THE RETURN OF LIAM REYES

Chapter 5: Blood Will Be Paid

Liam Reyes and Elena Callahan had barely stepped outside the wedding hall when the doors behind them burst open with fury.

Preston Blake stormed out, his face twisted with rage, veins bulging in his neck, his expensive suit wrinkled as he shoved past guests and security.

“Liam Reyes!” Preston bellowed, his voice filled with murderous hatred. “You think this is over? You humiliated me in front of the entire city. You ruined everything.”

Liam turned, shielding Elena slightly behind him. His sharp eyes locked onto Preston with calm precision.

“You ruined yourself,” Liam replied coolly, his voice cutting through the thick tension in the air.

Preston’s hands curled into fists, but before he could lunge, Austin Hewitt stepped forward, towering over everyone like a mountain ready to collapse on its prey.

Austin’s voice was low, dangerous. “You lay a finger on him, and I’ll personally break both your legs.”

Behind him, dozens of men from the Hallowridge Syndicate materialized from the shadows, their presence sending shockwaves through the gathering crowd.

Preston stumbled to a halt, his confidence visibly cracking as he realized the odds were no longer in his favor.

But the Blake family wasn’t the only threat. From across the parking lot, sleek black cars screeched to a halt, their tires burning rubber against the pavement.

Dominic Kane’s phone buzzed. He checked the screen and cursed under his breath. “It’s the Reyes family’s private security. Damien sent them. They came fast.”

The car doors flung open, and heavily armed men in tactical gear poured out. They fanned across the lot, surrounding the area with military precision.

Liam’s jaw tightened. The trap had been sprung quicker than expected.

John Hellman, standing at Liam’s flank, adjusted the earpiece in his ear and calmly assessed the situation. His voice was cold as ice. “We’re surrounded, boss. Sixty armed men, trained, Reyes family insignias on their gear. They’re not here to talk.”

Liam didn’t flinch. His eyes darted to Elena, his hand brushing against hers for reassurance.

“Elena, stay behind me.”

She nodded, trembling but resolute.

Preston sneered from behind the line of approaching security. “You see, Reyes? You thought you could waltz back into Eastborough and humiliate us? This city belongs to the Reyes and Blake families. You never should’ve come back.”

Dominic barked into his comms. “We hold the line. Austin, your men, now.”

Austin snapped his fingers, and within seconds, black SUVs screeched onto the scene from side roads. Hallowridge Syndicate enforcers spilled out like shadows in human form, weapons concealed but their posture lethal.

The air thickened with tension.

On one side, the Blake and Reyes family security forces, armored, armed, and dangerous.

On the other, Liam Reyes, his loyal allies, and the underground power of Eastborough’s most feared gang at his back.

John Hellman cracked his knuckles, his sharp eyes locked on the closest armed guard. “Permission to engage?”

Liam’s gaze remained steady as a storm brewed behind his eyes. “Not yet. Let them make the first mistake.”

The standoff electrified the atmosphere. Guests, journalists, and bystanders gathered at a distance, cameras rolling, whispers flying like wildfire.

Preston, emboldened by his security force, sneered. “Last chance, Liam. Walk away, leave Elena behind, and maybe you crawl out of here breathing.”

Liam stepped forward, his voice cutting through the heavy air like a razor. “You have no idea what I’ve been through to get back here. I’ve fought wars in places you can’t pronounce. I’ve bled for five years in the darkest corners of the world. Do you really think I came back to run?”

Dominic smirked. Austin’s eyes gleamed. John Hellman’s fingers hovered near his concealed pistol.

The lead Reyes guard raised his hand, signaling his men to move in.

Liam’s voice dropped to a deadly calm. “Wrong choice.”

The first guard lunged. But before he could reach them, John Hellman was already there. In a blur, he twisted the man’s wrist, disarmed him, and sent him crashing to the ground with a brutal strike.

Chaos exploded.

The Syndicate fighters surged forward, silent and efficient, intercepting the armed men with precision.

Dominic ducked a punch and landed a knee to his attacker’s ribs. Austin barreled through two men, tossing them aside like rag dolls.

John Hellman fought like a ghost, slipping through attackers, disabling them with surgical precision. His military background evident in every strike.

Liam moved through the chaos, never letting Elena out of sight, his expression unreadable as bodies fell around him.

Preston shouted orders, but his voice was drowned by the sounds of combat. The Reyes security line collapsed under the coordinated assault from Liam’s team.

Minutes felt like hours as the parking lot turned into a battlefield.

In the end, only Syndicate fighters stood. The Reyes security team lay groaning on the asphalt, defeated, humiliated.

Preston, cornered, stumbled backward, his bravado shattered.

Liam approached him, his face inches away, his voice cold as steel. “Tell Damien. Tell Meade. Tell every last traitor in my bloodline… I’m done running. From this day on, I take back everything you stole.”

Preston’s eyes flickered with fear.

Liam turned to Elena, gently taking her hand, his voice softening only for her. “It’s over… for now.”