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"You sound scared, my friend,
it's intelligent to be afraid."

- José
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Chapter 50 - Monster Unleashed

▪️D O M I N I C▪️

It was around 1am when a few of my men and I, along with Aleksandr and some of his, quietly arrived at the hideout where Brian Tanner had supposedly fled to.

The Road Crows were apparently located in a house just outside of the Aelbank City borders. Thankfully, the two-storey structure was located in a scarcely populated rural area, so any gunshot noises would not immediately alert anyone in the vicinity.

Standing silently under the moonlight, the crisp air of the night washed over us as we exited our vehicles a few yards away. It was a good night to shed some blood and I inhaled deeply at the thought.

"Seems like The Blackhawks were telling the truth," Vincent said softly as he stood next to me in the shadows as we neared the house.

"They're so cocky, they don't even have anyone guarding the outside," Aleksandr commented in surprise.

Chuckling softly, I uttered, my voice full of venom, "That's because they don't have the numbers to protect themselves anymore. They're like fish in a barrel, it angers me that this will be too easy. I wanted to spill more blood."

From one of the large bay windows, we could see Brian and eleven of his men in the living room.

The bikers all wore gloomy expressions, no doubt feeling the repercussions of their actions. Their numbers were almost non-existent as they had lost many members from their crew over the last few weeks. The bulk of them had died earlier today in the raids against Da'mon and Raeni's properties.

The Haitian and Jamaican mafia bosses unfortunately had to stay back in Aelbank City to oversee the rest of the clean-up on their properties as well as to provide protection for the other resources belonging to those in the alliance.

Da'mon and Raeni wanted to be there in person to see Brian die, but they knew that I would provide vengeance on their behalf.

"Let's go," was all I said before we began to move towards our respective positions.

With our weapons armed and ready, we began to surround the house, blocking all possible escape routes. One of the larger men kicked down the front door and myself and the others immediately flooded the living room, guns pointing at all the men.

"Nobody move!" I shouted; my purple Desert Eagle pointed at Brian's head.

The bikers immediately put their hands in the air. Jee-min and Quintin, along with some of the others quickly moved and disarmed the men and forced them into the larger dining room area where they were roughly forced onto their knees.

The bikers knelt in a straight line, with Brian at the end.

I sneered as I looked down at all eleven of them. My feral gaze flickered over each and every one of their faces, committing them to memory.

My eyes were usually bright blue. Right now, however, I knew they were an unsettling pale sapphire colour. Less like ice and more like a snowstorm, petrifying and bursting with an inconceivable indignation.

As I stared down at them, my eyes were unreadable and filled with the vow of a monstrous wrath.

My gaze came to rest on Brian's face last before I leisurely walked back to the beginning of the line and pointed my gun at the first man.

"Where's Jade?" I asked, my voice full of intensity.

The man replied, "Who?"

BANG!

As blood splattered across the room, his headless body dropped to the floor. The thudding sound against the wooden surface seemed to echo through the air. Aleksandr and the other men silently looked on, not daring to interrupt.

I looked to the next man and repeated the question, slower this time, making sure to pronounce each word, "Where is Jade?"

With a quivering lip, the man hesitated.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Three more men laid dead on the floor, their heads missing. There was blood everywhere, and without hesitation, I had moved from one man to the next, not waiting for them to answer.

Upon reaching the fifth man, Vincent came to my side and whispered, "We won't find her if you kill them all."

Snarling, I pushed past my second in command and stalked over to Brian, pointing the weapon in his face, "I won't ask again, Tanner..."

"I-I don't know, I swear!" Brian stuttered with his trembling hands raised in the air.

Shifting the aim of my gun to the remaining six men, I effortlessly killed another two without taking my eyes off of the bikers' leader, "A man facing death will say anything!"

"No! It's true! Our deal with the Cartel was to just harass you guys as much as possible, burn a few buildings, cause a scene. We didn't know they were going to kidnap your girl, Dominic, I swear," his azure eyes showing that he was telling the truth.

"What about the shoot-out at the engagement party?" I asked, my gaze penetrating.

Brian hesitantly answered, "We saw an opportunity and took it."

"An opportunity..." I scoffed, "You shouldn't bark if you can't bite! You sealed your faith the minute you and your men decided to aim your weapons at us!" I then pressed the gun to Brian's forehead, "I don't need you to say much, I just need a location."

It was as though something went off in the biker's mind as he seemed to have a newfound bravery, "You come in here all guns blazing and don't even give me the decency of a fair fight!"

