Chapter 23 - Josiah
It’s astounding how a strong woman can shift your entire thought pattern.
Kayla believing in me and having confidence in me to protect her and our beautiful baby girls has given me the same confidence in myself.
I knew I would never step back and let something happen to them, I knew I would fight tooth and nail to keep them safe—but I was also terrified of the idea of something happening that was out of my control.
Kayla has shown me that living in that state of fear steals life from you. It steals time with the ones you love. It steals your joy and your happiness. And as she explained so well, that is probably exactly what Anton was trying to do.
So, I’ve changed tactics.
Last night, Isaak led a team of men into one of Anton’s larger operations and brought the whole place down. He burned it to the ground. I am biding my time when it comes to dealing with Anton fully, but in the meantime, I had to send a clear message that I am not a man to be messed with.
The attack was a success. We destroyed millions worth of product without taking a single life. Anton will be furious, though, and will most likely plan some kind of retaliation.
“I’ve upped security in every direction,” Isaak confirms, walking into my office.
“Good. And Alara? Have you increased her personal guards?”
“Of course. And I convinced her to chill at home for a bit instead of going out dancing with friends. Just for a few weeks, at least.”
“The additional security at home carried this morning. And I’ve increased security around the office building as well. Kayla refuses to take any more time off work, so this place had to be turned into a fortress,” I sigh.
“Hey man, we do what we have to do to keep our people safe,” Isaak says.
“True. And now, a bit of a challenge and a risk, I have the West Coast guys on video call at three. I am going to tell them about what’s been happening here.
I don’t want to start an alliance with secrets on my side.
They have a right to know about the trouble I’m facing, and then they can choose whether they want to continue or not. ”
Isaak sighs. “Fuck, I hope they stay in the alliance. I was just looking at buying a beach house in Los Angeles. Man, it’s a beautiful place,” he chuckles.
I laugh too, shaking my head. “Trust you to be house shopping while all this shit is going down.”
“Hey, man, a new alliance means we have freedom in that city, too. I have to go check out the scene, maybe find a beautiful girl who wants to be my wife,” he dances his brows up and down, causing me to laugh more.
“Get the fuck out of here, you moron. I have work to do,” I huff, waving him away.
He laughs as he walks away, but then turns to confirm, “We’ve never had this much security before. Everything is covered, man. You don’t have to worry about your family,” he says with a serious tone and a genuine smile.
“Thanks, Isaak. I really appreciate your help with all of this.”
He waves and leaves my office, and I lean back in my chair, letting out a long sigh of relief. My family is safe. Now I have to deal with the West Coast guys.
I pull my laptop closer and open the video app.
It starts ringing almost immediately, and I press the green button to join the group call.
“Guys! Hi. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to meet with me,” I say.
“No problem, always available to check in for any reason,” Nestor says.
Benedikt nods and waves hello silently. Ardalion says, “How’s the weather there in Chicago?”
"It’s good. Warm. Normal,” I chuckle.
“Normal is good,” Emmanuil muses.
I sigh as they all fall silent. With the pleasantries out of the way, I need to get to the point.
“Gentlemen, I have been having some trouble here in Chicago. And while most of it is of a personal nature, there are some aspects that involve you guys,” I say tightly.
“Alright, well, tell us what is going on, and maybe we can help?” Benedikt says, surprising me with his answer. I expected them to want to hear the details before immediately offering to get involved.
“My main concern here is my wife, Kayla, and my two little girls. Twins. They’re five years old, and they are my world.”
Nestor grins and nods. “Twins, that must be a handful of joy,” he chuckles.
“It is,” I smile. “I have a powerful enemy, Anton Radev, who runs Vancouver. He has been targeting my wife, blatantly threatening her and attacking her personal guards in an attempt to get to me. I have to admit, it worked. I believe that the reason he’s doing all of this is because he doesn’t like the idea of me forming an alliance with your group.
He might be concerned about the increase in power it gives me; whatever is bothering him about it, he’s clearly not happy,” I explain.
“I wanted to tell you all of this but also reassure you that I am handling it and will eliminate the threat as soon as I can, but in the right way. And I will do everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t affect your business. ”
The guys listen with their attention fully on me. They don’t speak until I have explained everything. I watch their faces, trying to read each of them, but all I see is a sense of calm focus.
By the end of it, I can’t say for sure if they are going to leave the alliance or stay.
I finish explaining and lean back in my chair to indicate that they have the floor to speak and say what is on their minds.
Nestor clears his throat.
Benedikt leans closer to the camera, and Ardalion taps his pen against his desk.
Finally, Ardalion speaks.
“Look, man, we’ve all been in the same situation with our wives. The bottom line is that guys like us do anything and everything it takes to keep the ones we love safe, and we would expect nothing less from you,” he says.
I clench my jaw, surprised again.
