Derrick came hurling out of the car, his head tasting concrete as gravel stuck to his face like a souvenir; a final reminder that failure wouldn't be tolerated.

  As he lay there, images of Dragonblade flashed across his mind. Dragonblade had plagued his thoughts ever since that night at the lab. Who was he? Where did he come from? And why now? Those were questions that, no matter how much digging he did, he could never find the answers to the riddles.

  And now he was tasked with taking out an enemy that not even the top gangsters and mob bosses in New York could deal with. But for Derrick, he had no choice. Failure wasn’t even on the menu—because if he even thought about taking the option that wasn’t there, then, well... the only currency he could pay that with was his life.

  It was as if Afra was just looking for an excuse to get rid of Derrick—and hit the jackpot with Dragonblade. He knew it, so he just lay there, dead as a doornail, simply accepting defeat.

  But unknown to Derrick, Mavis was already standing in the doorway, frozen, her brown skin drained of its color. Shock passed right through her as her heart hammered out of control, because for the first time in what seemed like forever, she saw her husband hurt.

  But it didn't make sense—not to her. To her, Derrick was a businessman. He had left that life a long, long time ago. So why would someone want to hurt him?

  Her mind ran through a thousand different probabilities but rejected the only rational thought that came to mind—he was back in the life.

  Her mind took her back to their first date when the diner was shot up. She ducked for cover as bullets rained through the windows, glass covering her face and head. Then it wandered to the night her friends told her Derrick had been shot and was in the ER. Even then, she had accepted his excuses nonetheless. She shook her head, snapping herself out of her thoughts. This wasn't the time to dwell—this was the time for action.

  She flung open the door to their home and yelled as Derrick lay there, face down, not moving.

  “Derrick!” she screamed, not knowing if her husband was still breathing.

  She sprinted down the steps as fast as she could and reached him, flinging his arm around her. Derrick slumped into her arms, pressing against her slender frame, barely able to stay upright.

  As she looked up, her eyes met the driver's—just for a moment—before the doors of the black Jeep slammed shut. The tires spun against the concrete, smoke pouring out from around them as the driver slammed his foot on the accelerator, tearing past them without a second thought.

  Mavis held Derrick close, her heart pounding loud enough to drown out everything around her.

  “Stay with me, baby,” she whispered, her voice trembling as she couldn't help but look him up and down. “Stay with me.”

  She walked him towards the house, one step at a time, adjusting her stride to match his slow, lethargic steps. Her eyes never lost track of his, an unspoken promise that they were in this together. The stairs seemed like mountains in the eyes of Derrick, an obstacle that seemed almost impossible to do in the state he was in. His breaths grew heavier, his knees buckling but with the end in sight, Mavis kept him moving, not noticing her heels nearly giving way under the sheer weight of the both of them.

  Finally, they conquered the steps and headed into the living room. Mavis guided him into his favourite chair, and with one final heave, she placed him down as gently as she could. He sunk back into the chair, his head shot down but Mavis was quick to meet it, dropping down to her knees. Her fingers pulling his head upright.

  Her eyes scanned his wounds, a black eye, busted mouth and blood flowing down from the corner of his mouth. Saying he was a mess was an understatement. Mavis’s arm extended, pulling the first aid kit from the drawer beside them; she opened the box and tore open the prep pad and applied it to his wounds.

  “Ssshhh,” Derrick winced through gritted teeth as she tended to his wounds, pain flaring across his face. “I’m... I’m okay,” he said, through embarrassed half glances.

  But this time Derrick wasn't about to get let off so easy.

  “So—what happened?” she asked calmly at first, giving Derrick the chance to hear him out.

  “It was a misunderstanding that's all, hubby, I promise.”

  Tears instantly flowed down her cheeks. “Derrick!!” she yelled, finally reaching her breaking point. “Don't lie to me, I’m not stupid and don’t treat me like I am,” she said, but in her moment of rage her voice met the ears of their children, sitting upstairs in their room playing video games.

  “That doesn’t sound good, let’s go and check it out,” said Kieran, his facial expression holding a grin that belonged to a child that lived for drama.

  “I dunno, bro. I think we should sit this one out. You know it must be serious if they’re arguing while we're in the house,” responded Leon.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Well, you can stay up here then. I know where I’m going,” said Kieran, already heading toward the stairs.

  “Wait, hold up, I’m coming,” shouted Leon, putting down the controller and quickly following behind his brother.

  As the two brothers reached the bottom of the steps and turned the corner, Leon saw his dad, battered and bruised, and ran straight for the room.

  “Leon! No!” Kieran shouted, extending his arm but it was no use, he wasn’t stopping.

  Kieran followed and stopped short in the doorway. His dad was already seated—head down, face swollen, barely holding himself together.

  Kieran was always full of jokes, the confident one who always knew what to say. But when he saw his dad in that state, he was lost for words. Drowning in the seriousness of the moment, he just stood there.

  Leon burst into the living room, tears all down his face, his breath ragged.

  “Daddy, are you okay?” he asked, panic setting in as he looked up at his dad with wide, frightened eyes.

  “Kids, go upstairs!” Mavis ordered, her voice tense and hurried.

  “But we just want to know if Dad’s okay,” protested their oldest child, Kieran.

  “I said GO! Take your brother upstairs right now, Kieran. Now!” Mavis shouted, her tone leaving no room for argument.

