27. ~Caspian~

Another takedown slated for tonight.

More Jackals justice to deal out.

So much.

It had been a blur of violence and fucking over and over.

Rinse and repeat.

"Unless it's getting to you? I mean, you already have a lot on your plate with King."

Bastian's words to me at the convention.

At the time they hadn't rung true, as we'd only just begun. Not to mention, I hadn't intended to have us out there every night or at this non-stop pace.

But then I'd seen their reactions to it all, how much they each needed it in their own ways.

To say it was getting to me now would be a definite understatement.

I did have a lot on my plate.

Kingwas a great deal as it was, but now there was also the situation with Elijah Bane and the separate one with his brother, Jett. Both were fraught with complications. After what Skylar had disclosed to us of the abuse and horrific things he'd subjected her to, the urge to take him out had been overwhelming. Not to mention both Caleb and Bastian pushing me to do so. There was also the fact that he was considered an active threat.

But the notion of putting a threat down was one thing and the actual execution a whole other deal.

If I eliminated Jett now, it risked negatively impacting my overarching goal to decimate Elijah and the entirety of Bane Industries.

However, he still needed to be removed as a threat, even if I couldn't actually kill him. There were still ways to do that, it just had to be done covertly without any link to my involvement. Fortunately, Jett being a loose cannon was a thorn in Elijah's side. That was my opening. I could manipulate things in such a way that Jett would be seen as negatively impacting his brother's business. Frame him, basically.

That was already in the works.

It would've been much further along if so much time hadn't been eaten up with our nightly activities, which was where I took care of things outside of the legitimate scope of King.

But our operations had served to bring a sense of peace and happiness to Skylar.

They'd settled Caleb and helped to alleviate his restless state.

And they'd given Bastian an outlet for his rage and frustration and all the overwhelming emotions that he'd been struggling with since opening back up a few months ago for Skylar.

I'd actually hoped that it also proving to bring us closer as a unit would have pushed Caleb to confide in me with the obvious secret he was keeping.

But so far, nothing had come on that front.

Of course I had the means to discover what he was hiding myself. Doing that would violate my own personal rule as well as the promise I'd made the two of them to not use those invasive methods on them.

Besides, my main concern had been with Bastian after I'd noticed he'd been high at the convention.

I'd also discovered that several of my meds had been taken. Even one of my flasks had been emptied. It didn't take much to connect those dots.

But, since we'd been out there as The Jackals, he hadn't exhibited any telling signs of being hopped up on anything, definitely no symptoms that would match the effects of those specific pills that he'd taken from me.

Our work was calming him down, helping him to unleash it in a different way.

So far, it was looking like a brief relapse, not a descent into full-on addiction like it had been before. He appeared to have re-stabilized.

In spite of that, I'd arranged for his doctor to reach out to him under the pretense that it was part of a newly instituted follow-up process to check in with him. Confronting Bastian head-on wasn't a good idea. He'd never reacted well to that and the guilt and shame that could come from that risked pushing him further in that dangerous direction anyway. So I had to use these roundabout methods. For now. Although things were looking better, it was no guarantee.

And when I couldn't be certain, I had to take precautions.

My intercom system buzzed on my desk, pulling me from my thoughts.

I slapped the button and Daria's voice sounded through the space.

"King, my apologies, I know you're working on the King-Tech expansion, but Luke is insisting on seeing you."

I smiled to myself. He could get past anyone, but he'd never even try it with her. He knew better. We all did when it came to her wrath if anyone disturbed me.

"It's fine. Send him in." I'd been expecting him, anyway, although he was a couple of hours earlier than I'd anticipated. Then again, Luke Somers did work fast, even surprising the likes of me with it from time to time.

The door opened and Luke crossed the threshold, shut the door behind him, then took a seat opposite my desk.

I leaned forward. "Did you get it?"

"Yeah, you were right. We were able to pick the offenders up on Rossun surveillance further down from the location of that photo taken of Sebastian and Skylar."

"Offenders? Plural? He has a partner?"

"No, they were two people working for him. These individuals were also at the fight club both times Skylar fought. He's been using them to spy on her, likely to determine how much of a threat she is, how much force he'll need to use if he intends to take her as you're concerned about."

"Get me a location."

"Already done. I hit it myself."

"And?"

"I'm sorry, King, they're both in the ICU. Currently unconscious. We're not gonna be able to get a thing out of them. They're in critical condition as it is."

"Cause?"

"Brutally beaten. The offender broke into the apartment that the two of them shared. No prints, no evidence at all. Everything was wiped clean."

"While the beatings are Jett's M.O., the cleanup isn't."

"It could be an attempt to throw us off."

"Or, Elijah could be involved. Maybe he found out and cleaned up his brother's mess before it got back to you?" He shoved a hand through his crew cut. "The worrying thing—well, beyond the obvious—is that these two helpers of Jett's were long-time residents of Rossun. So, Jett was able to infiltrate the city and get close to you and yours without even being here in person. The good news is he's clearly afraid of you. The bad news is we have no idea how he's contacting or turning these guys, so there could be many more."

