AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Old Man Long’s state left his whole territory vulnerable, and the first effects could already be seen. To Eden’s surprise, a few stores had been closed and barricaded, and she was seeing more Caucasian and Hispanic people than before. The other population groups were already trying to stake a claim on the territory even before the Old Dragon passed for real... She didn’t like this at all. They were like hungry dogs looking for bones to pick. Eden liked the Dragon’s territory too much not to care. Although it was obviously a predominantly Asian population, White people like her were tolerated, and no one would mess with her, unlike in some other territories. There was a deep respect for each individual, instead of a constant nerve-wracking climate of fear and anger. Because the Dragons were long-lasting leaders, they had plenty of time to make their people feel at ease and strengthen their borders too. Hence, even people like Jack and the girls who would have been rejected or killed in half of the other territories could work in the blurred margins of the Dragon’s property.
She turned to Dante.
“...Have you ever met Old Man Long?”
“No. Only his lieutenants,” Dante answered honestly.
Eden wasn’t surprised. Long was known to keep to himself, and his men respected him too much to let their leader be put at risk... They probably wouldn’t have allowed him to meet any of the other Zodiacs face-to-face.
Despite Eden’s worries, the cars finally arrived without any issue in front of Jack’s bar, or what was left of it... While the cars parked, she had a chance to see how badly that poor establishment had been treated during the gunfight. The entrance was a wreck, and only the security roller shutter didn’t have any bullet markings on it, since it wasn’t down at the time of the fight... Eden let out a long sigh and got out of the car. Dante followed right after her, grabbing a cigarette right away to light up. Trying to act the part of his bodyguard, Eden looked all around for potential threats, but aside from some curious stares, they were only grabbing attention so far, not real danger…
Dante’s men surrounded them, the drivers staying in the car in case they had to leave in a hurry, so their group really stood out. Eden found it annoying, but it was probably inevitable. She walked up to the door and put in the passcode for the roller shutter to lift it. The thing slowly moved up, revealing the door, once again in a poor state from all the bullet impacts on it... Eden grimaced, and opened the door’s lock with another passcode.
Inside, a frightening silence reigned. The whole room, previously so lively and joyful, was dark with a dreadful atmosphere. Eden took another step inside, the wood creaking under her feet. She could still smell the gunpowder, the alcohol, and the blood that had left large stains on the floor... There were no bodies, but it didn’t make a difference. A stench of death was still floating around, marking the bar forever. She slowly walked in, following the trails of blood. Her eyes fell on the sofa, and she remembered the sight of her colleagues’ bodies: Bella’s twisted leg and June’s body that hung like a broken doll. Eden took a deep breath, running her hand through her hair, trying to calm down.
She could feel Dante behind her, but he didn’t say a word. The smell of his cigarette was almost welcome at this moment. Eden didn’t even glance back to see how many of his men had followed them inside. Less than a handful, from what she could hear... She walked down the stairs behind the counter and knocked on the closed door.
“Jack, it’s me! Are you there? Are you okay?”
“State your name!” yelled a voice from the other side.
“It’s Eden, Jack,” she replied, her shoulders relaxing a little. “Open up.”
“Wait! Tell me somethin’ only Eden would know!”
“Seriously?” she rolled her eyes. “Jack, open!”
“How did we meet?” he asked, ignoring her.
Eden frowned.
“You saw me kicking two guys’ asses, and you offered me a job to work for you as a bodyguard… It was late one afternoon, and you were on your way to open the bar. I got into a fight with two guys who were following me and you offered to help me out... I beat them up by myself. You offered me a drink here afterward, Jack… Come on, open up.”
The door finally opened. Jack was there, frowning and holding his shotgun with one hand. He looked tired and was wearing some old gray sweatshirt and joggers. Once he saw Eden, he visibly relaxed, put down his weapon, and opened his arms to hug her.
“Eden, thank God! Come here, ya babe!”
The young woman chuckled and happily walked into his embrace. Jack’s strong arms around her lifted some weight off her back. Eden had been worried about him all this time and felt guilty she couldn’t come in person sooner... Still, there was nothing of that in Jack’s hug, just a brotherly relief to see her. He gently pulled away, checking her out from head to toe, concerned.
“Oh, you crazy chick… Sorry about all that, you know how they imitate people’s voices and all nowadays… Oh, thank God it’s really ya... Are you a’right?”
“Yeah, yeah... How are you?”
“Getting bored in here,” said a voice behind him.
“Rose!”
Indeed, standing a few steps behind Jack was Rose. Arms crossed, she let out a long sigh upon seeing Eden. She wasn’t the type that would hug her, but she did seem relieved to see the blonde. Unlike her usual sexy dresses, Rose was wearing a crop top and some simple jeans, her hair up in a high ponytail of red curls. The two of them did look like they had a rough time, and from the dirty stains on their clothing, they had probably been trying to clean the place too...
“...How are you two?”
“Lucky to be alive, I tell ya!” said Jack.
“We sent Bella and June’s bodies to their families before you called...” explained Rose with a grimace.
“What about the others?” asked Eden, looking at Jack, worried. “Do you have any news?”
“With everything going on, Xixi’s probably trying to find herself another patron before it’s too late,” scoffed Rose. “Minnie said she was going to disappear for a while, but she’s fine.”
