All Chapters of BLOOD AND ASHES : Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
113 chapters
THE SECRET SHE CARRIED
The roar in Tobias’s chest had already escaped him when he lunged, fists clenched, hatred blazing in his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to crash through Delgado’s smirk with every ounce of fury his broken life had given him.But the senator did not flinch.Instead, he lifted his hand with calculated calm and extended a single forefinger. Slowly, deliberately, he moved it from right to left as if slicing the air, as if warning a reckless child not to cross a line. His eyes gleamed with cruel amusement.“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” His voice slithered like a serpent across the room. Then he tilted his chin toward the couch, toward Ethan. “However… do you want your son to witness how his father is beaten into pulp?”The words struck Tobias harder than any fist could. He froze mid-step, his pulse hammering so violently his ribs ached. His eyes darted to Ethan, who was still curled on the couch, wide-eyed and confused. The boy’s frail chest rose and fell around the plastic tubin
A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL
Tobias’s chest still heaved as if his ribs were trying to burst open. Delgado’s words had struck him like bullets, each one cutting deeper than the last. Elena. Wealth. Secrets. It was madness. And yet, the senator’s smirk told him it wasn’t a bluff.For a long moment Tobias could only stare, his throat was dry, his thoughts crashing into each other like waves. The man sitting opposite him wasn’t just a corrupt politician or a cruel tormentor. He was something far worse — the keeper of truths Tobias had never known existed.He finally found his voice, broken and hoarse.“I presume you want access to this seemingly enormous wealth.”Delgado’s smirk widened, his eyes glinting like blades under the dim light.“Yes. That is what I want. And you, viejo amigo, are going to help me get access to it.”Tobias frowned, confusion sharpening his features. “I… I don’t understand.”Delgado shook his head slowly, almost pityingly. “Now I don’t know, Tobias. I find it very hard to believe that you —
THE ACCOUNTANT’S CALL
The numbers on the ledger blurred into neat columns, the hum of the air conditioner was the only sound in the office. David del Montero adjusted his glasses, his gold pen scratching across paper with steady precision. He had long ago learned that silence was the accountant’s greatest shield. Where others spilled blood, he moved figures. Where others pulled triggers, he shifted balances. That was why Senator Aurelio Delgado trusted him—David never questioned, he never hesitated.But the silence broke with the shrill buzz of his private phone. The screen flashed a name that made his stomach tighten.Senator Delgado.He cleared his throat, lifted the receiver, and forced his voice steady.“David Montero.” senator Delgado who was on the phone greeted.“Hello, boss,” David replied quickly.“How is work?” Delgado’s deep voice slithered through the line, calm yet heavy.“All good, boss.”There was pause. Then Delgado’s tone sharpened. “You remember the arrangement? You will deliver the te
TEN SECONDS TO CONFESS
“Tobias Sheldon…?” His voice cracked with disbelief. “What in God’s name are you doing here?”The gun barrel pressed cold against David del Montero’s temple, hard enough to make the veins in his head throb. The air in the Highlander was suffocating, thick with the musk of sweat and leather. Every sound in the underground parking lot — the buzz of the fluorescent lights, the faint drip of water in some unseen corner — suddenly felt like the silence before an execution.Tobias Sheldon’s voice came low and venomous, vibrating against David’s ear.“That is not something that should bother you,” he hissed. “What should bother you is what I am going to do to you if you do not comply to what I am about to request from you.”David’s hands shook on the steering wheel. He tried to swallow but his throat was too dry. His voice cracked, a pitiful attempt at steady.“What… what do you want me to do?”Tobias leaned closer, his breath was hot and merciless.“I want to know which route Senator Delga
THE HEIST OF MORNING SHADOWS
The sun blazed high, its harsh light spilling through the filthy skylights of the warehouse. Shafts of gold stretched across the concrete floor, cutting through the haze of dust and sweat. The corrugated roof seemed to trap the heat inside, making every breath thick, sticky, and heavy.Six men in Delgado’s employ grunted as they heaved wooden crates off the forklift and into place. Each crate was small but impossibly heavy, their muscles burning under the weight of compact fortune. Inside were gold bars, their combined weight were around eighty kilograms. Sweat rolled down foreheads, shirts clung to backs, curses spilled through clenched teeth.“Feels like moving coffins,” one muttered, dropping his crate with a thud.“Keep your mouth shut and lift,” another snapped. “Delgado doesn’t pay us to complain.”For nearly forty-five minutes, the work continued, echoing with grunts and the creak of metal. By the time the last crate was stacked inside the waiting van, the men’s arms shook wi
