Chapter 17
Chapter seventeen
Da Han
Da Han climbed into the back of one of the three SUVs parked outside his house.
His wife, Mèng Yáo, slid in beside him on the expensive genuine leather seat.
His security team climbed into the other two SUVs, while Jun De took his place behind the driver's seat of his, and Chen Yang sat in the passenger side.
They took off in the direction of one of Da Han's safehouses to check on the men who had been attacked by the Lords and the Castiello family.
Da Han had heeded Jun De's warning about leaving the mansion, but he needed to talk to the men and get answers to questions that could help him better formulate his next move against his enemies.
Jun De had relented but insisted on extra security, hence the two SUVs full of heavily armed bodyguards.
They made it to the location, and Da Han, along with his team, entered and took stock of his men and women who were injured or dying.
Da Han walked over to the highest-ranking man there.
"What happened at the factory?" he asked, mentioning the drug facility masquerading as a luxury brand purse factory where drugs were sewn into the lining of the purses, and then the packet tossed inside to "preserve" the leather and lining was specifically designed to throw off police dogs.
For years, that location had been safe for conducting business.
The police were none the wiser... until it was attacked by the fucking Castiellos.
Now, he would have to relocate it, probably to Mexico.
"We don't know how they knew about it, boss. Everything was going as normal, and then all of a sudden the door was blasted open, and motherfuckers came running in, blasting away," Feng Luo said, who was one of the triad's Big Brothers.
"How did they move?"
The man frowned, not sure what Da Han wanted. "What?"
Da Han rolled his eyes. "How did they move? Was it organized? What did they look like? I want every detail."
"Ah, I see. They knew what they were doing, boss. There was a woman with them; the rest were men, and all of their faces were covered with masks, so I can't give you any features. But they were professional hitmen. The whole attack was too precise," Feng Luo said.
Da Han nodded, then asked a few more questions of his people before leaving with his crew.
"Sounds like Rico's Girl Friday, Akane, hit the factory.
She most likely had some enforcers from the Lords working with her, like that guy Maverick.
Do we have any camera footage of the attack, the cars they arrived in, for instance? "
"I'm already looking into that, sir, and will get back to you," Chen said.
"The sooner, the fucking better. These assholes are hitting us hard," Da Han said.
"We need to take down the Lords chapters in Chicago and New York," Mèng Yáo said.
Da Han nodded. "Tian Yu is on it." His cell started ringing, and he pulled it out and answered. "What's the good news?"
"Not good, as we had some problems," Tian Yu said.
Da Han's jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth. His nostrils flared as he inhaled and exhaled deep breaths to calm himself down in order to listen to the disappointing outcome that Tian Yu was about to tell him. "What happened?"
"Saitoh made contact, but Demir protected Vito and got him cleared."
"How the fuck did Saitoh miss?" Da Han snapped.
"His bullet would have taken Vito out, but Nathan Bridger was with them, and he stepped in front of Vito, catching the bullet," Tian Yu said.
"After that, all hell broke loose. Demir had the guards escape with Vito while he took on Saitoh.
Nathan Bridger was also a problem, as you know he's as highly skilled as Demir.
Even with a bullet in his shoulder, he was taking out our men, then he and Demir both attacked Saitoh.
He's been severely injured; he might die. "
Good, Da Han thought. "It's the least he could do for failing."
"He knows he fucked up, but he's in no shape to go back out there. He barely survived fighting both Demir and Nathan. The fact that he's still alive is a testament to his skill as a seasoned assassin," Tian Yu said.
Da Han wasn't impressed with the man's ability to survive. All of his focus was on the fact that Vito "The Fucking Vise" Castiello was alive and would definitely be gunning for them now. "Did Saitoh manage to do any damage?"
"Several of their men were killed, and Demir and Nathan are just as banged up as he is. I don't think they will be a problem for the foreseeable future. They will need to heal up," Tian Yu said.
"Then we need to add the pressure. We don't need either one of those sons of bitches getting back on their feet. Find out where they will be and send in a team," Da Han said.
"I'm working on it now."
"I hope the next time you call me, I won't be disappointed," Da Han said.
"I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but let's take in what good news we can. Demir and Nathan are most likely out of the fight for a while," Tian Yu said.
