Chapter 20

20

"Say something." Gideon leaned over, taking André's hand in his. They were still in Ennis's room. A chair had been brought in for André to sit in while Gideon knelt on the floor next to him. Together he and Ennis had taken turns explaining The Council to André, who just stared at them with saucer-wide eyes, mouth agape.

They'd finished talking, but André had yet to react. Gideon glanced over at Ennis, who wore a look of trepidation. So clearly, Gideon wasn't the only one uncertain of how André would react.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Gideon said. "Just tell me what you're thinking. What you're feeling."

André shook his head slowly. "So these people— you —control everything?" Disbelief lifted his voice higher, turning it thin. "Like, everything ?"

Gideon shrugged. "I guess."

"But…" André trailed off. "How? I don't get it. How long has this been going on?"

"I mean, I can't tell you when the very first council was put together." Though Gideon vaguely recalled his father giving him a lesson in that very thing at some point while he was growing up.

"And, wait—" André turned his attention to his father. "You say I'm part of this council?"

"You're my proxy," Ennis explained. "Which means you're my heir to the seat. If anything happens to me, the seat goes to you. You will take my place."

"It also means power, baby," Gideon said in his ear. "You get to make or break corporations, governments, countries."

But André shook his head, pulling away from Gideon's hold. "What if I don't want that? I don't— That's not who I am."

"I know," Ennis answered before Gideon could. "That's precisely why I chose you. You wouldn't allow yourself to be unduly influenced or the power to go to your head. You would make good decisions, André. Decisions based on the right things." He glanced away. "I haven't always done that. There were times when I allowed myself to be coerced into something even though I knew it wasn't right."

Gideon narrowed his eyes at that. Was Ennis alluding to being involved in Gideon's mother's death? He would have his answers. All he had to do was bide his time.

"Samir said The Council wants to see me, but why? I shouldn't be involved as long as he's still alive, right?" André jerked his chin in Ennis's direction.

"The Council didn't know about the change to my proxy," Ennis said. "I'm guessing your sis—Sienna told them. She's listed as my proxy on all official documents, for now. I hadn't taken the time to file the revised proxy." He exhaled loudly, lips twisting. "And I'm guessing they want to lay eyes on the son they never knew I had. Members of The Council know all of each other's secrets." His eyes blazed when he looked at Gideon even as he addressed André. "Secrets are a weakness to be exploited, you see."

"I don't want any part of this," André said. "And I'm definitely not leaving Jules to go meet this council just so they can gawk at me. If they're siding with Sienna, who knows what they would do to us once we're there?"

"Nobody would dare touch you," Gideon told him fiercely. "Those fuckers know better." He would wipe them the fuck away.

"Um." André blinked at him. "Sienna tried to kill me."

"And she'll be made to see the error of her ways in due time," Gideon assured him with conviction. Sienna was going to die. He didn't give a fuck what The Council or anybody else had to say about it.

"I need a phone," Ennis said softly. "I need to get some balls rolling." When Gideon just stared at him, he said, "On this, you and I are on the same side, Winters."

Gideon stood, looming over him as he reclined in the bed. "We could never be on the same side. Not when I know you have information about my mother's death. Not when your daughter is actively trying to kill him." He stabbed a finger in André's direction. "And not when you were plotting to have me killed not too long ago."

André gasped.

"You were a threat." Ennis shrugged. "I knew you had André and I didn't know what you planned to do with him. I have to protect my son, so yes, I wanted you dead. You would have done the same."

He would have, but Gideon didn't give the bastard the satisfaction of acknowledging his words. Instead, he grunted and turned to André. "As much as I hate to say this, you have to go before The Council. The sooner we get this done, the better."

André paled.

"I agree with him," Ennis said. "But we don't make a single move on the board unless all the pieces—and players—are in place." He held out a hand to Gideon, fingers beckoning. "Phone. Please."

Gideon still didn't trust him, but he would put his bullshit aside in order to ensure André's safety. If that meant working with Ennis Canto, then he would. And if that fucker ever double-crossed him, Gideon would bury him in a grave so deep, nobody would be able to find his body no matter how long they dug. He retrieved his phone from his pocket and handed it over. "Make it quick."

