32. Luca

CHAPTER 32

LUCA

THAT EVENING – FRAMING THE MP

T he derelict railway building loomed over us, a skeletal reminder of a past era, its broken windows gaping like missing teeth. Cold air whistled through the cracks, carrying the faint metallic tang of rust and the stale scent of old oil.

I was here only a week ago, making Joey McDougall talk and giving him a taste of my knife in revenge for Julie. Since then, we’d had our people watching him closely—he was crucial to the next part of our plan.

“You know what you have to do?” I checked. He nodded, and I yanked him up by the scruff of his neck.

“Don’t fuck this up, or I’ll fuck you up. Got it?”

“Yeah… yeah!” His frantic head bobbed in a rapid rhythm with his words, his body shaking with fear.

Joey was nothing more than a pawn, though he didn’t know it. I passed him his mobile.

“Call him and remember to stick to the script,” I warned, my voice dripping with menace. “And put it on speaker!”

“They’re here. I’ve got them,” he said.

I could hear the MP’s glee in his reply. “We’re on our way.” He hung up, and I smiled. He was coming just as we’d hoped.

We’d had Nigel Simpson contact the MP to inform him that the rumour was we’d found out about McDougall, and we were after him. As expected, the MP ensured the guy’s location was fed to us through an informant, unaware we already had him in our clutches. He then contacted McDougall, telling him to expect us and that he’d send a few guys over to help capture us. Once that was done, he would call the MP, who we anticipated would come himself to finish us off—an opportunity like that was just too good to waste.

The couple of guys he’d sent were already in our custody, leaving us with nothing to do but wait. I flexed my grip on the pistol I’d taken from one of them, the cool metal a steady reminder of what had to be done. The MP’s arrogance would be his undoing; he’d underestimated us at every turn, believing he could take on the Bratva without facing consequences. Tonight, we’d show him just how wrong he’d been.

Miki crouched beside me, his eyes scanning the entrance for any sign of movement. The lines on his face were sharper tonight, tension radiating from him. This was personal. The MP’s attacks had struck deeper than business; they were a direct hit at Miki’s pride, his control, and, of course, his sister. Taking the bastard down wasn’t just about securing our safety—it was about retribution.

“Think he’ll definitely show and not just send more of his men?” Ash asked, keeping his voice low. The only sounds were the distant hum of traffic and the occasional drip of water from the crumbling ceiling.

Miki glanced our way, his expression unreadable. “He’ll show. Arrogant bastards like him always do. He can’t resist the chance to gloat. He thinks we’re already under his control; he has no idea he’s walking into his own trap.”

The plan hinged on the MP’s ego, on his need to see his enemies brought low before him. We’d spun a story he couldn’t refuse—Miki, and I, tied up and ready for him to exact his revenge. There was no way he’d miss out on that.

When he arrived, he’d enter the office where Joey had been hiding out, and we’d have him.

A flicker of headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the graffiti-covered walls. I tensed, pressing closer to the cold wood as three vehicles crawled up the gravel path—the MP’s convoy. I counted the men spilling out—six, maybe seven—moving with the cautious, alert manner of those who sensed danger but hadn’t yet pinpointed its source.

The MP stepped out last, dressed in his usual tailored suit, an outfit that looked utterly out of place in a dump like this. He adjusted his cufflinks, a small gesture of arrogance that made my blood boil.

He strode forward, eyes sweeping the area with disdain. Joey stood at the door of the office to meet him, just as planned.

“Where’s Luca? Where’s Miki?” The MP’s voice echoed through the quiet of the night, loud and impatient.

From our hidden spot, Miki nodded. The moment had arrived. We moved in unison, stepping out of the shadows with our guns raised, blocking any route of escape. The MP’s men reacted, hands twitching toward their weapons, but they hesitated, outnumbered and caught off guard. The element of surprise was ours, and we weren’t wasting it.

The MP’s eyes narrowed as he took us in. A smirk twisted his mouth, but the flicker of surprise couldn’t be hidden. “Well, well. Leon, or should I say Luca? Slumming it in the gutters with the rest of the Bratva, I see. Is this what you’ve been reduced to?” He laughed, still maintaining his air of superiority.

He tutted, shaking his head. “You should have stayed as Leon; he had a bright future with me. Now, Luca, you will be the first of the Bratva’s top circle to die.”

