Time to Come Clean

Forest gingerly sat up, rubbing his wrists and the back of his neck. He shot Noah a lethal look. “Damn, Noah, did you have to hit me that hard?”

Laughing, I pulled out the dart. “He didn’t hit you. The board smacked the wall to trick your uncle into thinking we hit you. I’m the one who threw this at you.”

“What the hell was in that thing? My head feels like it’s about to burst,” Forest grumbled, massaging his temples.

“It’s just a tranquilizer dart, Forest. It’s a bit potent, but that’s why you woke up so quickly. We made sure it wouldn’t knock you out for too long.” I placed the dart on Dad’s desk.

Christian was now shooting daggers at all of us. If looks could kill, we’d all be six feet under.

“So, all of you were in on this the whole time. How the hell did you pull this off without me knowing? My spy should have tipped me off!”

“You mean the bodyguard you planted in our group?” Conner swung the door open to reveal his spy. “It wasn’t hard to tap the phones. Any calls to you were instantly flagged on my computer.

“We had a few other suspects, but when this guy practically glued himself to us and never left our side, we knew something was fishy.

“Zane only has a few guards that are always with him, so when this guy kept popping up, we got suspicious.”

Christian glanced at him, then back at Conner. “How long have you known about him?”

“A few weeks now. He was always around when we were discussing business or planning something. We put our heads together and used an old trick to smoke him out.

“We tweaked it a bit, but it worked like a charm. He was also tailing us down the tunnels, telling you where every mine was so you wouldn’t get close to them.”

“Forest, why would you betray your own family?” Christian’s eyes were still drilling holes in him.

Just then, the door swung open again and another man strolled in. “After he filled me in on all the shit you were pulling, Brother, I told him we were going to bring you down once and for all.”

“Fuck, my own brother and nephew conspiring together. Why the hell would you do this to me?”

His brother wore a wicked smile as he took a seat.

“You crossed the king, my good friend, and his family. Did you really think we’d just sit back and let you murder him and his family? You’re lucky the council hasn’t wiped out your family yet.

“Did you consider that as you plotted this? Forest said he tried to talk some sense into you, but you ignored everything he said.

“Remember, it wasn’t just your life on the line if you went through with this. Now your wife, son, daughter, daughter-in-law, and your two-year-old grandson’s lives are at the mercy of the council.

“You ignored every warning I gave you, along with Forest. We backed off, made it look like we were on your side, but they knew every move you made.”

Now I turned to Christian.

“Did you really not realize that this place would go into lockdown when you took down the front door? Just because a wooden door can be easily breached doesn’t mean we don’t have a backup.

“The steel door was installed right after my father took over.”

“Oh, Zane and Dante, your front door is about to be reinstalled.

“Your guards are some of the toughest to get past. If it weren’t for Conner, I’d still be out there trying to convince them. They said you were in a crucial meeting and couldn’t be disturbed.”

We all laughed at him, then I turned to him, “I’m glad they were so well-informed. Conner had to nab the leak, so I guess that’s when he found you?”

Conner released the guy as he was dragged off. “Yeah, I heard him out there trying to convince the guards who he was, but they wouldn’t budge. I told them everything was fine and to let him through. We thought you were delayed.”

“My plane made better time than I expected. Thanks to the shortcuts your system guided us through, Conner, I got here about two hours faster.”

Conner nodded. “I was hoping that would help. We kept all the planes off the radar with that system. If you want to keep it for future use, I can install it permanently in your plane’s navigation system.”

“Thanks, Conner, but I don’t think I’ll need that again. We wanted to keep all of us off the grid until my brother was dealt with. So, what’s going to happen to him now?”

The council member spoke up.

“We’ll have to discuss it, though it’s ultimately up to Zane and Dante. As for his family, they were in the dark about all of this. We can either imprison him for life or execute him.”

“I have a suggestion,” Forest said. “If he’s willing, he could join my organization. We could use a leader for one of our teams. If not, you can sentence him.”

“You’re willing to take your uncle into your ranks after he just tried to manipulate you into helping him kill these people?” The head council member looked at Forest like he’d grown a second head.

“He’s still family. There would be major restrictions, though, if he accepted the post.

“His flying days are over. He’ll have to relocate to the States, all of his forces will be absorbed into Dante’s organization, and he won’t be able to make any moves without my approval first.

“If he tries anything, I’ll have him killed on the spot. And if he doesn’t accept my offer, then his life is in your hands like we agreed.” Forest fixed his uncle with a stern stare.

Christian slowly scanned the room, then lowered his head.

“Fine, I don’t have much of a choice,” he said. “If I refuse, then I die here and now. If I make a wrong move, then my own family will kill me, so what other choice do I really have?”

“Dante, I regret chasing after you all these years. I didn’t realize you had so many allies.”

My dad’s gaze snapped to him.

“Christian, they’re not in my pocket. It’s about respect and building relationships that can support you in tough times. That’s something you’ve never grasped.

“I was there for them when they needed help. That’s how you build trust with friends, not by controlling them.”

The room filled with nods of agreement. Then Forest’s dad chimed in again.

“That’s the power of teamwork. I can’t count the times Dante’s helped me out of a bind. So, I promised to do the same for him.

“When Zane told me what you were up to, I couldn’t believe you were still after this position.

“Dante’s been an incredible leader, maintaining harmony among the different groups all these years. I thought you’d given up on this over a decade ago, but now I see your obsession with power.

“Last time I visited Dante, we toured numerous territories. Everything was running so smoothly. I don’t think you could manage it like he has.

“If you took over, you’d be swamped. Everything he’s built would crumble. It would spark wars among the groups, and you’d have a real mess on your hands.

“Besides, I wouldn’t have helped you once I found out how you got the position.”

Christian glanced at Dad, then lowered his gaze. “I’m truly sorry. I’ve been after this for a long time, but hearing my own brother explain it, I realize I could never do what you do.”

Dad smiled. “Christian, you wouldn’t listen to reason. Now that you have, I can see you helping your nephew with everything he needs.”

With a wave of his hand, Christian was escorted out of the room. Everyone exhaled deeply, then laughed.

“I’d like to invite everyone here to dinner. It’s a thank you for your support, so let’s make it a celebration. I’ve arranged rooms for you to rest in until mealtime,” Dad announced.

Everyone smiled, nodded, and left the office. The four of us guys stayed put.

“Zane, I’m proud of you and everyone else. You all did an amazing job planning and executing the plan,” Forest said.

I grinned at Forest and said, “Without your help, it would have been tough. Thanks for everything.”

“I’ve come to see you as a friend. And when he threatened Shay, that was the last straw for me. She’s pregnant, and he wanted me to kill an innocent child. We may be ruthless killers, but even I draw the line at a child.”

We all stood up and headed out into the hall so everyone could rest in their rooms for a bit.