While Ennis made his call, Gideon grasped both of André's hands and gently pulled him to his feet. He led the other man out of the room and guided him to a quiet corner outside. "Hey." Clasping André's face in his hands, he peered into his troubled eyes. "Talk to me."

"I'm just— My head is spinning right now." André pressed his lips together.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but I'm here." He kissed André's forehead, his nose, and then finally his lips. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise you that."

André burrowed into his arms, burying his face in Gideon's neck, and Gideon hugged him tight, rubbing his back, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"I got you," he whispered. "I got you, always."

André eased back, smoothing a hand over Gideon's hair. His gaze lifted past Gideon's shoulder. "Do you trust him?" Tone soft, he met Gideon's eyes. "My fa—Ennis. Do you trust him?"

Gideon took a breath before he answered. "I believe that he won't do anything to hurt you. I believe that right now, he's wishing he'd done a few things differently when it comes to you and your sister."

"But do you trust him ?"

"No."

André's eyes bulged "Then why?—"

Wrapping both arms around him again, Gideon tugged André back against his chest, murmuring in his ear, "Because around here, we keep our friends close and our enemies closer."

They were able to put The Council off for a week, but eventually their time ran out. They took Gideon's private jet since the meeting place was in a whole other state. On the jet, André listened with half an ear as Gideon shared that The Council never met in the same place twice. He was too busy staring at Ennis, who sat near the front of the plane, with a doctor and two nurses at his side.

The doctor had been against Ennis leaving the med unit, but neither Ennis nor Gideon listened to her. So instead, she'd shot Ennis up with a bunch of painkillers and insisted she come along. Samir was also at Ennis's side, watching the older man like a hawk. As if Ennis could do anything or go anywhere. He looked so pale and frail.

"Hey." Gideon touched his knee. "You okay?"

He wasn't okay, and he wouldn't be until he was back at the penthouse with Jules. He met Gideon's eyes, and he knew the other man understood because he released a breath and cupped André's face.

"It will be over soon."

He wanted it to already be over, but André just turned his head and pressed a kiss to the inside of Gideon's palm. He tried not to feed into the anxiety that had his stomach in knots, tried not to allow himself to indulge in worst-case scenarios. Before they left, he knew Gideon, Samir, and the rest of his team had a closed-door meeting to discuss security, but André didn't want to know anything about it.

After everything he'd learned about The Council? He wanted to dig around in his skull and remove all that Gideon had shared. He didn't want to have that kind of knowledge, couldn't even see himself being a part of something like that. It was scary as fuck to think that just a handful of people could hold the kind of power that you only saw in movies or read about in fiction novels. But it was real. The Council was real, and his father and his lover were members of it.

Hell, technically he was a member. Ennis's proxy. His heir to the seat.

Fuck.

He wished for a simpler time when it was just him and Jules and all he had to worry about was navigating his sister and her teenage hormones. Things were so much easier then.

But you wouldn't have Gideon.

He wouldn't have Gideon at his side, touching him the way he did now, and that would've been a crime. As much as he was afraid, as much as he dreaded what awaited them at this council meeting, he was also happy. Gideon made him happy. Gideon made him feel things he hadn't felt in a very long time. He couldn't regret Gideon.

He leaned against Gideon, and when the other man put an arm around him, André melted into his side. He didn't know what was coming their way, but he knew for sure that Gideon would protect him. That knowledge allowed him to close his eyes.

The next thing he knew, Gideon was shaking him awake. "Hey, come on. Let's go."

André blinked at him. "We've arrived?"

Gideon nodded. "Yes." He kissed André's brow. "How are you?" He scrutinized André as he sat up. "How do you feel?"

"Like I wanna get this shit over with."

Gideon grinned. "You and me both, babe." He stood and held out a hand. "So let's go deal with those fuckers."

André took his hand, allowing Gideon to haul him to his feet. He glanced around with a frown when he noticed they were the only ones on the plane. "Where is everybody? Ennis?"

"Already got off." Gideon gripped his hand, leading him toward the exit.

"So, we're going directly to the meeting?"

"Yes," Gideon answered as they deplaned, heading toward one of the five SUVs that sat waiting on the tarmac. "It shouldn't take long. We should be back home before nightfall."

