remember who runs things.”

Jaxon’s eyes darkened, his hands clenching into fists on the table. For a moment, Luis thought he might lash out, might do something stupid. But instead, Jaxon smiled—a cold, sharp smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“You think you can just walk back in here and talk your way into control?” Jaxon said, his voice dripping with disdain. “You think that’s how this works?”

Luis stood slowly, his gaze locked on Jaxon. He didn’t need to answer. He didn’t need to convince Jaxon of anything. The truth was already in the air, suffocating the room.

“This is how it works,” Luis said quietly, his voice steady. “I don’t need to talk my way into control. I am in control.”

Maria stood beside him, her gaze icy as she looked at Jaxon. She didn’t say a word, but her presence was enough. They had come here to send a message, and it had been delivered.

Jaxon’s face twisted with anger, but there was something else there too—fear. He might have been running the dockyard, but deep down, he knew the truth. He was out of his depth.

As Luis and Maria turned to leave, Jaxon called after them, his voice tight with frustration. “You think you’re in control? We’ll see about that.”

Luis didn’t look back. He didn’t need to.

Outside the club, the air was thick with the smell of rain and gasoline, and the streets were slick with water as they made their way to the car. Luis could feel the adrenaline still thrumming in his veins, but there was a sense of calm that had settled over him now. The first move had been made. Now, it was just a matter of time.

“You think he’ll come after us?” Maria asked as they slid into the backseat, her voice low but edged with anticipation.

Luis glanced at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. “He’ll try. But it won’t matter.”

Maria’s eyes glinted in the dim light of the car, her sharp mind already working through the next steps. “We’ll need to move quickly. If he gets desperate, he’ll make a mistake.”

Luis nodded. “He already has.”

The car pulled away from the curb, the city lights flickering in the distance as they disappeared into the night. The game was on, and Jaxon had made the critical mistake of thinking he could play on their level.

But this city didn’t belong to Jaxon or to anyone who thought they could take it by force. It belonged to those who understood the real game—the one played in the shadows, in whispers, with moves no one else saw coming.

And as they drove deeper into the heart of the city, Luis knew one thing for certain: they were back.

And this time, they weren’t leaving until the city was theirs again.