Games

After a rigorous three days search, they finally found the don! 

Deep in the jungle, his body lay haphazardly on a protruding root at the base of a mighty durian tree, his unloaded gun tightly tucked under his belt, a comb tucked in his hair. 

A quick check revealed no bullet holes and no markings on his neck. Zero signs of a physical struggle. 

How had he been killed? Many seemed to wonder.  

But the comb was what brought the most whispers. It could have been the lead to who might have done it. 

" It's the Combies those bastards!" spat Tuli while looking down at the lifeless body in the morgue. "They must have scared Father to death bringing him all the way there. His heart must have given up," he sniffled. "We are going to seek revenge! They are all going to die!" he spat again.

" No… no… let's not be too hasty son. Jumping to conclusions, rushing into action. Let's give it time. Conduct our own investigations and know what to do afterward. We can do more damage when we have a proper plan," the consigliere stepped in holding the young man's shoulder. 

Tuli shrugged him off and stormed out of the room. 

The consigliere and the capo were left standing next to the don's body. 

" He is going to start a war. And he is going to die that idiot!" the capo broke the long silence in a whisper. 

It was as though he had waited to make sure Tuli had been gone.

" The plan is in action," sighed the consigliere. " Finally! Allowing yourself to suffer from pain is a weakness. The father didn't teach the son that. And he too failed at it. That's how we will win this war. Show me the clip again Petora," he asked. 

The capo removed a phone from his pocket, clicked on a folder in the gallery, and then entered four numbers to unlock it. He then passed it to the consigliere who entered four more numbers. 

The consigliere clicked play on the video in the folder. 

A shriveled don sat on the very root the body had been found. He was holding a phone, watching a video. It must have been poorly taken as he seemed to struggle to see.  

" You are better than your papa Tuli. In every single way. Even down here…" a female voice chuckled. 

A male voice could be heard laughing blushingly before it continued. 

" Soon we will be free Mia. And you can be with the don you deserve. The baby don," it went before letting out a kiss. " Just a few more months. When the new shipment comes in, my team and I already know what to do. We will have enough money to disappear. All Papa will get is ransom notes. They will never find us. The guy at the FBI I told you about promised me. And I trust him. So far he hasn't let me down." 

The female voice could be heard laughing. 

The don's hand relaxed as though it had suddenly lost strength. He seemed to look up. 

" Why are you doing this to me? he asked. " Is it money you want? You think I am surprised that a man has the taste of his father? I took that girl to spy on him. But it seems I might have miscalculated on whether she could feel genuine love for him. Or is she playing him? Give me your phone and let me talk to my son. This is foolishness. I know he can rethink his decision. I know my son. He would never turn informant. He would never rat us out! You think you are the first ones to try and turn him against me?" 

There was dead silence. It was as though the don was talking to himself. 

" And a real man shows his face when he is about to kill another man. What coward wears a mask when they want to separate a man from his soul? You look him in the eye and do it. You let him see you in all your might. And who sent you? Tell them to come kill me themselves like a man!" the don spat. 

The rustling of leaves followed by calculated steps could be heard. 

The don lifted his neck higher when the sound of the footsteps stopped. 

" No…no… not you… it can't be… it can't be…" he said disbelievingly, visibly in a struggle as he placed his hand on his chest. 

The video went black. 

The consigliere then gave the phone back to the don. 

" We still don't know who planted the comb on his head after we left him there. We also don't know when they did it. So we have to still lay low and watch it all unfold," he said. " Then our reign will begin!"

The two walked out of the room after a few minutes of silence. A man in a white apron, gloves, and a mask walked in soon after. He was zipping up the body when he felt a tap on his shoulder. 

" They bought it. Didn't they? I just saw them in the parking looking very satisfied with themselves, pretending to be touched. How could they dare leave Father there to die? Left him to be devoured by wild tigers? Thankless bastards! He made them. Gave them everything they have!" Tuli shouted at the man spit flying from his mouth. 

The man didn't answer. 

" Thank goodness we were tracking him when he disappeared. It's like Father knew this guy would come in handy one day," he said looking at the cadaver. "Poor soul. It's sad he had to die for the cause. Make sure you send the full suitcase to his family, cousin. Father insisted. They should not suffer anymore." 

The man in the white apron nodded. 

" Those two are going to die!" Tuli seethed his hand in the air. " Let's see how foolish they think I am. They wanted war. We are going to bring it to them!" 

When the pacing and raged Tuli finally left the room, his cousin took out his phone and texted an unsaved contact on his phone. He waited a few seconds to confirm that the message had been seen before deleting it. 

It read, " He knows."