They'd had to make up some excuse to Jules, telling her that Gideon was taking André on a special outing for just the two of them. He sighed as one of Gideon's guards opened the SUV door for them. "Okay. Let's get this shit over with then."

In the back of the SUV, he and Gideon sat together, but they didn't speak. The ride was short and quiet, and by the time the vehicle rolled to a stop outside a large standalone structure located in the middle of an otherwise empty field, André felt as if he were coming out of his skin.

"We're here," Gideon told him softly.

André gripped his hand, clinging to him. "Promise me nothing will happen to you."

Gideon hiked a brow. "What do you think could happen to me?"

"I don't know, but you're not invincible, so promise me."

Gideon studied him before replying. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you. Or myself," he continued quickly when André opened his mouth to speak. "Those people can't touch me, baby. I promise you that." He kissed André, a hard, too-short kiss on the lips that lingered long after he'd pulled away. "Now, like you said earlier, let's get this shit over with."

The bodyguards exited the vehicle, then Will opened the door for them. Gideon got out first and held out a hand for André, helping him to climb out. They were immediately flanked by Gideon's people. Gideon had shared with him that each member was only allowed to bring one bodyguard with them, but he'd decided to ignore that rule this time. His men escorted them to the door and some remained outside, but three guards followed them into the building.

It was a barn. The faint smell of manure and animals reached André's nose, and he wrinkled it as he took in the people who'd been conversing amongst themselves in a low whisper. They sat around a long table in the middle of the space, men and women who all shut up and turned toward the door.

André sucked in a breath, keeping his head up. He couldn't show weakness. Nobody had told him that, but he just instinctively knew that this wasn't the place to broadcast fear or any other kind of weakness. Those sharks sitting around that table would pounce at the first sign of blood in the water.

"You're late," one of them said.

"Let this be the first and last time you summon me," Gideon responded. André had never heard him sound like that: cold, deadly, and powerful. It raised the hair on his arms and nape.

"Some things have been brought to our attention, Winters. We demand an explanation for?—"

"You don't get to demand anything," Ennis interrupted. He stood to Gideon's left with Samir at his side, and if André didn't know better, he'd think that Samir was the only reason his father remained upright. "What you do get to do is hand over my daughter to me."

"Sienna Canto is a proxied member of our council. She cannot and will not be handed over . You know that, Ennis. Now, explain yourself. Why didn't we know you had a son?"

"Why the fuck would I tell you about my son?" Ennis exploded. "So you could sanction his death?"

A chill ran over André at those words and he stiffened. These people didn't play. They could do that? They could so easily take someone's life?

"Papers have been filed and submitted to The Council to make my firstborn, my rightful heir, my proxy," Ennis said. Was he sounding a bit winded or was that just André's imagination? He had to force himself to keep from glancing over at his father. Instead, he kept his gaze on the men and women at the table who eyed him as if he were something under a microscope to be studied.

"That is not happening." The soft, feminine voice sounded first before the speaker stepped out from another doorway. His sister. André had never seen her in person, only on his TV screen and in magazines, but Sienna Canto was even more stunning up close. Blemish-free dark skin, a curly afro, tall and leggy. Her presence was magnetic. Even the cunning in her eyes added to her allure. "Hello, Father. Big brother, I'm so glad I finally get to meet you."

André swallowed when she winked at him.

"This council"—Sienna motioned to the table—"is my birthright. I will not have a usurper swoop in and take my place."

"Is that why you tried to kill him?" Gideon asked.

Sienna shrugged. "Things like that happen when you try to take what doesn't belong to you."

"But I don't want it," André blurted out. Couldn't she see that? "I didn't know any of this even existed until last night."

"And why did you try to kill me?" Ennis asked his daughter. "How could you do that, Sienna? I'm your father."

"Because you hurt me, Daddy. You tried to replace me."

"I didn't?—"

Bang.

André jerked, mouth opening in horror as he watched Sienna crumble to the ground with a hole in her forehead.

Silence filled the room as everyone stared.

"It's against council rules to openly attempt to take the life of a sitting member," Gideon said in monotone as he lowered the hand André hadn't even seen him raise. The hand holding a gun. "Punishment for that is death."