Marcus has had enough. It's time to do things his way.
Friday, September 27th, 8:20 pm
It’s amazing how fast the weather can turn. One moment you’re enjoying a mild fall afternoon; the next, the sky’s threatening to dump a small ocean on your head.
It felt like a metaphor.
The air had chilled since the last time I was up here, lying in a hammock with Charity. I pulled my sweatshirt hood over my head and sank deeper into the outdoor couch. The retractable awning was already out—my only shield against the storm rolling in.
I rolled the beer bottle between my palms, my mind drifting over everything that had just happened. Reynolds. Bobbi. Desai’s murder. Ryo Tanaka. And the possibility that someone inside my own house was working against me.
Someone had planted something in Erin’s office for Reynolds to find. Or… Reynolds simply had it and claimed he found it in the search.
It was one of the only explanations that made sense, wasn’t it? Nothing else made sense.
I couldn’t suspect Erin—not realistically. She’d been the one to tell me Reynolds found it. Why would she report something she planted?
Besides, if I started doubting Erin, who else did I have left? I trusted her more than almost anyone—maybe more than anyone except Emily.
No. Suspecting my own inner circle was the last thing I wanted to do. At least… without good fucking reason.
On the other hand, that was exactly the sort of mistake that got powerful people killed.
Who else had access to Erin’s office?
Me. Helen.
That was it.
Jessica crossed my mind, but Erin would’ve skinned her alive for touching anything in that space. My assistant was territorial about her office—nobody touched it except me or Helen. Even then, she cringed if we moved things around too much.
“Hey.”
I peered out from under my hood. Chloe approached, carrying a six-pack of assorted beers.
“Hey,” I said.
She nodded at the beer bottle in my hand. “Heard you came up with only one. Thought you could use more.”
“Bless you.”
Chloe.
That was another person with access to Erin’s study. But suspecting her felt about as ridiculous as suspecting Erin.
My bodyguard plucked out a bottle, did some sleight-of-hand trick I didn’t quite catch, and the metal cap pinged across the rooftop. She handed me the fresh beer; I took it gratefully.
She opened one for herself, repeating the move, and sat beside me with that effortless, predatory grace of hers.
“How’s the footage?” I asked.
Chloe took a long drink. “It’s a slog.”
I stared at the rooftop as the first small droplets began to darken the surface.
“That one camera in the hallway is the only legitimate way we have to see who’s been in Erin’s office,” she said. “Sure would’ve been nice to have one inside.”
My lips pressed into a thin line. The implication wasn’t wrong.
Early in my transition from plebeian to one of the richest men alive, I’d pushed back hard on some of Chloe’s security recommendations, like installing cameras in certain private rooms. Bedrooms. Bathrooms. My study. Erin’s office. She tried to insist, but I was the boss. Now, trying to figure out who the fuck tampered with Erin’s office, I regretted choosing privacy over security.
“How far have you gotten?”
Thunder rolled through the sky like some massive animal’s low growl.
“We started with today’s camera recordings,” Chloe said. “When I left, they were already back to September fifth.”
“Huh,” I murmured. “Back in a simpler time.”
“You’re not wrong,” she said.
We were still in Scotland then—just before Astrid reached out about Tanaka. It felt like years ago, not weeks.
“I think I’d rather be back in that forest than dealing with all this,” I said.
Chloe snorted.
“You don’t agree?” I asked.
“Fuck no.” She took another sip, then gave me that hard, unreadable look of hers… except around the eyes, where something faint—possibly amusement—flickered.
I was beginning to think I might finally be cracking the code of Chloe Tanner.
Lightning flashed through the clouds. The rain came down harder. I hugged my knees to my chest and watched the storm bloom.
“Come on,” I said, resting my chin on my knees. “It wasn’t all bad. Even you have to admit that.”
“I don’t have to admit shit.”
I grinned. God, I missed talking to her like this.
“Then why did you do it?”
Chloe side-eyed me. “Do what?”
“The other night. The closet.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Upton.”
She stared into the rain for a long beat. Then she glanced the other way—checking for anyone else nearby.
When she looked back at me, her voice was low. “I forgot how good it was.”
I wanted to gloat, but I knew Chloe wouldn’t respond well to that, so I just nodded and took a sip of beer.
“I didn’t know you were into girls,” I said.
“Jesus Christ.” The glare she threw me could’ve knocked over a grown man.
I held up my hands defensively. “Hey, I’m just saying… I wasn’t the only one in there.”
If my memory served, I was pretty sure Chloe, the mystery woman in the closet, had gone down on Charity. I knew for certain that they made out..
