"It depends. You have yet to tell me who helped arrange this meeting."
"We both know there’s no need. Nothing happens in this kingdom without you or your brothers knowing."
"Then the reports are true? You’re working with the informant caught at the border last week?"
"To call it a working relationship would be generous."
"Ah." Nassif’s emerald-green eyes glittered. "Were the usual methods applied to ensure his cooperation?"
"Your men were effectively persuasive."
"I assume the same methods convinced him to set up this meeting?"
Giancarlo inclined his head. "He was very cooperative after that."
"And that’s why you’re finally putting my newest creation to the test," Nassif said, gesturing to the bulletproof vest Giancarlo wore.
"I’m counting on it to be everything you promised."
"No other laboratory has come close to replicating this," Nassif stated matter-of-factly. "It’s lightweight, nearly invisible under even the finest silk, and—" He abruptly reached for a handheld gun and fired at a mannequin wearing the same vest.
Giancarlo removed the vest from the mannequin, inspecting it for damage. There was none.
"See for yourself,signore," Nassif invited mockingly before turning to Naaman with a new set of instructions. "Keep an eye on our friend tonight. The royal army will want a full report. If he survives, we’ll begin mass production. If not..." He gave Giancarlo a courteous bow. "No expense will be spared for your funeral. Thank you for your service to our beloved kingdom."
AS GIANCARLO STEPPEDinto the night, the city of Cayed awaited—a slumbering beast by day, its windows shuttered, its streets empty and silent. But when the moon rose, the city came alive. Iron lanterns flickered to life, casting golden pools of light on cobblestone streets. Sandstone-walled alleys buzzed with activity as the night unlocked the hearts of its residents, freeing them to break every rule.
Cayed was a place beyond the reach of the royal army, a stronghold for the lords of crime. It was where the wicked thrived, where shadows whispered secrets, and where deals were struck in the dark. If you sought to do evil, there was only one place to go.
Cayed.
And Cayed alone.
DESERT-FACING MOSQUESchimed midnight as Giancarlo came face to face with the entity that had shaken the criminal underworld.
Why offer a hundred mil just for information about him?
And why offer another hundred if he were captured alive?
The name "Seijcut" seemed to hint at Japanese ancestry, but it was only after weeks' worth of studying the entity's every move did Giancarlo realize the name was a play on the word 'justice'...which consequently led to even more unanswered questions.
Was all of this retribution for a past wrong?
A vendetta against hisfamiglia?
Or could Giancarlo represent unfinished business... since it was Seijcut who had attempted but failed to kill him the first time around?
The questions burned in Giancarlo’s mind as he studied the masked figure before him. They stared at each other...and then—-
Now!
Giancarlo lunged first, gaining a fleeting advantage.
But Seijcut recovered quickly, and what followed was a brutal dance of fists, blades, and kicks.
Each move was anticipated, every strike countered with precision.
It was as if they were reading each other’s minds, their movements mirroring one another in a deadly rhythm.
