How do you get men who only know how to fight to make peace with each other? In a world where loyalty is bought with blood and betrayal, making peace seems impossible. But a trial is better than nothing.
A meeting was announced by two mafia empires to be held in the city conference hall. It started raining before sunset. The rain was really dropping. Little drops hit the conference hall windows.
Inside the conference hall was really quiet. The silence felt unusual. The men in charge of the hall were sitting across from each other at a table, all dressed up in suits.
There were guards standing along the walls with arms in their hands watching every move. The men in charge of the hall did not trust us, nor did they trust each other.
At the end of the room Dwayne Tomlinson was leaning back in his chair. He looked calm. His eyes were sharp.
Across the room were the Covington's family, their leader Truman Covington looked tough and strong like someone who had been in a lot of fights.
The Tomlinsons and the Covingtons had been in charge of the city for years and they had been fighting each other. Not the kind of wars you read about in the newspaper but secret battles in the streets where arms flow like water.
Many people had died. Much blood had been spilled.
Will tonight put an end to the secret battles in the street, or will it raise a continuous fight and war between the two empires?
Truman Covington slowly put down his whiskey glass. Looked straight at Dwayne Tomlinson. "Do you understand the terms of the agreement?" he asked calmly.
Dwayne Tomlinson did not give a response immediately. He took a sip from his glass of water then returned the glass to the table. He nodded once. "I understand."
The agreement has been talked about for weeks, carefully planned and argued over until both sides were tired. Still many people thought it would not last because it asked for something that no powerful group had ever really trusted before which is love.
Truman Covington leaned in a bit. "Then tonight " he said, "you make your choice." His words were heavy in the room. Every eye was on Dwayne Tomlinson now.
Some people looked curious. Others looked suspicious. Some were openly angry. Dwayne Tomlinson could see from their eyes. He did not care. He had faced things like that before. The people staring at him did not bother him.
He slowly stood up. The sound of his chair scraping softly echoed in the hall. For a moment nobody said a word.
Dwayne adjusted his black suit sleeves then walked across the room. His steps were steady and confident. He knew something new would happen because this choice was not about strategy it was personal.
The agreement was to make peace. One person from one family would choose a partner from the other. A union, a bond, a promise that neither side would hurt the other again.
Most people would have chosen carefully and safely. Dwayne Tomlinson was not most people. His eyes scanned the room, the soldiers, the advisors and the faces expecting this night to be a show.
Then he saw Rubby Covington. She was standing near a window at the far end of the hall. She had not sat at the table like the others. She stayed quiet apart from the discussions like she already knew her opinion did not matter.
Her brown hair fell over her shoulders and the dim light from the storm outside showed her shape. It was her eyes that caught Dwayne Tomlinson.
When she saw Dwayne Tomlinson walking toward her she stiffened. People started whispering around them. Some were confused, some were shocked.
Dwayne Tomlinson stopped a foot away. For a moment he said nothing. He could see the tension in her jaw and fear in her eyes. "You should not be here, " she said quietly.
Only Dwayne Tomlinson could hear her. He tilted his head slightly. "Interesting, " he said calmly. "I was about to say the same to you."
Her eyes narrowed. "This is politics, " she said. "Not a love story." Dwayne Tomlinson smiled faintly.
Behind them the whole room had gone silent. Truman Covington was watching. Dwayne Tomlinson's father was watching. Everybody was waiting.
Rubby Covington sighed slowly with frustration on her face. "You do not even know me, " she said. Dwayne looked at her for a moment. That was not true. He had noticed her before at gatherings and meetings but didn't approach her talkless of having a conversation with her.
Because talking to a rival's daughter during a war was a way to start more fights, until tonight. "I know enough, " he said.
Rubby Covington let out a disbelieving breath. "You are making a mistake." Dwayne Tomlinson leaned in slightly. "Probably, " he said.
Then he turned back to face the hall. His voice rang out clearly across the hall. "I choose her." The reaction was immediate. Chairs scraped loudly, men stood up, voices rose in anger.
Truman Covington's face tightened. Dwayne Tomlinson's father slammed his hand on the table. "Dwayne!" he barked. It is done. The choice had been made.
Rubby Covington looked at him in disbelief. "You are crazy, " she whispered. Dwayne Tomlinson did not look at her. His eyes scanned the room, Something had changed.
He felt it. Not confusion, not anger, but something worse.
A gunshot ripped through the hall. Glass shattered. Someone screamed. Chaos exploded, men grabbed weapons and chairs fell.
Another shot fired; this time, Dwayne Tomlinson acted quickly. He grabbed Rubby Covington's arm. Pulled her down behind a heavy wooden table just before a bullet tore through where they had been standing seconds earlier.
Her heart was beating fast and he could feel it in her wrist. "What the hell is going on?" she yelled over the noise. Dwayne Tomlinson peeked out from behind the table. Gunfire came from all sides.
"This was planned, " he said quietly. "We are being set up." Rubby Covington's eyes went wide. Men from both sides were now shooting at each other thinking the other had broken the agreement.
The peace lasted less than a minute. Dwayne Tomlinson grabbed Rubby Covington's hand again. "We need to get out of here." "Where?" she asked. "Anywhere " Dwayne Tomlinson said.
Another bullet slammed into the wall behind them. He pulled her up, hurried toward the side exit. People shouted gunfire and ran out endlessly, neither looked back.
The moment Dwayne Tomlinson chose Rubby Covington peace died in the two mafia empires.