“I’m not.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
“There’s a few women,” Chloe said, “that I wouldn't mind hooking up with.”
“Charity is one of them?”
She met my gaze. “I would wreck that girl if I had the chance.”
“Damn,” I said, my imagination going wild—Chloe and I spending a sleepless night with my submissive little PR girl between us.
Instant Boner.
“Just Charity?”
Chloe shrugged.
“I would've thought that if you were into anyone, it would've been Tara, as fit as she is.”
“She's hot,” Chloe said. “I wouldn’t kick her out of bed. Almost too perfect, though.”
“Hm.” I let my head fall back against the couch cushion, wondering how the hell a woman could be too perfect to spend the night with.
And then a memory resurfaced.
“Remember when we toured the plane?”
Her face contorted into a frown. “All too well. Someone pulled a gun on you in that cafe.”
That was a sore point for her, so I moved past it. “You left me alone with Helen and Erin in one of those back rooms.”
“Yeah. You were getting handsy. Figured you needed some space.”
“They were talking about you joining the three of us.”
“They can keep talking.”
“Not interested?”
“Erin's an oversexed brat—worse than you, sometimes. I respect the hell out of what she does for you, but half the time I want to put her over my knee and beat that ass until I've wiped that smug look off her face.”
That caused another image to drift through my mind—one I didn’t mind at all.
“What about Helen?”
“Helen’s a bitch.”
I nearly spit out my beer, pressing my mouth to my arm to keep it in. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
“I know,” Chloe said, practically reading my mind. “I sound like a hypocrite.”
“A self-aware one, at least,” I said.
And then, for the next ten minutes, we did what we did best—sat next to each other in complete silence.
Well… second best, if you count those cozy nights in Norway.
The rain thickened, turning into a steady, heavy curtain.
Finally, I spoke. “Chloe, what if I’m too soft for all this?”
“Get tougher.”
“Easier said than done.”
“You managed in Norway.”
I stared into my bottle. “You were there to protect me the entire time.”
“Marcus, you were shot at more in five minutes than most people are in their entire lives, and came out in one piece. With Tanaka.”
She gave me a hard, unwavering stare. “You saved my life right after the crash, too. Only three people can say that. You’ve got it in you. Give yourself some credit. I do.”
I stared at her, unsure what to say.
She stood, tossed back the last of her beer, then set the empty bottle on the couch. “I’m getting some shut-eye.”
As she turned, I called out, “Chloe?”
She paused and looked back.
“What would you do… if you were me?”
“I’d murder Ryo and Hiro. Then I’d make Sachiko one hell of an offer so she’d back off and stay away, and if she didn’t…” Chloe made her finger into a gun, pointed it at me, and mimed shooting it.
My stomach twisted. I had the resources to do exactly that. I just wasn’t sure I had the stomach for it.
“Just like that?” I asked.
“Yep.” There was no hesitation… no remorse.
She read the discomfort on my face. “I’m not a good person, Marcus. I’m a pragmatist.”
“How can I trust you if you’re not a good person? The money?”
“In part,” Chloe said. “But I’m not Henry Psalter. He’ll honor the contract until it’s up, then kill you the second it’s over if that’s the next job. It’s not just money for me.”
“What is it, then?”
“Loyalty. You take care of your own—really take care of them. You care what happens to people. That inspires people.”
I let a slow smile pull at my mouth. “Gosh, Chloe. Keep sweet-talking me like this and you’re gonna make me blush.”
“’Kay. Time for me to leave,” she muttered, and walked off into the rain.
I watched her disappear into the garden.
Well… that was an interesting conversation.
I stayed under the awning, letting the rain drown out the noise in my head. I thought about what Chloe had said—about doing whatever it took to take my life back. I’d come a long way since inheriting the money… but had I come far enough?
Was I really willing to do anything to keep it all?
Lightning flashed across the sky.
Maybe.
But if I were the kind of man who would do anything—at any cost—did I even deserve to hold onto it?
Did I want to be that man?
Ten minutes blurred into thirty as I sat there, lost in the storm and my own thoughts.
Killing Tanaka wouldn’t work anyway, would it? Some other monster would just fill the void he left. Eventually, someone else would pick up on my reluctance to get my hands dirty. And then what? Kill all over again?
Fuck that.
There had to be a better way than blood, the ruin of countless normal people, or me rolling over and taking it.
There had to be other options.
And then a hint of an idea began to take shape and form. A singularity spun up into an entire nexus of possibilities. Moment by moment, I started sifting through the raw ore of this… concept.
