La Grandia Part 4
Matthew Ryan Fischer
The name Hartan meant nothing. Gideon’s father made it up. Harta
meant treasure, so perhaps his father thought it would serve as a good omen. Gideon
wondered if he should have asked the old man before he died. But he was long
dead now and that opportunity was long gone with it. Gideon was an invented
name as well, but Gideon made that choice himself when he gave up the moniker Agent
Nine and earned a leadership position within the family. Not the Hartan’s, no,
the Hartan’s had never been in charge of anything before Gideon, but what was
left after Anak had been killed for betraying the other families. Anak’s direct
family was decimated and none of his children were allowed to rise through the ranks,
for none could be trusted after their father’s deception. A distant cousin was
named the head, but was forced to accept a board of trusted advisors. Gideon
had served all the bosses well as an Agent and was rewarded with a place on
this new counsel. It was something his father would never have achieved. A man
of little to no ambition, he would have been stuck on the street his entire
life earning pennies and giving most of them to the bosses if it hadn’t been
for Gideon. Gideon had ambition enough for them both.
Gideon wondered what the name would mean when he was gone. He had
ascended the ranks from advisor, to the man behind the man, to replacing the
man himself. Hartan was the only family not of the original clans that agreed
to form The Dragon’s Claw. Every other boss was there at the time or had a direct
blood relative linking them to the deals. Not Gideon. He made his own name. His
own fate. He wanted to be a boss and he became a boss. No one else had ever
done that. Gideon prided himself on the idea that all the other bosses secretly
resented him or feared him. He wanted to believe they all took great measures
to ensure their family would never be usurped or betrayed again. No one ever said
anything to him, but he wanted to believe. They certainly tried to keep him
near the bottom, never giving an inch, never allowing him or his people near
the best deals or a majority share in any individual deal. But here he was now,
the voice in the room. He was the one who identified Naxis as a threat and discovered
The Queen’s plans. They had to listen to him now. He made them.
But then the doors opened and the old woman was wheeled into the
room in that wheelchair. Gideon tried to hide his face when he looked to Jade.
Jade was clearly upset, and didn’t hide it well. She was a child. She would never
have been allowed to takeover her family. They allowed her a seat for one
meeting because Gideon had whispered the right words into several ears. No one
wanted another strong voice in this meeting. No one wanted anyone loyal to The
Queen to speak on her behalf. If Jade thought she was here of her own merit,
then she was a bigger fool that Gideon had thought. Still, he had wanted
someone reliable on his side and now that was spoiled. Jade said the right words
as she moved her chair back so Queenie could be wheeled up to the edge of the table.
Still, no one was going to take her seriously ever again. Aged and injured, her
day was done. They might not punish her for speaking to Naxis on her own, but
she would never threaten to expand her power ever again.
Gideon reminded himself to meet with Jade in private later. It might
not pay off now, but it was a relationship worth cultivating for the years to
come. His own son Jacob was a fool, but perhaps she could be matched with one
of his many other bastard sons. She might offer a foothold her great aunt never
seemed interested in. Queenie should have been a better friend, he thought. They
could have been great partners and both families could have grown. But her own
greed got in the way and she had to be reminded of that.
Gideon regrouped in his mind. Queenie might be here, but he was
still in charge. They would all agree he could carry on negotiations with
Naxis, not her. Her secret meeting had been exposed. Gideon held his cards close.
When the gunshot rang out, Gideon thought to himself that the idiot
had started things early. The room erupted in fear, bodyguards and Agents leapt
into action. After multiple shots and screams could be heard from the halls, Gideon
realized this wasn’t his son, but that something had gone wrong and this was someone
else entirely.
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