Chapter 26 Da Han
Chapter twenty-six
Da Han
Da Han sat at his desk in his office. With him were Chen, who would soon be handing over his duties to Zhang Ying when the war for territory was over.
"Are you going to make the call now?" Chen asked Da Han.
Da Han nodded. "Yufei pulled it off and snatched one of the Lords when he wasn't with the others.
That fucking club had been under lockdown, and it was hard to get to them.
But I want them to know that they can still be reached.
Since they're helping the Castiello family, I'll contact Rico first and order them to vacate my cities.
Lords too." He turned to Zhang Ying. "Have you heard back from Li? "
Zhang shook his head. "Not yet, boss. I called him about ten minutes ago."
Da Han frowned, then pulled out his cell to call his son when it started ringing. He didn't recognize the number, but he answered anyway, putting the phone on his desk and placing it on speaker. "Who is this?"
Zhang, Jun De, and Chen listened carefully to the conversation they had been anticipating.
"Nico Castiello, calling on behalf of my brother, Rico."
"Ahhh, I suppose you've heard that I've captured Vito's boy toy. Don't worry, my men are taking good care of him... for now. We also have one of the Lords' men too. Seeing as you've called me first, I suppose you're willing to negotiate," Da Han said with an air of arrogance.
There was some silence, and Da Han figured Nico was translating into sign language what he had said. He could wait; he had the patience.
"Yes, we're well aware that you have Zindel and Snoopy," Nico said.
Da Han rolled his eyes at the biker's road name, but he was happy that they knew the ball was in his court.
"So, are you ready to leave my cities?" Da Han asked.
"Depends. Are you ready to set up funerals for your son and daughter?"
Da Han leaped up from his chair, snatching his cell from his desk and turning the speaker off. "What the fuck did you say?"
"To clarify, we have your son Li and daughter Xiù. But don't worry, our people are taking good care of them... for now," Nico said, mocking Da Han's earlier taunt.
"You listen to me, you son of a bitch! If anything happens to my children, I will burn this city to the fucking ground to get to you. Do you hear me, you deaf motherfucker?!" Da Han threatened, spittle flying from his mouth in his rage.
"Now that was just rude," Nico said.
"Just tell his ass what the fuck I said," Da Han said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, don't worry, I will. Word for word."
There was some silence, and Da Han heard a man's chuckles from the distance. Apparently, Rico found his threat humorous. Let something happen to his son, and he won't be laughing, Da Han thought.
"My brother is willing to negotiate since you have Zindel and one of the Lords' men. Our friends are dear to us as well, so he proposes a sit-down."
"I want proof that my children are okay," Da Han demanded.
"And we want the same," Nico said, and by the quick response, Da Han could tell that Nico was asking and not Rico, but the two men were probably of the same mind. It was only rational to ask for proof of life.
"Fine. I'll send you proof, you send me proof, then we'll call and set up a time. Is that fine with you?" Da Han asked.
"Sounds fair. You have our people, and we want to get them back.
We have yours. Of course, your son is next in line to take over the family business, and your daughter is your top assassin now that Stephen Yeoh is dead.
I think you understand who has the real leverage here.
You're a smart man; I don't have to explain it to you, I'm sure. "
"I understand. Send the fucking proof," Da Han said, then ended the call. As much as he wanted to throw his phone while releasing a slew of curses in Mandarin, he needed it to receive the proof.
"What are you going to do, boss?" Chen asked because he knew their plan to force the Castiello family and the Lords out of Chicago, New York, and Orlando just went up in smoke.
"Call Yufei and Tian Yu, have them send me proof of Zindel and whatever the fuck that other guy's name is... Snoopy," Da Han ordered. Capturing the Lord was just a bonus, one that he'd been proud of until he got that phone call about his children.
"Yes, sir," Chen said, then made the calls.
Da Han raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Rico and I need to meet up. There's no fucking way I'm leaving my children at his mercy." He turned to face the large bulletproof window. "Fuck!" he screamed, and that's when the door to his office opened and his wife entered.
"What's going on?" Mèng Yáo asked.
"The fucking Castiellos took Li and Xiù. Just when I thought I had them by the fucking balls, they pull this shit," Da Han said.
"Those assholes. They started this war," Mèng Yáo said in annoyance.
Da Han looked down when his phone buzzed, and his wife joined him at his side.
He opened the message to see a video of Li, looking bruised and beaten, as well as Xiù, who looked to be in worse shape as she was lying in bed with an IV hooked to her arm.
But both were alive, which was what he wanted to see.
"Did they torture them?" she asked.
"I don't think so. Li was at a safe house last I'd spoken to him, and he had plenty of men keeping guard. It would seem like the fight was brutal," Da Han said as he studied the video.
"They didn't go down easily," Mèng Yáo said, noting the injuries.
"Of course not; they're my children. But how the hell they got captured in the first place with the army I sent him, I want to fucking know," Da Han snapped. When he received the video of Zindel first, he watched it along with his wife.
"He's a pretty one," Mèng Yáo said. "If I were there, I'd cut his face to give him a scar to remember me by."
The next video came through of Snoopy.
"Oh, he's handsome too, even with the bruises. I bet Yufei would have fun with him," she said.
"At this point, we can't do anything to them. I'm not risking the lives of my children to be petty," Da Han said. Then he sent the videos to the number that called him, which he was sure was an encrypted phone.
"So what happens now?" Mèng Yáo asked.
The other three men remained silent because they were waiting for their boss to make a decision.
"I can't allow them to push us out. Not after the shit we've been through to keep these cities. I won't release them just to lose everything. Right now, we are at a stalemate, and Rico will request a sit-down," Da Han said.
"Do you want me to go?"
