Chapter 187 – Drawing Blood
Chapter 187 – Drawing Blood
POV: Enzo
The attacks on the casinos?
They are connected to the council.
I knew it the moment I saw the pattern.
Not chaos. Not random. Not some street gang trying to make a name for themselves. No—this was clean, precise, and just bold enough to look sloppy.
A message wrapped in misdirection.
“They hit three locations in one night,” Luca said, tossing a folder onto the table in front of me. “Same time frame. Same method. Power cut, security blind for exactly ninety seconds, then boom—panic, cash gone, and no witnesses willing to talk.”
I didn’t look at the folder right away. I already knew what was inside.
“They didn’t take everything,” I said.
Luca frowned. “What?”
“They left money behind.”
A pause.
Then, slower this time, “Yeah. They did. Why?”
I finally reached for the folder, flipping it open just enough to glance at the photos. Broken glass. Flickering lights. A dealer on the floor, conscious but bleeding. Chips scattered everywhere like someone had deliberately made a mess.
“They’re not stealing,” I said. “They’re performing.”
Luca let out a quiet breath. “You think it’s the council.”
“I don’t think,” I replied. “I know.”
Because no one else would dare.
No one else would touch my territory like this and live long enough to do it again.
The council didn’t just want money. They wanted a reaction.
They wanted me.
“Enzo,” Luca leaned forward, lowering his voice, “if you’re right, then this isn’t a warning. This is a setup.”
I closed the folder.
“I’m counting on it.”
His jaw tightened. “You’re walking straight into it.”
“Exactly.”
Because that’s the only way to drag snakes out of the ground.
You don’t chase them.
You make them come to you.
—
Two hours later, I was standing in the middle of my biggest casino, watching people laugh like nothing had changed.
Music played. Glasses clinked. Chips clicked across tables.
Normal.
Too normal.
“They’ll hit this one next,” Marco said beside me. “It’s the most visible. The most valuable.”
I nodded once. “Good.”
He turned his head sharply. “Good?”
I met his eyes, calm and steady. “Let them come.”
Marco stared at me for a second, then shook his head under his breath. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe I’m the only one who sees the whole board.”
Because this wasn’t just about casinos.
This was about control.
The council had been quiet for too long. Too careful. Too patient.
Men like them don’t stay silent unless they’re planning something big.
And now?
Now they were testing the waters.
Testing me.
“Security is doubled,” Marco continued. “Extra men at every entrance. Surveillance upgraded. If they try anything—”
“They’ll still get in,” I cut in.
He went still. “Then what’s the point of all this?”
I allowed myself a small smile.
“To make them feel safe.”
—
Midnight.
That’s when the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then everything went dark.
Screams echoed across the floor. Chairs scraped. Someone knocked over a tray of drinks, the sharp crash cutting through the noise.
Right on time.
I didn’t move.
Not yet.
“Power’s out!” someone shouted through the comms.
“I know,” I said calmly.
Ninety seconds.
That’s what they used before.
I started counting in my head.
One.
Two.
Three.
Footsteps.
Soft. Controlled. Moving against the panic instead of with it.
There.
I turned slightly, just enough to catch the shadow slipping past one of the columns.
Not a civilian.
Not one of mine.
“Found you,” I murmured.
“Enzo,” Marco’s voice came through the earpiece, tight with tension, “we’ve got movement on the east side—”
“I see it.”
Another shadow.
Then another.
They were spreading out.
Not rushing. Not grabbing cash.
Looking.
For me.
A slow grin pulled at my lips.
“Stay back,” I told Marco.
“What? No—”
“That’s not a suggestion.”
Silence.
Then a frustrated exhale. “You’re insane.”
“Probably.”
Second forty-five.
They were getting closer.
I stepped forward, moving straight into the darkness instead of away from it.
Let them see me.
Let them think they had the upper hand.
A hand shot out of the shadows, fast and precise, aiming for my throat.
I caught it mid-air.
Twisted.
A sharp crack echoed as the man dropped to his knees with a choked gasp.
“Wrong move,” I said quietly.
Another one lunged from the side.
I ducked, drove my elbow into his ribs, then slammed him into the nearest table. Wood splintered under the impact.
The panic around us grew louder, but it felt distant.
All I could hear was the rhythm.
The pattern.
They weren’t here to kill civilians.
They weren’t even trying to kill me.
Not yet.
They were testing my response.
Measuring.
“Cowards,” I muttered.
The lights snapped back on.
And just like that—
They were gone.
No bodies.
No traces.
Just the same chaos as before.
I straightened slowly, brushing dust off my sleeve like nothing had happened.
“Report,” I said into the comms.
Marco’s voice came in immediately. “They’re gone. Every single one. It’s like they vanished.”
“Not vanished,” I replied. “Withdrawn.”
“Same thing.”
“No,” I said, glancing around the room, taking in every detail. Every exit. Every blind spot. “It’s very different.”
Because this?
This was controlled.
Intentional.
And it told me exactly what I needed to know.
“They’re close,” I said.
“How close?”
I smiled faintly.
“Closer than you think.”
—
An hour later, I was back in my office, staring at the security footage.
