Liam stood there. Foot pressed against Iggy’s chest. Looking down at him.
Then he turned his head.
Looked back at the three hundred n standing behind him.
They were just standing there. Silent. Watching. Not moving.
Liam’s jaw tightened.
"Don’t you see I’m about to kill your boss?" His voice was loud. Cutting through the silence. "And you’re all just standing there?"
Silence.
Not one person moved. Not one person spoke.
Then soone in the back said it.
"Fuck him."
Another voice. Different person. "He lost."
"Not our problem anymore."
"Should’ve been stronger."
More voices joined in. Overlapping. Dismissive. Cold. Like they were talking about throwing out garbage.
The sa people who’d been cheering for Iggy minutes ago. Shouting his na. Hyping him up. Celebrating when they thought Liam was finished.
Now they didn’t care.
Liam stared at them.
His stomach turned. Disgust crawling up his throat like bile.
’These people have no loyalty. None. They were just celebrating him. Screaming his na. Now they’re throwing him away like he’s nothing.’
He looked back down at Iggy.
Iggy’s eyes were still closed. His breathing was shallow. Wet-sounding. Blood still pooling beside his head. Dark red spreading across the cracked concrete.
Liam’s jaw clenched.
His hand tightened into a fist.
’I have to kill him. If I don’t make an example out of their boss, this ruthless group of people will just co back. They’ll regroup. They’ll attack us again. They’ll keep coming until we’re dead.’
He raised his foot. Positioned it over Iggy’s throat. Ready to bring it down. Hard. Crush his windpipe.
Then he stopped.
Looked at Iggy’s face. At the blood. The bruises covering his skin. The dislocated jaw hanging at that wrong angle.
His voice ca out quiet. Almost a whisper. "I’m sorry."
"Stop!"
The voice echoed through the warehouse. Loud. Sharp. Commanding.
Liam’s head snapped up.
Shay was standing at the entrance. Behind him were maybe hundred guys. Liam’s gang. All of them holding weapons. tal pipes. Baseball bats. Chains wrapped around fists. So had crowbars. A few had wrenches.
Shay started walking.
Straight toward Liam. His steps steady. Confident. Purpose in every movent.
The three hundred n parted imdiately. Made a wide path. Moved aside without hesitation. Without a word.
Shay walked through the middle. Didn’t look at any of them. Just kept his eyes locked on Liam.
He reached the crater. Stopped at the edge. Looked down at Iggy for a second. Then up at Liam.
"Don’t do it."
Liam’s eyes narrowed. "I can’t just leave him, Shay. He’ll co back. He’ll regroup his guys and attack us again. You know that."
Shay shook his head slowly. "You’re not getting what I’m trying to say."
"Then what are you saying?"
Shay’s expression shifted. Beca serious. His voice dropped lower. Quieter. "What I’m saying is that killing soone changes you. Not right away. But it does. You start seeing it when you close your eyes. When you’re trying to sleep. When you’re alone." He paused. "You’re still young. You haven’t crossed that line yet. Once you do, you can’t co back from it. And I don’t want that weight on you. Not if I can carry it instead."
Liam stared at him.
’If only he knew I’ve already killed soone before. That I’ve already crossed that line. That the weight is already there.’
His voice ca out flat. "So what are you saying? We should just leave him alone?"
Shay smiled. Small. Grim. No humor in it. "No."
His right hand moved. Reached behind his back. Under his jacket.
Pulled out a pistol.
Black. Compact. Grip worn from use. He held it loosely in his hand. Casual. Like it was an extension of his arm.
Liam looked at the gun. Then at Shay’s face.
He understood.
He shrugged. Stepped back. Off Iggy’s chest. Out of the crater. Gave Shay space.
Shay stepped down. Into the crater. His boots crunching on broken concrete. He walked over to where Iggy was lying. Stood over him. Looked down.
Then he raised the gun. Pointed it at Iggy’s head. The barrel aid right between his eyes.
His voice was calm. Even. No emotion. "Any last words?"
Iggy’s eyes opened. Just slightly. Bloodshot. Struggling to focus. His pupils dilated. Unfocused.
His mouth moved. Blood bubbled at the corner of his lips. His voice ca out wet. Ragged. Barely audible.
"This... isn’t... the end."
Shay’s expression didn’t change. "Seems like it to ."
He pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The gunshot cracked through the warehouse. Sharp. Final. The sound echoing off every wall. Bouncing back. Fading slowly.
Iggy’s head jerked to the side from the impact. Then went completely still.
Blood spread across the concrete. Dark. Thick. Pooling faster now.
Liam kept his eyes open. Watched the whole thing. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. Didn’t look away.
Shay lowered the gun. Stood there for a second. Looking down at the body. Then he stepped back. Walked out of the crater.
He looked at Liam. Didn’t say anything. Just nodded once.
Liam nodded back.
Then he turned around. Faced the three hundred n still standing there. Still watching. Waiting to see what would happen next.
He stepped forward. Walked to the edge of the crater where everyone could see him clearly.
Silence filled the warehouse. Complete. Heavy. Three hundred people holding their breath.