Surely it wouldn’t work. Would it?
There was only one person I knew
Chandler answered on the second ring. “Marcus? Is everything alright?”
“Yeah,” I said, leaning forward and getting comfortable. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Going into the office.”
That earned half a smile from me. “Cancel that. I need to talk to you first thing in the morning. I have a thought, and I need that business brain of yours…”
***
Friday, September 27th, 9:30 pm
The door shut behind me, and I leaned against it, staring at the two women in the room watching me.
Helen sat on Bobbi’s bed, lounging back against pillows propped on the headboard. She wore a pair of soft cotton shorts that showcased her elegant legs and a baggy t-shirt that concealed much of her shape. Her hair was piled behind her head, held in place with a clamshell clip, allowing easy view of the choker encircling her neck.
One of her legs hung off the side of the bed, giving the impression of complete relaxation. Her pale blue eyes were locked on me… watching, waiting.
Bobbi was sitting in the chair next to her vanity, where an assortment of makeup and accessories were scattered across the tabletop. Soft light spilled across her features from lights mounted along the edges of the vanity mirror. She wore a silk pink gown with spaghetti straps. Across the chest, it plunged, showing plenty of loose cleavage.
The gown stopped mid-thigh, leaving her smooth, slender legs bare. Her fingernails and toenails were painted a pale pink that matched the color of her gown. Startling slate-gray eyes stared up at me, looking particularly big thanks to the subtle application of dark eyeliner and mascara… and the fact that she was nervous as hell to confront me.
“I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”
“No, Sir,” Helen said. “Why are you wet?”
I’d come directly from the rooftop, having to walk through the open rain before getting to the garden and then making it to the door. I’d texted Helen roughly ten minutes before leaving, telling her to meet me here.
“It’s raining. I was on the roof.”
“Would you like to change?” Helen asked.
“No,” I said, keeping my eyes on Bobbi. “I’d like to hear what Bobbi has to say.”
It was almost imperceptible, but I caught a slight flinch from Bobbi as I used her name.
I hadn’t mistakenly used it. She made it clear that she was terrified of losing her new home, but in order to be here, she couldn’t be ‘Bobbi’—she was ‘kitten,’ ‘pet,’ ‘slut,’ or any other thing we felt like calling her on a whim. ‘Bobbi’ was the name of the girl with a drug problem who had nothing going for her.
And she could be ‘Bobbi again if this conversation went the wrong way. No games. No fucking around. I had enough problems outside the house to be concerned about the people inside.
Helen looked back at Bobbi. “Well?”
Bobbi glanced at Helen.
“Don’t look at her,” I snapped. “Look at me.”
She complied.
“I…”
The poor girl looked so unsure of what to say, which seemed so unlike the Bobbi Nanford I’d known for so long.
And then she raised her chin and set her jaw, a spark of her old spirit coming to life.
“I want what she has,” Bobbi said, glancing at Helen on the word ‘she.’
“What?” I asked, confused.
“I want… I want someone.”
“Christ, Bobbi,” I said, exasperated. “Be more fucking specific.”
“I want a submissive!”
Helen and I blinked at her.
“Like what Helen has… with me,” Bobbi went on.
“You want a submissive?” I asked.
Bobbi nodded. “Yes.” Then added, “Sir.”
I hadn’t expected that. I thought it might be along the lines of wanting a role in the house that was less submissive… but she wasn’t even asking for a change in her situation in the house. She was asking for someone who could be beneath her.
Was she just that short-sighted, or did she really find her new lot in life fitting?
“It doesn’t have to be all the time,” Bobbi clarified, sensing my hesitation. “Just… sometimes.”
“No,” I said. “I’m not sharing you with some other guy. Even if you never touch his dick and spend the entire time pegging him. You’re mine.”
I glanced at the older blonde. “And Helen’s.”
“It’s not a guy,” Bobbi said.
“You want to fuck another woman?” I asked. “Without me ordering you to?”
“It’s not… it’s not like that,” Bobbi said. “It’s not just any woman.”
“I don’t have time for this,” I sighed.
“I want it to be Erin,” Bobbi blurted.
I leveled my gaze at her. “Erin…”
She simply stared back at me.
“No,” I said.
“Natalie, then!”
Ignoring that, I looked at Helen. “Did you know about this?”
She shook her head.
“Why?” I asked, turning my attention back to Bobbi.
“Because I hate them,” she said quietly.
“Yeah, we get that. Why?”
She looked reluctant to answer, but just as I was about to repeat myself, she said, “Because Erin’s a smug little bitch, and I fucking hate her.”
