Chapter 21 Da Han #2
"I disapprove because you're my right-hand man, Chen.
When this war is over, I'm leaving Li in charge of New York.
Yìchén will be staying here, and you'll be returning to Beijing with me.
If what's going on between the two of you isn't serious, then break it off right now.
" Chen frowned at that, and Da Han tilted his head as he regarded the man. "What? You don't like that?"
Chen didn't answer right away because he needed to reflect on what he was going to say.
All of the times he wanted to claim Yìchén but denied his need, because at this point, it was beyond a want for him.
The lies he kept telling himself weren't holding up.
Even when he told Yìchén earlier that it was their last time, he knew he was lying.
He wanted Yìchén again. He needed to see his prey on his knees, looking up at him like the God of sex that he was—his true master.
Yìchén gave him all of that, and he needed more of it.
"I want him, sir," Chen said simply as he wasn't a man to mince words.
Da Han scoffed. "You want him? Do you think Yìchén will give up his schooling for you? And are you willing to give up your position for him?"
That, Chen wasn't so sure of. He knew how much Yìchén loved living in New York, his friends, and his university. He knew he wouldn't want to give all of that up just to move to Beijing and have to start all over.
"I don't know, sir."
"What about you? Are you ready to give up your position?"
"Serving you has been my greatest honor, and if I were to stay, I can also serve Li in the same capacity," Chen said.
"Serve Li as you've served me? And if I don't have you at my beck and call, who would you have replace you, Chen, when you're irreplaceable?"
Stephen Yeoh would have been the best choice, but he was dead now. He thought about the men who worked for the Triad... who could fill his shoes? Just when he was about to give up, the man who could take his place came to his mind.
"Boss, you're right. There aren't many brothers who can take my place, but there is one," Chen said.
"Who?"
"Zhang Ying."
Da Han raised both brows at the mention of Chen's best friend. Yes... Zhang Ying is worthy.
"He's been a loyal member of the Jade Dragon Triad as long as I have. He knows exactly how you run the business, and he will never let you down. If I stay to serve Li, Zhang Ying can go back to Beijing with you," Chen said.
Da Han pursed his lips and crossed his arms over his chest. "You make a good point.
Having Zhang Ying at my side is almost like having you there, and his loyalty should be rewarded.
" He sighed and crossed his ankles as he continued to lean against the desk.
"Are you sure you want to stay here and pursue Yìchén? "
"If I have your blessing, sir, yes," Chen said.
"Before I can give you that, I need to speak to Yìchén. For now, go get yourself together. I need to figure out what to do with the fucking Castiellos and Lords," Da Han said.
"We still don't know where Rico is hiding," Chen said.
Da Han shook his head. "But we know where his brother is. Vito might have survived our first attack, but not without taking a hit himself with his bodyguard getting injured. I need to contact Tian Yu and plan for another attack."
Chen rose and nodded. "Yes, sir."
Da Han waved him off, and Chen left. Da Han sat behind his desk and called his brother to find out what his plans were. "What do you mean you lost him?" he asked after Tian Yu told him his men lost track of Vito.
"A temporary setback, brother. Don't worry, I'll find him. I have eyes on Colton Bridger as he's having a meeting at his art gallery. We take him out; that will be a major blow to the Lords," Tian Yu said.
"Hold off on that," Da Han said.
"Why? Killing Colton Bridger will weaken the Lords."
"Killing a Bridger means we mess with the Bridgers. Helena is hellfire incarnate. With Aoshi injured and Stephen dead, we can't afford to take on that level of heat."
"When have we ever feared anyone?" Tian Yu asked.
"Being a fucking coward and being cautious are two different things, Tian Yu. One is stupid, and one is smart. Can you guess which one I'd like to be?" Da Han asked with quite a bit of attitude.
Tian Yu sighed because he knew he'd overstepped. "You're always one to make the wisest decision; you're right."
"The fact that Nathan Bridger was injured no doubt has her on guard.
If Helena sends in Irene and more of her grandchildren, that's going to be a problem for us.
Having to deal with Nathan, his sons, and Colton is bad enough.
Jesus fucking Christ, who knew some twelve-year-old brats would be so much fucking trouble?
Right now, she hasn't sent in reinforcements because she hasn't lost her family.
Incapacitate them, don't kill," Da Han said.
"Understood," Tian Yu agreed.
"What are you going to do about the Lords?"
"Not sure yet. Those assholes have gone into what they call 'lockdown,' and the windows are all bulletproof.
That clubhouse of theirs is like a fortress.
Even the apartments above have bulletproof windows—high grade.
They have cameras all over, so they see us coming.
The attacks I've tried to carry out on them have backfired. "
"Like what?" Da Han asked.
"The assassin I sent as a delivery guy was killed. Then I tried to cut their power, but they restored it. I tried to plant a bomb, but that failed too. The place doesn't look like much, but it's giving me a fucking headache. It's no wonder they all locked down there," Tian Yu said.
"Fuck. No, it's no wonder why Rico chose them to partner up with. Most biker clubs aren't as sophisticated as these motherfuckers are. They are more problematic than I'd like," Da Han fussed.
"Tell me about it," Tian Yu said. "I'll figure something else out."
"Keep me updated."
"Oh, about what happened with the Esposito family.
My intel says that Nico Costiello and Rio Murphy were also in that attack.
If that's the case, I can understand better why Stephen met his end," Tian Yu said.
"From what I know about Nico, he's a psychopath with the skill to kill that matches his crazy.
And Rio Murphy is second ranking under Diego Murphy as their club's enforcers. "
"Akane Himura was there. She alone could have taken Stephen out," Da Han said, giving respect where it was due.
"Hmmm, that's true. Those fucking twins are on another level. Only Aoshi, Sakura, and Xiù can match them."
"Aoshi took a major hit. I don't want to take Sakura away from protecting Ren. Xiù is doing her job protecting Li. Chen and Zhang can hold their own."
"Li needs to get Enzo, now."
"He knows, and he will. In the meantime, I want you to focus on getting Zindel Esai, Vito's little sweet piece of bubbled ass. Having him as leverage will force Vito to calm the fuck down and bring Rico to the table," Da Han said.
"So, you've decided to force a negotiation with the Castiello family?" Tian Yu asked.
"That was always my plan B if I couldn't take out Rico and Vito fast enough.
This war can't go on much longer. We've already attracted enough unwanted attention from the media.
The police are waiting until the dust clears to see who they want to either align with or pester.
Forcing Rico and the Lords out of my territory can be done with bullets or words—whatever works," Da Han said.
"That's a good plan. Okay, I'll keep an eye out for the Lords, but turn my attention to Zindel," Tian Yu said.
"All right, I'll keep in touch," Tian said.
"Stay safe."
"You do the same."
The two brothers ended the call, and Da Han sat back to reflect on everything that had happened. He needed to end this war soon and had to figure out his next move.