"You want a fair fight, Tanner?" I asked, as I threw my gun at Vincent, then swiftly removed my jacket and flung it over my shoulder, where Quintin promptly caught it before it could hit the floor.

Brian looked at me as he slowly stood up.

The biker was about an inch taller, and his body mass was much larger than mine. I suppose given the slight size difference, he figured that he could easily take me, as he was a decent fighter. So, without waiting, Brian charged forward.

Without wavering, I stood my ground and watched as he came to attack.

Being an experienced fighter myself, Brian did not pose any real threat. Especially as he came at me swinging wildly. I decided to humour the biker for a bit, humiliating him in the process as I easily deflected every attack intended for me, getting in some hits on Brian in return.

After a few minutes, I began to get bored.

Easily avoiding the punches that were aimed my way, I then side-stepped and aimed a quick jab at the side of Brian's neck. The biker stumbled and fell onto his knees once more.

"I don't have time for this," I snarled, my patience weaning.

Looking over at Vincent, my second in command immediately threw the purple gun back at me. Cocking the weapon, I then shot Brian in the sole of his right foot, causing the man to double over and scream out.

"Talk..." I demanded before shooting the biker in the shin, then in the knee on the same leg.

"Fuck! Okay okay wait!" Brian huffed, his body in tremendous pain as he realised that I would slowly keep shooting my way up, "Roberto is supposed to call me tomorrow, there's a grey cell phone in the next room. I don't know where they are or where they might have taken your woman, all I know is that they're in Miami somewhere."

Nodding at Aleksandr to go get the phone, I then instructed that Brian and the other four remaining men be made to sit at the six-seater dining room table. I holstered my gun then put back on my jacket.

"Tie them up," I said as Brian's phone was placed in my hand.

Going through the unlocked phone, I noticed incoming and outgoing calls to only one number. I knew that the chance of being able to trace the number was slim, but I still had to try. With a frown, I handed the phone to Vincent so that he could immediately attempt to do so.

I told everyone to leave the house while I alone remained in the dining room. My blue eyes were focused and my gaze was penetrating as I looked at the men struggling against their bindings.

Reaching into my jacket pocket, I pulled out a small black flask which held some turpentine oil. I inhaled the aroma of the liquid and sighed before throwing some onto the men before dumping the remnants around the room.

Putting the flask back into my jacket, I took out a chrome lighter. My thumb flicked downwards and the flame ignited. With a smirk, I watched the flame dance before my eyes, briefly getting lost in its flicker.

"I will burn the world to the ground if I have to, in order to find her..." I whispered as my eyes darkened.

To me, fire was the most stunning weapon of them all. It was cleansing and consumed anything in its path. The gleam of it was so enchanting, fierce and bold in all its glory; perhaps that was why I was so fascinated by it. The heat, along with the convivial feel it radiated, was hypnotic.

Having a clear line of sight from where I stood, I enjoyed the expressions that passed over the men's faces. Smirking, I dropped the lighter onto the carpet, which immediately burst into flames.

Standing in the hallway near the entrance, I watched as the bright colours danced and changed before my very eyes. I quietly observed as the flames rapidly spread, leaping and hissing, tempting me to reach out. Momentarily hypnotised, my gaze was fixed on the beauty of the fire, the way it swayed and summoned me, tempting me each time I tried to look away.

The shouting from Brian and the other men inside of the house were heard over the growing roar of the fire. I then leisurely reached out with my pale hand, allowing the heat of the intense flames to almost kiss my palm before the sound of Vincent's voice pulled me away.

"Dominic, we need to go!" my second in command shouted from the SUV.

Reluctantly stepping away from the house, I could not help but walk to the window where the dining room was. Watching as the flames drew closer and closer to Brian and his men, I stood there and admired the way their bodies began to burn.

The bikers were helpless as they watched everything ignite around them. Their screams of agony were soon drowned out by the sound of the raging fire, as bright colours turned black. Thick smoke ascended into the air in shadowy grey plumes of darkness and misery.

My face showed no emotion as I watched the last of The Road Crows burn to death. When their cries died down, I turned and walked towards the vehicles.

"We better find Jade, for all our sakes," I heard Aleksandr say as I entered my car.

————— ▲ —————

Upon re-entering Aelbank City, I made my way to one of the various look-out points.

I had Vincent, Quintin, and three other men park a few metres away in one of the black SUVs while sitting in my Bugatti, waiting for Commissioner Edgehill.

With a scowl, I watched as the sun began to rise over the horizon, admiring nature's beauty as the light gently kissed the land. I could not help but get lost in my thoughts, wondering what Jade was up to.

It had been over twelve hours since she was taken.

