Chapter 174

• Author's POV
• The hideout reeked of damp wood, sweat, and something fouler—something that clung to the walls like mildew and despair. Tucked away in the outskirts of the city, deep in the skeletal remains of what once might have been a warehouse, lay the dark beating heart of the Scorpion Gang’s latest operation. This was their zone—territory ruled by silence, cruelty, and the unspoken fear they instilled in everyone who dared cross their path.
• At the helm was their ruthless leader, Owen—known only by his street name, Blade. A man whose eyes were as dead as the steel he carried on his hip, whose smile never quite reached his lips. Blade was infamous in the criminal underworld for two things: human trafficking, particularly involving young girls, and his habit of never leaving loose ends.