Da Han sighed and scratched his eyebrow. "Keep me updated," he said finally before ending the call.
"What happened?" Mèng Yáo asked.
"Saitoh failed to kill Vito and Demir. He got injured, and according to Tian Yu, is out of the game for now," Da Han said.
"Oh my God," Mèng Yáo said, clutching her chest. The crease between her brows deepened as her lips turned down.
"Are you worried if he'll survive?" Da Han asked.
"Yes. He's one of my father's most trusted men, and if he is that hurt, that just means that he met someone who was his match," Mèng Yáo said.
"Two someones. It took Demir and Nathan Bridger to injure him that badly," Da Han said.
"What about them?" Chen asked. "I know they didn't get away without taking a hit."
"You'd be right. According to Tian Yu, Demir and Nathan are also down for a while. Nathan was shot in the shoulder," Da Han said.
"And he still took on Saitoh? Both he and Demir are impressive. Saitoh is basically a one-man army," Jun De stated.
"Well, now he's a one-man failure," Da Han stated.
Mèng Yáo scoffed. "Don't be petty."
Da Han rolled his eyes because he knew his wife was right.
His grudge against the man who nearly ended his life over twenty years ago was still alive and thriving.
He hated that Saitoh had to be called in for reinforcements, but he did take some pleasure in knowing the man wasn't what he used to be.
He finally had something on Saitoh from now on.
"Allow me this very rare moment to be just a little bit childish, my darling," Da Han teased as he leaned in to kiss his wife's cheek.
Their laughter was cut off by the barrage of bullets that hit their car.
Da Han grabbed his wife, tucking her under him and covering her with his body as windows shattered, sprinkling pieces of bulletproof glass all over him.
Jun De swerved the SUV, driving through traffic to get away from the attack.
The car pursuing them was right on their tail.
Chen lowered the window, stuck his head out, and aimed his gun at the windshield of the car behind them and fired. His bullets landed, but they didn't penetrate the other car's bulletproof glass.
"Hold on," Jun De said as he cut the wheel sharply to take a side road.
Chen gripped the car door, holding on for the turn, and as soon as he could, he began shooting again, this time aiming for the tires.
Their other SUV chased behind their enemy's car, and their men started shooting at the car with high-caliber weapons.
One of the bullets shattered the back window, forcing the men to change direction to fire back at Da Han's men.
Chen aimed, the wind whipping around him as he focused and fired, this bullet striking the right front tire.
He was satisfied as the rubber began to rip away, exposing more of the rim as the wheels spun.
The car's driver took a hit to the head from Da Han's men who were in pursuit.
His brains splattered against the damaged windshield, and the car swerved, then crashed into a parked car before flipping over and rolling several times to a stop.
The sound of glass shattering as well as metal twisting was deafening and satisfying.
Jun De slammed on the brakes, bringing the SUV to a screeching halt that jolted everyone in the vehicle.
"Boss, are you okay?" he asked once he turned around to look at Da Han.
Da Han sat up, but his concern wasn't for himself; it was for his wife, who was bleeding. "Mèng Yáo! Where are you hit?" he asked as he frantically scanned her body for any injuries.
"I'm okay... I'm okay," Mèng Yáo said as she caressed Da Han's cheek with a bloody hand.
"The fuck you are," Da Han said. Then he looked to see that her back was bleeding; she had been applying pressure during the chase to stop the bleeding.
Da Han growled when he saw the blood drenching her shirt.
He did a quick examination of the wound and noticed that it wasn't from a bullet, but from glass that was embedded in her flesh.
He snarled, his rage mounting at the sight of the love of his life being hurt.
"Boss," a voice said.
Da Han turned to see one of his men standing by the window. "What?" he snapped.
"These are Esposito's men. I recognize the one in the passenger seat," he said.
"Are any alive?" Da Han asked.
"Just one... we put him in the back of our SUV."
Da Han nodded. "Let's get the fuck out of here."
"Yes, sir," the man said, then ran back to the other SUV.
"Here," Chen said, then handed Da Han a handkerchief.
Da Han took it and pressed it to Mèng Yáo's back to apply pressure. "Are you sure you're all right, baby?"
Mèng Yáo nodded. "It's not the first time I've been injured," she said.