Chapter 498: A Massive Wave Approaching
"Gustav said he’s on his way back."
Lucian ended the call and turned to Ashley, who was waiting near the private jet inside the hangar as everyone prepared for departure.
"Great!" Ashley nodded before waving Gin off, ending their conversation. She then marched toward Lucian. "Do you think he did a good job?"
"It’s Gustav." Lucian shrugged. "He always delivers."
Ashley bobbed her head, causing her neatly tied ponytail to sway in the strong gusts sweeping through the hangar.
"Hey." Lucian placed his hands on her shoulders, stilling her. Lowering his head, he held her gaze. "We’ll finish this tonight."
Ashley blinked before giving him a small nod.
"That’s not what I’m worried about," she muttered, releasing a heavy breath.
She turned and swept her gaze across the men helping load the last of their essential equipment onto the plane.
"In fact, I’m not worried at all," she whispered. "It’s just... part of me keeps saying..." She shook her head. "I don’t know."
Deep down, Ashley knew they had planned everything carefully. She and Lucian had considered every possible outcome.
And yet, now that they were about to leave, she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong.
Initially, she thought it was anxiety.
After all, she was finally about to put an end to the family—and the man—who had maintained such a powerful psychological hold over her. Perhaps it was merely disbelief that she was finally fighting back after years of gritting her teeth and muffling her sobs.
But now, she knew that wasn’t it.
Ashley had been ready from the moment she learned that Marshal had ordered the hit on Tommy. That had been the final straw—the moment she no longer had any reason to look back or hesitate.
So, this feeling...
"My gut is telling me we’re missing something," she muttered, scanning the hangar once more. "That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. What am I overlooking?"
"We still have time." Lucian gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before letting go. "We’ll figure it out. And if something does go wrong, we’ll improvise."
At that moment, Red’s voice pulled them from their conversation.
"Boss."
Lucian and Ashley turned toward him.
"We’re ready to leave," Red reported.
Ashley nodded before looking back at Lucian.
"Let’s go," he said.
She released another deep breath and nodded.
With that, the couple boarded the private jet that would take them to the city where Marshal was expected to land.
*****
At the same time, at the hospital...
Tommy remained propped up in his hospital bed, but his room was now crowded.
Among those present was Julio, his former right-hand man, along with several veterans who had somehow survived a line of work in which most people died young.
At the center of the room stood a large board covered with maps, photographs, and gathered intelligence.
"From what we’ve learned, this is where Marshal is expected to land." A hint of bitterness laced Julio’s voice as he continued his explanation.
He had only recently received confirmation that Marshal had been in the country for the past several hours. Had he known sooner, Julio would have dealt with him immediately.
"That territory..." Tommy furrowed his brows as he studied the map. "Whose turf is it? It doesn’t belong to the Di Carpios, does it?"
"That place is a lawless city, Tom," said one of the men seated beside him.
The man rolled a toothpick between his teeth as though there were still some flavor left on its tip. He lifted his hand toward the map, revealing his missing forefinger.
"The bastard is running to a city filled with mercenaries," he added. "He’s probably planning to hire them for protection."
"From what I’ve heard, the youngsters in that city are very good," another man remarked. "As long as the money is right, they’ll get the job done. I know; saw some of their work."
"That entire region is controlled by those groups, and no one dares interfere with their affairs," Julio explained. "That place was already hell during our time. Now, it’s even worse."
Tommy frowned as he studied the map.
"It’s Scott."
"Who else would dare bring Marshal into that city?" the man with the toothpick scoffed. "That’s Scott’s territory. That idiot..." He shook his head. "Scott really let that bastard take control of his pathetic life."
Every person in the room was around Marshal’s age. In their prime, they had all been experts in their respective fields and notorious figures in the underground—until Tommy disbanded their organization.
But they had spent years living quieter lives, and the world they once knew had changed considerably in their absence.
"Lucian and Ashley are headed there?" Tommy whispered, his heart aching for the couple.
He knew Dominion felt responsible for what had happened. In their world, reputation was everything. Whether that reasoning was justified or not, the fact remained that Ashley and Lucian were fighting a battle that Tommy believed should never have become theirs.
If only Tommy knew...
If only.
"Scott will be a problem, along with the other bastards surrounding Marshal," Julio said, drawing everyone’s attention. "But it’ll get even worse if they’ve hired the best mercenaries in the country."
Knowing Marshal, he would willingly spend whatever money he had left on his own survival, even after losing billions in only a few days. The man was painfully resilient and had always possessed an infuriating ability to recover from even the worst setbacks.
"With Scott beside him, it’s safest to assume they’ve already hired the right people," Julio continued. "This is going to be a bloody fight. If Dominion has already received the same intelligence and is heading there now, then bloodshed is inevitable."
Julio paused and swept his gaze across the room.
"But it’ll all be worth it once Marshal’s head is no longer attached to his shoulders."
"Find a way to counter the mercenaries," Tommy ordered, watching as everyone turned toward him. "Our goal is to minimize casualties and strike directly at the head."
*****
While the people of the underground scrambled either to take advantage of the massive wave approaching or avoid being swallowed by it, Raka sat quietly in his kitchen.
He lifted the tea Ashley had given him and inhaled its soothing aroma. Just as he was about to take a sip, the doorbell rang.
"Hmm?" He raised his brows and glanced toward the door.
He nearly called for his helper before remembering that no one else was home. Sammy was staying with his mother, so Raka had given the helper the day off. After all, without Sammy around, there was no one to turn the house upside down.
"Why does it feel like someone always shows up unannounced whenever I drink this tea?" he grumbled, eyeing the teacup suspiciously.
He set it on the counter just as the doorbell rang again.
"Wait!" he shouted. Clicking his tongue, he headed toward the door. "Tsk. Is it that woman?"
By "that woman," he meant Ashley.
She was the only person in his life who would repeatedly ring his doorbell as though she were trying to break it.
Without giving it much thought, Raka opened the door without bothering to check who was outside.
The moment it swung open, he froze.
Someone stood on the other side, pointing a pistol directly at his face.