Liam’s voice cut through it. Loud. Strong. Carrying to every corner of the space.
"This is it."
He paused. Let the words sink in.
"This is what happens to anyone who attacks my gang."
Silence.
People shifted their weight. Looked at each other. No one spoke. No one moved.
Liam continued. His voice harder now. Colder. "If you do, I’m going to co find you. Every single one of you. Like a swarm of reapers coming for your life." He paused again. Let that image sit in their heads. "So get this into your thick skulls as you leave and never co back. Don’t ever ss with The Reaper Gang."
Behind them, his gang erupted.
Shouting. Cheering. Voices overlapping in a wave of sound.
"Reaper Gang!"
"Yeah!"
"Let’s fucking go!"
"Reaper Gang!"
The sound grew louder. Echoing. Filling the warehouse. Drowning out everything else.
Liam didn’t turn around. Just kept his eyes on the three hundred n in front of him.
His expression was hard. Cold. Unreadable.
"Leave," he said. His voice cutting through the noise behind him. "And never co back."
For a mont, no one moved.
Then soone in the back turned. Started walking toward the exit.
Then another person. Then three more. Then ten.
Like a dam breaking.
All of them started moving at once. Heading for the doors. So walking quickly. So jogging. All of them wanting to get out. Get away.
The crowd thinned. Spread out. Moved faster.
Quiet settled over the warehouse as they left. Just the sound of footsteps. Boots on concrete. Fading as they got farther away.
One of Liam’s guys near the door shifted suddenly. A flinch. Fake lunge. Just ssing around.
One of the n leaving saw it. Flinched hard. Stumbled. Nearly fell. Kept walking. Faster now. Almost running.
A few people behind him laughed. Quiet. Restrained.
Liam watched them all go. Didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just stood there until the last person disappeared through the door.
The warehouse was quiet now.
Just Liam’s gang. Thirty guys. Standing around. So leaning on their weapons. So sitting on crates. All of them looking at Liam.
Liam let out a long breath. His shoulders dropped slightly. The tension leaving his body.
He turned around. Looked at Shay.
"How did I do?"
Shay smiled. Wide. Genuine. The kind of smile that reached his eyes. "You did great. That speech was solid. And the gang na?" He nodded. "The Reaper Gang. That’s fucking aweso."
Liam felt a small smile tug at his lips. "I just ca up with it on the spot. I’m glad you liked it."
Shay’s smile widened. "I love it." Then his expression shifted. Beca more serious. Thoughtful. "But what impressed more wasn’t the speech. It was the fact that you didn’t even flinch when you watched put a bullet in that guy’s head."
Liam’s smile faded. His voice ca out steady. Calm. "I needed to show them I wasn’t afraid. That I ant what I said. If I’d looked away or flinched, they wouldn’t have taken the threat seriously. They’d co back thinking I was soft."
Shay stared at him for a long mont. Just looking. Studying him.
Then he shook his head slowly. A small smile on his face. "You’re one weird dude, you know that?"
Liam’s smile ca back. Small. "Yeah. I know."
Damien walked up. Looked around the warehouse. At the broken concrete. The blood. The shattered ceiling panels. The destroyed crates.
He let out a low whistle. "So this is our new base?"
Shay turned to look at him. His voice was calm. Matter-of-fact. "Yeah. This is it."
Damien grinned. Wide. Excited. "This place is fucking huge. Way better than the old spot."
A few other guys ca over. Started talking. Pointing at different areas. Discussing what could go where. What needed to be cleaned up. What could be salvaged.
Shay raised his voice slightly. Loud enough for everyone to hear. "We should celebrate!"
A cheer went up. People started talking louder. Making plans. Soone ntioned drinks. Soone else ntioned food.
The energy shifted. From tense to excited. Relief mixing with adrenaline.
Liam was about to say sothing. About to agree.
Then his phone rang.
The sound cut through the noise. Sharp. Insistent.
He pulled it out of his pocket. Looked at the screen.
Elena.
His jaw tightened. His stomach dropped slightly.
He stepped away. A few feet from the group. Pressed answer. Brought the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
Elena’s voice ca through. Calm. Controlled. Direct. "I’m at your place. We need to talk."
Liam’s eyes narrowed. "I’ll be right there."
"Good. Don’t keep waiting."
The call ended.
Liam lowered the phone. Stared at the screen for a second. Then put it back in his pocket.
He turned around. Walked back to where Shay and Damien were standing.
"I have to go."
Shay looked at him. Raised an eyebrow. "Right now?"
"Yeah."
Damien’s expression shifted. More serious. "Everything okay?"
Liam nodded. Once. "Yeah. I just need to handle sothing."
Shay studied his face for a mont. Reading him. Then he nodded slowly. "Alright. Be careful."
"I will."
Liam turned. Started walking toward the exit. His footsteps echoing in the now quieter warehouse.
Behind him, he heard Damien’s voice. Low. Curious.
"What do you think that was about?"
Shay’s response was just as quiet. Thoughtful. "No idea. But whatever it is, it’s got him tense."
Liam kept walking. Didn’t look back. Out the door. Into the cool night air.
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