AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The acrid smell of chemicals stings my nose as I crunch through the broken glass. My heart pounds in my chest as I take in the extent of the damage, a cold fury burning in my veins. Iclench my jaw, my mind racing towards revenge. These assholes have crossed a line, thinking they can just waltz in and wreck everything; not on my watch.
I curse, spotting Caleb and Bastian amidst the wreckage.
“Mr. Park was at the dentist,” Bastian says, grim-faced. “He wasn’t here.”
“Oh, thank God,” I exhale. “Anyone else around?”
“Not that we can find,” Caleb says tersely. “But we think the Serpents are nearby.”
“Time to show them how the Blades take care of things,” I say, cracking my knuckles. “I’m not in the mood for negotiations anymore, what about you, Bastian?”
“Hell no, let’s go fuck shit up,” Bastian agrees, a grin on his face.
Three Serpents are hanging around the alley out back, kicking over trash bins.
“Why are you doing this?” Bastian demands as we approach. “Why the dry cleaners? Who’s ordering these attacks?”
“Gabriel Diego’s the one in charge,” the pudgy one nearest him says. “Diego wants control of this sector of town. Park refused to pay, so we made an example of him.”
“Why now?” I ask.
“Diego has plans,” Pudge drawls out. “He’s been consolidating territory and now he’s ready to take back this town.”
They saunter towards us, without a care in the world. “Get the hint, bro?” Pudge asks, his lip curled into a sneer. “You don’t surrender to us, we keep spreading the word. Those who don’t pay, fall.”
“How about you just fall?” I offer. “Right here, right now.”
The other two flank Pudge, identical maniacal looks on their faces.
I glance over to my brother. “Your call,” I tell Bastian.
“Let's take ‘em down,” Bastian commands, his voice cutting through the tension as we brace for a fight.
Pudge charges at me, probably aiming to take me out first since I pose the biggest threat in his mind. I keep my fists close to my face, popping a left hook at him right as he reaches me. He staggers backward, his lip split from where my fist landed.
Wiping the blood away, he charges forward again, aiming a blow at my chest, then at the last second feinting and making contact with my side. It catches me off guard but I ignore the pain and aim another punch at his face, making contact with his cheek.
He hollers and cups his cheek before kicking out at me. When I twist to avoid the kick, one of his goons clocks me in the back of the head.
I grunt, pain exploding at the base of my skull. Shit, these guys are damned good. They’re better than we expected.
The pain radiates down my back as I stagger forward, trying to keep on my feet. Caleb is clutching a hand to his cheek, a bloody line slashed into it and Bastian is bleeding freely from a cut on his forehead.
“Fucking dicks!” Bastian curses, spitting blood onto the pavement of the dirty alley. He holds his fists up, bobbing and weaving the next attack from the goon on his left. Spotting an opening, he clocks the guy in the side of the head, making the man go down in a heap.
Pudge is still attacking me rapid-fire style, forcing me to expend energy to stave off his blows. I’m nearly backed into a corner when I manage to duck under his arm with the next punch and grab him from behind.
Putting him in a headlock, I squeeze hard, watching his face go from red to purple. “Pass out,” I hiss at him. It takes a few more seconds but he finally goes limp and I drop him.
The last of the three thugs is still going up against Caleb, but once he realizes it’s three to one, he backs up and starts running.
"Looks like they've had enough," Bastian remarks, a smirk playing on his lips as the last one takes off like a frightened mouse.
As soon as he’s out of sight, Caleb turns to us. “Let’s get outta here before these assholes wake up.”
“Smart move,” I agree. “We can take the Firebird.”
As we pile into the car, I glance back, wondering why the Serpents have grown so much more aggressive lately. Why are they stirring shit up all the time now? What’s changed?
