Chapter 80: Bold As A Lion

Adrian’s POV

The muffled roar of the crowd seeped through the locker room walls, mixing with the hum of commercials playing on the stadium screens. I paced the floor, helmet in hand, while my teammates watched me like I held the answer to a question none of us could solve.

“Told you we should’ve sent a search party for him,” Thomas, our wide receiver, muttered.

“Thomas, not now,” I groaned. This wasn’t the time for jokes.

Leo’s last message still burned in my mind, and every call since had gone unanswered. Maybe he was in Sundale after all. I tried to convince myself of that, but the knot in my chest wouldn’t loosen.

Coach Clarence stormed in, his expression grim. “I still don’t understand how your best friend and our running back disappears without telling his captain where he’s going. We’ve got twenty minutes before kickoff. If Leo doesn’t show, we’re down to one running back since Ryan quit.”

His words hit like a tackle. “For the hundredth time, where is Leo?”

Eyes darted around the room — Jeff from defense, Hank from offense, Thomas, everyone waiting for me to fix it.

“We could have Vincent, the new kid take his place, he has been practising with us for quite some time.” Hank suggested.

Vincent’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “Me?”

“Vincent’s good,” I said, “but not as fast as Leo.”

“Better than leaving the spot empty,” Hank shot back.

“I’d rather have Thomas fill in,” I countered.

Thomas blinked, shaking his head. “I’m against that. Jim and I are our best shot as receivers.”

Coach glanced at his watch, then up at us, his eyes dull. “Eighteen minutes. If Leo doesn’t walk through that door, he sits the first quarter out.”

He left me with my thoughts — and the gnawing question: What happened to Leo? His silence wasn’t normal. Something was wrong.

My phone buzzed violently. Heads turned.

“Is that Leo?” someone asked.

“No,” I muttered, irritation flaring. Adonis’s name flashed on the screen — the last person I wanted to deal with right now.

“We’ve got a problem, Adrian,” Adonis said, breathless.

“Not this again,” I sighed. “What is it?”

“I don’t know what’s going on. I know it’s your big day, and you’re in Sundale, but your father wants you to report to him from the office— on a video call.”

My forehead creased. “What the hell?”

Leo’s POV

My eyes peeled open, the glare of harsh lights stabbing into my skull. For a moment, everything blurred — shapes, shadows, voices — until my vision adjusted and I realized dozens of eyes were locked on me.

The last thing I remembered was the crack of something heavy against the back of my head. One of those thugs — the leader, I think — had swung it, and then darkness swallowed me whole.

“Is he up?” A deep, husky voice rumbled. The sound was thick, muscular, like it carried weight.

I turned my head slowly, my pulse hammering. These weren’t boys. These were men. Hard faces, cold eyes. Every one of them dressed in black slacks and shirts, a red handkerchief either tied around their heads or shoved halfway into their pockets — a mark, a uniform, a warning.

And an embroidered red flag were drawn on the collars of their shirts.

This was the GaiGai gang!

Definitely the GaiGai gang!

My stomach tightened. Whoever they were, they weren’t here to play games.

Four men stood inches from me, their shadows pressing in. I glanced over my shoulder — two more blocked the way behind. My heart clawed up my throat, choking off words before they could form.

All my life I’d heard of this gang in Sundale, the one that tore through anyone foolish enough to cross them. These weren’t rumors anymore. They were real. Higgins was only eighteen, but he’d wormed his way into their ranks. I didn’t care about his membership — he was useful.

He helped me get at Dan, I paid him, and that was supposed to be the end of it. Business. Nothing more.

But earlier, Dan’s thugs had captured me. Now I was here. Had these men saved me? And if so, why? They never meddled in other gangs’ affairs… unless—

I froze.

P — or whatever his name was — had asked me to come. Higgins was supposed to pick me up and deliver me. That was the plan. But Higgins had betrayed me.

My hand shot to my pocket, searching for my phone. It was gone.

Then Higgins stepped forward. Fury surged through me. I scrambled to my feet, lunging at him. “You!” I spat. “How dare you lie to me?”

“I can explain,” Higgins said, his stare cold.

“Explain what? Do you know what you’ve caused? I don’t even know where I am, or what time it is. Do you realize what you’ve ruined?” I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls.

Higgins pressed his lips into a thin line. “Will you step back and listen?”

I didn’t. My fist connected with his jaw. He staggered, ready to strike back — but the husky voice cut through the room like a blade.

“Ah-ah-ah. Not in here.”

The four men shifted, parting to reveal a shadow that loomed larger than the rest. He stepped forward, the dim light catching the angles of his face. A dark beard framed his jaw, his hair shaved at the sides but tied into a half ponytail on top. Between his fingers, a cigarette glowed, smoke curling lazily into the air.

His eyes narrowed to slits as they locked on me. “What is your name, lad?” he asked, studying me like prey.

“Lad?” I scoffed, forcing my voice steady. “Do I look like a lad to you? I’ve got a game to play, and I need to leave.” My heart pounded like a drum, but I remembered what Adrian had drilled into me on the field: never show fear. The moment you let it slip, the opponent wins.

This wasn’t football, though. These weren’t teammates. They’d dragged me from Dan’s thugs, and now they expected gratitude? Not a chance.

The ponytail man turned to Higgins, then burst into a bubbling laugh. Higgins tried to match it, his smile stretching into a nervous chuckle.

“Where the hell did you find this one, Higgins?” the man asked, amusement dripping from his tone.

I blinked, stunned. What was so funny? Didn’t he hear me? I opened my mouth to repeat myself, but he cut me off.

He stepped closer, smoke curling from the cigarette between his fingers. His expression hardened, the laughter gone. “No. Listen here, lad. I do the talking. You are as bold like a lion, sure, I like that — but without real power, you’re nothing. In this world, power is all that matters.” His breath reeked of tobacco, hot against my face.

My nose flared, but I didn’t blink. His eyes burned with a fire that told me he wasn’t bluffing. Still, I wasn’t backing down. “Do I look like someone who jokes around?” I shot back, surprising even myself.

Higgins’ eyes widened, silently warning me to stop. I ignored him.

The leader smirked, stepping back. “Perhaps a little straightening will do.” He snapped his fingers. “Boys.”

The four men moved in, shadows closing around me. I stumbled backward, panic clawing at my chest. “What’s happening?” I demanded, my voice cracking as they loomed closer.