“And Natalie?”
“She saw me… this way, and she knew me.” Bobbi cast her gaze around the room. “It’s fucking humiliating. Both of them…”
“Ah.” That at least made a little more sense. Natalie was the only one who knew Bobbi before her fall from grace, and I’d escorted her into the middle of one of my submissive’s sessions in the dungeon.
Erin was a little more perplexing, but aside from Helen, she was the one who was the most involved when I brought others into bed, along with Bobbi. Pair that with my assistant’s self-assuredness, and I could see how it would grate against Bobbi.
“No,” I repeated.
Bobbi’s jaw tightened. “No?”
“Hell no.”
Bobbi looked like she was teetering between defeat and fury.
“I didn’t tell them anything today,” she said quietly.
And now she was going to try extortion again. “Thanks for that.”
Her face twisted in outrage. “I could have told them you’re holding me against my will!”
“And you would have been lying,” I said. “There’s the door. You’re free to walk through it at any point in time.”
“You think they’ll believe you over me?”
In all honesty, I didn’t think they would. Reynolds already had it out for me, and that’s before I took into account the possibility that he could be working for Tanaka. If that were the case, convincing him to believe me over Bobbi would have been nearly impossible.
“Of course they’ll believe me over you, Bobbi.” I reached for the hem of my wet hoodie and pulled it over my head. My shirt came with it, and both hit the ground with a wet splat. “I still have the embezzlement evidence from Marduke. I can find Candace, and she can testify that you used to buy drugs from her.”
“You can’t—”
“And of course, there’s your family. I wonder what they would say if I got them involved.”
That shut her up. Hurt bled into the mixture of nervousness and anger.
“You didn’t think I wouldn’t look into them, did you?”
No response.
Of course, I hadn’t, but she didn’t need to know that. I would have to get Psalter to remedy as soon as possible. Once again, I needed to stop reacting.
“You said—”
“Fuck whatever I said. If you’re staying in this house, this is your role. Leave if you want, but that’s your choice. I told you I wouldn’t keep dangling what you did over your head, or threaten to kick you out every week.”
I stepped toward her, and she leaned slightly away from me. Reaching her, I took her chin in my hand and kept her gaze on me. “But I’m not letting you blackmail extort me, either.”
“I didn’t—”
“It was implied,” I said, interrupting her again. I ran my thumb over her lips… they were so soft. “And I know everything that you told your mistress earlier. That was a threat.”
Without warning, I picked her up out of her chair, spun her around, and pressed her roughly against the mirror. The crap on the vanity’s surface fell off the edge and clattered to the floor.
She started to fight, struggling against me. One small fist swung back at my face, but I caught her dainty wrist in my hand. I grabbed her hair and shoved forward so that her cheek was pressed against the glass.
Tossing her hand aside, I reached for her gown and pulled at it as hard as I could; the straps popped, and the sound of fabric tearing filled the room. The next thing I knew, I had a scrap of pink silk in one hand while I had Bobbi’s head in the other, shoving her face into the cool glass.
The illumination did wonders at showing off her body in the mirror—her modest, B-cup breasts hung freely in front of her, dusky pink nipples already hard. The subtle ripple of abs played in the light as Bobbi squirmed under my grasp.
Helen took the initiative by slipping off Bobbi’s bed and dropping to her knees beside me as I explored the little submissive’s tight ass with one hand. She undid my pants and skinned them down my legs and discarded them. Socks and shoes came off in the same effort, leaving me completely nude.
The warmth of Helen’s mouth engulfed my mostly hard cock, preparing me for Bobbi. Meanwhile, I slid my fingers between her ass cheeks and ran the middle digit over her tight little ass briefly before continuing on to bury it inside her moist vagina.
Christ, was she ever anything but wet?
She gasped and pushed back against my hand as I fingered her.
“You’re insane if you think I’m going to just let you loose on anybody. Especially someone like Natalie or Erin.”
Helen’s expert mouth was already taking almost my entire dick, sliding up and down my pole with just the right amount of pressure. Her tongue worked across the underside just as I loved.
“You’re fucking lucky I let you stay in this house,” I growled.
“Unngh,” was Bobbi’s only reply.
I swatted her ass. “You’re lucky Helen and I even bother fucking you.”
The thought of Erin being subjected to the full, unrestrained burning fury of Bobbi Nanford…
Well, I had to admit that part of me deep down found it incredibly arousing—shamefully so.
The other part knew how much of a mistake that would be. Erin—my Erin—was perfect in almost every way. Subjecting her to what would most likely be some of the most brutal treatment she’d ever experienced was no way to reward her.
