Chapter 5 No escaping the past

Zane.

We have been hacked. That single text from the IT department had woken me up that morning and less than an hour afterward the boardroom was buzzing with tension. We had to call an emergency meeting with the top stakeholders of Atlas Group to deliberate on the hit of the hack. The windows let in the sunlight, but even that warmth couldn't cut through the cold weight settling in my chest. I adjusted my customized cuff links, a forced habit, something to keep my hands occupied while the board members argued across the round oak table. My friends Liam, Ethan, Noah, and Damien were seated strategically around the room, each one observing in their own way. They were my backup, my silent force. Watching the graphical analysis of the hack, I didn't like what I was seeing. This was a mess. "Mr Calloway, this isn't a minor incident." Robert McCain, one of the older board members, leaned forward, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. His voice held the forced patience of a man barely keeping his temper in check. "The security breach affected our ratings. Our stock dropped 9% in two hours. That's not something we can ignore." "We clearly are not ignoring it," I said, voice calm but firm. "We currently have the best team actively working on a firewall." "You mean the same team that allowed the breach to happen in the first place?" Robert scoffed. "Forgive me if that doesn't inspire confidence and I speak for every member of the board." I fought the urge to grind my teeth. I didn't like Rob, never had. He was old money, the kind of man who believed power came from pedigree, not earned through authority. "The breach was masterminded, perhaps with an insider's help" Ethan spoke up. "We're not dealing with some random hacker trying to flex their skills. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were looking for and went for it." "And what exactly were they looking for?" Madison Grey, another board member, asked, her brow furrowed, widening her forehead wrinkles more. Sienna pushed back her seat that moment and when she realized that act had distracted everyone in the room, she gave me a nod and then rushed out of the room. Even though it had taken a few seconds, her vanilla fragrance filled the room minutes after she was gone distracting my thoughts. I needed my head in the best space at that moment. Not now Sienna. I glanced at Noah, who had already analyzed every angle before we even walked into this meeting. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Atlas core team. Us. And one of you helped them do it." "Who are they exactly?" Rob asked, his eyes searching mine. The room went silent. I dreaded that Ethan was going to mention the hacker's name. I sighed with relief when he stopped talking. If he had said the name, that would tip off whoever was involved. The name alone carried weight, even among these people who had no idea what it truly meant. The cartel was supposed to be buried alongside others from the past. But the fact that someone was actively trying to breach our systems, searching for anything related to them, meant only one thing. They weren't gone. They were watching. "Who exactly is targeting you guys?" Madison asked, her voice a scared shill. I exhaled slowly, my fingers pressing against the cool surface of the table. "We don't have confirmation that it was them." Damien scoffed. "Oh, come on. Who else would it be? The timing is too perfect." "Assumptions aren't facts," I muttered. "But they're a damn good warning," Liam countered, speaking up for the first time. He was sitting back in his chair, arms crossed, watching me the way he always did when he knew I wasn't being completely honest with myself. I knew exactly what this meant. The cartel was testing us. They were trying to see if I would react. Because if I reacted, that meant I still cared. That meant I still considered them a threat. But what bothered me most was the thought I couldn't shake, the one rattling in the back of my mind. If the cartel was resurfacing, then Sienna was in more danger than I had anticipated. And that was something I couldn't afford. Robert cleared his throat, regaining the attention of the room. "Regardless of who is behind the attack, our investors need reassurance. The stock drop was bad enough, but if word gets out that we were breached at this level? It will send a message that we aren't as untouchable as we claim to be." I leaned forward, keeping my voice even. "Then we make sure that message never leaves this room." "And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Rob asked I glanced at Liam, then at Damien. I already had a plan. We just needed to execute it before the carter made their next move. "Please excuse us," I said. The members nodded and each got up, ready to leave. The weight of the meeting still sat heavily on my shoulders as the last of the board members filed out, their hushed whispers trailing behind them. I didn't bother acknowledging them. Their panic, their greed it was predictable. They didn't care about the real danger, only how it affected their bottom line. The only people I actually trusted were still in the room. My brothers. Liam leaned against the edge of the conference table, arms crossed, his sharp gaze locked on me. Ethan stood by the window, staring out at the skyline, lost in thought. Noah was already on his phone, fingers moving fast probably running new security protocols. Damien sat back in his