Chapter 22

22

Honestly, Gideon didn't care what André chose to do—agree to officially become his father's proxy or walk away from it all—Gideon would support him either way. And he would deal with The Council the way he planned to, eventually.

But this was André's choice to make.

So Gideon waited for him to make it. He held André's hand, staring into the other man's eyes. They were wide, a little spooked, a little unsure. "It's your choice," Gideon told him softly. "Your decision. Whatever you want to do."

André huffed out a breath. Then he jerked a nod. "Okay, I'm in."

"You're sure?" He tightened his grip on André. "There's no out except for death," he warned. Not that he would allow anyone to even breathe hard in André's direction, but the other man had to know the risks. "You can't change your mind a month from now or even ten years from now. That's not how this works." He wanted to make sure André understood the severity of his decision. "By walking into the barn earlier, you already know way too much. Once you're sworn in, that's it."

André's face looked a little pale, but he nodded again. "I'm sure." He patted Gideon's cheek. "As long as I have you, I'm sure."

Gideon kissed him, quick and brutal. "You will always have me." There was no doubt about that. "C'mon then. Let's get this over with so we can go home." He wanted to get André in a bed. On any flat surface really. One last lingering kiss and he opened the SUV door to find Samir and Ennis standing out there glaring at each other. Gideon ignored the tension between them and turned, holding out his hand to André and helping him out of the vehicle.

Once André stood at his side, Gideon addressed Ennis. "Any holdouts?" They had to know the names of any members of The Council who didn't plan on voting for André. That way Gideon could get down to the threats and blackmail because nobody was gonna stand in André's way.

"Three," Ennis answered in a surly tone.

"Names?" After Ennis called them out, Gideon asked him, "What do you have on them?" He knew what he had on each member of The Council, but it wouldn't hurt to add more bullets to his gun.

"Why should I share?—"

"If you want me to go through with this proxy shit, you will share any information you have with him," André informed his father. "Now."

Gideon didn't bother hiding his smile. This side of André was sexy as fuck, he couldn't lie. It was amazing, seeing how much he'd grown. He still maintained his goodness, his softness at the core of his being, but he'd definitely hardened. Maybe it was because his eyes had opened to an entirely new world around him and he'd adjusted to fit. Whatever it was, Gideon loved it.

He loved, too, that Ennis immediately did as his son bade, grudgingly spilling information. Most of it Gideon already knew, but there were still some gems he hadn't been privy to.

"I think we're all set," he said once Ennis finished talking. Holding André's hand, Gideon started walking back to the barn. This time it was just the three of them—him, André, and Ennis—since bodyguards couldn't be present for the swearing in. When they crossed the barn's threshold, André's grip tightened on him, but Gideon swiped his thumb over his knuckles, trying to soothe him.

No one would hurt him. Gideon had already vowed it.

The stage was set, with the members of The Council standing around in a semicircle. Once the door shut behind them, Gideon led André forward, releasing him so he could stand in front of the others with his head high and shoulders back.

He kept his gaze on André as someone handed him a piece of paper, old and frayed that had the rules of the proxy. Gideon knew those words by heart even though he'd recited them when he'd been just a mere boy. He remembered being scared out of his mind then, wanting to cry as all those scary grownups stared at him.

He listened now, as André recited the proxy vows in an unsteady voice. Gideon's heart swelled with pride. He'd had no clue when he'd first encountered André that they would end up here. And he knew André still had reservations about being a part of The Council in any capacity, but this felt right somehow.

Silence settled around the room as André finished speaking.

"Now, we cast our votes."

He held out a hand for André, who took it and asked in a whisper, "Wh-what happens now?"

"Now, we wait for the members to cast their votes," Gideon told him. "I need to make my rounds." He stared into André's eyes pointedly. "Make sure everyone makes the right decision."

André pressed his lips together with a nod. "Okay." He leaned against a nearby wall, arms crossed. "I'll be here then."

"I won't be long," Gideon kissed him, then headed for his first target.

It didn't take long at all. All he had to do was whisper a few words and he had those fuckers quaking and ready to vote in André's favor. Joseph Morrow wasn't in attendance, but his proxy—his son-in-law—was and seemed amenable. Satisfaction washed over Gideon as he made his way back to André. Once all The Council members, including both Gideon and Ennis, voted in André's favor, it would be official. He was ready for it all to be over, honestly. Ready to take André back home. To be with Jules.

"The votes are in!"

He took André's hand, the other man leaning on him as they faced The Council members, who now sat at the long table. Chinh Dang, now the only female on The Council, spoke. "All members except one voted yes."

Gideon froze. Somebody voted against André? But he'd covered all the bases, bribed and threatened all the holdouts Ennis told him— He narrowed his gaze, turning his attention to André's father, who sat there with his gaze averted.

The bastard couldn't have.

"Who was the holdout?" Gideon asked.

"Winters, you know?—"

"Who was the holdout?" he demanded. "I want a name now!"

"Gideon."

He ignored André as he stalked toward Ennis. "Give me the name of the holdout," he told Chinh Dang. "And then I want said holdout to tell us why he did all this, named his son as his proxy and brought us to this moment, only to vote against him."