Natalie would be even worse. I’d tried for so long to get us to this point that doing something like that to her would ruin everything.
Bobbi’s hatred for both of them would contaminate any lust and turn it into something twisted… like the relationship we had… only ten times worse.
She would be like Astrid.
I planted my palm on the top of Helen’s head and pulled all the way out of her throat, strands of saliva clinging to her lips as she gulped down precious oxygen.
“Put me inside her,” I ordered.
Helen obliged, wrapping her fingers around the base of my cock and guiding it to Bobbi’s pussy. I felt the head rub against her opening.
“Wrong one,” I growled.
Bobbi let out a deep growl, and I couldn’t tell if she was into the idea or protesting. Not that it mattered.
Once again, Helen obeyed and lined me up so that as I pressed my hips forward, the sloppy head pressed against my submissive’s tight passage. I shuddered as I met the glorious resistance from her ass and enjoyed the sensation of it slowly giving way as the relentless pressure built.
The older blonde released my cock and crawled to her feet, pressing her body against my side and kissing my shoulder, waiting for my orders.
The head of my cock slipped inside, the elastic ring of her ass squeezing the life out of it.
Another loud groan escaped Bobbi’s throat, the glass fogging with every breath, fading, and then being replaced again. She scratched at the mirror like some wayward pet who had been locked outside, desperate to get back in.
“I thought we were past this, kitten.” Several inches sank into her ass as I swatted it hard. “I thought we were done with your rebellion.”
“I wasn’t!” Bobbi said through gritted teeth, eyes opening to thin slits as she glanced back at me over her shoulder. “I wasn’t going to say anything to him!”
“Then why the fuck did you spend so much time pissing me off?”
I didn’t stop fucking her as the interrogation went on.
“I wanted to get them back!”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Another swat to her ass.
“Fuck! I just fucking hate them! It’s fucking humiliating when they seem me like that!”
I turned my gaze to Helen, grabbing her by the back of the head and crushing my lips to hers while fucking Bobbi.
“Go to the dungeon and get that chastity belt,” I whispered in her ear before letting her go. “Now.”
Helen gave me a smoldering, approving look and then left to do as she was told.
I wrapped one hand around her throat and pulled her back against me, reaching up to paw one of her soft breasts in my other hand as I pounded her ass.
“You do realize that I’m going to have to punish you, right?”
She gave no comment, face simply screwed into a rictus as she continued to stare at me out of the corner of her eye.
My grip tightened around her throat. Her breathing became raspy as fingertips sank into her. “Here’s what’s going to happen, Bobbi. I’m cutting you off. No one gets access to your pussy. Your mouth is still fair game and is available to everyone. I’ll fuck your ass every day, but no one’s allowed to touch that sweet little pussy of yours.”
“Fuck,” she wheezed. “Noooo…”
I nuzzled against her ear and continued, my voice a low, threatening growl. “Until you’re at your most fertile. Then… if you’re a good little bitch who behaves and asks really nicely… I’ll give you the privilege of fucking your cunt again.”
“You wouldn’t—”
I released her throat and slapped my palm over her mouth. “Piss me off, though, and you’ll have to wait a month longer.”
She was pushing back against me. The little fucking slut was actually getting into my threats. God, she was a twisted little psycho.
“If you’re good, though… then maybe… just maybe… I’ll give you someone to play with.”
Her eyes grew wide, and she shuddered against me. A muffled sound came from around my fingers over her mouth, undecipherable, but I got the gist.
She wanted to know who it would be.
“Prove to me you deserve it, then we’ll have that conversation,” I growled and picked up the pace, shoving my cock in and out of her tight ass until I was on the verge of blowing my load.
It was a good question… if we went down this path, who would it be? Jessica? Would Erin be willing to subject herself to Bobbi?
What about Helen? Would I let the tables be turned on Bobbi’s mistress?
The thought pushed me over the edge, and I felt myself release deep in Bobbi’s bowels. Her teeth scraped against my palm as she fucked back against me… one hand between her leg, working her clit with her own fingers as she got herself off.
I let her. Soon, access would be cut off entirely, which would drive her crazy.
Eventually, both of us collapsed over the little vanity, and I raised my gaze to the mirror to see her reflection staring back at me as she lay beneath me.
“Don’t worry, pet,” I breathed, stroking her hair. “We’re not done with this conversation.”
***
Wednesday, October 2nd, 11:02 am
“Do you think they will show?” I asked, glancing around the other patrons of Hannover Lane—one of the more popular coffee shops in Times Square.
