The city never slept, but tonight, it felt different. A storm loomed over the skyline, thunder rumbling like a beast stirring in its sleep.
Ochieng sat in the back of his black Maybach, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. The news of Kieran's survival was still fresh, but he wasn't a man who acted out of impulse. Every move had to be precise. Calculated.
His phone buzzed. A number he hadn't seen in years.
He answered.
Silence.
Then, a familiar voice. One he never thought he'd hear again.
"You didn't think I'd stay dead forever, did you?"
Ochieng's jaw clenched. "You should have."
A low chuckle. "I taught you better than that."
The call ended.
Ochieng stared at the screen, his heartbeat steady. He turned to Tielen, who sat beside him, the glow of the city reflecting in his cold eyes.
"Find him."
Tielen nodded. "And when I do?"
Ochieng smirked. "Bury him properly this time."
--
In a hidden underground bunker, Kieran leaned back against a steel chair, pressing an ice pack to his bruised ribs. Around him, men in dark suits stood in silence, awaiting his orders.
A woman approached. Red lips, black eyes, and a blade strapped to her thigh.
Sierra.
"You made the call," she said, arms crossed. "Are you sure that was wise?"
Kieran smirked. "Fear is a powerful weapon. Let him think he has control."
Sierra raised an eyebrow. "And if he doesn't?"
Kieran leaned forward, the ghost of a grin on his lips. "Then we burn his world to the ground."
---
Ochieng stood in front of the towering glass windows of his penthouse, looking down at the city below.
He had built an empire from nothing. He had crushed kings, rewritten the rules of the underworld, and turned his enemies into dust.
But Kieran's return wasn't just a threat.
It was a reminder.
A reminder that the past never truly stayed buried.
A knock at the door.
Maggy stepped in, her expression unreadable.
"We need to talk."
Ochieng turned, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Then talk."
She hesitated. Then, finally—
"You're not the only one he called."
---
The war had already begun.
And this time, only one of them would be left standing.
---