Chapter 5

Daryl nodded. "Luca Wolfe is the youngest of the five. Rumor has it he's not even 30 years old yet. A few years back, he used his connections to snag a bunch of urban redevelopment projects, and he made a huge fortune.

"He's got a lot of guys working for him, so he's not to be underestimated. Why are you asking about him?"

I exhaled slowly. So, it was him, alright!

The name Luca had sounded so familiar to me yesterday, but I couldn't recall where I'd heard it before. It was only when I asked Daryl about his dream of joining a gang that I suddenly recalled the name.

Since both the name and age matched, the Luca I met yesterday was most likely Luca Wolfe.

Callum had told Luca to get even for me, but I wanted to do it myself, so I rejected his help. Luca didn't protest, but he kept following me anyway. I'd seen him when I was coming up the hill earlier.

Besides, about 15 minutes ago, when I'd sensed that something was off about Daryl, I'd secretly messaged Luca, telling him to stick close behind me.

So, I raised my voice and shouted, "Luca! Show yourself!"

Daryl, Harvey, and the rest all froze, their eyes darting left and right.

"He got Luca Wolfe to come over?"

"There's no way!"

Everyone was shocked, and some of their voices even started to quiver. It proved just how intimidating Luca's name alone was for those in this line of work.

My voice echoed across the hilltop, followed by the rustling of the trees. However, everything else remained still. Even after a full minute, no one showed up.

Coming back to his senses, Harvey roared, "Are you sick in the head or something, Elliott? Why are you shouting for Luca for no damn reason, huh? Look at you, acting like you could summon him with a shout.

"What's the point of pulling these tricks? It doesn't matter whether you're trying to distract us or scare us. We're not falling for it!"

"He's always been like this. He sure loves wasting his time on all sorts of nonsense. Whenever he gave me a gift last time, he'd always like to include some kind of poem with a hidden message. And when I couldn't figure it out, he'd end up smugly explaining it to me.

"Honestly, it's so tacky. Who cares about that sort of thing? I'd much rather get a few YSL lipsticks!" Shae scoffed, the contempt dripping from her voice.

Daryl was also looking at me in confusion.

Even Isabelle eyed me doubtfully, not knowing what I was trying to do.

As it was, I was getting a little panicked myself. I thought Luca would be right behind me, so why didn't he show up even though I'd called for him? Could it be that he hadn't followed me here after all?

"You've got a screw loose, don't you?" Harvey snapped as he walked up to me and tried to kick me in the head.

Once again, Isabelle raised her arms and stood defensively in front of me. Even Daryl moved to stop Harvey.

Just then, the sound of footsteps rang out.

This was a pretty secluded spot that few would venture to, so everyone was drawn by the noise and turned to look.

A young man—younger than 30 years old—emerged from behind a tree. He was dressed in a simple white T-shirt and a pair of jeans. There was a pleasant smile on his face. As the breeze made his hair flutter, he looked like a harmless young man who was just passing by.

However, the guys immediately grew agitated. The one with the bandaged head was the first to mutter, "It's Luca Wolfe! He actually showed up!"

"This guy actually managed to get Luca Wolfe to come over!"

"How is that possible? Does he have that kind of connection?"

The others began whispering among themselves. Some had turned pale, a few were trembling, and several had subconsciously backed away.

Daryl told me the story about the Five Kingpins of Avendale a long time ago, so I knew just what kind of position these guys had in this circle, but it was my first time witnessing just how much of an impact it had on them.

Just Luca's presence alone was enough to scare the guys witless.

I couldn't help but wonder about something. If Luca was this formidable, did it mean that Callum, who could give him orders, was even more powerful?

"You know Luca Wolfe?" Daryl turned to me with a mix of emotions in his eyes.

Harvey and the other guys were visibly rattled as well. Shae was the only one who huffed, grumbling, "What's there to be afraid of? It's just one guy. There are so many of us…"

"Shut up, you!" Harvey hissed.

Shae fell silent, but she continued to pout, looking quite disgruntled and unconvinced.

Ignoring them, I lifted my head to look at Luca. If not for how woozy I felt, I would've gotten up to greet him.

Luca hurried over to me and crouched down, explaining with a grin, "Sorry about that. I had a bit of diarrhea just now. You shouted for me right when it was hitting me the hardest. I didn't have the energy to respond."

"Well, as long as you're here now," I said as I wiped the blood off my face.

I didn't want him to see me looking like too much of a sorry mess.

"Are you badly hurt?"

Luca reached out toward my head to check my injury, but Isabelle continued to stand defensively in front of me, her expression wary as she eyed him.