“I have no idea,” Helen said.
“Nope,” Erin said simultaneously.
Both of us looked at Erin.
“They’re both convinced you’re out to kill them,” Erin explained. “I don’t care where you agree to meet, you’re not seeing their faces without some serious incentive.”
“You would think my offer to hand over Ryo would be some serious incentive.”
“I mean… it’s a start. Maybe if you handed over Carla, too.”
“No,” I said.
“Boss…”
“I’m not letting that asshole kill Carla.”
“I get it. She’s a smokeshow—”
“That’s not it.”
Erin side-eyed me.
“She’s here,” Helen said.
I followed my gaze over to see Sachiko approaching with a single man behind her—a six-and-a-half-foot tall man built like a brick wall. He wore wraparound sunglasses that hadn’t been in style since the mid-2000s, and the way he walked, keeping his right side clear and available, suggested that he was carrying some kind of weapon.
Thanks to Chloe for teaching me those interesting little tricks.
Fashion-wise, Sachiko was on point. Her coat—brushed charcoal wool, tailored to her waist and cut just long enough to make you guess what was underneath. Under it, the soft shimmer of a cream silk blouse caught the light when she turned her head It had a Mandarin collar with no buttons showing. A rust and teal scarf was draped loosely around her neck as if she had put it on as an afterthought
Her pants were wide-leg, black, and crisp as hell. Polished loafers with no heel… because why would she need the height?
There was minimal jewelry— a platinum watch, pearl stud earrings, and no rings.
Her glossy black hair was swept back into a low chignon. Lipstick a deep berry shade, graced her lips. She dressed like a woman who could close a deal, or ruin your afternoon plans with a flirtatious smile and a flick of whatever was holding her hair up.
Fuck. I should’ve worn a better jacket.
“Goddamn,” Erin said under her breath, and I knew exactly what she meant.
I couldn’t blame her—the understated sexuality was palpable. Quite the difference from the last time we met. Obviously, someone told her that my libido was my greatest weakness.
After my conversation with Chandler on Saturday morning, followed by another one that lasted most of the day on Sunday, I called Sachiko that evening and asked her to meet with me in person. I didn’t want to risk anyone other than her hearing what I had to say. She reluctantly agreed when I told her that I had an offer for her that she’d be a fool not to consider but said she wouldn’t be available until Wednesday.
It had been an agonizing two days of pacing, more conversations with Chandler, and the anticipation that Reynolds could show up at my house at any moment with a warrant for my arrest. It hadn’t happened, but I felt like a man bound to a guillotine, waiting for the razor’s edge to fall.
And now that Wednesday was here, my intestines felt like they’d been tied into knots that a sailor would have a hard time with.
“Don’t get up,” Sachiko said as I started to rise from my seat. Her companion’s hand seemed to hover dangerously close to whatever was concealed under his jacket.
The daughter of Hiro Tanaka scanned the area and then approached, her bodyguard staying a few feet back.
“Where is your security?” she asked, her dark eyes settling on me.
“Like yours,” I said. “Around.”
“I would prefer to see all parties here.”
“You first,” I said.
“My bodyguard is right here.”
“Sachiko, I’m tired. I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off, catching spinning plates while the sky is falling. I don’t have time for games. You probably have a whole squadron of guys trying to find my guys—same as me. Can we just accept that neither of us is here to kill the other so we can sit down and have this fucking meeting?”
The youngest Tanaka arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow at me and then sat down.
“Thank you.”
“That was a lot of metaphors in one sentence,” she mused.
“Really? Because it didn’t feel like enough to describe how I’m feeling right now.”
“I tried to warn you,” Sachiko said. “My father is not a forgiving man.”
“You did,” I admitted, “and I didn’t listen, so I’m here to make a deal.”
“Before that can happen,” Sachiko said, “I need to know my brother is alive.”
“Of course.” I picked my phone up and dialed Ryo’s number. One of Psalter’s goons answered.
“Could you show us Ryo?” I asked him, flashing the screen at Sachiko. Erin, who was sitting between the two of us and across from Helen at the square table, leaned toward Sachiko to get a better view of the screen.
Being the cool, classy lady that she was, Helen remained where she was, taking a sip of her coffee and looking mildly disinterested.
Sachiko’s dark eyes flashed up to me. “I’ll need better proof than this. It could be recorded footage.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, turning the phone so I could see it. Ryo was currently tied to a chair. He looked tired, but other than that, relatively well cared-for.
“What do you want as proof?” I asked her.
“Can he hold up today’s newspaper?” Sachiko asked.
