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"Are you insane?" the mustang on the screen demanded.

"I didn't do that!" Arnold snapped. He was getting tired of repeating himself.

"You weren't satisfied with chasing us of San Francisco, now you're bringing this war into my state?"

"Elder Solanos," Alex said, "We wouldn't--"

The horse glared at his brother. "Don't tell me what you wouldn't do, boy. Unlike you, I was alive in the seventies. I happen to remember what your family is capable of doing. This isn't the first church you destroyed."

"We didn't do this," Arnold repeated through gritted teeth.

"You're telling me this 'Pride's Militia' organization isn't under your control? That's almost worse. Why at you even in charge if you can't maintain control?"

"I'm in charge because none of you relics are doing anything!"

"Watch how yo--"

"Fuck off! You don't get to insult me without getting cum splashing back on you." Arnold terminated the connection. "Aaron," he growled.

"I didn't do that."

"The militia was your idea," Alex said, sounding calm.

"Yes, and on the whole it's doing its job."

"On the whole?" Arnold demanded.

His brother returned the glare. "I don't see you screaming at Alex anytime a cop takes a bribe or kill some innocent kid. I can't be everywhere. I sent men I trust to form the militias, but as far as anyone reported, we don't have anyone in Nevada yet."

"Guys?" Albert called from his console. "You need to look at this." The wall screen let up with scenes of a burning building.

"Earlier today," a woman spoke as the camera panned over the building, "violence erupted at the Quanah high school in Austin Texas when a group of men and women descended on it in the middle of LGBT+ charity drive. The altercation was initially verbal, but quickly escalated to physical violence. It is still uncertain how the explosion occurred, but there were no death as a result. Eighteen people were taken to the hospital to be treated. The police had this to say."

The image switched to a woman in a dirty and burnt police captain jacket. "The leader of the group who initiated the violence has been identified as Ronald Vagish, he is known to the police for running a militia group calling themselves the 'Survivors to Come' and according to witnesses' statement, this was in response to the destruction of a church in Las Vegas."

The screen went off. "The rest is just theories about who destroyed the church, and why."

"Why is that even on the air?" Arnold demanded.

"Don't look at me," Albert replied. "I can't control what the media in other states do."

"Then why isn't the family in that city doing anything to silence them?"

"There are no Society families in Austin," Alex answered. "The Rowlings are the closest ones, in Houston, but they never had the control infrastructure we do. They rely on bribes and favors, instead of actual control. I doubt any amount of bribery can keep this off the air."

"We should get ready or an increase in coverage," Albert said. "If the fighting is drawing in peripheral groups, there isn't going to be any way to keep this silent anymore."

Arnold cursed. "It's going to be impossible to minimize casualties if just everyone get involved."

"This was always going to happen," Alex said. Arnold glared at him. "This is a war, Arnold. Read your history, those always turn dirty."

"Can this be Damian?" Aaron asked. "We know he attacked his own group at the start. That's how the church justified the first few attacks, as required actions to protect itself."

"It isn't him," Simon said, walking in. "We blew up the church in Reno."

"I didn't--" Aaron snapped, but Simon cut him off.

"I didn't say you, I said we." He slotted his phone in the table and spaced the files that appeared. "I convinced a guy I know in the Reno PD to break protocol and message me everything they have on the attack. It isn't all that much, but they have camera recording. I--"

Alex leaned against the table next to the siamese. "You know Simon, you don't have to look for reasons to spend time with us. I'm sure Arnold would have no problem with you visiting my club without him."

Arnold watched Simon take a breath. "Can we fucking focus here?" the siamese asked. "I'm not your fucking sex toy; any of you. So just fucking stop trying to get me, it isn't going to happen."

Alex grinned as if he'd just been offered a challenge.

A part of Arnold wanted to see how long it would take for his brother to give up, then he realized Alex wouldn't. If he had to, he'd influence Simon to get in his pants. Even that elicited some curiosity. Had any of Arnold's gift to Simon brought with it some level of tolerance to their influence?

"Alex, he's off-limits."

"Arnold, don't be self--"

"I said he's off-limit. And we're in the middle of dealing with something more important than you getting laid."

"Someone's getting off on this war, if he thinks it's more important than sex," his brother replied.

