The neon glow of the bar sign flickered erratically as Ivan and Felix slipped into the shadows of a rundown Miami alley. The salty night air mixed with the distant sounds of sirens and the low hum of the city that never truly slept.
Felix's voice was calm but firm. "We didn't just piss off some street punks, Ivan. That bar fight... it wasn't just some random scuffle. We killed family—big family."
Ivan lit a cigarette, smoke curling around his face like a shroud. "I don't give a fuck about family if they come at me first. But yeah, now the big bosses want us dead. And for good reason."
Felix pulled the crumpled photo from his jacket pocket—a grainy black-and-white snapshot showing a man with cold eyes and a scar running down his cheek. The man's brother had been one of the bodies left broken and bleeding on that barroom floor.
"That's Marco's brother. Marco is no small-time thug — he's a goddamn kingpin," Felix said quietly. "And Marco's been overseas, supposedly on vacation when his brother got iced."
Ivan crushed his cigarette underfoot, eyes narrowing. "Vacation or not, he'll want blood. And not just any blood. Our blood."
Felix clenched his fists, the weight of the looming storm settling in. "The big bosses aren't just pissed — they're scared. Scared that we're growing too fast, too loud."
Ivan's voice dropped to a growl. "They think we're a threat. Hell, we are a threat."
Felix gave a rare, dry smile. "You always want to burn it all down. I'm the one who's gotta build it back up."
Ivan laughed bitterly. "Yeah, well, sometimes the only way to build is to burn the whole damn thing."
---
The city's shadows were deeper tonight, filled with whispers of unseen eyes and unspoken threats.
Somewhere high above, the big bosses gathered in smoke-filled rooms, their faces unreadable masks of rage and calculation.
Marco's voice was cold steel as he slammed a fist on the table. "Those fuckers killed my brother. They think they can walk into my city and take over? I'll gut them like animals."
One of his lieutenants leaned forward, voice low and dangerous. "We send a message. Let Ivan and Felix feel what happens to those who cross us."
Marco smiled cruelly, eyes glinting with deadly intent. "No mistakes this time. I want them broken, not just scared."
---
Back in the alley, Ivan stared out into the city skyline, fists clenched tight enough to crack knuckles.
"We've got their attention," he said, voice cold. "And they're not gonna back off."
Felix's calm tone cut through the tension. "We've got something they don't."
Ivan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What's that?"
Felix's eyes gleamed in the dark. "Each other. And a whole hell of a lot of people ready to stand behind us."
Ivan smiled that dangerous smile again. "Then let's give them a reason to fear every shadow in Miami."