chair, spinning a pen between his fingers, watching me squarely. Knowing he was not the patient type, I could tell he was a time bomb, ticking to explode when triggered. "The fact that they went after Atlas confirms it," Ethan finally said, turning back toward us. "They're done hiding." "Which means we can stop pretending this is over," Noah added, not looking up from his phone. I exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over my jaw. "We always knew it wasn't over." "Yeah," Damien muttered, "but knowing it and dealing with it are two different things." He sat forward, the glint in his eyes replaced by something much darker. "They tested us today. The question is, what's our response?" I knew what he wanted. A strike as a reminder that we weren't to be toyed with. But that wasn't the move. Not yet. "They're trying to bait us," I said, keeping my voice calm and controlled. "If they wanted a war, they would've gone after more than just our stock." Liam nodded. "They're watching." Noah glanced up, meeting my gaze. "And they're waiting." We went quiet afterwards because we all knew what they were waiting for... or whom. My grip tightened around the edge of the table as an image of Sienna flashed through my mind. The way she had looked at me earlier. "Jason's watching her, right?" Liam asked, reading me like a damn book. I gave a curt nod. "I told him not to let her out of his sight." "Who?" Damien asked, glancing between Liam and I I glanced around for a while, wondering if I should tell them about Sienna and the connection to the Cartel. "Out with it man," Noah said, My jaw ticked. "The new PA, Sienna Carter" Damien's smirk deepened. "So, it is about her. didn't I say it guys, it is a woman who would make Zane act weird" I shot him a glare, but he just chuckled, leaning back in his seat "She's in danger," I said, keeping my voice level. "The same bastards we've been hunting for five years have set their sights on her." The mood at the table shifted instantly. Ethan exhaled sharply, setting his glass down. "How do you know she's connected to the cartel?" "Because they left a message," I said. "A warning. They want her or something from her." Damien's expression darkened. "Then they're as stupid as they are suicidal." Noah leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Why her? What's the connection?" "I don't know yet," I admitted. "But I'm going to find out." "That's not going to be enough," Ethan said, his voice edged with concern. "If the cartel really wants her." "They can't have her." The words left my mouth before I even thought about them, laced with more anger than I intended. The room went still. Damien raised a brow, exchanging a quick look with Liam. I knew exactly what they were thinking. I had just made this personal. And that was dangerous. "I thought the plan was to keep her close," Liam said carefully. "Use her as bait to draw them out." "That was the plan." "Is it still?" Liam's question hung in the air between us. I looked at him, at all of them, and I knew I couldn't lie. Because somewhere between hiring her and now, she had stopped being bait. And she had become something else entirely. Something I wasn't sure I could afford. Liam studied me for a long moment before nodding. "Then we tighten security. No gaps. No second chances." Ethan slipped his phone back into his pocket. "I'll set up background sweeps and see if anyone on the inside is leaking information." Noah was already on it, his fingers flying across his screen. "I'll run a full diagnostic on our firewall. If they got in once, they might try again." Damien cracked his knuckles, standing up. "And I'll do what I do best to find out exactly who is pulling the strings." There was nothing more to say. We all knew what needed to be done. Liam was the last to leave, pausing by the door. His phone beeped a notification and he checked, his expression became stoic at once "Zane." He said, I met his gaze. " I just got an update from Ethan" He said. "Who betrayed us?" "It was Robert," he said quietly. "Little wonder he's acting all defensive. You know what we must do." Fuck Robert! The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I hated the double life I had to live. Investment CEO by day and a Cartel leader by night. But it had to be done. Regardless of how much I have been trained for the role, it was draining, but it had to be done. I never liked Robert anyway. *** I counted all six bullets from the magazine and nodded at Liam, "Ready?" I asked, popping the bullets into the shotgun before I strap it into the waist of my denim pants. "Born ready, Brother, let's go get that traitor the punishment he deserved," Liam replied, a pleased smile on his face as he ran his hand through the lines of guns, taking his time to choose his best gun from the stash. He had been waiting for me to make this call all day, and I knew I couldn't delay the inevitable any longer. Robert had betrayed Atlas Group, and now he had to pay and the clan expected that as the head, I had to be Robert's angel of death. Liam settled for an HPDA commander and reached for a clean wipe to shine it. I was pleased with his choice of gun. It could deliver justice at any distance, aimed at the perfect angle, and whoever got hit with it was sure never to see the light of another day. "Nice," I said I grabbed the black leather jacket I had hung on the sofa, then wore it, covering the bump the shotgun showed. Liam did the same, and we stepped out of the