Darnell shamelessly used Peter as a bargaining chip to secure Jolie and the others’ safety.
As they stepped out into the wide entrance, nearly a hundred members of the Apex rushed over, armed with knives and clubs.
This clubhouse, although close to the Axe’s territory, was more aligned with Northmoor, which made it the Apex’s domain. Thus, Darnell and Jolie quickly retreated into Northmoor.
Watching as dozens of the Apex escorted Jolie and the others away, Darnell tossed Peter back to Samuel.
Samuel, feeling frustrated, called for an ambulance while casting a venomous glare at Darnell. He wanted to shout and fight, but he realized he was outnumbered compared to the crowd in the hall.
Callum had over sixty members of the Apex alongside him. While their skills varied, their numbers were still formidable.
If a battle broke out now, it would turn into a conflict involving hundreds, drawing even more people into the chaos. Samuel didn’t have the guts to start a full-scale war just yet.
So, he glared fiercely at Darnell and Callum. “You wait. I’m going to drag you out, along with those two girls.”
Samuel licked his lips. “First I’ll have my way with them, then I’ll kill them.”
Darnell said nothing, simply smiled at Samuel, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
“Callum, thank you.”
A mile down the road, Darnell wrapped bandages around Callum’s wounds, his expression filled with regret. “I’m sorry for dragging you and the Apex into this mess tonight, and for getting so many of your brothers hurt.”
Callum laughed heartily, clapping Darnell on the shoulder. “Mr. Halford, you’re being too formal. We’ve shared drinks, and you just helped me with my injury. If you’re in trouble, I’m naturally going to lend a hand.”
“Besides, I’ve never liked the Axe. Many of my brothers have been bullied by them.”
“Tonight’s scuffle was a chance for us to get some payback.”
A smile broke across Darnell’s face as he pulled out a check and handed it over. “No matter what, you and your brothers got dragged into this because of me. The Axe might use this as an excuse to go to war with the Apex.”
“Here’s a million. Callum, take it as medical and nutritional expenses for your brothers.”
Callum’s face instantly turned serious as he pushed the check back towards Darnell. “Mr. Halford, you underestimate us. While the Apex might not be as wealthy as the Crow or the Axe, we can still cover medical expenses for our friends.”
“If you consider us friends, then you’ll take that check back.”
Seeing Callum’s anger, Darnell sighed and took the check back. “Alright, thank you, Callum.”
Only then was Callum satisfied with Darnell’s actions. But soon he furrowed his brow. “Mr. Halford, while the Apex may not be very strong, we can still withstand the Axe. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have lasted this long. You may be skilled, but the Axe has the advantage in numbers.”
“They’ll use every means necessary.”
“Samuel took a hit tonight. He’ll find a way to retaliate.”
Callum warned Darnell, “You need to be cautious about your movements and make sure to remind the people around you to be cautious as well.”
Darnell smiled lightly. “Don’t worry, Callum. I’ll be careful.”
Then he squinted toward the intersection ahead. “Callum, I need a favor. Take the two girls to the Whiteville Police Department and hand them over to Officer Judith for protection.”
“Make sure she thoroughly checks the girls and sends someone to protect them for a couple of days, just in case Samuel decides to retaliate.”
“Got it!” Callum replied instinctively, then asked, “What about you?”
Darnell smiled faintly. “Me? I’ll get out at the next intersection.”
At eleven o’clock that night, while the city lay in silence, Samuel was far from at ease, pacing anxiously back and forth in the hospital.
Peter’s incident put immense pressure on the Axe, and the damage to Peter’s manhood left Samuel feeling utterly drained.
After sending the injured to the hospital, he didn’t go home to relax. Instead, he stayed at the hospital, anxiously awaiting the surgery results, silently praying for Peter’s safety.
If Peter couldn’t be saved, Samuel knew he could very well meet the same fate at the hands of his boss.
“I’m telling you, you must save Peter! You have to save him!”
Samuel grabbed a doctor by the collar, shouting, “If you can’t save him, I’ll have all the men in this hospital castrated and sell the women to brothels!”
To prove his seriousness, he slapped a nurse, making her cry out in distress.
The medical staff, nervous and on edge, quickly steeled themselves and began the surgery. It was clear to everyone that Samuel was not someone to be trifled with.
Nurses rushed in and out, carrying blood and other medications, their tense expressions adding to the atmosphere of anxiety.
“Get someone to keep an eye on Luca, Nick, and Callum. As soon as you find Darnell, let me know.”
While waiting for the surgical results, Samuel called a few of his associates, waking them from their sleep and instructing them to find Darnell.
He needed Darnell’s head to appease his boss’s fury. Then, he would report the entire incident to his boss, embellishing the details.
Samuel told his boss that a drunk Darnell had injured Peter in a bid to steal women, claiming they could have stopped Darnell’s reckless behavior.
However, he hadn’t anticipated that the Apex would ally with Darnell, leading to a brawl that left Peter incapacitated.
Moreover, Callum had called in nearly a hundred of the Apex, surrounding his men and causing even more injuries.
Samuel suggested that the Apex was getting too bold and needed to be dealt with. Otherwise, the Axe would lose face.
However, despite his attempts to paint the Apex in a negative light, he was still berated mercilessly by his boss.
His boss ordered Samuel to refrain from thinking about a war with the Apex and to focus on saving Peter first.
Just as Samuel, frustrated, pulled out a cigarette to bite down on, a doctor in a white coat approached him with a serious tone.
“I have something very important to discuss regarding the patient. It could affect his future well-being as a man.”
After saying that, the masked doctor walked straight toward the nearby break room. Samuel paused for a moment, then tossed the cigarette aside and followed.
“Wait here. I’ll just go listen to what the doctor has to say.”
Anxious about the possibility of bad news spreading quickly about Peter, Samuel urged his men to stay put as he entered the break room.
“Doctor, how’s the patient’s surgery going?”
Once inside, Samuel closed the door behind him, his expression turning menacing. “Can you save his manhood?”
“As long as we can fix it, money is no object.”
He couldn’t bear the thought of bad news, so he threatened harshly, “If you can’t fix it, I’ll have all of you castrated.”
“If you can’t even reattach one man’s genitals, what kind of doctors are you?”
“If you can’t even handle a reattachment surgery, what’s the point of living? You might as well just die.”
Samuel glared at the doctor. “Tell me, is it good news or bad?”
The masked doctor didn’t respond immediately. He just grabbed a black pen and scribbled something on the medical chart before tossing it onto a chair.
“There’s the result. You can take a look for yourself.”
The room was dimly lit, making it hard to see clearly. Samuel leaned down, squinting to get a better view.
Upon reading the chart, his anger erupted. One word stood out-dead!
Fury coursed through him like a tidal wave.
Samuel’s back was instantly soaked with sweat.
“You’re fooling me-”
Then he realized, and his rage boiled over. “You’re asking for death! I…”
But before he could finish, the lights dimmed, and a searing pain shot through his chest. It felt as if he had collided with a speeding train.
Yet, he didn’t fly backward. Instead, a vice-like grip around his neck held him firmly in place, silencing any cries for help.
He couldn’t see the person’s face, only the rock-hard chest pressing against him.
And the lotus-shaped arrow that pierced his heart.
Blood spilled everywhere.