Family Business

Chapter 42.

Chapter 42.

~Fletcher POV~

*Flashback*- takes place during the Texas conference

I sit in the interrogation room, hands handcuffed to the table. The clock on the wall reads 2:32 am. My fingers are ice cold after being locked against the wooden surface for the last hour. I lean my head back, fighting off sleep, despite the uncomfortable position. By now, my brothers were probably on their way to Texas for Xander's conference. Aria is already with him, according to my trace on her phone. Anger surges through me again at the thought, remembering how we found her after their introduction.

The air conditioning kicks on again, sending cool air into the room. I grit my teeth, the exposed skin along my arm turning into goosebumps. Someone better get here quick or I would freeze to death in this metal cage. Unlike the first time I was arrested, I am not frightened. This time, I knew that they uncovered the rootkit I embedded in the government cybersecurity system when I attempted to hack the FBI. I encoded malware to their system, overloading their server which ultimately led to it crashing for an hour. They managed to get it back up, of course, but they found my trace.

Two men in suits stroll into the room, "Fletcher Rossi?" One of them says, raising his eyebrows at me.

"Yes?" I ask, raising my eyes to look at him. He is tall, perhaps in his mid-forties with a graying beard and a form-fitting suit.

"You're coming with us," He nods to his companion who reaches around the table, unlocking the handcuffs.

I grunt in appreciation. "You're the boss," I mutter, shrugging my shoulders to alleviate the stiffness. I rub my hands together as I follow them from the room. The two cops who arrested me stand with their captain, unhappy at losing me to these two men who out rank them. I flash them a grin on my way out, unable to hide my glee at their frustration.

I am bundled into a van, then driven to a secure facility in Virginia. The bag is finally lifted from my head and I blink at the bright room. There were five people around a long table, the morning sun shining in through the large bay windows. Behind us, there was an office with at least 20 people sitting around computers.

"Fletcher Rossi. Son of Leonardo and Sophia Rossi, formerly Gagliardi," A man reads from a thick file. "Part of the Rossi crime syndicate, whose known crimes including tax fraud, human trafficking, drug smuggling, robbery, assault, murder-"

"Why am I here?" I demand, cutting him off. "I have much more important things I could be doing right now."

"Like what?" He scoffs, setting my file down.

"Like getting my sister away from Xander Arnell," I growl, placing my hands on the table. "Tell me what you want and why you need me so we can both get on with it."

A woman turns to me, fixing her rolled up sleeve. "Who says we need you, Mr. Rossi?"

"It's Fletcher," I corrected her. "And I would be locked in a cell if you didn't need me, so get to it!"

They exchange looks before one man finally speaks up, "My name is Kent James. I am the CEO of Hayward Incorporated." The business that controls everything from plastic spoons to networking services for governments. Mr. James is the richest man in the world. Can you speak a little more about your knowledge of Xander Arnell?"

I raise my eyebrows, "He's king. He is who all the most powerful crime bosses report to. Everyone is down at his private home for a conference he is holding. Apparently-" I stop before I expose that I already knew what the conference was about after hacking Xander's phone when he came to our home. I did not tell anyone because I did not think he would go through with it, though that was still to be determined. "Xander is currently engaged to my sister. He is not a gentle or kind man, however. He's wanted for hundreds of mysterious deaths, disappearances, and has been arrested for many crimes though none of the evidence ever points back to him."