All Chapters of Warbound: Rise of the Street General: Chapter 51
- Chapter 60
62 chapters
Chapter 50: The Last Ruler
That night, Havencroft was full of chaos. Gunfire echoed in the distance, and smoke curled above the skyline like the last breath of a dying animal. Enzo stood still on the roof of the old cathedral, looking down at what used to be his. He worked hard to build an empire, but now it had another man's name on it."Luca's everywhere," Serena said softly, standing a few steps behind him. As she touched his arm, the wind messed up her hair. "He's taken the docks, the east tunnels, and even the union yard." Like they own the city, Rocco's men are at the border.Enzo's jaw got tight. "They don't own it." Not yet."Not yet?" She laughed in a bitter way. "Enzo, look around. The city is gone. You don't have any men or allies left. In fact, your name doesn't scare anyone anymore.He looked at her sharply. "You think I don't know that?" You think I can't feel it slipping away every second? The first sign of wear she saw in him was his voice cracking. "I made this city out of garbage, Serena. I ca
Chapter 51: The Ghost's Redemption
Bianca did not move until the silence started to choke the room. Rain tapped at the cracked windows of the abandoned office, and the city hummed in the background like a restless animal."So," Bianca said at last, tilting her head, "have you decided if you want your city back, or are you still thinking about drowning in self pity on the shoreline?"Enzo stared at her, knuckles pale against the edge of the table. "You make it sound like I have a choice.""You do," she replied. "You can stay noble and lose everything, or you can be smart and win with me."Serena stepped between them, eyes blazing. "You want him to win with you, or for you? Because it sounds like you just want a new throne to sit on."Bianca smiled without warmth. "Jealous, Serena? Relax. I don’t want his heart. I want Luca’s head.""Funny," Serena shot back, "that’s exactly what Luca said about you last time."Enzo lifted a hand. "Enough. Both of you. This isn’t a schoolyard fight."Serena turned to him. "Then stop trea
Chapter 52: The Final Choice
When Enzo read Serena's message again, night closed in on Havencroft.I made a deal with Luca.He looked at the screen until Bianca said something.From the table, she said, "You look like you swallowed glass." "What did the girl say?""She says Luca will move on us tonight if I don't take his offer," Enzo said. "On everyone who is still loyal."Matteo swore as he bent over the map. "So he gets the city and you get to leave."Bianca turned her head. "And do you trust the messenger, or are we just pretending that love makes people honest?"Enzo said, "Serena did this to keep people alive.""Or to stay alive," Bianca said. "Fear makes people look ugly."Matteo tapped the courthouse in red. "What is the move?"Enzo looked down at Havencroft, which was spread out on pins and ink. The streets he had fought for looked back at him."We meet him," he said. "We make him believe I'm ready to leave."Matteo made a face. "While Bianca's people walk around the square. Sounds like a bloodbath.Enzo
Chapter 53: The Ghost's Last Stand
Night wrapped Havencroft in a wet, restless silence. Enzo watched the city blink between light and darkness through a broken window above the river. He thought about how everything had gone black after he shot at the courthouse.Bianca used her shoulder to close the door."They're saying you saved the city," she told him. "I've heard worse lies."Enzo said, "I only stopped one slaughter." "Luca is still alive." The war is too.She walked over to the table and put a folded piece of paper on it. "Then you might be interested in this. Warehouse by the river. Tonight. Luca. Carmela. A lot of guns. They're cutting Havencroft into pieces like a cake.He opened it up. A simple drawing. There are doors, a catwalk, and a center floor."Did they ask you to come?" he asked."They think I like power more than sleep," she said. "They're right. But I like answers better. I don't want to keep guessing what you'll do."What do you want me to do?" Enzo wanted to know."Come on," Bianca said. "Beg, bur
Chapter 54: The Price of Vengeance
Enzo sat on the dusty floor of the pawnshop room, his back against the wall and a gun resting across his knees. The storm shook the window.Serena stood by the door and chewed on the edge of her thumbnail. "You haven't said anything since we left the warehouse."He said, "I'm trying to decide which part of the betrayal hurts the most.""I also betrayed Luca," she said. "That part never seems to matter."Enzo said, "You were his from the start." "You were mine after that." I don't know which version of you I'm looking at right now."You are looking at the one who stayed," she said softly. "He gave me a way out." I didn't use it."At first, you gave him my routes," Enzo said. "My meetings."Then the old tram depot was full of noise from bright floodlights. Rusty tracks scarred the concrete. There were dead cars on either side, with blank windows.Luca stood in the middle with his hands clasped and his coat perfect. Carmela stood next to him, calm as if they were in a business meeting. M
