Chapter 15
ARATH
“Are you ready to move forward?” Jalon asks.
I’m leaning back in my chair. Today, I’m alone in the conference room.
Elgin is in the game room with Jordan and Wendall, trying to explain hockey to them.
I have to hand it to my guys; they’re doing a remarkable job pretending that they don’t know or like hockey.
Seeing Elgin scowl at us over it has been entertaining.
“Maybe,” I answer.
“What’s the holdup?” Kairo demands. “This is child’s work. You haven’t waited so long for much larger and far more skilled targets than this.”
I nod absently. Honestly, I don’t know.
That’s a lie. I know exactly why I’m stalling. When Empire is no longer a threat, Elgin has no reason to stay here. I’m not looking forward to that. I want him here. I want him to stay.
“I’ll move in this weekend,” I answer.
“How’re Chicago’s war-torn streets?” Jalon asks Kairo.
Kairo rolls his eyes. “Look. I know crime is a little out of control. That happens when you have half of law enforcement preaching down with the woke epidemic and the others actually trying to enforce the law. However, my streets are not war-torn. Hard to be war-torn when this country isn’t at war with anyone but itself. ”
I smirk. Kairo didn’t want Chicago. It wasn’t his first option.
Honestly, I think he wanted Anaheim simply because Oxley did.
With Anaheim comes L.A. since they’re in such close proximity.
I think Kairo is vain and wanted to be by the ocean.
It’s difficult to fail at cleaning up crime in a city that is already relatively peaceful.
His second choice was New York City, but Noaz got New York.
I’m sure it’s a sore spot now because Noaz has left the city and returned home to marry their new partner soon.
However, the crew Noaz left behind would never answer to Kairo.
Something I think Kairo knows, so he hasn’t attempted to move in.
I’m sure another Van Doren will head to New York at some point and fill the hole that Noaz left behind. But in the meantime, the city is in good hands with their crew in place.
“Are you going to shirk your responsibilities now that your head is up some guy’s ass?” Kairo sneers.
“So bitter when you’re all alone with your right hand,” Noaz says.
It’s rare that Noaz joins our calls since they left New York, but I enjoy their presence.
Kairo rolls his eyes. “I don’t need a relationship to define me.”
“Rich coming from someone who couldn’t pay a person to be in a relationship with them,” Noaz drawls in return.
Kairo’s eyes flash violently.
I don’t think he actually hates us. In fact, he’s probably the most protective out of all of us. Well, save for Jalon, maybe. He’s the epitome of ‘I can bully and hate on my family, but I’ll torture you for a month and bury you alive if you do’ energy.
Someday, I’m going to figure out why Kairo has a stick up his fucking ass. He’s exhausting.
“That’s enough,” Jalon says.
Kairo doesn’t back down to anyone when we say something like that, except Jalon. After all, Jalon raised Kairo as well. Even to Kairo, Jalon is as much a parent to him as he is to the rest of us. And you don’t disrespect your parents.
Brothers are a free-for-all.
“Hey, what happened to the side of your head?” I ask, knowing damn well what happened.
Kairo is practically spitting fire at me for asking. Oxley cracks a smile, though he doesn’t offer the answer we already know. Noaz snorts.
“This weekend,” Jalon says, completely ignoring my question. “What’s the plan?”
“Basic ambush,” I say, shrugging. “They’re not a serious threat. They’re going to be overwhelmed as soon as they see more than one of us. We’ll go early in the morning. One. Maybe two. I’m taking a dozen of my men.”
“They all sleep in the same place?” Oxley asks.
I shrug. “From what we can tell, that’s a fifty-fifty scenario.
However, the repetition in their activities suggests that they meet early in the morning before heading out on Sunday mornings.
Between some surveillance assignments and the identification of their members by a very helpful guest, many are homeless and have been known to squat in the warehouse they’re using as their headquarters. ”
“Cute,” Noaz comments. “Are they calling that church?”
Jalon and I chuckle.
“Could be,” I agree.
“You’re waiting for the weekend because they’re inactive during the week?” Noaz asks.
“Crime during the week is intermittent. Perhaps they have jobs that need them during the week?” I suggest. “I think it’s about their targets.
They don’t like confrontation. They feel more powerful if they can get away with their shit unopposed, and it seems they’ve come to the conclusion that Sunday mornings are the best times for that. ”
“If they’re as lame as you make them out to be, it’s still unclear why you’ve been putting it off,” Kairo says.
“I enjoy toying with my food before I eat it,” I answer.
He rolls his eyes.
“I’m covering my bases. Making sure I’m not overconfident and miss something because my arrogance has gotten the better of me.
” I pause, making sure he knows that most of that is just for his benefit.
Noaz smirks. “I’ve dismissed them as a true threat since learning of them and what they’re after.
Even the police regard them as a low priority.
However, giving them too much time to let their arrogance grow and get out of control means that their targets, their crimes, the harm they inflict, and the damage they leave behind will grow until it’s an actual problem.
I’d decided to take care of them initially because I want to avoid that. ”
“But you’re taking your sweet-ass time because you don’t want your toy to leave,” Kairo supplies.
“You’re a sad little man,” Noaz says. “You’re looking forward to dying alone and unwanted, aren’t you?”
