The only sound in the room was the tap-tap-tap of Lionhead's thick fingers against his leg. He was a mountain of a man, the kind whose shadow used to make people cross the street. Now, his shadow was all he had left.
He used to be the king. His name meant something. It meant fear. It meant power.
Then Adam came.
A quiet, skinny kid with dead eyes who didn't know his place. Who didn't seem to know fear. Within a year, the city forgot Lionhead's name. They only whispered Adam's.
It ate at him. Rotting him from the inside.
He'd tried everything to crush him. Traps. Betrayals. That thing at the mechanic's shop three years back—that was supposed to be Adam's end. But Adam never showed. Some other family got wiped out instead. Lionhead didn't lose sleep over the dead. He lost it because Adam was still breathing.
But tonight. Tonight felt different.
The gunshots outside cracked the silence.
A slow, ugly grin spread across Lionhead's face. "He took the bait."
He stood, his voice a low rumble that filled the space. "Move! Now!"
His men poured into the room. About twenty of them. Young, old, all armed and all trying hard not to look scared.
"He's here," Lionhead said, the words tasting sweet. "This is it."
One of the younger ones, a boy with shaky hands, spoke up. "Boss… you sure we can take him this time?"
Lionhead's hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of the boy's shirt. "You scared? The door's right there. Go offer your neck to him yourself."
The boy shook his head, eyes wide. Lionhead shoved him back.
"He came with his whole crew," Lionhead announced to the room. "That means he's confident. He thinks he's already won." He smiled, a cruel, broken thing. "But he's walking into his grave."
He jerked his head toward the left. "Bring out the northern boys."
Seven men stepped from the shadows. They were bigger than anyone else in the room. They didn't talk. They just stared, their eyes flat and empty. Hired guns.
Lionhead nodded at them. "You know the deal."
One of them cracked his neck. "We'll handle it."
"And the rest of you," Lionhead said, turning back to his crew. "Don't get comfortable. These boys are the first wave. Adam's slippery. He'll dodge them. But they'll wear him down."
He paused, letting that sink in, then looked into the darkest corner of the room.
"Now. Bring out the others."
Three figures emerged. Silent. Dressed in black, faces covered. They moved like ghosts, without a sound. His personal insurance. No one knew their names. No one needed to.
"If the northerners fail," Lionhead said quietly, "they won't."
The lead shadow gave a single, sharp nod. "It's done."
"Wait for my signal," Lionhead ordered. "Not a moment before."
One of his regular guys, a man named Tunde, cleared his throat. "Boss… what about the girl? Rebecca."
Lionhead's grin returned, wider this time. "She survived, huh? Good. Let her come. I'll enjoy finishing the job."
"You want us to grab her?"
"If you see her, you put a bullet in her head," Lionhead said, his voice casual. "But Adam comes first. He's mine to—"
"COWARD LIONHEAD."
The voice cut through the walls, cold and clear. Adam's voice.
Lionhead's head snapped up. The grin didn't leave his face. It tightened.
He walked out into the open yard. Adam stood there, relaxed, a faint smirk on his face. Behind him, his Red Bandits were fanned out, a wall of silent menace. And beside him, her eyes burning with a hate so pure it was a physical force, stood Rebecca.
"Come out," Adam said, his tone almost bored. "I'm itching to kill you. And I know you want to do the same."
"That's my man," Lionhead said, spreading his arms wide. "So? What do plan have you concocted?"
"That's for you to figure out. I see you brought your full army. I guess tonight's the handover." Lionhead's grin was all teeth.
Rebecca took a sharp breath, her whole body trembling. Her hand was white-knuckled around the handle of a knife.
Adam didn't look at her, but his voice was low, for her ears only. "Patience. I promised you. You'll be the one to put the steel in him."
Rebecca gave a tight, jerky nod, her eyes never leaving Lionhead.
Adam turned his full attention back to Lionhead, his head tilted like he was studying a strange insect. "So. This is the plan? Throw your last few men at me and hope one gets lucky?"
Lionhead laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "Something like that." He raised his hand high, ready to signal the attack, to unleash his northerners and his shadows and all the hell he had prepared.
"Straight to business, I like it."
Aso Rock
Aso Rock was quiet except for the low voices inside the situation room. The president sat with both hands pressed together, staring at the map laid out in front of him.
"They are all gathered in the same place," the four-star general said. "We can end them now."
The president didn't look up. "And what about the people living around that area?"
"We considered that," the general replied. "But this is the only window we've had in years. Adam is surrounded. Lionhead is there too. Two demons in one place."
The president rubbed his forehead. "You want me to approve a blast in a residential zone."
"Yes." The general's tone didn't shake. "Because if we don't take this chance, we may never get another. Adam has killed our men. Police, soldiers, task forces… every attempt failed. This is the only way."
The president let out a slow exhale. "What about evacuation? Any way to pull civilians out first?"
"No time," the general said. "By the time we move in for evacuation, Adam will escape. And Lionhead will scatter. Sir, we prepared for a clean strike. All we need is your go-ahead."
The president leaned back, eyes closed.
Another minister stepped forward. "Sir… families will die."
The general cut in immediately. "Families are already dying because of these men. Adam's gang and Lionhead's crew have crippled the entire state. We can't keep losing soldiers. We can't keep running circles."
The room fell silent.
The president opened his eyes and stared at the map again. A red circle marked the area where Adam and Lionhead were fighting.
He whispered, "This will haunt me."
"But it will save the nation," the general said.
The president didn't answer right away. His fingers tapped against the table. Slowly. Nervously. Thoughts running too fast for him to hide.
Finally, he let out a quiet breath.
"Launch the bomb."
The general saluted sharply. "Yes, sir."
He pulled out a small secured device from his pocket and keyed in the command. Another officer beside him confirmed the link had been established.
The general spoke clearly into the communicator.
"All units. This is Alpha Command. Clearance confirmed. Begin strike sequence."
A voice on the other end responded, "Strike sequence initiated."
The general turned back to the president. "It's done."
The president didn't speak. He just stared ahead, almost frozen.
Another officer rushed into the room. "Sir, the missile team is waiting for final verification."
The general handed the device to the president.
"Just place your thumb."
The president hesitated. His hand shook slightly.
The minister stepped closer. "Sir…"
The president didn't look at him. He pressed his thumb down on the scanner.
A soft beep followed.
"Verification received," the missile team said through the speaker.
"Missile armed."
The general closed the device.
"It will reach the target in twelve minutes."
The president whispered, "God help us."
The general replied quietly, "God left that area a long time ago."