I thought for a moment. There was something we weren't seeing here.

"I can look into the fight club angle. You reported that Skylar confirmed that Jett had been traveling around the underground fighting circuits. The club we were at is connected to a network of them, it will take time but I can find out if Jett stayed within that network, then we can pull connections he's made from there, see if these guys fit in with a pattern."

"Enabling us to predict further accomplices he'll use."

"Exactly."

"All right, get to work on that." I screwed up my face.

"What? What are you thinking?"

"We're missing something. Another angle. Let me think on it. In the meantime, follow this path."

As he gave a nod and rose to his feet, my phone buzzed on my desk.

"I'll leave you to it."

I gave him a chin lift, then he took off out of my office, closing the door behind him.

I smiled as I heard Daria giving him shit for the interruption, no matter what the reason was, then locked my door for me. She really was the best.

I snatched up my phone and took in the call display.

Dante Mancini.

Swiping it open, I answered, "King."

"I assume you enjoyed my gift."

The corner of my mouth turned up. "That would be an understatement."

"Excellent. Now, are you ready to seek out justice alongside me?"

"Not only justice. Ruin." I shifted in my chair. "To do this right, it will require a long haul approach. Infiltration. A complicated, multi-pronged strategy."

"I agree wholly."

"Good. Then let's get started, my friend."

"I'll begin putting together something on my end, compile all the intel I have on Elijah and his extensive operations. Pull what you have and we'll connect."

"Seventy-two hours."

"Sounds good."

I smiled as we hung up, sinking back into my desk chair.

Although I didn't like the idea of this taking so long, it was the most optimal strategy given all the constraints associated with such an undertaking.

And the payoff would be immense.

It would achieve justice.

But it would also achieve that which I'd always coveted ever since that dark time six years ago when I'd been orphaned in one fell swoop and lost everything in a blink.

Power.

Once that was secured, everything else could be stabilized.

Dividing up Elijah's empire between myself and Dante would provide a giant step forward in that direction. It would make me damn near untouchable.

It would finally give me a bit of a reprieve from my go-go-go approach and that white-knuckle grip of control I exerted over every little thing because of that deep-seated fear of losing something again.

And the notion of gaining a close ally in Dante Mancini through this long-term operation was also something favorable to me.

It had been something I'd lacked for a long time.

To have somebody at my side who understood the full weight of our work, of helming a mammoth empire, all the strain and expectations that came along with it, would bring me a peace I'd never come close to feeling before.

My phone buzzed again. Pretty much par for the course for me. It never fucking stopped.

I swiped it open to find a text.

Caleb: On for tonight, right?

Caspian: Everything is arranged.

Caleb: Just checking, because I came over last night to treat you to a throat-fuck, but Luke turned me away, said you'd crashed early. Really early for you.

Caspian: Just needed to catch up on some sleep. Fine now.

Caleb: You're sure?

Caspian: Are you?

I winced as I sent the message.

Caleb: Of course. Why?

Caspian: We'll talk after tonight's takedown.

Caleb: About what?

Caspian: That's the point. I've waited and you haven't come to me, continuing to keep secrets. Can you feel it coming between us?

Caleb: Yes. All right. Tonight. After the mission.

Relief sung through me.

Caleb: See you soon. Miss you.

Caspian: Miss you too.

I hung up and took a moment, then returned to work, forcing myself to focus in spite of so much else going on.

Jesus Christ Almighty.

It really and truly never fucking stopped.

"Skylar,take out the hostiles at the south end of the dock. Bastian, secure the two transport trucks and safeguard the hostages," I communicated down the line via my earpiece.

Confirmations from both of them sounded in my ear.

"Good to go," Caleb said excitedly from beside me.

Too excitedly, judging by the way he was shifting around and being incredibly restless since we'd jumped into the unmarked black van to head down here to the Southend Docks, a portion of the area that was controlled by a small syndicate that was working hard—and rather viciously—to be the next up-and-comers. They'd made a bold move from drug running to dipping their toes into the flesh trade. A mammoth mistake on their part.

As they were about to discover up close and personal.

They had two transports coming in tonight to their warehouse. Transports of people.

It was despicable and just the kind of thing The Jackals existed to stop.

I laid my hand on Caleb's shoulder as we crouched down at the north end of the docks, a hundred feet from the entrance to the open warehouse where eight men clad in leather and jeans were milling about, getting ready for the shipment, including the boss of the outfit, a big guy with salt and pepper hair yelling harshly at his puppets. He had quite the temper on him. That worked to our benefit. Those who couldn't control their emotions made mistakes with the greatest of ease.

"Calm yourself, or you'll remain here in the brush until this is done," I warned Caleb.

"And you're gonna take eight of them alone?"

"You know very well that I'm beyond capable of doing so."

He stiffened at that, recognizing that it wasn't merely a threat, that I would actually bench him if I had to. "Fine. I've got it locked down."

