### Chapter 98: Web of Shadows
The rain hadn't let up. It pounded the city relentlessly, as if trying to wash away the filth that clung to every corner. The neon lights flickered like dying fireflies, casting eerie reflections on the wet asphalt. Max leaned against a lamppost, his coat collar turned up against the downpour, eyes scanning the deserted street. The Ritz Theater stood like a decaying monument to lost dreams behind him, its crumbling facade a silent witness to the night's violence.
"Max," Rachel's voice cut through the rain, soft but urgent. She appeared out of the shadows, her dark hair plastered to her face. "We need to move. We can't stay here."
Max nodded, pushing himself off the lamppost. "Evelyn secure the buyers?"
"Yeah, they're singing like canaries. Moretti's network is in shambles. But we've got a bigger problem."
