24. Dion
24
DION
I ’m halfway through my morning run when my phone buzzes in my pocket, interrupting the steady rhythm of my breathing. I slow to a jog, pulling it out. It’s a video call from Evander and Xander . Strange . I swipe to answer and come to a stop, my pulse still racing from the exertion.
“ Thank fucking God ,” Evander’s face fills the screen, looking unusually alarmed. “ Are you okay?”
I wipe the sweat from my forehead, feeling a prickle of anxiety. “ Yeah , why wouldn’t I be?”
“ There was an explosion at one of our warehouses,” Xander says, his voice tense. “ Leon called us. Said it was pretty bad.”
My heart drops. “ What ? Which warehouse?”
“ The one at the Port .”
I’m already turning on my heels, sprinting back home. “ I’m heading there now.”
“ We’re on our way too.”
I end the call, adrenaline pumping through my veins, pushing me to run faster. The distance back to my house blurs and before I know it, I’ve grabbed my keys and I’m in my car, speeding toward the warehouse. The drive feels interminable, even though I’m well over the speed limit.
When I arrive, it’s as if a fist is squeezing my chest when I see the smoldering remains of my Ducati . It’s been blown to pieces. The smell of burnt rubber and metal fills the air. I’m momentarily frozen, staring at the scorched ground.
Then , I notice something even worse—a body being pulled from the wreckage. Was someone targeting me ?
“ Dion !” Leon rushes over.
I snap out of my stupor. “ What happened? Who is it?” I mumble.
“ Luca .” Fuck . The kid was only nineteen.
I march toward the warehouse. “ Did anyone see anything? Anyone suspicious?”
He shakes his head. “ Not yet. We’re still trying to get everyone accounted for.” Leon looks around, lowering his voice. “ We’re not sure, but it could be a rival clan…though it seemed more personal. Your bike, specifically.”
I clench my fists, trying to keep my cool and storm inside, finding everyone already gathered in a huddle. “ Alright , listen up,” I bark. “ Did anyone see anything or anyone out of the ordinary before the explosion?”
Silence . Nervous glances exchanged. I grit my teeth. “ Speak the fuck up!”
A timid voice finally pipes up, “ I saw a man last night. He was hanging around the parking lot, but I didn’t think much of it. He had a cap pulled low over his face.”
I’m about to press for more details when Xander and Evander burst in.
“ We need to check the cameras,” Xander says, not wasting a second as he heads to the office.
We rush to the security room. Xander rewinds the footage from last night, eyes glued to the screen.
Then we see him: a shadowy figure slipping onto the property, moving with deliberate purpose. He approaches my bike, fiddles around with it, and a few minutes later, he’s gone. Shortly after, Luca , unaware of the danger, lights up a cigarette and leans against the bike. Moments later, the explosion rocks the camera.
The man’s silhouette was painfully familiar. My mind races back to the footage of the man leaving me the threatening notes on the ship.
It all clicks in my mind.
“ It’s Andrew Galanis ,” I say, my voice cold and certain. “ He’s been trying to get rid of me.”
Xander looks at me, understanding dawning in his eyes. “ You sure?”
“ Positive .” I pull out my phone, hands shaking with rage, and dial a number I’ve been avoiding for a long time. The line connects. “ Andrew .”
There’s a moment of silence on the other end. “ Dion . You’re supposed to be dead.”
I can practically taste the shock in his voice. “ Not dead, Andrew . Far from it. But this ends now.”
He chuckles, a sinister edge to the sound. “ Are you threatening me, Dion ?”
My grip tightens on the phone. “ Yes , Andrew . I swear to God I will fucking end you.”
“ Do you really think so? You and I both know you won’t do anything to risk her .”
My blood runs cold. “ Don’t you dare touch a hair on Aria’s head.”
“ Oh , soon the whore will be mine to do whatever I want with.”
“ You have no idea what I’m capable of, Andrew ,” I growl. “ If I see you around, I won’t hesitate. You’d better watch your back, because I’ll fucking slice your head off and revel in every drop of your blood, you worthless cunt.”
I hang up, fuming, seeing red. The office is a blur as I start trashing everything in sight, overturning chairs, sweeping papers off desks.
“ Dion , stop!” Evander’s voice cuts through my rage. He grabs my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “ We have to be smart about this. We’re still working on our own plan. We need to keep the chaos at a minimum for now. You can’t go and just kill him.”
I take a deep breath, trying to rein in my fury. “ He’s going to get what’s coming to him.”
Evander nods. “ He will. But we have to be strategic. Trust me.”
I exhale slowly, hands still shaking with rage. “ Alright . But when the time comes, I want to be the one to take him down.”