Page 68 of The Collector
He shook his head. "If it weren't for Stoker and Shelby, I'd have no one. But I think. I plan. If this thing explodes, I won't be scrambling for a scapegoat. We'll have already handled it. And I'll be the leader you and the Godfathers want—when you're ready to stand down."
His father slammed his hand on the table, each word punctuated by the crack of knuckles on wood. "Just don't be the fool who thinks the system will spare him because he played nice. Wake up. The rules don't bend for people like us—they break us if we let them. That's why we operate above them."
Raven's jaw tightened. He balled his fist under the table, holding back the fire. "Then maybe it's time to rewrite the rules," Raven said, standing his ground. He met his father's glare without flinching. "I'm done being a soldier in your crusade for power without logic. We either run this organization together—or I walk."
He didn't bluff. He didn't soften the blow.
He drew the line and dared his father to cross it.
The arrival of Raul and two of his associates at the door brought each one of the guards in the room to life. Raven listened to the chatter of the security team on his earpiece. He looked at his father and nodded, trying to regain his composure. His father nodded, a silent agreement that this conversation needed to continue after the meeting.
Raven gritted his teeth as the guards escorted the men to the table. He tracked every step, every glance, every twitch of hesitation. The chairs scraped against the floor, sharp and deliberate. He didn't blink. He didn't speak. He watched.
He read their body language like a map—who looked defiant, who looked scared, who avoided his eyes. Raul looked like a smug prick as he approached them. If he had known what his father had just told him about how he'd gained his influence before agreeing to make this all possible, he wouldn't have accepted the Stallions' terms. He would have sought another outlet for trafficking the merchandise.
Revisiting this was going to be just as frustrating the second time as it had been the first. Raven had been hoping to address some of these issues before the meeting. Either way, this meeting was about to take place. He refocused his thoughts as the men approached the table. He stood and extended his hand to Raul. The slender man was close to the same age as his father, but his build told the story of a man who had taken way better care of himself. And from the cocky look on his face, he was very aware of that fact.
"Raven, my boy, great to see you." He said as he took a seat at the table, the smile on his face broad but not quite reaching his eyes. An apparent dig at Hector. The other three men followed suit. Hector nodded in recognition to the man.
"Hector— still getting fat off the milk and honey of California, I see."
"Same old Raul, great at talking shit, but not so much on the follow-through. Let's hope for both of our sakes your abilities have improved." Hector replied, cold eyes set hard, unblinking as he assessed the man with a face of stone.
"Gentlemen, for the sake of this evening's meeting—let's leave the past where it needs to be in the past. The deal we have come together to discuss tonight will make us all rich. Orricher than we already are." Raven said. "We are all aware of the terms— my father and I have spoken in great detail about what our part in this transaction will be, and he and I agree on our responsibilities. All that's left to decide is the split and scheduling."
Raul spoke first, as if he were eager to look important. "Stallions have everything in place for distribution and transportation. We're ready to execute the plans as soon as we have reached an agreement tonight."
Hector started coughing, his face turning red. He reached for his glass and took a sip of his drink. But the cough didn't subside. He gasped for air, clutching at his throat.
The moment seemed to unfold in slow motion for Raven as the cough worsened; he heard chairs scraping on the floor and the sudden movement of bodies as everyone began to panic. Time stood still as they all waited for the coughing fit to subside.
Raul stood after a shared look with one of the other men at the table. It was a subtle exchange that ended with a nod. Raven, now at his father's side, saw the blue veins in his neck pulsing and his eyes bugging out before he stopped suddenly, the resounding thud of his head slamming to the tabletop bringing the room to a silent standstill.
It was the look on his father's face. Not confusion. Not grief. Recognition. That pulled him out of his shocked disbelief.
Had his father been right about Raul? Would he do anything to see him dead? Even if it meant sealing his fate with Raven and the Kings?
Two of the men managed to get shots off before they were taken into custody by security. The plastic single-shot guns had somehow made it through their shake-down at the door.
"Take them all into custody, "Raven spoke with urgency, "Take them to the basement sub-level and hold them until we get to the bottom of this. And secure Mynx from the stage. I want eyeson her at all times until she's back at my side. Call Dr. Emily and have her examine my father right away! Lock down the club, no one leaves until we have answers."
Men moved in a blur all around him, following the frantic orders.
Raven put his fingers to Hector's carotid artery. No pulse. He was gone. Raven's head spun.
What happened? Was he poisoned? Did he have a heart attack?Until he got an answer, no one would leave this club.
He locked eyes with Mynx as she stood motionless on the stage. Her gaze fixed on his enraged face. The shock he saw in her eyes told Raven she now saw him fully—the killer, the King.
Two guards were approaching her. As much as he wanted to comfort her, it was time for him to be the man his father had trained him to be his whole life.
Judge, Jury, and Executioner.
He watched his father being carried away to the dressing rooms to wait for the doctor. A lone tear escaped, he turned on his heel and hurried to the sub-basement to start his interrogations.
Chapter 19
Mynx