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We’d been busy putting a plan in place to avoid Gladius coming after us. Putting men we knew and trusted in charge of three of their factions was the perfect solution.
The only one who was truly untouchable was the head of Curiata. We’d found nothing on him. Not even a parking ticket. He was a ghost. But three out of four would be enough.
We knew we had him when his head dropped and his eyes closed. If we released the videos, his life would be over. He was important enough that people would take notice if they saw them. He had a wife and kids. And all he had to do to keep his life together was give up Gladius.
I thought we were being too generous and should have taken him out. But Ariel had been right when she said there were contingencies in place. And if he stepped back, he had the right to name a successor.
They had to be voted in by the other heads first and then go through the trials. But Curiata wouldn’t go against the other factions if they agreed on their successors.
So putting a bullet in each of them wasn’t an option.
Liam tapped his watch. “Time is ticking.”
A short nod was all we needed to move on.
Bernard gaped at us as we filed out of the room. “Hey, aren’t you going to release me?”
Gabriel was the last to leave, stopping in the doorway. “Not yet. We’ll have a chat with your buddies first. And if that goes okay, you have a few phone calls to make.”
He shut the door, and we moved on to the next room. The Aurum leader was still passed out, drool sticking to his chin. He was the head of one of the biggest investment firms in the country—and also skimming millions off Gladius.
“I’ll get the water,” Liam announced.
Gabriel nodded at Hester Landing, a name that invoked envy in some, fear in most. “You think he’ll be as easy?”
“Let’s hope so, because Harold is going to be hard work, and I want to get back to the house.” I was burning up with the need to get back to Ariel.
Liam appeared with a pot of water and dumped the whole thing over Hester’s head. He woke up sputtering, his hair plastered to his head.
“What…?”
He trailed off as soon as he noticed he wasn’t alone in the room. His eyes sharpened, and he sat up straight, ignoring the streams of water running down his face. “Why am I here?”
It was Gabriel’s turn to play, and he didn’t hesitate. Circling Hester, he hummed under his breath. “You’re here because you tried coming after us.”
“For fuck’s sake. I told them taking out your father was a bad idea. We should have never taken the job in the first place.”
“Too late now. And now that we’re on your radar, we want to get off it again. Your buddy Bernard has already agreed to step down.” Gabriel flipped his phone around so Hester could see the screen. “Now it’s your turn.”
His self-assured mask slipped as soon as he read the first few lines of what I knew were transactions that could clearly be traced back to him. “How did you get this?”
Gabriel pulled the phone back. “Does it matter? You only need to know that we have it, and if you don’t step down, we’ll share it with the rest of your team of merry men.”
“How do I know you won’t share it regardless once you get what you want?”
“That’s the best part. You don’t. But do you really have a choice?”
“Fuck you. Do you have any idea who I am? Who you’re up against?”
All three of us rolled our eyes.
“How about I give you a few minutes to think about it? I’ll send a little message to your court in the meantime.” Gabriel fiddled with his phone, a maniacal grin on his face. “Curiata, isn’t it? I’m sure they’d love to hear how nearly thirty million dollars have disappeared.”
I didn’t like the guy, but taking that much money without anyone noticing took some incredible skills. And nobody would have noticed if we hadn’t been digging into every company, property, and family connection we could find.
He jolted in his chair, his face as red as Bernard’s earlier. “I’ll step down. I was going to in the next few years anyway.”
Gabriel tapped the phone on Bernard’s shoulder. “Good choice. We’ll be back.”