Frame by frame.
Every flicker. Every shadow.
“They knew where the cameras were,” Luca said from behind me. “They avoided every clear angle.”
“Of course they did,” I replied. “They helped design half of this system.”
Silence fell over the room.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Because we were all thinking the same thing.
The council wasn’t just involved.
They were inside.
“They’re not just sending men,” Marco said slowly. “They’re watching us.”
“Yes.”
“They know our layouts. Our timing. Our blind spots.”
“Yes.”
He swore under his breath. “Then we’re already compromised.”
I leaned back in my chair, finally looking away from the screen.
“Good.”
Both of them turned to me at the same time.
“Good?” Luca repeated.
“Yes,” I said simply. “Because now we stop guessing.”
I stood, grabbing my jacket.
“They want to play games? Fine.”
I slipped it on, adjusting the cuffs with slow, deliberate movements.
“We change the rules.”
Marco crossed his arms. “And how exactly do you plan to do that?”
I met his gaze, my expression calm but sharp.
“We give them what they want.”
“Which is?”
“Me.”
Luca shook his head immediately. “No. Absolutely not. That’s exactly what they’re trying to bait you into.”
“Exactly,” I said.
“That’s not a strategy, Enzo. That’s suicide.”
I stepped closer, lowering my voice just enough to make him listen.
“No,” I said. “It’s control.”
Because if they were coming for me—
Then I’d decide where, when, and how.
Not them.
—
The message went out before sunrise.
Quiet. Direct. Impossible to ignore.
I was going to be at the high-stakes table tonight.
No extra guards.
No hidden exits.
Just me.
Waiting.
“You’re really doing this,” Marco said, watching me pour a drink like this was any normal evening.
“Yes.”
“They’re going to come.”
“I hope so.”
He let out a humorless laugh. “You don’t hope for enemies, Enzo.”
“I do when they’ve been hiding too long.”
Because shadows only have power when you let them stay hidden.
And I was done waiting.
Done reacting.
Tonight, they would show themselves.
Or I would burn every last one of their hiding places to the ground.
“Everything’s in place,” Luca said, stepping into the room. “Men are ready, even if you don’t want them visible.”
I nodded once. “Good.”
He hesitated. “And if this goes wrong?”
I met his eyes.
“It won’t.”
Not because I was confident.
Not because I was reckless.
But because I had already accepted the outcome.
One way or another—
This ends tonight.
—
The casino was quieter than usual.
Not empty.
Just… tense.
Like the air itself was waiting.
I took my seat at the table, stacking chips in front of me with slow, steady movements.
Across from me, an empty chair.
Reserved.
For whoever had the courage to show up.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
And then—
A man sat down across from me.
Calm. Composed. Smiling like we were old friends meeting after a long time.
I didn’t recognize him.
But I didn’t need to.
“Enzo,” he said smoothly. “I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out.”
I leaned back slightly, studying him.
“You’re not council,” I said.
He chuckled. “No. But I speak for them.”
“Do you?”
His smile didn’t falter. “I do tonight.”
I tapped a chip against the table, the soft click echoing in the silence.
“Then talk.”
He leaned forward, lowering his voice just enough.
“You’ve been a problem for a long time.”
“I get that a lot.”
“And now,” he continued, ignoring the comment, “the council has decided it’s time to correct that.”
“By attacking my casinos?” I asked. “That’s your grand plan?”
His eyes flickered with amusement.
“That was just to get your attention.”
I smiled faintly.
“Congratulations. You have it.”
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then he placed something on the table between us.
A small device.
Simple.
Unremarkable.
But my instincts sharpened immediately.
“Careful,” he said softly. “That’s not a toy.”
I didn’t touch it.
Didn’t look away from him.
“What is it?”
His smile widened just a fraction.
“Insurance.”
The word settled between us, heavy and dangerous.
“Against what?” I asked.
His gaze locked onto mine, steady and unflinching.
“Against you making the wrong move.”
I let out a quiet breath.
Slow.
Controlled.
Because suddenly, the game had shifted.
Again.
And this time—
I wasn’t the only one who had come prepared.
“Here’s how this is going to work,” he continued, his voice calm, almost friendly. “You’re going to stand up, walk out of this casino with me, and we’re going to have a private conversation.”
“And if I don’t?”
He tilted his head slightly, still smiling.
“Then we see what happens when that device goes off.”
The room felt smaller.
Tighter.
Every instinct I had was screaming at me to act—
But I didn’t.
Not yet.
Because this wasn’t just a threat.
This was leverage.
Carefully planned.
Carefully placed.
And for the first time tonight—
I realized something.
This wasn’t about drawing them out.
It wasn’t about testing me.
It wasn’t even about control.
It was about something much bigger.
Something I hadn’t seen coming.
I leaned forward slightly, my voice dropping just enough.
“You went through a lot of trouble for this,” I said. “Tell me… is the council really that desperate?”
His smile didn’t fade.
But his eyes?
They went cold.
“You have no idea what’s coming, Enzo.”
And for the first time—
I believed him.
Because whatever this was…
It was only the beginning.
And I had just walked straight into it.