Chapter 3 Nathan ’Scorpion’ Bridger
Chapter three
Nathan "Scorpion" Bridger
Nathan stood in the middle of his weapons room, looking over his choice of weapons for this job.
His sons were doing the same, picking their favorite guns from their vast selection.
It wasn't just guns they would be using—knives, grenades, and other weapons of the trade were selected.
This would be the first time he and his pseudo-nemesis, Shadowfox, would be working together, and he was a little excited.
He hoped he'd be able to see the man in action or maybe even spar with him, given the opportunity.
"Can Cody and I work together?" David asked.
"Depends on the target. One of you may have to handle it on your own," Nathan said as he pulled the chamber back on an assault rifle and then checked the sight.
"If it's a solo job, I can handle it," Cody said.
Nathan nodded; between his twin boys, Cody was the most advanced in skill. "That works."
"I could handle it, too," David complained as he flicked his butterfly knife in his hand, showing off his skill.
"Not yet, you can't," Nathan said, as he didn't believe in lying to his sons about their abilities.
Giving someone a false sense of pride could get them killed in their line of work.
He saw David pout, then smirked. "But you will be.
This mission will help you increase your potential.
For now, you will either work with me or your brother. "
"Yes, Dad," David said. Arguing with their father about the business was pretty much prohibited. Their grandmother gave the commands, and they followed them. It was a system that had worked for generations and would continue to do so.
"I have to go meet with Vito, and when I get back, be ready to head out. I need to find out who the targets are and any intel they may have on them," Nathan told his sons.
"So, what do you want us to do in the meantime?" Cody asked.
Nathan snorted. "What do you normally do when you're at home?"
"Play video games," Cody said.
David shrugged. "Watch TV, play games, practice shooting, spar—"
"Then just do that," Nathan said, cutting David off.
"Just be ready to head out once I get back," Nathan replied with a smirk.
"Dad, I've got a question. Do you think the triad will target us... I mean our home?" David asked.
"Yeah, like Uncle Colton is already fighting them, and we live in Chicago too. Do you think they'll come for us next?" Cody added.
"It's possible, but that's why we have security here, and I've trained you both to always be prepared. Bottom line is, once we get into the war, we will become their targets," Nathan said.
"If they send anyone here, that will be their mistake," Cody said. He was the more meticulous and guarded of the two, whereas David was more carefree and reckless—something Nathan had to control.
"Cody is right. Remember the rules? Which one pertains to this one?" Nathan asked.
"Never trust anyone," Cody said. "Assassins come in all packages."
Nathan nodded because he trained his sons to look for clues, if there were any, when encountering anyone: teachers, delivery personnel, doctors—anyone.
Their being a family of hitmen wasn't well known, but there were people out there who did know, and that's what he wanted to protect his family from.
"We can trust family," David said.
"Never trust anyone," Nathan reiterated.
"So, I can't trust Uncle Colton or Grandma?" David asked sarcastically.
Nathan smirked. "Smart ass. I trust my siblings and mom, but I also don't trust them. Do you get that?"
"Grandma would never hurt us," David said.
Nathan shrugged. "Probably not. But say you fuck up and get the family exposed or in trouble. What do you become then?"
"A liability that needs to be handled. A loose end," Cody replied, his tone serious because, unlike his twin, he knew what his father meant.
"I would never endanger the family," David said.
"Yeah, I once thought that too, until I did it. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Mom saved me, but what if she couldn't negotiate that deal?"
"She would have had to give you over to the Castiellos," Cody said.
"To save the rest of you, yes. We are a tight-knit family, that's true. And we must always look out for each other. But we are also a family of professionals, where one mistake can put us all in jeopardy," Nathan educated his sons.
"I understand, Dad," David said, nodding.
"Okay, we can hold it down here. Go to your meeting," Cody said, grinning as he turned on the television.
"Love you, boys. Stay safe," Nathan said before snatching up his car keys and leaving.
All of his vehicles were bulletproof, which cost more than a pretty penny, but were worth every cent.
He took his Jeep for this trip and drove to Desires nightclub, where he would be meeting Vito Castiello.
He'd never met the man before, only seen photos of him, so he was curious.
Upon arrival, he went through the usual security check.
