Chapter 40
The next target
Victor sprints towards the warehouse, the shockwave of the blast still ringing in his ears as he breaches the entrance.
Inside, the air is thick with smoke and raining embers.
Teajun is already moving through the haze, hauling out the injured men one by one.
The rest of the crew follows suit, but Victor focuses on the wreckage.
He ventures deeper into the burning structure, his eyes scanning the debris for any shred of evidence the enemies might have left behind.
Outside, the distant wail of sirens cuts through the roar of the fire. The police and fire brigade arrive at that exact moment. Just as the flashing lights illuminate the smoke, Victor catches sight of a man sprinting from the rear exit of the warehouse.
He gives chase instantly. Closing the distance, Victor leaps through the air, grabs the fleeing man by the neck, and slams him hard against the ground. Victor pins him, driving a heavy punch directly into his face before wrapping his hands around the man's throat to choke him out.
The man fights back with desperate strength.
He delivers a sharp kick to Victor’s leg, followed by a hard strike to his abdomen.
Sensing a brief window between the blows, the man scrambles to run.
But Victor is a psychopath—everyone knows he does not let go easily.
He lunges again, squeezing the man's throat.
As the man begins to slip into unconsciousness, he delivers one final, desperate kick straight between Victor’s legs, striking his private parts before going completely limp.
Victor drops to the ground, screaming in agonizing pain. "Oh, fuck! Ouch!" He doubles over, clutching his crotch with both hands. Panting through the sharp pain, he pulls out his phone and dials Lucius, his voice strained as he informs him that he has captured another one of Alessio’s men.
Suddenly, Teajun runs towards Victor, taking in his curled-up posture and the approaching sirens. "Sit in the car," Teajun orders, ushering him forward. "Alex is waiting. The area is full of police."
Victor cuts the call and forces himself to stand, steadying his breathing. He glares down at the limp body. "Take this unconscious man to the basement."
Teajun heaves the unconscious man onto his shoulder, effortlessly bearing the weight as he navigates the escape route.
He hustles to the rear of the vehicle, opens the trunk, and places the man inside.
Victor sits in the passenger seat, grimacing in pain.
Closing the trunk with a firm thud, Teajun sprints around and slides into the seat next to Alex.
The engine roars to life, and the car tears away into the night.
Alex steers the vehicle through the streets before casting a glance sideways. "Where do you want to go?" he asks Teajun.
"Lucius’s private hospital," Teajun replies, his tone sharp.
Victor shifts uncomfortably in his seat, his voice strained. "But where are you taking the unconscious body?"
Teajun turns his head slightly. "Did you check his body? Does he have any gun or knife, or anything?"
"No," Victor mutters, his jaw clenched against the ache.
Teajun unscrews the cap of a water bottle and hands it over, offering him a couple of painkillers. "It might help you, dude."
Alex glances between them through the rear-view mirror. "What's the problem?"
"That man kicked him right in his balls," Teajun says smoothly.
Alex bites his lip, trying to control his laughter, but a faint, muffled puff escapes his lips nonetheless.
The car weaves through the labyrinth of New York City, tires slicking against the damp, rain-soaked streets of Brooklyn as it takes sharp turns. Alex has already handled the local authorities to ensure their path remains clear.
Victor leans back against the headrest. "How much did you pay them?"
"One and a half million dollars each," Alex answers casually, turning another corner.
Teajun whistles softly. "How many police officers were there?"
"Four head officers," Alex clarifies.
Victor scoffs, his irritation flaring through the pain. "You waste money too much."
Teajun lets out a sharp chuckle. "Not a waste, actually. Alex bought them. Ha! Ha!"
"Ah," Victor scoffs, shifting his weight. "Business lawyer has a business mind."
Alex keeps his eyes locked onto the road ahead.
Suddenly, a massive truck barrels into view, deliberately aiming to ram their vehicle.
Alex yanks the steering wheel hard, swerving to avoid a catastrophic head-on collision.
The car takes a minor hit on the side, scraping against an obstacle with a sharp screech.
He manages to steady the steering wheel and veers into a shortcut lane leading toward the hospital.
The truck does not slow down; it maintains its speed, tailing their car relentlessly.
"Call the gang members!" Alex barks.
Without breaking stride, he throws the steering wheel over, driving the car into a narrow alleyway.
The opening is far too tight for the truck to follow, successfully cutting off their pursuer.
As the car tears down the alley, the headlights illuminate three motorcycles waiting ahead.
Their own gang members are already stationed there, standing by the bikes.
Alex kills the engine and exits the car. He grabs a helmet, pulling it over his head.
One of the gang members steps forward. "We will handle the job. You can get out of here."
Victor and Teajun scramble out of the car. They stride to the rear, pop the trunk, and move the unconscious captive out onto the ground. Victor hands the man over to his team. "Take him to the hospital basement."
With the handoff complete, Victor and Teajun pull on their helmets and mount the remaining bikes. They kick the starters, the engines roaring to life, and blast out of the alleyway at a speed of 120 km/h.