INTO THE LIONS DEN
The van roared down the sunlit highway, its weight dragging on the suspension. Inside, silence pressed like a second skin. Tobias Sheldon sat behind the wheel, his eyes fixed on the road, hands steady on the leather.Beside him, David del Montero looked freshly washed and dressed in a crisp shirt Tobias had tossed at him earlier. Yet beneath the veneer of order, he was a mess. His wrists bore faint red welts where the ropes had cut into him, and his fingers twitched against his thighs with every bump on the asphalt.Checkpoint.The word was enough to send a chill down his spine. And then they saw it — a cluster of officers in dark uniforms were ahead, rifles slung casually, eyes scanning the vehicles as they slowed.David’s pulse spiked. “They’ll—”“Quiet,” Tobias cut him off, his tone slicing through the tension.The van rolled to a crawl. Tobias lowered the window, his face was impassive. One of the officers leaned in. There was brief exchange, a folded bill passed from Tobias’s h
DEAD MAN RUNNING
“So,” he said slowly, “what’s the price this time?”David swallowed, steadied himself, and spoke. “Ten million dollars.”Mikel smirked, shaking his head. “Nine and a half. The market’s hot, yes, but not that hot. Nine and a half, final.”David took a step forward, his fear was masked by the steel in his tone. “Ten. You know what these bars are worth. You know Delgado doesn’t settle. Pay less, and you insult the source.”Tobias’s brows flicked upward. He hadn’t expected such firmness from the accountant, especially towards a man as well the and possibly dangerous as Mikael Rodriguez.Mikel chuckled darkly, circling the stack like a shark. “Nine and a half. Don’t push me, boy.”“Ten,” David pressed, his voice cutting sharper now. “Think about it—by the time these bars change hands again, you’ll double your money. Delgado won’t blink at your profit, but he will hear if you try to cheapen the deal. You want these bars, you pay what they’re worth.”For a long, suffocating moment, the hall
BETWEEN GOLD AND BLOOD
The morning light was cruel.It pierced through the slats of Tobias’s blinds like needles, stabbing his swollen eyes. He had barely slept — the weight of yesterday was pressing down on him like an anchor tied to his chest. David del Montero’s haunted face still lingered in his memory, walking away with a bag full of exile. And the call — Delgado’s name glowing like a curse on the phone — Tobias had let it ring into silence, refusing to answer.He had done that for the multiple times senator Delgado called David's phone.Now, as he sat at the edge of his bed, the room felt smaller than ever. The steel cases of money stacked in the corner whispered temptation, power, and danger all at once. But for Tobias, they were not a symbol of victory. They were a burden. Because what good was money if it couldn’t bring back Elena? What good was money if it couldn’t guarantee the absolute health of his son.He picked up his phone with a trembling hand. There was only one person he wanted to hear
THE GHOST AND THE DEVIL
The room was a furnace of smoke and laughter.Every eye was on Tobias, their jeers still hanging in the air like knives. The weight of their mockery pressed against his ribs, but he didn’t flinch. He stood stiff, the sting of their laughter was louder than the thump of the bass echoing through El Moro’s gaudy den.“So tell us, Tobias…” one man sneered, his grin spreading wide. “…are you here to beg? Or are you here to bleed?”The words cut deeper than any blade.Tobias’s jaw tightened. His pride screamed to lash out, to remind them that once upon a time, his name had silenced rooms like this. But he had come here with purpose, and pride was a luxury he could no longer afford. He drew a breath, lowered his head slightly, and spoke.“I need a score,” he said, his voice was steady despite the storm in his chest. “Quick money. Enough to cover my late wife’s hospital bills.”For a heartbeat, silence held. Then the room exploded with laughter.Glasses slammed against the table. Men bent ove
THE SENATOR'S THREAT
“Hello, Tobias,” he said softly.The words were simple, but they crashed into Tobias like thunder.His fingers tightened around the glass until it nearly cracked. His throat went dry. The room around them faded into silence.The whiskey glass trembled in Tobias Sheldon’s hand. He hadn’t taken a sip, yet the burn of fire already sat in his throat. Then came the voice — smooth, mocking, unmistakable.“I’ll have the same.”The words froze him to stone.He turned, slowly, and his heart sank into ice.Senator Aurelio Delgado sat there, immaculate as ever. Tailored suit, polished shoes, golden lapel pin that glistened even in the dim bar light. His smirk was carved from ice, his eyes glittered like a predator’s.“Hello, Tobias,” he said softly, as if greeting an old friend.Tobias’s fingers tightened until the glass nearly cracked. His chest burned with hatred, but his lips curved into something unexpected — a thin, triumphant smile.“Hello, Senator Delgado.”He looked him straight in the e