I come back downstairs but Sydney isn’t there anymore. I assume she’s upset about her mother finding out, and I decide to give her some space. Meanwhile, I hear the car running out front, and I assume Julia is waiting.

What a fucking mess. I never intended for her to find out so soon, but we got caught. At least she didn’t catch us last night. The memory brings a grin to my face.

There’s something real happening with Sydney. The age difference thing is strange, but I don’t care. In fact, I like it. I like taking care of her, wanting to be her Daddy, giving her things, spoiling her. I want to take this money, build my business, and make Sydney my fucking queen. I can see it, how it’ll all play out, and it gives me renewed purpose and energy.

First though, we have to get through today, and finish this. When the old man dies, it’s all over.

I climb into the car and Julia pulls out down the driveway. We drive in silence, the awkward tension straining between us. I can’t think of the right thing to say in this situation. Would it help if I told her that it’s not just about fucking her daughter? Although I do enjoy that very, very much. I can’t imagine it would help. Maybe it would make it worse.

Her daughter isn’t meant for a man like me. I’m a brute, a worker, a drone. Their family is practically rich royalty, and I’m just a servant to people like them.

Except Sydney isn’t like that. Sydney wants to be so much more, so much beyond that. And I want to help give her that life.

“Cars,” Julia says suddenly, bringing me back from my reverie.

“What?”

“Cars.” She nods up ahead. I can see her father’s house, and there are a lot of cars outside of it.

“Yeah,” I say. “Odd.”

“Are your little soldiers following us?”

I nod. “I told them to stay close.”

“Good. I think we’re going to need them.”

Julia pulls the car into the driveway but has to park right near the edge. There are at least ten cars in the driveway, and a lot of men in dark suits are hanging around outside the house.

I know what this is as soon as I see it, but I don’t know what we can do about it. “They’re blockading your dad,” I say to her.

“They’re what?”

“Blockading.” I take off my seatbelt and pull out my phone. “They’re going to keep us from him.”

“What do we do?”

“Nothing. We don’t have the manpower.”

“Connor. We can’t be kept from him right now. This is the time.”

I call up Jonathan in the car following behind me. “Pass us,” I tell him. “Park down the street. Await orders.”

“Got it.”

I hang up the phone and look at Julia. “Come on, let’s go.”

I climb out of the car and she follows me. She hurries to catch up. As soon as we get out of the car, the guys in suits converge on us.

There are at least ten of them there. I recognize Sergei, standing over toward the door. He looks like shit, and I give him a little wave. He just spits on the ground and looks away.

“Whoa there,” one of the guys up front says. “Where are you two going?”

“Who are you?” I ask him.

“I’m Big Jimmy,” he says, “and I’m supposed to keep the riffraff out. Looks like you two are riffraff.”

“This is my father’s house,” Julia says.

“Is it now?” He squints are her. “I don’t know. I don’t see the resemblance. You see it, Robbie?”

The guy names Robbie shakes his head. “Nope. Not enough white hair.”

The goons laugh at the stupid joke and I just keep my cool. “Let the girl through.”

“No can do. Boss’s orders.”

“Is your boss Evan?”

“He sure is,” Big Jimmy says.

“Tell him his sister is here. And her husband.”

Big Jimmy narrows his eyes. “You’re not fucking kidding, are you?”

“Go do it,” I say.

“Leave here,” Big Jimmy says. “Or we’ll start hurting the girl.” He gives Julia a big grin. Robbie pushes his jacket back, revealing a gun, and the other men start to mumble.

“Come on,” I say to her.

“What? No, we’re not leaving.”

I grab her arm and drag her back to the car.

“We have to go,” I say to her. “We’re outnumbered here. You want to die?”

“Fuck,” she says. I get her into the car then get behind the wheel. I turn around and head back toward the house as the goons laugh.

“We’ll figure something out,” I say to her. “Just give me time.”

“We don’t have time. Rosie said he was going to go today. Connor, we have to see him.”

“Be patient. I’ll figure it out.”

She goes quiet, but I can tell she’s pissed off. This morning is not going how she planned it.

Well, frankly I didn’t fucking think it would be like this, either. I’m frustrated. Evan got the drop on us and made a good move. If we can’t get in and see her father, we don’t know if he’s going to leave the company to Julia or not. Evan can whisper in his ear until his dying breath and get any kind of confession out of him.

I keep trying to think up some kind of plan or strategy to turn this around, but I can’t think of anything. That is, I can’t think of anything that isn’t at least a little bit suicidal. Evan has the place locked down, and I don’t know what else to do.

We get back to the house and Julia storms inside, saying something about calling her lawyer. I let her go, knowing better than to try and calm her down. Instead, I head inside and go looking for Sydney.

She’s not up in her room or out by the pool. I didn’t see the truck that the guards were supposed to be in, either, which was confusing. She’s not in the living room or in the kitchen, and by the time I find the note, I’m already starting to panic.

The note is taped to the refrigerator. It’s written in a simple hand, clearly and legibly.

I have Sydney. Concede the company or I start sending her back in pieces. Evan.

I read the note five times before it sinks in, and when it does, anger fills my whole being.

He’s gone too far. He took it too far. He kidnapped his own fucking niece and is threatening to hurt her. So far, this has been a chess match, with only minor injuries on both sides.

But it’s time to stop that. It’s time to let loose. Maybe I was worried about getting hurt before for Sydney’s sake, but not anymore.

I’m going to burn the whole place to the fucking ground and take them all down with me.