14. ~Caspian ~

I frowned as I studied the video Dante Mancini had just sent me.

Bodies were dropped in a mess of blood and flesh surrounding an empty warehouse space as Dante came into view, being followed by a guy decked out in heavy-duty tactical gear and armed to the teeth. I recognized him as none other than Flynn Waterstone, the leader of a notorious mercenary outfit.

I hadn't done business with him directly, as I didn't entrust those sorts of sensitive operations to outsiders. Dante wasn't known for doing that either, so what was happening here?

The timestamp put this footage from a couple of days ago. He'd sent it via secure message with just the subject line, "Proof." No other explanation.

I continued to watch as Dante slickly undid the buttons of his Hugo Boss suit and turned to face Waterstone, the new angle he'd taken enabling me to see both of their expressions at the same time.

"I've got confirmation that the arms shipment is ahead of schedule. There will only be two targets to take once it arrives, then you'll be home free. The contents of Bane's transport will be yours."

"And everyone within this warehouse was disposed of? None escaped?" Dante asked.

"None, Boss."

"Excellent."

"You've got everything in place to conceal your involvement here?"

"Of course."

"Good, because Bane's not stupid by any stretch of the imagination, he's gonna suspect two people—you and King. Taking his shipment is bad enough, but hiring us to actually kill his people too, that's a whole other deal to him."

"Don't concern yourself with that."

I frowned. What? What was his angle here?

With one of his dramatic hand flourishes, he told Waterstone, "I have to say, I admire your ability to sense the change in the tide, to go where the power shifts. You have a gift for strategizing far beyond the mere act of taking on a client and completing a job. You can read the power landscape impressively well."

"That means a lot coming from you."

"I'm sure," Dante responded in that arrogant way of his, which had me rolling my eyes. Of course. He rubbed his goatee, the same dark brown as his hair that brushed the collar of his suit jacket, affecting a relaxed stance as he said conversationally, "Your work six years ago was particularly impressive."

I tensed.

Waterstone cocked an eyebrow. "Six years ago? I had a lot going on then."

"Yes, your work with Elijah Bane. Back-to-back contracts, I believe."

"That was a long time ago. You know I've parted ways with him."

"Yes, I'm well aware. He didn't treat you well. His loss, without a doubt."

Waterstone smiled proudly.

I wasn't surprised, Dante was laying it on thick.

To what end, though?

"That could have been a fruitful and very long-lasting partnership, especially with how it started off."

Waterstone frowned, clearly thinking on it. "Ah, right. The King job."

My fingers tightened around the edge of my desk.

"The way in which you were able to make that look like an accident, so much so that it wasn't even questioned by investigators, is another level."

Waterstone tensed and then held up his hand. "Implicating you to give the King kid somebody to target was Bane's idea. He insisted. I wasn't involved in that part, I swear."

"Water under the bridge. I'm concerned with the impeccable work you did, as I have another similar job in mind for you. Much more lucrative than Elijah's compensation too. I pay well for talent. But I need to know what your limits are when it comes to taking on such a contract. So, tell me, why did you decide to accept such a risky endeavor?"

"Well, it wasn't that risky at the time. You see, Bane had been feeding Jameson King bad intel through some of Jameson's top advisors who he'd turned, who now actually work for him after Jameson kicked the bucket. So King was floundering, in a real fucking state. It was primed for Bane to make a massive coup, to take it. All it needed was Jameson out of the picture, his stubborn ass the only thing standing in the way and holding onto that empire with a death grip." Waterstone laughed. "Death grip. Ironic, right?"

"Indeed," Dante responded, tightly.

But it escaped Waterstone's notice as he was far too embroiled in telling his success story as Dante had skillfully manipulated him into doing. With another one of his hand flourishes, he encouraged, "Go on."

"So, yeah, with Bane promising us a big stake in all that once he took it over and broadened his empire to Rossun, we were all in. We took the contract to take out Jameson King and his wife, Laura too. And of course, Wayne Thorn. He was too close to Jameson, Bane was concerned he'd just be able to slide in and take Jameson's empire over for him and keep it afloat. Bane couldn't have that."

"What about Laura King? She wasn't a part of the empire. She was a pediatric surgeon."

