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Alex and Jasmine stiffened as a sharp, rotten stench drifted toward them.
Bill sauntered forward with a casual arrogance, nked by two grim-faced men whose clothes reeked like they''d been unearthed from a grave.
He gave Jasmine a thin smile.
"Miss Jasmine," he said smoothly, "would you minding with us? There''s some important business we need to discuss."
Nerves on edge, Jasmine pressed herself behind Alex.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
Bill let out a low chuckle. "Well, I''m hoping you can return Charles s money."
Jasmine''s eyes zed. "He stole that money from me!"
Bill shrugged, sounding almost bored. "Your family drama doesn''t concern me. If you don''t want things to get ugly, hand it over."
He lifted a hand, and the two men in ck stepped closer, their rank odor intensifying.
Before they could advance any farther, Alex spoke in a calm, measured tone.
"There are too many reporters here. Let''s head to the parking lot. If you can beat me, Jasmine will give you the cash." Jasmine shot him a worried nce. "Alex..."
He leaned in and lowered his voice. "I''ll be fine. Stay here with the reporters. They won''t risk touching you in front of a camera." His gaze flicked toward the two foul- smelling men. "These two are my mortal enemies. I need to make sure they don''t slip away."
Jasmine''s breath trembled as she whispered, "You''re certain you can handle them?"
"One hundred percent," Alex said, a confident grin lighting his face.
Jasmine clenched her jaw. "Go get them, Alex. I''m sick of all this.
"You got it, Princess." With that, Alex turned back to face Bill.
Bill cast a sidelong nce at Jasmine.
"You heard my man," Jasmine said firmly. "If he loses, I''ll wire the money over to you."
"Let''s go,” Alex said. He started walking, with Bill and the two men trailing behind.
They made their way downstairs to the underground parking lot. The space was dim, hollow-sounding, and deserted.
Their footsteps echoed off the concrete walls.
“Kid,” Bill sneered, “you''ve got a real talent for digging your own grave."
Alex pinned him with an icy stare. "You''re the one who gave Charles those poisoned pills for Kelly."
Bill shrugged, mouth twisting into a cruel smile. Yeah, so what? He''s too weak to
fix his love life on his own. We just gave him
a nudge. We even had ns to help him ''tame'' that wild woman in bed."
Something dangerous flickered in Alex''s eyes.
He strode forward, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers in front of Bill''s forehead,
"The woman you''re talking about," he said, releasing the snap, “happens to be mine."
The force of that single motion whipped Bill''s head back with a crack.
He hit the ground hard, eyes rolling back.
The two men in ck-Tim and Tom-rushed over Bill''s side.
Their faces twisted into something inhuman as they drew small, wicked-looking knives and plunged them into Bill''s chest.
Both chanted in unison, "To our gods, ept this sacrifice. Grant us protection." Alex''s voice thundered in the enclosed space, echoing off the walls
"So you''re willing to perform this disgusting ck magic here?" He lunged, foot connecting with Tim''s midsection in a savage kick that sent him flying into a parked car.
The impact red the car''s rm.
Alex pivoted and delivered another bone-crunching kick to Tom, knocking him t.
Amazingly, both men stood as though nothing had happened.
Tim sneered. "We have protection spells. Physical attacks won''t work."
"You think cheap tricks can save you?" Alex spat, then charged again.
Tim and Tom scrambled to counter, but Alex''s speed overwhelmed them.
They mmed into walls and cars with heavy thuds.
Still, Tim staggered upright. "It''s no use! We''re immune to your attacks!"
Alex''s lip curled. "You think dabbling in ck magic-defiling corpses and offering sacrifices-makes you untouchable?"
"Obviously," Tim gloated.
But his grin vanished in an instant. He clutched his stomach, contorted in pain, and dropped to his knees.
Tom''s face turned ashen as his breath came in ragged gasps. "W-what...what did you do to us?"
"Just beating you," Alex replied, footsteps echoing as he calmly walked toward them.
"Impossible..." Tim choked out, eyes wide with terror.
Suddenly, a voice boomed from the entrance. "Alex! Your time is up!"
Marco appeared, nked by a gang of hardened thugs. They brandished machetes, metal pipes, and bats spiked with nails.
Alex''s eyes narrowed. "Marco. Came to join the party?"
"Join the fun?" Marco echoed with a scoff. "I''m here to bury you. Today''s the day you die."
Alex rolled his shoulders, remaining strangely calm. "Don''t remember doing you any wrong."
Marco spat on the ground. "You don''t need to. I just can''t stand you.""
"You gathered all these people for that?" Alex asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Shut up and die!" Marco snarled. He had long since loathed Alex, and learning Jasmine''s true identity only deepened his hatred.
Alex didn''t so much as blink. "If you try this, you''ll regret it."
Marco barked augh. "My men are killers. Even if you know a little military
martial arts, you''ll be hacked to pieces."
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He flung out an arm. "Kill him!"
The thugs closed in with a roar.
But before they could swarm Alex, Tom lurched upward like a puppet on strings.
He plunged his sacrificial knife into the nearest attacker, shouting, "I offer these mortal lives to the gods. Grant me more power!"
Weapons mmed into Tom from every angle-machetes, pipes, and bats.
None of them left so much as a scratch.
Slowly, methodically, Tom began cutting through the thugs as if he were slicing paper dolls.
Marco stumbled back, face white with fear, watching his men fall. What...what are you?" he choked out.
Tom loomed over the fallen, eyes empty and pitiless, the stench of death and dark magic thick in the air.