21. Chapter 21
Chapter twenty-one
Maverick
M averick listened to his father and club president, Dasan, letting everyone know what had gone down in the past twenty-four hours. Apparently, all of the shit had hit the fan and the Jade Dragon Triad wasn’t pulling their punches.
“Fuck,” Ace cursed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Do they know that he’s alive?” Tank asked Dasan.
The president shrugged. “Not sure, but I seriously doubt they’re leaving anything up to chance. These guys believe in the follow-through. They are no doubt looking for Rico’s whereabouts to finish him off.”
“Jesus,” Diesel said, then leaned forward, resting both elbows on the ornate table with the Lords of Chaos patch carved in it.
All of the members were present, even the prospects, because this meeting involved everyone. So far, nothing had kicked off in Florida, but with the attack on Rico and the president and VP as well as a member in New York, they knew Florida had to be next.
“So, did Al and Pepe live?” Maverick asked.
Dasan nodded. “Lucky for them, they were both wearing bulletproof vests. But the damn bullet still did its damage and broke some ribs. Our brothers are laid up safe at their clubhouse in the secret areas, but they still lost a member last night. He took a bullet to the head.”
“Enzo must be a target as well as you, Dad,” Burger said.
Ace nodded. “As well as uncles Curt and Cooley.” Both men were presidents of the Tampa and Miami chapters.
“I won’t make it easy to get to me, and I know my brothers are on the same page,” Dasan said with a snarl. “But you’re not wrong. That’s why Rico pulled some strings.”
“What kind?” Tank asked.
Dasan smiled. “We can expect Dragon and TT to come back this week.”
The room erupted in cheers, claps, and wide grins.
“Really?” Richie asked, a huge smile on his face.
“How?” Ajay asked as he leaned forward.
“Apparently, Rico had to call in a favor he was owed by the Bridger Family. It would seem that the family is more than just some assassins. Also politicians, cops, clergy, you name it. They have fingers in all of the pies. One phone call to them, and Dragon and TT are being released. Shit, if I’d known that, I would have reached out to Tiger sooner,” Dasan said.
“Even if you had, doesn’t seem like a thing they would have done without some kind of major payment,” Tank said. “It took Rico Castiello, of all people, to be able to pull that off.”
Dasan nodded. “True. In any case, I’m just happy he did. ”
“Not that I’m not extremely grateful, but why would he use his one favor for us?” Ajay asked.
“Because he knows he’ll need more reinforcements. Our club is saving his ass. Also, after he was shot, he knows his son is next. Enzo has Sergio—who I’m told is very capable—but not enough. He wants Dragon to help protect Enzo,” Dasan said.
Nine Iron whistled. “Shit, Dragon is a beast, Enzo is going to be in good hands.”
“That honor and road name belongs to me. I earned that motherfucker,” Raymond “Beast” Phillips said.
There were some nods and chuckles from some of the members.
“True.” Dasan sat back in his chair.
Nine Iron smiled sheepishly. “My bad, you’re right.”
Beast nodded, basically forgiving his nephew for the mistake.
“Dragon will do whatever it takes to get the job done,” Diesel said.
“Even take poison just to get to a mark,” Dopey joked, remembering what Dragon did in prison to take out the Castiello’s snitch.
There were some nods and chuckles as the men mulled that over.
“That was crazy but I thought it was so cool,” Richie said.
“Probably what made you want him even more, right?” Dopey asked.
Richie smirked. “Oh, I think I was already hooked before then.”
More nods and soft chuckles.
Dasan continued, getting back to business. “I let the other chapters in Tampa and Miami know to be on alert. So far, they aren’t sending any brothers here to Orlando, but they are on standby.”
“That’s good, we don’t need any one area being stretched thin.”
Dasan looked at Richie. “Is your friend, Montgomery, going to be a problem now that he’s married to the triad? ”
Richie sighed and shrugged. “Whenever we talk, it’s like old times. I don’t think they are getting him involved. He’s married to Da Han’s youngest son. I think their objective is to keep Ren as far away from all of this as possible and in doing so, keep Monty out of harm’s way too.”
“All I hear is that Ren is a bargaining chip,” Maverick said.
“Certainly not one to rule out,” Ace said. “He’ll probably have a killer protection detail.”
“Oh, no doubt. Baby boy has one that is worth noting. His name is Sakura Ishii, he’s from the Yakuza,” Richie said.
“Fucking Triad and Yakuza,” Diesel hissed.
“If Da Han brings in the Yakuza, things may seriously get out of control,” Tank said.
“We need to be prepared for if and when that happens,” Ace said to more nods of agreement.
“In good news,” Dasan began. “Rico has agreed to give us a bigger piece of the pie. No more of this chump change, not after what we’re sacrificing and risking to help him grow bigger. He plans to leave New York to Enzo once he takes down all of the families including the JDT. He’s been in talks with Al, so that means the Lords and the Castiellos will share New York equally.”
“Shit, that’s beautiful fucking news... for New York. What about us?” Ace asked.
Dasan smirked. “Oh, our deal is even sweeter. I told him about the drug Richie created, and he wants in on it. With his connections, we can stand to make millions. We already share and have the majority of this territory, since we were here first. So, that isn’t our issue like it was in New York. Those five mafia families kept our Lords chapter there under their thumb. If Al and our brothers survive this war, they will own half of New York,” he explained .
