"Isn't that obvious? Have the stats come in? How many did we lose?"
"Almost half."
Bang!
Juan slammed his fist onto the table, his face dark as swamp water. Nearly half of his men were dead, and what did they get out of it? Nothing. The Clemente family had taken everything of value and left behind only a trap-riddled ruin. And they, like fools, had charged straight into it. The place had been reduced to rubble—worthless, completely destroyed. This time, the Juan family had taken a hard fall.
Juan slumped back into his chair, exhaustion written all over him. "Leave me alone. I need to think."
His lieutenant nodded and quietly exited, closing the door behind him. But he hadn't walked far when a gunshot rang out.
The lieutenant froze, shocked, and rushed back into the office, slamming the door open—only to see Juan slumped in his chair, eyes wide open, a bullet hole clean through his forehead. Turning his head, he spotted a hole in the window glass—about the same size. He ran to the window and looked out, but there wasn't even a shadow of a sniper in sight.
Leo, who had activated optical camouflage, was sprinting across the rooftops of nearby buildings in full parkour. The hit on Juan hadn't been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Leo had wanted him dead ever since Juan disrespected Jackie and kept pushing boundaries. Leo hadn't said a word back then, but in his heart, he had already sentenced Juan to death.
And it wasn't just about revenge. Juan's death would leave his family without a leader. The underbosses beneath him would inevitably fight for the top seat. Leo wasn't in a rush—he'd let them bleed each other dry. Once enough blood had been spilled, Jackie could move in and claim their territory. That was one of Leo's reasons for assassinating Juan.
After all, what was the leadership position worth, for a brother willing to die for him?
Leo ran nonstop for several blocks before leaping down into a narrow alley, removing his exoskeleton and reverting to his usual white trench coat. He waited there briefly until the Delamain cab he had called arrived at the alley's entrance. Only then did he step out and get in.
A call came through—Jackie.
"Leo, where are you?"
"What is it, Jackie?"
Leo frowned slightly. He wasn't helping Padre with cleanup just because they were close—he also intended to pave the way for Jackie. Jackie was no kid anymore. He had a wife, but no kids yet. His career hadn't even started. With Padre seriously injured and hospitalized, this was the perfect opportunity. It was like someone handing him a pillow right when he wanted to sleep.
Leo knew Jackie didn't have much formal education. Asking him to lead Padre's crew and win a war against the Clemente family was a bit unrealistic. That's why Leo had been doing all the legwork himself, never letting Jackie make a direct move against them. He had only given Jackie one job—keep Padre's men in line. Everything else, Leo would handle.
This was Leo's test for Jackie. If he passed, great—love and career, both in hand. What more could a man want? If Jackie couldn't control Padre's crew, Leo would still treat him as a brother, but maybe Jackie just wasn't cut out to be a boss. Better to stay as backup—at least there'd be insurance, bonuses, and supermarket gift cards during holidays.
But Jackie's next words made Leo freeze in his seat.
"Padre's awake."
.................
........
.
The Delamain cab stopped in front of City Center's private hospital—Night City's best medical facilities were all downtown. Leo got out and made his way inside, taking the elevator up to Padre's room. Jackie, Marcus, and several of Padre's men were already standing outside the door.
Leo greeted them. "How's he doing? What did the doctors say?"
Marcus replied, "They said the fact that he woke up so soon is a miracle. But even though he's conscious, he's still a long way from recovery. The doctors said we shouldn't bother him with anything unnecessary and should let him rest."
Leo nodded. Padre waking up was a massive morale boost for his people. But Leo couldn't help wondering what Padre would think about Jackie stepping up in his absence. Hopefully, he wouldn't be upset.
"Mr. Leo, the doctor said only one person can go in. Padre specifically asked for you."
"Me?"
That genuinely surprised Leo. He had expected Padre to ask for Nikola—after all, Padre wouldn't have known that Nikola had betrayed them—or maybe for Marcus. The last thing he expected was to be the one summoned.
Thinking it over, Leo realized that while Padre had been unconscious, he had considered letting Jackie take over. But Padre had been asleep in this hospital room the entire time—there was no way he could know what had been happening outside. More importantly, Leo had successfully turned the Clemente family and the Kiryu-gumi against each other, keeping Padre's crew intact.
Whatever else happened, Leo had nothing to be ashamed of. Steeling himself, he stepped confidently into Padre's hospital room.
Padre's hospital room was spotless, the entire space sterile and white. Several monitoring and life-support machines sat near his bedside. Padre lay on the bed, his eyes fixed on the door. When he saw Leo enter, he raised a weak hand and gestured.
"You're here, Leo."
---------------------------------------
You can read 50 advanced chapters as well as 2 daily chapters on!
Patreon(.)com/IDKjust