"What?" There was so much hurt in André's voice, but Gideon couldn't focus on it. Not now.

"Tell us."

Ennis heaved a sigh. "Maybe I was wrong. This might not have been the best?—"

Gideon held up a hand. "We need a recess. We will reconvene in half an hour," he told the other members. "Meet us outside," he directed at Ennis. "Now." He went to André and took his hand, leading him back out of the barn.

"How could he do that?" André asked, hurt and confusion so heavy in his voice. "I thought this was what he wanted? How could he vote against me?"

"I don't know. But I'll fix it. I promise you."

"Ready to leave?" Samir asked as they approached the vehicle.

"Not quite. Fucking Ennis voted against André."

"Fuck." Samir frowned. "Why?"

"That's what I'm gonna find out. Get me Jorge."

Samir stilled. "You're sure?"

Jorge was one of Gideon's men who was out on a special assignment, keeping watch over somebody integral to Gideon's plans. He hadn't known when that somebody would come in handy, but apparently, today was the day. "I'm sure."

Samir pulled out his phone and turned away, and Gideon climbed into the SUV, André joining him.

"What happens next?" André asked.

"Technically, you're safe. You needed three votes against you to halt the process, but there's only one, so you're good. Still, I want answers."

The vehicle door opened and Ennis climbed in. "You think you can command me? You're not?—"

Gideon rammed his fist into the bastard's face. "I can do whatever the fuck I want to you, Canto. And you can't do shit about it." He watched with a smug kind of satisfaction as blood dripped from the fucker's nose down to his chin. "I want to know why you made us go through all this shit if you were just going to turn around and humiliate him."

"He's safe." Ennis wiped his nose with his sleeve. "He has the votes."

"But not yours, right?" André asked. "You brought me into this thing. I wanted nothing to do with it but you brought me in, and when you could have shown that you supported me and that I had your trust and confidence, you decided to fuck me over instead?"

"I don't trust him." Ennis pointed at Gideon. "Look what he did to me. I'm your father and you're letting him treat me like this?"

"You're nothing to me," André told him. "All you are is a stranger."

Hurt flashed in Ennis's eyes.

"Change your vote," Gideon told him. "He's your proxy. How does it look that you don't cast a vote for your own fucking proxy? They won't respect him if you don't." And he wasn't going to let that happen.

"I'm not gonna do that."

Gideon shrugged. "Okay." He tapped on the SUV door and Samir ducked his head in just long enough to hand Gideon an iPad. "Jorge." He greeted the man on the screen who had a balaclava on his face to hide his identity.

"What's up, boss?"

"Show him to me." The video panned away from Jorge to show a man kneeling on a carpeted floor, bound and gagged. Gideon enlarged the video and handed the iPad to Ennis. "Recognize him?"

Ennis went deathly pale.

"He's your twice-a-week appointment. Has been for the past five years..."

"Winters, don't?—"

"Toby, right? Just a few years older than your own son. You were fucking him while you were married to your daughter's mother. Out of all the men you've had, he's lasted the longest." Gideon smiled. "That tells me you have some kind of tender feelings for him."

"Winters." All that pleading in Ennis's voice.

"My father was the one to tell me about him. Yes, he's always known your secrets. I didn't know when I'd have use for Toby, but today seems perfect."

"Don't hurt him."

"But you could hurt your son? Nobody hurts André while I'm alive. Nobody. And that goes for you most of all." Gideon grabbed the iPad back from Ennis's trembling hands. "Now, I'm going to tell you one last time, change your vote."

"I—" Ennis licked his lips, gaze darting from Gideon's face to the iPad. "Okay, fine. I'll change it."

Gideon smiled. "See, that wasn't so hard." He held up the iPad and spoke to Jorge. "Jorge, stand by."

"Gotcha."

They returned to the barn, Ennis casting his vote in favor of his son. There were mumbles among The Council as to what could have transpired during that recess. Gideon didn't care if Ennis shared or not. He would actually prefer that the old man did, that way everyone would know not to fuck with André.

Once the votes were in and André's name was added to the permanent proxy list, they were done. They returned to their vehicle, Gideon already itching to get the fuck away from those people.

Standing outside, just before they all piled into their SUVs to head back to the jet, Gideon took the iPad back from Samir.

Jorge was on screen, awaiting orders.

"Jorge?" Gideon left André's side and walked over to a sulking Ennis.

"Here, boss."

"Do it." He issued the order and held up the iPad so Ennis could witness the moment Jorge put two bullets in Toby's head.

Ennis's body rocked. Gideon thought he was gonna fall to his knees, but he didn't. "You—You bastard."

"Let that be a lesson. You hurt him, I hurt you."

His father had double-crossed him in the end.

André could say it didn't matter to him what Ennis did, but he would be lying. He didn't know what he expected from the man who'd contributed to his creation, but for Ennis to look him dead in the eye and say one thing, then turn right around and do something else? After being the one responsible for André even being in his current position?

André had no respect for him.

None.

Ennis Canto could kick rocks.

