29. P O W E R : Lost

EPILOGUE

Castello stepped out of his limousine and removed the cigar from his mouth, letting smoke stream from his lips as he glanced to and fro. Salem walked over to his side, her brothers flanking her in two groups of four. "Ready, boss?" she asked, giving Castello a questioning look.

"Yeah, sure," Castello muttered, walking into the hotel. It had been rented out for the meeting, so he knew exactly who he'd see when he entered the banquet hall—and wasn't looking forward to seeing them in the slightest. "Eyes up, boys," he snarled, preparing to open the doors. "If this is some kinda ambush, we go down swingin'."

The Black Cats responded by cocking their guns simultaneously.

Castello returned the cigar to his mouth, clenching it between his teeth, and exhaled.

Then he pushed open the doors, stepping into the dimly-lit room as the Black Cats swung their weapons back and forth, surveying the interior.

Seated at a long table in the middle of the banquet hall was a group of Safe Haven's most despised denizens: Xanthos, leader of the Venom Gang; Big Rus, leader of the Top Dogs; Cthylla, head of the Faithful; Aphrodite, a prominent drug dealer; and of course, Fisi, master of the Masked Men. All of the leaders were flanked by a number of lackeys from their corresponding gangs.

"You made it!" Fisi exclaimed upon spotting Castello. "Delightful! Come, come; take a seat at our table."

Castello inched toward the table hesitantly, looking around with a wary look on his face. "This ain't some kinda trap, is it?" he asked suspiciously.

"A trap?" Fisi repeated, shocked. "You wound me, Castello! I only want to discuss the next stage of our plan."

"'Our' plan?" Castello smirked, sitting down in the last open seat. "Heh. Didn't realize this was a team-up thing."

"But of course." Fisi spread out his hands, looking around at his cohorts. "We're all team players here, aren't we?"

Castello grunted, then glanced at the others seated at the table. "Why's the broad here?" he asked, jerking his head at Aphrodite.

"If you must know," Aphrodite replied before Fisi could, "I have a new agreement with Mr. Fisi. We'll be working a bit more closely from this point on."

"Ya don't say," Castello grumbled, crossing his arms. He cast a wary glance at Cthylla and waited a beat before saying, "Do I need to ask about her?"

"Unfortunately, Cthylla's not feeling particularly chatty this evening," Fisi responded while the Old One scoffed and looked away from Castello. "But her answer will be the same as Aphrodite's."

"Uh-huh." Castello cast a scowl in Big Rus's direction for a brief moment—one that was returned with equal vehemence—before facing Fisi again. "So what's the scoop, eh? Are we done with all this 'distraction' business?"

"Not quite, my friend. Unfortunately, there is one minor hitch in our plans." Fisi gestured vaguely, adding, "It's more of an inconvenient delay, really."

Castello chuckled. "Alright. So talk to me."

"Oh, I'm not going to be doing the talking." Fisi motioned to Eve, who sat next to him. "Eve, if you would be so kind...?"

"Of course." Eve stood up, folding her hands at her waist. "First off, I'd like to welcome you all to this first joint meeting of the Safe Haven Underworld. It's an honour to have all of you here."