Noticing the confusion on his face, I quickly said, "It's fine. He's on my side!"

"Don't you think you've already been screwed over enough by someone who's supposedly on your side?" Isabelle said.

Biting her lip, she refused to step aside.

Well, I had no answer for that. She wasn't wrong, after all.

Both Shae and Daryl had been people that I thought were on my side, but I got screwed over by them, each time worse than the one before.

"When did you learn to talk back?" I remarked, changing the subject.

"No… That's not… I'm not…"

Isabelle turned scarlet at once and hastily lowered her head.

"Relax. I'm really on his side. I'm here to help him!" Luca said with a smile.

Maybe it was his earnest gaze or his bright smile, but after hesitating for a while, Isabelle eventually chose to believe him and slowly inched to the side, creating just a tiny opening. She was still shielding me, for the most part.

Luca didn't mind. He reached out and checked my wound before sighing. "It's pretty serious. You're going to need at least seven or eight stitches. Who did it?"

I looked at Daryl, who bowed his head and said nothing.

Luca got the hint. He was just about to jump into action when I said, "Leave him for last. Start by dealing with Harv—"

"Mr. Wolfe!"

I was interrupted by the guy with the bandaged head. With a look of sincerity and a tone of respect, he asked, "Do you still remember me? We shared a meal before."

My heart lurched. Was this going to end peacefully?

This happened a lot. Just when two groups of people were itching to fight, one of them would suddenly notice a familiar face on the other side, and after a quick exchange, they'd end up being all buddy-buddy with each other.

That would mean I'd gotten hit for nothing, and I could forget about getting my revenge today!

"Who are you?" Luca asked, his expression clueless.

"My name is Kevin Kline. I'm a buddy of Mr. Hound's. I was on the side when you ate with Mr. Hound last month," Kevin, the guy with the bandaged head, said.

My heart sank.

In Avendale, Mr. Hound referred to one of the Five Kingpins of Avendale—the one known as the Hound of the East. Daryl had mentioned him before.

His real name was Bernard Doberman. Since his last name was a breed of dog, and he was also a pretty fearsome man who acted like a feral dog sometimes, he eventually became known as Mr. Hound.

Most importantly, Bernard and Luca were both powerful figures in Avendale, and they even ate together last month. Surely this meant Luca would have to compromise out of courtesy to Bernard.

Luca studied Kevin closely before finally shaking his head. "I still don't remember seeing you."

Kevin's smile almost slipped off his face, but he forced himself to keep it there. "It's perfectly normal that a busy man like you can't be bothered to remember such petty details, Mr. Wolfe. But I really am a buddy of Mr. Hound's. Let me call him right away.

"He was just talking about you the other day. He said he wanted to go drinking with you."

While speaking, Kevin quickly pulled his phone out. It looked like he was going to make a call to prove his identity.

"If you call Bernard now, how long will it take for him to show up?" Luca abruptly asked with a smile.

"About half an hour, I guess?" the startled Kevin replied.

"Half an hour, huh? That works for me. It gives me enough time to thrash all of you!"

He suddenly raised his hand and smacked Kevin right across the face, the crisp sound ringing out clearly.

Kevin froze and stared at Luca in disbelief. Everyone else was stupefied, too.

Silence ensued. It felt as though the air had frozen. Only the sound of rustling leaves could be heard.

"What's the matter? You got a problem with it?" Luca was still smiling, as if he hadn't just slapped someone.

"Mr. Wolfe, I'm acquainted with Mr. Hound…" Kevin tried his best to explain who he was.

"Are you trying to use Bernard to intimidate me?" Luca questioned before kicking Kevin in the abdomen.

Kevin doubled over in pain, but Luca grabbed him by the collar and snarled, his expression dark, "I'm a wolf, and he's a hound. Do you think I'll be scared of him?"

"No, that's not what I meant…" Kevin clutched his abdomen, his face red.

"If it's not, then shut your damn mouth! I don't care who you bring up. It won't work on me!" Luca snarled before raising his knee, bashing it right against Kevin's jaw.

Based on the loud crack, he'd probably broken Kevin's jaw with that attack. Kevin passed out on the spot, slumping onto the ground.

I couldn't help but gape at how deftly he did that. No wonder he became one of the Five Kingpins of Avendale at such a young age. He had the chops for it!

All was silent again.

Some of the guys were quaking, looking like withered leaves on the branches. It was clear that they were all terrified of Luca.

However, Luca looked completely unbothered, as if he hadn't just attacked someone. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he turned slightly and yawned before saying to me, "Who was it that you wanted me to deal with again?"