Da Han turned to his wife, looked at her injured shoulder and arm, and shook his head. "No, my love, I want you to rest."
"It's just a minor wound. I want to be by your side," she said, then she hugged her man with her good arm and rested her head on his chest. The sound of his heartbeat was a soothing rhythm to her.
"If we go to this sit-down and shit doesn't go as planned, I don't want you harmed. You will stay here," Da Han said, and his tone left no more room for protest.
Mèng Yáo inhaled sharply and opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it and nodded. "I'll do as you say."
Da Han caressed her face and leaned forward, kissing her forehead. "I can't lose you." He then tilted her face to him and kissed her full lips—the same lips that made his heart sing when they parted in a smile for him. He released her, then called the number back.
"We received the proof," Nico said upon answering.
"Good. I want you to know that I'm not releasing them until we have this meeting. There is no way that I'm giving you all the leverage," Da Han said.
"There is something you should know."
"What?"
"Vito is already waiting outside the location where you're hiding Zindel. I'll send you proof just in case you think I'm lying. The only reason he hasn't killed your men already is that we want to give you the chance to leave before there's any more bloodshed," Nico said.
Da Han's breath caught in his chest because his brother, Tian Yu, was at the location, and if what Nico said was true, he could be in immediate danger.
He had to play this smart. When his phone gave him the notification, he looked at the video footage of Vito and several of his men waiting outside the building where he knew his brother was staying.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as he gave himself the precious seconds he needed to find the right words.
He motioned for Chen to come to him, then whispered in Mandarin.
"Call Tian Yu and let him know that Vito is outside, and tell him to kill Zindel first if they break in," Da Han ordered.
"Yes, sir," Chen said, then left the office to do just that.
Da Han put the phone back to his ear. "I see. It looks like we both have each other by the balls. If Vito enters that building, my brother will kill Zindel first, and as for your biker, he's not at that location, and with one call from me, my men will slit his fucking throat."
Again, there was a pause, and Da Han knew why. He had to give the info to Rico. He'd never met a crime boss with a disability, but the man was remarkable and dangerous. He'd need to make sure he had an interpreter with him for this sit-down because he didn't want any deception.
"Don't worry. We'll each take care of the other's people as a way to make sure our negotiations stay civil," Nico said. "As for who will be there, you, of course, Rico, and expect to see Niyol Murphy representing the Lords of Chaos MC. We will each bring two people with us."
"What the fuck does Niyol Murphy have to do with it?" Da Han asked.
"He is the main contact for the Lords when it comes to negotiations. The reason you were getting your ass handed to you in all three states is because of him. This isn't up for debate. He will be there," Nico said.
"Fuck it, fine. Anyone else?" Da Han asked, with all of the annoyance he was feeling.
"As for the sit-down, meet us at this location tomorrow morning."
Da Han memorized the time and place. "See you then." He ended the call and sighed, then called Tian Yu. When his brother answered, he asked him about Vito.
"It's true. They're out there, but I don't know how they found this location," Tian Yu said.
"They must have a tracker on Zindel," Da Han speculated.
"We traced him and found nothing."
"It doesn't matter. My back is against the wall. At this sit-down, no matter what, we have to hold some control over these cities," Da Han said.
"I'm sorry, brother. I didn't do a better job of avoiding this," Tian Yu said, feeling guilty.
"It's done; what's important now is keeping in power." Da Han didn't want to dwell on the past because nothing could be changed. Rico still had his children under his control. "I'll talk to you tomorrow; I have to call Yufei."
The two brothers ended the call, and Da Han contacted his youngest brother to update him on the situation.
"The Lords have no idea where we're at, so even if Tian Yu was caught off guard, I wasn't. Remember that," Yufei said.
Da Han rolled his eyes. "This isn't the time for a dick-swinging competition. Just watch him and wait for my word before you make any moves."
"Fine," Yufei said, and then they both ended the call.
"He's such a fucking hothead," Da Han fussed as he slipped his cell back into his pocket. "Tomorrow, Chen, you and Zhang will accompany me."
Chen bowed his head. "Yes, sir."
"So, has it been decided, sir... that I will be the one at your side?" Zhang asked.
"Ahh, yes, that's right. It's been so busy lately that I didn't have a chance to inform you.
But we need to wait until after this meeting.
Before shit went south, my plan was to leave Chen here to aid Li in New York, and you would leave with me back to Beijing.
But I don't know what will happen after this sit-down," Da Han said.
"I understand," Zhang said.
"I'll need a translator who can tell me what the fuck Rico says," Da Han said.
"I've got you covered, sir," Zhang said.
Da Han's brows arched. "What? You speak ASL?"
"I speak ASL because I had a girlfriend back in the day who was deaf. She gave the best head, though. Too bad she was clingy," Zhang said.
"Oh, I remember her," Chen said with a nod.
Zhang winked at him.
"This is good. I like it when my people bring more to the table," Da Han said.
Zhang bowed his head. "Yes, sir."
"What about me? Do you need me?" Jun De asked.
"I'll have you and a few more of my men waiting outside, as I'm sure Rico and Dasan will also have backup," Da Han said.
"Yes, of course, sir."
Again, Da Han sighed because his worry was for his children.
"What will you ask for?" Mèng Yáo inquired.
"The only thing that can bring this war to a close amicably," Da Han said.
"Wise decision, my darling husband," Meng said as she slipped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest. Her heart ached at the thought of her stepchildren being in danger.
She may not have given birth to them herself, but she raised them for nearly twenty years. Those were his children too.
Da Han hugged his wife. "It's going to be all right, my love." He knew his children were tough, and now it was up to him to bring them home safely, but also to not make their efforts in vain. He would have a resolution.