There was a pause, and then another voice came over the phone. "If your rashness ruins my husband's plan to end this war, are you ready to face the consequences?" Alessia asked.
Vito closed his eyes and took a deep breath to center himself before he could respond. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.
"Wait, but stay out of their sight. Don't let them know you're there. If we need to give you the go-ahead, be ready. Otherwise, wait for Rico's word," Alessia said.
"And what if they hurt Zindel to add pressure to us? Do you expect me to sit here and wait?"
"Yes, because I expect you to trust your brother, Vito," Alessia said.
"Fuck," Vito hissed. "You have ten minutes before I go in, and whatever happens after that, I'll take the punishment, but I'm not leaving Zindel in the hands of my enemy a minute longer."
"They also have Snoopy. If your actions hurt the Lords' chance to get their member back alive and cost Rico this very beneficial alliance, are you ready for those consequences?"
Vito lowered the phone and threw his head back in exasperation. Again, he closed his eyes and dropped his head to calm his rage. Nathan watched the man's reaction and knew the war he was fighting within: loyalty to his family vs. the love he had for his man. It was one of the reasons he had never bothered to get into a relationship before. Love was a man's weakness. He loved his children, but they could also handle their own, so he didn't worry about them the way he would worry about a lover not used to his world. That was what made Bailey different, and the fact that Bailey wanted to learn how to protect himself made Nathan happy.
Vito sat up straight and put the phone back to his ear. "I'll wait for Rico's word."
"Good. You'll hear from us soon," Alessia said, then the call ended.
"Fuck," Vito cursed again, then he made some calls to let his team know about the change of plans.
"The good thing is that I'm sure they don't know we know where Zindel is. That's your advantage," Nathan said.
"I know. I just don't like what happened. I told Zindel to stay inside, and I will ask him why he didn't listen when I get him back," Vito said.
"From what I know of Zindel, he can be testy," Nathan said.
"A pain in the ass sometimes, but he's mine." Vito settled against the leather seat of the vehicle, and even though he remained silent, Nathan knew the man was on edge.
Only time will tell what their next move would be.
Chapter twenty-six
Da Han
DaHansatathis desk in his office. With him were Chen, who would soon be handing over his duties to Zhang Ying when the war for territory was over.
"Are you going to make the call now?" Chen asked Da Han.
Da Han nodded. "Yufei pulled it off and snatched one of the Lords when he wasn't with the others. That fucking club had been under lockdown, and it was hard to get to them. But I want them to know that they can still be reached. Since they're helping the Castiello family, I'll contact Rico first and order themto vacate my cities. Lords too." He turned to Zhang Ying. "Have you heard back from Li?"
Zhang shook his head. "Not yet, boss. I called him about ten minutes ago."
Da Han frowned, then pulled out his cell to call his son when it started ringing. He didn't recognize the number, but he answered anyway, putting the phone on his desk and placing it on speaker. "Who is this?"
Zhang, Jun De, and Chen listened carefully to the conversation they had been anticipating.
"Nico Castiello, calling on behalf of my brother, Rico."
"Ahhh, I suppose you've heard that I've captured Vito's boy toy. Don't worry, my men are taking good care of him... for now. We also have one of the Lords' men too. Seeing as you've called me first, I suppose you're willing to negotiate," Da Han said with an air of arrogance.
There was some silence, and Da Han figured Nico was translating into sign language what he had said. He could wait; he had the patience.
"Yes, we're well aware that you have Zindel and Snoopy," Nico said.
Da Han rolled his eyes at the biker's road name, but he was happy that they knew the ball was in his court.
"So, are you ready to leave my cities?" Da Han asked.