"To break the kid, his heir. Killing both parents and all that trauma."

"I see."

"The best part was, we made it look natural. That was my idea. Bane just wanted the three kills. He was flying high on the power trip of it all, but I talked him down, me and my team. So we didn't fuck with the limo that night. Instead, we fucked with that backroad they were traveling down. You know, obstacles and all that? We even removed them afterward and sanitized the area so there was no sign of them, or on the car. That oil tankard hitting them was us directing them right into its path, making it look like their driver just lost control in the dark of the night. The tankard was even driven by one of my team members. He jumped out right before impact and got clear before it careened into the limo. The three targets who weren't dead on the impact with that giant thing were burned alive when it exploded in a violent ball of fire."

I was snarling, my fingers digging into the expensive wood of my desk.

My fucking hands were shaking, my whole body really.

I hadn't felt this level of rage in hell knew how long.

But right now, hearing this after all these years, I could barely contain it.

"Very impressive," Dante spoke, drawing me back from the edge.

From the angle he'd taken, I could see him reaching beneath his suit jacket, but Waterstone couldn't from his position.

"Would've been more impressive if the thing with King had worked out the way it was supposed to. I mean, Bane got rid of Jameson and Wayne, but then Caspian came into the picture. Bane had no fucking clue that he was some kind of genius prodigy. Jameson kept that on the down low, nobody knew. And now that company is eclipsing Bane's empire. Who fucking knew, right?"

"Jameson King was a good man."

Waterstone jolted. "What's that?"

"He was a good man. His wife was a charitable woman. Wayne was also one of the good ones. And their sons didn't deserve to have them ripped away in a convoluted attempt to grab power by an insecure shit like Elijah." Dante drew his gun and cocked it in a split second, training it on Waterstone.

"Fuck!" Waterstone cried, throwing his hands up. "What is this? Was this whole thing—"

"An elaborate setup? Why, yes. Of course."

"Why?"

"Sometimes to acquire the truth, we must go to great lengths. To obtain justice, even." Dante stepped closer, his aim not wavering even a fraction of an inch. "Jameson King was my brother-in-arms. My closest friend. His death was a devastating blow, one I can't even begin to express the intensity of, especially not to a man like you."

"What? No, that's not—there's no record of you two being—"

"My bid to protect him from my sins. For all the good that did him once Elijah got him in his sights."

"Look, like you said, it was Bane, I was just the messenger, yeah? That's all."

Dante ignored that and told him, "Just so you're aware, your entire team has been decimated outside while we've been engaging in this very enlightening conversation. My men are already in the process of disposing of the bodies as we speak."

"You son of a—"

"You said it yourself, Elijah can't know I had anything to do with this arms seizure and disposing of his men. So you'll take the blame. After all, dead men can't talk."

Dante fired, blowing a hole through Waterstone's skull.

As his body dropped to the concrete with a hard thud, Dante strode over there and spat on his corpse.

And then he turned straight toward the camera and smiled. "You have your proof. Now we work on justice."

Jesus Christ.

I switched off the video and locked down my laptop, sinking back against my chair.

It was a lot to process.

After so long, after everything, I'd finally gotten the truth.

Laid bare.

Brutally bare.

Elijah Bane had masterminded the murder of my parents and Bastian's father.

Fucking shit.

I needed to absorb the full weight of it first, before I could begin to strategize the justice that would be delivered upon Bane, the utter decimation and ruin.

I couldn't allow such a complex and dangerous undertaking to be determined while my emotions were running high.

It was more than even that.

Before I engaged in any way, I had to inform Bastian and Caleb.

Bastian, of course, because it involved his father.

And, Caleb, because he'd wanted justice for us for years on end, he'd want to be a part of it.

However, I hadn't told either of them about Jameson King's ring coming into my possession yet, let alone that I'd entered into an agreement with Dante Mancini and he'd now not only proven Bane was responsible for their deaths, but he'd also just made it clear that he wanted to work toward that justice for them together.