Arnold looked around, Aaron and Albert were chuckling. "Are any of you taking this seriously? This isn't the old men pitting us against the others. You think Damian's going to pat us on the ass when he's done, say 'good job, you lost so I'm going to punish you, but you did your best.' He's going to fucking wipe us off!"

"He hasn't really been hitting us as hard as the others," Aaron said.

"And you think it's because he's planning on coming home? Have you seen the massacres he caused? The number of people he killed to get more power? You really want him to run this family? You want to live in a world where he has any kind of power?"

For once his brothers didn't have some snide reply.

"Damian isn't family anymore, if he ever was. He's the enemy." He waited for a reply. When none came, he looked at Simon. "How is the church something we did?"

"These three men are the ones on charge of the 'Pride Militia' group. I can run you through how the video shows they are giving the orders, but later. I ran their picture through our records and--"

Aaron cursed, snagging one of the pictures. "That's Caboly."

"Vincent Caboly," Simon confirmed.

"Who is he?"

"He's a Seventh String lieutenant."

"It's a gang specializing in protection rackets," Simon added.

"I know what they do," Aaron snapped, "they're mine. Caboly's been jockeying to take over. I've been letting him because it keeps Treble sharp. I sent the Seventh Strings to Truckee to keep an eye on the I80 and train people there. I never gave instructions to cross the state line."

"Does that mean he's under Damian's control?" Alex asked.

"No," Simon replied. He brought another picture, it was from a prison file. "That Sergey Caboly, he's a cousin a few times removed. But there's a lot of communications between the two of them. He spent a few years in prison, but he hasn't been affiliated with any gangs for a decade. He's been doing community work in poor and at needs community." He brought up another picture, that of the same man, burnt and broken. "He was one of the casualties in the medical clinic explosion. Based on what I've assembled on him, he was there helping out."

The room was silent.

"So this was a retaliation after all," Alex said.

"I'm afraid so, and Vincent's affiliation with the Seventh Strings is well documented," Simon said.

"Which means," Aaron continued, "that anyone who knows how we do things, will believe I ordered the attack. But I fucking didn't!"

"It isn't going to matter," Alex said. "If the media gets hold of that, they are going to lay it at our feet."

Arnold had Aiden on the line. "Aiden. How quickly can you get your slicers to remove any connection between one of Aaron's men and us?"

"Wait, what?" Aiden asked, clearly distracted.

"That isn't a good idea," Simon said, and Arnold growled at him.

"Vincent Caboly. He's in one of Aaron's gangs, I need him to not be part of them. Put him in another city, make him a traffic cop, I don't care, but he can't be connected to anything that's ours."

"Okay. I'll get them right on that."

"Don't screw this up." Arnold disconnected.

"This isn't how to handle this," Simon said. "When they find out--"

"They won't."

"When they find out," Simon repeated, more forcefully, "It's going to look exactly like what this is, you trying to it cover-up. It's going to make you look even more guilty."

"They won't find out," Arnold restated. "Aiden's slicers are the best."

"No, they aren't, they are among the best. You think the Gray Church doesn't have their own expert slicers?"

"They've never gotten into our systems," Alex said.

Simon bit back his reply. He locked eyes with Arnold. "I am telling you, this is a mistake. Hiding anything will only come back and blow up at the worst possible moment." He took a breath. "But you're the guy in charge. I'm here to advise you, not try to force your hand. Just remember this when it does blow up. I warned you."

"Fine, I'm warned." Arnold had hoped Simon know how they worked by now, but maybe good cops could never let go of this need to always show everything. Brislow also had this ingrained hatred for secrets. "Aaron, I don't want anyone retaliating."

"I doubt there's anyone with family in Texas."

"Make sure. If we're going to send Damian messages, they're going to be clear and I will say how they are sent, is that clear?"

"You look like you'd like to hit someone," Simon said.

Arnold glared at him. "Simon, don't try my patience."

"I'm not. I'm wondering if taking a trip to Dixon to kick in the door of a Gray Church mustering point would make you feel better."

"What are you talking about?"

"That was the second thing I came here to tell you. One of the team we've had managed to track that bunker in the city back to one in Dixon, and from what they have been to gather just by looking, it's a big one." The siamese smiled. "So, do you feel like going for a drive?"

Arnold answered with a large toothy grin of his own