2025-11-24 17:28:44The alley that was dark smelt like oil and rot. The sound of Enzo's boots hitting the wet pavement echoed loudly in the otherwise quiet night. He was confused, torn between his desire for revenge and the dark, unavoidable truth that he would have to walk a fine line to win this war. Carmela Santillo was waiting for him in the dark, and the flickering streetlamp made her figure hard to see.
"You're here," she said, her voice smooth but cold, with a businesslike tone. "I knew you'd come around."Enzo stopped a few feet away from her, his face tense and his eyes narrowed. He couldn't trust her; he didn't trust her. But there was no way to avoid the truth. Luca Moretti had to fall, and Carmela was the only way to go.Enzo said, "You've got your weapons," his voice full of doubt. "But why should I trust that you'll do what you say? Your loyalties change all the time.Carmela smiled, but it wasn't a warm smile. "You're right to be careful. But right now, we both want the same thing: Moretti to die. And what about the guns I'm giving you? They'll help bring him down. But I need something back.Enzo's stomach tightened, but he didn't move. "I'm paying attention."Carmela pointed to a map on the table between them and said, "The shipment." "It's well-protected, but once you have it, you'll be able to finally take care of Moretti." You're going to need more than just guts to do this job, though. A group of mercenaries is guarding it.Enzo's jaw tightened. "Mercenaries? You didn't tell me this was going to be a fight."Everything worth having costs something," Carmela said calmly. "And the cost is your willingness to do what needs to be done." If you do this for me, I'll give you everything you need to kill Moretti. He won't know what hit him.Enzo looked at her, trying to figure out if she was just playing another game. The clock was still ticking, though. Rossini's empire would fall apart even more if he waited, and he would lose his chance to take over Havencroft. He didn't have a choice.He finally said, "I'll do it." "But after this, you and I are done. No more deals.Carmela's smile got bigger. "Okay." But for now, let's get you what you want. Enzo's mind raced as he left the meeting. The deal weighed heavily on his mind. He got closer to his goal with each ally he made, but he also became more vulnerable with each step forward. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was using him, but there was no other way to get what he wanted.Enzo called together his crew at the safe house, Bianca, Carmela, and a few others who owed him favors and told them what to do."We leave at dawn," Enzo said in a strong voice. "We hit the shipment, take out the mercenaries, and take over those weapons." No room for mistakes. "We're dead if anyone hesitates."As usual, Bianca was the first to say something. She asked with cold eyes, "What's the point of this?" "You know that getting the weapons alone won't get us Rossini's head. We have to get to him; he's the real prize.Enzo's eyes grew dark. "We're going to take him down, but first we need the right tools." These mercenaries won't be easy to deal with, but once we have the guns, we can move on Rossini.Carmela stepped forward, her face hard. "I've set everything up. The shipment will be safe, but my contacts will help us get in. You only need to make sure that your people do their jobs.Enzo nodded, but he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. The mercenaries were trained to kill, and they wouldn't think twice about killing anyone who got in their way. Every step they took brought them closer to a bloody fight.But it wasn't just the hired guns that scared him. His crew was starting to not trust him. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was giving the enemy information. He could feel the tension in the room, and every look his crew members gave each other made him more sure of it. The air was so tense that it felt like you could cut it with a knife as Enzo and his team got closer to the weapons shipment. The mercenaries were hard to find, and they moved in a precise and planned way. Enzo knew this fight would be the hardest of his life, but he wasn't going to give up now.Carmela's contacts had taken them to a hidden warehouse on the edge of Havencroft, where they were keeping an eye on the shipment. Enzo and his crew came up carefully, guns drawn, ready for the worst."Stay sharp," Enzo said quietly to himself. "We move quickly. There is no going back once we get inside.As soon as they crossed the queue, everything went wrong. Gunfire came out of nowhere, and the mercenaries came out of the shadows, shooting with deadly accuracy. The air was full of smoke, and gunfire rang out in all directions.Enzo's heart raced as he and his team fought back, ducking behind crates and using the cover to their advantage. Bianca moved with deadly grace, looking for enemies as she shot without thinking. But even as they killed mercenaries one by one, Enzo felt the weight of something else: betrayal.As the chaos continued, Julian Serrano, Rossini's hitman, came out of the smoke with a wicked smile on his face. He had been expecting them."You really thought you could just walk in and take what's mine?" Julian made fun of them, and his voice could be heard over the gunfire.Enzo's blood was boiling. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for. But Bianca did something surprising just as he was about to hit. She walked towards Carmela, who was standing off to the side and didn't seem to be affected by the chaos. As Enzo turned to kill Julian, he saw it: Bianca clearly moving to side with Carmela. When Bianca pulled out her gun and aimed it at him, his heart sank."Bianca, no!" Enzo yelled, his voice a mix of anger and disbelief.But Bianca's face was a mask of cold resolve. "This is about staying alive, Enzo." It was always about staying alive.The gun went off, but it wasn't aimed at Enzo. It was aimed at Julian Serrano, and it hit him before he could do anything.Bianca said coldly, "You've been played, Ghost," while Carmela grinned behind her. "And you won't make it out of this alive."
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 61: Rebirth or Ruin
Enzo stood in the middle of it, with cold sheets of rain falling all around him, making the skyline and the rubble below his feet hard to see. The air was full of smoke, and the distant sounds of gunfire reminded him that the city, the very thing he had once fought for, was slipping through his fingers. He couldn't save it or destroy it anymore.He clenched his fists, feeling the weight of every choice he had made, every betrayal, and every alliance. Serena, Bianca, and Luca had all pushed him to this point. And now that everything was falling apart, he had to choose between fighting for the throne or giving it all up.His men were spread out across the city, fighting to stay alive, but Enzo knew that the city would never be the same, no matter how many people died. He could feel it in his gut: the cost of power and the price of redemption. He heard his name whispered in every corner of Havencroft, but in the back of his mind, he wondered if it was too late to save anything, even hims
Chapter 60: The Price of Power
Rain fell in thin, stubborn sheets, making Havencroft's main square look like a mirror with broken lights and muddy water.Enzo stood under the broken awning of an old bank and watched his men take up positions on the roofs and in the alley mouths. Their numbers were fewer now, and their faces looked older than they were.Marco came up behind him with a low rifle. "We're too spread out," he said. "People who work for Serena are dug in by the fountain." Bianca's crew is acting like they're not taking sides, which usually means they're overthinking things.Enzo said, "Bianca always thinks too much." "That's why she's still alive."Marco thought about it. "Are you sure we want her here at all?"Enzo said, "No, we don't." "We need her guns." There is a difference.Bianca stepped out of the shadows on the other side of the square. Her coat was dark with rain, and two of her men were behind her. She raised her hands to show that they were empty.She yelled, "You really made the place look n
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
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 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 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
