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🕑 Added 2025-02-20 02:18:45 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 146 - The Other Side of the Coin
"Where is your brother?" John asked as he stared intently at his daughter Beth, who was visiting.
Beth thought for a moment. She wanted to tell the truth, but she couldn’t. "As far as I know, he went to Mexico for business..."
"Have you investigated his sources?"
"No, I'm afraid it's more extensive than we imagined."
The questions John was asking about his son Dante's business dealings needed answers. That task had been given to his daughter Beth, who so far had not found much.
But what they had realized was that the income they were receiving from those businesses Dante was involved in was far greater than what they earned in a year.
How was it possible that Dante was making so much money?
John wanted to find out if his son was involved in illegal businesses, but so far, he hadn’t discovered anything.
"You need to find out. We have to protect your brother if he's in danger."
"I don't think Dante is in danger. What I believe is that he is the danger, Dad." Beth had indeed found many things about her brother that unsettled her.
Where did the money come from for all those properties around Montana that were under her brother’s name? Not only that, but Dante now owned all of Dan Jenkins' properties. The value of all that land was in the tens of millions of dollars.
Beth knew her brother was intelligent, but that didn’t mean she would let him do whatever it took to protect the family, as he always had.
Dan’s death had been sudden, right after their father had an accident, and no matter how much she wanted to ask about the mysteries surrounding that death, something told her that her family was involved.
"On a different note, do you agree with having armed guards at the ranch entrances?" Beth had noticed that security in Yellowstone had increased since Dante returned from New York.
John sighed and said, "They’re trustworthy. After all, the company that employs them now belongs to our family."
"Is that why you're worried?" Beth briefly looked at her father before standing up and saying, "I'll keep investigating. I'll have answers as soon as possible."
When Beth left, she took out her phone and called a number that would surely have the answer to her question. "Susie, it’s Beth. Do you have time to talk?"
"Is this something we need to discuss in the middle of the night?" Susie wasn’t annoyed, just intrigued by whatever Beth wanted to ask.
"It's about Dante. Do you think I should wait?"
"No, come to my ranch. I'll be waiting for you," Susie replied in a neutral tone, acting as she always did.
Beth ended the call, walked to her vehicle, got in, and drove away from the ranch. She knew that some of her questions could be answered by Susie, who was now her brother’s woman and, apparently, the person he shared the most with.
…
Private Ranch, Montana
At midnight, Beth arrived at this ranch, where security was also tight.
"Did my brother put security at this ranch just for you?" Beth had become a close friend of Susie, and the two respected each other.
Susie smiled deliberately and said, "The wolves in Montana are dangerous. By the way, what brings you to my house at this hour?"
"I have some questions about my brother that I think you can answer."
"I don’t think I have the right to tell you private things that Dante hasn’t shared with you. I know you're his sister, and you have the right to know many things about him, but this time, I can’t say anything."
Beth’s eyes revealed a certain gleam, now understanding many things she had only just begun to uncover. "Do you have any idea what my brother is doing in Mexico?"
"Yes, I suppose I do..." Susie nodded as she walked into the cabin and headed to the kitchen to serve Beth a cup of coffee.
Beth pushed the coffee aside and asked again, "Then, what is he doing?"
"He's making deals with his partner while taking care of the competition." Susie thought carefully and said only those words. She knew that if Dante’s family found out what he was doing, they would become accomplices.
If Dante were ever caught and had to flee, no one in his family would be implicated in something they barely knew about.
It wasn’t hard to see that now that Beth wanted to learn more about Dante and his businesses.
"If you investigated properly, you'd know that Dante has good connections. His partners are quite powerful, and the people who work for him are trustworthy." Susie sat across from Beth, took her cup of coffee, and said, "But the best thing for everyone is for you to wait and ask Dante those questions when he returns."
"Yeah, I suppose I was asking too much about my brother’s secrets..." Beth stopped insisting on the questions she wanted to ask Dante.
But she still observed Susie closely. This woman seemed to have absolute confidence in her brother—something that was not at all common in women.
Dante had been away from the ranch for a long time, so anyone would have questioned whether it was worth staying in the relationship.
Susie, on the other hand, seemed to have no problem with Dante being away.
That told Beth that the connection they shared was much stronger than just a couple thinking about marriage.
"Just one thing, is there any reason Dante would have left so much security at this ranch?" Beth just wanted to get whatever information she could.
Susie smiled deliberately and said, "Like I said, the wolves in Montana are dangerous."
"Is that so?"
"Hmm. By the way, do you know that Dante is supporting Jamie to become Montana’s Attorney General? Although there’s also the possibility that instead, he’ll back him to become mayor."
"That idiot?"
Jamie’s political career was beginning to receive Dante’s support, as he wanted his brother to find his own path to fight for.
Unlike his other siblings, Dante knew that Jamie’s value in political power was much greater than being a livestock agent like their brother Lee.
Not even John’s authority over Montana compared. What was truly worthwhile was the political power Jamie could achieve.
"Tell me more."
…
City in Arizona
Safe House
Dante, who had now received medical attention and rested, got a call from Susie, updating him on everything happening back home.
"Damn it. I’ll have to go back home as soon as I’m done with the brothers," Dante muttered after ending the call.
"Boss, the Jiménez brothers have been brought in and are waiting in the basement."
"That easy?"
"They moved more than half of their security to attack the safe house where Felipe and his people were. It was easy for us to get in."
"Then let's go have a chat."
Comments
Nato J
Dante: It's like I am a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. So, much trouble.
Nato J
Hope Dante has good ID's and passports for different disguises when he travels, so his real identity remains hidden.
Nato J
Dante will need to get onto his accountants about why his own sister Beth can see his own businesses and the money they make showing that he is making more than his companies can make above their means. IRS can be a pain if they look into it deeper.
