Truth and Consequences

“Christian,” my dad’s voice echoed through the earpiece, “you can come in, but your men have to stay out. It’s just you and one other guy.

“This is your shot to end this war. If you don’t take it, Forest will pay the price. And you’ll hear every scream through this device.”

“Alright! Lift the lockdown, and I’ll come in alone. I want to put an end to this.” His voice was heavy with defeat—because he had indeed been defeated.

“Unlock the house for him, son. Noah, get some guys to replace the door and have twenty of them guard it with their lives. Ten outside and ten inside.

“I ordered a new door when I heard the explosion, so it should be here in about thirty minutes.”

“Got it, sir. I had guys ready to go when I saw Forest pull a gun on you. They’re on their way now. What should we do with this jerk?” Noah gestured to the body on the floor.

“Take him to the office and tie him up. Make sure he can’t escape; he’s crafty like that. Once he wakes up, his uncle can have a chat with him about all this.”

Conner hoisted Forest onto his shoulder, then looked at me. “Understood. I’m glad our plan worked, but we weren’t thrilled about you taking him into those tunnels, boss. I was scared for you.”

I laughed, flipping my hand over to reveal a taser hidden in my glove.

“If he had tried anything, he wouldn’t have gotten far. This would have knocked him out in five seconds. I swiped it from the cabinet when he wasn’t looking, then pretended I needed it to handle the mines.”

“Just like the good old days, huh? I’m just glad we got the inside scoop on him from my so-called informant. I know Christian was trying to find the mole in his ranks, but there wasn’t one.

“Everything I found out was from someone close to Forest. They gave me all the info we needed to pull this off.” Conner grinned, his teeth gleaming.

“You did good, Conner.” My dad clapped him on the back. “I’m glad you’re so skilled. My money was well spent training you.”

“Let’s get him tied up, and then Noah and I will escort Christian to the office. Dad, go with Conner and help him get everything ready. We’ll give you five minutes until the house is taken off lockdown mode.”

Connor and Dad headed down the hall to Dad’s office. Then Noah turned to me and asked, “You’re not really going to kill him, are you?”

I shrugged.

“Depends. You know as well as I do, they have to agree to all our terms to walk out of here. This war between our families has gone on long enough, and it ends today one way or another. Did our guys get here yet?”

He nodded. “They’ve got the place surrounded. Christian’s men are sitting on the ground under close watch. I guess this day will either end well or in a bloodbath, huh?”

“Let’s hope for the former. Those guys are just following orders like ours. They can’t help being forced into this life by his threats of taking their families hostage.”

I walked to the front door and pressed a button on my phone. The doors slowly lifted, opening the house up. Our guys stepped into the doorway as instructed, and Christian walked into the house alone.

He looked at me, then around the house. “Where is he?”

“You’ll see him in a minute. Noah, search him to make sure he’s clean.” I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him.

Noah patted him down and confirmed Christian was clean. We headed down the hall with him beside me and Noah and five guys behind us, watching him closely.

“Don’t trust me, huh?” Christian said, glancing over his shoulder at the armed men.

“Would you trust me if I walked into your house after an attack?” I shot back, not looking at him.

He chuckled. “Fair point. You’ve really grown since you were last here. I have to say, I’m impressed with how well you and your crew have done in the last few years.”

I grunted at his backhanded compliment, then turned toward the office. As we entered, the guys took their positions outside the door while we closed it.

Christian scanned the room and saw Forest tied to a chair, then looked at my dad.

“Dante, good to see you again. You look as healthy as ever. I guess running this business hasn’t worn you down like I thought it would.”

“Cut the crap, Christian. We’re not in the mood for your insults today. Sit down, and let’s get this meeting over with. We have things to do.”

Christian sat down. Conner and Noah took seats next to him, while I sat behind the desk with my dad. Forest groaned a little as he started to wake up. He’d been given a shot to speed up the process.

“So, what’s going to happen to us now that we’re basically at your mercy?” Christian spat out the words.

“If you’re going to be like that, this meeting won’t get anywhere,” Dad growled. He placed his hands on the desk, fingers interlocked.

“I want this war between us to end. If that means your death, so be it.

“You’ve been trying to take down my family for too long. It stops now.

“Our family was chosen for this job a long time ago. If you took us down, the high council would have to choose you too; it’s not just handed over.

“You have to prove you can handle this position, not just take out the leading family and take over because you think you deserve it.”

“The council would choose me. I have influence there, and many people who want you gone. They’d easily name me your successor; that’s what I’ve been told.”

My dad and I both chuckled at the same time.

“They want you to believe that,” Dad said, his voice steady. “Do you honestly think I’d give up my only leverage in this game?

“You didn’t know they’ve been playing you for years. If you’d harmed my family, your entire lineage would be condemned to death.

“They won’t hand you anything. You thought you could just step into this if you got rid of us?”

Surprise flickered across Christian’s face. “You mean all those times they said the only way I could have this was a ploy to wipe out my family? How could they do this to me?”

I decided to speak up.

“It was a strategy to get you out of our way for good. We control the council; they answer to us, they do as we command. When they informed us of your intentions, we devised this plan to deal with you once and for all.”

At that moment, the doors swung open, revealing the high-ranking members of the council. They sauntered in, taking their seats to Dad’s left.

The senior elder glanced at Christian, then at my dad. “So, your plan worked, huh? Your door is here and being installed as we speak.”

Dad nodded. “Thank you for all your help. Now, what should we do with these two who plotted against us?”

“That’s your call, Dante. We’ll back you, whatever you decide. He’s been targeting your family for as long as I’ve been leading this council. Old friend, I can’t thank you enough for putting me in this position.”

Christian raised his hand. “Wait a minute. Are you saying that all this time I’ve been plotting to take him down, he knew every move I was going to make? Damn, I wondered how he was always one step ahead.”

“The king controls everything, including the council. We answer to him, so yes, he was informed about everything you brought to us. He knew your plans, every conversation you had with me, all of it.”

He slumped in his seat, burying his face in his hands. “So, all of this was for nothing? Everything I did over the past year was just signing my own death warrant?”

“Dante and Zane will decide your fate. They can either wipe out your entire lineage or banish you for life.”

Just then, Forest stirred awake and scanned the room. His eyes widened at the sight of everyone present. I smirked at him.

“What’s going on? Did it work?” he asked, trying to move.

Conner walked over and untied him. “It did, good job. We got everything we needed, and now he knows his life is in their hands.”

“Wait, Forest! You were part of this?” his uncle growled at him.