Behind them, the stationed gang members lift the captive and move toward the medical facility.
Deep within the high-security basement of the hospital, Lucius is already waiting. He lights a cigar, pulling a long, deliberate drag. Heavy footsteps echo against the concrete walls as the crew enters, carrying the captive. They bring him forward, throwing him directly at Lucius’s feet.
Lucius slowly exhales a thick cloud of smoke, his gaze dropping to the man on the floor.
He steps forward, grabbing a fistful of the captive's hair to force him to look up.
"I won't ask who sent you," Lucius murmurs, his voice dropping into a dangerous register.
"I only want to know why he sent you. What is the reason?"
The captive glares back, tight-lipped. Lucius smiles coldly. "Look behind me. Do you recognize them?"
The man shifts his gaze past Lucius. Tied to two chairs in the shadows are a man and a woman, their hands bound and mouths covered with tape. The moment the captive’s eyes land on them, specifically on the woman, something inside him visibly breaks. It shows completely in his eyes.
He desperately tries to hold the woman's gaze, attempting a silent, desperate communication through his eyes. Lucius catches the look instantly. He rises to his full height, draws his firearm from behind his back, and fires. He shoots the woman first, then the man sitting next to her.
The captive thrashes violently against his restraints, a raw, agonizing shriek tearing from his throat.
"NO! NO! WHY DID YOU DO THAT, NO! OHHHH GOD, SHE IS MY LAST brEATH. LUCIUS, MOTHERFUCKER, WHY?"
Tears flood his eyes, a heavy torrent he cannot hope to stop. He thrashes against his restraints, his voice breaking into a fractured, desperate wail.
"GOD, WHY SHE DOING THIS? IT'S MY FAULT! IF ONLY I HAD FORBIDDEN HER THAT DAY... IF ONLY I HAD HELD HER ONE LAST TIME AND TOLD HER THIS MAFIA LINE IS NO GOOD! IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER JUST ONE MORE TIME! IF ONLY SHE HAD LISTENED TO ME, IF I HAD TRIED ONE LAST TIME!"
I failed her. I let her walk straight into hell, and now she is gone.
Lucius ignores the breakdown, remaining detached as he begins the formal interrogation. The captive's hands are bound tight to a chair now. Lucius raises the cigar to his lips, taking another long, slow drag.
The captive looks up, his face stained with tears. "You kill my wife in front of me."
"She was doing illegal thing in my mansion," Lucius replies flatly.
The man falls utterly silent this time. His eyes turn bloodshot, and a strange, tense motion locks his jaw. It looks like he has something hidden inside his mouth.
Lucius’s eyes narrow instantly. "Check his mouth."
Before anyone can intervene, a cracking sound comes from the man's mouth.
His body goes completely rigid, and he collapses heavily onto the floor.
The gang members rush forward to inspect him, but it is too late.
They confirm that the captive broke a cyanide capsule hidden in his teeth, committing suicide to keep his silence.
Lucius steps forward, approaching the body on the floor. He reaches down and slips his hand into the dead man's chest pocket, pulling out a crisp casino card. He turns the card over in his fingers, staring down at it for a long beat before looking up at his crew.
"Send the dead bodies back to Alessio," Lucius commands flatly. "And write a letter to go with them. Tell him I say how sad I am for him."
He pockets the casino card, his expression growing lethal.
"Tell him Lucius Blackwood never goes hunting for anyone. If he has the power, let him come to my city and fight or wage war against me. If he can actually beat Lucius, I will give him Brooklyn, New York City, the surrounding territories, and Tessa. Tell him he has to earn it."
The scene shifts.
Victor, Alex, and Teajun arrive at the hacker’s underground base. Kai and Kael are already inside, surrounded by glowing monitors and the low hum of servers.
Kai looks up from his keyboard. "I can confirm that your Alessio have sister."
Kael tilts his head, glancing between them. "Why Victor wants her Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etcetera?"
Victor completely ignores the question, his face an unreadable mask. He remains silent. Sensing the tension, Alex starts to talk to break the ice, but Kai cuts in, staring at a flashing profile on his screen. "She already have boyfriend."
Victor’s voice drops instantly, going incredibly deep and dangerous. "What’s the problem? She will break up with him."
Kai shakes his head, clicking through data files. "She already spends nine to ten years with him."
Victor steps closer to the desk. "Where is she right now?"
"Not in America," Kai answers, bringing up a live tracking map. "She still in Italy."
Victor leans over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing. "Okay. Is her boyfriend Italian?"
Kai pulls up the boyfriend's passport details. "Nope. He is Canadian."
A sharp, venomous hiss escapes Victor's lips. "Fuck."
He turns his gaze back to the main screen, where a photograph of Alessio's sister finally loads in high resolution.
His blood runs hot, a dark obsession taking root the longer he stares at her face.
The Canadian boyfriend does not matter. The decade they spent together does not matter.
Victor is a psychopath, and he has just found his next target.
He smiles a cold, lethal smile as he realizes exactly how he is going to destroy Alessio from the inside out.
~