Chapter 55: Blood on the Streets
Havencroft shook like an animal that had been hurt.Enzo watched flames lick at the end of the street from the broken windows of the old print factory. Sirens went off. A car exploded below, shaking the ceiling and sending dust flying.Tristan put a folder on the table. He said, "Congratulations." "Your city is now officially a war zone." Very on brand.Enzo kept his eyes on the glass. "How many blocks?""Three for sure." "Four, maybe," Tristan said. "Luca's boys hit Carmela's trucks." Bianca's people hit both for fun. After tonight, the street cleaners will quit.Serena stood by the door with her arms crossed over her chest. "You planned this."Finally, Enzo turned. His eyes were flat and calm, which scared her more than his anger ever had. "I pushed it," he said. "They lit the match.""You put everyone in the same fire," she shot back. "The bodies out there are not chess pieces."He said, "Out there is the bill for everything we've done." "I'm just making sure that the people who wr
Chapter 56: The Ghost's End
Havencroft was almost silent.Enzo watched smoke drift over the river road from the top floor of the broken office building.Serena was behind him, one hand on the wall and the other on her stomach. She said, "It's almost over."Enzo asked, "For who?""Everyone," she said. "Luca. Carmela. You. Me. This spot.He kept looking at the skyline that was on fire. "Luca is still alive." "It's not over until he stops breathing."Serena said, "You could just leave." "Tonight." We get in a car, go through the tunnels, and then we vanish. No more crowns. "Stop painting the streets red.""And leave him here to fix all this," Enzo said. "Let him raise our child according to his own rules."She said quietly, "You already chose war after you found out about the baby." "Don't act like this is a sacrifice for us.""I stopped acting like I was innocent," he said. "That's it."She got closer until he could feel her breath on his shoulder. "You say you're doing this for our child. But what's the point of
Chapter 57: A Crown of Ashes
In the morning, Havencroft seemed smaller.Enzo looked out the broken windows of what used to be a tax office and was now his headquarters. He saw smoke still coming from two blocks away. The sirens screamed and then stopped. Someone yelled from the street below, then went quiet.Marco, one of his oldest officers, stood at the table with coffee and maps on it. "You have the city, boss," he said. "What's left of it?"Enzo didn't take his eyes off the window. "I have rubble that answers to my name." That is not the same thing.Marco said, "You wanted the throne." "Now it is yours."Enzo said, "The throne is a broken chair with bullets in it." "Sit on it wrong, and it kills you."Marco laughed half-heartedly. "Some men kill for seats that are less comfortable."He got serious and tapped a mark on the map. "The south blocks are on edge. Stores were robbed and kids were running around. "Who is in charge now that Luca and Carmela are gone?" people are asking.Enzo turned around. "Tell them
Chapter 58: Broken Bonds
Havencroft had stopped yelling, but it still didn't know how to talk quietly.Enzo watched a line of people go around a relief truck from the window of the old tax office. His men kept the peace, keeping their eyes on the crowd and their hands on their rifles.He could hear Bianca's voice coming from the table behind him."You see faces that are hungry," she said. "I see leverage."He looked back. "You always knew how to make love."She put the reports all over the table. "Food goes out with our stamp on it." Medicine moves along our paths. People complain, but they know who to ask for help when they need it.Enzo said, "They also whispered Luca's name." "Until they spat on it."Bianca looked up and laughed. "Scared of becoming him?"He said, "I'm afraid of becoming someone worse and not knowing it."She walked over to the window and joined him. "Take it easy. You still jump when the bodies start to stack up. That means you're still here."Comforting," he said softly.Marco stepped in
Chapter 59: The Heart of Darkness
The rain on the roof of the warehouse made a loud, steady noise that drowned out the sounds of the city outside.Enzo stood on the floor, not the catwalk, with his boots planted in a loose circle of chairs. His men stayed in the shadows along the walls. Bianca was sitting to his right, with her back straight and her fingers loose on the armrest."This is like the part in a bad movie where everyone dies," she said."Then let's try to make the script mad," Enzo said.The door on the side opened. Three of Luca's former lieutenants came in with Serena. No masks. No attitude. Just tired eyes and hands close to their holsters.She stopped in front of him. "You chose a nice place," she said. "Romantic in a way that comes after the end of the world."He said, "It has been the cause of most of our problems." "Sit."They grabbed their chairs. The lieutenants stayed standing and watched everyone.Serena said, "You wanted to talk." "Talk before someone changes their mind.""You built a council an