Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

With his other hand, Andrew reached behind the bar and pulled out a black

handgun.

Rachel gasped. "Mr. Lloyd, that's..."

Andrew replied calmly, "Oldest trick in the book. Posing as a bartender while

hiding a weapon. It's meant for sneak attacks, a standard setup in places crawling

with organized crime. Pretty boring, honestly."

He clicked his tongue and casually ejected the magazine. By now, the clubgoers

had begun to notice the commotion.

Not even the pounding music could drown out the tension as all eyes turned to

Andrew, their faces filled with shock.

The group of punks from earlier returned, this time led by a man in a black suit,

striding over with menace in his eyes.

"Let go of our guy and get the hell out of Onyx Serpent Bar! Or I swear, I don't

care who you are—you won't leave in one piece!"

The suited man radiated killing intent as he shouted his warning.

Andrew glanced at him. "Are you the Onyx Dragon King?"

The man's eye twitched as he barked, "Does it matter? I said let go of him, now!"

With one brutal smash of the pistol grip, Andrew knocked Tommy out cold.

The guy in the black suit exploded in rage. "You son of a bitch. You're dead!"

He motioned for his men to surround Andrew. However, with a flick of his foot, the

magazine that had landed on the ground flipped into the air.

Andrew caught it mid-spin, slapped it into the gun with a flick of his wrist, and

completed the reload in a smooth motion.

The flashy move left the men stunned, just long enough for Andrew to jam the

cold barrel straight into the black-suited man's mouth.

"So, can I meet the Onyx Dragon King now? Or would you prefer your brains

splattered across the wall?"

The man's throat moved involuntarily as veins bulged on his neck and hands. It

was hard to tell whether he was trembling from rage or terror.

He mumbled a defiant growl. "If you've got the guts, pull the trigger!"

Andrew narrowed his eyes and thumbed the safety off.

The man's eyes went wide. "Wait, wait, wait! Sir, please—don't! I'll take you to the

Dragon King! Right now!"

Smiling faintly, Andrew lowered thenoveldrama

gun and holstered it. "See? That

wasn't so hard. You people really

love pushing your luck. I swear,

you're just begging for a beatdown."

Rachel stood frozen to the side, her scalp tingling.

Andrew was insane and ruthless.

This was the Onyx Dragon King's territory.

Of Blumedale's three underground

bosses—Onyx Dragon King, or

Ronald Potter—was known as the

most brutal and bloodthirsty. He

was the only one bold enough to

publicly declare himself part of the

underworld.

Even people like Derek sometimes turned a blind eye when it came to him, and

the Five Apex Families had to swallow their pride when dealing with the Dragon

King.

But Andrew? He strolled in on his first visit and responded to aggression with

brute force.

Rachel did not even want to imagine what kind of fury would erupt once Ronald

found out.

The man in the black suit walked

ahead, bitterness all over his face.

"You may be the chairman of Gabo

Creek's Chamber of Commerce and

pretty strong, but Mr. Potter won't let

this slide. No way he's gonna let you

walk out after this mess."

Andrew's smile had long vanished. "Just lead the way. One more word, and I'll

shoot you right here."

The man clamped his mouth shut. Though his face burned with indignation, he

didn't dare make another sound.

Inside, however, he was seething. He had followed the Onyx Dragon King for

years, but he had never seen anyone act this arrogantly on their turf.

As they disappeared from view, the bar burst into chaos, gossip flying like wildfire.

"Holy hell, that guy was insane! That move with the gun gave me chills. Was that

real combat technique?"

"Sure, it looked cool, but it's not practical. You guys are forgetting whose place

this is."

"Young dudes, especially cocky ones, always want to prove themselves. But that

one's just nuts. With Mr. Potter's temper, he'll probably rip him in half!"

"I've never seen anyone act like that inside the Onyx Serpent Bar. Mr. Potter is

surely going to break that man's leg."