Chapter 2: High Stakes

Getting home late that evening, I locked myself in my room. Half an hour later, I heard yelling of Caylan and the scolding of Amanda. I always stayed clear of their fights and left Bai to handle them.

“Amanda, I suggest you mind your own business!” Caylan yelled.

“You will not smoke in this house, Caylan!” Amanda yelled back.

“Shut up the both of you before you make Killian come over,” Bai interjected.

After a while, I heard them quiet down before they walked into their rooms. A few minutes later, Bai knocked on my door. “Killian, are you asleep?”

I pretended to be asleep as he stood outside my door, huffed, and left. Walking to my bed, I lay down and sleep engulfed me.

Early the next day, Bai and I prepared to attend the council meeting. This was a biweekly meeting between the mafia families that formed the council. Zoya Mio always chaired the meetings as I rarely said a word unless necessary.

Amanda had already left the house for a field trip early in the day. After dropping Caylan to the university, the driver sped down the highway as Bai went over the notes for the meeting.

“Killian, should we bring up the matter of the new CIA director in the meeting?” Bai asked.

“No.”

“Okay,” he responded with a nod. I did not want to discuss Director Vance Adira with anyone.

We arrived at the resort where the meeting had been planned and found out that the council members had already settled into the conference room. To separate the Ryuu Holdings group from the mafia, the meetings had to be planned offsite. The resort was private and owned by one of the mafia elders. Hence, it was easy to have the meeting without raising suspicion.

Upon entry into the conference room, the sight of Uncle Nemesio seated near my chair irked my brain. I knew that he was just minutes away from irritating me and I heard Bai whisper behind me, “Speak less and let me handle him.”

We sat down and Zoya Mio chaired the meeting. Bai took over and ran us through the financial status and the next three months' plan. The meeting ran smoothly until Zoya got to other businesses and asked if anyone had something to report.

Uncle Nemesio cleared his throat and Bai muttered under his breath, “Here we go.”

“Killian, have you heard the news about the new CIA director?”

“Yes,” I responded noncommittally. The damn b*stard must have done his homework. I was hoping no one would bring this matter up, but Uncle Nemesio had a way of always rubbing me the wrong way.

“You don't seem bothered that he is a cutthroat agent who can't be bought. It puts the families at risk,” he pressed.

“And?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Is there a plan of action to ensure we protect the families?” he asked.

The murmurs from family members made me angry. He was arousing doubts and creating a conflict with his words.

“Why are security matters being brought into such a meeting?” Bai retorted.

“You are not part of the mafia family,” Uncle Nemesio stated coldly.

“Uncle, this is the last time I will say this. Linus Bai saved my life. I would not be here without him. He is part of my family and my most trusted aid.”

Uncle Nemesio's fake smile was evident as he muttered, “I apologize, Killian.”

“I do believe the right name is Chairman Killian,” I responded coldly.

There was silence in the room, and Uncle Nemesio nodded. “Chairman Killian, the matter of security is important to all the family members. We need to have a plan to deal with the new CIA director so that our business operations are not exposed. I propose that I take over the matter of dealing with him.”

“How do we deal with him?” one of the council members asked.

“We make him work for us,” Uncle Nemesio said proudly.

Bai shook his head while Zoya Mio responded, “Uncle, will he agree?”

“I have my ways. I know the CIA like the back of my hands,” Uncle Nemesio boasted.

The thought of Uncle Nemesio going near Vance Adira made my blood boil. There was no way I would let a crook like him go near my new obsession. I would be the one dealing with him.

Leaning back on the chair, I announced, “On this matter, I will handle it personally. I read his file and made a few calls to Washington DC. Director Vance is not to be trifled with. He is a man who excels and cannot be corrupted.”

“It's not the chairman’s job to handle such a matter,” Zoya Mio gave her opinion.

“But it depends on the level of the matter being handled,” Bai interjected.

“I doubt any of us can handle this. I will be sending the mafia's most trusted ghost Daxia to infiltrate the CIA and make sure we remain protected,” I snapped coldly. “I doubt that having the director over on our side will be possible.”

The whole room remained silent. To the mafia, Daxia was a ghost and only Bai knew that I was Daxia. We had created him when the families were in danger one time. And the CIA had been looking for him for a long time. The mafia families feared him since they never knew who he was while the CIA racked their brains trying to arrest him.

“Daxia has saved us numerous times. We shall leave this to you,” an elder from the council announced.

I turned to look at Uncle Nemesio whose eyes remained downcast.

“Is there anything else?” My eyes blazed coldly as I stared at each member. I was waiting for someone to challenge my authority on the matter. When no one spoke, I nodded. “Thank you all for coming. Stay safe and if there is anything that I need to communicate, I shall inform Zoya Mio.”

