Undertaking chapter 9

“This is outrageous,” a fair skinned man declared slamming a hand on the ornate round table. “Who could be capable of striking us?”

The tension in the air was palpable. Each of the finely dressed men were agitated by the situation before them. Never have the circumstances of their operation been so dire. They all had gathered when not one, not two, but three of their secret members came under attack. None had been physically assaulted, but their legacies instead.

As the four most important men in the room sat at their decorative table, they were accompanied by their security. Several of their best bodyguards stood behind their respective employers. These wealthy men all had been wrapped in an intense conversation. Accusations were the first to be thrown between them. Until one reminded them all of their stake in their cooperation with one another. Nothing but words could be truly thrown in that room. 

“This cannot have been achieved by a single person,” another commented as he stroked his beard thoughtfully. “There must be an organization behind this.”

“That goes without saying. The Circle has never been confronted like this before.” A calmer attendant stated, “Each of us have been targeted by these radicals.”

“Not all of us, Johnathan.” The fair looking one gave a smug expression compared to his peers’ concerned ones, “Merlyn Industries hasn’t had a single issue compared to what is going on with your lots.”

“To hell with your businesses!” The typical white-collar man stood shouting, “What about my career! These baseless rumors against me have affected my platform and credibility.”

“Every politician deals with prostitution scandals.” That smug expression hadn’t left as the fair one directed it towards the white collar, “You need to learn how to be more discreet.”

“Screw you, Ianto.” The stereotypical man fell into his chair with a huff.

“I'm not your type, Richard.”

“Enough!” Johnathan’s limits were being tested, “Every one of our situations is a problem. The Circle has never been attacked so directly. We can only assume that your company is at stake as well, Ianto.”

“Preposterous! My assets are iron clad,” Ianto stated sounding quite sure of himself. “There is no way my company has been compromised.” 

“You may be overconfident in that statement,” the silent one chimed in. The man’s hand fell from his beard, “Johnathan’s assets have been diluted. Richard’s political career is on the line. I am even facing charges for Tax Evasion tied to Salazar Incorporated. What makes you think these people haven’t already infiltrated your company and dug up some skeleton you most definitely have.”

Ianto looked at the bearded fellow, “Because I don’t have a skeleton closet, Dominic.”

Salazar narrowed his eyes at him but was interrupted before he could say anything by Ianto’s own bodyguard, “That’s not entirely true, sir.”

All eyes in the room shifted to the man in a standard black suit standing behind his employer. They all shared a unanimous confusion as to why the man had spoken. At least a few of the other guards knew that man was about to lose his job which actually meant death. This man’s calm exterior portrayed too much confidence for the group he just interrupted.

Ianto spun his chair around to look him in the eye, “What did you just say?”

The threatening tone in his voice didn’t faze his bodyguard. The man simply looked him in the eye and said, “You may not have a skeleton closet, but Merlyn Industries does.”

The irritated look on the man’s face faltered even as he tried to sound menacing. “The fuck are you talking about. Shut your mouth and you might still have a job tomorrow.”

“Is that the kind of mercenaries you hire, Ianto?” Richard snickered, “Bet he came at a discount.”

“You certainly didn’t skimp out on the paycheck a few weeks ago.” The impolite man smiled at him, “Mr. Warren.”

Richard stared at him with a look of disbelief, “The hell are you talking about? What paycheck? I don’t personally pay anyone with checks.”

“Of course, you don’t.” The bodyguard took his leave of Ianto’s side. “You have the bank account under an alias to maintain your anonymity. That was easier to find out than where to hide the camera.”

The man’s face started to burn, “Camera? What camera? Who are you?”

The now questionable bodyguard crossed the room towards a section of the round table. The number of men seated at the round table counted at four and yet there was a fifth chair that sat empty. The man stopped and laid a hand on the back of the luxurious chair. The expression he wore on his face looked distant and longing. No one in that room understood what he felt at that moment staring at his dead father’s seat on the Circle.

He looked up at the four most important men in the room and stepped in front of the chair. He declared, “I am Logan Prince,” and sat down in the once empty seat.

“Impossible.” Johnathan shook his head, “The entire Prince family is dead. Certificates were issued. It was all put to rest. You are just an imposter.”

“Oh, I am the real deal, Mr. Harris.” He looked directly at him, “I can assure you my death has been rectified with all that entails.”

“As if!” Ianto slapped his hand on the table, “Prince Consolidated has gone up for auction. Even if you were a surviving Prince, you couldn’t have been able to save your family’s legacy. It just cannot be done.”

Logan gave Ianto a smug look, “Need I remind you, Mr. Merlyn, that my family has connections just as all of you do. You may be surprised as I was to find out just how far they can reach.” His eyes scanned the rest of the room, “Like voiding a death certificate, releasing private funds from an active federal investigation and acquire the very object your desires.”

“He’s fucking lying,” Richard declared.

“Why are we even entertaining this asshole.” Dominic looked back at his two bodyguards, “Shoot this mother fucker, now.”

