Chapter 2 BloodBath

"I see I got your attention," Gabriel said, pushing himself off his sleek black car and stalking closer to the entrance of the Vasquez estate. His movements were slow and deliberate, his piercing grey eyes fixed on Paul, who stood surrounded by his men.

"Well, it's pretty hard to ignore gunshots this early in the morning, don't you think?" Paul replied calmly, not a single hint of fear in his voice. "I'm guessing you didn't come here for tea and small talk. So, why are you here, creating such a scene and breaking the years long truce I have with your father?"

Gabriel's jaw tightened, his anger barely contained. "I'm here to cause a fucking bloodbath," he growled.

As if on cue, his men stepped forward in unison, their guns raised and pointed at Paul and his men. The cold clicks of loaded guns filled the already tense air. Gabriel's anger grew as Paul's calm demeanor remained intact, even in the face of death.

"I see," Paul said, still unbothered, his expression unreadable. "And may I ask why you're so eager to spill blood this fine morning?"

"Don't mess with me, old man," Gabriel warned, his voice dropping to a deadly murmur. "You'll find I'm not in the mood. You have two options-either you give me your son's fucking head on a pike, or I kill all of you right here, right now."

At the mention of his son, Paul turned to Rodney, his expression sharp and questioning. "What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Rodney snapped, his tone defensive but his eyes darting nervously.

Paul studied him for a moment, then turned his attention back to Gabriel. "And what if I don't agree with either of those options?" he asked, his voice steady and cold.

In response, Paul's men mirrored Gabriel's, raising their guns in sync. The air grew thicker with tension as the standoff reached its boiling point.

"Then I guess we'll have a fucking bloodbath after all," Gabriel snarled, his voice filled with venom.

The two men stared each other down, neither willing to back down.

The tension was suffocating.

"You should at least tell us the offense before you kill an old man in his own home," Paul said, his voice calm. "Didn't your father teach you anything?"

"Didn't you teach your son anything?" Gabriel shot back angrily. "He thinks he can lay his hands on my cousin and get away with it? He thinks he can sexually assault her and run free just because you're his father? Well, he thought wrong. I'm not leaving here until I get my vengeance. And that means me castrating the fucker myself."

Paul's calm facade finally cracked, and his anger flashed for the first time. His jaw clenched, his grip on his cane tightening as he processed Gabriel's words. Once again, his idiotic son had made things difficult for him. Paul knew the unspoken code among men like them-vengeance for a justified grievance was allowed, even expected. But no matter what his son had done, there was no way in hell he was letting anything happen to Rodney.

"I didn't touch your cousin!" Rodney suddenly yelled, his voice cutting through the air. His face was red with anger as he stepped closer, pointing a finger at Gabriel. "I didn't even know she was your cousin! She's fucking sick in the head, and I swear I didn't do anything to her!"

Gabriel's eyes snapped to Rodney, the intensity of his gaze causing the younger man to step back slightly. "Watch your mouth," Gabriel growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You're lucky I'm even letting you speak right now. If you so much as lie again, I'll make sure the next words out of your mouth are screams."

Paul placed a hand on Rodney's chest, halting him before he could dig a deeper grave. "Let's not escalate this further," Paul said, his voice calm again, but his eyes darted to Gabriel. "I assume you have proof of your accusations?"

Gabriel sneered. "I don't need proof when I have her bruises, her tears, and her fucking word. That's more than enough for me." He stepped closer to Paul, his men tightening their formation as he did. "But if you want more, I'll gladly show you every damn scar your son left on her body before I take his."

Paul's men stiffened, their hands hovering over their guns. Gabriel's men mirrored the movement, and it was clear to everyone that the standoff was one wrong word away from exploding into chaos.

Paul sighed, his hand tightening on his cane. "He's my only son. You must understand that I cannot accept your terms."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "I Wasn't asking for your permission, old man."

Before anyone could react, Gabriel pulled out his own gun and pointed it directly at Rodney.

Rodney froze.

"Gabriel, don't," Paul said, his voice carrying a note of warning, but his men instinctively raised their guns, fingers twitching on the triggers.

Gabriel's men didn't hesitate to respond in kind, their guns locked on Paul's group. If Gabriel pulled the trigger, Paul's men would retaliate, and Gabriel's men would fire back. It would be a massacre-one that no one would recover from.

Rodney swallowed hard, his bravado replaced by visible fear. "I swear I didn't touch her!" he stammered, his voice cracking.

Gabriel's grip on the gun tightened, his finger hovering over the trigger. "You think I care what you swear?" he growled.

Before the tension could escalate any further, the sound of the door bursting open distracted them all.

"Stop!"

Amelia's voice rang out, clear and commanding, as she pushed through the gathered men and rushed to stand between her brother and Gabriel's gun. Her face was pale, but her eyes were fierce, a mixture of defiance and desperation burning in them.

"What the hell are you doing, Amelia?!" Rodney snapped, his voice filled with panic.

Ignoring him, Amelia raised her chin and met Gabriel's cold, furious gaze. "If you're going to shoot him, you'll have to shoot me first," she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands.

Gabriel's brow furrowed, his gun lowering just a fraction as he studied her. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"I'm his sister," Amelia said firmly. "And I'm not letting you kill him without hearing him out. If he's guilty, fine. But if he's not, this bloodbath will be on your hands, not his."

Her words hung in the air, daring Gabriel to make the next move.