It was my turn to arch an eyebrow at her. “What is this? Nineteen eighty-three? Who gets newspapers? Just ask them to do something. Like this…”
I turned the screen back toward her. “Hey. Whoever this is, can you punch Ryo in the face?”
Sachiko’s lips tightened as she watched the screen. Judging by the muffled groan coming from the phone and the dull thud of someone hitting flesh, I assumed she’d just seen her brother get cold-cocked.
Helen flashed me a warning look. Sachiko may not have been her father, but the last thing I needed to do was piss off his daughter by flexing too hard; she was the closest thing I had to an ally in that family.
I sighed and looked back at Sachiko. “Good enough? Need more proof that this is live? If you do, you might want to ask him to do something else. If I ask, it’ll probably involve pulling teeth.”
“No,” Sachiko said. “This is fine.”
I nodded and said into the phone, “Thanks. That’s it.”
Hanging up, I placed my phone back on the table. “Now that you know your brother is alive, can we talk?”
“You should know,” Sachiko said, “that my father’s old offer is no longer valid.
“I thought as much,” I said, trying to sound like I didn’t care.
“And you’re willing to part with more?”
“For this war to be over so you’ll leave me the fuck alone?” I asked. “Of course.”
Sachiko nodded once. “Good. My father will want an additional five percent of the company, as well as all the other items he’s already requested. Ryo and Carla would also be returned.”
She continued, “And once the dust has settled, we would like to discuss a future relationship between our organizations.”
And there it was.
Not only were they asking me to hand over a massive chunk of my company and practically sign the death warrant of someone who didn’t deserve to die… now they wanted ongoing tribute. The kind conquerors extract from their victims.
I glanced at Helen. Her wary look said it all… that she’d been right. Hiro Tanaka would bleed me dry.
Unless, of course, I gave him something that would make him consider backing off permanently.
“I have a counteroffer,” I said.
Sachiko’s gaze hardened. “I can’t accept any other offers without consulting my father.”
“By all means,” I said. “Take it to him. I think he’ll want to hear this one.”
“…What is it?”
I looked from Erin to Helen, then back to Sachiko. “I want your father to cease all hostilities immediately. No more industrial sabotage. No more economic warfare. He doesn’t breathe in my direction. It ends. All of it.”
“I get the picture.” A hint of impatience dripped off Sachiko’s words.
“Ryo stays under my protection for six more months after the deal, and he stops pursuing Carla entirely. He divorces her. She gets nothing.”
Sachiko shook her head slowly. “Whatever you’re about to offer won’t—”
“In exchange,” I cut in, “I’ll gift Carla’s and Rajesh’s shares of VistaVision. And I’ll sell him all of my shares for a fraction of their value.”
Gasps erupted from Helen and Erin. I didn’t have to look to feel their shock, their disapproval, or the sting of being blindsided by such a drastic move.
But Sachiko’s reaction… I savored that. The dismissiveness was gone. She looked at me like she wasn’t sure what planet I’d come from.
“When you say a fraction,” she asked quietly, “what do you mean?”
“The fact that I’m willing to sell at all is a miracle. Your father can afford it. If I offered half its value, he’d be a fool not to jump. We can negotiate the number later. He just needs to know the offer exists.”
“VistaVision is one of the most lucrative, culturally relevant companies in the world,” Sachiko said. “By selling it, you lose billions in revenue. By selling at half price, you lose billions more. This is your grandfather’s legacy. Why give that up?”
“Three reasons.”
I lifted a finger.
“First—I can’t hand him Carla. He’d kill her, and I’m not carrying that on my conscience.
“Second: I want nothing to do with the Tanakas. No partnership. No tribute. No future. Whatever deal we make, it includes some kind of poison pill, or something, that prevents our entities from having anything to do with each other ever again.”
I paused long enough for her to feel the weight of it.
Helen’s hand brushed my shoulder. “Marcus—”
Sachiko ignored her. “And the third?”
“Even without VistaVision, I’m not broke. Maybe I won’t be the richest man in the world, but I’ll still be wealthier than I ever dreamed.
My grandfather built one of the biggest, blood-soaked, skeleton-stuffed economic empires on the planet, and it’s been used against me since the day I inherited it. I want to start fresh. This feels like a good first step.”
Sachiko stared at me, unreadable.
Helen tried again. “Marcus, maybe we should talk about—”
“You didn’t consult your lawyers before making this offer?” Sachiko cut in.
I glanced at Helen. “It wouldn’t have mattered. If we reach an agreement, this is happening.”
