Chapter 376 Subjugating Jesse's Forces
"Noah!" East's face went white as a sheet when he saw Noah in danger. He sprinted toward him, ready to take the bullet himself.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash. The door flew open, shattering into pieces. A bearded, bloodied middle-aged man stormed in. It was Bodhi.
"Noah! I'm here!" Bodhi yelled, his eyes locking onto Jesse, who had a gun aimed at Noah. Without missing a beat, Bodhi fired his own weapon.
Bullets whizzed through the air as the folks from Respect Noah Pavilion who'd followed Bodhi started shooting too.
Chaos erupted. Jesse squeezed his trigger, sending a bullet Noah's way. East dove in front, taking the hit in his shoulder.
Blood splattered. Bodhi's bullet nailed Jesse's wrist, making him drop his gun, his face twisted in pain. The other thugs were quickly taken down, sprawled out in their own blood.
Two guys from Respect Noah Pavilion moved to grab Jesse, but he kicked them away. "Not bad," one of them grunted as four more jumped in, making it six against Jesse. Despite his skills, Jesse was finally pinned to the ground, unable to move.
The room went quiet.
"Noah, you okay?" Bodhi rushed over, his voice full of worry. His clothes were smeared with blood, proof of the fight outside. He felt bad for showing up late.
"I'm good," Noah said, shaking his head. He glanced at North's lifeless body, then turned his icy stare to Jesse. Picking up a gun, he walked over.
"Noah, if you got the guts, do it!" Jesse sneered, glaring at Noah. "If you kill me, the Murphy family won't let you off the hook!"
Noah just shook his head, not in the mood for a chat. He aimed the gun at Jesse's head and pulled the trigger.
The gunshot echoed loudly. Jesse lay still on the floor.
Under the night sky, with the moon shining bright and a cold breeze blowing, Noah stood on the rooftop of the Hilton Hotel, hands behind his back, staring silently at the Silverlight City skyline.
"Noah, it's all clean," Bodhi said, coming up from behind. "We've taken over Jesse's operations in the Galaxy District. One of Jesse's top guys, who ran his drug business, is now in charge. We've got his family as leverage, and with a few perks, he's agreed to work for us."
Bodhi went on, "I've got twenty Respect Noah Pavilion members stationed there to keep an eye out, making sure the Murphy family doesn't catch on."
He looked at Noah, who stayed quiet, lost in his thoughts.
"In this operation, twenty-six of our guys got hurt, seven of them pretty bad, including East," Bodhi reported. "They're all at the hospital now, and they're gonna be okay. We also found over five hundred pounds of drugs at Jesse's place and took care of that."
"Bodhi, ever wonder what it feels like to die?" Noah asked out of the blue.
Bodhi blinked, caught off guard. "Noah, you still thinking about North?"
Noah nodded. "Yeah, I can't shake the image of him before he died. He was always so quiet, never said much. I never thought he'd take a bullet for me."
"I feel like it's my fault he's gone. If I'd planned better or sent in our guys sooner, maybe North would still be here."
"Noah, you gotta understand, we were racing against the clock. Jesse could've figured out who you were and taken you out any second. We didn't have the luxury of time. If we'd waited, Jesse might've slipped away or killed you to report back to the Murphy family," Bodhi explained.
"This whole thing went down perfectly from start to finish. You did everything right, so don't beat yourself up," Bodhi insisted. "We took over Jesse's operations with just over forty people, and only lost one. That's a big win."
"If anyone's to blame, it's me. If I'd handled the casino folks sooner, maybe North wouldn't have died," Bodhi added, his eyes dimming.
"You did your best, so don't blame yourself," Noah said.
Bodhi sighed, knowing North's death weighed heavy on Noah. But with only a high school education, Bodhi was more of a fighter than a comforter.
Footsteps approached, and an elderly man in his seventies or eighties walked up behind Noah. Dressed in a gray suit, with white hair and beard, he radiated energy and wisdom. It was Tomas, the mentor of Atticus, the owner of the Eyfel Hotel.
"Mr. Anderson, you called for me," Tomas said respectfully, giving a slight bow.
Noah nodded. "Bodhi, fill Mr. Savage in on what happened with Jesse."
"Sure thing," Bodhi replied, recounting the whole incident to Tomas.
After listening, Tomas turned to Noah, asking carefully, "Mr. Anderson, is this about North?"
Noah nodded, his feelings tangled over North's death.
Tomas smiled gently. "In our world, death is just like breakfast."
"You, Mr. Anderson, are meant for big things. Along the way, losing people is just part of the journey."
"What do you mean by that?" Noah asked, turning to Tomas. He knew he was young and didn't have Tomas's experience in the underworld, but he was eager to learn. North's death had hit him hard.
"Throughout history, those who achieve great things often have blood on their hands," Tomas explained.
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