The gangster men closed in like a pack of dogs that had finally cornered something worth tearing apart.Their knives slid out from sheaths. Baseball bats were picked up from stands. Two of the bigger men pulled short swords from under their jackets. The circle tightened, but Leonard remained exceedingly calm. It was not that he wanted to hide his identity. His objective was already set the moment he walked into the lair.Black Bill remained seated on his oversized throne, one thick forearm resting on the leather armrest like he was watching a private show.His eyes narrowed, the scar across his left eyebrow twitching. "Are you suicidal, kid? You walked straight into my lair, offered yourself up like a lamb at slaughter, and now you're standing there looking calm as if it were Sunday morning. What the hell is wrong with you?"Leonard didn't flinch. He stood in the center of the tightening ring, hands loose at his sides. His voice came out even, almost conversational. "I came here to w

Leonard smiled thinly, the corners of his mouth lifting just enough to show he knew something Bill didn't. His eyes stayed calm, almost bored, as if the thousand assassins outside were nothing more than background noise.Black Bill's face twisted in confusion. He took half a step back, the phone still clutched in his hand."Have you lost your mind, kid? Seeing all that firepower out there has made you lose your marbles? You think you can stand here and smile while my men are about to turn this place into a graveyard?"He let out a short, ugly laugh. "You're nothing but a cocky little shit who got lucky with a few punches. I've got a thousand Sabbath Stark assassins surrounding this building right now.""They are trained killers and armed to the teeth. You're standing there like you just won the lottery."Bill's voice rose, feeding on his own words. "Moreover, we've got over a hundred innocent captives from Nexus City locked in the basement. Women. Children. Families we abducted to use

There was a pin-drop silence after the terrified Black Bill revealed that a warhead was about to drop on the lair with a massive blast radius.The Harrington guards panicked and gossiped madly as soon as they heard those words. Their voices overlapped in the ruined lair, shaky with fear."Did he say a cruise missile?""We're all dead. There's no way out of this.""My wife… My kids are in the city. This thing could wipe out a quarter of Nexus city!"One of the older guards grabbed his younger partner by the shoulder. "Shut up. If the Gambino heir can survive what he just did to Black Bill's army, maybe he can do something about this, too.""No way! He's just a man with an army, not a god! We're just going to die. Accept it!"The Gambino tech guy had already dropped to one knee, his portable radar device glowing in the dim light. His face went ashen as the readings stabilized."It's real, My Lord. A cruise missile is inbound, with an ETA of three minutes. Even if we started running righ

After an hour on the national highway, Ronnie Baldwin's motorcade reached Nexus City's borders and rolled into the quiet countryside. It almost looked Presidential because the man he was escorting was special.Inside the main luxury vehicle, a sleek Rolls-Royce Spectre, Leonard sat in the passenger seat beside Valery Frost while Ronnie himself drove. He felt privileged to serve Master Gambino in any way possible after the debacle caused by Peter Norfolk at the Starlight Supper.The electric engine hummed barely audibly as the tinted windows reflected the late-afternoon sunlight.Valery hadn't spoken properly to Leonard since he returned from Black Bill's lair. He had entered that place without informing her, thus not giving her a chance to prepare or stand beside him in battle.It was only through the Gambino private satellites that she had learned of the danger, and she immediately ordered the army to assist her master. Now she sat with her arms crossed, staring at the tablet in her

Leonard came to visit the Cullens for information on the Holy Grail. He had intended to ask about it through some subtle segway, perhaps during casual conversation after a normal reading.However, Aquila's outburst had escalated things for no reason. At this point, there was no going back. The Cullen Princess needed to be tamed.Leonard signed the legal document without hesitation. Hushes and whispers spread through the crowd like ripples in still water.This was absurd. To think that the psychic prodigy Aquila Cullen would stoop to the level of a commoner and accept his challenge. That she would even risk her freedom!Regardless, the spectators knew the outcome. Even if Leonard borrowed ten million from Valery Frost for the challenge, he was going to lose it all.Aquila had already transcended her father's abilities, now able to perform readings even when the customer wasn't present. This would be a cakewalk.Edgar Cullen sighed, rubbing his temple. "Since you've both agreed to the c