Placing my elbows on the table, I met Sachiko’s gaze and leaned forward. “Everyone else will just have to get on board.”
Sachiko studied me for so long that it started to knot my stomach even more. I needed this. I needed it over.
So I threw her off.
“And once this is all over, and the dust settles,” I said, using her own phrasing, “maybe we can grab dinner. As long as it’s not sushi.”
She blinked, a tiny, stifled smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. I only hoped that it was amusement and not scorn; my pride was already hanging by a thread.
However, she let the invitation pass without comment. “I’ll take the offer to my father.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“You do realize this is quite possibly a historically bad business move.” She tilted her head. “It could become your new legacy.”
“You trying to talk me out of it?”
Sachiko shook her head, almost rueful. “I just believe people should understand what they’re getting into.”
“Honorable,” I said, “but some things matter more than a pile of money.”
“Says the man with all the money.”
“Say that again after our deal.”
She smiled for real this time, small, but it felt genuine. “Perhaps I’ll have to buy you dinner.”
Now I was thrown off. Was she flirting with me?
“I’ll hold you to it.”
She rose. “Once again, I’m sorry we met under such unfortunate circumstances, Mr. Upton.”
“I am too, Miss Tanaka. I feel like, in other circumstances, we would’ve gotten along pretty well.”
She gave me a slight bow—a remnant from her origins. “Thank you. I’ll be in touch.”
Nodding to Helen and Erin, she then vanished into the crowd.
The moment she was out of earshot, Erin leaned forward. “Marcus, what the—”
I shushed her. My eyes were still on the direction Sachiko had disappeared.
Then I rose from my seat. “Walk with me.”
Chairs scraped across concrete. I grabbed my half-finished coffee and led the women away.
We’d barely made it ten steps when Chloe fell into stride beside me. She checked over her shoulder. “They’re gone.”
Helen looked between Chloe and me. “Care to explain yourself?”
“You’re selling the entire thing?” Erin hissed, voice low and incredulous.
My hands sank into my pockets, already heavy with self-loathing, but with an undercurrent of satisfaction. Even if this entire thing turned out to be the dumbest move in history, it was kind of nice to have the ladies, who were so much smarter than I, flat-footed for once.
“Marcus…” Erin’s voice cracked with alarm. “This is insane. You can’t give that man majority control of one of the most powerful companies in the world.”
“Well,” I said, “I am. And you’re going to help me.”
“Marcus,” Helen warned, “we need to talk about this.”
“We will.”
On cue, a black Suburban rolled to the curb. The door opened, and Henry Psalter stepped out. “Mr. Upton?”
I turned to Erin and Helen. “I need you to go with Psalter.”
Helen looked so alarmed that I thought she might refuse.
“Helen,” I said softly, tilting her chin up. My thumb stroked along her jaw. “I’m trying to do something here, and I need you with me. I’m not just making a desperate decision.”
At least… I hoped I wasn’t.
But if I were going to turn a potentially dangerous idea into something actionable that had any prayer of working… I needed her with me. I needed a team of competent people to bring my hair-brained idea to reality.
“Do as I say.” My tone was soft, but it was unmistakably a command.
Her ice-blue eyes flicked from me to Psalter. Her lip caught between her teeth.
“Yes, sir,” she finally said.
“Good girl,” I murmured.
A faint smile flickered across her lips, and then she climbed into the Suburban.
“Marcus?” Erin said. Hurt and annoyance warred across her face.
“Erin… I’m going to need you so much on this.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me what you were doing?”
“Because I needed her to think I was acting rashly—that I felt too trapped to think through things properly, so I needed you guys to look genuinely shocked.”
“But you’re not consulting anyone.”
“I am,” I said. “I have an appointment I can’t miss a couple of blocks away, and then Chloe will bring me to where Psalter is taking you. Then we can discuss it, and all of you can walk me through how we’re going to make this happen.”
“You don’t have a plan for whatever you’re doing!?”
“No. I have an idea, and you’re going to hate it, but this is what we’re doing.”
“Marcus…”
“Please, Erin,” I said. “Just go. I’ll be there soon.”
She gave me a long, lingering look of disapproval, and then she got into the Suburban without saying another word.”
Psalter gave me a nod. “See you in two hours?”
“Save me a seat,” I said.
He climbed in after Erin and the Suburban took off.
Chloe and I watched it disappear into the traffic.
“So, what’s this plan?” Chloe asked, her amber eyes scanning the surroundings.
“Kill Hiro Tanaka,” I said.
Chloe glanced at me, a hint of surprise in her eyes.