Gideon had done something. André didn't ask at the time, maybe he was being a coward, but he knew that right before they got into the vehicle and headed for the airport, Gideon had done something. Maybe it had to do with the secret lover Gideon had revealed. Maybe Gideon had followed through on his threat and had the man killed. André didn't know. But this was an entirely different playing field, where he was still familiarizing himself with the rules. A game where players would just as soon slit your throat while smiling at you.

He would have to toughen up if he wanted to remain in that world.

Gideon's world.

They were on Gideon's private jet now, headed back home. André was curled up on the bed in the bedroom at the back of the plane while Gideon and his team discussed business outside. André hadn't spoken since they left the barn behind. They'd left Ennis as well.

Gideon had instructed the drivers to pull off, leaving Ennis standing alone on the sidewalk, ashen and visibly shaken. Samir didn't like it, André knew that much. But Gideon's coldness? André knew it was on his behalf. Funny how Gideon went harder for him than who was supposed to be his own flesh and blood. Gideon proved himself over and over. Before he met Ennis, André had a million questions for the man his mother said was his father.

Now?

He understood that saying about being careful what you wished for. He didn't want anything to do with Ennis. For a moment, before they left Gideon's penthouse to go meet with The Council, he'd entertained the brief notion of maybe there being something to build on between him and Ennis. He'd been a fool, though. Ennis and his now-dead daughter weren't people André cared to know, to be associated with. And maybe that was hypocritical of him when his lover was the same or maybe even worse.

But Gideon hadn't failed him, not once.

He hadn't hurt André, not once.

All Gideon did was care for him, protect him, and love Jules just as much as he loved André. How could André not love him? How could he not want to be by Gideon's side?

The sound of the bedroom door opening had him lifting his lashes, and he watched as Gideon crawled onto the bed with him. He curled up next to him, stroking André's head.

"Are you okay?" Gideon asked softly.

André rolled onto his back, gazing up at him. All he saw when he looked into Gideon's eyes was genuine love and concern. Ennis had wanted André's loyalty, just off the strength of their shared DNA. But Gideon showed and proved, every time. "You killed him, didn't you?" His voice was low and raspy. "That Toby guy. You had him killed." He'd thought about not bringing it up, but he wanted to always have the facts between him and Gideon.

"I did," Gideon answered simply. And André loved him more for his honesty. "Ennis must never forget what happens when he decides to hurt you for his own selfish reasons." He stroked a finger down André's cheek. "Are you mad at me for that?"

Was he? André didn't think he could stomach doing that, ordering somebody's death as casually as Gideon did. But he wasn't Gideon. They weren't raised the same way. Hadn't experienced the same things. Gideon was born into a life of politics, money, and bloodshed, and he navigated it flawlessly. He wouldn't handle issues the way André would. "I'm not mad," André told him. "You handle things the way you see fit." Ways André couldn't. But Gideon's ways kept André and Jules alive and protected. André couldn't be mad about that.

Gideon exhaled. "He's your father. You can be upset, I promise I'll understand." Lowering his head, he brushed his lips against André's. "I can also promise that I won't allow anyone to hurt or disappoint you. Not while I'm alive."

André sank his fingers into Gideon's hair. "I love you for that." Nobody had ever loved him like that, except maybe his mother. He couldn't lie, knowing that he had a man willing to kill for him? That was some heady shit. "What's your end goal? You told me you had plans for The Council."

Gideon lifted an eyebrow. "You want to talk about that now?"

"Yep." André nodded. "We have another two hours until we land, right? We need something to pass the time, so what better time than the present?"

"I know something else we can do to pass the time, and it does not involve talking about the fucking council." Gideon licked his lips suggestively and André shook his head.

"Uh-uh. No distracting me with sex. Tell me your plans."

Gideon huffed out a breath. "Fine." Sitting up, he retrieved his phone from his pocket and pulled up an image. "You remember this guy from earlier? He's on The Council."

The image was of an older white man with thinning gray hair, heavy bags under his eyes, and skin that looked like curdled milk. "I do, yeah."

"In a few hours, he will be arrested."

André's eyes narrowed. "But he's on The Council. Aren't you guys untouchable?"

"We are. The charges won't stick, no. His money and power will take care of that. But the arrest is a fake-out. Social media is what we want. My people will ensure his arrest, as well as some highly incriminating videos, trends. My plan is to get him off The Council and put somebody in his place who's loyal to me."

André cocked his head. "But what about his proxy?" Wasn't the whole point of a proxy to be on standby if the original member wasn't able to conduct their duties?

"Will be handled," Gideon reassured him. "Once I find my mother's killer or killers, I plan to disband The Council. Permanently. But until that happens, I'll be getting rid of the OG members, putting in replacements who are loyal to me."

André studied his features, the fierce determination in his eyes. The depths to this man. Playing chess while everyone else played checkers. He was glad he was around to witness the power that was Gideon Winters. "Is that why you wanted me as Ennis's proxy so badly, because I'm loyal to you?"

Gideon grinned, eyes wrinkling at the corners. "Are you?" He licked his lips again. "Are you loyal to me?"

André regarded him from under his lashes. "I might be." He slid a hand up Gideon's chest and began undoing the buttons on his shirt. "Depends on how good this sex at over ten thousand feet turns out to be."