Semua Bab Claiming the RUNT: Bab 11 - Bab 20

"He protected my child because he’s weak, Amira, not because he’s some kind of saint!" Stone barked, his fingers tightening around his daughter’s jacket as he glared at the unconscious boy on the floor. "He’s an Ashford. His father had our people executed in the harbor vats for ten years. You think a dirty uniform changes the blood in his veins?"I dragged my eyes up from the cracked concrete of the iron yards, the roar of the machinery humming right through my skull. My vision was a shattered lens of soot and red taillights, but I could read the sharp, jagged movements of the supervisor’s jaw. I wanted to tell them I couldn't hear the gunfire anymore—only the high, screaming whistle of the pressure valves—but my tongue felt like a piece of dry leather in my mouth."The boy nearly took a bullet from the Yellow Teeth technicals while your back was turned, Stone!" Amira hissed, shoving herself between the supervisor and my body. She didn't care about the Blackfang Enforcers circling the

"You actually kept that hidden ledger under your shirt all afternoon?" I whispered, my voice barely audible as I leaned close to Malakai Reed in the shadow of the distribution warehouse. "If the Boss catches you with the Ashfang Dominion accounts, he'll have the Blackfang Enforcers break your legs before the King's dinner.""Keep your mouth shut, Obi," Malakai snapped, his eyes darting toward the perimeter fence where the guards were pacing. "This piece of metal isn't just an account book. It’s got the routing codes to the old offshore vault. I felt the vibration the second my shovel struck the drainage casing. You think I’m going to hand twenty million to Cassius Okoye?""You don't know what Cassius is capable of," I muttered, my fingers tightening around the rough handles of my iron cart. "He took this entire territory back from my father in a single weekend. If he finds out you're skimming the old family reserves, he won't just kill you. He’ll make sure your family disappears from

"Aria, get out of my sight," I said, my voice cutting through the thick, stagnant air of the suite like a blade. "I didn't stutter, and I don't intend to repeat myself."Aria Cole’s jaw tightened, her knuckles turning white as she clutched the tray of chamomile tea. She shot one final, venomous glare toward Obi Ashford before bowing her head. "Yes, Cassius. I’ll be in the east wing."She slammed the door hard enough to rattle the crystal decanters on the side table. I didn't watch her leave. My gaze remained locked on Obi, who stood by the desk, his frame trembling beneath his tattered canvas work shirt. His auburn hair was matted with grit, and a streak of dried soot marked his pale cheek, but his eyes—wide, terrified, and defiant—held a flicker of something I hadn't seen in this territory for ten years."Aderan, step back," I ordered, my eyes shifting to my enforcer. "Obi, I’m going to ask you once. If you’re lying to me, you know exactly what happens to those who waste my time. Whe

"I don't need you to please me, Obi," I said, my voice dropping to a low, cold growl as I gripped his jaw. "I need you to show the other syndicate heads that the Ashford bloodline is completely under my control. You are a trophy, and tonight, you will sit exactly where I put you."Obi’s skin felt like ice under my thumb. His pulse fluttered against the base of his throat, a rapid, frantic beat that betrayed how close he was to breaking. He didn't pull away. He just stared at the floor, his auburn curls falling over his eyes like a veil."They're going to tear me apart," he whispered, his voice so faint I barely caught the movement of his lips. "You know what happens when the liquor starts flowing. They don't want a conversation. They want a victim."I didn't loosen my grip. I turned his face up until he was forced to meet my gaze. "They won't touch you without my permission. As long as you stay at my side, you belong to the Shadowfang Syndicate. Not the Black Eagle, not the Yellow Tee

"Get them under control, Malakai, or I swear the next sound I hear from that pit will be the snapping of necks," Cassius growled, his voice a low, dangerous vibration that made the very air in the corridor heavy.Malakai shifted his weight, his scarred hand hovering near his holster. "They’re restless, Boss. They can feel the shift coming. The Black Eagle isn't going to stay quiet much longer.""I don't care about their restless blood," Cassius snapped, turning on his heel. "I care about the cargo. If the Duke’s boy dies in that hellhole before I get what I need, you’ll be the one explaining it to me in the hollow. Clear?""Crystal, Boss."The pain was a living, breathing thing, tearing through Obi’s frame as his joints ground against one another. It was a suffocating pressure, like molten lead being poured directly into his marrow. Every breath felt like inhaling shards of glass."ARGHH!" Obi choked out a guttural sound, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the freezing concrete