CHAPTER 56: RATS IN THE ALLEY

Vincent’s heartbeat finally began to settle as the car jolted over the uneven road. The turbulence grounded him, almost comforting in the chaos.

If he were honest, he would rather die in a crash than be caught by Lucien.

His stepbrother was petty in a way only true monsters managed to be. He wouldn’t simply kill him. He would savor it.

Especially since he betrayed him. He never plays with rats.

"Пиздец! How is he here with the maniac Twinster? Isn’t he supposed to be trapped on an island?"

Victor burst out with the same question Vincent had been choking on.

Vincent wasn’t naive. He knew exactly why the alphas—Edmund and Mikhail—were after Lucien.

They wanted to mark him, break him, force him back into the mold of an obedient omega instead of letting him keep tearing through neutral towns like a rogue storm.

Yet the way Lucien could run freely while the Twinster followed him...

It felt like he was the one leading them instead of the other way around.

"Once a king is always a king," Victor muttered. Vincent clenched his teeth.

It was like a slap in his face, reminding him that whatever he did to overthrow Lucien, it would not work.

A sudden knock rattled the window beside them. Both men turned and saw Lucien riding a motorcycle alongside the car, Silas sitting behind him with a grin sharp enough to slice through steel.

"Got you," Lucien said.

He took the pistol from Silas and aimed it directly at them.

Victor’s eyes widened and he slammed the accelerator down. The crack of shattering glass erupted behind them. The passenger window caved inward and shattered into shards.

For a breath, they felt relief. It didn’t last long.

Lucien pushed the motorcycle harder, the engine screaming as he shouted, "Get the fuck out of the car, you rats! I’m gonna give you all a lesson not to mess with me!"

"He’s as insane as Dante!" Victor yelled.

The bike scraped dangerously close along the car’s side, metal screeching against metal.

Silas reached in through the broken window, his hand snaking inside as he tried to pull the door open.

"Victor! Left! Turn left into that narrow alleyway!"

Victor didn’t bother answering. He yanked the wheel sharply and the car shot into the alley, forcing Lucien and Silas to fall behind as the tight path only allowed one vehicle through.

"Finally," Vincent breathed out, lungs burning with adrenaline.

Victor didn’t share the relief. "Should we fight them head-on? There are only three of them. I can take them easily."

"You can defeat the Twinster?"

Victor’s laugh was dark and amused. "What do you think makes me a bounty in Lunox?"

Vincent’s eyes widened as the meaning clicked. He nodded.

"You take Twinster. I’ll take Lucien."

Victor turned to him, the corners of his lips curling into something wicked.

"Good. Don’t kill him. Just make him faint. My boss would love to take him anyway. He’d be a great souvenir."

BANG!

The whole roof of the car shuddered as if something massive had dropped straight onto it.

"What was that?"

Victor and Vincent froze. Their instincts lit up with the same warning: whatever was on that roof was not good.

"Get them, Adrian!" Lucien’s voice cut through the night like a blade.

BANG!

A bullet tore across Victor’s bicep. Blood spilled instantly, hot and sharp against the cold air. The sudden pain jerked the wheel and the car swerved, almost scraping the alley wall.

"Motherfucker!"

Victor gritted through the pain as another shot whistled dangerously close. Vincent yanked a pistol from his pocket, pressed it against the ceiling, and fired upward.

"Hah! What a bad aim!" Adrian laughed from above.

"Dammit!"

Victor threw the car into a harsh weave, trying to shake Adrian off. The vehicle bucked and lurched violently, bouncing like a beast trying to throw a rider.

If he were lucky, the bastard would slip and get crushed under their wheels.

Lucien watched the chaos from the motorcycle and saw how tightly Adrian clung to the roof.

"Shoot the car tire!" he ordered.

"On it."

Silas narrowed one eye, his arm stretching past Lucien’s body. He followed the car’s frantic movement as calmly as if he were tracking ripples on the ocean.

One shot was all he needed. His finger squeezed the trigger.

The tire exploded.

The car lurched so violently that the world seemed to tilt sideways. The steering wheel twisted in Victor’s hands, useless.

The vehicle veered left, then right, then spun halfway, grinding against the wall before Victor could steady it.

"Shit, shit, shit!" the Giant roared as the wheel refused to obey.

Vincent braced himself against the dashboard as the alley narrowed sharply. The broken tire dragged the car, screeching like a wounded animal.

"Victor, the wall!" Vincent shouted.

"I’m not blind!"

Victor snapped back, muscles shaking as he tried to pull the wheel into submission.

The car skidded forward in a violent zigzag, sparks flying as metal scraped stone. The wall rushed up in front of them, swallowing their headlights.

Victor slammed the brakes hard enough to rattle his bones. The vehicle screeched to a stop, barely a meter from impact.

For one heartbeat, everything was silent.

Then the motorcycle rolled to a halt behind them, engine humming like a predator satisfied with the chase.

Lucien planted one boot on the ground, eyes burning with triumph. Silas rested his gun casually on his shoulder.

Above them, Adrian finally let go of the roof and dropped down with a thud. He stretched as if he’d just finished a workout instead of riding a car like a surfboard.

He cracked his knuckles. "Alright. Let’s see you two crawl out."

The doors opened almost in sync. Vincent stepped out first with sharp eyes looking at Lucien.

Victor followed, rolling his shoulders despite the blood soaking through his bicep. The Giant lifted his head and smirked the moment his eyes found the Twinster.

"We meet again." he grinned, voice thick with challenge. "Do you want me to fuck you up once more?"

Silas slid off the motorcycle with confidence, Lucien hopping down beside him as they parked. The assassin’s laugh echoed softly through the narrow alley.

"Confident much?" Silas said, eyes gleaming. "Even when you almost lost your arm the last time we fought."

"And all your crew too," Adrian added as he stepped forward. "I wonder if you will sacrifice that rat this time."

Victor scoffed, jaw tightening. He stepped forward, his stance widening, muscles coiling like a predator ready to pounce.

"Tch, stop babbling and fight me!" he snapped