The bullets in his gun were removed and the empty gun was returned, but they also kept his knives, which was to be expected.
He was a professional assassin meeting a mob underboss.
Weapons made killing easier, but he was the only weapon he needed.
Fortunately for Vito, he wasn't the mark.
After all of that, he was granted entry into Vito's office and took a quick scan of the room and everyone in it, noting details that could help or hinder him if he needed to fight or escape.
The biggest threat was Demir Balik, one of the Castiellos' elite soldiers.
The man was a legend in their world, having trained in one of those torture camps since childhood.
It was true that both he and Demir learned the art of what they do at a young age; his training was in pure comfort compared to Demir's and those twins who were always with Rico, Akane and Akari.
Demir was at least his equal; even he was willing to admit that.
Their one encounter was the mistake he was referring to.
The favor in exchange for his life that his mother had to grant the Castiellos had been called in.
Funny that he'd been the one picked to fulfill it.
He wondered if that was part of his mom's many lessons: making him clean up his own mess.
The other man he noticed beside Vito was a pretty little thing with long, curly dark brown hair and green eyes.
He knew who the man was because they never went in blind to a job: Zindel Esai, Vito's lover and Ze's baby brother.
"Thank you for coming. Please, make yourself comfortable," Vito said, gesturing toward one of the two empty chairs before his desk.
Nathan took a seat, then turned just as the door opened and a large black man entered.
Makade-Ma'iingan "Wolf" Sanders, the President of the Lords of Chaos Chicago Chapter.
The man was an imposing figure, to say the least, and he walked over to Demir, and the two men kissed before Wolf, as he was called, slapped Demir's ass, then took the other seat beside Nathan without waiting for the invitation the way he had.
Nathan looked at Vito, but the man didn't seem to mind.
Nathan figured the mafia and the club were growing closer during all of this, but he also knew that there was a line neither one of those groups would allow the other to cross.
"I'll get right to the point," Vito said. "I'm sure, with your resources, that you know who everyone present is?" he asked Nathan.
"I do, but I'm wondering why your lover is joining this conversation. To my knowledge, he's not one of your men?" Nathan asked. He didn't like anyone not in the business to be privy to his business, least of all a boytoy.
"I'm more than just Vito's 'lover.' I'm also your brother's husband's brother and your brother's brother-in-law," Zindel fussed in his sassy manner.
"I know who you are," Nathan replied dryly. "Remember? We met at the wedding."
"So, why all the fuss?" Zindel asked.
"From what I know, you've never been involved in our kind of business," Nathan said.
"Then you don't know that much," Zindel shot back.
"Easy, Minx," Vito said with a slap to Zindel's plump ass that he couldn't get enough of. "Behave."
Zindel sucked his teeth. "I still know what's going on, and if you're worried about me having loose lips, baby, please. My lips ain't never been loose. Not the way I suck cock," he bragged. "I know how to keep a secret, Nathan... fuck outta here."
Vito smirked, then cut a glance at Zindel, who rolled his eyes before returning his attention to Nathan. "My lover can leave if I want him to. Are we going to have a problem?"
Nathan sighed. "No. No problem. So, what's the plan, and who are my targets?" he asked, getting right to the point.
Vito gave a short nod, then motioned for Demir to hand Nathan a tablet. Nathan looked over the documents and photos.
"We need you to take out those three. The other two are known as 'Big Brothers' within the triad, comparable to my Capos. Tian Yu is an underboss," Vito said.
Nathan whistled. "Taking out the Mujin family's middle son is a big dick-and-balls power play," he said.
"If you think you can?" Vito cocked an eyebrow.
Nathan snorted at what he considered an insult. "I'll put Cody on it."
"Cody? Your son, just him? Isn't he like eleven?" Vito asked.
Nathan nodded. "Twelve, actually. Cody is more efficient than David, who still needs to reach his full potential. David will be with me when I take out their makeshift hospital."
"It will be heavily guarded," Demir said.
Nathan nodded. "That's to be expected."
Vito chuckled. "I'm interested to see you and your sons in action."
"You won't be disappointed," Nathan said.
"I'm sure I won't," Vito agreed.
"It still trips me out that even the kids in your family are assassins. I can't imagine what kind of childhood they had," Zindel said.