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🕑 Added 2024-12-24 07:26:42 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 71 - Taking Responsibility
"I want you to take Robert's family to your new ranch along with his children. You can build a cabin away from your own so they can start fresh." Late at night, Dante shared these words with Kayce, hoping he would agree to care for the children of the man Dante had killed.
His family would be shattered; an important figure for his brother's wife had died at the hands of someone close to him. It was a heavy burden to bear.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Kayce, you didn’t kill Robert; I did. If you want to torture yourself with this secret, then I’ll tell your wife myself that I killed her brother." Dante was serious—he would do anything for his family.
He knew there were better ways to protect them, but he didn’t want them to live with the weight of the secret.
Kayce shook his head and said, "That will never happen. I’d rather tell them myself that I was Robert's killer than let them know it was you."
In this family, a brother wouldn’t betray another—this was a principle the Duttons had learned and lived by.
"I'm going to bed."
Dante was left alone. It was the dead of night, and no one was outside the cabins.
Walking back alone, Dante spotted a figure standing at the entrance of the main cabin—it was none other than his father.
"It’s too late for a midnight stroll." John sat down without sparing Dante a glance. Dante walked over and sat beside him.
"I was with Kayce."
John nodded slightly, then said, "I saw both of you. I saw you too."
"Did Lee tell you?"
"He said you did what was necessary to save him. I just want you to know I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe." John, as a father, wouldn’t abandon a son, especially one in need of help and deserving of it.
Dante had done what he could to save his brother, which spoke more about him than a thousand words ever could.
That sense of family unity was what he had been searching for, without success, until now.
"I’ll be fine." Dante wasn’t comfortable talking directly about the issue at hand either.
"How about becoming a livestock agent?"
"Can I? I don’t think it’s a good idea." Dante thought about how much time this would take and instead said, "But I’ve discovered a way for our family to move closer to peace—by pushing Jamie’s political career."
"Politics?"
"There are many things we can’t do outside the law. But having someone in politics would give us unparalleled power and the assurance that Montana’s future decisions would support us as long as Jamie is there." Dante had found a cause to back his brother.
John, momentarily forgetting what they were talking about, said, "I don’t know. I don’t want him in politics."
"But he’s already in it and will stay there even if we don’t support him. Why not do it now? We have the tools to boost his career and help him find fulfillment in life. I think we should." Dante wanted to keep discussing Jamie until he received a phone call.
"Susie?" Dante was surprised Susie was calling at this hour.
"Zzz… Have you forgotten about me so quickly? I considered coming back to remind you I exist, but time feels shorter every day."
"You’re always on my mind, but with all the work piling up at the ranch, it’s impossible to find time to call you. How’s your family’s business going, and what about that new partner you mentioned?" Dante’s tone shifted to a friendlier one, surprising even his father, sitting next to him.
John, unsure how to convey to his son that everything would be fine—even if he had killed a man—listened to Dante’s tone change and muttered, "Good heavens, you barely help with ranch work and tell that poor girl you’re too busy."
"Don’t ruin things with your future daughter-in-law, or I’ll end up single like Lee, and you’ll have no grandkids to spoil." Dante told his father, who, for a moment, didn’t know how to respond.
"Yes, that would be a shame." John was annoyed because, for a moment, he imagined the ranch full of grandchildren. With so many children, he had only one grandson he barely knew. Life had certainly been challenging.
Completely unbothered by his father’s annoyance, Dante told Susie, "Who am I talking to? It’s my father, but don’t worry, he can barely hear us. Age takes its toll on hearing too."
"My hearing is perfectly fine."
Dante couldn’t hide his smile at his father’s grumbling. As he held the phone, Susie’s next words surprised him. "Will you invite me to London to see your brother’s official championship fight?"
Only now did he remember Susie had a brother who, according to the information he had, was quite the troublemaker. Susie managed her father’s entire organization while he was in prison.
Jack, Susie’s brother, embodied the word "disaster." Not only was he a threat to his family’s business running smoothly, but he was also hot-tempered.
"I don’t know..." Dante was unsure what would happen if he met Jack and he found out Dante was trying to pull his sister away from their family.
Susie, on the other end of the call, murmured, "Do you remember I told you we’ve never dealt with cocaine because of a man who controls everything in London? Well, now it seems he wants my family’s business. Your advice on how to deal with enemies closing in on me would really help."
"Wait a second." Dante lowered his phone, turned to his father, and asked, "Do you think I can travel to London right now? My girlfriend’s brother has an official fight, and she invited me to watch."
"That sounds great. Of course, you can go." John couldn’t have received better news. Not only could he keep his youngest son out of trouble, but he could also distance him from future problems.
"Then I’ll go. Sounds good." Dante had made a promise to Susie, and with everything going on, he needed a few days away from the public eye.
Besides, giving his brothers time to process the new information he had revealed about himself seemed ideal.
"Alright, I guess I’m going to London..." Dante murmured after hanging up. But before he left, he had many things to organize.
One of them, of course, was ensuring his family’s safety. Another was ensuring his businesses continued running smoothly in his absence. And lastly, but no less important, arranging a security team to accompany him to London.