The two menacing looking men looked at each other and over to Logan who raised a hand to them, “I believe we’ve agreed against that, haven’t we gentlemen?” They both nodded their heads and took a step back from their would-be boss.

The look on Dominic’s face was filling with confusion and rage, “The hell is going on?”

“Shoot him!” Richard shouted at his guards only to see they too stepped back from him.

“Daniel,” Ianto said to his remaining bodyguard, “if your value your life you will not betray me.” He was proven wrong as Daniel looked him in the eye and stepped back.

Johnathan turned in his chair to his two guards and offered them a deal, “Whatever this man is paying you, I’ll triple it and add a bonus for every bullet. Kill that man and the traitors.”

If that was their chance to add triple crossing to their resume, they did not take it. Both of Johnathan’s men stepped back from him. Each of the rich men’s once loyal security guards had betrayed them. That feeling of safety they had surrounded by their protectors was shattered. Their true selves came to the surface as they were now defenseless.

“I’ll be honest with you all,” Logan said crossing his legs, “they weren’t cheap to pay off. Lucky for me I met some fellows interested in my Undertaking.”

“Undertaking?” Johnathan turned back to the table pulling on a fragile businessman like persona, “What are you meaning by that?”

Logan clapped his hands together in his lap, “I’m glad you asked. See my family, same as each of yours, have been living in this city since it was just a small colony. Our community was held together and thrived because of the way our families worked together. It’s understandable that over time priorities can change. Individual agendas can be formed.”

“What’s your point?” Richard demanded with clenched fists.

“My point is,” a confident smirk perked at Logan’s lips, “I am taking back this city and replacing the wheel that has been crushing everyone but our families beneath it.”

“And you think you’ll accomplish this by taking out our empires?” Jonathan looked thoroughly perturbed.

“No.” Logan stated, “I plan on absorbing each of your businesses and giving control of them to those who allied with me in my Undertaking. Except you Richard,” He looked across the room at the fuming man, “Your political platform is based on a lie.”

“Screw you,” Richard sneered.

“You already did, and the sex tape has already been released.” Logan gave the man a devilish look as he said, “and don’t think you’ll be able to prove it was me. The angles I chose were only flattering for you.”

Richard’s face lost all its color, “Holy fuck. I’m ruined!”

As he lost his cool, Ianto pointed a finger at Logan, “How in the hell could you have done that! Richard, he’s lying. Don’t believe a word he says.”

Logan made a passive gesture, “Like I said, I made some friends since the death of my family. Besides, we all know Richard is a homophobic queer. You, Mr. Merlyn, should concern yourself with your company’s secrets having been leaked online.”

“What?”

“Yes,” Logan nodded his head, “All those fake contracts and payoffs you buried in your company’s database were not easy to acquire. You should really look into your employees with more attention to detail.”

“You must have the biggest balls to make enemies of us.” Dominic looked at Logan with a hard expression, “Your connections cannot withstand the influence we hold combined. Your Undertaking will fail now that we know of it.”

Logan laughed at his statement. His glee contradicted the state of the atmosphere in that room. “You think I’d come here without assurance?” He laughed again but more mocking, “You people have truly lost touch with the world. Your egos have blinded you. Whatever friends you may think you have are no longer yours. The Prince family, unlike any of yours, has maintained good relations with a number of unidentifiable entities. It is a hereditary respect honored by good faith. Those you and I speak of were all too happy to cut ties with your lot. A concoction of broken contracts and backstabbing if I remember correctly.”

“You won’t get away with this. I assure you.” Dominic declared as the others had with their statements.

Logan looked at him directly, “I can assure you I have, Mr. Salazar. I just feel bad that I used your son to get into your office.”

“Kyle?” Dominic’s face flashed several expressions before his face fell into his hands, “Not my boy.” The tone he used was more frustrated than sorrowful.

“All right,” Johnathan chimed in taking his turn at denial. “You’ve made it clear that we’ve been beaten. What I want to know is why you went to this length at tearing our legacies apart. A bullet to the head would have been easier.”

“It would have been, Mr. Harris.” Logan’s face fell flat as he reminded him, “I know full well how quick a bullet can end a problem. Each of you sought to that. If it weren’t for you employing an incompetent mercenary group, I wouldn’t be here. No offense, Bulldog.”

The bodyguard standing behind Richard startled the others, “None taken.”

The realization of who that man was hit each of the men in turns while Logan continued to say, “When it came down to it, none of you deserve to die. Instead, you all deserve to have what you and your ancestors worked so hard to achieve, ripped away from you like my family was from me. You, indeed, have your son to thank for your empire’s downfall, Mr. Harris. Don’t worry about him, though. I’ve already sent him a job offer.”

“This is unbelievable,” Ianto breathed out.

“How could this happen to me?” Richard said shaking with rage.

Dominic looked stunned down at the table, “All the time I put into …”

Johnathan was the only one holding himself together even as he said to Logan, “It would seem you have achieved your revenge, Mr. Prince. The game might be over for us, but the tournament awaits you.”

With a cool tone, Logan said “It’s a marvelous thing that I’ve replaced the referee then.”