“Chairman Killian, aren't you going to stay for lunch? We had already prepared everything,” Zoya Mio politely asked.

“I have other meetings to attend to,” I responded.

I walked out of the conference room with Bai hot on my heels. “That f*cking b*stard,” I muttered when we walked down to the waiting car.

Once we left the resort Bai was the first to speak. “Killian, I have never seen you lose your cool ever. What’s going on?”

“It's nothing. You know Uncle Nemesio has a way of getting on my nerves.

“Tsk,” Bai smiled. “You can fool everyone else but not me. It's more than that.”

The ride to the office was a quiet one and once I entered my office, I noted that Bai remained behind to give me space to be alone and ease my anger. The thought of anyone going near Vance Adira made my blood boil in anger and jealousy. I was already obsessed with the man even before setting my eyes on him.

I sat at my desk and buried myself in work. An hour later, Bai walked into my office carrying a mug of coffee. He placed it on my desk and then walked to the opposite side and sat down. He leaned back and waited.

I picked up the mug and sipped the coffee calmly. Placing the mug on the desk, I murmured, “What is it?” I knew what he wanted but I was not about to fess up to him.

“Are you gonna tell me or should I squeeze it out of you?” He smirked.

“There is nothing to tell,” I denied.

“So, you prefer I take the hard way?” Bai's amused voice was evident.

“You keep nagging me,” I complained and picked up the mug to sip my coffee.

“Director Vance Adira arrived in New York this morning ahead of the planned schedule,” Bai announced.

I spat out all the coffee that was in my mouth. Bai laughed out loud as he picked up the box of tissues from the corner of the desk and handed them over to me. Wiping the coffee from my mouth and desk, my hand shook. Bai sat back staring at me with amusement.

I threw the tissues in the bin and picked up the mug to place it in the office coffee corner. No more coffee for me after his announcement. I went back to my desk and closed my eyes to calm my body down.

“Come clean, Killian,” Bai said.

“I read his file,” I confessed.

“And?” Bai pressed with a raised brow.

“We are in deep trouble. He is not the kind of guy that would let us be. I have a feeling he is in New York because some of the minor mafia families keep misbehaving. I know that they all have territories but being rogue will expose us. They must be building a case against us.”

“God, you really are always tight-lipped. Would it kill you to admit that he has impressed you? Just one look at his picture and you are whipped,” Bai commented.

“Why are you then pushing me to say it, and yet you know the truth,” I complained.

“Would it kill you to admit it?” Bai pointed out.

“Yes,” I affirmed.

Bai laughed hard; his eyes were filled with tears. “Oh, Killian, you truly are something else.”

“You purposely put the picture there,” I accused.

“But seriously, what are we going to do? You know very well that even if you send yourself to him, he will not be easily fooled,” Bai argued.

I knew what Bai meant by sending myself to him. It was all about Daxia.

“It's better than trying to buy him off. Sending Daxia to him will divert his attention from the mafia families. In the meantime, get the teams to clean up any mess that can lead it back to us. Ask Sep to recruit new cleaners.” Sep Benjamin was my head of security. Everyone feared him because he rarely talked and was lethal.

“That's an order, Killian. I would urge you to always take Leif with you.”

Leif Rowan was my bodyguard. He was recruited by Sep since they served together in the Marines. They were the best in the field, and I had gone out of my way to have them on my team.

“I hate being shadowed but at this point, it is necessary,” I admitted.

“Amanda called me last evening,” Bai informed me.

“That brat. Do you still have someone shadowing her? She has been maxing out her credit card. What the hell is she doing?”

“Shopping, ice cream parlor, library, and home,” Bai responded. “It is the same over and over. She is a good kid,. Killian”

“I don't doubt otherwise. But the world is cruel, Bai. We need to protect her always. What about Caylan?” I asked.

“I am sorry to say this, but Caylan is a magnet for trouble. He has been spending time at Uncle Nemesio’s ranch.

He says he goes to the ranch to ride horses, but I suspect there is more to it. Your uncle is what we call a bad influence,” Bai reported.

“Caylan is getting rebellious day by day,” I groaned.

“We need to watch out for him. Amanda was scolding him for smoking last night,” Bai muttered.

“I know. I heard,” I responded.

“How? We all thought you were asleep,” Bai bemused.

“I chose to stay out of these arguments and let you handle it,” I jested.

“You are such a headache.” And we laughed at his statement.

“We need to shadow Uncle Nemesio. I have left him unattended for too long. And now that he showed interest in Director Vance Adira, I would not leave anything to chance.”

Bai smirked and stated, “You would not let anything get in your way, you mean.”

“However you want to interpret it,” I said and dismissed him with my hand.

He only shook his head and laughed as he walked out of my office.