  “Okay, Mom. Come on, Leon,” Kieran muttered, gently pulling his younger brother along. Leon glanced back at Derrick one last time, concern still etched on his face.

  As their footsteps faded up the stairs, Mavis turned back to Derrick, eyes filled with fear and confusion.

  “So—I’ll ask again, what happened? Talk to me.”

  Derrick shook his head slowly before rubbing his eyes, unable to meet her gaze.

  “I thought I had it all under control,” he whispered. “I had everything in the palm of my hand... I don’t know where it all went wrong.”

  “What went wrong? I don’t understand,” Mavis pressed, desperation creeping into her voice.

  “I got into business with the wrong people,” Derrick admitted quietly, his voice hoarse. “And now I can’t get out.”

  Mavis froze, realization dawning.

  “Hold on... you don’t mean—”

  Derrick looked up at her, his eyes heavy with regret.

  “No. No. You promised me, Derrick,” Mavis said, stepping back in shock. Anger surged through her as she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face. “You said your criminal days were behind you! You promised me you were done with that life! I believed you. I actually thought we were enough for you. But how na?ve was I, huh? Once a criminal, always a criminal,” she spat.

  “You were enough. You are enough, baby,” Derrick said softly, reaching out to her.

  Mavis slapped his hand away.

  “Enough? Then why are we here again? What kind of mess have you gotten us into this time?”

  Derrick hesitated, struggling to find the words.

  “Speak, Derrick! Now is not the time to hold your tongue,” Mavis demanded, her voice rising in frustration.

  Derrick sighed heavily, wiping the blood from his mouth.

  “I ran the whole city,” he began slowly. “But above me... was an African warlord. A ruthless killer. I made a deal with him to run this city. He let me run operations through the city without interference from the police. It was working, everything was smooth, clean, and efficient. Until Dragonblade showed up. He’s been hitting shipments, cutting off money flow. Afra gave me this beating as a warning. Either I take care of the Dragonblade problem... or he takes care of me.”

  Mavis stared at him in disbelief.

  “My father warned me about you,” she said bitterly. “He called you a lowlife criminal. But I went against my entire family… for you because I thought I saw something in you. I thought you were more than what they said. But I was wrong. Do you know how stupid you've made me look,” she said.

  “I never meant to,” Derrick swore, his eyes swelling and tears streaming.

  “You think I’m going to feel sorry for you? You chose this life. You’re nothing more than a criminal,” Mavis spat, shaking her head.

  “You think I wanted this life?” Derrick shouted, his voice cracking under the weight of years of pain. “You think I woke up one day and chose to be this way? I didn’t have the smarts like Robert. I didn’t have parents who cared. Do you know what it’s like to come home from school and find your mom strung out on the floor? Or to have your dad walk out on you and never come back? I had to be a father to my sister when I was still a kid myself. I had to man up and it took a lot out of me. And the one person who could’ve helped me, his parents, made sure to keep him away from me.”

  “So the very thing that destroyed your life, your mother’s life, you decided to turn to? Am I hearing this right, or is this some sort of sick joke?” Mavis asked coldly. “And then you decided to put that same fate on other families.”

  “No! I made sure no mothers got hooked on the drugs we sold,” Derrick said defensively.

  “And how can you guarantee that? You think your men followed your orders to the letter? You think none of those drugs ever reached the people you swore to protect?” Mavis challenged.

  Derrick lowered his head in shame.

  “I... I thought I was doing the right thing,” he muttered. “I was just a kid trying to survive. I couldn’t let my sister struggle like that.”

  “That, I understand,” Mavis said, her tone softening slightly. “But you’re not a kid anymore, Derrick. You’re a man. You’ve got everything now; the house, the car, the money. You put your sister through law school. She’s one of the best damn lawyers in the city, and she’s gotten you out of trouble more times than I can count. You had a chance to walk away. But you didn’t. You stayed because you couldn’t let go of the power. This wasn’t survival anymore, Derrick. It was greed.”

  Mavis turned her back to him, tears streaming down her face.

  He’d faced guns. He’d faced gang wars, hits, and even stared down the barrel of the gun more than once, escaping the clutches of death itself and living to tell the tale. But as Mavis looked at him in passing, he quickly realized—this was one story that wouldn’t end with a happy ending. No matter how hard he tried, there was no way he was going to win. He was forever indebted to the streets, and no amount of blood spilled would ever close his books. And that was a life Mavis had told him long ago she refused to live.

  She yelled up the stairs. “Kids! Pack your things. We’re going to your aunt’s house.”

  “Why, Mom?” Kieran called down.

  “Boy, just do as I say! Pack your stuff. Now!” she shouted, her voice filled with finality.

  Moments later, the kids came downstairs, each carrying a suitcase. Mavis handed Kieran the car keys.

  “Put your stuff in the car and wait for me. I won’t be long,” she said.

  “Okay, Mom... Bye, Dad,” Kieran mumbled without looking at Derrick.

  “Bye, Daddy,” Leon whispered sadly, glancing up at his father one last time.

  “I love you guys,” Derrick said softly as they walked past him.

  Mavis grabbed her coat and headed for the door. She paused for a moment before turning back.

  “Sort out your mess, Derrick. Before it’s too late.”

  Without another word, she walked out with suitcase in toe, leaving Derrick standing alone in the heavy silence of their home.