Given the change in Bastian lately and the concerns Caleb had expressed regarding his behavior concerning the girl, bringing up anything to do with his father, let alone these details that had finally come to light concerning his murder, the last thing I wanted to do was share this with him. Losing his father was Bastian's Achilles Heel. It had affected him so deeply that he really hadn't been the same since. While losing both my parents had obviously impacted me too, I'd channeled that in a very different way and absorbed it differently too. It was why I was a workaholic, why I'd launched our nightly operations, and why I was a ruthless bastard to my enemies and cut down any threat immediately, why I was Ruin.

But for Bastian, it had broken him.

And even with Caleb and I fighting to help him piece himself back together, we hadn't succeeded, not all the way. Him shutting down had been the only way he'd managed to continue on without hurting himself with the drug and alcohol abuse, the only way he'd been able to find a path through, by not feeling. Now some emotion was breaking through and he was actually reacting lately, it had pointed toward him entering another downward spiral, losing control of everything. He thought I'd brought him here a few days ago to keep him away from the girl, but in truth I'd done it to assess his mental state myself. But he'd locked himself down the entire time he'd been here.

And, so, as distasteful as it was to use manipulation with either him or Caleb, I'd had to with Bastian, and I'd had Caleb feed him information about the girl's parents being out of town, had him emphasize that he would be alone all weekend as Caleb would be with me.

The little push had worked and he'd gone to the girl.

It was a bit of a risk leaving him unattended around her without either mine or Caleb's watchful eye, but it was also necessary that he be free to act without pressure or influence, so that I could truly gauge where his head was at and what his intentions were truly toward her.

I'd know soon enough.

And then I'd make the decision on whether to tell him all the rest, or to delay until I pulled him back here to King Manor and took the time to stabilize him.

A rap on the door of my home office brought my thoughts to a halt.

It could only be one person.

My regular staff keeping my home running smoothly and my security personnel wouldn't dare to interrupt me without a specific appointment on the books. Caleb wouldn't bother to knock at all and rather would just barge on in without any preamble.

My Head of Security, however, was another matter entirely.

"Come in, Luke," I called out, pushing out of my chair and rounding my desk as the door opened.

He stepped inside and closed it behind him, his tactical pants swishing, as he walked further into the room. His black tee strained across his broad chest and those linebacker shoulders of his, the thing tucked into his pants as was his usual way. Not exactly a plus in the presentation and fashion column, but he was all about function over fit. It also served to ensure his Sig P226 nestled in the holster strapped to his right hip didn't go unnoticed for a moment. That was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the menacing edge that he projected to outsiders and my enemies alike. Ex-military and well-seasoned in the private security business, Luke Somers walked with the edge and confidence of a man who excelled at what he did, carrying his experience and skill with him like a well-deserved badge of honor. He was one of my greatest assets, without a doubt. And he was more than even that. Nobody was as close to me as Caleb and Bastian, but Luke was a definite third.

His studious and natural assessing gaze swept over me, silently ensuring all was well just like he confirmed each time he laid eyes on me.

And then it dropped to the ring and he shoved a hand through his black crew cut.

He was upset for me that it had taken years to reacquire my father's ring, yet I still couldn't wear it—outside of the private confines of my bedroom and this home office. I'd had to keep it hidden until things had progressed with Dante's promise of proof. Hidden from Caleb and Bastian. The moment they laid eyes on it a flurry of questions would follow.

Now Dante had come through, it shifted things. Caleb could know. I just didn't like the idea of having him keep it secret from Bastian. It was one thing for me to do it, but now the two of them were living together in such close quarters, it would be harder for Caleb. As a rule, we didn't have secrets between us. I mean, there were aspects of my business—the illegitimate parts—that I didn't necessarily share, but that was because it was of no real consequence and had no effect on them or our friendship.

But this was different.

Beyond the momentary distraction of the ring, Luke didn't waste any more time, reporting in, "The situation regarding Gemma Carlton has been dealt with, as per your specific instructions, King."

"Show me," I said, holding out my hand.

He produced his phone from one of his many pockets, scrolled for a moment, then flipped it to show me the social media account of the problematic element in question.

A Luxe student who Bastian had allowed to take pictures with him during his bid to draw attention from Skylar Bennett had taken it further and used editing software to depict them both in a compromising position and claiming that she had "tamed the wild stallion and become the Prince of the City's lucky princess".

