Dasan tossed a glance at his youngest son—a knowing one—then looked back at Akane. "You're Akari's sister, right?"
She smiled, her plump red lips curling seductively but with a hint of menace. "I am."
Ace elbowed Maverick, and when he looked at his older brother, there was definitely disapproval in the Sergeant atArms' expression. Maverick sighed and shook his head. He didn't want to explain himself... at least not yet. The club had just dealt with the mess Melissa's death caused, and he knew his brother and father were thinking he was making the same mistake twice.
"Nice to finally meet you," Dasan said.
Akari nodded, then leaned over, opening the door to the main room so that those attending could enter.
"We'll talk later on the plane," Dasan told Maverick as they walked inside.
Shit, Maverick thought, but pushed it to the back of his mind because more important matters were at hand than his complicated love life, or sex life, as it were.
There was a round table, and one side had a screen and one chair where Alessia settled down, with Nico standing behind her. Dasan took his seat, and Ace and Maverick stood at his sides behind his chair. A minute later, the door opened, and the man they all knew to be that motherfucker, Da Han, swaggered his way toward them, taking a seat. Maverick noted the two men at his side. He knew one was named Chen Yang, but he didn't know the other, who looked to be just as dangerous. He made sure to never let his guard down during the meeting. He had to give it to both the mafia and the triad; they had an imposing presence.
Da Han looked at everyone, then his gaze landed on Alessia. "Mrs. Castiello, will your husband be joining us?"
"He will," Alessia said, then motioned with a wave of her hand, and Nico turned the screen on. The camera was centered on Rico, dressed in a suit and sitting up in his bed, looking very dapper and all about business. "As you see, he was unable to make it in person, but we can now begin negotiations. I'm sure we are all in agreement that we want our members back and in one piece, yes?"
"My children were injured; it's only fair that I return the same treatment to your people," Da Han stated.
"We are in a war; injuries happen, and your children did you proud as they put up quite the fight. Attempting to pay us back with an eye for an eye would not be wise," Alessia warned.
Da Han snarled, and Maverick's gaze studied the two men with him. Definitely trained killers, but so were he and Ace. Akane was waiting just outside of the room in case shit kicked off while Akari stayed with Rico.
"Fine," Da Han said. "Let's get down to business. I'm not leaving my cities. For one, we were there first; secondly, we didn't start this war."
On the contrary, you did when you attacked us first,Rico signed, and Alessia translated for her husband.
Maverick watched as Da Han's gaze panned from the screen to Alessia, then back to Rico. Zhang leaned down and whispered something into Da Han's ear, and the Dragonhead nodded.
"When you started dealing drugs in my city, I considered you encroaching on my territory. So, you started it. Pushing the Mancini family out of the city was just your first move. I don't allow my enemy to get the jump on me," Da Han said.
We can waste time debating about who started this war, or we can talk about how we're going to end it, Rico said.
Again, Maverick watched Da Han's man lean down and whisper into his ear. Da Han's eyes rolled, then he cleared his throat. Maverick looked at the man as he stood straight again, and he realized the guy was also translating.
"It would seem that you don't trust me to translate my husband's words accurately, or yours," Alessia said as she noticed the same thing Maverick did, and he was sure he wasn't the only one.
"I just want to make sure that nothing is being missed in the details where the devil lives," Da Han said. "In any case,my bringing up who started this war lends credence to my demands. Had I been the one to move in on your territory and start shrinking your profit margins, I'm sure you'd find me a threat that needed to be dealt with. Having said that, let's move forward. Like I said, I'm not leaving my cities, but I'm willing to share the territory."
What makes you think you have any ground to stand on to make such demands?Rico asked.
This time, the man who'd been translating didn't bother to whisper and instead translated Rico's words into Mandarin. "You have my children, but I also have your people."
Vito can find another lover, and the Lords will mourn their member and move on. But your legacy will be hurt more if two of your children die,Rico signed.
Dasan's jaw tightened at the ruthless comment, but he wasn't surprised. He knew Rico was a fucking rattlesnake. Maverick noticed the very slight tension in his dad's jaw, but he didn't say anything, especially not if his father was remaining silent. Besides, it wasn't his place to speak anyway.
After the translation, Da Han frowned and then nodded. "Yes, killing my oldest son and daughter would be a major blow. But I also have two younger brothers and sons who can take over the family business. And will Vito forgive you if you allow his lover to die? Will your alliance with the Lords survive your betrayal? Are you willing to be that stubborn and greedy to risk more than you'll gain?"
For the right price, everything can be resolved,Rico said.
"Then let's start naming prices. You first," Da Han said. His boy behind him must have been doing one hell of a job translating because Alessia didn't interfere. It would seem that Rico was getting his point across. Maverick figured Akari was translating for Rico on the other side. Rico might also be ableto read lips as well; either way, there weren't any issues with communication.
Like you said, we both have leverage, and I have big plans for the future. If we share the territory, the Lords get a piece of the pie, meaning your Jade Dragon triad will need to vacate the cities where the Lords are.
"Those cities are big enough for all of us. For instance, in New York, say we each take a borough," Da Han countered.
