All Chapters of Black Network: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Dominic stood by the steel table. He watched Dr. Jake work on Hugo’s arm. The room smelled of alcohol and old blood.Lina walked over. She looked at the red on Hugo’s sleeve, then at Dominic."How did he get hit?" Lina asked. "Hugo is too fast for Victor’s people.""It wasn't Victor," Dominic said.Lina stopped. She held a damp towel in her hand. "Then who?""Marco," Dominic said. "He had the angle and he took it."Lina let the towel hang. She looked at the floor for a moment, then back at Dominic. "Marco flipped? Just like that?""He’s with Victor now," Dominic said. "They made a deal while Hugo was bleeding out in the dirt.""He sold us for the chair," Dominic said.Dominic felt a sudden weight in his chest. The map of the city had changed in a single minute, and the old rules were gone. "Does Hugo know?" Lina asked."He knows," Dominic said. "He saw the face behind the flash."Jake pulled the last stitch tight. "He’s stable. But he’s out of the fight.""We’re all in the fight now,

The nylon cord had long since stopped biting; now, there was only a dull, pulsing heat where Victor’s hands used to be. He sat heavy in the metal chair, his jaw locked behind a mask of dried blood. The steel door groaned. Boots followed.Dominic stepped in, looking infuriatingly pristine. He adjusted the cuff of his white shirt, the starch hiding the bandages on his shoulder. He dragged a wooden stool across the floor and sat close enough for Victor to smell his cologne.Victor spat a thick, copper-tasting glob onto the floor. "You look like a man who’s already spent the inheritance," he rasped."Slept like a baby." Dominic flicked his wrist to check his watch. "You’ve been out for six hours. Just long enough for me to scrub your name off the skyline."Victor leaned back, the metal chair frame thumping against his skull. "Give it to me straight. How bad?""It’s done, Victor. Your lieutenants took the buyout before the coffee got cold. The ones with 'principles' are currently curing i

The Mercenary Captain stepped onto the balcony.His boots hit the stone like a hammer. Valentina didn't turn."Is the house clean?" she asked."The list is finished, Boss.""Categories. Now.""The loyalists? Buried. The sympathizers? Caged." The Captain hesitated. "And the staff? The cleaners? The cooks?""Keep them," Valentina snapped. "I’m taking a throne, not a tomb. I don't like dust in my coffee."She finally turned. "And the floors?""Not a drop of blood left, Boss."Valentina walked past him. She didn't move out of his way—she hit his shoulder hard enough to make him stumble.She leaned into his ear. "One more 'Ma'am' out of you, and I’ll have your tongue. You work for a woman now. Get used to it."She entered the study. Dominic’s study.It reeked of expensive cigars and the sweat of a dead man.The Captain dropped a stack of folders on the heavy oak desk. THUD."The signatures. Tokyo is waiting on the wire.""Let them wait," she said, dismissive. "I’m the one holding the pen.

Marco kicked the heavy steel door. The guard caught the hint and shoved it open. Victor was lashed to a chair. He spat a thick glob of red right onto Marco’s expensive boots. He didn't look scared; he looked disgusted."Look at the little prince," Victor wheezed. "Finally found your balls in the gutter?"Marco didn't flinch. He stepped over the spit, closing the distance. "I’m the one holding the keys, Victor. That’s the only reality that matters now."Victor let out a wet, mocking laugh. "Valentina’s keys, you mean. Does she give you a treat when you beg, or do you just enjoy the collar?"Marco’s hand blurred. He grabbed Victor’s throat, squeezing until the man’s face turned a darker shade of bruised purple. "We run this city together. It’s a partnership. Say it.""Partnership?" Victor choked out, baring bloody teeth. "You ran like a rat at the warehouse. You left my boys to die while you crawled for the exit. You’re a coward, Marco. Always have been."Marco leaned in, his voice a l

Miller shoved the crime scene photos across the desk. Glossy bloodstains stared back at them."Look at this," Miller snapped. "Tell me what you see, Reed."Reed didn't blink. He picked up a shot of a dead pizza kid. "Moretti. He’s marking his territory with bodies now.""Marco took two blocks in four hours. He’s not even trying to hide the shell casings anymore." Miller leaned over the desk, his eyes bloodshot. "The Mayor isn't just screaming, Reed. He’s looking for a sacrificial lamb. He wants a task force, and he wants a name on a warrant by midnight.""Who’s the lead?""You are." Miller poked a heavy finger into Reed’s chest. "Don't screw this up, or I’ll be the one handing your badge to the press. And stay on Dominic. He’s too quiet. It makes me itch.""Dominic is just waiting for his brother to bleed out," Reed muttered."Then go help him along. Get out there."Across town, the air in the nightclub reeked of copper and cheap ambition. Marco watched his crew drag a limp body towar