Heaven help me. It wasn't the most ridiculous thing I'd seen when it came to protecting Bastian's public image either.

The photo had gone viral but I'd had it removed, along with any reposting and sharing that had gone on, even anyone who had screen-capped it. Invasive? Yes. Breaking rules and laws left and right? Absolutely. I wouldn't allow the three of us to be at the mercy of anyone or anything. It was bad enough it had hit at all.

I'd also ensured it hadn't been left at that when it came to that foolish student wanting to step on Bastian to achieve her own claim to fame.

"How many has this cost her?" I asked.

"She's lost fifty thousand followers and counting. Over two-thirds."

I nodded and took in the post I'd had a member of my tech team post as her.

I'm a liar and an opportunist. That photo of Sebastian Thorn was fake. He wouldn't look twice at my cheap ass. Unfollow me if you don't like being used and taken advantage of, because you could be next, given what a media whore I am.

"Simple, but effective," Luke commented. "She also won't be able to interact with Bastian on any social media platforms and he won't be able to see hers either."

"Monitor her for the next little while. If she reacts or attempts to approach Bastian, we'll employ harsher methods." I'd fucking well destroy her. The fact that she was a simple college student and that Bastian wouldn't like it were the reasons why I hadn't gone that route immediately.

"Agreed."

Normally, I wouldn't entertain feedback on my orders, but Luke was different.

He wasn't only my Head of Security, and personal security detail. With the trust he'd earned from me, he also functioned as somewhat of a consigliere. That, along with the respect we held for one another afforded an open dialog between us that I didn't entertain with others—outside of Caleb and Bastian.

Before I could move to dismiss him now that particular business had been dealt with, Caleb came bursting in.

Half-naked.

He clearly hadn't expected me to be immersed in business with Luke.

Not while we were undertaking our pleasure marathon all weekend long.

Well, between hydration breaks where I really used the opportunity to return an email or a call, or two.

I couldn't tap out fully from King, not even for a day. Not even on weekends or holidays.

Even though Caleb was baring an awful lot, just wearing a pair of tight crimson boxers that basically molded to his cock and were only serving to emphasize his currently semi-hard state, and then my Tom Ford terry cotton black robe with my CK initials embroidered on it in an elegant script open and revealing every inch of his broad chiseled chest, he didn't even flinch as Luke's gaze fell on him.

He was most confident in himself and given what a gorgeous and highly-edible specimen he was, I wasn't surprised in the least that he'd want to flaunt that.

I didn't care for it, though, and it was all I could do to suppress a growl of possessiveness.

The fact that it was Luke who was beholding him in this state was what helped me to hold it back.

And when Caleb looked my way feigning faux innocence and flashed me that sexy smirk as he eye-fucked me in my black mulberry silk pajama pants and matching long sleeve top only buttoned up halfway, my pendant on full display, along with my wolf tattoo that he enjoyed, that also assisted.

He certainly possessed an effect on me.

And he knew it all too well.

"Well, then, I'll leave you to it," Luke said, his lips lifting into a wry grin.

That was the extent of his reaction.

Not just being the professional that he was, but because he'd seen much worse from me.

One particular time that came to mind was him barging into my playtime at Obscura when a threat had been made on my life and he'd needed to extract me, and the visual he'd been subjected to had consisted of me immersed in a particularly intense primal play scene with two male subs and a Domme.

"Yes, that will be all," I confirmed.

With that, he gave Caleb a chin lift, then left my office, closing the door behind him.

I tossed Caleb a withering look as he walked to me by my desk. "You certainly gave Luke an eyeful."

He grinned. "Do you think he liked what he saw?"

I growled and snagged his nape, jerking him to me.

He laughed and licked my jaw. "Aww, I love you too, Cas."

I released him with a grunt and he hopped up onto my desk.

"You're acting out because I left our bed," I realized quickly.

"If you think referring to it as our bed is gonna take away the sting, think again."

I reached out and stroked his soft blond hair. "What about the herbal tea I left for you?"

"That counts as aftercare for the brutal skull-fucking you subjected me to."

"Which you relished. In fact, you came with barely any stimulation to your cock or ass."

