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🕑 Added 2024-12-25 05:42:56 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 73 - Meeting
Dante was looking at his reflection while standing in the elevator. After a long night of rest, the time had come to meet Susie again, but under different circumstances.
The agents under his command were everywhere, and it only took pressing a button for them to come to his aid. However, there was nothing to worry about—or at least, that's what he thought.
Still, the reason he was at this hotel was to take care of some pending matters, and he didn’t want to be disturbed by anyone.
"You look good." Susie spotted him as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. As they both walked toward the door, she added, "This is a nice hotel to stay in. I don’t even want to ask how you got access to it."
"Is there anything we need to do before you introduce me to your brother?"
"Yeah, we need to find an idiot who owes us money." Susie walked to her truck, ready to drive.
Dante, who was mentally exhausted, asked, "So now I work to collect debts for you? Why don’t you just tell me about the enemies you’re dealing with?"
Susie, driving the truck, gave him a strange look and said, "We’re going on our first date together in London. Didn’t I tell you last time that I’d give you a tour around the country when you came?"
"That’s true…" Dante nodded, remembering her words. Knowing that she was the one who resolved the organization’s problems, he found it understandable.
But being in a different country required him to act differently. It was far from ideal to stir trouble in a place where his power was just a fraction of what it usually was.
This time, they were headed to a nearby town after receiving word about someone who owed Susie’s organization money.
"Never mind, I’ll tell you about the ones giving me a headache," Susie said, checking the time before explaining. "Stanley Johnston. That man is an aristocrat and a global methamphetamine producer. He’s had deals with socialists and spoils them like some kind of patron."
"So, if he knows about my presence here and my connection to Felipe Lobos’ cartel, your problems might escalate," Dante said, still uncertain if his presence was known in certain circles.
Susie, puzzled, glanced at him and asked, "Haven’t you kept your identity hidden?"
"I have, but do you remember that meeting I took you to? I never thought your enemies could have tracked you back to it. Now that I’m here with you without disguising myself, they might know who I am." Dante realized he hadn’t been very careful about concealing Susie’s appearance at that meeting.
Perhaps at the time, he wanted to ensure his relationship with Susie was stable. But this mistake, which he only noticed later, could cost him dearly in the future.
"Does someone want to kill you?"
Dante replied calmly, "A lot of people want to kill me. But as you’re explaining it, your family is in serious trouble. Going up against someone as powerful as the man who wants your family’s business is suicide."
"Is it really that bad?"
"In an organization like yours, brute strength isn’t something you can rely on. You’ve practically never been in conflict with other organizations. Now, going against someone so powerful, who’s been in the cocaine business for years, is really bad."
Dante’s words carried a heavy weight of experience.
He understood how powerful a man in the cocaine trade could be. It was precisely why he never went up against Felipe Lobos. In his situation, facing someone so formidable would freeze all his operations.
But now, knowing Susie needed his help, he had to come up with a plan to get her and her family out of this mess with minimal damage.
"From what I’ve heard about that man, he doesn’t attack others without a clear reason. So, we have a chance to negotiate. Depending on what you want, the situation can be resolved without any war."
"But we won’t sell our business."
"Do you prefer to die?" Dante looked directly into Susie’s eyes. They both knew the answer to that question.
"My brother wouldn’t let them take our business…"
"He seems comfortable living off fights. From what I see, he has the potential to become a professional fighter." Dante used this to remind her that his proposal still stood.
Susie was about to respond when she noticed a vehicle behind them that looked exactly like theirs.
