The sun had barely set, but the city felt darker than midnight. From the rooftop, Jayden crouched, eyes locked on the street below where shadows moved like predators circling prey. The hunters had multiplied. What began as desperate hustlers had turned into seasoned killers. They were coordinated now, rifles glinting under the orange haze, radios buzzing with clipped voices. The bounty was no longer a rumor it was a war declaration.Tariq’s boots scraped the gravel as he joined him. His shirt was stained with dried blood, his chest wrapped in bandages from the graze he had taken earlier. He followed Jayden’s gaze, whistling low. “There’s more of them every time I blink.”Jayden didn’t answer. He watched the hunters, how they moved in small groups, cutting off exits, funneling through alleys. They weren’t rushing in like fools. This was planned. Someone higher was directing the hunt.Tariq squinted. “Iron Fangs?”“Who else,” Jayden muttered. His jaw clenched tight. “This isn’t just the

The alley smelled of oil and rain. The suited man stood with his hands in his pockets, cigarette stub glowing between calloused fingers. Jayden’s pistol was steady in his grip, though his knuckles went white around the handle. The cheap suit did not flinch. He smiled, slow and patient, as if he had all night.“You could shoot me,” the man said. “And then your sister gets her bread from nobody. Think about that while your finger tightens.”Jayden’s aim did not waver. Rage burned under his skin, hot and fierce. He had been ready to pull the trigger the moment the man appeared. He still could. But the suited man had said enough to make Jayden hesitate. Bread. Zuri’s loaf. A bargaining chip. Someone here knew how to use hunger as a lever.“Talk,” Jayden said. His voice shook, but the words were iron.The man flicked ash into a puddle and crouched to Jayden’s eye level. He had a scar on his cheek, thin and pale, like a cut healed wrong. “Name’s Silas,” he said. “I do business with people w

The slums carried a strange hush that night, as though even the wind feared to move. Jayden walked ahead, Malik close to his side, Tariq trailing with wary eyes. They were heading toward the abandoned textile warehouse, where Razor had insisted on “discussing business.”Jayden hated meetings he didn’t call.The warehouse loomed like a corpse in the dark broken windows, metal ribs jutting from collapsed walls, graffiti sprayed over rust. Shadows hung thicker than smoke inside.Malik leaned close, whispering, “Feels wrong. Like walking into a trap.”Jayden’s gaze swept the cracked concrete floor. Too clean. No dust. No rats skittering. And the silence it was not the silence of emptiness, but the silence of people holding their breath.His jaw clenched. Razor was here. And Razor wasn’t alone.“Stay close,” Jayden murmured to Malik. “No matter what.”Tariq unslung the pistol from his waistband, tucking it against his thigh. “Why’d you agree to this, Jay?”“Because if I didn’t, Razor would

The night air in Westbrook carried the scent of burnt rubber and stale beer. Streetlights flickered, buzzing like tired insects, casting broken halos over cracked sidewalks. Jayden walked at the front of his crew, his boots striking with a heavy rhythm. Razor lingered a step behind, eyes sharp but face calm. Tariq was on Jayden’s right, ever watchful.The city wasn’t quiet tonight. Gangs prowled, hustlers whispered, and somewhere in the distance, police sirens wailed like hungry wolves. But Jayden wasn’t focused on the chaos; his mind was on the meeting.For weeks, he had fought tooth and nail, earning his piece of the streets. The Iron Fangs had bloodied him, ambushed him, and left scars across his crew. But tonight wasn’t about survival. Tonight was about respect.The target was the Dust Rats, a smaller gang that controlled the market lanes on the south side. They weren’t as brutal as the Iron Fangs, but they were stubborn and vicious when cornered. Their leader, Deke, was known for

The sun had barely cracked the horizon when Jayden jolted awake to someone shaking him hard. Tariq’s face loomed above him, drenched in sweat, eyes wild with panic.“Jay! Get up!”Jayden shot upright, heart hammering, hand instinctively reaching for the pistol under his pillow. His vision sharpened as the warehouse came into focus.Empty.The long row of bunks that had been filled with bodies just hours ago lay deserted, blankets tossed aside, gear scattered. Some bunks looked like they’d been packed in a hurry, others like the men had simply vanished into smoke.Half the crew was gone.Jayden’s stomach dropped like stone.“What the hell happened?” His voice was sharp, ragged, already on the edge of fury.Tariq paced like a wolf in a cage, fingers tugging at his braids. “I don’t know, man! I woke up and they were just gone. Moe, Richie, two of the new kids hell, even Sosa. Vanished. No noise, no fight. Just ghosted.”Jayden’s jaw clenched, veins throbbing in his temple. He rose, sweep