A smile tugged at his lips. "I do love it when you go full-on savage."

"Happy to serve, lovely." He turned into my touch, his cheek nuzzling against my palm. He was such a forthright—and oftentimes dangerous—man, so it made it all the more majestic when he turned into a puppy for me, so soft and loving. Sweet and unguarded. "I'm sorry I had to leave before you woke up. I'd planned to return quickly. Believe me, I didn't want to extricate myself from your warmth."

"I get that you have to check in, but—"

"It wasn't about King."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"I dealt with Bastian's unfortunate social media exposure though that misguided Luxe student."

He breathed a heavy sigh. "Thank God, that shit was bothering him, big time. Even when he was fully shutdown, that was a trigger to him, being used like that."

"Well, it's gone now and it won't resurface. In fact, it's as if it never existed."

He smiled, then frowned too quickly afterward, studying me. He reached out and fondled my shoulders. "You're really tense. What else did you deal with? Sure, that thing with Bastian would piss you off, but it wouldn't get this much of an intense reaction from you. What's happened?"

Before I could respond, his gaze fell on the ring.

He pushed off my desk and came to me, grasping my wrist and studying it up close. "Jesus Christ, is this really it? Your father's ring?"

"It is."

His eyes shot wide, a mixture of awe and shock. "How? How is it here on your finger? After all this time?"

"Dante Mancini."

And now it was out.

Well, it was going to be.

It was time.

He jolted. "What the—"

I pressed a finger to his lips. "I'm going to tell you a story."

He nodded against my finger and then I pulled it away and stroked his hand fondling my ring as I relayed all that I knew, beginning with Dante's initial call that had gone along with the ring delivery, right down to the proof he'd obtained through the video I'd just watched.

When I was done, he didn't speak for several moments—quite a feat for him.

"Fuck," he said eventually. "We finally know who took them from you and Bastian." He started shaking his head. "But, Bane, Cas? Taking him out is a tall order. That empire of his is nothing to sneeze at, and he's so well-protected. I know you had the plan to get at him through his idiotic brother, but that was just gonna be light punishment and a way to warn him off going for your shipments again, making it clear what the price would be to come at you. To actually destroy him and bring that empire crashing down is a whole other thing."

"I'm well aware. It will be a joint effort between me and the Mancini Syndicate. And it will be carefully strategized."

We'd finally be taking out a mutual enemy, one who had maintained too much power for far too long. We'd bide our time, play it safe, and strategize for every eventuality.

And then we'd go for the throat.

We'd spill blood and deliver a brutal form of justice that Bane had long deserved.

Vanquishing him would be about far more than vengeance, though. That was far too short-sighted for somebody as calculating and as careful as me.

No, wiping Elijah Bane off the board would create a power vacuum that I would position and prepare myself to fill the moment he fell.

His downfall wouldn't only be justice, it would also mean my further rise.

"Playing it safe and slow then?" Caleb said, pulling me back to the immediate moment. "Shit, you must be feeling the weight of it. In fact, like I said, I can see it all over you, all the pain and rage… how are you gonna check it to be able to go about it that way?"

"Sublimate."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"Something we all need right now, wouldn't you agree? Is that what you were doing with hacking into the security at Shakers?"

A sheepish expression played on his handsome features. "Uh, I didn't realize you'd gotten wind of that."

"I've known since the beginning."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you obviously needed it. I also wasn't na?ve enough to think that you could simply go cold turkey with all of that when I pulled you from the underground workings of King. I knew it would take time."

"Well, I—"

I brought his hand to my mouth and kissed his knuckles. "I'm not angry with you. Or disappointed. In fact, now that you've managed to crack it and confirm they are performing abusive acts upon their staff, it's time to take action."

"You mean, get back to our nightly activities? That's how you want to sublimate?"

I nodded. "I'll work on the OPLAN over the next few days, once I touch base with Dante about Bane."

"Fuck, yes," he exclaimed excitedly, his relief at being able to unleash his dark side again coming through loud and clear too. "We're finally going to get back down to it."

I smiled and pulled him into me, my voice a rumbling growl, as I spoke our mantra, "Long live Jackals justice."