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“Fuck!” Colton said and slumped back against the sofa. He couldn't believe that he’d almost lost his brother. He’d just thought his brother missed the job and that was why he didn’t get paid.

“In order to smooth things over, mom gave them the full payment we’d been paid to do the job,” Nathan said.

“Why did you do it? Take the shot when you knew it was wrong?” Colton asked his little brother, who was old enough to know better.

“Arrogance and my competitive nature. I don’t like to lose.” Nathan said as a matter of fact, then finished off his juice.

“Jesus, Nate,” Colton said and shook his head. “Well, I’m glad it all worked out.”

“We know more about Shadow Fox now,” Ze said.

“And now I really want this plan to work, because even if we are lucky enough to kill him, that’s not the end of it. He isn’t one man… he’s an organization and Jesus, the fucking Castiellos.” Colton shook his head.

“What do you know about the Castiellos?” Raven asked.

Colton sighed. “They’ve never needed our service, that’s for sure.”

“I learned a bit more from what mom had to deal with. Apparently, they’re old dirty money. Like over a century old and have very deep pockets. They live on both sides of the coin like we do. Rico Castiello is the head of the family. Vito, his brother, is the underboss. They are ruthless and will kill anyone who crosses them even a little bit. Their network is vast and international. They were dangerous enough that mom didn’t want to make them our enemy,” Nathan said.

“Now I see why mom wanted to keep that a secret,” Colton said.

“Mom just didn’t want to bring it up anymore. Didn’t think you or Iris needed to know since the crises had been averted. It’s a skeleton in my closet,” Nathan said.

“So, why tell us now?” Ze asked. “I mean, you don’t really know us.”

“Maybe that’s why? Then again, maybe it’s because my brother was willing to die with you. I wanted you to know what you were up against,” Nathan said.

“With me?” Ze questions.

Nathan nodded. “Oh yeah, because that’s what would have happened. Since he insisted on protecting you, he would have made himself an obstacle to be eliminated. Shadow Fox, from what I’ve heard, never misses his mark either.”

“I’ve heard the same,” Colton said.

Ze looked down at his cell phone when it rang to see that his brother was calling him. He answered. Colton and the others watched as Ze conversed with his younger brother, apparently getting quite the earful.

“I’m sorry, I know… listen, can we talk more about this later?” Ze asked Zindel. “I promise I’ll be safe. Okay… I love you too.” He ended the call and sighed heavily.

“Zindel read you the riot act?” Bruiser asked.

Ze nodded. “He wasn’t happy to know what I’d been up to and that I lied to him about it all. I just didn’t want him to worry.”

“Bullshit. You didn’t want him to tell us,” Raven said.

“That too,” Ze admitted.

“I look forward to meeting him.”

“You will,” Ze said.

Colton’s cell began ringing. “Oh, let’s hope this call is good news.” Colton pulled out and answered in their language. “Yes, mom.”

“It’s done, as far as our client knows, we completed the job. He sent the other half of the payment.”

“And what about the other curator, did he cancel the job?”

“Yes, he said that he did as soon as he saw the photos. It was only ever a matter of who would get the job done first. Now, what are your plans for keeping this lie alive?”

“The client won’t be an issue,” Colton said.