ammunition room. Halfway to the truck, a thought crossed my mind, and it felt like the best way to handle the kill. When we got there, Liam walked ahead to enter the driver's side dutifully, but I stopped him. "No, I am driving," I said, and he broke into a pleased smile, understanding what that meant. While I handled the drive, he was free to aim for the traitor. "Thank you!" He said, his voice vibrant with excitement as he jogged around to the other side of the car. I strap in, and we drive off out of the safe house. "Do we still have eyes on him?" I asked "Sure, he's driving around Ted's Street. We could take the west route and block him at the tunnel. He's going to get what he deserves without seeing us coming," Liam replied "No, we don't kill from behind. That is what weaklings like him do. He needed to see us coming. That way, he would know why he had to die," I told him. "Hmmm... that feels even better. I want to see the look on his face when I pulled the triggers." Liam said, tapping on the dashboard not so gently. "See? Now you get it," I said, stepping on the throttle. With Liam obviously lost in thought about the best way to go about his killing, it gave me time to reminisce about Leighton to distract me from what was about to happen on my watch. I kept wondering what Sienna had been up to since she left the boardroom and why she hadn't returned.pain I glanced over at Liam. His right hand was inside his jacket, and the movement of his hand was familiar. He was creasing the gun, living the moment, but his eyes were fixed on the GPS tracker. I turned my eyes back to the wheels. "He's left the clubhouse. Heading over to the Pantry," Liam said, the hint of excitement very hard to miss in his voice further nibbling at my conscience. "Okay. I think I know just the right spot to block him. Get your gun ready, okay?" I said, easing the wheel to the left as I took the turn. Since Robert was heading to the pantry, there was a route that most folks avoided at night because of how secluded it was. Only a few of us who were strapped had the mind to ply the route, and Robert knew this, too. "We are five minutes away from him," Liam said, the buckle of his belt jingling as he reached for the gun. I increased the speed to cover the distance faster. The chill of the night felt eerily quiet like the world knew a traitor was about to lose his life. "He's just ahead now," Liam announced, flipping the tablet on the dashboard. I saw Rob's customized SUV ahead and nodded at Liam. I kept driving behind him, making sure he didn't suspect any foul play until he took the secluded street. I closed the gap between us, driving ahead. He honked back at us just before I swirled the car around and blocked him in a corner. He stopped, almost bumping into the truck, and in two seconds, he was out of the car and over to us, clearly pissed. "You fool, how dare you block my ride." He swore at us, oblivious to what was going to happen to him. Good thing we had used a disguised car with tinted window frames. When Liam and I stepped out of the car, he knew instantly. His eyes ogled out, and he started to shiver. He peeped over at his car, perhaps trying to see if he could get to it and drive out of there fast enough. "Don't even think about it, you motherfucking bastard," Liam spat on him, pulling out his run. "I am sorry. I had to do what I had to do to protect my family. They threatened to" "To do what? From what I see, your weak ass idiot had always wanted us out of the picture forever, and the best way you feel you could get it was to snitch on the group? How convenient," Liam yelled at him, hitting him on the head with the tip of the gun. Rob fell to his knees, and blood gushed out of the cut on his head. "Liam, hold on, I have questions for him," I said, moving closer to Rob's side. I leaned forward until my ear was close to his mouth. "Tell me everything you said to the cartel." "Nothing.... I promise, it was just that one time." He said, saliva drooling from his mouth as he stammered on. "No, you lied again. You told them about the loopholes on the servers, but see. My brothers saw it coming and were able to stop the hack from taking everything." I said, shaking my head. He was due for Liam's wrath. He was shaken at my confessions. "I had to do what I had to do when none of my family would take the hit. You and your friends have been calling the shots for a long time. I think it is time another member takes the reins. I did it for my folks, and I will do it again," He yelled back at me. "And the best way to do that was to blow up our operations? You are one unrepented rat, and you will die like a rat," Liam yelled, kicking him with the edge of his boots. "You heard it, goodbye Robert," I said, stepping away from them as Robert winced with pain that didn't stop Liam from kicking him more. I went into his car and searched for any incriminating evidence. I found two hard drives and some journals. I grabbed them quickly and left the car. Rob was too weak to move when I got back. I picked him up and bundled him into his car and then waited for Liam to pull the trigger. However, when I turned to face Liam, he was not holding the gun but cans. "Gas? I thought we agreed on guns?" I asked, shocked. "No, he deserves a gentleman's death," Liam replied, shaking the can. Robert pleaded, but it was too late. Liam drenched the car, shot the tires, and lit it ablaze. I watched the flames grow, heart racing, then called to Liam, "Let's go."