Yellowstone: Wind in the Smoke

"This is very unsettling," Susie said confidently as she entered the room alone where Henry Collins was waiting for her. She continued, "I hope there's no issue with my money. That would complicate things."

It was evident Susie knew Henry was laundering her money while organizing the fights in which her brother was currently competing.

"It's not about the money," Henry said, watching the fight through the massive window of the private room they were in. Then he turned his head and added, "It's about your brother."

"What about my brother? He's about to beat up some Uzbek." Susie was sure her brother would win, as he always had.

Henry, however, walked over to a cabinet filled with bottles of alcohol, poured himself a drink, and said, "Yes… Unfortunately for your brother, that's not what's going to happen."

"It's a shame, you know? I really like the kid. But unfortunately, there are things much more important than the love one might have for someone else."

As the fight began, Henry continued his carefully rehearsed speech, gesturing dramatically. "When an opportunity arises to expand my business, I can't help myself."

"I pounce like a hungry dog."

Susie, though confused and with a bad feeling, replied, "We're not losing the fight. Henry, get to the point."

"Fifteen million..."

"That's a lot of money," Henry said, looking at Susie. Thinking about the money he had laundered for Eddie under Susie's orders, he muttered, "I understand it came from just one farm in the past month. If you multiply that by fourteen, we're talking about two and a half billion a year."

Susie's expression changed slightly, but having anticipated this long before, she felt safe knowing Dante was nearby.

That's why Susie, still confident, explained, "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but we're not looking for investors or third parties meddling in the business. But as long as you launder the fifteen million that belong to me, we'll be fine, and I'll ignore this conversation we're having."

When Susie finished her sentence, she turned around and was about to walk toward the door when the man who had brought her there stepped forward, pulling out a gun.

Henry Collins then said arrogantly, "I don't want to invest. I'm taking over."

Susie, now facing a potential enemy, responded, "You organize boxing matches and launder money. Stay in your damn lane, or you'll die without knowing how."

"You're very smart, Susie, brilliant even. But clearly, you didn't investigate me thoroughly. I could've treated you the same as your brother, but out of respect, I'll make you this offer."

Henry paused briefly and continued, "There are two paths available... The one of least resistance, where you hand over your business to me right now and accept my offer with grace, wisdom, and honesty. And the other path, which leads to war."

"If you choose the second, it will start with the destruction of your dear brother. I won't kill him, out of respect for you. But I will hurt him, so you know I mean business."

Susie turned her head to watch her brother's fight for a few moments, then focused on Henry and said, "If my brother were talking to you, he'd say the same thing. I'll take the risk. I want to see what you can do."

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that," Henry said as he stood up from the chair he had been resting in. With confidence, he added, "Fixing fights is a very interesting business. To win, you need a very particular type of boxer. They're called decoys."

"The Butcher, the guy your brother is fighting, belongs to that curious class of warriors. No ego, willing to humiliate himself for money. He's won only three of his thirty fights, but the twenty-seven losses were all fixed."

"That's why, when he wins, the accumulated betting pool will be so large it'll be worth the sacrifice. Because the truth is, he's an unstoppable monster."

"The referee won't help either. He's happily married with three kids, but his love for cocaine and hookers will make him do whatever he's told. So when I decide your brother has to fall—and believe me, he will fall—he likely won't get back up."

Susie, who had been listening to all this rambling, smiled slightly, checked the time on her watch, and activated the button Dante had told her to press in case of an emergency.

She turned her attention back to Henry and, in a calm tone, said, "It's a lie that I don't know you. I obviously know what kind of dog you are. Unfortunately for you, you have no idea who I came with tonight."

"You mean your man? The one sitting in the audience, right?" Henry smirked and murmured, "Do you know what I used part of those fifteen million your partner gave me to launder for? There are great assassins, many willing to do anything, and fifteen million is a hefty sum."

"I don't believe you..." Susie finally realized they were in a cage—a very large one they might not be able to escape.

Henry turned around and said, "Of course, I did what you're thinking. How could I not, after my two hired assassins were killed by that man?"

"I did my research and found that this Dante guy didn't have such an incredible background. But you traveled to the U.S. to meet him, so I wondered what kind of man he was. But as they say, when you look, you find—and someone gave me some insider information."

Susie smiled slightly and said, "Then you didn't look well enough, because you're about to find out what kind of man is accompanying me, and the only thing you'll feel is fear."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"What the hell?" Henry frowned. This wasn't part of his plan. As he peeked through the window overlooking the fight, several gunshots were fired in his direction.

"Damn it..."

At the same time, the door guarded by the bodyguard was opened, and before the man could raise his weapon, a sword pierced through his throat.

In front of Susie, hooded men wielding long swords stepped forward toward Henry, not without first handing Susie a weapon to defend herself.

"What's happening?"

"We're under attack."