Braxton had vented his emotions and finally calmed down. The two brothers could now talk things over.
"Aren't you curious about where I've been all these years?" Braxton asked.
"In Europe. I know. Justin checks your whereabouts every few months," Chris replied.
Chris nodded. "I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Some of my clients are dangerous."
Thinking it might be misunderstood, he quickly added, "I don't deal with those clients anymore. I planned to get in touch with you soon. After moving to LA with Justin, I bought a small farm there."
"Uh-hum!" Jack coughed lightly, signaling that they had an unrelated third party present and that they should save the reminiscing for later.
Rita Boone still couldn't believe her own brother would try to kill her. Even though Braxton, the would-be assassin, had confessed, she suspected the two brothers, who looked nothing alike, were playing a trick on her.
Jack was equally exasperated. With one being the "Punisher" and the other "Batman," although historically they've teamed up, their styles were indeed quite different, much like DC and Marvel.
Fortunately, Rita was still sensible enough to grasp the situation, especially after Chris fired a shot into the couch with his P14 fitted with a silencer. Rita obediently put on her coat and followed them back to the Aurora Holiday Hotel.
---
At the hotel, Braxton drew a sketch on paper outlining Blake Boone's security layout at his villa in the suburbs.
"This is the entrance, the hallway, the living room, and the bedroom. The study has surveillance equipment connected to twelve cameras around the villa, along with motion and infrared sensors. There are twelve mercenaries: eight inside, four outside. Two snipers with anti-infrared cloaks are on the roof at the southeast and northwest corners."
Jack was stunned by the meticulous security. "These are all your men. Can't you just find an excuse to make them leave?" he asked, realizing he couldn't handle this on his own.
Braxton shook his head. "I was hired through intermediaries. Those mercenaries were assembled by the other side abroad. Blake prepaid 5 million, so these men need to be taken out. Otherwise, this won't end."
He looked at Chris and added, "You said your clients are dangerous. I've always felt my life is pretty dangerous."
Chris looked at his brother, slightly exasperated. "You've improved."
After returning to the hotel, they handed Rita Boone over to Hannah and Dana for safekeeping in the adjacent room. They began planning their final solution.
Chris rejected his brother's idea of going back undercover to coordinate from the inside. Instead, he preferred a direct assault on Blake Boone's villa, thinking it seemed simpler.
Jack didn't object; after all, the mercenaries were essentially war dogs, devoid of human rights.
As their discussion ended, there was a knock on the door connecting the two rooms. Dana's voice came through, "The IRS gentleman is here."
Jack got up and went to the other room, where he found Ray King sitting wearily on the sofa. The old man waved a tired greeting.
"He's here too?" King asked, pointing to the other room.
"Do you want to see him?" Jack smiled, pouring a glass of whiskey for King.
Ray King hesitated, then shook his head. "No, it's better if we don't meet."
"What's your plan now?" Jack asked, pouring himself a glass of soda and sitting down across from King.
"It's tricky. Blake Boone plans to spend 10 million to resolve all issues and has already prepaid 5 million, including silencing all witnesses."
Rita Boone, sitting nearby, shifted uneasily on the sofa. She now realized that her brother really intended to kill her just for money.
"What are you going to do?" King inquired.
"This isn't a choice. Blake Boone opened the gates of hell, and we need to help him close them," Jack replied, secretly adding that they'd push him through before shutting the door.
Rita Boone couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She wasn't a naive girl like Dana; she understood that the situation had escalated beyond a simple resolution, even one involving the police.
"Keep an eye on him, but try to keep it quiet," Ray King sighed, though he knew Chris too well. This was a man who had once single-handedly taken down the Gambino family's stronghold. King had been in the surveillance van then, and by the time he realized something was off and rushed in with his gun, all he found were corpses.
Jack looked troubled. "It's not about keeping an eye on Chris. Blake Boone is just too far gone."
"Blake hired a team of twelve mercenaries," Jack added, seeing King massage his temples in frustration.
King sighed deeply. "I'll notify the Chicago Police Department. The IRS will coordinate a raid."
Jack stood up with a grin. With King's cooperation, he felt more confident about the upcoming operation.
"Wait a minute. Aren't you forgetting something?" King called out as Jack was about to leave.
"Huh?" Jack looked confused.
"You promised me something over the phone," King reminded him.
Jack glanced at Dana sitting with Hannah, both girls getting along well. He had been considering introducing Dana to King for some time. Dana, though not as brilliant as Chris, was a genius with numbers and had a bit of a thing for Chris. King would surely understand his hint.
"What do you think of her?" Jack asked.
King looked puzzled. "Isn't your girlfriend already in the FBI?"
"I'm talking about the other one. She's an accountant and might just fit..."
Jack subtly hinted, and King nodded in understanding.
"Alright, take care of things here. I need to get back to LA," Jack said.
With the IRS director overseeing matters, safety was no longer a concern. He figured he'd bring Hannah along; she was a sharpshooter, possibly even better trained than he was after her recent 22-week FBI program.
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