MTLNOVEL Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Smoke and Mirrors
The air was thick with the stench of gasoline and metal as I stood on the rooftop, staring at the city lights that flickered like broken dreams. My fingers were cold, wrapped tightly around the handle of my pistol, though I wasn't sure if it was the night air or the weight of what I was about to do that made them shake.
Down below, Kross's men were unloading crates from a black van, moving like shadows in the dim alley. This was it—the shipment I'd been tracking for weeks. Drugs, weapons, maybe something worse. I couldn't afford to guess.
I took a slow breath, my chest rising and falling as I tried to steady my mind. "Focus, Damien. You've been through worse," I muttered under my breath, but the words felt hollow.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Lena perched on the opposite rooftop. She gave me a small nod, her sharp eyes never leaving the scene below. Reliable as always. I wondered, for a fleeting moment, what she saw when she looked at me now. A man desperate for revenge? A broken shell trying to hold himself together?
A soft crackle in my earpiece brought me back to the present."Positions set," Marcus whispered, his voice as cold and steady as ever."Give the word, Damien," Eddie added, though I could hear the tension under his usual bravado.
The weight of their trust hit me like a punch to the gut. They were following me into hell because I asked them to. Because they believed in my fight—even if I didn't always believe in myself.
I scanned the alley one last time. There were more guards than I expected. Kross wasn't taking chances anymore. He knew someone was hunting him.
My grip on the gun tightened."On my mark," I said quietly."Three… two…"
But before I could say "one", a sudden burst of gunfire shattered the night. Bullets tore through the crates, sending sparks and splinters into the air. Shouts echoed as Kross's men scrambled for cover, and in that chaos, I realized—Someone else was here.
"Abort!" I barked into the comm, ducking behind a rusted vent as a bullet whizzed past my head."Damien, what the hell is going on?!" Lena hissed."I don't know, but we're not the only ones after Kross."
My mind raced as I tried to make sense of it. Had another gang moved in? Or was this Kross's way of baiting us out? Either way, the plan was ruined.
Through the chaos, I caught a glimpse of a figure moving like a shadow—fast, precise. Not one of Kross's men. Not one of mine.
"Who the hell are you?" I whispered to myself, watching as the figure took down two guards with brutal efficiency.
The fight had begun, and whether I was ready or not, I was now part of it.
As I rose from cover, heart pounding, I knew one thing—this night wasn't going to end quietly.