Nestor nods. “We fully understand the situation. Listen, we’re here for you. That’s the whole point of an alliance. I understand that you have this under control, and that’s great, but if you need any help at all, call us, and we will be there in force,” he says.
“So, you're still happy with the alliance?” I ask, just trying to confirm.
Benedikt laughs. “Man, it would take a lot more than one enemy to chase us away from a good alliance. We’ve got your back if you need us.”
The call ends, and I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
Kayla comes into my office right away.
“How did it go? What did they say?” she asks immediately.
“Didn’t you hear all of it? I saw you eavesdropping,” I chuckle.
“I couldn’t hear everything,” she grins.
I pull her into my arms and push her up against my desk to kiss her.
Sliding my hand down her back, over the curve of her spine, and onto her ass, I press my cock against her. She giggles and whispers against my mouth, “The door is wide open.”
“Let them watch,” I muse.
Kayla slips her hands around the back of my neck and pulls me closer, deepening the kiss. My heart races as her mouth moves against mine. The most beautiful woman in the world. My wife. The love of my life.
When I eventually manage to step away, her cheeks are flushed pink. She looks even more beautiful than before.
“The alliance is still strong,” I answer her original question.
“I told you they would understand,” she says with relief.
“Well, I think it’s just because they are good guys who aren’t just in it for the money and business side of things. I’ve watched how they are with each other. They treat each other like brothers. They’re close. I think that means a lot more to them than just hollow business relationships.”
“Well, then, I am glad you teamed up with people like them. Because those are the right people.”
“It’s almost four,” I say, glancing at my watch.
“Yes, I see that,” she grins.
“I think we should go home and order the girls' favorite pizza and watch that stupid cartoon they love so much,” I say.
“Are you serious? You haven’t already seen it eight times? You want to torture yourself with it again?” she giggles.
“In all fairness, I spend the entire show staring at my wife. She’s gorgeous, and I can’t keep my eyes off her.”
“She sounds lovely," Kayla teases.
“You don’t have to be jealous. I’m sure she’d be interested in a threesome if I asked,” I press my lips together to try and hide the devilish smile that streaks across my face.
“Josiah!” she says in horror. But then she’s grinning, too. “If your wife is as beautiful as you say she is, then maybe I want her all to myself, and us girls don’t even need you.” She raises one of her brows and throws me the cheekiest smile.
“Fuck that!” I growl. “I’m not sharing you with anyone!” I pull her into my arms and kiss her again while she laughs and pulls me closer.
***
It’s half past six.
There are open pizza boxes spread over the coffee table in the living room.
The twins are bundled up on a massive pile of pillows that they fetched from every single room in the mansion to build a movie-bed. There are so many pillows that I can barely work out which bundles are actually my daughters.
Every now and then, one of them throws a piece of popcorn at the bad guy when he comes on screen.
I am guessing it’s Kira. That little one has her mother’s fierceness and confrontational attitude.
Kelsey has her father’s inner strength and the fearsome gaze that can bring a person to their knees. My beautiful girls.
I pull my wife closer, cradling her in the curve of my arm. She smiles up at me and grins as she pushes a piece of popcorn into my mouth.
It feels good to let go of the worry and know everyone is safe.
It feels good until the one flaw in my entire plan is revealed.
My phone rings, and I reach over to grab it off the coffee table.
“Hello,” I answer, seeing Isaak’s name across the screen. “What’s up, bro?”
The voice on the other side does not belong to Isaak. It is a distorted voice, tampered with by technology.
“We just wanted to let you know your brother is not going to be available for a little while. Or forever.”
The line goes dead, and my heart breaks in two.
“Hello?” I say again, but there is no one there.
Kayla senses my panic and sits up. “What is it?” she whispers.
“They’ve taken Isaak,” I whisper back. “It’s the one person I didn’t think to add extra security to. The one person I failed to protect,” I murmur, feeling as my spirit is crushed.
“Go, go do whatever you need to do. I’m here with the girls. We’re safe,” she says, letting me get up.
“I’m going to have Alara driven here. I want her with you guys, too. I can’t take any other risks.”
“I’ll get the guest bedroom ready for her. We’re going to find him, Josiah. Isaak is strong. He’s smart and clever, just like you. He’s going to be okay. You'll figure this out!”
There it is again. Her unwavering faith in me.
I have to be the man she thinks I am.
I am the man she thinks I am. I will get my brother back!
I don’t dare leave the house until Alara arrives safely. With all of my girls in one place and three security teams, including Alara’s increased team, taking care of them, I finally feel alright to leave the house and start hunting for my brother.
But I’ll need help with this.
And that means calling in the new alliance.
They made it clear they would be available to me. And with my brother’s life at risk, my ego isn’t even going to step into the picture when it comes to asking for help. I will take every ounce of it that I can get.