Rex woke up, squeezing his eyes, as the morning sun rays fell on his eyes, and shifted his gaze towards Madeline, who was fast asleep by then. As the morning sun rays traveled through the room and fell over Rex's eyes, he was forced to squint and wake up, thereafter. He sat up in his place with a grimace in his face and rubbed his eyes. As, he looked over his shoulder, his eyes softened to see Madeline peacefully sleeping in her place. He reached out for his phone and flashed the screen to realise that his phone was in the mute, the whole night. Sh*t! Straightening his back,  he scrolled through the notifications to find a series of unanswered calls and a few voice messages. Glancing at Madeline for the last time, he rushed towards the living room and played one of the voice messages.

"Code Red. I repeat, Code red."

His breath started to come out in short pants. An ominous look smeared over his face in no time.

Stuffing his phone in his back pocket, he darted back inside the bedroom and leaned towards Madeline, supporting his hand over the headboard

"Madeline, wake up. Maddie...."

Madeline stretched her arms and opened her eyes to see Rex leaning towards her face. 

"We need to move. " he added.

Madeline looked around with a frown, "It's early."

Rex shook his head, "I need to reach somewhere. It's urgent. I am sorry. But, please."

As, Madeline walked out of the house, Rex was already waiting inside the car, rubbing the steering with both his hands, sitting restlessly in his place, looking straight towards the street, keeping his eyes narrowed. As, Madeline, took her seat, the car raced out of the place. 

Madeline sensed his restlessness, "What's wrong?"

 "Nothing" he replied keeping his eyes on the road, "Just a small problem. Nothing you should worry about." looking at her, "Where do I drop you?"

Madeline kept looking at him, with a question clear in her expression, "The regular place." taking in a gulp, "I know, this is something grave."

Rex heaved, "My men, needs me, nothing serious, Amor."

"Wait, Your men?" she questioned with furrowed brows.

Rex snapped his head towards her. He was caught off guard.

"My employees, I mean"

Madeline did not buy it. His words came out confident but his eyes seemed to tell a different story.

"There should not anything hidden, between us, Rex."

Rex took a deep breath, "I promise."

Madeline looked up at him, with guilt in her eyes, "I promise, as well."

Rex shifted his gaze towards her, at the untimely utter of her words, with a subtle confusion creeping over him.

Soon, the car pulled over, at a certain corner of a street. Madeline got down from the car, before the car raced out, without a goodbye. Madeline stood there for a while, and kept looking at the car, as it vanished out of her sight.

As, she turned on her heel to walk towards her home, a notification hit her phone, she looked at the screen. It was a message from Rex.

"Take care. Be safe. Good bye."

An fear started to crawl up inside her. "Be Safe!" For some reason, she failed to waive off the fact, that this wasn't just a message. The events from the earlier night started to play in her head as he tip toed her way towards her house. She never saw the happiness in his eyes. Was there some form of turmoil he is trapped in? Or it was her, falling into a trap yet again.

Her steps started to falter and her hands started to freeze.

What does the future really hold?

After a few hours, 

It was a small room, within an isolated neighborhood, where everyone waited near the dead body of the man, assassinated the earlier night. Rex took baby steps, towards the light, and stood by the head of the dead man. Keeping his head bowed down, looking at the body, as anger and sadness flushed over his face, "Who did this?"

Rose, who was sitting beside the dead body, replied in a gloomy voice, "Shot by a long range sniper rifle. And..."

"And?"

Jereff passed the bullet towards Rex. He took it immediately and the color of his face fell pale, "It has Z inscribed in it."

Jereff prompted, "You know what that means."

Rex's jaw clenched as the realisation hit him. Gritting his teeth, "Lizzie!"

Everyone looked towards Rex, waiting for him to react to everything.

How did that B*TCH GET PAST?" His voice came out louder, leaving everyone unsettled in their places.

" Boss, " Rose started, "He was shot from the building, on the either side of street, while he was on the East office"

"THAT IS NOT, WHAT I WANT TO HEAR?"

"What else did you expect?" Marc started dragging everyone's attention towards him.

"You were not there, when...." he trailed off and his red shot eyes started to glitter.

Jereff sensed the impending conflict, "Marc!" he warned, "Hold it right there."

Rex kept silently staring at Marc.

"Don't forget where you stand", Jereff added.

Rex batted his eyelashes and let out a sharp exhale before he commanded, "TRACK DOWN THE ASSASSIN! She is mine to kill."

"It will be...." Rose revolted but Rex turned towards her with a pointing stare, pausing her in her words, "For whatever it takes."

"Now, will you stop with your show, Jackson!" Marc scoffed.

