Chapter 232

Michael was waiting for a call when his phone buzzed. It was Mike.

"Wait, what? A fourth group just showed up?" Michael's eyebrows shot up, his mind racing.

"Could it be Mason's crew?" Michael immediately thought Mason might have sent them to keep tabs on him.

But Mike quickly shot down that idea.

"Mr. Williams, from what we can tell, this group might be from the Brown Family," Mike said.

"The Brown Family? Paxton's people?" Michael was stunned.

He hadn't even considered that. In his mind, Paxton and his gang had no reason to be here.

"Yeah, it's Paxton's people. Paxton's been digging for info on you and Mrs. Williams. We've run into his guys a few times, so we recognize some of them," Mike explained.

Michael thought it over but couldn't figure out why Paxton would send people here. If Paxton was after Isabella because of Odette's death, he should be looking into Isabella, not her parents, who she had already cut ties with.

Maybe Paxton thought Isabella's family had some hidden secrets and wanted to dig them up. That would make sense.

But none of that mattered now.

A cold, calculating smile crept across Michael's face as he glanced at a clear bag next to him, holding a boning knife. The knife gleamed menacingly in the sunlight, with faint traces of blood on the handle.

"Find a way to drag Paxton's people into this mess. I'll send you something. You have to make sure this thing ends up on Bianca's people and gets found by Paxton's people," Michael instructed over the phone.

Even though Michael's plan sounded complicated, Mike agreed.

The gunfire between the two sides had started to die down. They were running low on bullets after the initial intense shootout.

The gunfire at the scene was getting sporadic. John's crew had the upper hand with their numbers and were closing in on Bianca's group.

"Mr. Bales, what do we do now? We're almost out of bullets, and three of our guys are already dead," a thug nervously asked Daron.

Daron's face twisted with anger. They hadn't been told there'd be such heavy gunfire when they took this job.

"That bitch Bianca's gonna get us all killed!" Daron muttered under his breath.

Just then, a dirt-covered man ran up to them. "Mr. Bales, there's a gap over there. We can break through!" The guy pointed urgently.

Daron found the guy's behavior a bit suspicious, not remembering his name. But right now, escaping was the priority. Daron didn't have time to worry about it, so he led the thugs to break through in the direction the guy pointed.

John's guys noticed the thugs trying to make a run for it. After a quick huddle, they decided to split up: one team would head into the abandoned factory to track down Jasper and Mia, while the other would chase after the thugs.

The earlier gun battle had left John's men bleeding and furious, thirsting for vengeance.

Mike watched the chaos through his binoculars, a cold smile creeping across his face.

"Did you all get into your new threads?" Mike asked, checking them out. They were mirror images of John's crew, all decked out in black suits.

"Your job now is to keep messing with Jasper and Mia. Make them paranoid. Their lives don't matter; just hold out until the big players arrive," Mike grinned.

His men chuckled darkly before heading off to find Jasper and Mia.

Meanwhile, Bianca's crew was still on the run, dodging John's men. If you had a drone overhead, you'd see a group blocking these thugs' path.

Paxton's guys were supposed to be tracking Jasper and Mia, but the gunfire had them stopping in their tracks.

"What do we do now? Sounds like a shootout. Should we check it out?" one of them asked, unsure.

Another guy quickly shot him down. "No way. If you wanna go, be my guest. I'm not getting my head blown off for a few thousand bucks a month," he said, rolling his eyes.

Paxton's crew exchanged looks and decided to wait until the shooting stopped before sneaking in to investigate.

The incident starkly revealed the differences in training and effectiveness among the four families' crews.

John's men were well-trained and took pride in their work. They wouldn't let themselves be humiliated. Their main job was to grab Jasper and Mia, but they also had a team hunting down the thugs, all for family honor.

Paxton's guys, on the other hand, were more about looking out for themselves. They didn't measure up to the long-established families.

"Hey, you notice the gunfire's getting closer?" one of Paxton's men frowned.

They all looked at each other, feeling uneasy.

Then, the sound of heavy footsteps got louder and closer.

Before they knew it, a bunch of armed thugs in floral shirts appeared in front of them.

Both groups stared at each other, momentarily confused.

Paxton's men instinctively reached for their guns.

Daron shouted angrily, "We were supposed to have lost the pursuers! Where the hell did these guys come from?"