"Just make sure that you do."

"I do, Cas."

"After this we'll take a break before any further operations."

"What? No. This is going great. I don't want to stop."

That was the problem—or becoming one.

At first, he'd had it under control, but now I was starting to see signs of his bloodlust resurfacing.

We'd been going at it too hard. I'd been overcompensating for shutting The Jackals down for so long. My bid to keep the three of them happy and give them the outlet they needed.

I watched the transport trucks approaching, saw Bastian's mask over by the south side with Skylar's wig—a purple one tonight—as the two of them broke position, getting ready to complete their respective tasks for this operation.

As the transport trucks drew closer and Skylar bolted into the fray to stop four henchmen who moved out from the south side of the warehouse to greet them, and Bastian darted for the trucks themselves to free the hostages, it created the distraction Caleb and I needed to move in.

I gave the word and Caleb and I burst from our point of cover and sprinted toward our eight targets in the north end of the open warehouse.

Two of them picked up on us and went to draw their guns before we were close enough to deliver hand-to-hand damage. I pulled my Glock and fired off two shots, one to the kneecap of each. It had them shrieking and dropping instantly. They wouldn't be getting back up into the fight now.

"What the fuck?" the boss yelled as he noticed us.

"The Jackals!" another cried.

"That's right, motherfuckers!" Caleb roared as we barreled into the open warehouse and he spun into the closest guy, ripped him over his shoulder, then smashed his boot into his face as soon as he hit the hard concrete.

I didn't have any more time to pay attention, as he ran at two others with his usual enthusiasm, because three came at me.

One had an automatic, the other two brandishing blades.

I swept my leg at the hostile with the firearm—the most immediate threat—destabilizing him enough that his grip faltered on the gun. I was there in the next second, delivering a chop to the inside of his arm, then yanking the gun from his grip with ease. As I kicked him back, leaving him reeling, I spun toward another incoming assault that I felt, smashing the gun into the throat of said hostile. He choked and fell back. I spun the gun in my hand and slammed it into the side of his head. He dropped like a ragdoll and I detached the magazine, then tossed the now useless gun on top of him, while I tossed the magazine several feet outside the warehouse near the brush.

A kick to my back from the third guy jarred me only a little, something he wasn't counting on, because he looked extremely stunned when I leapt up into a spinning kick that sent him careening up onto the raised platform.

I stalked over there, snagging another guy on my way and wrenching his arm up his back. He screamed as I broke it in two places, then yanked him down by it and smashed his face into the platform, putting him out of the fight.

As I watched the hostile I'd thrown onto the platform struggling to get to his feet, shrieks cut into my focus and I swung my head to see Caleb literally ripping into one of the hostiles with a blade, the guy's shirt pushed up and held there by him while he carved into him, blood flowing down over his torso, his guts spilling out. Jesus Christ Almighty.

"Caleb!" I shouted.

He didn't react.

Not even a little.

I watched the boss come at him and he reacted to that, snarling like a beast a moment before he ripped the knife from his current victim, then tossed it… right into the hostile's groin.

I'd never heard a scream like it in my life. And that was really saying something considering what I'd partaken in over the years.

He went down onto his knees crying and shrieking without reprieve and Caleb was there in the next second, twisting the knife, then driving his fingers into the guy's eyeballs. "You sick piece of shit! This is what motherfuckers like you get! You feel that? Who has the power now, huh? Who? Making victims out of them, scarring them for life!"

"Caleb! Stop!"

I moved to bolt over there, but the hostile from the platform was suddenly there, because I'd been severely distracted with Caleb. His fist plowed into the side of my face.

While I only wavered, another was there in the next moment, jumping onto my back.

Caleb's yells and his victim's screams filled my ears.

It was all I could hear, all I could focus on and, before I knew it, I was being driven down to the ground.

Me?

Caspian fucking King.

All of a sudden, the weight was ripped off me. Both of them were gone.

And then Bastian was there giving me a hand-up.

I took it and looked to see Skylar there, disposing of the hostiles in her very impressive and efficient way.

"Fuck me," Bastian choked as he caught sight of Caleb.

I hurriedly reached into one of the pockets of my tactical vest and withdrew a syringe.

Then I sprinted the distance to Caleb, trapped him in a headlock and wrenched him back.

As he struggled against me, I ripped off the cap with my teeth, then sank the syringe into his throat.

I trapped him in a body lock as he continued trying to fight me.

As I did, Bastian knocked out the two remaining hostiles, putting them out of their misery, and finally silencing the stomach-churning shrieks.

It didn't take long for Caleb to weaken in my hold.

"Cas… no… why…."

I supported his head as it started to loll.

And then I felt him go limp completely, passing out.

"Shit," Bastian breathed.

Skylar ran over and Bastian wrapped his arm around her, tucking her into his side.

"Is he gonna be okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Of course," I answered.

But as my gaze met Bastian's, that understanding passing between us and that intimate familiarity with this side of Caleb, I felt the weight of what an awful lie that could turn out to be.