Under arrest

Under arrest
Captain Castelle sat with Orion and Viper in the Mandala house. The room was heavy with tension the three of them stared at each other. Well, the brothers had their eyes on their cousin. Watching him intently. 

“You shouldn’t have exposed yourself so soon,” Viper said. He was swirling his glass slowly. His voice carried irritation but something 
that sounded like disappointment.

He took a long drag from his cigar and blew the smoke toward the ceiling.

“If you had stayed in the shadows longer, you could have gotten us real information. Maybe even found out where Dante is hiding our family members.”

Orion leaned back in his leather chair. He nodded slow and grim. His face looked older than it had a week ago. The stress was eating at him from the inside.

“He’s right, Captain. You moved too fast. Way too fast.” Orion’s voice was tired but sharp. “And firing Rex like that? That was a mistake. A big one.”

Castelle’s jaw tightened. He lifted his glass of whiskey but didn’t drink from it. 

“How was I supposed to know Rex would figure things out so quickly?” His voice got sharper with each word. “What more should we have been waiting for anyway?”

He set his glass down hard on the wooden table. “Dante has probably killed your father. Your sister is still missing. Probably being tortured as we speak. What else do you need to know before you act?”

The three men stared at each other across the table. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Orion’s hands were clenched into fists. Viper was grinding his teeth. 

“Oh, please.” Viper rolled his eyes. “You could have easily found out about it. What, are you suddenly useless now?”

“Do you think it’s so easy?” Castelle yelled out in a sharp voice, mirroring his anger. “I’m so focused o…”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence before a knock came on the door.

All three men went quiet instantly. Like someone had flipped a switch.

A guard stepped inside. He was holding a package. A small box tied. The same kind of box they had been receiving for days now.

Orion and Viper’s faces went hard the moment they saw it. They didn’t need to open it to know what was inside. Dante’s cruel games always followed the same sick pattern.

The guard walked to the table slowly. Like he was carrying a bomb that might go off. He set it down carefully between the whiskey glasses and stepped back.

Nobody moved for a long moment. Nobody wanted to be the one to open it.

Finally, Viper reached out with steady hands then he opened the box.

Inside was another piece of their father. A toe this time. Still fresh and filled with blood..

Orion’s hands curled into fists so tight his knuckles went white. Viper rose halfway out of his chair. His face twisted with pure rage.

“This sick bastard,” Orion said. His voice was low and dangerous.

“Dante has to die,” Viper roared. He was standing now. “He has to pay for every single thing he’s done to our family!”

The two brothers started cursing and slamming their fists on the table. Their voices got louder and more violent.

But Castelle didn’t join in. He just sat there watching them fall apart. Then, without saying a word, he stood up. 

He started walking toward the door.

Orion and Viper stopped their ranting and stared at him.

“Where are you going?” Orion demanded.

“Yeah, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Viper added.

Castelle stopped at the doorway. Turned back to look at them. His face was carved from stone. Cold and hard and completely without mercy.

“I’m going to get Dante,” he said simple. “He’s pushed me too far. I’m done sitting around and waiting.”

On the table next to the grisly package were photographs. Pictures that showed their father bound and smiling despite the tears running down his eyes. 

There was also a folded note in Dante’s handwriting. Just one word written in perfect script: 

“Smile.”

Castelle walked back to the table. Picked up the box and the photos and the note while ignoring Orion and Viper..

“You can’t just storm in there,” Orion said. “You need a plan. You need backup.”

“I have a plan,” Castelle replied. “And I have all the backup I need.”

He walked out of the house without looking back.

The police station was buzzing with activity when Castelle arrived he wasted no time. He went straight to the judge’s office. Filed for an arrest warrant. Presented the grisly evidence as proof of Dante’s crimes.

The toe. The photographs. The note. It all became part of the official record.

The judge looked at the evidence. Read the reports. Listened to Castelle’s testimony.

The warrant was granted.

From there, Castelle gathered a group of his best officers. They drove across the city straight to Dante’s bar. Castelle has had enough and this was the actions of a man who couldn’t sit back and watch anymore. Dante had made a mistake doing all of this. 

Castelle led his men into the bar, they went straight to Dante’s office, at that exact moment, Rex was walking through the door from the other side. Coming in for what he thought was going to be a normal day.

His confusion was immediate when he saw the officers flooding into the room. His face went from curious to worried to panicked in the space of three seconds.

Castelle strode forward, he cast a glance at his former employee. But, he ignored him and thrned to Dante who sat still behind his desk, his voice rang with authority and satisfaction

“Dante Sinclair, you are under arrest for the murder of Carlos Mandala.”

The room went completely silent. Rex’s eyes went wide. His head whipped back and forth between Dante and Castelle.

Before Rex could even begin to make sense of what was happening, Castelle’s voice came again.

“And Rex, you are also under arrest. For being an accomplice to murder.”

“What?” Rex’s voice cracked with shock. His chest got tight. Panic flashed across his face. “What are you talking about? You know me! What do you mean accomplice?”

He was starting to lose control now. His voice getting louder and more desperate.

“Who is Carlos? I don’t know anything about any Carlos! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

His voice broke into a shout. His whole body was trembling. Disbelief was turning into fury right before everyone’s eyes.

“This is insane! You can’t just arrest people for no reason!”

Castelle’s expression didn’t change. The officers moved closer to both men. Handcuffs ready.

“Calm down,” Dante’s voice cut through Rex’s panic. Steady as stone. He hadn’t moved from his chair. Nor did he show any signs of fear or surprise..

“The lawyer will sort everything out,” Dante said. “Don’t make this worse than it has to be.”