“Go to hell,” Kairo hisses.
Noaz flips their hair over their shoulder, rolling their eyes. “Good comeback, brother.”
“Yes,” I agree. “I don’t want Elgin to leave, and yes, I’ve been putting it off primarily for that reason.
I could have ended Empire weeks ago, but I chose not to.
It started out with surveillance and making sure we don’t miss anything, and now I’m stalling because I want to keep Elgin.
” I shrug. “We have a tight ring around them. They won’t get out of hand.
But yes, I’m stalling. Do you feel better now that I’ve said out loud what you all already know, Kairo? ”
Kairo doesn’t answer. A beat passes.
“I know you’re regarding them as a minor threat, but be careful,” Jalon says.
I incline my head. “Of course.”
“Will you be joining your team?”
“If they want me to, I will. I think it’s unnecessary that I be there, but I’m willing to put myself in harm’s way with them if they’ll benefit from my presence.”
“Well said,” Noaz says, grinning.
“Alright. Anything else on this matter that you’d like to say?” Jalon asks.
I shake my head. “No. Next time we talk about it, I’ll be reporting on their destruction. We can move on.”
“Very well. Noaz? What’s happening in New York?”
Noaz shakes their head. “Same as usual. Real mafia crime is on a plateau, which allows us some time to focus on everyone else getting too big for their britches.”
“You say ‘us’ as if you haven’t abandoned your crew,” Kairo says.
“If everything out of your mouth is going to be confrontational, you can disconnect,” Jalon says with disinterest. “I’m getting tired of your constant negativity. Get your shit together, or our next conversation will not be via a conference call, Kairo.”
“I did abandon them,” Noaz says, shrugging their shoulders.
“I want a family. I’ve always wanted a family.
And now I’m beginning one. This has always been my forever.
Taking out the garbage was a temporary position.
However, in the decade I’ve been building my crew, I created a group of people who don’t need me.
They function without hiccups in my absence as well as they do when I’m there.
Just as Oxley’s crew does. As does Arath’s when he needs to take a step back for whatever reason.
” Noaz leans forward. “Does yours, Kairo? Or have you created a false sense of being needed there to stroke your own ego?”
“No,” Oxley answers before Kairo does. I’m a little surprised because Oxley almost always remains silent unless spoken to, and he’s not confrontational.
“Kairo’s crew hasn’t needed him in years.
They’re used to him disappearing without a word and staying gone for long periods of time.
Just as we are after he has a tantrum. He could be murdered one day, and no one would know to look for him since he has no one to love him. ”
“Oxley,” Jalon chides, though I think we all hear the surprise in his tone at having to do so.
Oxley is unaffected. “The next time he threatens Huntley, I’ll be the one disposing of his body, and no one will question his absence until he’s already rotted for weeks.”
Kairo’s window disappears. A message pops up that says his call has ended.
“Poor baby,” Noaz says. “He sure loves to be a dick and fling threats like a chimp flinging feces, but boy does he hate when he’s put in his place.”
Jalon sighs. “What happened, Oxley?”
“Kairo being Kairo,” Oxley says dismissively.
“Huntley hobbled his way into the room when Kairo was in the middle of one of his tirades that makes him feel good about himself, while I think about baseball stats to pass the time until he’s finished.
Huntley took offense at the way Kairo was talking to me and beat him with his crutch.
Not once, but twice. He had two crutches.
When Kairo got over his shock, he thought he’d take a stab at being physically threatening, and that’s where I drew the line.
I put my knife to his neck and told him that if he comes to Anaheim again, I’m going to make sure no one finds his body.
He’s still throwing a hissy fit that I didn’t let him continue his tirade uninterrupted. ”
“Bro, you need cameras in your home. I’d pay to have seen that,” Noaz says.
I nod my agreement.
Jalon sighs. “While I understand that there’s no love lost between you.” He pauses, and I’m sure he’s considering all of us. “Render him unconscious and deliver his body to me. Alive.”
“Why? You’re going to let him live,” Oxley says.
“I know that you’re angry at him, but he’s our brother. You don’t want the blood of your brother on your hands or conscience.”
“He’s not our brother,” Noaz says, rolling their eyes. “He’s made that perfectly clear his entire life.”
“Bring me his body,” Jalon says, leaving no room for discussion.
I rock in my chair, watching Oxley and Noaz severely disliking that command.
They’ve always taken the brunt of Kairo’s animosity.
I’m not surprised that they’re no longer willing to see through Kairo’s assholery enough to see that it comes from somewhere.
There’s a reason for it, even if he’s been unwilling to acknowledge it for more than thirty years.
“This weekend,” Jalon says. “Let us know how it goes.”
I nod. “I will. I’ll be home in two weeks for someone’s wedding.”
Noaz grins. “Good. I’d be furious if you didn’t show up.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t miss it. I’m insulted that you’d even consider that.”
“Is it too much to hope that Kairo loses the invitation? Can I revoke it?” Noaz muses.
“He’ll be there,” Jalon says. “Deep down, he loves his family. You’ll see.”
I’m not the only one unconvinced of this. But like my two younger brothers present, they don’t believe Jalon anymore than I do.