Page 153 of Maddening Fixation

A man in his fifties finally stepped forward.

His thinning hair had surrendered to age, leaving only a ring of gray around an otherwise bald scalp.

Though broad through the shoulders, he was noticeably shorter than Keegan and almost looked insignificant beside Romeo’s imposing height.

The cold intelligence in his eyes erased any illusion of weakness.

“You promised twelve thousand units,” his voice echoed through the warehouse. “My men counted eleven thousand.”

His gaze hardened. “I don’t appreciate being cheated, Romeo Flynn.”

A younger man moved to stand at the older man’s side.

The resemblance was unmistakable.

The same sharp jaw. The same calculating eyes.

His son, I presumed.

“I paid you every fucking cent you demanded. Not a dollar short.”

The older Chicago boss’s voice thundered through the hall, each word carrying the force of a gunshot.

“I told you exactly how many weapons I needed. I told you what was at stake. Your men counted every dollar of the cash I paid—in front of my fucking eyes. And then they had the audacity to look me in the eye and tell me the shipment is a thousand weapons short.”

His jaw flexed.

“So tell me...”

“Where the fuck are my thousand missing guns?”

The hall fell deathly silent.

“I flew all the way from Chicago with my son because I chose to trust your word.”

He jabbed a finger toward Romeo.

“That was my mistake. You call yourself a man? You can’t even honor the first deal you make with my organization.”

His son took a subtle step forward as the Chicago crew instinctively closed ranks behind their boss.

The older man’s laugh was short, bitter, and devoid of humor.

“You inherited an empire that’s hanging together by threads.You’ve got enemies circling like vultures. Half the underworld still wants your head after what happened to your own blood. And this...”

He swept a hand toward the crates.

“This is how you choose to introduce yourself to Chicago? You’re either a liar...”

“Or you’re too weak to control your own fucking empire.”

His eyes darkened with murderous intent.

“So here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to produce my thousand missing weapons. Right Now.”

He paused, letting the silence suffocate the room.

“Or every man in this warehouse dies before sunrise.”