I ignored his attempt to bait me, my focus locked on him. He was here, in front of us, exposed. Every ounce of anger I’d bottled up over the months—every slight and underhanded move he’d made—surged to the surface. “This ends tonight,” I said, my voice steady but edged with the cold fury that came from months of planning, from waiting for this exact moment.

“You plan on killing me?” he smirked. “I’ve already left a special document with a friend, letting them know that if I die anytime soon, the Bratva will be behind it. They’re to ensure a certain Chief Constable gets all the information on you.”

“Oh, we have no intention of killing you. We’ve got friends who’ll be more than happy to do that and keep us out of it,” Miki said, his voice laced with menace. “You’re done.”

The MP laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. “You think this is over because you’ve got me cornered in some abandoned shithole? You’re a fool, Miki. You always have been. I’ve got judges, police, politicians. You think I haven’t been planning for this?”

I stepped closer, gun trained on his chest. His eye twitched, and his expression tightened.

Miki jerked his head up—a sign. I turned and shot Joey in the chest. He fell to the ground, dead.

“What the fuck?” one of the men standing nearby murmured in shock.

The MP’s bravado faltered, if only for a second, but it was enough. He looked around, searching for a way to regain control, but found none. His gaze flickered from Joey’s body to us. “You think you can scare me? You’re just dogs on a leash. And I cut the chain.”

Miki’s voice cut in, sharp as a blade. “This isn’t about scaring you. It’s about ending things and making sure you never cross the Bratva again.”

His men shifted uneasily, the tension thickening the air between us. I could see the calculation in the MP’s eyes, weighing his options. He wasn’t the type to go down quietly; he’d drag anyone he could into the abyss with him if he could. He wouldn’t get the chance.

“You’re done,” I repeated, my voice leaving no room for doubt. “All your schemes, your betrayals—it ends here. You’re going to jail, and once you do, you’ll die inside, just like your dad.”

That finally got to him. His mask of arrogance slipped. Fists clenched, he lunged—reckless, desperate. I fired a warning shot into the ground at his feet, halting his advance.

“Take him,” Miki said, and Ash and Romi rushed forward to grab him. He struggled, but was quickly subdued.

The rest of our guys disarmed his men, then gave them something to briefly knock them out before we moved on to the next stage of our plan.

We kept the MP awake so he could watch.

First, the fingerprints were wiped off the gun used to kill Joey, then it was positioned in the MP’s hand before pulling the trigger again. A few of his men were arranged back in their cars while the rest were laid beside the MP with their guns drawn. The scene was set to make it look like the MP had killed Joey.

Since the railway was too far away for anyone to hear the gunshots, we had one of our guys call the cops anonymously to report shots fired.

Not long after, the shrill wail of sirens filled the air, growing louder, twisting the MP’s expression into one of fury and panic.

“Now we have our guy positioned with a sniper rifle to blow your fucking brains out if you so much as twitch before the police get here,” Miki told him coldly.

“I’ll kill you. All of you,” he shouted as we prepared to leave. But he didn’t move.

The arrogant bastard probably thought he could bribe his way out of this mess, but that wouldn’t happen. How did we know? We had our own guys in the police, ensuring they’d be on hand to take the call.

Just in time, the MP’s men started to rouse from their drug-induced sleep.

With a nod from Miki, our men slipped away. Ash and Romi headed back to our car while Miki and I watched in silence, blending back into the shadows as the MP was forced to his knees, his hands wrenched behind him in cuffs. The police weren’t gentle; they dragged him up, shoving him toward the nearest patrol car. He thrashed, spewing curses, but his bravado was hollow now—a desperate outcry from a man who knew he was no longer in control.

Miki gave me a nod—the kind that conveyed everything words couldn’t. This wasn’t just a victory for the Bratva; it was a warning. No one crossed us and walked away unscathed. The MP was about to finally learn that.

As we left the railway building behind, the echoes of the night’s events faded into the distance. Outside, the city was waking up, oblivious to the events that had unfolded not far away. For the first time in months, I felt a strange sense of calm, as if a weight I hadn’t even realised I was carrying had been lifted.

I let out a slow breath, the tension easing from my shoulders. It was almost over. The months of strategising, the sleepless nights spent plotting every move and every counter—all of it led to this moment. The MP had played his game, and he’d lost. Now we just needed to ensure that was his final hand.