Chapter 21: Echoes of the Fight
The sound of shattered glass echoed through the alleyway as Leo's fist slammed into the masked attacker's face. The man crumpled to the ground, blood pooling at his feet. Behind him, Kai leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, his usually composed demeanor cracking just slightly.
"What the hell was that?" Leo barked, wiping his bloodied knuckles on his jacket. He scanned the darkened alley for more threats, his senses on high alert.
Kai straightened, his voice calm but laced with tension. "A warning. Whoever's pulling the strings of Black Feather doesn't want us digging deeper."
Leo narrowed his eyes, stepping closer to Kai. "And you're sure you know nothing about this? Because it feels like every time we get closer to answers, you conveniently find a way to dodge the truth."
Kai's gaze didn't waver. "I already told you—I'm not the one you should be worried about." He motioned to the unconscious man at their feet. "But he might be."
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The Interrogation
They dragged the attacker into a dimly lit warehouse nearby. Marco secured the man to a chair, his arms tied tightly behind his back. Leo stood over him, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife.
The man groaned as he regained consciousness, his eyes darting between Leo and Kai.
"Start talking," Leo growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Who sent you? And why are you targeting me?"
The attacker spat blood onto the floor. "You think you're untouchable, De Luca? Black Feather's been watching you for years. You're a loose end that needs tying up."
Leo's jaw clenched, but before he could respond, Kai stepped forward, his movements deliberate. He crouched to meet the man's eye level, his expression unreadable.
"And who gave you the orders?" Kai asked, his voice soft but icy. "Because I don't tolerate interruptions in my business."
The attacker hesitated, his gaze flickering nervously. "I don't know his name... We just call him Kang. He's the one who—"
A gunshot rang out, cutting the man off mid-sentence. His head slumped forward, a bullet hole clean through his temple.
Kai straightened, his expression unreadable as he looked at Leo. "We're not the only ones being watched."
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Ambush in the Shadows
The sound of footsteps echoed outside the warehouse. Leo's instincts kicked in, and he signaled to his men to take positions. Within moments, the door burst open, and a hail of gunfire erupted.
Leo dove behind a stack of crates, returning fire with precision. Marco and the others fought valiantly, their bullets cutting through the wave of attackers.
Kai, despite his usual polished demeanor, moved with lethal efficiency. He disarmed an attacker with a swift twist of his wrist, using the man's own weapon against him. His movements were almost hypnotic—a dance of calculated violence.
But the attackers kept coming, their sheer numbers overwhelming.
"Leo, we need to move!" Kai shouted over the chaos, grabbing Leo's arm and pulling him toward a side exit.
As they fled through the darkened streets, Leo couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just another skirmish. Someone was sending a message—a message that Leo and Kai were in over their heads.
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The Fallout
Back at Leo's estate, the mood was tense. Marco patched up a gunshot wound on his arm, wincing as he tightened the bandage.
Kai stood by the window, staring out into the night. His calm exterior was a stark contrast to the storm raging inside Leo's mind.
"Talk to me, Kai," Leo said, his voice quieter now but no less intense. "Who is Kang? And what's your connection to all of this?"
Kai turned to face him, his expression unreadable. "Kang is more than a man. He's a symbol. A reminder that no one is truly safe in the underworld."
"That's not an answer," Leo pressed. "Why does he care about you? About us?"
Kai hesitated, a flicker of something—regret? Fear?—crossing his face. "Because I know things I shouldn't. And so do you, Leo. That makes us both targets."
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The Clue
Later that night, as Leo paced the room, his mind racing with possibilities, Marco entered holding a small black notebook.
"We found this on one of the attackers," Marco said, handing it to Leo.
Leo flipped through the pages, his eyes narrowing as he read the cryptic notes. Coordinates, meeting times, and a single name scrawled repeatedly: Kang.
Kai entered the room, his gaze immediately locking onto the notebook.
"What's this?" he asked, his tone carefully neutral.
Leo held it up. "Evidence. And maybe a death sentence. You know something about this, don't you?"
Kai didn't answer, but the look in his eyes said everything. The stakes were higher than Leo had imagined, and the game they were playing was far from over.
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