"I will not simply take your word for it," Tiger Boss answered, his tone leaving absolutely no room for argument. "Follow me to the Cartel to demand answers."The Godfather pretended to consider the demand for a moment before slowly nodding. "Alright. Lead the way."But before stepping into his armored SUV, Antonio gave a subtle, almost imperceptible nod to one of his most trusted boys. The enforcer nodded back once, silently slipping away into the dark shadows of the abandoned warehouse.The two syndicates departed in a massive, heavily armed convoy. Tiger Boss took no chances, positioning his vehicles at the absolute front and rear, perfectly sandwiching the Godfather’s cars in the middle to prevent any sudden betrayals on the road.The convoy finally crawled to a halt in front of a sprawling, heavily fortified mansion.The moment the men stepped out of their vehicles, they were met by a solid wall of twenty elite Cobalt Cartel enforcers, all gripping high-caliber military rifles, w

Charlotte shivered visibly at the mere mention of La Capucino.Jason instantly noticed the subtle, chilling shift in her mood. That restaurant was the exact site of the terrifying sniper attack—the place where she had nearly bled to death in his arms just days ago. But his calculating mind also knew that for her to truly conquer the trauma and survive in his world, she had to face her fears head-on.Jason pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her in a deep, fiercely protective embrace. He held her tight, completely ignoring the busy street and the lingering reporters outside the precinct. After a few seconds, he felt the unmistakable warmth of fresh tears soaking through the fabric of his shirt."Hmm," Colman coughed, loudly clearing his throat to break the silence. "Why not just go get a room and be done with it?""Oh! I am very sorry, I completely forgot we had a single guy standing right here," Jason laughed lightly, effortlessly slipping back into his carefree college persona.C

Colman had not even noticed Vance silently approach the table, standing right behind him with a silver tray balanced in one hand.The cafe manager looked down at the naive college kid and slowly shook his head. If only this boy knew the type of terrifying apex predator he was currently bragging to. Vance knew exactly what Jason and Charlotte had survived in this very booth just two nights ago."Hmm hmm…" Vance coughed politely, forcing a tight, professional smile. "Your food is ready, Madame and Messieurs."Vance carefully set the warm plates of pastéis de nata on the table. He turned around to leave, taking two steps before he hesitated, his shoulders stiffening. He slowly halted his steps and glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes locking onto Colman."The underworld is not something you should ever talk about publicly, young man," Vance warned, his voice dropping all traces of hospitality. "Even if you think you know something... the world is far darker than you view it to be. Th

Vance holstered his weapon and pushed the heavy wooden door open, ready to finally interrogate the kid.But just as Vance opened his mouth to speak, one of the triage nurses rushed frantically into the room behind him, clutching a metal clipboard to her chest."Detective Vance!" the nurse panted, her eyes wide with panic. "The woman you just brought down—her blood pressure is dropping rapidly. She is crashing. We need to start an emergency blood transfusion immediately."Vance turned around, his brow furrowing in frustration. "Then give her the blood! You are a hospital, do your job!""She has absolutely no identification on her," the nurse explained rapidly, holding out the clipboard and a pen. "Since you pulled her from an active sniper zone, she is officially a police Jane Doe. Hospital administration requires your immediate signature on these emergency intake forms to legally authorize her fast-tracked treatment. If you do not sign this to clear the red tape right now, we cannot t

"You know that old woman is far too proud to ever actually call you, yet you still gave her the number," Charlotte noted quietly."She is old, and at the very least, she has years of hard wisdom behind her," Jason said matter-of-factly, his eyes fixed on the hospital's sliding glass doors. "She has made mistakes and learned from them. She will know how to treasure a lifeline, even if she doesn't need to pull it today."The trio navigated the chaotic hospital lobby, eventually making their way up to the intensive care wing. It was not hard to distinguish which private room held John; a heavy perimeter of tactical police officers armed with assault rifles stood guard outside a single wooden door at the end of the hall.As the trio approached, the lead officer immediately stepped forward, raising a gloved hand to block their path."This corridor is entirely out of bounds. Turn around and leave the area immediately," the officer ordered gruffly, his eyes scanning the three students and th