“Also, with the drugs that Richie designed, doesn’t that mean the profits will be shared by all of the chapters the way it is now?” Ajay asked.
“Look at your little criminal ass,” Maverick commented, teasing Ajay. It pleased him to see the ex-DEA agent showing his true colors. Tiny Tim picked the right man to give his heart and cock to.
“I do like the freedom of this life,” Ajay said with a smirk.
Maverick nodded because he completely understood. Ajay’s advice when dealing with Melissa’s body saved them a whole lot of hassle. The man knew what he was talking about, for sure. He followed the protocol and filed a missing person’s report and currently had full custody of his twin boys. The club’s lawyer was putting things into motion to make it permanent. In any case, Ajay was growing on Maverick.
“Getting back to your question, yes, all of the chapters will benefit. That is how we keep our brotherhood strong,” Dasan said. “But our percentage won’t be low. However, it’s also not going to be even.”
“Why not?” Adonis “Footlong” Calloway asked.
“Because, though Richie designed the drug, mass producing it is another story. Sure, we can sell it, but this shit is going to blow up big time. Everyone will want to get their hands on it. We’ll need to be able to produce it elsewhere and ship it in. That’s where Rico excels. We need him and right now, he needs us. Our partnership is growing, is all,” Dasan said.
“What if he tries to betray us?” Tank asked.
“That’s always a possibility, and as Lords, you know we will never take that shit lying down. He knows that,” Dasan said. “But let’s focus on what could be best for us now.”
“I’m looking forward to all good things after we get rid of the triad,” Burger said. “Akari can return home, Dragon and my boy, TT, are coming home... By the way, when?”
“According to Rico, in the next three days, so by Wednesday,” Dasan said.
“Awesome!” Richie belted out, pumping his fist in the air.
“Miss that dick?” Nine teased.
Richie rolled his eyes. “No... well yes, but I miss my man.”
“Me too,” Ajay said.
“It’s going to be great to have them home,” Tank agreed, nodding.
“One issue... what about our unfinished business?” Richie asked.
Dasan pursed his lips. “We’ve been keeping eyes on him. I guess it’s time to take him to the Kingdom.” He looked at two of his brothers who’d be perfect for this particular job. “Big Dick, Bear, why don’t you go take care of that.”
Both men nodded. “No problem,” Bear said.
“In the meantime,” Dasan began, then turned to Maverick. “Rico needs you to fulfill your job as Burger’s proxy. You’ll be going to New York. You leave in...” He looked at his watch. “Three hours.”
“Damn, short notice much?” Maverick fussed.
“You’re flying on Rico’s private jet, so stop bitching and go get ready,” Dasan said.
“How long will I be there?”
“Until Rico is well enough to get back into the fight or until it’s over. He took a bullet to the gut and one to the leg. It might have been worse had Akane and Akari not been there. His attacker was a highly skilled assassin. Akari is not to leave Rico’s side, but he wants you and Akane to hunt the assassin and at the same time, take out his enemies, which are growing in numbers,” Dasan said .
“This is your wet dream, Maverick. No need to hold back,” Ace said, then he patted his little brother on the shoulder.
Maverick smiled because it was true. The last time he’d been able to unleash a little was when they took on the Hellraiser Knights. But he’d also been denied the real fun thanks to Juno and Big Dick taking out the majority of their enemies. Now, in New York, there was going to be so much blood to spill. His true savagery, which had been contained for so long, could finally be unleashed. His cock stirred in his pants as he imagined killing people.
“Jesus, he’s smiling... and he has a chubby,” Ace taunted, snapping Maverick out of his fantasy.
He looked down at his crotch and then back up at everyone watching him. He shrugged. “What? You all know how I am.”
There were some nods and sighs, because they did know. At least, the majority of them did.
“Well, get going, boy, and be safe,” Dasan said, then he rose as Maverick did. He walked over to his son and hugged him. “Go say bye to your mom and kids before you head out.”
“What about my boys?” Maverick asked since he was the sole parent.
“Don’t worry. Your mom and I will be watching over them,” Dasan said.
“Okay, cool. Thanks, Dad.”
Maverick hugged other members of his club and his brothers. Before leaving, he did give his kids who were at the clubhouse his goodbyes but promised to be back soon.
“You better come back to us in one piece,” Stacy said.
“I plan to for sure,” Maverick said. “You just stay safe here.”
“We will,” Stacy said and gathered her two kids closer to her side .
“Don’t worry, we’ll help your mom out with the twins,” Rachel said after hugging and kissing Maverick.
“I know you will.” Maverick left the clubhouse to go home to pack. He didn’t bother to pack any extra guns. He assumed they’d have more in New York, but he did have his favorite pistols on him—the custom-made ones. He wouldn’t need to go through security as he was flying private. That made him excited, as he’d never flown in such luxury before.
As soon as he was on the plane, he felt like a king. The seats were Italian leather, polished wood accents, plush carpeting, and A-plus service. Rico knew how to live in style, that was for sure. Maybe now with Richie’s new drug, the Lords would have their own private jet one day. He smiled thinking about the future he was going to do his best to guarantee.
He only had one regret as he flew to New York, and that was he’d miss greeting his big brother and Tiny Tim when they finally came home. He wondered if they’d have a party or not. Probably not considering the urgency... no time for partying. But still, he was going to miss them and wanted to wrap things up in New York quickly so he could return home.
In the meantime, he’d enjoy the lobster dinner.