I was unable to stop myself from thinking about the multiple scenarios that plagued me. I knew that Jade could endure whatever torture the Cartel boss had planned, but she was human after all and it was only so much her body could take before it reached its limit.

The sound of approaching vehicles pulled me from my reverie as the Commissioner's convoy pulled up. I shook the morbid thoughts from my mind as I got out of my car and met the man halfway.

"Have you found out anything?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

Shaking his head in regret, Thomas replied, "Unfortunately, not as much as I'd like. The first twenty-four hours are crucial and we're doing everything we can to find her. My contacts in Miami are on it, they were more than eager as they have not had much evidence to harass José so they will be paying a visit to his hotel this morning."

"You and I both know that he's not going to hide her there. He's going to take her to a secondary location, that's the address we need! As we suspected, we were unable to trace anything off the phone we took form Tanner, but he claimed the other Fuentes twin is supposed to make contact sometime today," I said while running a hand through my silvery white hair.

"The Miami forces will do everything they can. I've managed to get myself invited onto the case, so I'll be heading over there now. I will call you as soon as I land and will keep you updated immediately as things unfold," the Commissioner paused before continuing, "I know that I'm asking for a lot, but just try to keep calm for now. We will find her."

I just eyed the man for a moment, my pale face tense.

It obvious that I was fighting an intense inner battle, choosing between lashing out or keeping my composure. I knew that it would do no good to kill the Commissioner, for even though I had the urge to spill blood, Thomas was a valuable asset.

The man I needed to kill was the one holding Jade, and I needed to focus my mind on that.

After several more tense seconds, I suddenly huffed out, a low growl sounding deep in my throat. I then turned around and got back into my purple and black Bugatti and speed off, the black SUV following behind.

A few hours later, back at the Calvetti residence, I sat in my office behind my desk.

Vincent sat in one of the chairs on the opposite side. I had yet to take a shower or change out of my bloody and smoke-filled clothes as I did not want to chance missing Roberto's call, seeing as we had no idea when exactly the phone would ring.

The two of us sat in silence, our eyes intently staring at the grey mobile phone on the desk. It was as though we were willing it to ring, and with each passing minute my anger rose as my feelings of helplessness increased.

At around 11am the phone suddenly rang, and I immediately answered the call.

"How did things go last night, Brian?" the voice of Roberto asked.

"Tanner and his men managed to cause some damage, but nothing we couldn't handle." I replied then asked, "Where is Jade?"

A soft chortle was heard before the Mexican man continued, "Ah! I see The Road Crows managed to get captured earlier than we suspected."

Slamming my fist on the table, I felt my patience thinning, "Don't play with me!"

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone before the smooth voice of José Hernández García was unexpectedly heard.

"You sound scared, my friend," the Cartel boss taunted, "it's intelligent to be afraid."

"I'm going to kill you, García..." my fist on the table clenched even tighter.

Making a tsk sound, the man went on to say, "Come now, Calvetti. Is that any way to talk to the man who has taken your most valuable treasure? I can see why you love her," there was a pause and the quiet shuffle of something, "she's really beautiful. I've been watching her sleep; I can't wait until she wakes up."

My blue eyes shifted to Vincent, whose brow was creased as he watched my pale face visibly contorted in pain.

"You better not lay a hand on her!" I said, the threat sounding unconvincing even to me as I knew that right now, I was in no position to save Jade.

"I admire you, Calvetti, I really do. But you've lost this battle, my friend," the Mexican responded.

Letting out a ragged breath as my hand tightened around the mobile phone, my tone menacing, "If Jade dies, winning won't be the point. I will find you and kill you!" my next words were full of venom as I said, "I promise, you will burn, García!"

The Cartel boss laughed heartily, "You're lucky that I've taken a liking to her. At first I wanted her so that I could use her pain to destroy you. But now..."

I held my breath as I waited for the man to continue, no doubt pausing for effect.

"But now, I think that I just might keep her for myself, which I'm sure will hurt you even more, knowing that she'll belong to another and you can't do anything about it. I'll be sure to tell her you said hi..." José said, his accent thick as his voice lowered with each word before he suddenly hung up.

"Hello?" I realised that the line was dead, "Fuck!" I screamed and threw the phone at the opposite wall, where it shattered on impact.

Vincent ducked in time, the phone barely missing his face, as he looked back at me. My second in command was unsure if to speak and he decided to keep his mouth shut as he watched me slowly unravel before his eyes.

I violently threw my chair back as I stood, Jade's name on my lips while I let out a soul-crushing scream.

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A/N: Did you guys enjoy this chapter? If so, what was your favourite part?

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