"MARC!!" Jereff warned.

Rex turned towards Marc and relied in a calm tone, "I don't want any scar on my gang. Not till I am alive."

"But, you failed to save Cody. Irony, don't you think?"

"Marc, at this point we don't have the time to play a blame game. We need to act. F'cking sober up."

"Why do you think we will co operate?" his voice quivered.

"Because, I'm the f*cking boss. Either you cooperate, or you are free to move out."

Every head casted down and a silence fell over. Marc kept a glare piercing through him.

Composing himself, Rex started, "We can't keep our clients waiting. Contact the Chinese, and let them know, the shipment will reach them soon."

Jereff looked up at him, "Leave it on me, Jackson."

The boss gave Marc a last glare, before he stormed out of the room.

Jereff walked inside Jackson's room to find standing by the window, facing the outside.  The room was dark, only illuminated dimly by the flood lights from afar. The naked branches of the trees outside his windows, were wiggling at the mercy of the cold autumn wind as the same wind was hitting his naked skin. His shirt layed rumbled over the bed, as if he showered all his frustration over that piece of cloth. Even though it was dark, the black tattoo of a flying hawk carved over his muscular back was prominent. Jereff sauntered across the room and stood behind Jackson.

"Jack."

"Leave me alone." he snapped.

"That's what you do, everytime."

"Just go away."

"You can't hide yourself from the world."

"This is a compromise, Jeff." his voice came out louder, silencing Jereff in his place.

"it is." Jereff replied almost as a whisper.

"Why?" Jackson looked over his shoulder. The pain in his voice was clear.
"This is what our life decided."

"We had a choice not to. I never wanted this life. You have already got the bitter taste of this life. yet...."

"We already chose and can't step back. I am sorry, brother."

"You left both of us, in a point of no return. You pushed me, into something, I never wanted."

Completing his sentence he turned towards Jereff to meet with a pair of eyes filled in agony, forcefully concealed by the man.

"Marc wasn't wrong in his opinions." he continued, "I was never the right one for this. I failed. I failed to save.....my best man. My........best friend."

"Life and death happens, but life goes on. You can't let yourself get swiped away with this. You are the leader of Hawks."

"I regret. I can't loose anymore people in my life. I can't let anymore people into the crossfire. "

"Life and death is chosen by our fate....Not by what we do."

"My absence led to this. I wasn't there, when he needed me."

"Really? We were nowhere near the underworld when mamma and papa were killed in cold blood and we were left to watch. it. all." The calm in his voice seized and he thundered. His breaths came out shaky and rough, "It could have been YOU INSTEAD OF CODY, IF YOU WERE THERE."

"I could've dealt it better. " Jackson revolted in a similar pitch, "It shouldn't have been him. Not this early. Not like this."

Jereff's eyes were now enlarged and dilated, "We can't change what's gone." composing his voice, "But, we can alter what's next. We are made to fight. We will fight and we will win."

Jackson winced and looked back towards the window.

"But, with every fight, comes pain." he continued,  "In victory, comes loss. We can change none. Lives keeps going. Our names are carved in a single bullet. Once it hits us. Our story ends there. But, we can't let ourselves get killed without a fight."

Jackson moved his head in denial, with a guttural voice, "I won't let anyone get away with this. I promise the culprits, the worst death, the world has ever witnessed."

"You know, why I convince that, you are a better leader? You put your men, before yourself. I see you, feel the pain, your men has faced. The most vital, the human being in you, is still alive, somewhere. Which, for us, died a long back.  Your emotions are the reflection of the same. But, you know what? Sometimes, you need to let your emotions take a back seat.....That is unfortunately the definition of strength in gangland. You can't break down, when you are the ultimate power of your men. You can't be weak, when you have Hawks looking up at you."

Jackson scoffed, "I already lost their trust."

"That's yours to rebuild."

Jackson looked back at Jereff. A crease formed over his eyebrows, as he deciphered through every word his brother just said.

Jereff nodded, "Yeah. You can't fail. It's YOUR call to make things right. Cody had death written to his name. That is past now. Now, it's time, to collect our weapons, and march towards the route to our final destination. Look forward and plan for the next." he walked towards Jackson and patted his shoulder, "I'll leave you, now. Just know, that I believe in you, in whatever you do. I'll be by your side in your decisions forever."

The defeat in Jackson's face was gone. A determination took over. Jereff studied through the change and smiled at him with pride.

Giving him an assuring smile, he walked up to the door but stopped in his way and turned bakc at Jackson.

"You are never weak, when you cry. Cry your eyes out at night, if that soothes you. But, make sure,...you wipe your tears and wake up stronger and brighter as the sun rises."